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PLAYMIND’s ‘The Inner Friend’ is a Fantastic, Internalized Game of Horrors

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A broken, terrified man writhes on a filthy bed. He twists and turns and utters garbled cries of apparent mental anguish. The form of a childlike, not quite whole spirit approaches and stares down into the fiery glowing place where the man’s face should be and finds himself falling into his unconscious, damaged mind.

This is the genuinely chilling beginning of PLAYMIND’s brand new release, The Inner Friend, making it’s debut today on PC with the promise of a console release next year.

From the official synopsis:

Dive into an eerie subconscious universe to face childhood fears and nightmares in order to restore peace to the distressed mind. Led by a mysterious Shadow, players will collect memories while they journey always deeper through the subconscious, unraveling a rich but wordless story and eluding gruesome beings.

My first impression of the game was how gorgeous and surreal developer Emmanuel Sevigny’s world really is.

In order to access the deeper portions of the subconscious mind, you must take a leap of faith of sorts. Abandoning the safe space of a child’s bedroom inside the character’s mind, you leap into a void falling down and down until you reach the floating buildings below. Inside some, there are portals, and through those portals you will find the pieces needed to rebuild a broken mind.

Looking over a wasteland inside the mind in The Inner Friend from PLAYMIND

It’s a clever device that works to the game’s advantage, reminding us quickly that nothing is quite as it appears, but that’s really only the beginning.

The pieces you need aren’t easy to find, you see, and there are a whole host of genuinely creepy beings and scenes to work through in order to obtain them. A hallway that leads from one room to the next may go somewhere else entirely when you take it again. An object or character that is seemingly harmless, may be the most deadly you’ve faced.

The creative team left no stone un-turned in building their world, providing as much for the ears as for the eyes. The ambient sounds, intensified because I was using my headphones no less, constantly warn of horrors in your periphery while the heavily synthesized 80s-inspired soundtrack–with gentle nods to Netflix’s “Stranger Things”– keeps you constantly moving.

The more deeply you move into the subconscious, the more terrifying and challenging the game becomes, of course, echoing the idea that those things we bury deepest are the ones that hurt us most, and it serves as a reminder that healing can be almost as painful as the trauma that created one’s wounds.

Taking a step back to look at the big picture, however, sheds light on the question that is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the game.

How much does a human being have to go through for their mind to shatter so completely?

Game play in The Inner Friend is fairly straightforward and easy to master with simple controls. You’re often required to make lightning fast decisions on the fly, however, in order to solve the challenges of each level so be prepared to use your brain and also to pay the piper when your choice is the wrong one.

The Inner Friend is available September 6, 2018 on Steam, and at only $14.99 it’s a really great deal. Check out the trailer below, and prepare yourself to enter this amazing world.

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

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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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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

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.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

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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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

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.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

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.

28 Days Later

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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