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Mike Flanagan Creates a Beautiful Nightmare in the film “Before I Wake”

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Written by Shannon McGrew

I remember a few years ago a friend of mine sitting me down and saying I had to watch a film called “Absentia” by director Mike Flanagan.  I had no idea what it was about, but taking the advice from a trusted friend, I sat down and watched it.  To say I was blown away is an understatement.  I absolutely loved the film and since then I’ve been following Flanagan’s career closely.

Fast forward to 2016 and two out of three films Flanagan directed are released – Universal Picture’s “Ouija: Origins of Evil” and Netflix’s “Hush”.  Both films are fantastic and I highly suggest watching them, but what we are here to discuss today is his third film, “Before I Wake”.  iHorror reported back in August that the film was supposed to be released in September, but Relativity pushed it back indefinitely (due to the company becoming bankrupt) and sadly, the film may never get to see the proper light of day.

With all the chatter that was surrounding the film, I knew I had to find a way to see it.  Luckily, it’s available for purchase on Amazon Canada and the Blu-ray supports Region A players.  With that in mind, I bought the Blu-ray fully trusting that whatever Flanagan created in this film would be completely worth it and I eagerly awaited its arrival.  I’m happy to report that the wait was so worth it as this film now has become one of my favorites.

“Before I Wake” centers around a young couple who decide to foster an 8-year-old boy named Cody.  They soon come to realize that Cody is terrified of falling asleep, because when he sleeps his dreams begin to materialize. The couple are amazed at what manifests before them, but their awe soon turns to horror as they begin to witness the other side of the coin, as Cody’s nightmares begin to come to life.  The film stars Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay and Annabeth Gish.

This film is more than just a horror film; however, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t terrifying images and/or themes presented throughout the movie.  Ultimately, this film is about love, about the bond between parents and their children, about sickness, death and loss and the ways we cope with that.  It’s an emotional film beautifully crafted with amazing performances and visual storytelling.  With all that said, there were still moments in this movie that scared the shit out of me, most notably the visual representation of Cody’s night terrors in the form of “The Canker Man”.

“Before I Wake” got under my skin in a way that few films have.  There were times when it literally terrified me and I could feel the anxiety building as I waited to see how certain scenes would play out.  I also found myself incredibly moved by the overall story that was unfolding.  Butterflies are heavily represented in this film and rightfully so, as they represent transformation and hope as well as life after death.  It’s heavy symbolism for a film that some may just write off as another “scary” movie.  It forces you to see past the superficial layer so that it can reveal the heart and soult of what it really is.

It makes me sad that this film didn’t get the proper promotion and distribution that it deserved.  “Before I Wake” is a unique and beautiful film that has the power to effect those that view it while also terrifying those that are looking for something that has quality scares to it.  It’s a unique juxtaposition that not many films can pull off, but Mike Flanagan does it perfectly with this.  If you want to see the film, do a solid and make sure you order it from Amazon Canada, please don’t resort to illegally streaming or downloading it.  If you are a fan of Flanagan’s other films than I can assure you, you will love this.

 

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The Pope’s Exorcist Officially Announces New Sequel

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The Pope’s Exorcist is one of those films that’s just fun to watch. It isn’t the most terrifying film around, but there’s something about Russel Crow (Gladiator) playing a wise cracking Catholic priest that just feels right.

Screen Gems seems to agree with this assessment, as they have just officially announced that The Pope’s Exorcist sequel is in the works. It makes sense that Screen Gems would want to keep this franchise going, considering the first film scared up almost $80 million with a budget of only $18 million.

The Pope's Exorcist
The Pope’s Exorcist

According to Crow, there may even be a The Pope’s Exorcist trilogy in the works. However, recent changes with the studio may have put the third film on hold. In a sit-down with The Six O’Clock Show, Crow gave the following statement about the project.

“Well that’s in discussion at the moment. The producers originally got the kick off from the studio not just for one sequel but for two. But there’s been a change of studio heads at the moment, so that’s going around in a few circles. But very definitely, man. We set that character up that you could take him out and put him into a lot of different circumstances.”

Crow has also stated that film’s source material involves twelve separate books. This would allow the studio to take the story in all kinds of directions. With that much source material, The Pope’s Exorcist could even rival The Conjuring Universe.

Only the future will tell what becomes of The Pope’s Exorcist. But as always, more horror is always a good thing.

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New ‘Faces of Death’ Remake Will Be Rated R For “Strong Bloody Violence and Gore”

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In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the Faces of Death reboot has been given an R rating from the MPA. Why has the film been given this rating? For strong bloody violence, gore, sexual content, nudity, language, and drug use, of course.

What else would you expect from a Faces of Death reboot? It would honestly be alarming if the film received anything less than an R rating.

Faces of death
Faces of Death

For those unaware, the original Faces of Death film released in 1978 and promised viewers video evidence of real deaths. Of course, this was just a marketing gimmick. Promoting a real snuff film would be a terrible idea.

But the gimmick worked, and franchise lived on in infamy. The Faces of Death reboot is hoping to gain the same amount of viral sensation as its predecessor. Isa Mazzei (Cam) and Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) will spearhead this new addition.

The hope is that this reboot will do well enough to recreate the infamous franchise for a new audience. While we don’t know much about the film at this point, but a joint statement from Mazzei and Goldhaber gives us the following info on the plot.

“Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online.”

“The new plot revolves around a female moderator of a YouTube-like website, whose job is to weed out offensive and violent content and who herself is recovering from a serious trauma, that stumbles across a group that is recreating the murders from the original film. But in the story primed for the digital age and age of online misinformation, the question faced is are the murders real or fake?”

The reboot will have some bloody shoes to fill. But from the looks of it, this iconic franchise is in good hands. Unfortunately, the film does not have a release date at this time.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘The Ceremony Is About To Begin’

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People will look for answers and belonging in the darkest places and the darkest people. The Osiris Collective is a commune predicated upon ancient Egyptian theology and was run by the mysterious Father Osiris. The group boasted dozens of members, each forgoing their old lives for one held in the Egyptian themed land owned by Osiris in Northern California. But the good times take a turn for the worst when in 2018, an upstart member of the collective named Anubis (Chad Westbrook Hinds) reports Osiris disappearing while mountain climbing and declaring himself the new leader. A schism ensued with many members leaving the cult under Anubis’ unhinged leadership. A documentary is being made by a young man named Keith (John Laird) whose fixation with The Osiris Collective stems from his girlfriend Maddy leaving him for the group several years ago. When Keith gets invited to document the commune by Anubis himself, he decides to investigate, only to get wrapped up in horrors he couldn’t even imagine…

The Ceremony Is About To Begin is the latest genre twisting horror film from Red Snow‘s Sean Nichols Lynch. This time tackling cultist horror along with a mockumentary style and the Egyptian mythology theme for the cherry on top. I was a big fan of Red Snow‘s subversiveness of the vampire romance sub-genre and was excited to see what this take would bring. While the movie has some interesting ideas and a decent tension between the meek Keith and the erratic Anubis, it just doesn’t exactly thread everything together in a succinct fashion.

The story begins with a true crime documentary style interviewing former members of The Osiris Collective and sets-up what led the cult to where it is now. This aspect of the storyline, especially Keith’s own personal interest in the cult, made it an interesting plotline. But aside from some clips later on, it doesn’t play as much a factor. The focus is largely on the dynamic between Anubis and Keith, which is toxic to put it lightly. Interestingly, Chad Westbrook Hinds and John Lairds are both credited as writers on The Ceremony Is About To Begin and definitely feel like they’re putting their all into these characters. Anubis is the very definition of a cult leader. Charismatic, philosophical, whimsical, and threateningly dangerous at the drop of a hat.

Yet strangely, the commune is deserted of all cult members. Creating a ghost town that only amps up the danger as Keith documents Anubis’ alleged utopia. A lot of the back and forth between them drags at times as they struggle for control and Anubis keeps continuing to convince Keith to stick around despite the threatening situation. This does lead to a pretty fun and bloody finale that fully leans into mummy horror.

Overall, despite meandering and having a bit of a slow pace, The ceremony Is About To Begin is a fairly entertaining cult, found footage, and mummy horror hybrid. If you want mummies, it delivers on mummies!

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