News
INSIDE Is Haunting, Fantastic and A Must-Play
If you were to look at my top 10 list that complied my favorite games of all time, you would notice that a lot of them are open-world titles. “Red Dead Redemption” and “The Witcher III” would even be found snuggled in my top 5 spots. Now along these huge blockbuster games, you would find a new addition. A small indie masterpiece called Inside.
The reason I bring up those open-world games is because, usually it takes a large world to immerse me. A variety of missions, an in-depth upgrade system, etc…However, when a platformer that has simplistic controls and a simple “walk left, walk right” structure comes out and manages to fascinate me as much as Inside did, it is truly catching lighting in a bottle.
Game developer, Playdead’s “Limbo” was a unique platformer experience that wowed and stood out both stylistically and through innovation. Inside is the long-awaited followup that has managed to not only raise the bar that Limbo left behind but also creates a game so strange, beautiful and haunting that it deserves a spot on any self-proclaimed cinema lover and game fanatics top 10 list.
Inside begins with a boy in the woods. There is no explanation as to how he got there or what his motives are. He is just a boy in the woods. You immediately take control of the young character. You lead him past shadowy figures in the woods who appear to be patrolling the area. It isn’t long before the faceless figures are chasing you and sicking dogs on you. I managed to die a lot during my play-through. Not always by mistake either. The death animations have a wide variety of animations from dogs tearing you apart to being ripped to shreds by sound concussion blasts, there are a ton of ways to die and each is more fascinating than the last.
“Inside is what would happen if
David Lynch and David Cronenberg
directed a film together”
Once out of the woods, you enter a surreal complex that reveals a Kafka-esque dystopian nightmare. Slaves are controlled by a shadow bureaucracy. The socio-political aspect of our overworked world is something I felt was all over this game. The large masses marching to work much like “Pink Floyd’s The Wall” are ubiquitous in this world.
Your journey leads you deep inside the facility where you uncover nightmare inducing sights, pilot a submarine in pitch black waters and find something that will make your jawdrop in the final act. This game is best left unspoiled. It is better to let it creep over you as you surrender yourself over to it.
“Inside sticks, sickly and sweet
to your brain and gives
a rare gaming experience.”
The art designs are absolutely beautiful and chilling. The shadow filled complex becomes a character all on its own. While, the puzzles and character animations go a long way to create an experience that is one of a kind.
The game structure is built around solving puzzles. The puzzles are tough but fair. They may have you scratching your head for a bit but none are hopeless. Everything is measured at just the right amount of story and puzzle. Inside knows exactly what to allow you to see and what to keep hidden. It knows when to begin and the exact moment to end. It only coaxes you only long enough to devour you in its narrative. At a rough 4 – 6 hours of gameplay the game feels like it has a perfectly matched runtime for what it sets out to accomplish.
Inside is what would happen if David Lynch and David Cronenberg directed a film together about their idea of dystopia. It is filled with thrilling moments that will give your stomach sinking feelings. Inside sticks, sickly and sweet to your brain and gives a rare gaming experience. Inside is a must for fans of Limbo and an absolute must for fans of dark sci fi and horror.
Inside is out now on Xbox One and Steam.
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News
Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role
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
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)
Ghostface (2021)
Ghost Face (2023)
Don’t Scream (2022)
Scream: A Fan Film (2023)
The Scream (2023)
A Scream Fan Film (2023)
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Movies
Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month
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.
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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