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Dee Wallace Is Our Horror Mom

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From The Howling to Cujo and now to Red Christmas, Dee Wallace is the mom of horror movies.

Not that she gave birth to them, but she plays them in the genre, also having roots in science fiction. Who can forget her role as a single working mother trying to raise two boys at different stages in puberty in E.T.?

As for The Howling, she may not play a mother, but does a motherly act at the end, protecting the planet.

So when I sat down to speak with Dee on the phone I wanted to talk about a few of her most famous roles and her current one that may be even more extreme than any of the others because of its subject matter and metaphors.

Now 68, in her latest film Red Christmas she plays another mother who has made some choices in life that are coming back to haunt her, “It combined two things I love the most, horror films and Christmas,” she said. “So I was like wow, I’m going to get to do both things I love to do there,” she laughed. “I thought the script was really interesting. I was surprised and excited that it wasn’t your typical horror film that it dealt with important issues too without giving it all away.”

Her Diane is a tour-de-force to be reckoned with. She says it was a rare opportunity to, “do something in the same spectrum as Cujo, and I haven’t had that shot in a while and I really, really really just wanted to bite that off. I wanted to actually, truthfully see if I could still do it.”

And she does, even if that was amid the extreme landscape of Australia where wild Wallabies and giant spiders are a part of the job. Despite her encounters with the local fauna, she is extremely proud of this film even if it was done on a meager budget.

“I really learned what you could do and do well. And do joyfully and with respect for each other on a budget much smaller than we’re used to working with, in the U.S.”

Speaking of her U.S. films, one of my all-time favorites is Cujo, it’s Dee’s too. Her work on that film with Lewis Teague deserved an Oscar in my opinion. She played yet another mother fighting to save her child while locked inside a Ford Pinto as a rabid Saint Bernard is blinded by rage trying to get in.

This was way before the time of CGI, there was no green screen and it was shot on location. I asked if that film were ever re-made how she would feel if it relied on CGI. “I think modern horror sci-fi films rely too much on gimmicks. As opposed to really well-crafted thought out relationship films where shit happens. That’s what a good horror film is.”

She said a lot of Cujo and even Howling developed the character relationships first then went into action,” I am drawn to the projects that really really do take time to create great characters and great relationships so that you really care.”

This is why she loves Red Christmas, “It is totally an original horror film, it makes you look at your consciousness while you’re on this amazing ride trying to get away from the bad guy. And what does the bad guy represent? All of our decisions that we are suffering from and guilty for in our lives.”

Yes mom.

Her motherly essence also flows into her real-life as a spiritual healer. She advises people, even me in our conversation, about living life to its fullest by doing the best you can. She said about six words to me in response to a personal problem I was having and honestly it made a world of difference.

But as for Red Christmas, this is one she wants people to see.

“It’s a Christmas horror film,” Dee said, advising people to watch it now, “and just let it lead you through the holidays.”

Red Christmas is now available nationwide on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD.

 

 

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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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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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