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Hulu’s ‘Into the Dark’ Premieres this October with Wicked First Episode ‘The Body’

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Hot on the heels of its highly successful Castle Rock, Hulu is bringing on more original programming with Into the Dark, this time partnering with Blumhouse to create something all together unique.

The new series, which premieres October 5, 2018, will present a new feature length “episode” each month themed for the month in which it premieres. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas…nothing is off-limits for Into the Dark.

First up is The Body, a dark horror/comedy that will have you in stitches…literally.

The episode opens on a rather dashing hitman named Wilkes (Tom Bateman) who has just completed a job on Halloween night. The man who hired him demands delivery to a specified location, however, so he expertly wraps and ties the body in plastic and heads down to the street, only to discover that his ride is out of commission.

Enter a group of wealthy, know-it-all party kids who think that Wilkes has the best costume and prop that they’ve ever seen. They beg him to come with them to a friend’s party which he agrees to do so long as they will give him a ride so he makes his delivery deadline.

The night takes a turn, however, when they discover the body is all too real and that Wilkes is far more dangerous than they ever imagined.

It takes a skilled hand to use cognitive dissonance as the driving force for a film, but director Paul Davis, who co-wrote the script with Paul Fischer based on their short film by the same name, plays an expert-level game of cat-and-mouse with his audience, supplying just the right mixture of hilarity and horror to keep them on the edge of their seat rooting for both predator and prey.

Bateman somehow manages to embody both a classic Bond villain and the classy Bond, himself, as Wilkes. This agent of death is a trained killing machine with the soul of a cynical poet and he is easily the center of attention in every scene.

This is not to say that the rest of Davis’ cast isn’t equally brilliant, however.

Ash vs. Evil Dead alum Ray Santiago’s comedic timing is flawless as Jack, the bumbling, start-up millionaire turned leader of the group who discovers the truth about Wilkes. Jack is exactly the self-serving, trash-talking douchebag no one in their right mind should follow, so naturally they all do.

Rebecca Rittenhouse, meanwhile, gives her all as Maggie, Jack’s assistant who is tired of her boss, her job, and her life. In her eyes, Wilkes is the sexy, golden ticket she’s been waiting for, and she’s eager to help him at every turn.

The chemistry between Bateman and Rittenhouse is palpable, and their scenes together are as sexually charged as they are funny.

It’s the perfect tone for The Body. At its best, the film shines a light on modern popularity politics, then stomps those ideas into the ground until they’re so much bloody pulp beneath its feet, all the while cracking irreverent, intelligent jokes.

In fact, The Body is never darker or funnier than when it is skewering the often bewildering cult of personality that seems to grow by the day, and Wilkes, with his unique perspective on life and death, acts as the perfect agent to deliver that blow.

And then there’s the excellent score!

Composed by The Newton Brothers, who previously scored OculusExtinctionOuija: Origin of Evil, and so many more, the music in The Body is as unique and often contradictory as the rest of the film. Pulse-pounding one moment and subtly pervasive the next, the composers work in tandem with Davis to keep the film moving at an excellent pace.

Mark your calendars, now, and be sure to check out Into the Dark: The Body October 5, 2018 on Hulu and take a look at the teaser for the series below!

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‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

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Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

The Strangers

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

The Strangers

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The Strangers

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

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It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

Great Movie Ride

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

Alien Romulus
Alien (1979)

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

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Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

Home Depot Skeleton Prop

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

Home Depot Prop

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.

Terror Dog Prop
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