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Legendary Director Tobe Hooper Dead at 74

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It’s a sad summer for legendary horror directors, as just a few weeks back, the world lost zombie godfather George A. Romero, and now Variety reports that fellow horror master Tobe Hooper has passed away at age 74.

The cause and surrounding circumstances of Hooper’s death are as yet unrevealed, and it would irresponsible to speculate on them at this time. Still, Hooper’s loss will be felt throughout the horror world, both among those who make horror films and those who love to watch them.

Photo Credit: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Wiki

Hooper was of course best known for directing the terrifying 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which gave the world Leatherface, a chainsaw-wielding madman who has become a true icon of the genre. Hooper would also go on to direct 1986 sequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, which took the franchise in a more comedic direction.

Next to TCM, the most famous entry on Hooper’s directing resume is obviously 1982’s Poltergeist, although there has long been a contention that Steven Spielberg actually directed the film. Regardless of that, Hooper is the credited director, and will always be inextricably linked with the classic battle between the Freeling family and “the beast.”

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

Hooper’s contributions to the genre extended far further than just chainsaws and poltergeists though. Just some of the other projects he helmed over the years include the 1979 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, The Funhouse, Lifeforce, Invaders from Mars, The Mangler, and the 2004 remake of The Toolbox Murders.

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

Hooper also did some horror-related work on the small-screen, directing the pilot episode of Freddy’s Nightmares, which retold the origin story of the Springwood Slasher. Additionally, Hooper directed episodes of anthology shows like Tales from the Crypt, Night Visions, and Masters of Horror.

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

All of us here at iHorror extend our condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Tobe Hooper. May he rest in peace, and his legacy in horror never be forgotten.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 - Dennis Hopper

Photo Credit: MGM

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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