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Stranger Danger: 5 Films That Show Why You Should Never Trust a Stranger
We assume that people are generally trustworthy. When we’re in a bind, you can often rely on the kindness of strangers to help. Car trouble? A stranger might be able to get you back on the road. Injured? Maybe a stranger knows First Aid.
But – as horror fans – we all know that things are not always as they seem. That over-enthusiastic new acquaintance of yours might not actually be all sunshine and rainbows. There’s a moment – like a switch – that flips and you suddenly realize that shit feels weird. Like, really weird.
So lock your doors and screen your calls, because I’ve collected 5 movies that provide an excellent example of that “oh no, they’re definitely crazy” moment that triggers our collective social anxiety.
Bug (2006)
“An unhinged war veteran (Michael Shannon) holes up with a lonely woman (Ashley Judd) in a spooky Oklahoma motel room. The line between reality and delusion is blurred as they discover a bug infestation.”
Michael Shannon is always convincing. There is something that’s a little unnerving about him, but you wouldn’t dare call him a liar, right? While our hapless leading lady struggles to find meaning beyond her previous relationship with an abusive Harry Connick Jr., she becomes smitten with the mysterious stranger and is increasingly drawn into his deranged obsession.
I want to mention that this was originally a stage play by Tracy Letts (who also wrote the screenplay for the film), also starring Michael Shannon. Now, watch this movie and imagine seeing him perform this role, live, directly in front of you. I would pay so much money to see that.
Creep (2014)
“When a videographer answers a Craigslist ad for a one-day job in a remote mountain town, he finds his client is not at all what he initially seems”
What did I tell you. Never trust a stranger, especially one that is super enthusiastic about your new friendship. Mark Duplass really shines in this found-footage cautionary tale, delivering a performance that is equal parts sympathetic and extraordinarily creepy. If you’ve ever been uncertain about meeting someone from an online ad, this will not help.
Misery (1990)
Classic example. The kindness of strangers is a beautiful thing, until it turns into something much more insidious. You would think that it would be an ideal situation – writer gets into car accident, writer is rescued by nurse who happens to be his #1 fan – but this film serves as a perfect example of why you should never trust anyone. They just might be obsessively crazy.
Funny Games (1997/2007)
They seemed like such nice young boys. You’d never suspect a thing, until they’re killing your dog and beating you with you own golf clubs. Even if they’ve been introduced to you by a mutual friend (or so it seemed), this film shows why you should still exercise caution when letting strangers into your home. And always keep your phone in your pocket. You never know when their intentions are sinister.
Audition (1999)
It’s all fun and games until it’s totally not because that stranger you auditioned to be your potential girlfriend was always crazy and now she’s decided to torture you. I hope that is a lesson learned, because you have flown right into the danger zone, friend.
Looking for another list of situations that you should avoid? Check out our list of 5 Movies You Wouldn’t Want to Survive.
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Movies
‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments
It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.
We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.
“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”
That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”
Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:
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‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening
Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.
Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.
Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.
Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.
Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.
The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.
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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date
Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.
Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.
These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:
According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”
Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.
Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.
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