Movies
Eye on Horror Podcast Host James Jay Edwards’ Top Ten of 2020
5. The Dark and the Wicked
Bryan Bertino does Bryan Bertino things with The Dark and the Wicked. It’s more of the slow burn, white-knuckle tension that can be found in all of Bertino’s films, but with just enough of the supernatural to make it spooky.
Available on Blu-Ray and Digital everywhere
4. Antebellum
Here’s where I’m gonna lose people, but I don’t care. I think Antebellum is brilliant. And at a time when even government officials are celebrating racist organizations, it’s as important as movies get. Sure, it does Shyamalan better than Shyamalan, but I like Shyamalan. And no, I did not see the awesome twist in Antebellum coming.
Available on 4k/Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital everywhere
3. Swallow
I’m gonna win you all back with Swallow. This is another IFC joint, and it’s one of the most visceral movies ever made. You’ll find yourself shouting at the screen, begging lead actress Haley Bennett to “stop that! Put that down right NOW!” But she won’t.
Available on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital everywhere
2. The Invisible Man
And speaking of important films…The Invisible Man turned out to be much more than just a part of Universal’s (so far) failed Dark Universe. Writer/director Leigh Whannell took the concept of the original and flipped the focus, turning it into a genius metaphor for domestic violence. Triggering for survivors, but an absolute must-see.
Available to stream on HBO Max, and on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital everywhere
1. Sputnik
The third (and best) IFC Midnight film on my list. This Russian movie shows how science fiction should be. It’s derivative, but still inventive. And it keeps the audience guessing the whole time.
Available to stream on Hulu and for Blu-ray/DVD preorder
A few honorable mentions that didn’t make the cut, basically because they’re not horror enough, are Black Bear (with the female performance of the year from Aubrey Plaza), Promising Young Woman (sort of a Kill Bill meets A Simple Favor dark humor thing), and Bacurau (a brutally thoughtful Brazilian film).
For more in-depth thoughts about any of these choices, or the choices of my co-hosts Jon Correia and Jacob Davison, check out the newest episode of Eye on Horror HERE.
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Movies
Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month
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.
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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Movies
Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released
In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.
The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.
The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.
Here is the fresh trailer:
According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”
Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.
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Movies
Renny Harlin’s Recent Horror Movie ‘Refuge’ Releasing in U.S. This Month
War is hell, and in Renny Harlin’s latest film Refuge it seems that’s an understatement. The director whose work includes Deep Blue Sea, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and the upcoming reboot of The Strangers made Refuge last year and it played in Lithuania and Estonia this past November.
But it’s coming to select U.S. theaters and VOD starting on April 19th, 2024
Here is what it’s about: “Sergeant Rick Pedroni, who comes home to his wife Kate changed and dangerous after suffering an attack by a mysterious force during combat in Afghanistan.”
The story is inspired by an article producer Gary Lucchesi read in National Geographic about how wounded soldiers create painted masks as representations of how they feel.
Take a look at the trailer:
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