News

The Oscars of Horror: How ‘Get Out’ and Horror is Changing The Academy Awards

Published

6 years ago

March 15, 2018

2017 was the biggest year for horror

Movies like IT, Get Out, Split, Happy Death Day, drew in humongous numbers in the box office as well as telling truly compelling and entertaining stories. Tonight marks the 90^th Academy Awards ceremony with Get Out nominated for four categories. If won, the movie would join the ranks of classics that took home the gold like Misery, Alien, The Fly and Rosemary’s Baby, just to name a few.

When looking at the gross for 2017, horror movies made over a whopping 943 million. This number was calculated with data found on Box Office Mojo. Dominated by clowns, racists and killer dolls, 2017 has become the biggest grossing year in horror movie history. IT alone has made more than $327 million in sales. Even in the climate we are currently in, people are still drawn to these grim worlds in order to escape from their real ones. It proves that nothing truly compares to a good scare. Other years that struck gold with horror were 1987 with $293.6 million, 1999 with $574.6 million, and 2000 with $617.7 million in gross income according to The New York Times. However, Inflation was not factored into these statistics.

Warner Bros.

Horror hasn’t always been seen in a positive light, especially when it comes to the Oscars. In fact, in the past 89 years, fewer than 20 horror movies have won awards at the Academy Awards with most nominated in categories such as sound editing, lighting and makeup. The number of horror flicks nominated for Best Picture prior to Get Out can be counted on one hand: Jaws, The Exorcist, Silence of the Lamb, The Sixth Sense, and Black Swan.

This time around, The Academy has chosen to go against typical conservative choices and opted for more risqué nominations like Get Out. Get Out was not only a horror movie but it was also a reflection of our own society and the objectification of black men and women in America. It resonated with viewers through its compelling storyline that kept you on edge at all times. It was horror but still remained lighthearted and comical.

With four nominations under its belt, it was suspenseful to see which way the pendulum was going to swing. Though Get Out did not take home awards for other categories like film of the year, it still was a win for Peele. His emotional acceptance speech retold the story of how the script became (or almost didn’t become).

Entertainment Weekly/Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

He spoke of the fear he experienced: Fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough, fear of what other’s might think of a horror movie that explores race as its core element. He thanked his mom for always teaching him to love even in the face of fear and to us, the movie watchers.

This moment marked a win for diversity in film, a win for any person who dreams of making a movie, and a win for the horror genre that has been brushed to the side like a secondary thought. With 2018 looking like a promising year for Horror, next year’s Oscars should be a delightful fright!

Also, shout out to Guillermo Del Toro for creating such a beautifully crafted movie. The Shape of Water is visually stunning with an equally beautiful storyline and creature.

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News

“In a Violent Nature” So Gory Audience Member Throws Up During Screening

Published

3 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Chis Nash (ABC’s of Death 2) just debuted his new horror film, In a Violent Nature, at the Chicago Critics Film Fest. Based on the audience’s reaction, those with squeamish stomachs may want to bring a barf bag to this one.

Thats right, we have another horror film that is causing audience members to walk out of the screening. According to a report from Film Updates at least one audience member threw up in the middle of the film. You can hear audio of the audience reaction to the film below.

Audience reacting to a kill from ‘IN A VIOLENT NATURE’ during the Chicago Critics Film Fest screening of the film. An audience member also vomited during the screening.

The film, described as a slasher from the killer's perspective, hits theaters on May 31. pic.twitter.com/KGlyC3HFXa
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 6, 2024

This is far from the first horror film to claim this kind of audience reaction. However, early reports of In a Violent Nature indicates that this film may be just that violent. The film promises to reinvent the slasher genre by telling the story from the killer’s perspective.

Here is the official synopsis for the film. When a group of teens takes a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods, they unwittingly resurrect the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime. The undead killer soon embarks on a bloody rampage to retrieve the stolen locket, methodically slaughtering anyone who gets in his way.

While we will have to wait and see if In a Violent Nature lives up to all of its hype, recent responses on X offer nothing but praise for the film. One user even makes the bold claim that this adaptation is like an arthouse Friday the 13th.

In a Violent Nature will receive a limited theatrical run starting May 31, 2024. The film will then be released on Shudder sometime later in the year. Make sure to check out the promo images and trailer below.

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Movies

New Windswept Action Trailer for ‘Twisters’ Will Blow You Away

Published

6 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The summer movie blockbuster game came in soft with The Fall Guy, but the new trailer for Twisters is bringing back the magic with an intense trailer full of action and suspense. Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin, is behind this newest disaster film just like its 1996 predecessor.

This time Daisy Edgar-Jones plays the female lead named Kate Cooper, “a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed, and Kate, Tyler and their competing teams find themselves squarely in the paths of multiple storm systems converging over central Oklahoma in the fight of their lives.”

Twisters cast includes Nope’s Brandon Perea, Sasha Lane (American Honey), Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders), Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Golden Globe winner Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy).

Twisters is directed by Lee Isaac Chung and hits theaters on July 19.

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News

Travis Kelce Joins Cast on Ryan Murphy’s ‘Grotesquerie’

Published

7 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Football star Travis Kelce is going Hollywood. At least that is what Dahmer Emmy award-winning star Niecy Nash-Betts announced on her Instagram page yesterday. She posted a video of herself on set of the new Ryan Murphy FX series Grotesquerie.

“This is what happens when WINNERS link up‼️ @killatrav Welcome to Grostequerie[sic]!” she wrote.

Standing just out of frame is Kelce who suddenly steps in to say, “Jumping into new territory with Niecy!” Nash-Betts appears to be in a hospital gown while Kelce is dressed as an orderly.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Niecy Nash (@niecynash1)

Not much is known about Grotesquerie, other than in literary terms it means a work filled with both science fiction and extreme horror elements. Think H.P. Lovecraft.

Back in February Murphy released an audio teaser for Grotesquerie on social media. In it, Nash-Betts says in part, “I don’t know when it started, I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s different now. There’s been a shift, like something’s opening up in the world — a kind of hole that descends into a nothingness…”