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Trailer For EFFECTS 4K Blu-Ray Release Looks Great

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The fine folks at Alamo Drafthouse’s American Genre Film Archive, have worked some sorcery on a 35mm print of Effects and the results looks fantastic! The film, which was the makings of the late great George Romero’s pals, is a rare gem that explores an experimental type of genre film, while giving us a cult-tastic cast.

On Aug. 22, Effects will get a 4K blu-ray release. In addition, Alamo Drafthouse Ritz in Austin  will screen a special 35mm print.

Cobbled together with loose change by George Romero’s friends, EFFECTS is a mesmerizing do-it-yourself horror movie starring Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD), Joe Pilato (DAY OF THE DEAD), and John Harrison (TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE). A group of coked-up filmmakers — including Savini and Pilato — gather in Pittsburgh to make a slasher called DUPED: THE SNUFF MOVIE. As filming begins and “accidents” happen, it’s clear that something isn’t right. And no one can be trusted. Landing somewhere between Michael and Roberta Findlay’s SNUFF and a student film by John Carpenter, EFFECTS is a meta-enhanced takedown on the philosophy of horror that doubles as a sleazy and terrifying movie on its own.
 
“We were blown away to discover that we had the only existing 35mm theatrical print of EFFECTS at the archive,” said AGFA director Joe Ziemba. “We’re happy that we’ve been able to help the filmmakers create a new 4K transfer that will be seen by for years to come by audiences who appreciate the movie for the right reasons.”
EFFECTS was produced by Harrison (director of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE, composer of George Romero’s CREEPSHOW and DAY OF THE DEAD), edited and produced by Pasquale Buba (editor of George Romero’s KNIGHTRIDERS, CREEPSHOW, DAY OF THE DEAD, and MONKEY SHINES), and written and directed by Dusty Nelson (SAKURA KILLERS). Legendary horror icon Tom Savini also provided the film’s visual effects.
 
“It was a good thing we didn’t listen to those who thought we were crazy,” said producer and star John Harrison. “EFFECTS was one of those magical moments in one’s life when everything just seemed to come together.”
 
To celebrate the release, AGFA teams up with the Alamo Drafthouse’s Terror Tuesday series in Austin for a screening of EFFECTS on August 22 with a full cast and crew reunion. Tom Savini, Joe Pilato, John Harrison, Dusty Nelson, Pasquale Buba, and Zilla Clinton will be in attendance.
 
“To have the film ‘re-discovered’ and appreciated 40 years later, is not only gratifying, but quite frankly, something I never even imagined,” said director Nelson. “I can’t wait to see it with the audience in Austin.”
 
Special features include:
 
– New 4K scan from the only surviving 35mm theatrical print
– Archival commentary track with John Harrison, Dusty Nelson, and Pasquale Buba
– AFTER EFFECTS documentary with optional commentary track
– UBU and BEASTIE short films
– Liner notes by Joseph A. Ziemba of AGFA and Bleeding Skull

– Reversible cover art with illustration by Charles Forsman (Netflix’s THE END OF THE FU**ING WORLD)

You can pre-order the fancy blu-ray here, or if you are in the Austin area you can purchase tickets over here.

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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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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