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Late To The Party – Zombieland (2009)

Published

8 years ago

August 3, 2016

Welcome back to another edition of Late To The Party, the weekly(ish) feature where the iHorror writers take turns discovering movies that, frankly, we should have discovered years earlier. This week, I caught up with the cool kids by watching 2009’s Zombieland.

The Gang In Zombieland (2009)

My reason for not having seen Zombieland before now is simple. I was biased against it solely because it is a zombie movie. For the better part of the last decade, zombies have been tedious and boring staples of pop culture. Sure, every once in a while something cool and fun will come along (28 Days Later… and Warm Bodies come immediately to mind), but for the most part, zombies are old hat. Zombieland didn’t interest me because it looked like a typical zombie movie. Anyone who has seen it, however, could have told me that it is far from a typical zombie movie.

Batter Up! Woody Harrelson Swings For The Fences In Zombieland (2009)

Going into Zombieland, there were, of course, things that I knew about it. Obviously, I knew from the title that it was going to be about the zombie apocalypse. I knew it starred Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson. I knew part of the plot revolved around Harrelson’s character searching for a Twinkie. I knew that Bill Murray had a cameo in it. And I knew that it was a horror comedy, although with what passes for comedy today, that didn’t necessarily mean that it would be funny. So, armed with this information and my $4.99 Blu-ray (really, it’s surprisingly cheap for such a recently released movie), I set out to tackle Zombieland.

That’s A Fact, Jack! Bill Murray In Zombieland (2009)

The first thing that struck me about the movie was how hip and cool it was. Of course, with Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone in the cast, I knew that it would be targeting a millennial crowd, but I did not expect all of the slick, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World-esque graphics and titles and such – in some places, when the takes are long and the shots are wide, it’s a bit like watching someone play a video game, with instructions and scores popping up every now and again. Right away, it was clear to me that this was not going to be a stodgy old zombie movie. This was fun.

The Double Tap In Zombieland (2009)

I was also impressed by how director Ruben Fleischer seemed to admit to himself and to his audience that zombies really aren’t all that frightening anymore, so he didn’t even try for scares. Instead, he focused on the action sequences and the comic gags. He let the talented actors take their colorful characters and run with them, not tying them down to whatever may be “scary” or not. And it works – a lot of people might be upset by my saying this, but Woody Harrelson’s Tallahassee is a much more entertaining zombie killer than Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon (but, of course, I also think that The Walking Dead is a big culprit in today’s pop-culture oversaturation of zombies, but that’s another article).

Woody Harrleson Shoots FIrst In Zombieland (2009)

While I’m pissing people off, I may as well admit that I think I enjoyed Zombieland more than I enjoyed its across-the-pond spirit animal Shaun of the Dead. Of course, British humor doesn’t always hit its mark with me, but besides that, Zombieland is just more of a fast paced, fun-filled thrill ride of a movie than Shaun of the Dead. I didn’t like it as much as Warm Bodies, but that’s apples and oranges. Zombieland is good because it keeps a consistently perfect blend of character and action throughout the movie, and does so with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek.

Jesse Eisenberg And Friends In Zombieland (2009)

So basically, Zombieland left me wanting more (in a good way), and now I’m a little more pumped for the impending sequel than I was before. I’m still bored by typical modern zombie movies, though. It’ll take more than just Zombieland to change that.

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

Published

8 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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Movies

‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

Published

13 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

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A post shared by NEON (@neonrated)

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

Published

14 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube