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31 Scary Story Nights: October 10th “The Disappearing Hitchhiker”

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Is it really October 11th already?  It must be!  Halloween is drawing closer and we have another scary story for you!  Tonight’s tale is a staple in the urban legend set.  It’s called The Disappearing Hitchhiker and it’s probably been told around more campfires and at late night sleepovers than you can imagine.

There are numerous variations to the tale, but I’m going to tell you mine.  Feel free to change the locations to fit your own town or city.  It just makes it more interesting and scary if it sounds like it happened nearby!

All right, everyone get ready.  It’s time to take a drive…

***Writer’s Note:  We here at iHorror are big proponents of responsible parenting.  Some of the stories in this series may be too much for your little ones.  Please read ahead and decide if your kids can handle this story!  If not, find another story for tonight or simply come back to see us tomorrow.  In other words, don’t blame me for your kids nightmares!***

The Disappearing Hitchhiker as retold by Waylon Jordan

Max was driving home late one Saturday night from visiting a friend in Dallas.  Home was back in Greenville and he had left later than he intended.

Parts of Interstate 30 are lonely late at night and drowsiness was setting in so much so that when he first saw the young woman on the side of the highway, he though it was his imagination.  He sat up straighter and blinked a few times and sure enough she was still there with her hand out for a ride.

Max hit the brakes and pulled to the side of the road just beyond where she stood.  She ran to the passenger window.

“Can you take me home?”

“Uh…sure,” Max replied.  “Yeah, of course, I can.”

Max unlocked the door and popped it open for the young woman to climb inside.  She was wearing a filmy white dress and he realized she was stunningly beautiful!

“Where do you live, miss…?”

“Julia,”  she replied.  “I live at 2507 Ridgemont Dr. in Fate.”

“Got it,”  Max said, pulling back onto the highway.  “You’re out late, Julia.  Did you have car trouble?”

“Car trouble? Yes…,” Julia replied.  “It’s a long story, though.  I’ll tell you the rest when you get me home.”

“All right,” Max replied.

He followed her directions to a small house on the outskirts of Fate.  Despite the late hour, a light was still on in the front room.

“Well, Miss Julia, we’re here.”

But when Max turned to the passenger seat, Julia was gone.  She’d simply vanished.

He sat for a long time staring at that empty seat before getting out of this car and walking to the door of the home to knock.  A tired looking man answered as though he’d been waiting for him.

“I’m sorry to bother you so late, sir,” Max started.

“Julia?”

“Yes!  Yes, Julia.  I was bringing her home and she just…she vanished from my car.”

“I know, son.  My daughter Julia died in a car accident almost a year ago.  It’s only been in the last couple of months, though, that she’s started trying to get home.  I’ve been staying up later so I could answer the door for whatever poor fella was unlucky enough to pick her up.  She’s dead son, and she’s just trying to get home…”

The man closed the door and Max stood there shaking.  It was a long while before he could climb back into his car to drive the rest of the way home.

Poor thing…I wonder if Julia ever made it back home?  Considering this story is told in every part of the country with a hundred different names…probably not.  Ah well.

That’s all for tonight, readers, but make sure you come back again tomorrow for another Scary Story Night in our countdown to Halloween!

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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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Movies

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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