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Editorial: On Horror Pride Month, the Power of Gratitude, and Being Seen

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Horror Pride Month

When I first began planning a Pride Month celebration in 2018 for iHorror, I knew that the stakes were high, but I also knew that the benefits could be innumerable. That first year was rough, not just in the planning, but also in the execution and unfortunately the enormous amount of push-back I received on almost every single article I published.

Still, I was dedicated to the principles that I had set out for myself from the beginning. Inclusion, visibility, representation, and equality, after all, really don’t seem like too much to ask.

Going into the preparation for this year, the trepidation was still there and though I was again committed to what I was doing, I’ll admit that my hands were shaking as I prepared to post the article announcing our second year of Horror Pride Month.

Again, there was that same old push-back, though I was grateful to see that it was nowhere near the level that we’d experienced the year before.

As I began to post interviews with the various filmmakers, actors, etc. that I’d been working on for months as well as articles that dug into the history of queerness within the horror genre, the response from our readers was split.

On any given article, I’d been accused of “making things up” or of shoving a political agenda down someone’s throat, but I also began to notice a pattern that began to tug at my heart because on almost every single article there would be a solitary comment from someone that simply said, “Thank you.”

That trend carried over to the DMs from strangers that I received throughout the month. Most were from adults but I had a couple from teenagers who took the time to track me down on social media, again, simply to say thank you for what I was writing.

I puzzled over this for a while. Obviously, I was grateful that people were responding positively to the writing, but it wasn’t until I was a guest on a podcast toward the end of this month that it finally occurred to me that these thank yous were the fulfillment of a promise that I had made from the beginning.

You see, most didn’t elaborate. They said, “thank you” and that was all, and I will admit that reflecting back now, I must have been really dense not to have understood the underlying meaning. They weren’t just thanking me for the articles; they were thanking me for seeing them, and at the same time for putting my own face on my articles and being seen.

I had a late night conversation with iHorror Editor-in-Chief and my constant mentor, Timothy Rawles, and I told him I was kind of shocked and in awe of the power of that simple phrase.

Timothy has a way of cutting to the quick of things. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s spent years working in journalism or if it’s because he’s a Scorpio.

“You’re not doing it for the gratitude,” he told me, and the world spun around in my head a little.

When I set out on the journey to create a Pride Month celebration, I set those four principles in my mind and wore them as armor as I wrote and published each article, but much like a knight riding headlong into battle against an army of trolls without his helmet, I had forgotten a significant piece of my equipment.

Please understand, I profusely thank each and every person who contributes to this series for their films, their words, and their commitment to the cause of equality, but because I had seen myself merely as the marvelously lucky scribe with whom they trusted their stories, I had never considered extending that same gratitude to my audience nor that they might be genuinely grateful to me in return.

I’ve even spoken about those positive comments on panels in the past but it had never really hit me until only a few days ago. As I said, before, I can be dense sometimes.

And so, as I close out the second annual Horror Pride Month, I’d like to address our readers directly and firstly say, from the bottom of my queer heart, thank you.

Thank you for showing up. Thank you for reading. Thank you for sharing and commenting and lending your voices to the conversation.

Next, I want you to know something that I feel is just as important. I see you. I’ve seen some of your names over and over again, reacting and commenting on the articles that published this month.

You are not faceless to me. You are essential. No film, book, painting, article, or any other form of expression is complete without an audience to receive it, and again I thank you for taking part in Pride Month.

There are those who will try to silence you throughout your lives. You know this as well as I, but showing up, standing up, and making your voice heard, even just by commenting on an article or sharing your ideas in a discussion is an essential part of progress.

To those who push against these articles, who chafe at their existence, and who consider Pride some sort of entitled exercise, thank you. If you had said the things to me in my 20s that you have said now, I would have slunk back into the dark with my head down, but I am not that man anymore.

Now, they empower me. The remind me why I’m fighting for equality in every facet of life for all of my queer family, and now that our readers have given me the final piece of armor that I need, I am even more prepared.

Pride is not just a one-month celebration. Pride is something that lives inside every queer person on the planet every day, even in those places where the punishment for queerness is death. If you think your idle threats and insults will stop this conversation, then you obviously don’t know our community as a whole.

Fifty years ago, police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City. It had happened numerous times but there are only so many times you can be pushed before you push back, and in the early morning hours a riot broke out with drag queens and trans women of color in the lead who picked up bricks, rocks, whatever they could find and said, “Enough is enough.”

Emboldened by their queer family, the rest of the crowd followed suit, and a movement was born.

That movement said we would not be forced into the shadows anymore. We are human beings and deserving of the same rights as anyone else. We are here, and we will not leave. This is our world as much as it is yours.

And most importantly, we will not be silenced ever again.

I like to think that the energy raised that night has never dissipated. It has grown as each new voice is added to the community, and it infuses every single queer person in the world with the strength to stand up for themselves, proudly and with purpose.

And so, as I close out 2019’s Horror Pride Month, I say thank you to our queer family who, on that night, started a riot, and I make two promises to my readers.

Number 1: Just because Pride Month is over doesn’t mean my coverage will stop. I will continue to shine a light on the LGBTQ community in the horror space. I will continue to support the creators, and all of our readers out there.

Number 2: Horror Pride Month will return in 2020 but with an additional goal added to our mantra: Inclusion, Visibility, Representation, Equality, and Gratitude.

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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