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Graham Skipper’s Horror/Sci-Fi Film, “Sequence Break” Induces Hallucinogenic, Brain Melting Entertainment In All The Right Ways

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Written by Shannon McGrew

I’ll be honest, going into “Sequence Break”, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Having been familiar with Graham Skipper’s work as an actor, I was pretty confident that his debut feature length film would be solid, but I was not prepared for the range of emotions and mind-bending brain breakage that I ended up enduring. I know, that sounds intense, but trust me when I say I mean that in the best way possible. At it’s core, “Sequence Break” is a terrifically done homage to the 80’s style horror films that showcases a passion for classic video games, practical creature effects, and electronic synth music.

The film, directed by Graham Skipper, centers around Oz, a guy who generally keeps to himself by not subscribing to societal norms, who works as a video game repair-man at a dying arcade. One day, a beautiful woman visits the shop coinciding almost perfectly with the delivery of a strange package. As their romance blossoms, the mystery surrounding the new arcade game begins to manifest with devastating and deadly consequences.

The film is primarily driven by three characters played by Chase Williamson (Oz), Fabianne Therese (Tess), and John Dinan (The Man). The three of them were able to bring this story to life through the brilliant directing of Graham Skipper. Oz and Tess are extremely relatable and through the unfolding of each of their stories I found myself becoming more emotionally invested with their storylines. Having been a fan of Williamson’s since first seeing him in “John Dies at the End”, I felt he was the perfect choice for Oz, especially since I had just seen him in another 80s inspired horror film, “Beyond the Gates”. Fabianne Therese really shined through as Tess and I’m glad she got a much larger role to play as I enjoyed her work in the horror anthology “Southbound”. However, for me, the most intriguing player in this film was definitely The Man, played by John Dinan. Though he may not have had a lot of screen time, he was mesmerizing each time he appeared, leaving me grasping at straws for questions that I knew would never be answered.

One of the most impressive aspects of “Sequence Break” was the practical effects used. I would definitely categorize this movie as body horror, and though that usually makes me uneasy, as I’m not the biggest fan of that subgenre, the overall use of the practical effects were incredibly impressive. There is one scene in particular that sticks out to me involving Oz and the arcade game exchanging a, uh, intimate moment, so to speak. My initial reaction was of total disgust followed by amazement as I had never seen anything like that before.

In terms of cinematography and music, both were done exceptionally well. As a designer, I was immediately sucked into the bright, fluorescent colors and chaotic editing throughout the film. As for the music itself, it definitely had an 80s feel to it and it paired perfectly to the hallucinogenic atmosphere of the film. The film as a whole was presented in such a way that it resembled a piece of art in that it combined expertly shot scenes, thematic music, and compelling color variations. Most horror/sci-fi films are seen through a bleak color palette so I appreciated how vibrant the colors and sounds were throughout the film.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about video games and I’m not a die-hard 80s horror movie connoisseur so I was little apprehensive on how I was going to feel about the film overall when I started watching it. There’s been a trend of 80s infused horror film as of late, and though I understand the inspiration behind making them, I’m beginning to feel like they are saturating the market. In the case of “Sequence Break”, that did not happen, as it is unique enough to stand on it’s own and be set apart from a lot of the other horror films in that category. Though I may not understand everything that was happening, especially in regards to coding, that didn’t deter me from absolutely loving this film. Graham Skipper has undeniably created a movie that is thought provoking and mind-bending but also beautiful and somewhat horrifying; a rare combination to pull off. If you are attending the Chattanooga Film Festival this week, and are able to catch an encore performance (as the film just had it’s World Premiere yesterday), make sure you do, as I don’t think you’ll find anything remotely similar to this film out there.

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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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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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