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Late To the Party: FRIDAY THE 13th (1980)

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Welcome faithful readers, to another edition of Late To The Party! This is a very special edition as we transition from a scary summer, to frightening fall (and Halloween on the way!). As well, a movie that epitomized the transition from thrillers, murder mysteries, and giallo into that beloved staple of horror, the slasher genre. I am of course talking about none other than the original Friday The 13th!

Love that title! I do feel some shame in having missed out on this landmark horror film for so long. Though, having seen several other entries in the massive franchise, I got the gist of the progenitor to Jason Voorhees in every sense of the word. On that, after the first film, the entire franchise revolved around everyone’s favorite hockey masked maniac! So, it was very interesting jumping into the roots of such a horror staple. I was fortunate enough, once again, to catch it at a local revival screening for the full experience.

via zedszombieranch on Etsy

In the Summer of 1959, a couple of counselors decide to get frisky at Camp Crystal Lake only to meet their ends at the hands of an unseen killer. Now, 1979. The camp is getting renovated despite the ‘blood curse’ proclaimed by lovable deranged local, “Crazy” Ralph. A group of teen counselors (Including a young Kevin Bacon!) and the camp’s new owner clean up the site for a new generation of campers… only to befall that same unseen killer! Tell me if you hadn’t heard that one before?

Of course, at the time, this was a groundbreaking independent movie from horror maker Sean S. Cunningham. It was very interesting to watch, as it was truly here that the sub-genre we know as the ‘slasher’ was born in blood. As opposed to its pumped up bloodier, and gorier sequels, the original was more a murder mystery in the vein of giallo or classical “Twelve Little Indians.” It’s only by the very end that it’s revealed that the least likely suspect was the true killer all along. And one who’s introduced rather abruptly and late into the game.

The twist, which honestly isn’t much a spoiler anymore considering it directly leads into Jason’s reign, that it was middle aged camp cook, Pamela Voorhees must have been rather shocking for its time. Knowing this beforehand thanks to the remainder of the series, it didn’t have quite as much an impact. Though still a bit shocking to think that Pam was surprisingly spry for her age! Especially handling that hunting knife. Though it did feel odd that Pamela’s introduction came with just the bare amount of foreshadowing. The other counselors mention a boy drowning and then the accidents, but it’s only after everyone is dead and Alice confronts the camp cook do we get the full story. It was also interesting to see, after so many sequels of Jason being a juggernaut, that the killer is all too human. Pamela takes time to recover after Alice bludgeons her. Plus, Pam’s desire to kill seems mentally driven as opposed to supernatural. “Kill them all, mommy” She keeps on repeating. Almost like a reverse Norman Bates. And it was only then I realized that Jason’s iconic them ‘ki-ki-ah-ah’  was a derivative of that crazed mantra!

 

Though, the film did a great job in establishing many of the hallmarks of the rest of the franchise, including: creative kills! No one’s ever going to forget seeing Kevin Bacon get stabbed through the neck from beneath his bed with an arrow. And it forever changed the way we look at machetes! We have the artistic and strong-willed Alice as the first in a long, long line of “Final Girls”, though things take a turn for her come Part II

The gore still holds up thanks to the masterful work from Tom Savini, complete with “Jason’s” first explosive appearance.People in the audience still shrieked as he dove out of the lake at Alice like a rabid dolphin! Which just goes to show that the classics can still be just as effective today.

 

Thanks for following us through a slasher filled summer, and join us next time for another carnage filled Late To the Party!

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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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Movies

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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