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Archeologists Discover “Vampire” Skeleton With Razor Neck Trap To Keep It From Rising Again

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The ancients were not playing around when it came to vampires, or what they believed to be vampires. Archaeologists in Poland discovered the remains of a centuries-old female “vampire” buried beneath the soil. She was fitted with a booby trap; a razor-sharp sickle device just above her neck to ensure she remained in the ground.

Professor Dariusz Poliński from Nicolaus Copernicus University found the intact bones as he and his team worked the dig site.

Mirosław Blicharski/Aleksander Poznan

“The sickle was not laid flat but placed on the neck in such a way that if the deceased had tried to get up most likely the head would have been cut off or injured,” he told the Daily Mail.

Although the bloodthirsty immortals are evil characters from folklore, people in medieval believed in their existence. In fact, many cultures have documented paranormal events in which they believed the creatures were to blame.

One such event happened in Croatia in 1672. Villagers believed that one of their citizens who had died 16 years prior was coming back and feasting on their blood. They also said he was sexually assaulting his widow. An order was decreed that his corpse should be exhumed and a stake driven through his heart. For good measure, they beheaded him as well.

Mirosław Blicharski/Aleksander Poznan

“Other ways to protect against the return of the dead include cutting off the head or legs, placing the deceased face down to bite into the ground, burning them, and smashing them with a stone,” Poliński told the New York Post.

Mirosław Blicharski/Aleksander Poznan

In America, vampires seem to have only become a part of the pop culture’s bloodstream rather than supernatural societal nuisances. In 1922, director F.W. Murnau released the silent film Nosferatu in theaters. It was an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. Stoker’s estate wasn’t happy about it and ordered all prints to be destroyed. Thankfully some copies survived for posterity.

Of course, almost 10 years later Universal Pictures would produce its own movie about the charismatic vampire named Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. This time they had the rights to the intellectual property and the widow Stoker’s approval.

The next iteration of the legendary monster will star Nicolas Cage as Dracula’s indentured servant in the film Renfield.

Far away from Hollywood though, in the 11th Century, the fear of vampires was a real concern among some European cultures. Slavic people were so convinced that vampires existed it became a pandemic of sorts. Much like the Salem witches, people were executed if they were believed to be vampires.

Graves like the ones shown above are not uncommon on archeological digs in some parts of Europe. Fear of the dead rising from their graves to terrorize villagers is equivalent to Americans’ belief in Bigfoot, perhaps moreso. Researchers at the Poliński site say putting booby traps in graves with the corpse was a way to protect everyone, including the deceased.

“When placed in burials they were a guarantee that the deceased remained in their graves and therefore could not harm the living, but they may also have served to protect the dead from evil forces. According to folk wisdom, a sickle protected women in labour, children and the dead against evil spirits. It also had a role in rituals designed to counter black magic and witchcraft.”

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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