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‘Fake Blood’ Is One of the Most Disturbing Horror Docs in Recent Memory

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Two Canadian filmmakers set out to do a documentary about the effects of movie violence, but they uncover something more diabolical in Fake Blood, a festival favorite that has already created quite a buzz in the industry.

Rob Grant and Mike Kovac are not only good friends, they are also cohorts in front of, and behind the camera.

“Fake Blood”

The duo is especially good at making B-grade horror movies which feature buckets of blood and gore. Although they use violence in their films, neither of them has really experienced it first-hand.

But when they get a creepy video email from a fan who says he’s seen one of their films which features a dismemberment then gives them his own tutorial on body disposal, they grow curious enough to immerse themselves in the methods they write about on screen.

This was the initial inspiration for this documentary. But it’s about to turn into a darker more terrifying lesson.

They decide to seek outside council about the subject which brings them to a mysterious man named “John,” a production assistant who initially seems willing to talk, but when the subject gets deeper he wants nothing to do with their documentary. That is until he agrees to meet with them for $300.

“Fake Blood”

The rendezvous goes south when Rob and Mike show up with a cameraman, something they said they wouldn’t do, but “John” calms down when it’s agreed his face and voice will be altered.

The three sit in a car while “John” becomes increasingly intense, saying death in film really doesn’t compare to real-life. He knows this because of a past violent crime he’s committed which left someone dead.

This Catfish-type meeting takes the documentary in a whole new direction, derailing it from its original thesis. As “John” tells his story, we get to see a re-enactment of his brutal tale.

Shocked by the conversation, both Mike and Rob aren’t sure what to do next. They agree to ditch the original concept of the doc and turn their attention to “John.” But that only opens up more surprises they wish they’d left buried.

“Fake Blood” 2018

Real documentaries in the horror industry suffer from the “found footage” disease.  Blair Witch Project created this problem with their ingenious ad campaign – they even eliminated the credits to add to the mystery.

Fake Blood is a straight-forward documentary as any you would see on HBO or Vice. Mike and Rob and their production crew follow them around as they dig deeper and deeper into the subject until it reaches a point that puts them both in real danger.

So terrifying are their revelations it forces them into hiding putting their friendship at risk.

One of my favorite parts of Fake Blood had to do with me, and it will probably happen to you too. It suddenly hit me to ask the question, “Is this real?” because their journey is so extraordinary. I had no other reason to believe it’s staged; the director says it’s real and everyone seems off-script, and not in that plastic improv way.

But still the question lingers.

“Fake Blood” 2018

Logically it comes down to the re-enactments and where they fall in the continuity of the production. Did they film them immediately after they interviewed their subjects, or did they do it after the raw footage was in the can? I guess time will tell.

Unsettling, disturbing and drenched in paranoia, Fake Blood will challenge your suspension of disbelief. It’s bold, it’s unsettling and it will slowly creep under your skin.

These two guys have gone from making low-budget zombie films to investigative journalists who put themselves in harm’s way just to reach a conclusion. But that end never comes and a fresh fracture in their relationship continues to grow.

Fake Blood is what happens when talented filmmakers go the extra step to touch the material so deeply they become the topic, but there is a rule of journalism which says real journalists report the news – they don’t make the news. In this case Mike and Rob do both in a terrifying way.

Fake Blood is now available to watch On Demand: check your streaming service.

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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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