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[SXSW Review] ‘Brothers’ Nest’ Brings Horror and Jet-Black Comedy to the Family Dynamic

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Nest

The greatest thing about SXSW is the taster’s choice of films they serve up to audiences. These films are constantly a blast and/or challenging on their own level. Director, Clayton Jacobson who brought the crowd-pleasing, Kenny to SXSW a few years back, returns with a very impressive tense follow up in the form of Brothers’ Nest.

In this Aussie fringe thriller, real life brothers, Shane and Clayton Jacobson play onscreen brothers Terry and Jeff. The film opens on a cold and vast landscape with two men garbed in black pedaling their way through a thick morning fog. When the brothers arrive at a quiet, seemingly abandoned countryside home, the plot of a carefully planned murder plot begins to expand over a tensely-elegant, familial thriller.

Following the arrival at the house, it becomes clear that these brothers have a methodical plan that has already been in the work, to assist in them not getting caught in the process. A careful checklist that schedules cleaning times, bottles to hold urine and careful attention of even the most seemingly superfluous detail is all covered in an effective darkly comic manner.

As the two brothers wait in what is revealed to be their childhood home, the film becomes a deconstruction of what makes families tick, and goes over broad strokes of the maddening peaks and valleys that we navigate to endure and some family ties and financial woes.

The longer these two wait for their target to arrive, the more the film begins to become pregnant with tension. This is partly due to the careful reveal of the identity of their target and an investment in these two and ultimately not wanting to see things go bad. Which, obviously with this being a dark Aussie comedy, they do.

Brothers’ Nest is razor-sharp in its delivering; a cross-pollination of Coen Brothers wit and composition, with a careful character examination and well-timed comic beats. Real-life brothers Clayton and Shane work on an almost meta level in their dynamic. It feels like it would would be a tough, if not impossible performance to get from someone who hadn’t shared a bloodline and the obstacles therein.

Jacobson crafts a tight, tense jet-black comedy that offers up just as much familial sentiment as it does a haunting and simultaneously hilarious portrait of sociopathic temporary dysfunction. The tight quarters of the films runtime create a claustrophobic, dreamscape filled with tension and the unmentionables that you keep tight to your chest at big family holiday dinners.

 

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

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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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