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Krampus Slays Wheelchair Cosplay

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In the fantastical world of cosplay, the wheelchair variety can be some of the most innovative. Surely, you’ve seen chairs transposed to Batmobiles online, and mini Supermen–their chairs armed with the illusion that the adorable, seated boys are “flying,” with the aid of faux legs behind them. I know I’ve caught myself swooning! But this holiday season, wheelchair cosplay’s gone dark. So gather ’round the fire, kiddies, and I’ll tell you the tale of how I met the man–or beast?–who boldly deems himself “The Krippled Krampus.” Don’t mind the scent of seared coal.

‘Twas early December 2016, and Spooky Empire‘s make-up event was swiftly approaching. The first go-around of the Orlando, Florida horror convention was damned to the fate of postponement by October’s Hurricane Matthew, so some cosplayers scrambled to reinvent their costumes into something more fit for the holiday spirit. Poison Ivy added poincianas to her leafy ensemble; Twisty the clown donned a Santa hat. Some considered all new, last-minute cosplays altogether–my wheelchair-cosplayer boyfriend included. “We’ll make you a Krampus,” I suggested. “Make your chair into a throne.” But with only one prior con, and one Halloween worth of experience in modifying his chair–and mere weeks with which to work–we opted to stay with the cosplays we’d already prepared for October. We would leave that epic concept for the pros.

Ahem. Speak of the devil…

Enter Jarrad Walker.

justkrampus

Our nightmarish dream had been realized. He manifested before us, both in flesh and in fur, and we fan-girled. Ohhh, did we fan-girl. Up and down–like, way down. Enough to descend to a pit of fire, brimstone, and melted candy canes.

Wheelchair Cosplay GOALS.

Jarrad has a congenital spinal defect called Spina Bifida, and resides in Tampa, Florida. The thirty-four year old “Best Exhibition” winner in Spooky Empire’s costume contest–to whom, by the way, it was an honor to lose–has only been in the game for three years, but seems to have become an instant hit in Spooky’s con circuit. And rightfully so! In past years, he’s come in body-bags, coffins, hospital gurneys, and in fenced-in, unearthed graves. He’s often joined by Krampus‘ little helper: his mother and cosplay partner, Cheryl A. Thayer-Blackford. She is responsible for crafting the awe-inspiring throne that toted the whimsical beast. This year, Cheryl attended alongside him in the guise of a zombified elf.

krampuswithelf

Jarrad’s makeup, this year, was done by former (and future!) Face Off contestant, Emily Serpico–who, in a small enough world, was actually once my co-worker at a Spirit Halloween.

Perhaps we’ll bump into His Unholy Highness at Spooky Empire‘s April show–where, personally, as a former mall Easter Bunny and avid Donnie Darko fan, I am avidly hoping he’ll shape-shift into a rabid giant bunny. In the meantime, take heed, mein kinder. Earn a spot on the nice list, or the cosplay Krampus will strike!

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‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments

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It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.

We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.

Evil Dead Rise

“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”

That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”

Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:

High Desert Hell
The Gemini Project

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‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening

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Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.

Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.

Happy Sad Confused

Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.

Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.

The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

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Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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