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Movie Review: What We Do in the Shadows

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I’ve gotta say, while it’s only February, 2015 is shaping up to be a good year for horror-themed mockumentaries. Adam Green’s Digging Up the Marrow (review) was a fun romp, and What We Do in the Shadows is the funniest horror comedy I’ve seen in quite some time.

To be clear, it’s primarily a comedy, providing plenty of laughter throughout its duration. It follows a group of vampire roommates as they deal with each other and trying to fit into the New Zealand night life.

The film was written and directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi (both of Flight of the Conchords and Eagle vs Shark fame). Both also star along with Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stuart Rutherford, Ben Fransham, and Jackie van Beek. The chemistry among all the actors couldn’t be better.

We get to know the four main vamps played by Clement, Waititi, Brugh, and Fransham through their stories about one another and a wonderful early montage showing off pictures of them throughout history. They’re different ages, ranging from hundreds to thousands of years old. The oldest, Petyr (Fransham) resembles Salem’s Lot’s Kurt Barlow, while the rest are more human-looking.

These guys do pretty much everything together. They live together, they have an amazing little band, they go out and hassle the werewolves (including Flight of the Conchords‘ Rhys Darby) together, and of course they eat together. This results in a fifth vampire that doesn’t always fit in with them as well as his human best friend does.

Also along for the ride is Jackie (van Beek), who plays the familiar to Deacon (Brugh), and runs all of his errands. She is waiting to be turned into a vampire.

The majority of the movie is spent leading up to the “Unholy Masquerade,” which is essentially a monster party, where vampires party with zombies.

Hilarity ensues throughout the movie, and the many laughs are what make What We Do in the Shadows as great as it is. It’s a comedy for sure, but it’s a comedy for horror fans more than anything. There are plenty of references to other genre films, and some great types of sequences that we really don’t get much in true horror films (such as vampires fighting one another in bat form).

To me, this is an instant classic. See it when you get the chance.

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

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Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

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