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Five Horror Shows That Audiences Have All But Forgotten

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Horror on television is experiencing a boom that viewers haven’t seen since the old days of Rod Serling and Alfred Hitchcock.  With shows like American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, and Hannibal, there’s plenty on the air to keep even the most insatiable viewers busy.  Even during the slim years, however, there were pockets of horror programming that slipped through the cracks.  Here are five forgotten horror shows that came and went before they even had a chance.

 

1. Freakylinks

TV_1

Freakylinks was a show that was developed by Haxan Films (the creators of The Blair Witch Project) for the Fox network in 2000.  It starred Ethan Embry as the operator of a website called Freakylinks.com who, along with his team, investigated claims of paranormal activity and supernatural occurrences.  In many regards, Freakylinks was a poor-man’s The X-Files, with the gang checking out a different monster-of-the-week during every episode, their collective experiences hinting at a larger mythology.  That mythology was never fully realized, however, as Freakylinks lasted only one season.  The curious can find episodes of the show on YouTube.  Here’s the first one.

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2. Fear

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Before there was Paranormal State or Ghost Hunters, there was FearFear was part game show, part paranormal research show, and it aired on MTV in the early 2000s.  Also known as MTV’s Fear, the show tossed a group of kids into a supposedly haunted place and made them investigate the spookiness, with a monetary reward waiting at the end for those who did not chicken out.  It was a cool prototype for the modern ghost hunting shows, but with more of an exploitative methodology; the producers always seemed like they were purposely trying to scare the hell out of the contestants.  Just like Freakylinks, many episodes of Fear can be found on YouTube.  Here’s the first one, in which the unsuspecting players investigate West Virginia State Penitentiary.

[youtube id=”mX0Wfwqbf34″ align=”center” autoplay=”no”]

 

3. Fear Itself

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When the Showtime network elected to not renew Masters of Horror for a third season, series creator Mick Garris took his concept to NBC, and the resulting series was Fear ItselfFear Itself basically WAS the third season of Masters of Horror, following the same formula of teaming up established directors and writers to make hour long horror films.  Because they were airing on broadcast television as opposed to pay cable, episodes of Fear Itself had to be edited for content, as well as shortened in order to make room for the commercials.  Even with the limitations, Fear Itself was still probably one of the scariest shows to ever air on network television.  It was put on hiatus during the 2008 Olympics, and was never brought back.  Again, thanks to YouTube, here’s the first episode, “The Sacrifice.”

[youtube id=”dbSbzaSculo” align=”center” autoplay=”no”]

 

4. The Hitchhiker

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Back when HBO Original Programming was in its infancy, the cable channel produced the anthology show The Hitchhiker.  Every Saturday night from 1983 to 1987, audiences were treated to a cool story along the lines of The Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, each one introduced by Page Fletcher, the Canadian actor who played the show’s titular host.  The Hitchhiker had a decent run, but the show was soon replaced on HBO by Tales from the Crypt.  Luckily, select episodes continue to live on in the cyber world.  Here’s an episode from the fourth season called “Homebodies.”

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5. Darkroom

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In the fall of 1981, prime time television was awash in sitcoms and soap operas.  Looking for something different, ABC rolled the dice on an anthology horror show called Darkroom.  Hosted by James Coburn, Darkroom followed the formula of revered anthology shows like Night Gallery and The Outer Limits, bringing together different writers, directors, and actors to produce two or three tales of terror that were crammed into an hour of programming every week.  In ABC’s eyes, the experiment was a failure, and Darkroom was cancelled before the end of its first season.  Four episodes that went unaired by ABC were later compiled into the now-classic horror anthology film Nightmares.  Because of the obscurity of the show, existing copies of Darkroom episodes are of very poor quality, but they’re out there.  Here’s the first one.

[youtube id=”gV-QhrkGBrE” align=”center” autoplay=”no”]

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‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

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Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

The Strangers

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

The Strangers

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The Strangers

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

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It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

Great Movie Ride

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

Alien Romulus
Alien (1979)

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

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Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

Home Depot Skeleton Prop

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

Home Depot Prop

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.

Terror Dog Prop
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