News

INTERVIEW: Judah Lewis on Returning to ‘The Babysitter: Killer Queen’

Published

4 years ago

September 9, 2020

Judah Lewis is reprising his role as Cole from Netflix’s The Babysitter in the soon-to-be released sequel The Babysitter: Killer Queen and it would be an understatement to say that he’s excited for fans to see the next chapter in the franchise.

iHorror caught up with Lewis at a press junket this week where we talked about what it was like stepping back into this role.

As it turns out, murmurs and rumors of a sequel began almost immediately after the successful release of the first film. The filmmakers were knocked out by the viewer reactions, but even though the buzz was high, it was still several months before the project officially began moving forward. For Lewis, that meant it was the first time in his professional career that he would have the opportunity to return to a character he’d previously played.

“It was just so unbelievably exciting for me,” Lewis said, “because Cole is a character that’s so close to my heart and that I identified with so much and related to so much. To be able to bring him back to life and explore where he’s at in his life, now, and where his story went was so fun.”

Without giving too much away, Cole is struggling as the film begins because no one in his life believes what he tells them about the series of events that took place in the first film leaving him in a place that’s without a date even more vulnerable than the first film.

In fact, he’s come to the place where even he’s not sure that what he experienced actually happened. It’s a shaky foundation at best for someone already dealing with the constant trials of high school. Fortunately for Lewis and Cole that leaves a lot of room for growth.

“What’s so cool about this film and the first one as well is the massive character arc that happens which always the most challenging but the most fulfilling thing as an actor,” he explained. “In the first film, we see him kind of progress from boyhood to manhood in the course of a night. And then, because of the events that transpired post-the first film in this film, we see him kind of start out and be incredibly shaky and in the course of the film we see him step into his own shoes and become comfortable in his own skin.”

Lewis was also bolstered by the fact that almost the entire cast from the first film returned for its sequel. I won’t tell you how so as not to spoil the surprise of course, but for the actor, reuniting with his castmates only made the experience more exciting.

“They’re just the greatest people,” the actor said. “It’s the kind of thing where you’re working sometimes and it’s work, but on a Babysitter movie, it’s really not work. Everyone’s just playing around and performing their hearts out and improving and coming up with different things. It’s incredible. Everybody’s genuine excitement creates this electric energy in the film.”

Moreover, Lewis says it was fun to build upon the relationships that were established in the first film.

Though they were all out to kill him, the chemistry between the characters and the unlikely bonds he seemed to form with them throughout that first crazy film was undeniable. In The Babysitter: Killer Queen, we see those relationships ratcheted up to the next level without any pretense.

The icing on this production cake for Lewis, however, was the return of McG as director. As the actor explained, McG kept them on their toes throughout the shoot and the film is better because of it.

“He had this way of getting into a scene and he’s showing you all these references from old movies that perfectly kind of encapsulate what he wants certain scenes to feel like,” he pointed out. “Then he’s also coming in between takes and going to an actor and whispering something in their ear. Then you’re doing the next take and that actor will say whatever he told them to in the middle of the scene and it’s completely unexpected and it takes the scene in an entirely new direction and lets everyone kind of play off of each other. It creates this kind of really fun, energetic environment that is so apparent in the film.”

The Babysitter: Killer Queen is set to debut on September 10, 2020 on Netflix, and the next question is would Judah Lewis return for a third installment?

“I would be there tomorrow,” he said, laughing. “I just love these films so much. I love Cole as a character so much and I personally want to see where the next stage of his life takes him. I want to see him get through high school. I’m sure there are more demons out there for him to face.”

We shall see, Mr. Lewis. We shall see.

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News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

8 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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

Published

11 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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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