News

‘Channel Zero: Candle Cove’ is a Creepy Change of Pace for SyFy

Published

8 years ago

October 17, 2016

These days, when you think of SyFy’s original horror offerings, you might think of the campy, self-aware “Z Nation,” or the ultra-cheesy, ultra self-aware “Sharknado” film series. And hey, if that’s your thing, more power to you.

For those of us that love creepy, unsettling, slow-burn horror, SyFy’s latest original series is a breath of fresh air. The anthology series will feature a different story each season, similar to “American Horror Story.” Season 2 has already been greenlit with a whole other story.

The inspiration for the show is what’s known as a creepypasta — a play on “copypasta,” which is a play on “copypaste” — a scary story that started on the internet, and was shared on various forums such as Reddit and 4chan, something of a modern-day urban legend. The inspiration for Season 1 was “Candle Cove,” one of the creepier creepypastas out there. You can read the original story here, but beware: It reveals a major spoiler for the first episode of the series. Season two will revolve around another famous creepypasta: “No-End House.”

‘Why Are You Afraid to Come Home?’

The first season, which will have six episodes, follows Mike Painter, a famous child psychologist who returns to his hometown of Iron Hill, Ohio, after many years. As a child, Mike’s twin brother Eddie disappeared, along with four other children. The other kids were found dead in the woods, with their teeth missing — but Eddie was nowhere to be found. Mike’s family fell apart and he ended up in a foster home, never returning to Iron Hill until now.

To say that memories of Eddie and his disappearance still haunt Mike is an understatement. We see early on that he’s estranged from his wife and child after he recently suffered a mental breakdown. Furthermore, we learn that he’s been having nightmares in which a young Eddie calls him to ask when he’s coming home. Interlaced with his nightmares are references to “Candle Cove” — a creepy, low-budget puppet show that Mike and Eddie used to watch in the ’80s, which Mike believes is somehow related to the child murders.

Channel Zero: Candle Cove on SyFy

You Have to Go Inside

The Candle Cove scenes really help to add to the atmosphere. Whereas “Stranger Things” captured our nostalgia for the ’80s with a rocking soundtrack and a group of lovable kids playing Dungeons & Dragons and cruising around on their bikes, Candle Cove takes that nostalgia in a much darker direction.

The children’s show Mike remembers was an odd, unsettling pirate show featuring characters like Jawbone, a pirate skeleton who tells the main character that he’s going to skin her. It looks like a very rough, low-budget Sid and Marty Krofft ripoff, and like many children’s shows featuring puppets, it’s pretty unsettling when you watch it as an adult.

Candle Cove was only on a local TV station for a short time in 1988. During that time period, kids in Iron Hill started to disappear. After Eddie went missing and the bodies were found, the show stopped…until Mike returns to Iron Hill, and discovers it’s back on the air. Naturally, another child disappears shortly after mentioning the show to Mike, and his recent history makes him the prime suspect. To add to the creep factor, as Mike delves into the mystery, we really don’t know if he’s a reliable narrator at all.

Unlike some of the more in-your-face horror films and shows, “Channel Zero” is a slow burn that builds up the creep factor inch by inch. The more bits and pieces we see from Candle Cove, and the more we learn about the back story and its connections to the murders, the more unsettling it becomes. Creator Nick Antosca handles Kris Staub’s source material with great care, and does a fantastic job using the mythology as a foundation while building a compelling story upon it.

The first episode, titled “You Have to Go Inside,” is available on demand. New episodes air Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on SyFy.

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Movies

‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

Published

14 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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

Published

15 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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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News

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

Published

17 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Cameron McFarland

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.