News

‘Cube’ is a Creative Cult Classic That Still Stands Out After 20 Years

Published

7 years ago

September 9, 2017

Canadian horror films have a longstanding tradition of being innovative, operating within a small budget to achieve great effects. Cube – which premiered 20 years ago at the Toronto International Film Festival – took a simple concept with a simpler set design and created a cult classic.

Director Vincenzo Natali kept the costumes to a basic uniform to allow viewers to learn about each character by their actions, not by their appearance. Starting with a blank slate, we’re drawn in to the story to understand who these people are and what they’re capable of.

We rely on the script to communicate their personal history as well as their flaws, which in turn gives more opportunity for each character to hide behind their relative anonymity. The stranded strangers have no option but to trust each other, but really, what do they know about one another? What secrets could they be hiding?

via IMDb

The whole film focuses on the unknown dangers of the situation. Our group is trapped with no understanding of why they’re there or how they got there. Their only hope is a rough theory about the numbers branded on each new room. Each room is identical (aside from the colored panels), giving no indication of what horrors lie within. Tensions run high as the group grows anxious and tired, clashing at every turn.

It is revealed that each person present holds some knowledge that will assist in the group’s escape, but not everyone in the group is suited to the necessary teamwork. Cube quickly turns into a character study that observes how each personality handles the pressure. While some are predisposed to help one another, providing support and comfort when needed, others have a more selfish approach.

via IMDb

It’s – again – a simple concept, but with expert execution. We have the prevailing mystery of the cube mixed with unavoidable personal conflict. All we’re presented with is what’s in the script and what the actors are able to communicate. There’s no flashy set, no distracting costumes, just the story and the constant danger.

Cube was actually just shot in one room, with a partial cube built for when the cast was shown to be looking through from another side. By using lighting panels to change the color of the cube, they were given the flexibility to re-use the set over and over, but still change up the look so it didn’t grow stale. It’s a brilliant use of a limited budget (the 90 minute film only cost $365,000 to make).

via IMDb

Each creative trap presents a different challenge; while it’s possible to navigate through some rooms, others only offer an unavoidable and gruesome death. The opening sequence is particularly thorough in killing off its victim.

Cube has spawned a series of sequels and there’s talks of a reboot – though, like the characters in each film, it seems to be trapped in development Hell. While I don’t anticipate seeing a remake of the cult classic anytime soon, today is as good a day as any to revisit the film that started it all.

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

20 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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News

Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

21 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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News

BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

21 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.