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Fantastic Fest 2014 Review: The Babadook

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The Babadook Pride

Practically every region has its own boogieman in some form or another. For Australia, that boogeyman is Mister Babadook.

And in a land where every one of the members of their indigenous wildlife can eat you, bite you and otherwise kill you, you know that their boogeyman is going to be on point with something real horror show to exceed the fear of a kangaroo beating you to death or getting poisoned by a koala.

The latest film from Australian director Jennifer Kent focuses on Mister Babadook. From the name Babadook alone I would have thought comedy. Maybe a comedy starring Yahoo Serious, but “The Babadook” is far from shenanigans and more about unadulterated fear rattles.

Babadook Pop-Up

“The Babadook” centers on a young Samuel and his mother who are trying to live normal lives following a car accident that took the life of their husband and father.

After she reads him a children’s story (that mysteriously showed up in the room of the young boy) young Samuel becomes obsessed with an invisible entity that will not stop haunting him.

In a “Monster Squad” meets “Lost Boys” like the approach the boy begins building crossbows and slings along with other weapons to protect him his mother from the monster he believes is lurking in their home.

“If it’s in a look it’s in a book you can’t get rid of the Babadook,” one of the quotes from the children’s book reads. And once Amelia sees the Babadook he relentlessly begins to haunt her and her son Samuel forcing them into a battle for their own sanity and the stability of their already shattered family.

“The Babadook” is a different kind of horror movie. It doesn’t rely on as many tacky jump scares as it does create its own atmosphere and a loveable mother and son dynamic to go with it.

There is a lot of psychological tug of war that the film evokes in its audience as well. As an audience member, you aren’t sure if this is psychological, physical or metaphorical. The great approach the film takes is that any of those three outcomes are equally horrifying.

Focusing on a mother and son dynamic and putting that relationship through the grinder is hard to watch on its own without the introduction of Mister Babadook. But, once he is thrown into the mix things become even bleaker.

‘The Babadook’ via IMDB

Speaking of bleak, the production design work is fantastic. The world that they create is devoid of color by using only grays and washed-out blues. Key points are occasionally highlighted in red to coincide with something going on in the story.

Essie Davis who plays Amelia and Noah Wiseman who plays Samuel are both excellent in their roles. It’s been a long time since I have seen a young actor as believable and someone I felt could sympathize with as much as I did with his character.

“The Babadook” does stay with you after it’s over. I caught myself jumping when there was a knock at the door after this one. It doesn’t go for the scares that we are used to, and for me, that is a big plus. The addition of all the more dramatic elements do a lot to strengthen the bigger scares in the film as well.

Don’t watch this one alone and if any children’s books mysteriously appear on your bookshelf just run.

“The Babadook” opens in the US on November 28.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szaLnKNWC-U

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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