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Stephen King’s IT – An Encounter With Fear – iHorror

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We’re all looking forward to the hyper-anticipated second chapter to 2017’s IT, which upon its release won fans over and became an instant classic. In just under a month we will bear witness to the darkest elements of Stephen King’s classic opus on fear, and no one is more excited to return to Derry, Maine than I am.

Something a little more than horror

As genre fans, we all know a thing or two about horror. We have our favorites and nit-pick details of the silliest of nuisances found in scary movies. Many consider themselves experts on horror. However, how much do we really know about actual fear? The two share similarities, but are vastly different.

Lovecraft taught us that fear is the oldest emotion known to mankind. It’s a primordial instinct which echoes in the very hollow of our bones, chilling them, icing the nerves, and freezing us in place, like a gorgon’s sudden gaze. Fear does not discriminate between sexes or genders and has no ethnic boundary. It sees under our skins, knowing we each are all the same blood-red color underneath. Fear unites us all, and that’s what we can expect from IT: Chapter II.

IT and the Losers’ Club

It’s fitting that the story spans two polar ends of our lead heroes’ lives. One chronicling the tale of childhood and the innocence inherent therein – a fragile, glassy innocence prematurely shattered by horrors outside time and space.

image via inverse, courtesy of Warner Bros.

The other aspect offers us a glimpse into the Losers’ Club well into the prime of their adulthood. Most of them are successful, enjoy plenty of luxuries in life, and have, by most standards, made it to the top.

This veil of success is just as transparent as the glassy innocence that once concealed their childhoods a generation previously. You don’t have to examine them long before you see the apparent dread etching across their transparencies like splintering cracks splitting across crystal prisms. All the security the Losers have hidden themselves behind – barriers that barred the ugliness of past traumas well beyond the sight of their mind’s naked eye – are broken to pieces and they each must stand vulnerable before the thing they all fear(ed). It taught them what fear is. And now the Losers come to the grim realization that fear cannot be outrun and is dangerously patient.

image via Empire courtesy of Warner Bros.

That’s the (quickening) essence of fear and it takes so many different forms. Those little silent lies told to get ahead, for example. Or the skeletons silently stuffed behind locked doors, skeletons that were left behind years and years ago, thought to be gone forever, but in the still of night, when it’s the darkest and you are at your most vulnerable, you hear the dry tap, tap, tapping of ghoulish fingers rapping from behind the closet door.

The abuse endured or caused. The accident that left a scar so deep that it never fully healed. Or something as simple as an unexpected bill. Fear has many forms.

It keeps us up at night, eating away at our minds. Can I forget the past and just move on? What if the monster under my bed really is there?

A new job, a new car, a new marriage, a new kid. Everything is new and that makes it pristine, something virginal; something untouched by the trauma of the past. That’s all ancient history, but it, IT, never forgets. It never forgives. And It remains hungry!

image via IMDB courtesy of Warner Bros

A vast majority of society swallow pills to cope with anxiety. Some lose themselves to drink or drugs. Some burry themselves in their work or their hobbies. Others run to church hoping the sanctity of God’s holy temple will be enough to slam the doors shut in the drooling face of mounting fears. And for a while these things – these distractions – work. They don’t last though. Once you leave work or look up from your projects, your vacation, or the face of your loved ones It is still there just as patient as ever and ready to greet every one of us with a nice big smile.

“Hello,” It says with a playful wave. “Remember me? I remember you. Oh yes, I do. How could I forget?”

Stephen King has personified fear (insanely) perfectly in his nightmarish creation of Pennywise, or It. Naming the story ‘It’ makes it sound so ambiguous. It, or ‘It’ could be anything at all. The darkness after you turn off the light. The scratching sound under your bed. The stranger standing on your porch at 4 am. It is in fact whatever it is you and I fear. It is the substance of things we dare not admit to anyone, something only we know and guard jealously in our hearts.

It knows what we fear, oh yes, It knows all-too-well, and that’s what It feeds on. We don’t feed It our fears, It feeds into what we dread so It can feed on us.

It eats away our days one fretted hour at a time. It feeds off of us like a vampiric parasite leaching away the best years of our lives and locking us in a self-imposed cell. A cell constructed by anxiety, dread, paranoia, isolationism, antisocialism, and, well you get the picture. Many of us suffer from such imprisonment and we’re locked up in ourselves. And it feels as if no matter how far we go and no matter how fast we run we never can escape that hideous power that throws away the key of our liberty – fear.

I understand, probably better than you realize, oh boy do I get it. Or It gets me.

The Losers

Ancient myths gave people a story of Beowulf who faced the monsters of chaos, destruction, and terror of the day. People found immense comfort in such tales of unfaltering bravery, showing how one single person can rise up to confront a catastrophe everyone else is made to flee from.

That’s the power of a very good story.

That’s why we need the Losers’ Club.

Stephen King understands the power of fear, of It, and presents to us an unlikely band of heroes who begrudgingly return to their Past to face the cackling image of all their traumas. ‘Heroes’ is used very loosely here too. We don’t have armed warriors, or people gifted with magical powers. We are given real-to life men and women who are asked to deal with the terror of their childhoods.

image via Newshub courtesy of Warner Bros.

In a scary story about a killer clown, Stephen King gives us a group we can admire. A band to stand with. They’re far from perfect, and that makes them relatable. None of them want to do what is called of them. They’re older but the old trauma has never really gone away. All they really have is each other, and that strength in numbers is enough to face It.

In the same manner, we have our community centered on horror. We may not have the best of friends or an accepting family, but in no way does that mean we’re left alone. At the very least you have your old pal Manic here every time you open an article to read my ramblings.

We have one another, and that keeps the community strong.

So here’s to the Losers, to all the freaks, geeks, and horror creeps out there who weren’t the coolest in school, or the most popular growing up. To the Drive-In Mutants and the weirdos sitting on the fringes of society reading past-issues of Gorezone magazine, trading monster cards with other collectors, and adding more NECA horror guys to the shelf we are our own little club. You’re my Nasties, Manic loves ya and I hope to see you all sitting in a dark theater along-side your fellow Losers and watching the conclusion of It!

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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‘Strange Darling’ Featuring Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald Lands Nationwide Release [Watch Clip]

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Strange Darling Kyle Gallner

‘Strange Darling,’ a standout film featuring Kyle Gallner, who is nominated for an iHorror award for his performance in ‘The Passenger,’ and Willa Fitzgerald, has been acquired for a wide theatrical release in the United States by Magenta Light Studios, a new enterprise from veteran producer Bob Yari. This announcement, brought to us by Variety, follows the film’s successful premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2023, where it was universally praised for its creative storytelling and compelling performances, achieving a perfect score of 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from 14 reviews.

Strange Darling – Movie Clip

Directed by JT Mollner, ‘Strange Darling‘ is a thrilling narrative of a spontaneous hookup that takes an unexpected and terrifying turn. The film is notable for its innovative narrative structure and the exceptional acting of its leads. Mollner, known for his 2016 Sundance entry “Outlaws and Angels,” has once again employed 35mm for this project, cementing his reputation as a filmmaker with a distinct visual and narrative style. He is currently involved in adapting Stephen King’s novel “The Long Walk” in collaboration with director Francis Lawrence.

Bob Yari expressed his enthusiasm for the film’s upcoming release, scheduled for August 23rd, highlighting the unique qualities that make ‘Strange Darling’ a significant addition to the horror genre. “We are thrilled to be bringing nationwide theatrical audiences this unique and exceptional film with terrific performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. This second feature from talented writer-director JT Mollner is destined to become a cult classic that defies conventional storytelling,” Yari told Variety.

Variety’s review of the film from Fantastic Fest lauds Mollner’s approach, saying, “Mollner shows himself to be more forward-thinking than most of his genre peers. He’s clearly a student of the game, one who studied his forebears’ lessons with adroitness to better prepare himself to put his own mark on them.” This praise underlines Mollner’s deliberate and thoughtful engagement with the genre, promising audiences a film that is both reflective and innovative.

Strange Darling

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