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Trent Haaga’s “68 Kill” is One Hell of a Ride

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Have ever had one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong?  You had a flat tire.  Your boss singled you out for another new project, even though you haven’t finished the last two he threw on your desk.  Your kid got sick and threw up the Beefaroni he had at lunch all over his teacher and now you’ve got to go get him.  The obstacles pile up and you’re certain there is no way this day could get any worse.  Trent Haaga wants you to know that it can.

68 Kill, the writer/director’s latest project produced by Snowfort Pictures and AMP International and distributed by IFC Midnight, focuses on Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler of “Criminal Minds”), a regular Joe with a regular job and a not so regular girlfriend.  In fact, Liza (AnnaLynne McCord of “The Night Shift”) is just a little bit psychotic…maybe more than a little…this woman is crazy as a bag of rabid ferrets.  While Chip works cleaning our septic systems, Liza supplements their income by spending time with her sugar daddy, When Liza discovers said sugar daddy has $68,000 in cash in his safe, she decides it’s the answer to all of their problems.  Naturally, they just need to steal it.

Chip reluctantly agrees to help her after her repeated promises that no one would get hurt.  What’s could possibly go wrong, right?

The answer is everything.  Everything can go wrong, and people (mostly Chip) are going to get hurt.

Chip spends the remainder of his night discovering just how bad things can get as he tangles with one group of psychotics after another.  And whether it’s Liza’s brother, who has a thing for chopping up women’s bodies in his own snuff films, or a group of drug fueled miscreants who decide to teach him a lesson, beautiful women seem to always be involved.

AnnaLynne McCord and Matthew Gray Gubler in the trailer for 68 Kill

Haaga’s script, based on the pulp novel by Bryan Smith, keeps the violence at eleven from start to finish, and keeps the film walking the tightrope between grindhouse exploitation and a modern day comedy of errors.

This balancing act could not have worked without Gubler in the role of Chip, however.  Not only do we sympathize as Chip is put through the wringer but we root for him as his reactions evolve from shocked victim to determined, if bumbling, survivor, and that’s entirely down to Gubler’s embodiment of the role.  We don’t often see a script flipped this way.  By the end of the film, when he’s pissing blood and making a last ditch escape, I was rooting for him, out loud, to drive.  Get out of there!  JUST DRIVE!

What I found most interesting about 68 Kill, however, is that unlike any other film of its kind, Chip is the victimized half of his relationship.  All too often, this character would have been female, and this twist on the norm is interesting, especially in my own reactions to it.  There was a feeling, in the beginning, of the film being off kilter.  As the realization of what brought on that feeling set in, it was time to sit back and think about it, which was not something I expected from a movie like this.

In the end, I realized that it was not only a welcome change to see these roles reversed, but it also highlights the fact that all too often men are silent victims in abusive relationships which is a conversation we don’t have nearly enough in this country.

68 Kill is a fun, adrenaline-soaked thrill ride  for fans who like a dose of dark comedy with their violence.  The characters are over the top, the violence is raw and unflinching, and the laughs are plentiful.  The film releases August 4, 2017.  Check out the trailer below and don’t miss 68 Kill on IFC Midnight.

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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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