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Nightmares Film Festival 2018 to Host U.S. Premiere of Sonny Laguna’s ‘Mystery Box’

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Strange things are happening in Sonny Laguna’s newest short film, Mystery Box.

A young woman named Moa is surprised to find a strange box tangled in her fishing nets while on vacation at a cabin outside Stockholm. She takes the box back to the cabin, storing it in a shed until she can dispose of it properly. Later that night, however, she hears a sound outside and opens the door to find the mysterious box waiting for her.

It takes a talented director to layer tension over an inanimate object, but Laguna (Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich), who co-wrote the script with David Liljeblad and Tommy Wiklund, proves himself more than capable.

Lisa Henni, the actress playing Moa, proves herself, as well. There is something magnetic about her presence onscreen, and she gives an expertly-measured performance in what could have well strayed into the ridiculous in a less talented actress’ hands.

There is a third star in this production, however, and that is the standout score by Samir El Alaoui. The composer provides music that is both lush and intense, speaking Moa’s fears and trepidation aloud as she stares into the encroaching darkness of the cabin and the even darker depths of the box.

Mystery Box will screen as part of the Horror Shorts D block in House 2 at Nightmares Film Festival at the Gateway Film Center in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 10 pm. Tickets are still available online for this year’s festival online.

Click here for a full schedule of #BetterHorror screenings here!

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Airbnb Scareprank Pits Influencers Against ‘The Strangers’

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The Strangers: Chapter 1 was released this week. This is the first part of Renny Harlin’s trilogy which appears to be a retelling of the 2008 original. Early reviews are passable, but many have said it is not as scary as the original and hope this first installment is just a taste of what is to come.

However, social media influencers got the scare of their lives after they were invited to an Airbnb for a special screening. As they watched the film masked home invaders visited them and their reactions were recorded.

The stunt was put together by actor/executive producer Madelaine Petsch and producer Courtney Solomon. You can watch how it played out below.

Soloman was recently interviewed by iHorror and attempted to clear up some questions about how this trilogy fits into the Strangers universe:

“The one thing that seems to register confusion amongst the OG ‘The Strangers‘ fans is that we remade the movie, or that it’s a prequel. Not really. What we did is we took the DNA of the original setup, and wanted to use that because you really can’t do better for a setup, we’re using that as the jumping-off point. Our characters are different. Our scares and our beats are very different. It’s all setting up a bigger story. You’re following these characters, and you will really get to know the protagonist and antagonist, and as they go through, it’s like they almost know each other.”

The Strangers: Chapter 1

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New ‘Insidious’ Movie Scheduled For August 2025 Release Date

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Get ready for another chapter in the Insidious universe. Variety confirms today that another movie is in the works and it could be in theaters as early as August 2025.

Unfortunately, the cast has not been revealed, nor how this entry will fit into the series overall. That means series regulars Patrick Wilson, Leigh Whannel and Lin Shaye haven’t been confirmed as returning actors.

Variety also stated that this isn’t the spinoff Thread: An Insidious Tale, starring Mandy Moore and Kumail Nanjiani that Deadline announced in 2023. They also point out if this newly announced title releases before Thread, it would be the sixth chapter in the franchise.

Insidious: The Red Door

Insidious has been a hot property for Blumhouse. Initially created by James Wan, the movies have done very well at the box office. Although the last one, Red Door got mixed reviews, it managed to rake in $189 million worldwide, a hefty haul considering the film only cost $16 million to make.

Jason Blum is cited as saying after Red Door the series would take an extended break, “It may not be a forever rest, but it’s certainly going to be a very long rest. … There’s not a plan — as there has been with every prior ‘Insidious’ movie — there’s no current plan in place for number six.”

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New Jason Universe to Spin Friday the 13th Franchise Into Many Directions

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The entertainment site IGN has confirmed today that Jason Voorhees isn’t dead. It reports that Horror, Inc. is behind the launch of Jason Universe a Friday the 13th-based outlet that will, “span a wide range of platforms from entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise and more…” with more announcements to be made about the project coming this year.

Robert Barsamian, President of Horror, Inc., said in a statement to IGN, “For decades, Jason shocked and thrilled audiences who kept coming back for more. We’re excited to work with Victor Miller and Marc Toberoff on new projects we’ll announce in the coming months.”

For those following the Friday the 13th rights courtroom drama, Miller wrote the first film and was granted full control over those rights, but director Sean S. Cunningham owns Jason as an intellectual property (read hockey mask) since, plot twist, he wasn’t the killer in the original. Notably, Miller is not a part of Horror, Inc. Also, curiously a hockey mask is used as a part of the Horror, Inc. logo.

Robert Barsamian has a history with the franchise, having funded the first film and a few of its sequels. He is also an executive producer of Crystal Lake in production at Peacock for A24 and funded the making of Friday the 13th: The Game.

Bryan Fuller was a part of the team for the Peacock spin-off but left the project because, as he posted on Instagram, “A24 has elected to go a different way with the material.” his ambiguous statement had some fans wondering if Crystal Lake would shirk its simple slasher rep to become a more “elevated” experience.

However, Barsamian says it can be both, “We’re focused on honoring the legacy while elevating the fan experience and appealing to today’s horror audiences as we develop new ways to watch, interact and engage with the Jason Universe.”

Sheri Conn, Global GM of Horror, Inc, says Jason has been a pop culture icon for over 40 years thanks to movies and video games, “We can’t wait to introduce new Jason Universe activations to these amazing fans.”

If you want to follow what Horror Inc. has in store for our beloved Jason you can follow them at the official Jason Universe website.

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