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Revisiting ‘Venom’ From 2005

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"Venom" 2005 -- IMDb

Back in the early aughts there was another film called Venom and it wasn’t about a sharp-toothed Symbiote comic book villian. This one took place in the Louisiana Bayou and with Fat Tuesday just behind us, I thought I might revisit this Dimension film and I’m glad I did.

Shrouded in voodoo lore and magic spells, Venom follows a group of teenagers who inadvertently become tangled in a local curse which allows an ancient monster named Mr. Jangles to come back to life to terrorize the town.

Jangles is first exposed after a freak car accident releases 13 snakes who enter the body of a local mechanic after they slither out of an old suitcase recently sealed by a now deceased “old-time Creole,” or voodoo priestess.

It’s up to her granddaughter to figure things out, but in doing so she accidentally involves her schoolmates which are dispatched in various ways after Jangles traps them in a secluded house.

Jangles is part Jason Voorhees, part Creeper (he even has his own industrially modified utility vehicle) and partakes in creative ways to off his victims using sand blasters, machetes and tow chains; Jangles is unstoppable.

Venom was released in 2005 at the end of the Kevin Williamson-era of young adult R-rated horror films, just as “torture porn” was being handed the horror baton.

Williamson and wannabes reigned supreme over the industry between ’96 and 2006, with movies such as Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Final DestinationThe Faculty, Wrong Turn and yes Venom.

Venom doesn’t stray far from the striplings-in-peril formula: These teenagers with teenage problems are hip, but won’t live long enough to see Tinder, UBEReats or Lyft; they don’t even have smartphones or Wi-fi yet.

Dimension was the gold standard for this type of narrative; they hired beautiful actors, able writers and used genre directors to bring it all together as slick as could be, even creating modern tropes in the process.

Beautifully shot on location in Louisiana, Venom is also a postcard to pre-Katrina devastation that would destroy the landscape the same year of its release.

Although Venom won’t go down in history as one of the better films — it’s not on par with genre changers such as Scream or Final Destination — I think it’s an important one, it sort of wrapped up the Williamson era to usher in new visions from new filmmakers such as James Wan, Jason Blum and Eli Roth.

If you couldn’t get to Louisiana on Fat Tuesday, bring it to you with Venom. Lucky Amazon Prime members can rent Venom now.

Featured image: “Venom” 2005 — IMDb

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

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It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.” 

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

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Scooby Doo Live Action Netflix

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Scooby-Doo

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

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The Deadly Getaway

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway
The Deadly Getaway

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.

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