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Zac Efron cast as Ted Bundy in Berlinger Movie

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Zac Efron Ted Bundy

The true life accounts of many real life monsters live on in the media throughout the decades, often times far beyond their deaths.  Whether it’s in movies, books, television shows, or documentaries, the horrific stories of real life murders and serial killers and the horror they released upon the world continue to live on.  One of the most notorious serial killers who has lived on in the media since the conviction of his crimes and long after his death is Theodore Robert Bundy.

The story behind serial killer Ted Bundy’s life has been immortalized in multiple formats over the years since his conviction, including movies, television, and books.  One of the most notable portrayals was by Mark Harmon in the 1986 TV movie The Deliberate Stranger. The made for television movie came out three years before Bundy’s execution and women swooned over the blue eyed killer, both on screen as well as the one sitting on death row.  In fact, Bundy’s prison mailbox overflowed with letters as he awaited his sentence to be carried out by women who transferred their attraction from Harmon to Bundy.

Image result for mark harmon the deliberate stranger

via The MacGuffin

Harmon was a heartthrob of the eighties, and his undertaking of the notorious serial killer attracted viewers to the real life sexual sadist.  Now modern day heartthrob Zac Efron has been announced to portray the sexual sadist suspected of killing over a hundred women, in Joe Berlinger’s independent drama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.  For those of you who have only seen him in his childhood and adolescent roles on the Disney channel, you may be wondering if this is the right decision.

With teenage girls throwing themselves at the young Efron in High School the Musical and then again in the 2007 movie adaption of Hairspray, is history bound to repeat itself?  As twisted as it sounds, will the choice of casting the now 29 year old Efron romanticize serial killer Ted Bundy  once again, now to a new generation of twenty-somethings?

Let’s not forget, the real Bundy had his own fans and supporters consisting of young, beautiful, and devoted groupies sitting dutifully behind him in the courtroom every day of trial.  Even while being full aware of what his crimes were before, during, and after sentencing, women remained drawn and devoted to the serial killer.  Ironically these young women tended to match the physical description of the sexual sadist’s victims to a “T.”

Image result for ted bundy

via Ranker

Efron first found fame in 2006’s High School Musical, which in turn spawned two sequels in which he also starred in.  Always the love object in his career, Efron’s boyish good looks and charming demeanor make him a compatible fit for the innocent angle Bundy would use to lure his unsuspecting female victims.  However, never has the young actor undertaken a role displaying such anger, rage, violence, and sadism.  Given his resume of singing and dancing, fans are understandably skeptical of director Joe Berlinger’s choice.

Berlinger has a long history of directing films rooted in true crime, perhaps his most notable being the Paradise Lost trilogy; a 3 part documentary about the true life story behind the West Memphis Three case.  Undoubtedly this new project will be strongly rooted in fact, and if it follows the format he is known for there will never be a dull moment, nor will it be forgettable.  His work is haunting, and despite the grim content it always draws you back for another viewing.

There is no doubt Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile will be a brilliant piece of film from visionary director Berlinger, and for now we have to try and suspend our disbelief in Efron being the leading man.  Berlinger is experienced and talented behind the camera, as well as a hell of a story teller, so if he believes this blue eyed heartthrob of the millennial generation can embody one of the most vile and gruesome serial killers America has ever known, we owe him the chance to prove it to us.

Read more about Ted Bundy in recent headlines here.

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

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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

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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

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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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