News
‘American Dad’ Goes Full Blown Horror In New Episode
Creepypasta has long since grown from murmurs and memes on the internet to mainstream popular culture the last several years. Slenderman is a household name and some creepypasta tales are set to be adapted to the big screen. And last night with the latest episode of American Dad, a similar format has been used for one extremely clever horror comedy!
The originally FOX and now TBS Animated sit-com from Seth McFarlene essentially follows Stan Smith, an All-American CIA agent and his quirky family. The show has since shifted to a more absurdist, if surrealist comedy most prominently featuring Roger The Alien’s numerous character personas as plot points, and the weirdness has only strengthens the series. Last night’s episode entitled ‘Rabbit Ears’ felt like something from The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. Stan finds an old school big TV set for the dump and decides to install it in the basement despite his family’s disinterest and attention focused on Roger who’s latest persona is a baby. He manages to find a show to watch after fiddling with the ‘rabbit ears’ of the television, an old 1960’s late night variety show called Nighthawks Hideaway hosted by a charming socialite named Alistair Covax (Voiced by Chris Pine).
Stan soon becomes obsessed with the show, which features Covax having politically incorrect conversations with guests, drinking, and listening to smooth jazz. The same episode plays repeatedly with minor shifts and differences with every viewing such as different people playing the same characters. When Stan seeks information from TV Guide headquarters, they tell him the show has never existed and the only other person who knows about it is Stan’s neighbor, Tuttle. Only for Tuttle to disappear and show up on Nighthawks Hideout! Stan’s investigation leads to him going through projected static and into the TV show itself. Only to discover, to his horror, he now cannot leave!
The episode plays like many Creepypastas and SCP Foundation entries about similar accursed cases of media that can absorb its viewers. In the episode itself, the horror of Nighthawks Hideout and its sinister hot are played all but completely straight. Despite his smooth exterior, Covax is a menacing monster with no origin and only motivated to keep his show on track. Anyone who tries to escape, he disposes of during the commercial break. Including an unfortunate Back To The Future fan voiced by Fred Savage in a cameo. And worst yet, with every repeat of the episode, the people stuck inside like Stan and Tuttle lose more and more of their memory! It’s a story with a genuinely creepy hook that on its own could stand as a good horror story. Of course, with Stan and Tuttle as the protagonists, it handles the job of balancing the horror to the comedy by having the horror treated deadly serious and simply having them react in funny ways.
This is an episode well worth checking out if you’re looking for some animated weirdness. It’s also kind of ironic considering one of the most popular creepypasta sub-genres is ‘cursed/lost episodes’ of popular shows. Looks like American Dad beat them to the punch on their own show!
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Movies
‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt
Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.
In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.
This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.
Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.
“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”
The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”
The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.
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Movies
‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time
It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?
It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.
Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.
Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.
The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.
The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.
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News
Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween
Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.
The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.
This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.
This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.
“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”
But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.
This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.
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