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Trailer and Exclusive Images from Australian Horror Film ‘The School’

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I’m not sure what it is about Australia, but they seem to be really good at making horror films. Whether it’s brutal serial killers a la Wolf Creek or psychologically damaging paranormal features like The Babadook, Aussies just seem to have their finger on the pulse of fear, and the team behind The School are committed to carrying on that terrifying tradition.

Written and directed by Storm Ashwood and produced by Blake Northfield, Jim Robison, et al, the film centers on Dr. Amy Wintercraig (Megan Drury), a neurologist whose son has fallen into a coma after nearly drowning. Despite knowing that it’s improbable and in spite of pressure from her colleagues, Wintercraig is committed to waking her son.

After a particularly difficult night, the doctor wakes to find herself, not in the hospital where she fell asleep, but rather in a demented and derelict school full of nearly feral children and she soon discovers that survival might be the only way to save her son.

Megan Drury in The School

“It’s a bit like Silent Hill meets Lord of the Flies,” producer Jim Robison says.

Looking at images from the film, I’d say that description is spot on.

Robison, who spoke to iHorror, also points out that to get just the right atmosphere and look for the film, production took place at Gladesville Mental Hospital, one of the oldest of its kind in Australia that is also considered one of the most haunted places in the world.

Megan Drury and some of the creepy kids from The School

Gladesville’s sprawling grounds and derelict buildings have a storied history dating back to 1838 when its doors first opened. Robison reports that there are over 1200 unmarked graves on the property and they found numerous cryptic messages carved into the walls by former patients.

“When we got there, we realized we had the perfect location for this story,” Robison explained. “When the place first opened you could be committed for all kinds of reasons and the people there weren’t treated very well. In some of the rooms we found messages like ‘Look behind you. I’m still here.'”

The film includes an impressive cast of veteran actors like Nicholas Hope alongside newcomers such as Will McDonald, who Robison calls one of the most impressive younger actors with whom he’s had the privilege of working.

Will McDonald in The School

The School will make its worldwide debut July 27, 2018 on opening night of Monster Fest Travelling Sideshow, Australia’s premiere traveling horror film festival, and Robison says news of the North American distributor and release dates will be announced in the coming months.

We’ll keep you posted as that news comes available. For now, you can follow The School on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest details and check out the trailer below!

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News

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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