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Late to the Party: Graveyard Shift (1990)

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We’ve all been there; getting called in to work on our day off, on a holiday, getting stuck with the bad shift. At least we weren’t stuck with a schedule dictated by Stephen King, like his vision of a Graveyard Shift.

Graveyard Shift

The movie Graveyard Shift is based on King’s short story of the same name. It was directed by Ralph Singleton, and features Stephen Macht (Watchers 4, The Monster Squad), and Brad Dourif (Child’s Play,The X-Files).

The owner of Warwick’s textile mill (Stephen Macht) has a bit of a rodent infestation problem, and he has to get things cleaned up or the plant will be forced to close. So, he sets up a bit of a clean-up party for the night of the 4th of July, coercing and threatening his employees to work it.

As it happens, the mill is built next to a cemetery, and both are built over a huge cavern and all are connected by a series of mine shafts and tunnels. While cleaning the mill’s basement, the crew finds an old trapdoor, leading down into the mines. The decision is made to go exploring, which quickly finds them trapped in the tunnels and at the mercy of the rats and their king which dwells in the cavern.

This is a fun movie, especially for being based on Stephen King’s work. It’s not the most subtle, or unnerving horror movie, but it does have its moments. The scenes of the rats before the workers discover the trap door are full of creepiness, the tunnels are claustrophobic, and the final monster’s lair is beautiful in its horror.

The acting is pretty good as well. Stephen Macht’s portrayal of Warwick is strong, and he’s very believable in the beginning of the movie as the mill owner that has the run of the town through violence and intimidation. You can’t help but hate him. His turn to madness as the crew runs through the tunnels is a little heavy-handed though, and his pursuit of our hero, John Hall (David Andrews), in spite of the presence of a giant rat-bat feels almost cartoonish.

Brad Dourif’s role as an unnamed exterminator is the strongest role in the movie though; his delivery and description of the Viet Cong’s use of rats in torture methods in the Vietnam War resonates long after his character’s untimely end.

The ending reeks a bit of deus ex machina, though I was surprised that our hero’s love interest didn’t make it to the credits. The bad guy gets his due after charging the giant monster armed with only a tactical knife. John Hall gets to witness the last of his old boss being devoured before being chased back up into the mill. He hides underneath the textile machine, which the beast climbs on top of trying to get at him, its tail getting caught in the gears and setting up what is probably the most suspenseful firing of an empty soda can from a slingshot in cinema history.

Graveyard Shift

Definitely not one of the best horror movies ever made, but still a fun one that’s worth watching. The first half does a great job setting up the characters, making you love or hate them as needed, before the second half sets them loose like rats in a maze. Graveyard Shift is definitely a good movie for an older, quick, popcorn horror flick.

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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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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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