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It’s Alive! Blockbuster Video Still Lives Among Us

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If you grew up in the 1990’s you remember begging your parents to take you to the local Blockbuster Video every Friday night to rent a movie.  On nothing more than a wing and a prayer, and you’re allowance money, you hope that one special movie is still on the shelf.

Pacing down the aisles your laminated membership card is getting sweatier and sweatier by the second in your palm.  As you pray to everything holy there is a copy of that special movie left behind the Styrofoam stuffed VHS case you reach out to the shelf, hand trembling, you push the cardboard VHS case aside and… success!  One white, blue, and yellow clamshell video case remains!

Don’t you miss those memories of stalking the horror aisle, breathing in the scent of the plastic VHS cases and paying $4.99 for a three day rental?  Oh, and don’t forget that $0.99 charge for each day you’re late!  Well lament no longer, fellow thirty-somethings!  Your dreams of walking that royal blue musty carpet is just a hop, skip, and a jump away… in Alaska!

That’s right!  There is still a Blockbuster Video alive and well in the Last Frontier of Anchorage, Alaska!  While the franchise finished closing its doors to nearly 9,000 stores worldwide in 2013, franchise owner Alan Payne decided to keep his doors open.  In fact, he owns nine Blockbuster Video stores of the twelve that remain today.


While most movie lovers get their flicks from an automated machine or download it online, video store owner Payne offers the experience many younglings born after 2000 will never get to experience.  While the movies have no doubt moved over from VHS to DVD and Blu Ray, making the “Be Kind, Rewind” stickers obsolete, you can still physically browse the aisles and read the back of the cases to obtain the synopsis.

You can also enjoy the experience of candy, popcorn, and soda impulse buys in the line queue, as well as asking to keep the poster from the wall once it was taken down.  I can’t be the only one who did this… am I?  Not to mention embracing the feeling of disappointment when you find out they don’t have a copy of the movie you anticipated watching all day long.  Yet hope can be restored as you quickly walk to the front of the store and ask the clerk if a customer has recently returned said movie, and perhaps they just haven’t had the chance to return it to its proper home on the shelf yet.

All jokes aside, the video stores in Alaska are a very important corner stone to the community.  Unbeknownst to those who don’t reside in the snowy North, access to the Internet is quite expensive.  Even though the prices seem expensive in comparison to your local Red Box, they are reasonable in comparison to the prices of gigabytes.

Another benefit is, as odd as it sounds, the video store serves as a place of gathering.  In a place that has long, cold, and dark winters, it’s nice to have a place to go and socialize with other people.  In fact, this is something we have lost as a culture when looking for videos.  I can’t tell you how many times I spoke to other horror fans in the horror aisle and received great recommendations… as well as some not so great.  I don’t know where you are Blockbuster Video patron, but I Still Know What you Did Last Summer is not a scary movie!

 

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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