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Fantasia 2019: ‘Dachra’ is an Atmospheric, Impressive First [REVIEW]

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Dachra

As the first horror film out of Tunisia, Dachra is a promising start. Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s directorial debut is an atmospheric turn of the screw, where each new step brings our protagonists deeper into the dark woods of danger.

The film follows a group of three students who — for a class project — set off to investigate a crazed woman and supposed witch, rumored to have come from a remote village under mysterious circumstances. In search of answers, they stumble upon a village with dark secrets that threatens both their project and their lives. 

Though the story is bewitching, the plot is a bit scattered. But, it leaves a trail of breadcrumbs that help track the film’s path on a second viewing. The pacing stumbles in the second act, but a rousing finale helps to re-route the focus and move forward.

via Fantasia Fest

While the students film the entire process, Dachra is far from found footage. It’s beautifully shot and carefully choreographed. 

The cinematography (by Hatem Nechi) is absolutely stunning. The camera pushes in for intimate, intense moments, moving delicately to absorb every inch of emotion. Other shots are held at a distance, freezing the audience with chilling imagery drowned in stillness. As an impressive start to the film, the opening is shot in a single take, dragging the audience through the dark and grisly scene.

Lighting is skillfully manipulated to build tension and emphasize tone. There are moments when a single light source is used to backlight a scene, throwing a horrific emphasis on the subject. Lights move and flicker, with a healthy balance of both warm and cool hues to affect the mood and energy of each moment.

Our three main characters — Yassmine (Yassmine Dimassi), Walid (Aziz Jbali), and Bilel (Bilel Slatnia) — bicker constantly, picking at each other in a way that speaks more to squabbling siblings than best friends. 

For all their quarreling, it’s satisfying to see a female main character interact so candidly without being someone’s love interest. Yassmine holds her own against Walid and Bilel; her tongue is barbed with frustration and she often has final say over the decisions of the group. She is strong and capable, but she’s not impenetrable; she falls under the pressure and terror of the nightmare she finds herself in. She’s incredibly human, and is by far the most fleshed-out character between the three. 

via Fantasia Fest

Dachra — as a whole — is incredibly atmospheric. It builds a world of blood and grime that feels ancient in its permanence. It’s moody and dismal and overall very effective at creating an uncomfortable environment. 

As the first Tunisian horror film — and one of the few horror films in Arabic cinema at large — Dachra tackles a generational conflict that Tunisia is currently facing, while also meditating on brutal practices of witchcraft that still take place in parts of North Africa.

It has a lot of ground to cover. While those themes may be lost on those without knowledge of North African witchcraft practices or the political climate in Tunisia, it’s still an entertaining, well made horror film with a thrilling conclusion, that has made history as Tunisia’s first. 

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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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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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