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Fantastic Fest 2018: ‘Terrified’ Introduces a New Perspective in Horror

Published

6 years ago

September 27, 2018

There are two kinds of people. The kind that love jump scares in horror movies and the kind that don’t. Well, maybe its not that black and white but it can be. For yours truly, jump scares are a thing that has to be done with finesse. Too much, or done too cheaply and it can ruin the experience. Terrified is a film that manages to elegantly pepper in effective jump scares on a level that will have you checking to make sure nobody is under your bed at home following the film.

Terrified, doesn’t focus on one specific house to haunt in its tight, tension-filled runtime. Instead it focuses on a small part of a neighborhood in Gran Buenos Aires. Each resident experiencing horrific occurrences by malevolent forces. Much like in popular J-horror titles, Terrified doesn’t focus on anyone character in particular either, instead it operates with an ensemble of characters in a revolving narrative of haunting occurrences.

From the beginning you are introduced to a couple who eludes to hearing voices in their home and bizarre sounds coming from their neighbor’s home. When one of the characters goes for a shower, her husband begins to hear a loud thumping sound, that he believes is coming from the neighbor’s home. It isn’t long before, he realizes the sounds are coming from inside his home…. More specifically, from his wife’s shower. When he investigates he finds his wife bloody, beaten and levitating pounding from one wall to the other.

When brought in for questioning, he is met by a group of three investigators who very much believe his story. In fact, these three rag-tag individuals offer to assist in finding the source of the entity by moving each of them into haunted adjacent houses on the street to find the source of the evil.

That’s where the real fun and horror begins, and doesn’t let up.

As before mentioned, this film handles jump scares with masterful strings. They are well-executed and constantly a surprise, consisting of well-timed gags and startling imagery, created by amazingly done make up effects (Marcos Berta). The film also does something entirely creative with its interpretation of the these entities.

Demián Gugna does a fantastic job of telling a story with enough depth to possibly create a film franchise in the vein of Insidious. The results are creepy as hell, with a one foot steeped in J-Horror with the other in more traditional haunted horror.

Terrified does a fantastic job of combining the macabre, the startling and straight up genre fun into a nice package that fits well into the wheelhouse of Guillermo Del Toro and Clive Barker.

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

18 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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News

Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

19 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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News

BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

19 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.