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Horror Pride Month: Dan Hass’s ‘Magic H8 Ball’ Hits Vimeo this Week

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Magic H8 Ball

There are break-ups…and then there are break-ups when you find out your ex-boyfriend mixed a little low-key chlamydia into the bargain. That’s what happens to poor Adam in Dan Hass’s dark horror/comedy short film Magic H8 Ball.

As the film opens, Adam (Nathan Mohebbi) pays a visit to his local clinic. When the doctor informs him he has chlamydia, Adam obviously goes through a torrent of emotions until he discovers a very special Magic 8 Ball.

This isn’t your garden variety toy from Walmart, however. This 8 Ball has a sinister edge, and Adam soon finds himself following its instructions to the letter.

Steal a bicycle? Sure! Eat a ton of junk food? Absolutely. Go make a scene at your ex’s house? We’re there! Kill your ex? Wait…what?

I mean, we’ve all been there, right?

“The film was kind of born out of that awkward Sunday morning visit to the clinic that gay men make a lot more often that straight people do,” Hass told me. “And you’re sitting there and you try not to make eye contact. And you all kind of know that you’re there for the same reason, but it’s still slightly uncomfortable.”

WARNING: SHORT PSA AHEAD!

The feeling certainly resonates for a lot of the queer people I know. Especially after the initial onset of the AIDS crisis in the 80s, we’ve learned to pay attention to our bodies and make those regular visits.

It’s a lesson, quite frankly, that the straight male community could learn from us. As recently as 2017, the CDC reported that the most commonly treated demographic for chlamydia, the most commonly diagnosed STD, is straight women at 45% of reported cases. Gay men follow behind that demographic in second, and men who identify as bisexual in the third.

It doesn’t take a degree in math to recognize that a small portion of bisexual men are infecting 800,000 women per year, and if there was anything we can pass along to our straight brothers across the aisle, it’s that testing saves lives and improves overall health.

This lack of testing seems to fall back to government regulations and recommendations. It will surprise hardly anyone at all that the CDC and other government agencies have rarely put forth protocols for recommending asymptomatic straight men be tested for most STDs unless they are or have been in prison with the assumption that they of course came into sexual contact with other men while incarcerated.

This has further stigmatized the queer community, with a government sponsored cloud that hangs over us that we are somehow dirtier or more prone to disease. The fact is that we are more prone to being diagnosed with STDs or STIs and that is because we more actively have ourselves tested.

But let’s get back to Magic H8 Ball.

“With the Magic 8 Ball, it’s all about asking questions and getting answer,” Hass continued. “When you’re in the situation that Adam’s in, nothing can give you those answers really. It’s time to look at yourself and figure your shit out. He wasn’t ready to look that deep so it feel on this toy that’s supposed to magically answer your questions to force him to look at himself and deal with his emotions.”

Hass, a 20-something Associate Creative Director at Viacom, worked with an almost exclusively LGBTQ cast and crew in creating Magic H8 Ball, and it’s one of the best dark comedies I’ve seen in a long time. His comedic timing is on point, and he isn’t afraid to shine a light on some of the darker parts of our Id in the film’s exploration.

Magic H8 Ball is available now on Vimeo. You can see it by clicking here! Hass also says that it will be available on YouTube in the next couple of weeks!

For more great queer short horror films, check out these titles!

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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