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Spotlight on Horror Director Nick Canning

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Horror director Nick Canning premiered his short film The Shade at iHorror’s 2019 iHorror Film Fest to a rave reception and reviews.

Side note: The 2020 iHorror Film Festival will be opening for submissions in February. Look for more information in the “Festival” tab at iHorror.com.

The young filmmaker began in New Jersey with interests that included comic books, pro wrestling, and monster movies.  However, after making the move to Florida in 2012 he transitioned from fan to creator.

Growing a career in the film industry Canning showed skills both in front of as well as behind the camera, learning and collecting knowledge along the way.
Finally in 2018 Canning began his own production company, Unfold Entertainment.

iHorror’s Piper Minear: I first wanted to congratulate you on creating a successful short horror film without a single word of dialogue. In those four minutes of film time, I got the chills multiple times!
Director Nick Canning: Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

iHorror: What has inspired you to make horror movies?
Canning: To be honest, I was scared of horror movies as a kid. But as I grew older and started pursuing my goals of film making, I began to learn about the “art behind the fear” and how much creativity and resourcefulness goes into properly scaring an audience.

iHorror: Which films did you draw upon as influences for The Shade?
Canning: Two short films, in particular, stood out for me. David F. Sandberg’s Lights Out and Andy Muschietti’s Mamá are both great examples of how to quickly drop the viewers into the nightmare.
It’s no surprise to me that they were turned into successful feature films. The initial concept for The Shade came, oddly, from Peter Pan and the part where the title character chases his shadow and tries to reattach it.

In addition, I’m a fan of the monsters you can’t run away from. In A Nightmare On Elm Street, people eventually need to sleep. In the Dr. Who episodes featuring The Weeping Angels, people eventually need to blink. Everyone has a shadow, so anyone could be preyed upon.

iHorror: Is there a larger story behind what we have seen in this mini horror film?Canning: In regards to developing a larger story, I’m constantly throwing ideas around. If I can find an interesting and fresh angle to build upon, I’d love to turn The Shade into a feature. In the meantime, I’m proud of what the short film has accomplished and how I can’t wait to reunite with my cast and crew for a future project.

iHorror: You have a great sense of building tension. Will you expand on this in your future work?
Canning: Absolutely. I enjoy taking the audience on a psychological roller coaster.

iHorror: What is your view on psychological scares vs gore used as a technique to scare audiences?
Canning: I’m a fan of both techniques and each can be effective in the right hands. Psychological terror allows you to toy with expectations and stretch the tension until it’s unbearable.
When it comes to gore, there is a fine line between disturbing violence and absurd
violence. For me at least, it’s the smaller gore (nails and teeth, for example) that makes
the viewers the most squeamish.

iHorror: What scares you?
Canning: I would say Isolation and Anxiety.

iHorror: What can we expect from you next? Do you think you’ll be finding a home in the horror industry?
Canning: My main priority at the moment is pitching around a few horror screenplays I have written. But expect another short film from Unfold Entertainment before the end of 2020.
The horror industry has been kind to me so far and I’ll happily keep telling stories within
a genre I love.

iHorror: Lastly, where can fans follow your upcoming news and work?
Canning: Those that are interested can subscribe to the Unfold Entertainment YouTube channel, like the company’s page on Facebook, as well as follow me on Instagram.

Facebook: @UnfoldEntertainment
Instagram: @nick_unfold

Read more about Nick Canning and “The Shade” on page 10 in the link below:

Lurking in the Shadows Pays Off for Gulfport Filmmaker By Jeff Donnelly

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

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Horror Movies

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks. 

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story. 

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did. 

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD. 

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind. 

The Crow
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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

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The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

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Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors. 

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie. 

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time. 

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.

Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Footwear for Wednesday Addams Skullector doll
Morticia Addams Skullector doll
Morticia Addams doll shoes
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