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Science and the Paranormal Collide in ‘Our House’

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Our House, written by Nathan Parker and directed by Anthony Scott Burns, is a bit hard to define.

Based on 2010’s Ghost in the Machine, the film seems to be made of equal parts science fiction and paranormal horror with a full dose of family drama for good measure. In the capable hands of Park and Burns, however, the whole becomes greater than its parts in a film that is as terrifying as it is heartbreaking.

Ethan (Thomas Mann), a promising student at MIT, has been working to create a machine that will provide wireless electricity with his girlfriend/lab partner Hannah (Nicola Peltz). His world is shaken to its core one night, however, when his parents die in a car accident and he is forced to leave school to take care of his brother Matt (Percy Hynes White) and sister Becca (Kate Moyer).

A genius never stops working, however, and Ethan continues his experiments in his basement. It isn’t long before he realizes that his machine might actually be amplifying paranormal activity in the family’s home, and soon he and his siblings are engaged in a fight to survive.

Mann is quite good in the role of Ethan. His exhaustion is palpable as he struggles with his new role as the head of the family, the guilt over the loss of his parents, and his deep desire to continue his research.

Likewise, Percy Hynes White–who you might recognize from Marvel’s “The Gifted”, gives a beautifully layered performance in the role of Matt. He blames Ethan for their parents’ death but relies on him heavily for emotional support and validation when shadows take on a life of their own inside the home and dark spirits begin to threaten the family.

The two find common ground in protecting their little sister, and Moyer is the picture of open-faced innocence as Becca naively befriends the spirits around her.

Burns and casting director Millie Tom’s brilliant work didn’t stop at the family, however.

The supporting cast is equally talented, and Nicole Peltz especially stands out as Hannah. Not only is the actress stunning, but her every move, expression, and gesture is expertly placed as Hannah attempts to incorporate the reality of what is happening to Ethan and his family into her scientific view of the world.

Mark Korven, who previously scored The Witch as well as 1997’s Cube, provides a pitch perfect score for the film amplifying the tension while also subtly underlying the sadness and vulnerability of the core family.

Every good ghost story needs impressive ghosts, and Burns’ effects team brought their A-game to Our House.

The spirits in the film emerge from billowy, shadowed smoke which gives them leave to morph into whatever they choose to look like and ultimately ratchets up the tension because deep down, the viewer really has no idea who or what the beings conjured by Ethan’s machine actually are.

When all is said and done, Our House ultimately works because of its genre-bending strangeness. Its peculiarity and its subtle nods to films like The Legend of Hell House make it a must see for horror fans who love a good ghost story.

Our House is set for release by IFC films on July 27, 2018. Check out the trailer below!

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Vomit Bags Handed Out in Theaters as ‘Saw X’ is Called Worse Than ‘Terrifier 2’

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Remember all the puking folks were doing when Terrifier 2 was released in theaters? It was an incredible amount of social media showing folks tossing their cookies in theaters at the time. For good reason too. If you have seen the film and know what Art the Clown does to a girl in a yellow room, you know that Terrifier 2 wasn’t messing around. But it appears that Saw X is being seen a challenger.

One of the scenes that is apparently bothering folks this time is the one in which a guy has to perform brain surgery on himself in order to hack out a chunk of grey matter that weighs enough for the challenge. The scene is pretty brutal.

The synopsis for Saw X goes like this:

Hoping for a miraculous cure, John Kramer travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure, only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer uses deranged and ingenious traps to turn the tables on the con artists.

For me personally, I still think that Terrifier 2 owns this crown though. It is gnarly throughout and Art is brutal and doesn’t have a code or anything. He just loves killin’. While Jigsaw deals in revenge or in ethics. Also, we see the vomit bags, but I haven’t seen anyone using em just yet. So, I’ll remain skeptical.

All in all, I gotta say I like both films since both are sticking with practical effects instead of going the cheapy computer graphics way.

Have you seen Saw X yet? Do you think that it rivals Terrifier 2? Let us know in the comments section.

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Billy Gives a Tour of His Home in ‘SAW X’ MTV Parody

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X

While SAW X dominates in theaters, we here at iHorror are enjoying the promos. One of the best SAW promos that we have seen is hands down the one that features Billy giving us a tour of his home in a MTV parody approach.

The latest SAW film brings back Jigsaw by taking us back into the past and an all-out revenge plan on his Cancer doctors. A group that counts on making money off of sick people messes with the wrong guy and undergoes a whole lot of torture.

“Hoping for a miraculous cure, John Kramer travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure, only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer uses deranged and ingenious traps to turn the tables on the con artists.

SAW X is now playing in theaters. Have you already seen it? Let us know what you thought.

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‘The Last Drive-In’ Changes to Single Movie Approach Over Double Features

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Well, while I always enjoy more Joe Bob Briggs in my life I am not sure about AMC’s latest decision for Joe Bob Briggs and The Last Drive-In. The news going around is that the team would be getting a “super-sized” season. While it does go on a little longer than we are used to, it comes with a huge bummer as well.

The “super-sized” season will also include the upcoming John Carpenter Halloween special and the Daryl Dixon Walking Dead series’ first episodes. It also includes a Christmas Episode and a Valentine’s Day episode. When the true season begins next year it will give us one episode every other week in place of the much-loved double-feature.

This will stretch out the season further but not by giving fans extra films. Instead, it will skip a week and skip out on the late-night fun of the double feature.

This is a decision made by AMC Sudder and not by the team at The Last Drive-In.

I’m hoping that a well-placed petition may assist in getting the double features back. But only time will tell.

What do you think about the new line-up for The Last Drive-In? Will you miss the double features and the string of consistent episodes? Let us know in the comments section.

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