News
“Darknet” is a Clever Horror Twist on Modern Society
Many of us begin our days by opening Facebook, Twitter, or email on our devices to see what the world has to offer. Our friends and family post numerous photos or status updates or tweets that allow us to peak into their worlds, or send us amusing emails to give us a chuckle. But what if we received a strange email that included videos of murder? Or a text from an unknown sender that led us on a wild goose chase around town, teasing us into a deadly confrontation with our past and present sins? Such is the idea behind the clever anthology series Darknet, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
Darknet features new stories in each of its six episodes, all dealing with people coming face-to-face with the nastier side of the world, be it on the streets of the big city or inside their own apartments. Events and characters within each episode are connected in some macabre way, which usually reveals itself at the episode’s conclusion. The chronology is occasionally mixed up, with some characters that perished earlier reappearing later to reveal their place in the overall story. The common thread running through the series is the fictional website Darknet, which is filled with videos of the worst parts of humanity. Think YouTube meets Faces of Death. On this website, users can upload closed circuit security footage of an ax murderer, or ask questions about how to dispose of a dead body. It is the ill-advised interaction with this website that leads some characters to certain doom, and the website serves as a great storytelling device to bind the series.
The website is just part of the fun. The real treat with Darknet is how the pieces of the puzzle fit. Each episode is only 25 minutes long, but the stories are so crisply told that it’s still plenty of time to weave plots together while creeping us out. Paying attention is key; this is not a series you can play in the background while going about the day’s other activities. Your attention will be rewarded, though, when you have satisfying realizations about what was truly happening. I don’t want to mention many specifics and spoil the fun, but one of the most enjoyable sequences involves a woman finding out the truth behind the audience for whom she is performing an impromptu striptease.
Darknet takes many aspects of our modern world and turns them against us. The temptation to write a nasty comment on an Internet message board. The desire to put on your headphones and escape from the world while being oblivious as the world escapes around you. Sometimes we may be quite self-serving with our devices, or find it difficult to pay attention to one thing at a time since so much of the world is at our fingertips from various sources—the phones in our hands, the tablets on our laps, and the TVs in front of us. In a way, this series gives a nod to that by demanding our full attention in order to connect the dots. It also serves as a warning. Relying too heavily on technology, ordering a strange product from an unknown seller, or trolling the wrong people online could lead to paying the ultimate price.
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Movies
Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed
The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.
Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.
The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.
Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”
Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.
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News
Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween
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.
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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Movies
’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power
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.
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.
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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