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Forget ‘Tiger King,’ Here Are 7 Great Horror Movies Featuring Big Cats

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Uncaged

Prowling about nature, calculating the perfect element of surprise before pouncing on their prey and shredding them to pieces, big cats are a force to be reckoned with. And in the case of Netflix’s Tiger King so is the evasive Carole Baskin.

Felines have been giving us some of the craziest moments in entertainment history this past year.

Whether it’s a big cat feud between a meth-addicted tiger zookeeper and a coy, alleged perfect murderess or a bizarre CGI adaptation of Cats, there’s no doubt that kitties are not canceled in 2020.

On the cinematic horror front, cats have been the source of human bloodshed for the past 50 years.

Below are some notable movies about big cats doing what they do best whether it’s on an African savannah or in the streets of Amsterdam, cats rule in these choice cuts.

Although not all of these movies are readily available on demand (I have given info on where to find them when I can), they are something to look for while social distancing.

In no particular order:

Burning Bright (Dir. Carlos Brooks)

One of the most underrated horror films of the 2000s, Burning Bright is not only a suspenseful action thriller but a terrifying home invasion movie, the invader being a starving tiger.

Whereas Tiger King kept you on the edge of your seat because of its plot twists, Burning Bright is a straight-forward cat-and-mouse game between feline and final girl.

Available on Shudder.

Roar (Dir. Noel Marshall)

Deemed the “Most Dangerous Movie Ever Made,” Roar is, on one hand, a humourous film about big cat conservation and on another a terrifying lesson about working with wild animals on film.

Aside from the peril written in the official script, actors and crew working on the movie were mauled and put in harm’s way every time the director called action.

A young Melanie Griffith (see clip below) had to have stitches after a lion attacked her face, and cinematographer Jan Du Bont was scalped after he got in the way of one of the giant beasts.

The Ghost and the Darkness (Dir. Stephen Hopkins)

When this film came out people compared it to Jaws. But instead of a Great White shark, the apex killers were two Tsavo lions in Africa named  “the Ghost” and “the Darkness.”

A thrilling adventure and a few truly terrifying moments The Ghost and the Darkness earned an Academy Award and made The Lion King look like Hello Kitty.

Available on Starz.

Uncaged aka Prey (Dir. Dick Maas 2016)

Bringing starving big cats to the streets of Amsterdam, director Dick Maas serves up some truly thrilling moments in Uncaged. And get this, there is even a lion on a public light rail system–bet you didn’t see that coming.

Filmed in the picturesque streets of the Dutch capital, this killer kitty on the loose horror movie uses some pretty terrific practical special effects. Uncaged is a little gem that you may not know even existed.

Available on Prime.

Prey (Dir. Darrell Roodt 2007)

A family on an African safari gets more than they bargained for when they accidentally get stranded within a big cat infested game reserve and are stalked by hungry lions in this “based on a true story” event.

DVD available for purchase on Amazon.

Maneater (Dir. Gary Yates)

Gary Busey gets to play the hero in this 2007 made-for-TV movie about a tiger terrorizing a small rural community. This film is based on the novel Shikar by Jack Warner.

Sheriff Barnes (Busey) must go Die Hard in an Appalachian town against a Bengal Tiger who dines on the population as if they are a flavor of Purina Fancy Feast.

Available on Prime.

Zoombies (Dir. Glenn Miller)

This list probably wouldn’t be complete without an Asylum Pictures release.

Bad CGI, questionable choices in over dramatics by the actors and a derivative plot are what you expect from the house of Asylum. That is definitely what you get here with Zoombies, a movie as fun as its title.

Available to stream free for Amazon Prime members.

Honorable mentions:

Sleepwalkers (Dir. Mick Garris)

Sleepwalkers is technically not a big cat movie. However, their smaller cousins do play a huge part in the plot, especially—spoiler alert—the main character: Shapeshifter and werecat Charles who along with his mother are on the prowl for virgins.

Unfortunately, Charles is caught by the domestic short hairs and is mortal enemies with housecats who are sick of his destructive behavior and end up using him as a scratching post.

Like Tiger King, this film is full of WTF moments. You can’t look away from the screen even during Sleepwalkers’ most uncomfortable and incestuous moments.

Rent on Prime.

Day of the Animals (William Girdler)

Thanks to Jaws, cinema in the 70s was filled with mother nature being a real bitch. Several horror movies were made where she ran amuck including this cautionary tale of fauna taking back the land due to a depleted ozone layer.

A group of hikers set off to scale a trail through the California wooded mountainside. Led by Steve Buckner, played by the late rugged leading man Christopher George, the group soon encounters an assortment of rogue wild animals who pick them off one by one including a mountain lion.

Leslie Neilsen, before his crossover into comedy, serves up some serious over dramatics as a hiker affected by the increased amounts of radiation caused by the sun’s rays.

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Childhood Memories Collide in New Horror Film ‘Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble’

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It looks like ITN Studious and Jagged Edge Productions are going the Avengers: Infinity War route with their upcoming film Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. From the deranged mind of Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey) comes this belligerent mash up of beloved childhood icons.

According to an article out of Variety today, Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will consist of Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tigger, Piglet, The Mad Hatter, and Sleeping Beauty. All of these iconic figured will be warped into nightmarish versions of their former selves. Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is set to be released upon the world sometime in 2025.

Poohniverse

Actor-producer Scott Chambers (Malevolent) had the following to say about Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. “As horror fans, we would love an Avengers that is all villains. It’d have Freddy Krueger, Jason, ‘Halloween,’ ‘Scream,’ all of those. Obviously that will never happen, but we can make it happen in our own little way, and that’s where this film has been born.”

Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will be a part of The Twisted Childhood Universe. Just like the MCU, each character will first get a standalone film. After introductions are made, they will be reunited in an Avengers style film. Although they will be killing off the survivors from the previous films, they won’t be working together.

Chambers describes this as an “epic sequences of monster vs. monster.” And I don’t know what more fans could ask of the studio. This fantastical idea is a huge risk but Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble sounds amazing.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Check back here for more updates on Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. If you haven’t already, check out the trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 below.

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Blumhouse’s ‘The Wolf Man’ Reboot Kicks Off Production with Leigh Whannell at the Helm

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Blumhouse Productions has officially commenced filming its reboot of the Universal Monsters legend, “Wolf Man”. Under the direction of Leigh Whannell, known for his acclaimed work on “The Invisible Man” (2020), the project promises to breathe new life into the iconic tale. The film is slated for a theatrical release on October 25th, marking a new chapter in the storied franchise.

Wolf Man

The journey of a “Wolf Man” reboot began in 2020 when actor Ryan Gosling presented a fresh take on the classic story to Universal. This concept quickly evolved into a screenplay crafted by the talented duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who are known for their work on “Orange Is the New Black,” alongside contributions from Whannell and Corbett Tuck. The narrative is set in contemporary times, drawing inspiration from the atmospheric tension of Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Nightcrawler,” albeit with a distinct supernatural twist.

The film has seen its share of directorial and casting shifts, with Whannell initially signing on to direct in 2020, only to step away and then return to the project after Ryan Gosling and director Derek Cianfrance exited. The lead roles have been filled by Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, both of whom bring significant talent to the screen. Abbott portrays a man whose family faces the terror of a lethal predator, with Garner likely playing his wife, sharing in the familial peril. The storyline also hints at a daughter named Ginger, adding a layer of depth to the family’s harrowing experience.

Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott

This reboot represents a collaboration between Blumhouse and Motel Movies, with Jason Blum producing. Ryan Gosling remains involved as an executive producer, alongside Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner, and Whannell himself. The announcement of the film’s production start was made by Jason Blum, who shared an exciting glimpse of Whannell on set, signaling the beginning of what is hoped to be a memorable addition to the horror genre.

As the “Wolf Man” reboot moves forward, fans and newcomers alike are eager to see how this modern interpretation will pay homage to its roots while offering a fresh and thrilling experience. With a talented cast and crew at the helm, the film is poised to reintroduce the timeless tale of transformation and terror to a new generation.

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‘Immaculate’ Stars Reveal Which Horror Villains They Would “F, Marry, Kill”

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Sydney Sweeney is just coming off the success of her rom-com Anyone But You, but she’s ditching the love story for a horror story in her latest film Immaculate.

Sweeney is taking Hollywood by storm, portraying everything from a love-lusting teenager in Euphoria to an accidental superhero in Madame Web. Although the latter got a lot of hate among theater-goers, Immaculate is getting the polar opposite.

The film was screened at SXSW this past week and was well-received. It also gained a reputation for being extremely gory. Derek Smith of Slant says the, “final act contains some of the most twisted, gory violence this particular subgenre of horror has seen in years…”

Thankfully curious horror movie fans won’t have to wait long to see for themselves what Smith is talking about as Immaculate will hit theaters across the United States on March, 22.

Bloody Disgusting says that the movie’s distributor NEON, in a bit of marketing smarts, had stars Sydney Sweeney and Simona Tabasco play a game of “F, Marry, Kill” in which all their choices had to be horror movie villains.

It’s an interesting question, and you might be surprised at their answers. So colorful are their responses that YouTube slapped an age-restricted rating on the video.

Immaculate is a religious horror movie that NEON says stars Sweeney, “as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.”

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