News
Genre-Bending “Pet” is a Twisted Two Player Puzzle
Carles Torrens (Apartment 143, ABC’s of Death “M”) has put together an effective little psychological thriller with his movie Pet now available on demand.
The film doesn’t hold back with its twists and bloody turns.
The surprises simmer at first, but suddenly boil over into shocking revelations.
The director seems to be playing with his audience as much as the characters play against each other in this cat-and-dead-mouse game of untempered psychosis.
In Pet we meet mild-mannered Seth (Dominic Monaghan).
He’s shy, timid, asocial and tends to latch on to things of his infatuation even if they don’t want him to. One in particular, Holly (Ksenia Solo), a beautiful waitress who Seth meets on a city bus.
It’s a meet-cute with sinister intentions.
From there the movie shifts into a bizarre recipe of stalking and eventually captivity. It’s one-part vigilante, two-parts sick sex game.
Monaghan plays Seth with no more ego than a newborn, placing what self-esteem he does have into a faulty God complex.
His nobles oblige will soon end up in a cage (no spoiler, the gist is on the cover art) beneath the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control where he works cleaning kennels, feeding dogs and helping the veterinarian when it comes time to put them down.
It’s a hard job, especially when one of his favorite animal friends doesn’t meet the deadline for adoption and must be euthanized.
Our waitress Holly receives roses from Seth one day after their transit meeting, and she immediately thinks they are from her ex-boyfriend, but when she finds out they were sent to her by Seth after a confrontation, she knows she has a potential problem.
Holly is such a beautiful girl, seemingly well-adjusted and just trying to find the love of her life. She has plenty of acquaintances, but they never seem to work out. Beautiful girls like this shouldn’t be single in real life unless they are doing it wrong.
These two characters aren’t exactly society’s finest, but they’re clean-cut, can afford their own living arrangements and go about their routines under low clouds.
I wish I could tell you more, but that would take away the mystery of this film. A fine entry into the serial killer genre with tastes of torture and yes, love.
You may miss Pet if you’re a speed-scroller. You see it as a suggested title when you click another in the genre, but the cover art, albeit intriguing, has been borrowed.
Even the font looks familiar.
But that may be the genius of this project. What initially appears well-trodden is surprising new territory.
Pet can only be judged by the whole of its parts, some taken from sub-genres, some original; it’s an alloy that holds up even after the shaky ending.
The soundtrack is superb. The score by Zacarías M. de la Riva mixes ambient noise with music in a seamless arrangement.
At one point during the opening you hear birds chirping in the morning, but wait…is that really Seth’s alarm clock?
Pet won’t render you stupid if you can’t unravel its Gordian Knot half-way through, but the steps are there to figure out this intriguing puzzle once you examine it from both bloody ends.
And like the anatomy of a knot, Pet never makes clear which character is the working or the standing end.
It’s a special noose you’ll have to see for yourself.
Pet is now available on Video on Demand.
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Movies
Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed
The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.
Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.
The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.
Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”
Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.
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News
Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.
The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.
“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.
Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.
The prize also includes:
An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings
A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear
A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room
A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course
The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II
Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two
“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”
Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.
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Movies
’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power
Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.
Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.
Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.
There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.
The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.
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