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Review: Lin Shaye and Robert Englund Reunite in “The Midnight Man”

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There’s a brand new movie monster heading your way. He’s called The Midnight Man and he’ll be invading your homes on Video On Demand this week in a movie by the same name!

It all begins in the 1950s when a group of young friends play a game that invokes the titular character. It’s a dangerous game and one by one they die by not following the rules.

When only one is left, it seems the game is over and a young girl named Anna is finally safe.

But we’re horror fans and we know better than that, right?

Moving forward in time we find that Anna still lives in the same home, and is succumbing to dementia. Her granddaughter, Alex, has come to stay with her, and late one night the girl discovers the rules for the game in the attic.

Naturally, she and her friends decide to play.

The film, though problematic at times, is quite entertaining and has genuinely scary moments largely thanks to Lin Shaye’s performance as the older Anna and Kyle Strauts in the role of the monstrous Midnight Man who uses your own fears to kill you.

Shaye never brings less than her A-game and she uses her considerable talent to own the role of Anna. She is vulnerable, sad, menacing, and terrifying at once as she weaves in and out of her haze of supposed dementia.

Kyle Strauts fully embodies the Midnight Man sweeping in and out of the darkness with murderous gusto. His 6’9″ presence is enhanced by the the makeup designs by Doug Morrow and his team.

Speaking of darkness…it’s a sad thing when technical decisions end up detracting from rather than enhancing a film. The Midnight Man unfortunately suffers at the hands of its cinematographer, Gavin Kelly, with many scenes so dark it was hard to see facial expressions or distinguish details onscreen.

Likewise, the film’s editing which was uneven at best, led to pacing problems especially toward the climax of the film which made Robert Englund’s arrival, to warn that perhaps Anna isn’t suffering from dementia after all, a welcome boon.

It was good to see Englund and Shaye together again. They last co-starred in 2005’s remake of 2001 Maniacs, and their chemistry onscreen is horror perfection.

Englund brings a stage showman’s polished dramatics to the screen providing a balance to Shaye’s more raw and primal performance. It’s a standoff worthy of the early Universal monster movies, and one of the best moments in the film.

Gabrielle Haugh, Emily Haine, and Grayson Gabriel fill the roles of the Alex and her friends Kelly and Miles, respectively. Of the three, only Grayson Gabriel really seems to commit fully to his role making Miles the most believable and likable of the three.

Technical problems aside The Midnight Man is a fun flick worth a watch to see the fine performances from some of the genre’s finest actors.

Keep your eyes peeled for The Midnight Man on Video on Demand from IFC Releasing on January 22, 2018. Check out the trailer below!

Featured Image from IMDb.com

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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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