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Tony Todd Offers His Opinion on Jordan Peele’s ‘Candyman’ Remake

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At this point in cinematic history – a time when the issue of lacking representation for people of color on the big screen and in Hollywood more generally has become a focus – it seems safe to say that there haven’t been nearly enough African-American horror icons.

Perhaps the biggest to date is Candyman, as played in three films by genre legend Tony Todd. The son of a slave, Daniel Robitaille grew up to become a famous artist associated with high society, that is before he fell in love with a white woman and was murdered by a lynch mob.

After death, he became the Candyman, an urban legend powered by the belief of his faithful. As he tells Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) after she attempts to debunk his existence “I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. Without these things, I am nothing.”

While Todd has expressed a desire to return for a fourth Candyman film, a report earlier this month said that Get Out director Jordan Peele was set to produce (and possibly direct) a remake. Recently, Todd told Nightmare on Film Street how he feels about the new project.

I Didn’t realize that importance at the time, about how impactful Candyman was, particularly in the inner cities which had some of the strongest fanbase. But yes, he was that African-American representing, you know, us. So before that I was able to play the heroic character in Night of the Living Dead. So between the two, that was the stuff of HBO, you know back in Def Jam generation. So I’m honored. If Jordan wants to do it, do it. I know I’d rather have him do it, someone with intelligence, who’s going to be thoughtful and dig into the whole racial makeup of who Candyman is and why he existed in the first place. I know he’ll give homage and I know that if it gets made, I’ll have a plate at the table one way or the other.

Todd is rarely one to sugarcoat his opinions, so one assumes if he was against the idea of a remake, he’d say so. That said, one wonders if his thoughts would change if Peele ends up only producing the film, and not directing it. Peele would still be involved, but not as closely.

If a remake ultimately does happen – with or without Peele directing – it’s impossible to imagine Todd not being offered a cameo, at the very least. For now, Todd can be seen in the new slasher film Hell Fest, which sees bodies piling up in a horror theme park.

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Nick Groff Reveals “Truth” Behind ‘Ghost Adventures’ & Zak Bagans

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It could be argued that the American paranormal documentary and reality TV phenomenon started with Ghost Adventures back in 2004 when then-unknown investigator Zak Bagans and his team filmed a documentary that allegedly revealed actual footage of paranormal activity on camera. That movie wouldn’t become widely available to viewers until it aired on the SyFy (nee Sci-Fi) Channel in 2007.

The movie, titled Ghost Adventures, inspired a television reality show of the same name that premiered on a different network, The Travel Channel, in 2008.

It must be noted that the hugely popular paranormal investigation reality show Ghost Hunters was already a mainstay on SyFy since 2004 and would go on to span 11 seasons.

Since then both original shows have found new life on Discovery+ with each brand having spin-offs and new seasons.

Lately, Ghost Adventures has become the topic of rumors and harsh accusations, especially against its host Zak Bagans. From allegations of career sabotage to being hard to work with, Bagans has recently been vilified by some people formerly on his team.

One of the original creators of Ghost Adventures, Nick Groff went on Twitter this week to speak about his former business partner, and let’s just say Bagans didn’t fare well. Groff doesn’t mention Bagans by name in the video, he often refers to him vaguely, as in, “the host who I was working with.”

To be fair, the paranormal behind-the-scenes drama is really nothing compared to the success that the original Ghost Adventures team wrought. Since Bagans was the face of the show (and still is), and apparently a sex symbol in that field, it was mostly his persona that propelled the brand into reality stardom.

That isn’t to say no one else from his team didn’t work hard to make the show as iconic as it is, Groff even says he helped come up with the name. But comparatively, Bagans is like the lead singer of a rock band and his investigators just aren’t as visible.

However, Groff, having gone solo, is himself a pop culture favorite. His show Paranormal Lockdown, which he executive produced, found a huge following. Many fans were upset that it ended in 2019 as you will see in his Twitter Q&A above.

Tell us what you think of this reality drama in the comments.

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‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’ Comes to Brilliant 4K UHD From Vinegar Syndrome

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Texas

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is on its way to us from Vinegar Syndrome. The new release comes with an entire heck load of special features to boot. From new interviews with Tom Savini to Caroline Williams and more the disc is loaded with all kinds of new features to dig into. Of course, the new collection also made sure to include all the previously released special features. This makes for one hell of an absolutely complete collection.

The entire Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 experience on its own is a brilliant one. Director, Tobe Hooper took things in a vastly different level from that of the first film. Gone are the greasy, dirty, sweat-drenched Texas summers with the underlined stench of a cattle feed lot. Instead, Hooper went in a direction that underlined a comicbookish feel to the characters and the evil undeground lair in which The Saw and The Family took to hiding. It isn’t a direction everyone woul have gone with but Hooper wasn’t everyone and his brilliance shined through immensely with this gigantic choice.

The Vinegar Syndrome Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 special features include:

  • 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray Set
  • 4K UHD presented in High-Dynamic-Range
  • Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
  • Presented with it’s original 2.0 stereo theatrical mix
  • Brand new audio commentary with film critic Patrick Bromley
  • Audio commentary with director Tobe Hooper
  • Audio commentary with actors Bill Moseley, Caroline Williams and special effects makeup creator Tom Savini
  • Audio commentary with director of photography Richard Kooris, production designer Cary White, script supervisor Laura Kooris and property master Michael Sullivan
  • “The Saw and Savini” – a brand new 2022 interview with special effects makeup creator Tom Savini
  • “Stretch Lives!” – a brand new 2022 interview with actress Caroline Williams
  • “Serving Tom” – a brand new 2022 interview with special makeup effects artist Gabe Bartalos
  • “Remember The Alamo” – a brand new 2022 interview with actor Kirk Sisco
  • “Texas Blood Bath” – a brand new 2022 interview with special makeup effects artist Barton Mixon
  • “Die Yuppie Scum” – a brand new 2022 interview with actor Barry Kinyon
  • “Leatherface Revisited” – a brand new 2022 interview with actor Bill Johnson
  • “Beneath The Battle Land: Remembering The Lair” – a brand new 2022 featurette with actors Caroline Williams, Barry Kinyon, Bill Johnson, and Kirk Sisco
  • Never-before-seen extended interviews with director Tobe Hooper and co-producer Cynthia Hargrave – from director Mark Hartley’s documentary “Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films”
  • “It Runs In The Family” – an 85-minute documentary on the making of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
  • “IRITF Outtakes” – extended interviews with L.M. Kit Carson and Lou Perryman
  • “House Of Pain” – an interview with makeup effects artists John Vulich, Bart Mixon, Gabe Bartalos and Gino Crognale
  • “Yuppie Meat” – an interview with actors Chris Douridas and Barry Kinyon
  • “Cutting Moments” – an interview with editor Alain Jakubowicz
  • “Behind The Mask” – an interview with stunt man and Leatherface performer Bob Elmore
  • “Horror’s Hallowed Grounds” – a featurette on the locations of the film
  • “Still Feelin’ The Buzz” – an interview with author and film historian Stephen Thrower
  • 43 minute behind-the-scenes video footage shot during the film’s production
  • Alternate Openingl
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Original theatrical trailers for U.S. and Japan
  • TV Spots
  • Extensive promotional still and image gallery
  • Reversible cover artwork
  • English SDH subtitles

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is coming to 4K UHD from Vinegar Syndome. Head over HERE to place your order before they are all gone. (They are selling out fast!)

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‘Bambi’ Meets ‘Apocolypse Now’ Fever Dream ‘Unicorn Wars’ Coming to Blu-Ray

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Unicorn

Director, Alberto Vázquez brings the animated fever dream Unicorn Wars to life in a must-see spectacle and surprisingly heavy political statement. Fantastic Fest 2022 selected Unicorn Wars as part of its programming and it didn’t let down in the heavy genre fest. The film which is best described as Apocalypse Now meets Bambi is an incredible film with surprisingly heavy drama for being such a squishy, and happy animation style. That juxtaposition makes for an incredible and singular viewing. Luckily for us, the radical experience is coming to Blu-Ray from G Kids and Shout! Factory.

The synopsis for Unicorn Wars goes like this:

For ages, teddy bears have been locked in an ancestral war against their sworn enemy, the unicorns, with the promise that victory will complete the prophecy and usher in a new era. Aggressive, confident teddy bear Bluet and his sensitive, withdrawn brother Tubby could not be more different. As the rigors and humiliation of teddy bear bootcamp turn to the psychedelic horrors of a combat tour in the Magic Forest, their complicated history and increasingly strained relationship will come to determine the fate of the entire war.

unicorn

Unicorn Wars Bonus Features

  • Interview with the director Alberto Vásquez
  • “Working in Blender” featurette
  • Feature-length animatic
  • Trailer

Unicorn Wars arrives on Blu-Ray beginning May 9. Are you excited about the insanely over-the-top experience? Let us know in the comments section.

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