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The Belko Experiment: Review

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Everyday, we go to our jobs. Do our work. Have lunch with those people we work with. Some friends. Some acquaintances. Some, just people we wouldn’t go near with a ten foot pole were it not for sharing the same employment. But then we carry on our day until we thankfully can punch out and return home. But say one day, you’re told to murder your co-workers in cold blood. This is the experiment that 80 American workers at a Belko Industries building in Bogotá, Colombia find themselves forced into. Locked inside and told by a mysterious voice to murder certain numbers of the corporate population or else they will all be killed through explosives implanted inside each employee.  From the maintenance workers, to the techies, and to the executives, white collars are going to be dyed red with blood!

The Belko Experiment comes from Blumhouse Tilt and Orion Pictures, written by Slither and Super scribe James Gunn and directed by Wolf Creek director Greg McLean. With a pedigree like that, you know things are gonna get good and brutal sooner or later. It starts as a tightly wound thriller that escalates into an office party of blood.

Working with 80 ‘subjects’ in this experiment, the film does a decent job in giving focus to a wide, but select core group of people fighting for their survival. There’s Mike Melch, played by John Gallagher Jr. who acts as the everyman office worker and attempts to act as a voice of moral order during the chaos. The assistant Leandra Jerez played by Adria Arjona. The COO of the Belko branch, Barry Norris played by Tony Goldwyn. Wendell Dukes, a crass executive with eyes on Leandra played by John C. McGinley. Among a few highlighted charcters, and a wide variety of characters in all departments of the gladiatorial office building. Being written by James Gunn, each has a unique voice and sense of humor that makes every one of them stand-out. Even those that commit mass murder.

While ‘battles to the death’ and ‘hunting the most dangerous game’ movies have been used for stories as old as the actual “Most Dangerous Game” story and beyond, Belko manages to create its own footing for a few reasons. Main of which being its social commentary on corporate/government culture. Each of the players has a tiny bomb in the base of their skull. Why? Because they let the company do it. Under contract. So they could get that sweet job and sweet pay. And in breakneck corporate culture, you sometimes have to do things you never thought you’d have to do to get ahead. And in this case, if you want to live, you may have to kill.

The only real gripe to be had was some of the pacing building up to the big bloodshed felt a little off. As well, while we get to observe the players brace themselves for it, it’s still mainly through the lens of the core group that’s followed throughout the movie. That aside, once the experiment breaks out in full, it does not stop. While not necessarily groundbreaking, if you’re looking for a fun and thrilling survival horror movie or just need something to blow off the steam at work in a safe and sensible way, take part in The Belko Experiment!

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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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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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