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Blu-ray Review: Ravenous

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It’s no surprise that Ravenous didn’t land with audiences upon its initial release in 1999. Production was problematic from the beginning, with Fox 2000 executives reportedly micromanaging the project. Screenwriter Ted Griffin was constantly being asked to provide rewrites, while original director Milcho Manchevski was dropped three weeks into production. His proposed replacement, Raja Gosnell, was allegedly rejected by the cast and crew. Finally, Antonia Bird was brought in. Although not entirely satisfied with the experience, Bird completed the film as she was hired to do. Ultimately, the $12 million production flopped with a paltry $2 million at the domestic box office.

Even if Ravenous’ production had gone smoothly, it would still be a difficult film to sell. The eccentric effort is part gory horror movie, part period drama. Furthering the marketing nightmare, its disturbing subject matter is approached with a pitch-black sense of humor. Despite the odds stacked against it, however, Ravenous is a damn fine film. Audiences may have missed it on the big screen, but they have been discovering the hidden gem on home video over the last 15 years. With a Blu-ray release via Scream Factory, Ravenous is sure to gain even more fans in its corner.

ravenous-guy-pearce

Ravenous is a tale of cannibalism inspired by the real-life story of the Donner party. It takes place during the Mexican-American War of the 1840s. Guy Pearce (Prometheus, Memento) stars as John Boyd, an Army captain who is sent to Fort Spencer, an uneventful weigh station in California. While there, he and his fellow Army men discover an emaciated man by the name of Colqhoun (Robert Carlyle, 28 Weeks Later). The man tells of a savage Colonel Ives, who turned to cannibalism after his party was lost in the harsh winter.

It becomes apparent that Colqhoun enjoyed the cannibalistic tendencies more than he lead on. Although the plot up to this point could have been expanded into a feature on its own, it’s merely half of Ravenous. When the clever Colqhoun later becomes Boyd’s superior, Boyd must stop him from eating even more people. It’s no easy task, as – like the Wendigo myth warns – cannibalism possesses curative powers.

ravenous-robert-carlyle

I’m not sure Pearce has ever put on a poor performance, and Ravenous is only further proof of that. Like the film itself, his role runs the gamut from shock to drama to dark comedy. Carlyle is at the top of his game as well, bringing to mind the cunningness of Christoph Waltz. Jeffrey Jones (Beetlejuice) also provides a stand-out performance. David Arquette has a surprisingly small (considering the success of the Scream series at the same time) role as a stoner soldier. The excellent cast of character actors and recognizable faces also includes Jeremy Davies (Saving Private Ryan), John Spencer (The West Wing), Stephen Spinella (Rubber) and Neal McDonough (Minority Report).

The talent behind the camera is just as impressive as the actors. Ravenous marks Griffin’s screenwriting debut, paving the way for his later work on Ocean’s Eleven and Matchstick Men. Cinematographer Anthony B. Richmond’s (Candyman, Men of Honor) careful eye captures the striking imagery of vast, snowy landscapes (with Prauge standing in for 19th century California). Although there aren’t any particularly elaborate special makeup effects, the film is more gruesome than you might expect. And you can’t discuss Ravenous without mentioning its quirky, versatile score. The pairing of talented songwriter Damon Albarn (vocalist of Blur and Gorillaz) and minimalist composer Michael Nyman (The Piano) proved to be a winning combination.

ravenous-jeffrey-jones

Believe it or not, Fox’s original DVD release of Ravenous (from 1999!) wasn’t too shabby in terms of extras: three separate commentary tracks (one with Bird and Albarn, one with Griffin and Jones, and another with Carlyle), deleted scenes with commentary by Bird, and galleries of costume design and production design. These features are ported over, along with the trailer and a TV spot. All three commentaries are worth listening to, offering a wide spectrum of perspectives on the film overcoming its troubled history.

In addition to the existing supplemental material, Scream tracked down Jones for a brand new, 20-minute interview. Despite being known for his comedic roles (including his turn in Ravenous), he gives a rather insightful, well-spoken take on the film and its themes. The new, high-definition transfer looks great as well, especially when compared to the non-anamorphic DVD we’ve been stuck with all these years.

Sadly, Bird passed away last year, but she lived long enough to see her effort be appreciated. Ravenous is a movie that isn’t brought up often, but when you come across another genre fan who has seen it, there’s a moment of glee. Thanks to Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray release, that cult following will grow exponentially as the film is put in front of more people who will understand, embrace and champion its unique tone.

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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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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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