Connect with us

News

The Strain-ger Talk: Sn 2, Ep. 5 “Quick And Painless” Recap

Published

on

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-42-49

Welcome to The Strain-ger Talk, where each week we breakdown and discuss this week’s new episode of FX’s The Strain. We will be going over major plot points, the game plan from both sides of the upcoming war, best action moments, new types of vampires, and of course the Tongue-Punch of the Week! If you missed last week’s talk then CLICK HERE! Now a lot of drama happened this week that we need to cover, so without further ado, lets talk some Strainge!

*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS EPISODE SPOILED THEN STOP READING*

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-41-34

Breakdown:

This week it is all about The Feelers! The episode opened with Councilwoman’s strike force working through an apartment building, moving people and picking off Strigori as the clear each room. They are very organized as the clear the rooms, until one of them stumbles on one of The Feelers. The action that takes place in the apartment is great and I will discuss the opening in more detail in the Action Scene of the Week. But one of the great part of this entire sequence is not only showing how much ass The Feelers can kick, but it also shows what the strike force know about their enemy. They do not know about UV or silver harming them, but that doesn’t stop them from blowing their heads off. They also don’t know how the infection spreads. At the end of the sequence one of the get bite in the leg by a Feeler. In a very heartbreaking moment he states “At least I didn’t get hit in the neck.”

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-42-34

Poor guy never stood a chance.

While we as an audience know that it doesn’t matter where you are bitten, the scene showcases how little everyone outside of Eph’s group knows about the Strigori. As the epidemic spreads and more people sep up and out of the victim role, its good to see their stories comes to light in the series. Luckily, their team is about to get a crash course on Strigoris.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-19-20

Ooooooouuuuuuuuch

Last week I talked about how Eph’s group and the Councilwoman need to band together in order to take on the Strigori threat, and this week they delivered. I was wondering how they were gonna bring the two groups together after Fet was violently arrested. Nora and Dutch bail Fet out of jail with the promise to share what they know about the enemy and infections. This is great as the group has a lot of knowledge, but little resources while the Councilwoman has a lot of resources, but little knowledge on the Strigori. The team up shows its benefits from the start as Nora reduces their detention of possible infected people from 72hrs to 1-2hrs by showing them that the worms show up on UV light. As she shares this knowledge with the Councilwoman were are treated to a scene that shows both women dealing with death. Nora, who in the first season couldn’t kill her best friend who became infected, pulls the plug on the Councilwoman’s nephew as she is unable to cope with doing it herself. This shows a lot has changed in Nora, as she doesn’t even question taking his life stating that he would want to go as a human. Perhaps all the carnage or experimenting on people finally got to her. Whether this makes her stronger or shows how broken she has become has yet to be shown. She is ready to put aside emotions to what is needed, hopefully not at th cost of her humanity. Meanwhile, the Councilwoman is going to have to confront these same dilemmas as the show continues if her goal of taking the city back continues.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-11-43

The other side of this new alliance has Fet and Dutch joining the strike force to show them other ways of killing the Strigori and joining them on a hunt. They show them how silver hurts the Strigori with their fancy nail guns which leaves the strike force unimpressed. After Fet takes out a Feeler in the wall using only his rebar, we are treated to the THE RETURN OF THE GLITTER BOMB! I loved this device when it was introduced a few episodes ago and am beyond excited that it makes a return this week in one of the best ways possible. After Fet finds a group of Strigori at the bottom of an elevator shaft, Dutch unleashes a glitter storm that would make any strip club jealous. This scene is great as the last time we saw this device used it was used in a defensive manner. But here, it is used to fully kill a large group in a small space. Great stuff.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-03-31

Also in this episode we see Eph put his plan to goes to DC to try and weaponize his “cure.” He goes out and gets new ids for Nora, himself, and Zach because outside of New York, he is still a wanted fugitive who has been all over the news. Nora and Zach convince him that they can’t go with him as they would give away his identity too quickly. Eph eventually recognizes that bringing them would put all three of them at risk and so he goes solo. But not before he shaves his head!

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-06-26

RIP Corey Stoll’s wig.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-07-39

Welcome back Corey Stoll!

This is a big moment, if only for everyone who ever complained about Stoll’s wig. To be honest, it never bothered me. Sure it threw me off because I was use to him being bald from House of Cards, but that was only for the first few minutes of the pilot. Leaving the city was not going to be easy for Eph, he would have to get through the heavily guarded borders where almost everyone knows his face, but his new look and id were enough to get by. That is until he is on the train and spots his former boss, Barnes.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-42-08

Fuck.

He immediately recognizes Eph and trie to reason with him stating that he can be trusted and wouldn’t mess with Eph’s plans in DC. Eph doesn’t trust him and proceeds to try and run. I was temped to use their fight scene as the action sequence of the week, as it was one of the more realistic fights scenes I have seen on TV. Both characters are people who have had little to no fighting training who are put into a fight or flight situation, and it shows. The fighting is sloppy and brutal. Ultimately it ends with Eph throwing Barnes off the train. But before he does, Barnes makes it clear that he is working for The Master and states that Eph is on the wrong side of things. Corey Stoll says that Eph throwing Barnes off the train was an accident and it was in self defense, but I didn’t think it was. Either way, Eph has killed his first human. This will ultimately push his character in a new direction, most likely further down the bottles of liquor he has been so fond of lately.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-53-02

“I can feel it, coming in the air tonight.”

On the other side of the war, we see Palmer and Coco get a bit closer as they treat themselves to a nice dinner. This scene is a bit boring, but it does show two things. Palmer is talks to a Bishop who hints that they might have found what he was looking for, hinting that it might be the book Abraham has been searching for for years. Two, Palmer states that the rich have the luxury of denial, as shown with the lavish dinning they are enjoying while the rest of the city is in chaos. I love how the show presents classism in this pre-apocalyptic environment, and this is one of the best examples of it. After a nice meal, Palmer and Coco return to his office for a night cap and dance as a building burns in the background. This scene was weird and felt a bit unnecessary, except for the fact that it shows Coco becoming more corrupted by Palmer. Her character always seemed to be on the fence of good vs. evil and now it seems she has given into Palmer’s plan. Boy there was a lot of sexual tension in this scene.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-02-58

I don’t care how young you are or how many guns you have. YOU DO NOT FUCK WITH SETRAKIAN!

Abraham Setrakian had a big week as well. He visited our favorite dealer of all things bad on his quest for the Occido Lumens. This lead may or may not lead to the ancient book, but ultimately Abraham proves yet again to be a badass and gains the respect of the gangsters to, at least, enlist their paid help in finding the book. Either way, they seem to have a decent lead on the book and hopefully they are right as this season is starting to ramp up as we reach the half way point. Abraham is also visited by Fitzwilliam, who agrees to help him out in his efforts. I am glad Fitzwilliam is onboard with Abraham’s plans to take on Palmer and The Master, but did it really need to take three episodes to do this? They are really drawing out his story this season.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-57-46

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood of The Strigori

The episode ends with the introduction of a hooded Strigori known only as Quinlan. Fans of the book will recognize him and know how much of a badass he is, so this introduction brought much joy to fans. Even if you haven’t read the books, this is a awesome introduction to a character that Guillermo Del Toro has stated in the past to be his favorite of the series. I am really glad this character didn’t get a soft introduction like others have gotten through out this season. I look forward to see what they do with this great character this season and if you watch the preview for the next episode, you know he will be off to a good start.

Zach’s Freakout of the Week:

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-03-46

He, actually didn’t have one. His interactions with the others were pretty well grounded. When Eph tried taking him to DC he mentioned not leaving without his mother, but it felt genuine. He reactions were granted, even if the motivation behind them were a bit off. Are they hitting a stride with Zach now? I hope so. Zach is still a big character in the show. I hope they make him fit better into the show and this week’s episode might be the starting point.

Fet’s Badass Moment of the Week:

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-37-39

“Just because I said I could hear you through the walls, doesn’t mean I want to join you and your wife Mr. Thompson!!!”

Fet continues to kick so much ass, it was hard to decide on what moment was the best from him this week. Was it him taking on a Feeler in the walls? Nope. Was it him and Dutch interacting with the strike force after being bailed? Nope. His most badass moment is when we see him getting bailed out of jail. This charismatic vampire ass kicker was beaten and jailed last episode leaving us with the feeling that he is doomed. The next time we see him, he is just chilling and playing cards with his fellow detainees. Bravo Fet. Bravo.

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-10-41

Way to spoil the fun police man.

Tongue-Punch of the Week:

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-39-06

This weeks tongue-punch goes to the little Feeler who caught the swat member. This is a first in Tongue-Punch of the Week history that the punch didn’t land on the neck, instead it got him right in the leg. This entire scene first plays out like typical creepy kid scenarios we have seen in horror films dozens of times, but the tongue-punch brought it to a brutal level. This was of course quickly followed by the Feeler jumping up on the walls, adding another level of WTFness to these little bastards.

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-39-17

Best Action Sequence of the Week:

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-21-13

The best action sequence will be two this week. Both scenes take place in the apartment building against the same foe, even if they are separated in the episode, one is a continuation of the other. And man they rule. The show takes full advantage of combining Dutch/Fet’s street smarts with the strike force’s precision and organized methods. Both scenes are chaotic, brutal, but still have time for bit of humor. Its a great reminder that there is still a war being fought on the streets, especially when put into contrast with Palmer and Eph’s stories.

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-38-13

Final Thoughts:

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-38-19

This is one of the most solid episodes this season, and even the entire series, has produced. Everything is starting to come together, the show still expand its mythology, and their is some great character development amongst the chaos. The action and drama were on point this week and everyone seemed to be at the top of their game with this episode. Almost every character in this episode had a big part and showed some great depth, almost none were wasted. Hopefully next week we will see more of Gus and his new wrestling friend, maybe even have Kelly find Zach. I’m glad to see Zach being used in productive way this week, as they seemed to be struggling with him over the last few weeks. Quinlan looks to be one awesome character and will be a great addition to the show. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next episode.

What did you think of this episode?  Do you agree with me or think I am wrong? Let us know in the comments and we will see you next week with “Identity.”

Next Week Preview:

[iframe id=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/z8vvA97MmfM” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

More Screen Shots:

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-42-57

 

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-41-14

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-11-05

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-37-50

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-40-56

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-53-11

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-56-25

Screenshot_2015-08-11-02-02-44

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-35-01

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-38-31

Screenshot_2015-08-11-07-57-07

Screenshot_2015-08-10-21-39-00

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

“Mickey Vs. Winnie”: Iconic Childhood Characters Collide in A Terrifying Versus Slasher

Published

on

iHorror is diving deep into film production with a chilling new project that’s sure to redefine your childhood memories. We’re thrilled to introduce ‘Mickey vs. Winnie,’ a groundbreaking horror slasher directed by Glenn Douglas Packard. This isn’t just any horror slasher; it’s a visceral showdown between twisted versions of childhood favorites Mickey Mouse and Winnie-the-Pooh. ‘Mickey vs. Winnie’ brings together the now-public-domain characters from A. A. Milne’s ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ books and Mickey Mouse from the 1920s ‘Steamboat Willie’ cartoon in a VS battle like never before seen.

Mickey VS Winnie
Mickey VS Winnie Poster

Set in the 1920s, the plot kicks off with a disturbing narrative about two convicts who escape into a cursed forest, only to be swallowed by its dark essence. Fast forward a hundred years, and the story picks up with a group of thrill-seeking friends whose nature getaway goes horribly wrong. They accidentally venture into the same cursed woods, finding themselves face-to-face with the now monstrous versions of Mickey and Winnie. What follows is a night filled with terror, as these beloved characters mutate into horrifying adversaries, unleashing a frenzy of violence and bloodshed.

Glenn Douglas Packard, an Emmy-nominated choreographer turned filmmaker known for his work on “Pitchfork,” brings a unique creative vision to this film. Packard describes “Mickey vs. Winnie” as a tribute to horror fans’ love for iconic crossovers, which often remain just a fantasy due to licensing restrictions. “Our film celebrates the thrill of combining legendary characters in unexpected ways, serving up a nightmarish yet exhilarating cinematic experience,” says Packard.

Produced by Packard and his creative partner Rachel Carter under the Untouchables Entertainment banner, and our very own Anthony Pernicka, founder of iHorror, “Mickey vs. Winnie” promises to deliver an entirely new take on these iconic figures. “Forget what you know about Mickey and Winnie,” Pernicka enthuses. “Our film portrays these characters not as mere masked figures but as transformed, live-action horrors that merge innocence with malevolence. The intense scenes crafted for this movie will change how you see these characters forever.”

Currently underway in Michigan, the production of “Mickey vs. Winnie” is a testament to pushing boundaries, which horror loves to do. As iHorror ventures into producing our own films, we’re excited to share this thrilling, terrifying journey with you, our loyal audience. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to transform the familiar into the frightful in ways you’ve never imagined.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Mike Flanagan Comes Aboard To Assist in Completion of ‘Shelby Oaks’

Published

on

shelby oaks

If you have been following Chris Stuckmann on YouTube you are aware of the struggles he has had getting his horror movie Shelby Oaks finished. But there’s good news about the project today. Director Mike Flanagan (Ouija: Origin Of Evil, Doctor Sleep and The Haunting) is backing the film as a co-executive producer which might bring it much closer to being released. Flanagan is a part of the collective Intrepid Pictures which also includes Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka.

Shelby Oaks
Shelby Oaks

Stuckmann is a YouTube movie critic who’s been on the platform for over a decade. He came under some scrutiny for announcing on his channel two years ago that he would no longer be reviewing films negatively. However contrary to that statement, he did a non-review essay of the panned Madame Web recently saying, that studios strong-arm directors to make films just for the sake of keeping failing franchises alive. It seemed like a critique disguised as a discussion video.

But Stuckmann has his own movie to worry about. In one of Kickstarter’s most successful campaigns, he managed to raise over $1 million for his debut feature film Shelby Oaks which now sits in post-production. 

Hopefully, with Flanagan and Intrepid’s help, the road to Shelby Oak’s completion is reaching its end. 

“It’s been inspiring to watch Chris working toward his dreams over the past few years, and the tenacity and DIY spirit he displayed while bringing Shelby Oaks to life reminded me so much of my own journey over a decade ago,” Flanagan told Deadline. “It’s been an honor to walk a few steps with him on his path, and to offer support for Chris’ vision for his ambitious, unique movie. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.”

Stuckmann says Intrepid Pictures has inspired him for years and, “it’s a dream come true to work with Mike and Trevor on my first feature.”

Producer Aaron B. Koontz of Paper Street Pictures has been working with Stuckmann since the beginning is also excited about the collaboration.

“For a film that had such a hard time getting going, it’s remarkable the doors that then opened to us,” said Koontz. “The success of our Kickstarter followed by the on-going leadership and guidance from Mike, Trevor, and Melinda is beyond anything I could have hoped for.”

Deadline describes the plot of Shelby Oaks as follows:

“A combination of documentary, found footage, and traditional film footage styles, Shelby Oaks centers on Mia’s (Camille Sullivan) frantic search for her sister, Riley, (Sarah Durn) who ominously disappeared in the last tape of her “Paranormal Paranoids” investigative series. As Mia’s obsession grows, she begins to suspect that the imaginary demon from Riley’s childhood may have been real.”

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

New ‘MaXXXine’ Image is Pure 80s Costume Core

Published

on

A24 has unveiled a captivating new image of Mia Goth in her role as the titular character in “MaXXXine”. This release comes approximately a year and a half after the previous installment in Ti West’s expansive horror saga, which covers more than seven decades.

MaXXXine Official Trailer

His latest continues the story arc of freckle-faced aspiring starlet Maxine Minx from the first film X which took place in Texas in 1979. With stars in her eyes and blood on her hands, Maxine moves into a new decade and a new city, Hollywood, in pursuit of an acting career, “But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.”

The photo below is the latest snapshot released from the film and shows Maxine in full Thunderdome drag amid a crowd of teased hair and rebellious 80s fashion.

MaXXXine is set to open in theaters on July 5.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading