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The Long Strange Journey of ‘Friend Request’

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Can Friend Request do what Unfriended couldn’t?

The fall movie lineup is filled with clowns, maniacal serial killers, and haunted cameras. But Simon Verhoeven’s “Friend Request” is one that we are keeping our eyes on, it has already seen a semi-successful German theatrical run in 2016 with over $2M at the box office in its first week.

The social media horror film has undergone a few different titles throughout its lifetime. At one point it was called “Unknown Error,” so as not to be confused with Levan Gabriadze’s stateside “Unfriended,” in 2014.

And even more convoluted, Friend Request was once itself called Unfriended because the American film was released over there as Unknown User, so no copyright infringement there.

Unlike the U.S film, Verhoeven’s doesn’t appear to be told through the “Live cam” feature on your laptop.

That gimmick may have run its course starting with Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) before being warmed-over by Unfriended.

Friend Request is an international release, it was filmed in Cape Town South Africa, and despite its German production roots, the cast speaks English, no subtitles needed.

For everything that the film makers try to do to set it apart, Friend Request also shares a plot point with the other film: a high school outsider commits suicide, getting vigilante justice from beyond the grave.

While Unfriended is told through Skype, and the supernatural entity plays BFFS against each other, Friend Request takes place in the outside world.

Our heroine Laura is very popular on social media and in an act of compassion adds an outcast named Marina to her friend’s list. When Laura inadvertently omits Marina from a social function she kills herself, setting into motion a series of strange deaths among Laura’s friends and prompting her to find out why.

The conceptualization of  2014’s Unfriended was a good one, a story told through the pop-up Skype and PM windows was a stylish filming gimmick. And having the entity force friends to reveal their true natures was a nice touch. But there were some hitches along the way. A few of the self-kills seemed overly exaggerated and clearly, the players were pantomiming as one would if they were trying to scare a younger sibling.

With Friend Request taking place in an open world, there is enough room for the director to show more by way of the monster and how each friend dies. He’s not limited to the computer screen to tell his story.

Although Friend Request may seem like another attempt at trying to scare audiences with something we use every day, this film has already been a  minor hit abroad and it’s rare those titles get a wide release in the U.S.

Friend Request opens nationwide on September 22.

 

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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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‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

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Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

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