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Now on Netflix: BASKIN (2015) is Torturous, Horrifying

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There have been very few movies throughout the course of my movie watching career that were able to truly chill me to the bone. The Turkish-language horror flick Baskin, which is now available to stream on Netflix, was one of them.

Depicting Hell is a tricky affair – but when it’s done right, it can be downright torturous to watch. Baskin follows a group of police officers responding to a call for backup. Once they arrive at the mysterious building in which they were hailed to, they find that the inside is more or less a gateway to Hell itself.

Making excellent use of color and mood, the film does its best to try and disgust the audience as much as possible through obscenity and horrific imagery. Spoiler alert: it works. This unique depiction of a literal Hell on earth is not the lazily-concocted brimstone and fire that many would expect; it’s something much more surreal. Watching Baskin is likened to experiencing an intense fever dream that does not let up.

There’s a plot somewhere in this film, too, but it’s somewhat hard to find. While some may criticize the movie for lacking in story and relying mainly on style over substance, I found that the confusion with the overall storyline made for an even more otherworldly experience. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but the vague plot and lack of explanations for everything made me feel even more unsettled after the movie ended. There is a meaning behind this movie – I think – but it may take more than one watch to figure it out.

And while it is incredibly scary, it could have been taken even further. The last ten minutes of the movie seem to be hastily put together and a bit uninspired; still, this does not take away from the Hellish experience that the rest of the movie puts you through. I have no doubt that the reaction to this film, now that it’s available on such an attainable format and viewed by many curious horror fans, will be heavily divided. It’s been highly anticipated, and there will be many who think that the violence, heavy and disturbing as it is, could have been taken further. But as a fan of films such as Suspiria and Hellraiser, I was pleasantly surprised to see a mixture of the two of them in one grisly, rotten film. No, Baskin is not nice. It does not play fair and it will use cheap tricks to get a rise out of people. Still, I greatly enjoyed this film – I even considered sleeping with some lights on after the fact.

Is Baskin my new favorite movie? Not quite. Regardless of how terrifying I found it to be, the loose story and confusing plot points must be addressed and taken into consideration. Still, for anyone looking to scare themselves silly, this movie is a perfectly good choice.

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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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