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Late to the Party: MISERY (1990)

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Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. I write for a horror publication – is that so hard to believe? His movies seem to be hit or miss, and that’s not the man’s fault. It’s always interesting to see how one person’s story is seen through another’s retelling. I loved his novella, The Mist. The film adaption, though? Could not stand it. On the other hand, I thought that the film version of Stand By Me (which was based on another novella, titled The Body) was ten times more enjoyable.

Never reading King’s original book, however, I thought that Misery would be a fun experiment for me. In almost every occasion, I’ve experienced King’s stories through text first and moving picture later. I wondered how it would be to watch something of his first, and then read it.

Well, I haven’t gotten around to reading Misery yet, but I think that’s understandable given that I just finished the movie last night. So, I can’t speak on how it compares to the book, but maybe I don’t need to. Film and literature are two completely different animals, and I treat them as such. In any case, I enjoyed Misery very much.

The plot of the film is pretty damn straightforward. An author, Paul Sheldon (James Caan) gets in a car wreck during a snowstorm and is rescued by his “biggest fan,” Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). She nurses him back to health, but there’s something a little off about her. In other words, she’s completely nuts. Wilkes forces Sheldon to write another sequel to his “Misery” novels when she reads the ending of the most recent one and decides that she doesn’t like it. The rest of the film follows an act of give and pull between the two as Sheldon attempts to survive Wilkes’ psychosis.

Caan and Bates both excel in their roles, and while at first I was expecting Bates to steal the show, I ended up completely enamored with James Caan’s portrayal of the writer. The man brings a lot of personality and humanity to the role; with Bates, well, she did the whole “crazy bitch” thing perfectly as well. I loved how obsessive and ridiculous the character was.

But besides the two of them, my favorite part of the film would probably be the scenery. The snow gave a very pleasing backdrop to a sadistic situation, which made Sheldon’s situation all the more sinister. Wilkes is a monster, through and through. The beauty of her character (and the horror, for that matter) is how deceptive her sinister-ness is (I don’t think that’s a word – just go with it). She doesn’t look like anyone overtly threatening, and she certainly doesn’t sound it. Wilkes is very much the definition of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

There were no big surprises for me to be found in Misery. If I could complain about one thing, it would be how straightforward the plot was. But then again, maybe that’s the beauty of the film. It’s such a simple premise. There could have realistically been one or two endings to the situation – Sheldon lives or Sheldon dies. While there was a degree of tension throughout, it never got to heart racing levels. Still, the strength of the characters in the film make for a highly enjoyable watch.

Misery is a horror film for those who don’t particularly enjoy horror films. It’s got great character acting and a steady, believable plot. The absence of anything too gory or violent besides one or two scenes will make it fine enough for anyone looking for a chill that won’t run unsettlingly deep.

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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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