Connect with us

News

Dee Wallace Is Our Horror Mom

Published

on

From The Howling to Cujo and now to Red Christmas, Dee Wallace is the mom of horror movies.

Not that she gave birth to them, but she plays them in the genre, also having roots in science fiction. Who can forget her role as a single working mother trying to raise two boys at different stages in puberty in E.T.?

As for The Howling, she may not play a mother, but does a motherly act at the end, protecting the planet.

So when I sat down to speak with Dee on the phone I wanted to talk about a few of her most famous roles and her current one that may be even more extreme than any of the others because of its subject matter and metaphors.

Now 68, in her latest film Red Christmas she plays another mother who has made some choices in life that are coming back to haunt her, “It combined two things I love the most, horror films and Christmas,” she said. “So I was like wow, I’m going to get to do both things I love to do there,” she laughed. “I thought the script was really interesting. I was surprised and excited that it wasn’t your typical horror film that it dealt with important issues too without giving it all away.”

Her Diane is a tour-de-force to be reckoned with. She says it was a rare opportunity to, “do something in the same spectrum as Cujo, and I haven’t had that shot in a while and I really, really really just wanted to bite that off. I wanted to actually, truthfully see if I could still do it.”

And she does, even if that was amid the extreme landscape of Australia where wild Wallabies and giant spiders are a part of the job. Despite her encounters with the local fauna, she is extremely proud of this film even if it was done on a meager budget.

“I really learned what you could do and do well. And do joyfully and with respect for each other on a budget much smaller than we’re used to working with, in the U.S.”

Speaking of her U.S. films, one of my all-time favorites is Cujo, it’s Dee’s too. Her work on that film with Lewis Teague deserved an Oscar in my opinion. She played yet another mother fighting to save her child while locked inside a Ford Pinto as a rabid Saint Bernard is blinded by rage trying to get in.

This was way before the time of CGI, there was no green screen and it was shot on location. I asked if that film were ever re-made how she would feel if it relied on CGI. “I think modern horror sci-fi films rely too much on gimmicks. As opposed to really well-crafted thought out relationship films where shit happens. That’s what a good horror film is.”

She said a lot of Cujo and even Howling developed the character relationships first then went into action,” I am drawn to the projects that really really do take time to create great characters and great relationships so that you really care.”

This is why she loves Red Christmas, “It is totally an original horror film, it makes you look at your consciousness while you’re on this amazing ride trying to get away from the bad guy. And what does the bad guy represent? All of our decisions that we are suffering from and guilty for in our lives.”

Yes mom.

Her motherly essence also flows into her real-life as a spiritual healer. She advises people, even me in our conversation, about living life to its fullest by doing the best you can. She said about six words to me in response to a personal problem I was having and honestly it made a world of difference.

But as for Red Christmas, this is one she wants people to see.

“It’s a Christmas horror film,” Dee said, advising people to watch it now, “and just let it lead you through the holidays.”

Red Christmas is now available nationwide on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD.

 

 

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

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.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

Published

on

In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

News

Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

Published

on

Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading