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Thommy Hutson’s ‘Jinxed’ is a Must Read for Classic Horror Fans

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I’ll admit I was a bit uncertain when I picked up Thommy Hutson‘s debut novel, Jinxed.

I’ve been a fan of Hutson’s work for years, especially Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy and Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th, both of which he co-produced as well as some of the horror films he has written like Truth or Dare and Animal.

Still, a novel is a much different creature from a film script with its own set of rules, and from a critical standpoint, its own expectations, and there are far more examples of writers who can do one or the other than those who can do both.

As it turns out, Hutson was not only up to the task, he knocked it completely out of the park. The author presents his readers with an expertly paced, cinematic slasher in a setting that would make Agatha Christie proud, and should have film producers already bidding to adapt it for the screen.

In many ways, Jinxed is a blood-splattered love letter to the filmmakers whose franchises shaped the landscape of horror in the 80s and 90s, and just like many of those films, it all begins and ends with secrets that refuse to stay buried.

As the novel opens, Amanda Kincaid, the most promising acting talent at the very elite and even more secluded Trask Academy for the Performing Arts (think the high school from Fame only everyone here is filthy rich), is preparing to star in the school’s talent showcase attended by agents from all over the country as well as the wealthy donors who keep the school’s mahogany doors open.

The theater is deserted as she stands illuminated only by the singular ghost light in the center of the stage when she begins to hear noises and then to smell smoke. The theater is on fire and Amanda discovers there is no escape as she huddles in the orchestra pit and finally succumbs to the flames.

Flash forward…

It’s been almost 20 years since Amanda died in the fire at Trask Academy and her story has become an urban legend that no one entirely believes but can neither completely deny as the ruins of the old, burned-out theater still loom over the academy grounds.

A group of friends are preparing for this year’s showcase and have elected to stay on campus over Spring Break to continue rehearsals for the upcoming show. Little do they know that a killer is stalking the grounds of Trask Academy.

He wears a mask that is a twisted amalgam of the Comedy and Tragedy drama masks, and his plans for the students and their deaths have been in place for quite some time.

Hutson’s love of the genre is on every single page of Jinxed. From the naming of his characters (pay attention readers!) to the inescapable plot twists and turns, he expertly walks the razor-sharp edge between what is homage and what is simply derivative and makes it seem effortless.

The novel’s often gore-filled kill scenes are both brutal and beautiful in ways that recall Clive Barker’s Books of Blood while simultaneously reminding the reader of the theatricality of Argento’s Suspiria.

And yet, for all of its homage and the author’s obvious intensive understanding of the works of these genre giants, Jinxed is a unique novel that stands easily on its own merits as a work by a first time author.

At just under 300 pages, Jinxed is a fast read that pulls the reader along in its momentum to a conclusion that seems both inevitable and shocking, and as I sit here typing this review I’m reminded again of the Killer’s mask and how it works on so many levels as the ultimate symbol for the book as a whole.

Inevitable and shocking. Brutal and beautiful. Homage and originality. Comedy and Tragedy.

Thommy Hutson could easily take on the mantle as the next Lois Duncan, and I’m sure many reviewers will no doubt draw those comparisons, but after reading his debut, I’m not sure that he isn’t better off being the first Thommy Hutson, instead.

After all, it seems that guy has a LOT of talent.

Jinxed is currently available in multiple formats via Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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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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