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Horror Pride Month: Award Winning Filmmaker and Actress Rakefet Abergel

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I first met Rakefet Abergel at Nightmares Film Festival in 2017 after she appeared on a panel discussion about social progress in the horror genre. She was, perhaps, the most infectiously funny person I’d ever met.

She was also the most easily scared!

One evening, the festival had scare actors mixed in the crowd and when I looked over the railing from the upstairs lounge to discover who had let out the most fantastic scream downstairs, there was Rakefet, clutching her drink with her eyes closed as a menacing voodoo queen disappeared back into the crowd.

Months later, as I began putting messages out online that I was looking for a series of interviews for iHorror’s Horror Pride Month celebration, I got a message from Rakefet on Facebook.

“I’m one the of the Bs in LGBT,” she said. “but the B is silent.”

To say I was intrigued was an understatement. I was unaware when we met that she was a member of the LGBTQ community at all, but something more was there in that statement that I couldn’t put my finger on.

After a bit of a scheduling debacle, we finally manage to carve out time to chat about her experiences as a bisexual in the film industry and how, even after she included her bisexuality in her award-winning short thriller Jax in Love, no one seemed to notice.

Naturally, my first question in our interview was, “What do you mean the B is silent?”

“Well, it isn’t silent for me!” Abergel laughed. “I’m very open about who I am, but I feel like in the LGBTQ community the B is really silent. Sometimes it feels like the community doesn’t take us seriously.”

Suddenly, her previous statement not only made sense, but it seemed a heavy weight to carry, and as she went on to relate her experiences earlier in the life while touring with a lesbian comedy troupe, the weight of that statement grew even heavier.

She appeared on the tour, along with her wife whom she was in a relationship with for 13 years, when some of the other comedians began making snide remarks about how she didn’t really belong there because she talked openly about her bisexuality in her act.

Some of these women had lived their entire lives as straight, only coming out in their 40s and 50s after having husbands and children for years. And yet, they pointed their fingers at her as if she was the one who didn’t really belong.

“They didn’t want anyone to judge them,” she said, “but they were really good at handing out judgement themselves.”

Abergel took a lot of the frustration and pain she’d felt over the years and poured it into Jax in Love, creating a cold-blooded serial killer who just wants someone to return the love she’s so willing to give.

And yet, though Jax, who Abergel has won numerous awards for playing in the film, is attracted to both men and women, no one seems to bring it up at all.

“I don’t recall anyone ever mentioning it,” Abergel said. “That either means that it was done so normally that no one questioned it, or that aspect of the character was just ignored.”

I’d like to think it’s the former reason, and Abergel agreed that this normalized view was what she hoped for in the long run.

The film is quite terrifying as Jax can switch from “I love you” to “I’ll kill you” very quickly, and Abergel admits she was afraid she might be perpetuating the worst stereotype about the bisexual community.

“People, both straight and LGBT, will come right out and say things like ‘So, that means you’re attracted to everyone, right?'” Rakefet laughed. “And I’m like ‘Are you attracted to every man or woman in the world? No!'”

It’s a problem in every aspect of the film industry. Normalized portrayal of bisexual characters seems to be non-existent, and Abergel wondered what she might do in another film to help correct this.

She even joked that maybe the answer was aliens.

“Getting rid of all the boxes won’t happen until the aliens come,” she said. “There can only be two boxes then, and it’ll either be the alien box or the human box when they attack our asses. It’s what happens in every sci-fi/horror movie with aliens.”

I’d personally love to see what Abergel could do with that idea, but her next big film project will actually be a supernatural horror film about ghosts and possession with subtle hints of What Lies Beneath in its DNA, though she admitted she had not seen the Harrison Ford/Michelle Pfeiffer film herself.

As for future representation both within the horror genre and without, she said that she hopes that filmmakers will learn to portray the reality of bisexuality.

“I’d like to see characters where it isn’t a phase,” she said. “It’s not someone who is confused either. The way I explain it to people is that I’m attracted to a person, not a gender, and that’s what I’d like to see someone get right for a change.”

We’re with you on that, Rakefet.

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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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