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Indie Movie Review: The Bridgewater Triangle

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Every town has its urban legends. Bigfoot. The Loch Ness Monster. Mothman. The Jersey Devil. Chupacabra… The list goes on.

Living in southeastern Massachusetts, our myth goes beyond a single being or species. Instead, we have an entire 200-square-mile region with a storied past of strange sightings, known as The Bridgewater Triangle. There have been numerous books written about the area, but directors Aaron Cadieux and Manny Famolare are the first to explore the subject with a feature-length documentary. Aptly titled The Bridgewater Triangle, the film attempts to make sense of the unexplainable.

Likened to the Bermuda Triangle, author Loren Coleman first defined the parameters and dubbed the area the Bridgewater Triangle in his 1983 book, Mysterious America. The name stuck and the legend has only seemed to grow stronger in the years since, but there is a longstanding history of unexplained activity in the area.

One of the most diverse hot spots of phenomena in the world, the Bridgewater Triangle has been said to include unidentified flying objects, animal mutilations, hauntings, apparitions, disappearances, and inexplicable orbs of lights, among others. Cryptozoological animal sightings are a common occurrence; people have reported seeing Bigfoot, various large dogs, cats, snakes and birds, and several unidentifiable creatures. The film dedicates time to each of these mysteries and more.

Nestled in the middle of the Triangle is Hockomock Swamp, the epicenter of activity. The documentary explores this and other interesting landmarks, including Dighton Rock, a large boulder inscribed with indecipherable writing of unknown origin, and a Native American burial ground located within the region.

One potential source of the power behind the Bridgewater Triangle is King Philip’s War, a lengthy, brutal fight between the English colonists and the Native Americans in the 1600s. The bloodiest conflict in American history per capita, the war killed 5% of all New England residents at the time. Some theorize that the Native Americans placed a curse on the land, while others question if the war was merely another result of the existing evil.

The Bridgewater Triangle’s interview subjects consist of eyewitnesses, paranormal researchers, cryptozoologists, historians, authors (including the aforementioned Coleman), journalists, and other experts. Naturally, their stories are largely comprised of second and third-hand information, so it’s particularly exciting to see the bits of original footage and EVP recordings, unclear as they may be, provided by some of the witnesses.

The interviewees generally approach the subject matter seriously, although there are a few scattered moments of levity. Some of the people involved began as skeptics before firsthand experiences turned them into believers. That said, the folks interviewed are also able to recognize that some stories are little more than urban legends passed down without evidence. Others occurrences, however, are so common that they’re difficult to refute.

The Bridgewater Triangle is briskly paced; it packs a lot of information in 91 minutes without becoming overly dry. Like any documentary, some segments run a little long while others seem glossed over, but overall it’s well-balanced. The professional-quality production is reminiscent of something you’d find on the History Channel or Discovery Channel while channel surfing, only to be sucked in by its fascinating subject matter. My only gripe – and it’s a tiny one – is that the ambient background music borders on distracting during some interviews.

Regardless of if you’re a Massachusetts local or if you’ve never heard of the Bridgewater Triangle, the documentary is an undeniably interesting affair (as long as you can look past a few thick Bostonian accents). Even as a skeptic, I found it a bit creepy. More importantly, The Bridgewater Triangle will keep you wondering what other oddities are waiting to be discovered in your own backyard.

Watch the full movie free here:

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‘The Carpenter’s Son’: New Horror Film About The Childhood Of Jesus Starring Nicolas Cage

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This is one unexpected and unique horror film that will cause controversy. According to Deadline, a new horror film titled The Carpenter’s Son will be directed by Lotfy Nathan and star Nicolas Cage as the carpenter. It is set to start filming this summer; no official release date has been given. Check out the official synopsis and more about the film below.

Nicolas Cage in Longlegs (2024)

The film’s synopsis states: “The Carpenter’s Son tells the dark story of a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. The son, known only as ‘the Boy’, is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension. As he exercises his own power, the Boy and his family become the target of horrors, natural and divine.”

The movie is directed by Lotfy Nathan. Julie Viez is producing under the Cinenovo banner with Alex Hughes and Riccardo Maddalosso at Spacemaker and Cage on behalf of Saturn Films.  It stars Nicolas Cage as the carpenter, FKA Twigs as the mother, young Noah Jupe as the boy, and Souheila Yacoub in an unknown role.

FKA Twigs in The Crow (2024)

The story is inspired by the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas which dates to the 2nd century AD and recounts the childhood of Jesus. The author is thought to be Judas Thomas aka “Thomas the Israelite” who wrote these teachings. These teachings are regarded as inauthentic and heretical by Christian Scholars and are not followed in the New Testament.

Noah Jupe in A Quite Place: Part 2 (2020)
Souheila Yacoub in Dune: Part 2 (2024)

This horror film was unexpected and will cause tons of controversy. Are you excited about this new film, and do you think it will do well at the box office? Let us know in the comments below. Also, check out the latest trailer for Longlegs starring Nicolas Cage below.

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PG-13 Rated ‘Tarot’ Underperforms at the Box Office

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Tarot starts off the summer horror box office season with a whimper. Scary movies like these are usually a fall offering so why Sony decided to make Tarot a summer contender is questionable. Since Sony uses Netflix as their VOD platform now maybe people are waiting to stream it for free even though both critic and audience scores were very low, a death sentence to a theatrical release. 

Although it was a fast death — the movie brought in $6.5 million domestically and an additional $3.7 million globally, enough to recoup its budget — word of mouth might have been enough to convince moviegoers to make their popcorn at home for this one. 

Tarot

Another factor in its demise might be its MPAA rating; PG-13. Moderate fans of horror can handle fare that falls under this rating, but hardcore viewers who fuel the box office in this genre, prefer an R. Anything less rarely does well unless James Wan is at the helm or that infrequent occurrence like The Ring. It might be because the PG-13 viewer will wait for streaming while an R generates enough interest to open a weekend.

And let’s not forget that Tarot might just be bad. Nothing offends a horror fan quicker than a shopworn trope unless it’s a new take. But some genre YouTube critics say Tarot suffers from boilerplate syndrome; taking a basic premise and recycling it hoping people won’t notice.

But all is not lost, 2024 has a lot more horror movie offerings coming this summer. In the coming months, we will get Cuckoo (April 8), Longlegs (July 12), A Quiet Place: Part One (June 28), and the new M. Night Shyamalan thriller Trap (August 9).

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‘Abigail’ Dances Her Way To Digital This Week

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Abigail is sinking her teeth into digital rental this week. Starting on May 7, you can own this, the latest movie from Radio Silence. Directors Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillet elevate the vampire genre challenging expectations at every blood-stained corner.

The film stars Melissa Barrera (Scream VIIn The Heights), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaFreakyLisa Frankenstein), and Alisha Weir as the titular character.

The film currently sits at number nine at the domestic box office and has an audience score of 85%. Many have compared the film thematically to Radio Silence’s 2019 home invasion movie Ready or Not: A heist team is hired by a mysterious fixer to kidnap the daughter of a powerful underworld figure. They must guard the 12-year-old ballerina for one night to net a $50 million ransom. As the captors start to dwindle one by one, they discover to their mounting terror that they’re locked inside an isolated mansion with no ordinary little girl.”

Radio Silence is said to be switching gears from horror to comedy in their next project. Deadline reports that the team will be helming an Andy Samberg comedy about robots.

Abigail will be available to rent or own on digital starting May 7.

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