News

TRY THIS: Watch JASON LIVES in Black & White!

Published

7 years ago

January 13, 2017

Written by Dr. Jose

One of the extras included in the 2004 DVD boxset From Crystal Lake to Manhattan was an interview with Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives director, Tom McLoughlin, wherein he suggests a unique way to watch the film:

“My main objective was to give the audience a sense of the old gothic horror movies, because I was trying to set a tone right from the beginning that this was going to be like what the Universal horror movies used to be: the stormy night, going to the cemetery, digging up the grave, a monster that is actually dead coming back and is unstoppable. If you turn the color off, this movie would look great in black and white.”

I’d long been aware that McLoughlin used Jason Lives to pay major homage to Frankenstein (a gas station named “Karloff’s”, anyone?), but I’d never considered actually watching it in black and white. So with this great suggestion in mind, I decided to give it a shot. Last night I popped my Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives DVD in the ol’ player, grabbed the remote and dialed the TV’s color down to zero, and strapped in for a watch. And you know what? It totally kind of works!

The moment the old Paramount logo popped up onscreen, I knew I was going to be in for a treat. The entire opening sequence of the film is just a barrage of classic horror imagery, made that much cooler by the fact that it was all in black and white: a shot of the full moon encompassed by ominous clouds; craggy trees and bolts of lightning; a spooky cemetery, shrouded in fog. By the time the opening credits actually start rolling, you’d swear you’d been watching some sort of alternate reality version of Frankenstein or The Wolf Man.

Now, what with being filmed in 1986, not everything works in black and white. A lot of the contemporary elements – the hairstyles, the fashion, and the music – clearly don’t transition all that well. (The scene involving Cort and Nikki in the RV stands out especially.) Still, one of the funny side effects of watching an ’80s movie in black and white is how the lack of color manages to lend an air of class to the proceedings. Martin the Gravedigger saying “farthead” is a far cry from the moving court proceedings in To Kill a Mockingbird, but they’re visually striking just the same.

Another cool result of desaturating the film is how all the jailhouse scenes play out like an old noir film. Now, I don’t know if that was McLoughlin’s intended effect, but with the police officers spouting off dialogue like, “Hit the noise and the cherries!”, “That’s what we call ‘screwin’ the pooch'”, and “Alright, into the can, Flash!”, I’d be surprised if the pulpy, old-timey vibe wasn’t completely intentional.

If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend giving Jason Lives a watch in black and white. If nothing else, it’s simply a new way to watch an old favorite. Below I’ve attached some screen shots I took that showcase the more stunning shots.

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News

“In a Violent Nature” So Gory Audience Member Throws Up During Screening

Published

2 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Chis Nash (ABC’s of Death 2) just debuted his new horror film, In a Violent Nature, at the Chicago Critics Film Fest. Based on the audience’s reaction, those with squeamish stomachs may want to bring a barf bag to this one.

Thats right, we have another horror film that is causing audience members to walk out of the screening. According to a report from Film Updates at least one audience member threw up in the middle of the film. You can hear audio of the audience reaction to the film below.

Audience reacting to a kill from ‘IN A VIOLENT NATURE’ during the Chicago Critics Film Fest screening of the film. An audience member also vomited during the screening.

The film, described as a slasher from the killer's perspective, hits theaters on May 31. pic.twitter.com/KGlyC3HFXa
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 6, 2024

This is far from the first horror film to claim this kind of audience reaction. However, early reports of In a Violent Nature indicates that this film may be just that violent. The film promises to reinvent the slasher genre by telling the story from the killer’s perspective.

Here is the official synopsis for the film. When a group of teens takes a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods, they unwittingly resurrect the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime. The undead killer soon embarks on a bloody rampage to retrieve the stolen locket, methodically slaughtering anyone who gets in his way.

While we will have to wait and see if In a Violent Nature lives up to all of its hype, recent responses on X offer nothing but praise for the film. One user even makes the bold claim that this adaptation is like an arthouse Friday the 13th.

In a Violent Nature will receive a limited theatrical run starting May 31, 2024. The film will then be released on Shudder sometime later in the year. Make sure to check out the promo images and trailer below.

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Movies

New Windswept Action Trailer for ‘Twisters’ Will Blow You Away

Published

5 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The summer movie blockbuster game came in soft with The Fall Guy, but the new trailer for Twisters is bringing back the magic with an intense trailer full of action and suspense. Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin, is behind this newest disaster film just like its 1996 predecessor.

This time Daisy Edgar-Jones plays the female lead named Kate Cooper, “a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.”

Twisters cast includes Nope’s Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane (American Honey), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy).

Twisters is directed by Lee Isaac Chung and hits theaters on July 19.

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News

Travis Kelce Joins Cast on Ryan Murphy’s ‘Grotesquerie’

Published

7 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Football star Travis Kelce is going Hollywood. At least that is what Dahmer Emmy award-winning star Niecy Nash-Betts announced on her Instagram page yesterday. She posted a video of herself on set of the new Ryan Murphy FX series Grotesquerie.

“This is what happens when WINNERS link up‼️ @killatrav Welcome to Grostequerie[sic]!” she wrote.

Standing just out of frame is Kelce who suddenly steps in to say, “Jumping into new territory with Niecy!” Nash-Betts appears to be in a hospital gown while Kelce is dressed as an orderly.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Niecy Nash (@niecynash1)

Not much is known about Grotesquerie, other than in literary terms it means a work filled with both science fiction and extreme horror elements. Think H.P. Lovecraft.

Back in February Murphy released an audio teaser for Grotesquerie on social media. In it, Nash-Betts says in part, “I don’t know when it started, I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s different now. There’s been a shift, like something’s opening up in the world — a kind of hole that descends into a nothingness…”