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Great Performances in Horror: Tim Curry in Tales From the Crypt: Death of Some Salesmen

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2022

These days, all the great writers, directors, and actors are gravitating towards TV and streaming due to better, more challenging material. But not so long ago, television wasn’t taken as seriously as theatrical films. It was really HBO that started allowing TV to be seen with more respect by both the general public and critics.

A show like Tales From the Crypt doesn’t seem like something that would have attracted top-tier talent in the late 80s and early 90s, but it did. Each week, some of Hollywood’s biggest and brightest stars, both in front of and behind the camera, would be allowed some much-needed creative freedom to play in the gory sandbox.

One of the most well-regarded episodes is Death of Some Salesmen from the show’s 5th season. It stars Ed Begley, Jr. as Judd Campbell, a ruthless traveling cemetery plot salesman, who goes around scamming the elderly and vulnerable (including Yvonne De Carlo) until he knocks on the door of the decrepit Brackett home and, in true Tales From the Crypt fashion, he’s served a big plate of just desserts.

You see, the Brackett family has a long history with traveling salesman and they don’t believe Judd’s pitch one bit. After Judd discovers that they’ve killed other salesmen, he’s knocked out by Pa on his way out the door and wakes up to Ma and Pa plotting about what to do with him.

They want to wait until their daughter, Winona, gets a look at him and, if Judd has any hope of ever leaving this house of horrors alive, he’d better convince Winona that he loves her.

Tim Curry plays this entire carnival sideshow of grotesques with skill and attention to tiny details. His Pa is especially different from what we’re used to seeing him play from both a speaking voice to the way he moves.

He turns Pa into a no-nonsense, toxically masculine redneck with horrific stained yellow teeth and a tendency to tell his wife to shut up a bit too much. Even with all this, he does show that he truly loves his family and will do anything to protect them. He’s a murderer, but he’s also an ordained minister. Of course.

His Ma is a sweet and chronically exasperated housewife who’s fed up with her husband’s behavior. She’s quick to talk back when Pa belittles her and she’s a hopeless romantic, praying that, maybe this time, her daughter can find love with someone. She wants her daughter to be happy just like any non-homicidal mother does and that’s sweet in its own twisted way.

Winona is the true showstopper with her Halloween mask face, stringy hair, hunchback, and an intriguing odor due to the fact that she “ain’t washed in a couple of weeks.” Even with all these things that should repel us, Curry supplies her with a lot of heart and dignity.

She’s self-aware enough to know she’s no beauty, but she doesn’t dwell in misery about it and still believes she deserves love and happiness. She’s a sex-loving good-time gal, too, and is quick to take Judd for a test ride once she gets her paws on him. This is so he can prove that he really loves her in a disturbing and outrageous sequence that, once seen, isn’t easily forgotten.

Curry seems to be having the time of his life playing all these characters and he creates a family unit that is terrifying, darkly humorous, and full of love for one another. That’s hard enough to do in a feature film with a lot more time for exposition and character development, but in a 30 minute TV episode, it might as well be impossible.

Curry pulls it off and makes it look effortless just like the best actors do. For all his hard work, he was rewarded with a well-deserved Emmy nomination in 1994 – a rarity for a horror performance.

Unfortunately, the entire Tales From the Crypt series is absent from streaming services and has yet to receive a Blu-Ray release, but every season has been released on DVD and it’s well worth your time to purchase them all to marvel at the amount of talent and skill on display in this series.

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Movies

Shudder Promises: “Goopy practical effects…and LOTS of blood” in Upcoming Movie

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2023

Timothy Rawles

Shudder has been hitting out of the park with new horror releases lately. Now comes word that they will release the horror/comedy Destroy All Neighbors on their streaming platform starting January 12. The movie is helmed by music video director Josh Forbes. It stars Jonah Ray Rodrigues (Mystery Science Theater 3000), and Alex Winter, Ted, of Bill & Ted Fame.

There is no trailer for the movie yet, but Shudder explains that Rodrigues plays William, “a neurotic, self-absorbed musician determined to finish his prog-rock magnum opus, faces a creative roadblock in the form of a noisy and grotesque neighbor named Vlad (Alex Winter). Finally working up the nerve to demand that Vlad keep it down, William inadvertently decapitates him. But, while attempting to cover up one murder, William’s accidental reign of terror causes victims to pile up and become undead corpses who torment and create more bloody detours on his road to prog-rock Valhalla. Destroy All Neighbors is a twisted splatter-comedy about a deranged journey of self-discovery full of goopy practical FX, a well-known ensemble cast, and LOTS of blood.”

Destroy All Neighbors will premiere on Shudder on January 12.

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Games

Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele Unveil Trailer for Chilling ‘OD’

Published

2 days ago

December 8, 2023

Trey Hilburn III

Gamers have been waiting for Hideo Kojima to give us something in the form of a horror game ever since PT’s demo scared the heck out of all of us when it was released on PS4. Well, The Game Awards didn’t disappoint by bringing Hideo Kojima’s latest project OD out to tease. While the trailer didn’t focus on any gameplay at all, it did give us some motion capture of Udo Kier Sophia Ellis, and Hunter Schafer.

The short trailer focuses on close-ups of the actors; each of whom is reciting a haunting lines from a memorable text. Following the little video, Kojima came out on stage to share his excitement about the game. That wasn’t all though!

Kojima then brings out Jordan Peele, to announce that the game is in partnership with the director. The latest horror game is titled OD and is already on big most anticipated lists.

Kojima announces that this is of course a game but is also a new form of media altogether. He remains cryptic about the game but makes sure to give us all a lot to take in and be excited about.

Peele is on board to put gamers into the shoes of characters that will feel familiar to the sort of experiences that he brings to his films.

There is no word on when OD will see a release date but we are very excited and will be sure to let you know more when we receive more info.

Are you excited about Kojima’s new partnership with Peele? Let us know in the comments section.

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Games

Arkane Studios and Marvel Reveal Rad Trailer for Blade

Published

2 days ago

December 8, 2023

Trey Hilburn III

One of the biggest and most exciting moments from last night’s Game Awards was the unveiling of Arcane’s latest game, Blade! That’s right, y’all. Marvel is getting together with Arkane Studios in order to tell the tale of the Daywalker.

Arkane has been responsible for some of our favorite games over the last few years. They are responsible for Deathloop and Dishonored just to name a couple. So, the idea of a Blade game is very exciting. Mainly because we have seen what Arkane does with their special powers and perks in game. So, we already can’t wait to see the powers they unleash with Blade.

Not much is known at the moment other than the game will be a third-person experience that takes place in Paris.

The synopsis for Blade goes like this:

In Marvel’s Blade, Eric Brooks is the legendary Daywalker, half-man, half-vampire torn between the warm society of the living and the rushing power of the undead. From Bethesda and Arkane Lyon, the studio that brought you Dishonored and “DEATHLOOP”, Marvel’s Blade is a mature, single-player, third-person game set in the heart of Paris, now in development in collaboration with Marvel Games.

We are already dying to see what Arkane and Bethesda does with Blade. It will undoubtedly be a huge and memorable experience. Marvel has been doing a great job of carefully brining their games to life. If you haven’t played Guardians of the Galaxy, please do. It is a singular experience that goes beyond the game films and gives us an all-new experience in the Guardians tales. We are sure that Arkane will give us another amazing Marvel chapter when Blade is released.

There isn’t any word on when Blade is going to be released. But, we will be sure to keep you updated as soon as we hear more.