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Did Unfriended Blatantly Steal Concept from The Upper Footage?

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This past weekend marked the theatrical release of Blumhouse’s Unfriended, which was cleverly set on the computer screen of its main character. And though no one’s claiming it’s the first of its kind, with films like Open Windows and The Den employing similar tactics, someone is now claiming the idea was entirely stolen.

Over the weekend, director Justin Cole took to social media in an effort to spread the word about the perceived thievery, asserting that the similarities between Unfriended and his film The Upper Footage are simply too obvious to ignore. The Upper Footage was widely released on VOD outlets in 2013, and Cole began teasing the film way back in 2010.

Below you’ll find Cole’s full statement, posted to his personal Facebook page, where he makes some pretty compelling points.

“Was going to keep this to myself but it actually seems to be haunting me at this point (no pun intended). I am sure, like myself, you have all been bombarded with marketing for “Unfriended” coming out on Friday. Since the trailer has come out I have been getting a lot of messages here and on Twitter that the backstory seems like a direct knock off of my feature. At first I brushed it off as the bulk of the film is shot on Skype, which is nothing like my film, but as I looked into it the similarities were pretty much spot on.

The backstory that leads up to the meat of the film along with their marketing campaign is pretty much exactly what we did with “The Upper Footage”, just not executed nearly as well: Post a video on Youtube of a girl getting bullied after consuming drugs/alcohol, post a video of her death, get pulled from Youtube, post video on other sites, set up social media pages for the victim, and then market the film as being able to Google the fictional character as if she was real. (they even used the same pixillation but on the girl’s crotch, a nice little fuck you homage for good measure).

The production essentially did everything we did, but struck out. They didn’t actually get pulled from Youtube, no one believed that the footage was real, the only articles that show up about the character on Google are things the production released, no independent sites ran the videos or story as factual whatsoever.

At this point you might be saying “Maybe it’s a coincidence. How do you know they even saw your film?” Same thing I thought at first, so I looked into who was behind it, and yes it was one of the producers that tried to screw me over on Upper, Jason Blum.

A few years back when the questions were still lingering if my film was real or not I met with this producer, he invited me over to his house to watch the film. When I arrived he acted as if he was unaware of how to connect my computer/hard drive to his TV. When I informed him that I knew how, he quickly hurried away and said that it would be better for us to watch in his bedroom because it was a darker in there. I declined.

After watching the film he walked out of his room, called me sick, and said he loved the film. I replied great, I will put you and my lawyer in touch. He then told me he didn’t deal with lawyers only sales agents and gave me the one sales agent he would deal with. I took the name, did some research, and noticed that they had been friends and worked together for quite sometime. Noticing the conflict of interest, I informed the producer of this and he never responded. A few days later a sound guy on his film started posting the ending of my film on social media, a level of pettiness you wouldn’t expect from a successful grown man. This was my last foray into dealing with studios or any well know producers and was the main catalyst for me distributing the film myself. After this I remember one of my buddies telling me “you know it’s only a matter of time before this guy just takes your idea and turns it into something.” Few years later that time has come.

Every time I see advertisements for this film now it’s like a punch in the stomach. If it were another artist evolving the premise I would have actually thought it was awesome, but it’s not. It’s some vulture with no creativity bludgeoning a great idea, turning it into shit, but it doesn’t matter because he will be laughing all the way to the bank as people walk out of the theater pissed off that they were just duped into watching another crappy movie.

My last straw was this weekend. I was over a buddy’s house and he asked to see my old trailer, he opened the YouTube App on his TV, and lo and behold an “Unfriended” ad was playing before my trailer. If it were my TV I probably would have kicked it. They are marketing their film over the trailer of a film they took the concept from.

To add to the fuckery, the main critique he had of the film was that the ending was very dark and the bad kids didn’t get their comeuppance. Which is ironic being that this whole film is about the people that bullied her getting their comeuppance courtesy of the dead girl that was bullied.

A funny side note. I was back in NYC months ago and bumped into this guy on the street (this was before I heard about this film.) We made eye contact, he nervously said hi, legit looked like he saw a ghost, and before I could say a word his normal walking speed turned into a goofy looking speed walk and he rushed away from me. I was walking with my brother and he looked at me, not knowing who the guy was, laughed and asked “does that guy owe you money or something?”

Anyway rant over. I don’t know if there is any moral or lesson to this story. Perhaps it’s to take your fucking the first time because if you don’t they will just keep coming.”

Coincidence or is Cole onto something here? Check out the trailer for The Upper Footage below, and head over to Vimeo to watch the entire film. Afterwards, we invite you to form your own answer to that question, and drop it down in the comments section below.

[youtube id=”cWzsQtuS-l8″]

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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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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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1994’s ‘The Crow’ Coming Back to Theaters for A New Special Engagement

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The Crow

Cinemark recently announced that they will be bringing The Crow back from the dead once again. This announcement comes just in time for the film’s 30th anniversary. Cinemark will be playing The Crow in select theaters on May 29th and 30th.

For those unaware, The Crow is a fantastic film based on the gritty graphic novel by James O’Barr. Widely considered one of the best films of the 90s, The Crow’s lifespan was cut short when Brandon Lee died of an accidental on set shooting.

The official synapsis of the film is as follows. “The modern-gothic original that entranced audiences and critics alike, The Crow tells the tale of a young musician brutally murdered alongside his beloved fiancée, only to be risen from the grave by a mysterious crow. Seeking revenge, he battles a criminal underground that must answer for its crimes. Adapted from the comic book saga of the same name, this action-packed thriller from director Alex Proyas (Dark City) features hypnotic style, dazzling visuals, and a soulful performance by the late Brandon Lee.”

The Crow

The timing of this release couldn’t be better. As a new generation of fans eagerly awaits the release of The Crow remake, they can now see the classic film in all of its glory. As much as we love Bill Skarsgard (IT), there is something timeless in Brandon Lee’s performance in the film.

This theatrical release is part of the Scream Greats series. This is a collaboration between Paramount Scares and Fangoria to bring audiences some of the best classic horror films. So far, they are doing a fantastic job.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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