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‘The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear’ Documentary Review

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Flatwoods

Production company Small Town Monsters make a compelling case for local cryptids in their documentary series. With each film focusing on a different local legend – such as the Minerva Monster, the Beast of Whitehall, and the Mothman of Point Pleasant – writer/director Seth Breedlove shares his passion for the mysterious and spooky tales that haunt these small towns.

The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear tells the story of The Green Monster of Flatwoods, West Virginia, and how its cultural reach continues to grow.

The legacy begins on September 12, 1952 when a small group of local kids – brothers Edward and Fred May, and their friend Tommy Hyer – witnessed a bright object streaking across the sky before it came to rest over a neighboring farm. The brothers ran to tell their mother, Kathleen May, who joined them with three other local youths and the community dog (which is an amazing concept, if you ask me).

The group witnessed a large, pulsating “ball of fire” and reportedly discovered an otherworldly creature accompanied by a harsh and pungent mist. Frightened and panicked, they fled, and matriarch Kathleen May went to the local authorities to report their sighting.

via West Virginia Explorer

The Flatwoods Monster appeared at a time that was surging with reported extraterrestrial sightings worldwide. Global and political events were making the world an increasingly fearful place, and the rise in unexplained activity brought a whole new tension to small communities. Rural areas seemed to be a hotspot for these bizarre events. West Virginia, for example, had another legendary encounter in 1966 with the Mothman.

The documentary uses a combination of bright, colorful filters and smooth aerial shots – like a rural Pleasantville – paired with campfire-creepy animation, Tim Burton-esque miniatures, and atmospheric recreations to tell the story.

The creative imagery used in The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear is particularly appealing – I found myself drawn in by the visual storytelling. They inspire memories of 1950s sci-fi films that capture the wonder and wild incomprehension of these shocking experiences.

via Small Town Monsters

Director Seth Breedlove’s interviews with the surviving witnesses probes their memories for the full story while presenting their reports in an impartial way.

He tells us the tale of the Flatwoods Monster – including the helpful historical context – but does so in a way that is both respectful of the sources and not invasive to the viewer’s personal opinion.

I have to mention the director of photography, Zac Palmisano, for his great work here. And a shout out to J.D. Riggs for the monster effects, Chris and Brandon Scalf for designing the animation (with stop motion animation by Santino Vitale), and Brandon Dalo for composing the score.

This documentary really highlights the spectacular creative team behind Small Town Monsters. Their work elevates their subjects and compliments the story in a fantastic way. For me, it was the film’s major selling point.

via Dread Central

The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear is more of a short-subject documentary, clocking in at a cool 45 minutes. The official description is as follows:

Unlock a decades-old mystery that included a government-ordered military examination of a purported alien crash-site, and multiple UFOs seen by countless residents of Braxton County, WV. In the years since their brush with the “Flatwoods Monster”, witnesses have seen their story evolve from a terrifying, true-life event to little more than a fable. Two of the remaining witnesses will set the record straight.

Check out the trailer and the poster below. The Flatwoods Monster: A Legacy of Fear lands on April 6 and is available to order through the Small Town Monsters website.

via Small Town Monsters

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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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