News

STILL UNSOLVED: Max Headroom’s Creepy TV Attack!

Published

7 years ago

November 22, 2016

Written by Dr. Jose

On the night of November 22, 1987, unsuspecting Chicagoans just settling in for a quiet evening of TV were treated to an incredibly bizarre occurrence on their television sets, one which – to this day – remains unsolved.

The first part of the incident happened on (then-independent) WGN, during The Nine O’Clock News. In the midst of a sports replay, the channel suddenly went black. Fifteen seconds later, it fuzzed back to life – only this time, it wasn’t the news. It was a mysterious being clad in a Max Headroom mask, hopping around like a mad person. There was no audio, and almost as quickly as it started, it ended; quick-thinking engineers in the studio switched the station’s broadcast frequency. Once back on the air, the bewildered sports reporter quipped, “Well, if you’re wondering what’s happened – so am I.” However, this was only the beginning – the main event would happen two hours later.

Around 11:15PM, just a few minutes into the “Horror of Fang Rock” episode of Doctor Who which was showing on the public access channel WTTW, the masked maniac struck again. Seemingly out of nowhere, all across Chicagoland, WTTW’s reception began to crackle and break-up, and viewers were once again confronted by the disguised phantom – but now the visuals included sound. For the next minute and a half, the bizarre hijacker held the channel hostage and commanded the audience’s attention by moaning out cryptic messages, writhing about, and eventually dropping their pants and being spanked with a fly swatter.

* * *

For those unfamiliar, Mad Headroom was a popular omnipresent TV mascot at the time – similar to Spuds Mackenzie, Elvira, and The Noid. The character (played by Matt Frewer) originated from a British made-for-TV movie, but became wildly popular worldwide thanks in part to his retro look and odd vocal tics. Soon, Headroom was appearing on talk shows, pitching soft drinks, and even hosting his own television program. It was one month after this program was cancelled that the pirates illegally seized the Chicago airwaves.

Another important thing to note about this “signal intrusion” is how rare something like this was then. Nowadays, almost every American has the necessary tools to “hack” – a computer and an internet connection – sitting in their bedrooms. But back then, there was no modern Internet (at least in the form that we know it now) – everything was phone systems, microwaves, and satellites. And to pull off a feat like this required major in-depth knowledge of the task at hand – not mention some heavy-duty equipment to pull it all off.

So who are the mysterious people behind the infamous intrusion? It seems everyone was a suspect at one point – from jaded telecommunication workers who had access to the right paraphernalia, to bored teenaged phreakers from the Chicago suburbs. While the incident caused a stir – even the FCC and the FBI were briefly involved – no one was ever caught nor charged with the crime. And now, 30 years later, it doesn’t look like anyone ever will be.

Below is the actual footage from the signal intrusion that occurred on November 22, 1987. Enjoy the nightmares!

https://youtu.be/eF4SljcoSzs

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News

“In a Violent Nature” So Gory Audience Member Throws Up During Screening

Published

3 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Chis Nash (ABC’s of Death 2) just debuted his new horror film, In a Violent Nature, at the Chicago Critics Film Fest. Based on the audience’s reaction, those with squeamish stomachs may want to bring a barf bag to this one.

Thats right, we have another horror film that is causing audience members to walk out of the screening. According to a report from Film Updates at least one audience member threw up in the middle of the film. You can hear audio of the audience reaction to the film below.

Audience reacting to a kill from ‘IN A VIOLENT NATURE’ during the Chicago Critics Film Fest screening of the film. An audience member also vomited during the screening.

The film, described as a slasher from the killer's perspective, hits theaters on May 31. pic.twitter.com/KGlyC3HFXa
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 6, 2024

This is far from the first horror film to claim this kind of audience reaction. However, early reports of In a Violent Nature indicates that this film may be just that violent. The film promises to reinvent the slasher genre by telling the story from the killer’s perspective.

Here is the official synopsis for the film. When a group of teens takes a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods, they unwittingly resurrect the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime. The undead killer soon embarks on a bloody rampage to retrieve the stolen locket, methodically slaughtering anyone who gets in his way.

While we will have to wait and see if In a Violent Nature lives up to all of its hype, recent responses on X offer nothing but praise for the film. One user even makes the bold claim that this adaptation is like an arthouse Friday the 13th.

In a Violent Nature will receive a limited theatrical run starting May 31, 2024. The film will then be released on Shudder sometime later in the year. Make sure to check out the promo images and trailer below.

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Movies

New Windswept Action Trailer for ‘Twisters’ Will Blow You Away

Published

6 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The summer movie blockbuster game came in soft with The Fall Guy, but the new trailer for Twisters is bringing back the magic with an intense trailer full of action and suspense. Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin, is behind this newest disaster film just like its 1996 predecessor.

This time Daisy Edgar-Jones plays the female lead named Kate Cooper, “a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.”

Twisters cast includes Nope’s Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane (American Honey), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy).

Twisters is directed by Lee Isaac Chung and hits theaters on July 19.

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News

Travis Kelce Joins Cast on Ryan Murphy’s ‘Grotesquerie’

Published

8 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Football star Travis Kelce is going Hollywood. At least that is what Dahmer Emmy award-winning star Niecy Nash-Betts announced on her Instagram page yesterday. She posted a video of herself on set of the new Ryan Murphy FX series Grotesquerie.

“This is what happens when WINNERS link up‼️ @killatrav Welcome to Grostequerie[sic]!” she wrote.

Standing just out of frame is Kelce who suddenly steps in to say, “Jumping into new territory with Niecy!” Nash-Betts appears to be in a hospital gown while Kelce is dressed as an orderly.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Niecy Nash (@niecynash1)

Not much is known about Grotesquerie, other than in literary terms it means a work filled with both science fiction and extreme horror elements. Think H.P. Lovecraft.

Back in February Murphy released an audio teaser for Grotesquerie on social media. In it, Nash-Betts says in part, “I don’t know when it started, I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s different now. There’s been a shift, like something’s opening up in the world — a kind of hole that descends into a nothingness…”