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“The Limehouse Golem” is the Nostalgic Whodunit You Didn’t Know You Needed

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In an age of big special effects, over the top monsters, and all too shallow plotlines, it’s easy to forget that really good stories not only exist but can still thrill viewers in unexpected ways.  Luckily, from time to time, a film like The Limehouse Golem comes along to remind us of that very fact.

Directed by Juan Carlos Medina with a script by Jane Goldman (who also wrote the screenplay for The Woman in Black) based on the novel by Peter Ackroyd, The Limehouse Golem tells the story of Lizzie Cree (Olivia Cooke) a former music hall actress who’s accused of murdering her husband (Sam Reid).  At the time of his death, however, there’s a much larger case that’s rocked an entire community.  A killer known only as the Limehouse Golem has committed a series of brutal murders, the last including an entire family.  Inspector John Kildare (Bill Nighy) from Scotland Yard has been brought in to solve the case, and to serve as a fall guy for the Yard if he cannot.

Kildare soon realizes the two cases are inextricably linked but discovering the killer’s identity may put more at risk than his career.

It’s a beautiful throwback film, embracing the tropes of the great British mysteries that came before it.  No one is completely innocent and guilt lies not only on the killer but on the people who helped create them.  The streets are just a little too clean, and the poor just a little too healthy looking, for it to all be completely believed, and yet we do.  It is mystery theater at its best, inviting the audience to put the pieces of the puzzle together having no idea what the larger picture truly is.

Bill Nighy (Underworld, Pirates of the Caribbean) turns in a brilliant, understated performance as Kildare consciously choosing a subtle approach to this intelligent and caring man.  Interestingly enough, Alan Rickman was originally cast in the role, but when his health began to deteriorate he had to leave the production.  Nighy stepped in, and while one cannot help but imagine Rickman in the role, it is undeniable that the film did not suffer in the least with the substitution.

Cooke (“Bates Motel”, The Quiet Ones), an undeniably talented actress, is serviceable in the role of Lizzie, at once strong and vulnerable, and yet there were times where her performance was overwhelmed by those around her.  About half the movie passes before she finds her even footing with Nighy and some of her co-stars.  That firm footing locks into place, and the second half of the film is the better for it.

It is Douglas Booth (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jupiter Ascending) who steals this show, however.  As music hall performer Dan Leno, Booth is magnetic, radiating sex, mystery, and danger.  He is beautifully ambiguous in his desires and commanding on stage in 19th century drag, and the screen sizzled with his charisma each time he appeared.

Medina, who I was surprised to find only had four directing credits to his name on IMDb, directs his cast beautifully with an innate ability to balance silence with dialogue and stillness with action to fully tell the story of The Limehouse Golem.  Many a horror director could take lessons from Medina in the realm of gore.  His murder scenes are seriously gory, but he doesn’t linger.  He gives us just enough to take in the scene before cutting away quickly leaving an afterimage for the viewer to process.  The method is extremely effective.

The Limehouse Golem releases September 8, 2017 in theaters and on demand from Number 9 Films in associate with RLJ Entertainment and Lionsgate among others.  Check out the trailer below!

 

 

TITLE: THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM
IN THEATERS AND AVAILABLE ON VOD AND DIGITAL HD: September 8, 2017
DIRECTOR: Juan Carlos Medina
WRITERS: Jane Goldman, based on the novel “Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem” by Peter Ackroyd
CAST: Bill Nighy, Olivia Cooke, Douglas Booth, Daniel Mays, and Eddie Marsan
SYNOPSIS: The city of London is gripped with fear as a serial killer – dubbed The Limehouse Golem – is on the loose and leaving cryptic messages written in his victim’s blood. With few leads and increasing public pressure, Scotland Yard assigns the case to Inspector Kildare (Bill Nighy) – a seasoned detective with a troubled past and a sneaking suspicion he’s being set up to fail. Faced with a long list of suspects, including music hall star Dan Leno (Douglas Booth), Kildare must get help from a witness who has legal troubles of her own (Olivia Cooke), so he can stop the murders and bring the killer to justice.
GENRE: Thriller
DISTRIBUTOR: RLJ Entertainment
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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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