News

Horror Pride Month: Writer/Director Craig Mapp

Published

5 years ago

June 4, 2019

Writer, director, and actor Craig Mapp has seemingly spent most of his life at the intersections of crossroads he did not choose for himself, and yet he acknowledges that each one of those meeting places has shaped the man he’s become.

The son of a black father and indigenous mother, Mapp spent his formative years figuring out his place in the world. He recalls fondly playing with his tribal siblings on a reservation and trying to glean from his father’s family what it also meant to be black.

Despite obvious challenges when these two worlds collided upon occasion, however, he still recalls his growing up as a positive experience, and one that considerably prepared him for the pluralism of the world around him.

When the time came to choose his path in life, he attended the New York Film Academy in Burbank, California where he received his BFA in film, and has spent his time since working his way up through the ranks, taking the jobs that would better prepare him to be the storyteller and filmmaker he wants to be.

The long-time horror fan had a lot to say when we sat down to discuss the direction his life has taken in recent years, and the movies that have personally influenced and affected him as a filmmaker and a fan.

“I like the thrill of being scared,” he told me. “It’s such a rush for me. I especially love those slow-burning psychological horror films like Hereditary. I love how you didn’t know when the scares were coming. That slower pace just sets my skin crawling.”

Mapp went on to list films like Suspiria and The Shining among his list of favorites, though he says, it bothers him that the genre isn’t given a lot of respect in other circles. He points out that Jordan Peele winning the Academy Award for Get Out felt like a victory for more than just the filmmaker in that moment.

“I couldn’t help but feel this was opening doors and not just for the horror genre but also for black people to create within the horror genre,” he explained. “He’s not just creating gory stuff either. He’s creating classics. There are so many layers there.”

It’s those same layers that Mapp is looking to bring to the new feature film he’s writing at the moment which digs into the mythology of the Algonquin tribe of Quebec. It’s a chance for him to tell a story placed firmly in the world of his mother’s people and the idea excites him while also adding a layer of responsibility.

“It’s going to touch on colonization and settlement by the French,” he said. “A lot of raping and pillaging went on during that time and my main character is a woman who came from that. She’s half French and half Algonquin and she’s trying to find her place in that world. Native culture is an anomaly on film, especially from the point of view of the natives, and I want to bring that into the light.”

In the story, many of the men in her tribe are wounded or unable to go out and provide for their people, so she sets out fur-trapping as what she considers her only way of giving back to the tribe. Unfortunately for her, as she enters the woods, she finds herself face to face with the monsters from the stories she’s been told her whole life.

“My mother’s people are very matriarchal and I want to show that,” he added. “But I also want to show people Canada in a way that most people don’t see. A lot of people are familiar with Vancouver or Montreal, but they’ve never been introduced to the Great Woods of Canada.”

Mapp has crafted this central character in obvious ways to reflect himself as someone from two worlds, but he’s also brought something, perhaps even more personal, to the character in that she will be queer.

Mapp, himself, identifies as pansexual and he only recently fully disclosed that publicly.

“I always knew that my affections could really fall with anyone,” he said. “It really comes down to whether or not I vibe with a person rather than the gender expression of that person. Growing up, my dad is a very strict Christian so it was a part of myself I wasn’t able to explore until I got older.”

The filmmaker has been out to his friends for some time, and says that he’s dated across the spectrum, but things got more real when he decided to make it “Facebook Official.”

“Facebook is a powerful tool. Some days I feel like I can even change some minds,” he said laughing. “It’s really a lot of pressure and I feel like black queer people are slowly breaking some of the molds in our larger community. It feels good when a straight black man says to me that he’s never considered something that I post about being queer and black and that’s awesome. And then I get the people who say that the black LGBTQ community is tearing down the black community and I kind of want to bash my head against a wall.”

Despite a few days in Facebook jail here and there, Mapp has handled the transition being out publicly with a grace born of growing up as a bridge between two cultures, and his considerable talents continue to blossom with his revelation.

I’ve no doubt those talents will continue to shape and mold the genre we love. Mark my words, Craig Mapp is a name you’re going to want to know.

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Movies

‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

Published

6 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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Movies

‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

Published

7 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

^{Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott}

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

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The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

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^{Alien (1979)}

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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News

Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

Published

9 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.