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Our Prayers Are Put to the Test in the Demonic Horror Classic “The Unholy”

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Written by Shannon McGrew

The last few months I’ve had the opportunity to review some of the classic 80s horror films from the Vestron Collector’s Series. Each one has been a new experience for me and I’ve learned to appreciate the passion and intense amount of work that has gone into such films as “The Gate” and “Wishmaster”. The most recent title to be released in this Collector’s Series is the 1988 horror film, “The Unholy”, from director Camilo Vila starring Ben Cross, Hal Holbrook, and Ruben Rabasa.

If you are familiar with my writing, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of religious based horror, so one could say I was definitely looking forward to diving head first into this film. The plot of “The Unholy” is pretty simple – a priest is sent to destroy a demon, disguised as a beautiful woman, that is killing priests in the act of sinning, and it’s up to Father Michael to eradicate this evil once and for all. Considering what some Catholic priests are known to do, I would think that this demon would be doing us a favor, however that’s not what this film is about. Instead we are shown how human these priests are as they succumb to the temptations of the world.

My favorite thing about this movie is the practical effects used by the makeup team. Whether it be the demon’s true shape or the death sequence of the priests, the level of detail and attention to gore was much more impressive than if CGI had been in its place. I also really enjoyed the notion that this demon was disguised as a tempestuous thing of beauty who would entice those that are supposed to be the most holy and devout. Once she had her claws in her victims, the bloodshed flowed to the delight of the demon, and I’m sure to those in the audience.

In terms of acting, it’s pretty on par with what you would expect from an 80s horror flick; meaning there was a lot of dialogue that was overacted that elicited quite a few laughs from me. One of my favorite characters was the womanizing hunk of a man, Luke, played by William Ross. Luke was the owner of a Satanic club that found itself intertwined with the death of the previous priest. Luke’s storyline was laughably absurd as he tried to explain that all his Satanic acts were just for show and nothing more. Regardless of how ridiculous I found him, I couldn’t help but enjoy his story arc and his horrible New Orleans accent.

Is this film scary? Not really, as it doesn’t present the same level of scares that we are used to now. However, with that said, I could see why people would have been uncomfortable with the film back when it was released. At the height of the Satanic Panic movement, a film that showcased a Satanic club along with the sinful nature of priests may have been a bit much for the more conservative folks. I don’t know what the response was when the film first came out but I hope it ended up ruffling a few feathers along the way.

Overall, “The Unholy” has some genuinely impressive aspects to it, most notably with the practical effects. The acting left a lot to be desired but I’m not sure if that’s due to the talent or from the dialogue given to the actors. However, there were a few moments that shined and I thoroughly enjoyed William Ross as the pretend Satanist. I like that the film had a pay off in the end and that we were finally able to see the creature that inhabited the beautiful woman come to life. “The Unholy” isn’t a film that was meant to win a ton of awards and receive a slew of accolades, but it’s a fun viewing experience and really, what more can you ask for?

“The Unholy” is now available to own on Blu-ray from Lionsgate

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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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