News

Real-Life Mother Was Even More Hardcore Than Jason’s

Published

7 years ago

October 13, 2017

Celebrating Friday, the 13^th means paying homage to the mother of the little guy who “drowned” that fateful day at Camp Crystal Lake back in 1958: Mrs. Voorhees.

But did you know there was an Italian mother who was even more hardcore when it came to her own child? We mean really hardcore.

I can’t imagine any horror fan who hasn’t seen the 1980 original, but if you haven’t, carefully read ahead because it contains Friday the 13th spoilers.

In the original Friday the 13^th it wasn’t Jason, but Mrs. Voorhees who made it her mission to dispose of camp counselors in a PTSD rage.

However, we’d like you to meet Italy’s notorious Leonarda Cianciulli who preemptively protected her son before anything could happen to him with human sacrifices. And if that weren’t enough she went an extra gruesome mile, and then another.

Image result for Leonarda Cianciulli

Back in 1939 Cianciulli learned that her favorite son was joining the Italian army.

Distraught she turned to the occult in order to make sure he would remain unharmed.

Of course, the only way to ensure his safety was to murder people, dismember them and cook them up for tea, or make them into soap! Which she did, and she documented the whole thing in a memoir.

Her tools

Her first victim was Faustina Setti a woman who only wanted to help Leonarda find a mate. One day while Faustina was visiting, Leonarda drugged her with poisoned wine, then chopped her up then served her at an afternoon social with her son.

The victims

Here is Leonarda’s account of the murder in her own words:

I threw the pieces into a pot, added seven kilos of caustic soda, which I had bought to make soap, and stirred the mixture until the pieces dissolved in a thick, dark mush that I poured into several buckets and emptied in a nearby septic tank. As for the blood in the basin, I waited until it had coagulated, dried it in the oven, ground it and mixed it with flour, sugar, chocolate, milk and eggs, as well as a bit of margarine, kneading all the ingredients together. I made lots of crunchy tea cakes and served them to the ladies who came to visit, though Giuseppe and I also ate them

The next victim was Francesca Soavi who was bludgeoned with an ax before she was baked into pastries which were then sold. When all was said and done Leonarda made 3,000 lira from the treats and beauty products.

And finally there was Virginia Cacioppo who met the same fate as above, but instead of making snacks out of her remains entirely, Leonarda also made her into soap. The killer was very excited about this kill because of how she tasted:

She ended up in the pot, like the other two…her flesh was fat and white, when it had melted I added a bottle of cologne, and after a long time on the boil I was able to make some most acceptable creamy soap. I gave bars to neighbours and acquaintances. The cakes, too, were better: that woman was really sweet.

The spree came to an end after Leonarda was arrested on a tip from one of the victim’s sisters. Faustina was found guilty of murder in 1940

Undaunted, Leonarda never denied her murderous rampage, in fact, she had to correct some of the statements made during the prosecutor’s questioning. Here’s the news item from that trail:

At her trial in Reggio Emilia last week Poetess Leonarda gripped the witness-stand rail with oddly delicate hands and calmly set the prosecutor right on certain details. Her deep-set dark eyes gleamed with a wild inner pride as she concluded: “I gave the copper ladle, which I used to skim the fat off the kettles, to my country, which was so badly in need of metal during the last days of the war.

Yeah, Mrs. Voorhees has nothing on this protective mother.

Happy Friday the 13th!

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Related Topics:Leonarda Cianciulli Timothy Rawles

Movies

’47 Meters Down’ Getting Third Movie Called ‘The Wreck’

Published

17 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Deadline is reporting that a new 47 Meters Down installment is heading into production, making the shark series a trilogy.

“Series creator Johannes Roberts, and screenwriter Ernest Riera, who wrote the first two films, have co-written the third installment: 47 Meters Down: The Wreck.” Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine) will direct.

The first two films were a moderate success, released in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The second film is titled 47 Meters Down: Uncaged.

^{47 Meters Down}

The plot for The Wreck is detailed by Deadline. They write that it involves a father and daughter trying to repair their relationship by spending time together scuba diving into a sunken ship, “But soon after their descent, their master diver has an accident leaving them alone and unprotected inside the labyrinth of the wreck. As tensions rise and oxygen dwindles, the pair must use their newfound bond to escape the wreck and the relentless barrage of bloodthirsty great white sharks.”

The filmmakers are hoping to present the pitch to the Cannes market with production starting in the fall.

“47 Meters Down: The Wreck is the perfect continuation of our shark-filled franchise,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “This film will once again have moviegoers terrified and on the edge of their seats.”

Johannes Roberts adds, “We can’t wait for audiences to be trapped underwater with us again. 47 Meters Down: The Wreck is going to be the biggest, most-intense film of this franchise.”

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News

‘Wednesday’ Season Two Drops New Teaser Video That Reveals Full Cast

Published

20 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Netflix announced this morning that Wednesday season 2 is finally entering production. Fans have been waiting a long time for more of the creepy icon. Season one of Wednesday premiered in November of 2022.

In our new world of streaming entertainment, it isn’t uncommon for shows to take years to release a new season. If they release another one at all. Even though we will likely have to wait quite a while to see the show, any news is good news.

The new season of Wednesday looks to have an amazing cast. Jenna Ortega (Scream) will be reprising her iconic role as Wednesday. She will be joined by Billie Piper (Scoop), Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Evie Templeton (Return to Silent Hill), Owen Painter (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Noah Taylor (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

We will also get to see some of the amazing cast from season one making a return. Wednesday season 2 will feature Catherine-Zeta Jones (Side Effects), Luis Guzman (Genie), Issac Ordonez (A Wrinkle in Time), and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (Devs).

If all of that star power wasn’t enough, the legendary Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Christmas) will be directing the series. As a cheeky nod from Netflix, this season of Wednesday will be titled Here We Woe Again.

Jenna Ortega Wednesday — Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams

We don’t know much about much about what Wednesday season two will entail. However, Ortega has stated that this season will be more horror focused. “We’re definitely leaning into a little bit more horror. It’s really, really exciting because, all throughout the show, while Wednesday does need a little bit of an arc, she never really changes and that’s the wonderful thing about her.”

That’s all the information that we have. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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Movies

A24 Reportedly “Pulls Plug” On Peacock’s ‘Crystal Lake’ Series

Published

22 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Film studio A24 might not be going forward with its planned Peacock Friday the 13th spinoff called Crystal Lake according to Fridaythe13thfranchise.com. The website quotes entertainment blogger Jeff Sneider who made a statement on his webpage through a subscription paywall.

“I’m hearing that A24 has pulled the plug on Crystal Lake, its planned Peacock series based on the Friday the 13th franchise featuring masked killer Jason Voorhees. Bryan Fuller was due to executive produce the horror series.

It’s unclear whether this is a permanent decision or a temporary one, as A24 had no comment. Perhaps Peacock will help the trades shed more light on this project, which was announced back in 2022.”

Back in January 2023, we reported that some big names were behind this streaming project including Bryan Fuller, Kevin Williamson, and Friday the 13th Part 2 final girl Adrienne King.

“‘Crystal Lake info from Bryan Fuller! They officially start writing in 2 weeks (writers are here in the audience).” tweeted social media writer Eric Goldman who tweeted the info while attending a Friday the 13th 3D screening event in January 2023. “It will have two scores to choose from – a modern one and a classic Harry Manfredini one. Kevin Williamson is writing an episode. Adrienne King will have a recurring role. Yay! Fuller has pitched four seasons for Crystal Lake. Only one officially ordered so far though he notes Peacock would have to pay a pretty hefty penalty if they didn’t order a Season 2. Asked if he can confirm Pamela’s role in the Crystal Lake series, Fuller replied ‘We’re honestly going to be covering it all. The series is covering the life and times of these two characters’ (presumably he’s referring to Pamela and Jason there!)'”

Whether or not Peacock is moving forward with the project is unclear and since this news is secondhand information, it still has to be verified which will require Peacock and/or A24 to make an official statement which they have yet to do.

But keep checking back to iHorror for the latest updates to this developing story.

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