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INTERVIEW: Hulu’s ‘Books of Blood’ Stars Anna Friel and Rafi Gavron

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Books of Blood

Hulu’s Books of Blood premieres this week, and we’re counting down the hours until we can dig into the latest in a long line of adaptations of the Clive Barker’s classic tales.

As the date draws near, iHorror had the opportunity to sit down with stars Anna Friel and Rafi Gavron to talk about their experiences digging into Barker’s terrifying world, and their hopes for the audience experience.

Both stars admitted that while they were familiar with Clive Barker, neither had read The Books of Blood before filming began. They were fresh to the project without preconceived notions for what the story should be beyond writer/director Brannon Braga’s script. It’s an interesting turn of events considering they star in the only segment of the film previously published in the original collections.

Friel takes on the role of skeptic psychologist, Mary, who has her own heart-breaking reasons for studying the paranormal and people who claim to experience it regularly while Gavron plays Simon, a possibly fraudulent psychic medium who unknowingly opens up a terrifying world and pays a horrific price.

It’s the story that opens Barker’s six-volume set and one that embeds itself in the reader’s imagination as they turn every page after it.

“The relationship between these two and the fact that it’s real,” Gavron said. “The fact that there’s a believer involved and a skeptic involved and there’s a manipulator involved. I was really drawn to this story and I do think that one thing I really hope is that this is seen as a story and a drama as well as a horror film because I think that makes everything better. I think if it’s good and it’s believable and hopefully well-acted then we’re looking at a very different sort of movie.”

The film took both actors to some uncomfortable places which began early on in the process of filming, and I always wonder what it is like for actors to dig so deep into those dark interiors.

“I’d ask, what’s it like not to do that,” Friel explained with a laugh. “I need to ask my agents where are the funny scripts? Have you not seen anything with nice and happy fluffy things? If there’s ever a character that’s dark and has to be traumatized the name Anna Friel goes next to it. I’m kind of used to that.”

“For me, I had a fair amount of prep with the makeup because we had to do it initially to do the test and that was mind-blowing and uncomfortable and problematic but we got it right,” Gavron said. “And then, you know, luckily I was able to sit down with Anna, even though it was very brief, but we got on very quickly and that was just great because I had to be naked and I wasn’t comfortable with that. She was so cool with me and just made me feel like I was in a position where I was safe and comfortable and that was everything.”

The pair further lucked out in the filming Books of Blood in that their hotel rooms were next door to each other giving them time to squeeze in bits of rehearsal during shooting.

Sadly, neither actor was able to chat with Barker before or during filming, but they said Braga was an excellent substitute who “channeled” the author’s spirit for them.

With filming finished and the release date looming, the actors say they’ve both had a chance to watch the film and they’re excited for others to see it though they regret it won’t have a release in theaters.

“I like the experience of going to the cinema and everyone gasping and jumping together,” Friel said. “Going back to Jaws and you hear the music coming and it’s this experience that draws us together. I think this type of genre offers that type of opportunity for an audience to connect. It’s a shame because we were meant to have a cinema opening for this but we couldn’t do it because of the pandemic brought all that to a halt. So hopefully everyone can get together online and Twitter and sort of share their experiences that way. Without you guys our jobs don’t exist. Goodness in these times we need entertainment.”

Books of Blood is set to release tomorrow, October 7, 2020, on Hulu. Check out the trailer below and let us know if you’ll be watching!

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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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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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