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Peter Sullivan Talks Stan Lee and “The Sandman”

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When Peter Sullivan was casting around for an idea for his new film, The Sandman, he didn’t just want to make a standard boogeyman movie.  In fact, after researching boogeymen from all around the world, it occurred to him that perhaps the way to go was to take a character whose lore wasn’t menacing at all and create a new monster all together.

“I don’t know if I heard the song on the radio, or how it suddenly occurred to me,” the writer/director explains.  “But suddenly the idea of the Sandman struck me, and I immediately began developing the script.”

It’s not a new concept, really.  The Tooth Fairy, the Gingerbread Man, Rumpelstilskin, and even Pinocchio have been given the horror treatment in the past.  What sets The Sandman apart from these other films lies in the powerful little girl who brings him to life.

“From the beginning, we had this discussion about our central character, Madison,” Sullivan says.  “We can give her a sinister power, but does that mean she’s evil herself?  You think of her like the Incredible Hulk.  The Hulk is a monster, but his human side isn’t at all.”

In his exploration of this idea, Sullivan realized that he was really writing an origin story, one that wouldn’t be out of place in the X-Men universe.  The story opened a door for the director that he’d wanted to walk through for a long time when Stan Lee, himself, came aboard as a producer.

“”We’ve been looking to do a project with Stan Lee for a while, now, and this seemed like just the right thing,” he says.  “It basically asks the question of what you would do if you had a super power you couldn’t control and there was no Professor Xavier around to help you.”

Mr. Lee quickly agreed to the project and before long, the other necessary elements began to fall into place in the shape of two horror icons and one very special actor to play Sullivan’s monster.

“We had a working relationship with Tobin Bell from a movie we’d done together before called Ominous,”  Sullivan pointed out about the star of the hugely successful Saw franchise.  “He was front and center in my mind when I was writing the character of Valentine.  He’s very ambiguous and Tobin plays that type of character extremely well.”

For the role of Dr. Amanda Elliot, the psychiatrist who has spent her career studying children with special abilities, Sullivan lucked out again with Amanda Wyss.  The actress who broke into the horror scene with the role of Tina in A Nightmare on Elm Street, seemed a perfect fit to Sullivan.  After all, the Sandman is a creature of dreams turned nightmare in his story and he and the actress both saw it as coming full circle.

It was in the casting of Mick Ignis as the titular creature, however, that the film really came together.

Mick Ignis (Instagram)

“When we were first discussing the role, we were going to use a stuntmen,” he says.  “But then Mick was brought to my attention and I brought him in.  After talking to him for about an hour, I just knew that he was the one who should play this role.”

Ignis, who you might have seen on “Stan Against Evil”, has a complete passion for playing creatures and brings more than expected to his roles.  Sullivan praised Ignis for disappearing into the role and also for his dedication and excitement about the film.

“He loves the process.  He’s like a kid in a candy store!  Everyday I’m getting texts from him about something he’s seen about the film and how excited he is.  He really has a terrific passion for what he does.”

When all the elements came together, Sullivan was able to create a film he can’t wait for you to see.  The Sandman will air on Syfy on October 14th with a DVD release after the first of the year.

Mark your calendars and don’t miss the premiere of this fun creature feature!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC5ygditmDs

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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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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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