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31 Scary Story Nights: October 20th “Cropsey”

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Welcome back, readers, to our latest entry in 31 Scary Story Nights!  We’ve had a little bit of everything so far, from serial killers to ghosts to classic tales of suspense.  Tonight’s tale may be one of those most pervasive of all the stories in our series.  It’s been the inspiration for more than one epic slasher movie and it continues to frighten campers, especially in the northeaster portion of the U.S. where the tale originated.  It’s called Cropsey and it’s perfect for a night in the woods around a campfire.

***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!***

Cropsey as retold by Waylon Jordan

Jasper Cropsey was one of the youngest judges in the entire state of New York.  It was 1898, and he and his wife and young son had just moved into the new home he’d had built for them.

It wasn’t fancy, but it was all their own.

Every morning, Judge Cropsey would leave his home and walk into the local township where he would hear a whole variety of cases.  He was know to be firm but fair, but inevitably a judge makes enemies.

Judge Cropsey had recently sentenced Marcus Williams to prison for two years.  His sons, known roughhousers and heavy drinkers, thought Cropsey’s sentence too harsh for their father’s petty crimes and they spent their days and nights planning their revenge.

One drunken afternoon, the two young Williams men and two of their thuggish friends stumbled out to the Cropsey home and in a fit of drunken rage set fire to the woodpile behind the home, intending it as a message for the Judge.  There’d been no rain in weeks, however, and the grass was extremely dry. The fire began spreading quickly burning toward the house.

It just so happened that Judge Cropsey was walking home early that day, but even the unusually early hour didn’t find him home before the entire home was ablaze.  In a blind rush of panic, the young Judge ran into the flaming home to try to save his family.

He was too late…his family was dead.  He fell to his knees as the fire raged around him and screamed until he had no voice.  He hadn’t even realized that his own clothing had caught fire and soon he, himself, was covered in flames.

Perhaps it was his own blind rage, or perhaps madness set in the moment he saw his family, but he somehow survived.  He felt pain as he’d never known it before as the burns slowly healed, but that madness and rage kept him alive.

It was almost a year later when the first of Marcus Williams’ sons was found dead outside his home.  He had been hacked to death with an ax.  In less than two weeks, his brother had joined him, bludgeoned and hacked to death by the same vicious weapon.  In short order, every man involved in the burning of the home was dead and people in the town began to fear who might be stalking the night.

Stories were told around dinner tables about what appeared to be a man all dressed in black who wore a mask and carried an ax through the woods.  Dinner table stories became legends and while most people soon discredited the stories, there was no denying that from time to time a body would be found in the vicinity of the local woods.  Invariably, the murder weapon was determined to be an ax.

Perhaps, they were all bad people.  Perhaps, they had just wandered into Cropsey’s territory.  But folks today know not to wander too close to the woods alone.  That way, at least someone might make it back to tell the tale.

Phew…that was a good one!!  I don’t know what it is about that story that gets under my skin.  It’s so ominous!  A lot has changed about Cropsey over the years.  He’s worn different kinds of masks and had different occupations, motivations, etc. but he’s always stalking the woods, and always ready to kill!  Join us again tomorrow night for another Scary Story Night!  Pleasant Dreams!

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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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