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Fantastic Fest 2019: ‘The Golden Glove’ A Challenging, Chilling Examination of a Serial Killer

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Golden

The intro to The Golden Glove was an interesting and almost concerning. Before the premiere at Fantastic Fest we were greeted by a host that let the audience know a total of 4 times that this movie was going to be intense, that film critics had described it as ‘vile’ and she even let the audience know that if they couldn’t handle it, nobody would be offended if they left the theater all together. She left everyone looking around at each other with the hive concern of “What are we about to experience and what have we got ourselves into?”

The Golden Glove focuses on serial killer Fritz Honka. A raging, violent alcoholic from Hamburg who spent his time using the local bar, The Golden Glove as his hunting grounds from 70’ to 75’.

The films director, Fatih Akin was actually from the neighborhood that Honka was from. Akin even described how relatives of his had even rode the bus with Honka at a certain point. The portrait is given its furious and unrelenting approach from a guy who was a kid while all this was going down. Part of what he must have pictured at the time is brought over and thrown up on the screen for us to experience the way he had as a youth.

Honka is played by sublimely by Jonas Dassler. The transformation that Dassler achieves both physically and psychologically is dazzling. When we are first introduced to Honka he is attempting to shuffle a body down some stairs for disposal. When a little girl comes out to see what the noise is she and we are met with what is essentially the boogie man himself. Dassler turns to us as an audience and as well as the little girl and shoos her off scaring the pants off of us and the small girl. The make up effects in applied to Dassler deserve awards on their own, transforming the handsome young actor into a twisted take on the actual Honka. Dassler grabs hold of you, embodying all of Honka’s proclivities and perversions and takes the audience along the journey kicking and screaming.

When I say this film is gross or disgusting, it has very little to do with the violence in the film. Although that is brutal as well. It instead has to do with the dinge that stains the films runtime. Everything is tainted and almost rotting in front of you. The people that occupy The Golden Glove are worn, and scarred or fouled in someway. The entire thing leaves you with the need to take a shower after the films over.

For all the ugliness in the film, Akin and editor Andrew Bird do a beautiful job of making this film an absolute achievement in cinema. The result is something so powerful that hours after the film you still feel like you are inside Honka’s flat. The execution is entirely flawless. It is a production design that rings a little too true and then pushes that further into a grimy, lonely black hole.

Editor, Bird is entirely precise with every cut and decision that he brings to the film. One scene in-particular features the sound of a woman screaming, while the actual scene depicts a boiled goat head’s jaw being yanked open and its tongue by a pair of scissors. The screaming ceases with that clip. The choice is a standout moment. Someone give this dude all of the editing awards right now.

The Golden Glove is hard film to recommend. Its fantastic film… and yet, its difficult to push someone else into experiencing it. Our hosts intro was correct. It isn’t an enjoyable film. It’s tainted, tragic and vicious. I’ve gone back and forth on it and realized it had got me and that inability to let it go is the ultimate sign of truly great cinema. I hate to say it, but I loved it.

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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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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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