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Return of the Orca from ‘JAWS’

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Cape Cod Shark Biologist Greg Skomal has big plans to recreate the Orca, the vessel in Jaws that pursued the 25 foot, 3 ton great white off the coast of Amity Island.

‘Jaws’ 1975

With Discovery Channel’s Shark week closely upon us, this news can’t come at a better time! The highly anticipated week long ode to sharks begins August 9 and runs until August 16 and marks the 32nd anniversary for shark aficionados.

It was 45 years ago when audiences were introduced to one of the most successful and iconic movies in cinematic history directed by Steven Spielberg; Jaws.

‘Jaws’ 1975

The movie’s heroes pursue the man eating shark on a boat named the Orca. Ironically, the orca, also known as the killer whale, has recently been discovered to be the only natural enemy of the great white shark in the wild.

In a Hulu documentary entitled The Whale that Ate Jaws, specialists in the field examine the phenomenon that orcas will attack a great white just to eat their liver. The killer whales will not eat any other part of the long time feared fish. This behavior has been most notably been observed in waters off of South Africa.

Seeing the blood thirst for sharks incited by his book and subsequent movie, author Peter Benchley was soon hit with the guilt of these beautiful creatures being slaughtered in oceans across the world. Soon after he started a shark conservation to help education the public as well as protect these creatures of the deep. After his untimely death in 2006 his legacy entitled the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards have been instituted and carried on by his wife, Wendy Benchley and David Helvarg.

Peter and Wendy Benchley

Almost five decades after the release of the horror movie that kept many out of the water, a goal of an indiegogo campaign is to recreate the Orca. However, while Captain Quint’s vessel was initially created and deployed to destroy sharks, this research team is recreating the iconic ship to observe and study marine life in the same waters off of Martha’s Vineyard where the movie was filmed.

However, the vessel will not be built from bare bones. Instead, the team found a Nova Scotia lobster ship named Lydia along the coast of Massachusetts, and it is this ship they will remodel for their project.

Nova Scotia lobster boat, Lydia

The original Orca has been lost for 30 years, and since that time a replica has not been produced. This new ship will be deemed Orca III, as there were two Orcas created for the filming of Jaws.

To assist in the remodeling of the lobster vessel, Jaws production designer Joes Alves has come aboard to refine the details and characteristics that made the original Orca so memorable. In many ways, this ship was a character within itself, and Alves will help bring it back to life. Alves will be providing art direction as well as design plans to replicate Orca III and make the final product as similar as possible to Orca and Orca II.

Joe Alves

Martha’s Vineyard local boat builder Chris Crawford has joined the team to undertake the responsibility of physically recreating Lydia into the Orca III. Crawford origionally refitted the Orca for the 1975 film from a boat in 1974 in a mere four weeks! No small feat.

Joe Alves and Chris Crawford on the original Orca in ‘Jaws’

To help bring the Orca III to life, the team has set up an indiegogo page where they are aiming to collect a total of $150,000. As of the date of this article, August 4, 2020, the campaign has collected nearly $9,500.

To learn more about the project and indiegogo campaign click here. To learn more about the Return of the Orca be sure to check out their website!

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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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