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‘Split’ Finds Shyamalan Whole Again – Film Review

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Split

If The Visit was M. Night Shyamalan’s return voyage in the open waters of the low-budget horror-thriller, Split is where he’s found his sea legs.

Shyamalan has again teamed up with Blumhouse Productions (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Conjuring) to create a film that allows him to explore his creative storytelling without the pressures of a big-budget fantasy feature.

via IMDb

In Split, Kevin, a man with 23 unique personalities, abducts three teenage girls to prepare for the arrival of his 24th and final personality, “The Beast”. The unfortunate trio are abducted in broad daylight and brought to an underground bunker where they must try to escape their ominous and unknown fate.

Anya Taylor-Joy – who has secured her place as the new genre darling after her roles in The Witch and Morgan – plays Casey, a troubled teen who becomes the de facto leader of the group after demonstrating her quick wit and observational skills.

Taylor-Joy adds a doe-eyed, terrified, still-waters-run-deep balance in her scenes with James McAvoy. She successfully holds her own, which is no easy feat here.

via IMDb

McAvoy delivers an impressive full-throttle performance with all the delicate twists and turns of an extreme roller coaster. His physicality morphs and adapts to each personality as it takes control.

You can see each individual personality through his eyes, body language, and facial ticks so clearly that it’s possible to catch one masquerading as another. McAvoy wholly conquers this fragmented character.

The relationship between Kevin’s personalities and his psychologist, Dr. Fletcher, is like a well-rehearsed waltz on a field full of land mines. One misstep, one stumble, could be devastating. However, there’s an implicit trust that carries the weight of years of work and understanding. Her devotion to her patients is respectful and, overall, quite beautiful.

via IMDb

Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis, whose stunning work you might have seen in It Follows, brings his talents to the structure of each scene. Close-up shots are frequently implemented to bring a tight focus on the skill of the actors. The viewer is tuned in to every minute change in expression and click of a sudden realization.

The sets and lighting echo the dichotomy between Kevin’s dark, dizzying, claustrophobic underground maze and Dr. Fletcher’s airy, bright and welcoming office. Every scene in Kevin’s lair left me with conflicting feelings; the action was so fantastic I didn’t want it to end, but by god did I want to be anywhere other than that dark hold.

via IMDb

Split focuses on Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), but doesn’t feel exploitative or flippant in its portrayal. Shyamalan has previously referenced his interest in the concept of multiple personalities. As he discussed in an interview with iHorror’s David Grove, he’s “always been fascinated with the elements of psychology”.

As one of the most controversial disorders with no clear method of diagnosis, it’s quite refreshing to see DID discussed openly and with an appropriate attention. In Split, the psychological process is the whole focus of the film. DID is not a throwaway plot twist, it’s a defense mechanism to severe abuse and trauma.

At the risk of saying too much, that’s what Split is all about; the adjustments we make to respond to and cope with a bad situation.

via Universal Pictures

Overall, Split is a challenging thriller with as many leaps and bends as Kevin’s internal struggle. It dives into an exploration of our personal belief system and what physical affects those commitments can have.

With moments of dark comedy mixed in with high tension, it’s a genuinely engaging film. Above all else, Split is the perfect evidence that we have entered the renaissance of M. Night Shyamalan. I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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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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