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Looking Back: Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye

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Cat's Eye

Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye is a remarkable film. During Stephen King’s first cinematic hay day in the 1980s, anthology movies and shows were in fashion.  While television programs like the new Twilight Zone and Tales From the Darkside astounded television audiences, movies like Creepshow excited the theater going fans.  After the success of King’s Creepshow he doubled up and brought forth his next anthology gem, Cat’s Eye.   Mr. King’s seventieth birthday was just a few weeks ago, so we are looking back on Cat’s Eye and what makes this film such a joy to watch.

Fresh off the success of King’s Firestarter, young Drew Berrymore was cast in another King film, this time the anthology Cat’s Eye.  Although not in full action until the third act, Berrymore is the glue that holds this feline masterpiece together.  She serves as a sort of narrator between the stories, calling out in desperation to her furry savior.  The film is in three short stories.  The first two are adaptations taken from King’s short story collection Night Shift, and the third act is entirely original to the film itself.

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Quitters Inc.

The first story stars a young James Woods as wanna be quitter Dick Morrison, and is titled Quitters Inc.  Dick is persuaded by his friend to join Quitters Inc., a unique program to stop smoking.  Through unique measures, worse and worse things happening to Dick and his family, the company is determined to make him quit.  They first display their methods to Dick by locking an alley cat they have caught in an electric filled room, watching it jump.  As a child this scene traumatized me, i was upset for the cat, not really understanding what the intentions were for poor Dick.

There are various scenes throughout this short journey that cements itself into the reader’s mind.  The major one for me is a dinner party that Dick attends, where he mentally (or not?) perceives the owner of Smokers Inc. dancing down the stairs singing the Police’s iconic song Every Breath You Take.  I’m not going to spoil all the fun for those of you who have not seen this film, but let’s just say it ends in typical Stephen King fashion.

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The Ledge

Round two of this movie is titled The Ledge and is a breathtaking journey all it’s own.  The story takes place in Atlantic City, a town that was enjoying a renaissance all it’s own in the eighties and has since gone down hill.  Johnny Norris is romantically involved with a woman that is married to a gambler and crime boss by the name of Cressner.  Cressner, a man to bet on anything, offers Norris a bet of his own; if he can circumnavigate the outside of the high rise apartment complex, Cressner will offer his wife a divorce allowing Norris and Mrs. Cressner to be together.  However, and here’s the kicker, if he refuses he will have Norris set up on a possession of drugs charge that will send him away for a long time and leave his love to the grimy hands of her husband.

Norris agrees and is left to not only traverse his way around the skyscraper, but to endure multiple tests of endurance that Cressner places on him.  This is a great short for its time and one that the viewer will not soon forget.  Since my intention of writing this article is for the reader to want to watch this great piece for the first time, again I will not reveal the ending.  But it’s one to keep you on your toes!!!

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General

The third and final installment in this grand anthology is titled General.  Drew Berrymore plays Amanda, a young girl that is haunted every night by a troll that lives within her walls.  Her cat General, the same cat that has been traveling to her the entire film, helps to keep the troll away.  However, there is one problem; Amanda’s mom doesn’t want General in the house and begins to put her out every night.  The mother is put off by the cat, claiming that cat’s steal children’s breaths in their sleep.  One night the troll comes through the wall and kills the parakeet Polly that stays in Amanda’s room.

Amanda’s mom is pissed and takes General to the animal shelter where he will be euthanized the next day.  While the cat is away, the troll once again emerges from the wall and attempts to steal Amanda’s breath.  General escapes the animal shelter as the staff is coming in to feed him his last meal and runs home entering the house via the chimney.

Then comes the showdown between the troll in the wall and General.  The cat stands firm for her little girl and best friend, doing what she needs to do ending in a spectacular flight.

Cat’s Eye is a truly fun film, and one that mixes well with the rest of King’s cinematic films.  If you have never had the chance to see this film I highly recommend it.  Cat’s Eye is currently available on Blu-ray and DVD.

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‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

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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.

The Strangers

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.

The Strangers

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 Strangers

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

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

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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.

Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott

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.

Great Movie Ride

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.

Alien Romulus
Alien (1979)

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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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

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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.

Home Depot Skeleton Prop

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.”

Home Depot Prop

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.

Terror Dog Prop
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