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31 Scary Story Nights: October 7th “Cry of the Banshee”

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Hello readers, and welcome back to 31 Scary Story Nights!  It’s October 7th!  We’re a whole week into the month of October. Tonight’s story hails from the the Emerald Isle.  It’s called Cry of the Banshee.

The banshee is one of the most recognizable, and possibly misunderstood, creatures from Irish lore.  The strange messengers of death come in every shape and size and can appear as everything from a beautiful young woman washing blood from clothes in a river to an aged Crone roaming the night.  When Death is due to arrive in an Irish home, the Banshee can be heard wailing somewhere nearby.

There are hundreds of stories of the banshee, and this is just one.  It’s time to turn down the lights, and read this terrifying tale of the Banshee.

***Writer’s Note:  We here at iHorror are big proponents of responsible parenting.  Some of the stories in this series may be too much for your little ones.  Please read ahead and decide if your kids can handle this story!  If not, find another story for tonight or simply come back to see us tomorrow.  In other words, don’t blame me for your kids nightmares!***

Cry of the Banshee as retold by Waylon Jordan

Caitlin and her sister Maeve had been playing in the fields all day.  They were especially close for sisters and could always be counted on to find mischief when left to their own devices.  Today, they were playing hide and seek as the sun was lowering in the sky.

Caitlin knew that Maeve was hiding in the tall grass and she had dropped to her knees to creep up behind her.  Maeve was only ten and Caitlin enjoyed taking whatever chance she had to scare he younger girl.

Out of the corner of her eye, Caitlin suddenly spied movement in the tall grass.  She raised up a bit to see what was there and froze when she spotted an old Crone in a black hooded cloak slowly creeping through the field at a distance.  It was then that she heard the faintest keening sound coming from the robed woman’s direction.

Caitlin’s heart was pounding.  Could it be the banshee?

She sat there unable to move as she focused on the old woman when she began to realize that the sound was slowly getting louder and the Crone seemed to be moving in the direction of her sister and herself.

Finding her feet and her voice all at once, Caitlin sprang up from the grass.

“Maeve!  Maeve, run home to mam!  The banshee’s coming this way, and she’s surely up to no good!”

Maeve didn’t stop to question, for she knew from her sister’s voice that she spoke the truth.  The younger sister took off like the crack of whip heading for home.

Caitlin wasn’t far behind her sister and she watched as the younger girl slipped through the barbed wire fence ahead.  Unable to help herself, Caitlin looked back over her shoulder and screamed as she saw the Crone moving more quickly behind her and realized that keening wail was louder than ever.

Finally reaching the fence herself, Caitlin jumped over as the wail became a scream to curdle the blood!  Caitlin felt a chill run down her spine as she felt a tug on the back of her dress.

She had gotten caught on the barbed wire and as she struggled to free herself a shadow suddenly loomed over her.  The crone stood there staring at her for a long moment.  Her white hair blew free in the wind and her gray skin seemed to crack along her face as her mouth opened to its fullest.  The banshee pointed toward Caitlin’s home and screamed so loud the girl was certain she’d never hear again!

Caitlin ripped free of the barbed wire and ran for home as fast as she could.  When the house came in sight, she saw the door open and waiting for her and she almost collapsed as she ran across the threshold and slammed the door behind her.

It was then that she saw a sight that would stay with her the rest of her life.  Maeve stood in the kitchen door with tears in her eyes, and just beyond her baby sister, their mother lay dead on the floor…

Now, that was a story to remember.  If you’re from a strong Irish family and hear a phantom keening wail in the night, prepare yourself, for death will surely follow the ululation of the Banshee!

Join us again tomorrow evening for another scary story, and if you missed last night’s story click here!

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News

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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