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[SXSW Review] ‘Us’ is a Masterstroke of Genre Genius

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Us

Jordan Peele’s move from comedy to horror forged a new name among the masters of horror lineup. With Get Out he added social commentary relevancy back to genre film in game-changing ways. And while a sophomore jinx is always scary and a heck of a possibility, his latest film Us takes a peak in a new terrifyingly relevant area of our society while offering up a new breed of horror.

Us follows a family on vacation down to the coast near Santa Cruz. The introduction to the family leads you safely in, allowing you to put your guard down and experience the events to come shoulder to shoulder along side them. When their home is suddenly attacked by what appears to be doppelgängers, their night goes down a weird, dark and revelatory path. From there the film becomes very much a home invasion thriller with their doppelgängers, who are referred as ‘The Tethered’, attempting to untether themselves using giant pairs of gold scissors.

The cast is absolutely amazing with Elisabeth Moss giving food for nightmares in her portrayal as her doppelgänger, Dahlia. Lupita Nyong’o absolutely transcends as both Adelaide and her dopple, Red. Her choices as Red especially full of a quite menace and is definitely an approach I haven’t seen before.

Peele is on point aesthetically and tonally taking us from bright Instagram gold exteriors to dower claustrophobic areas. Along with these things, he also creates a living mythos out of a a viciously entertaining two-hour runtime. He is also an expert at giving the audience what they don’t want to see in terms of having characters make iffy decisions that he knows will have people screaming “don’t go in there, dummy!” from the aisles. But, he does so with a deep understanding of the genre never allowing you to know where the scare is going to come from within the fun of yelling at the screen.

Where before Peele deconstructed underlying racial injustices through the genre. Here he peels back the covers on America as a whole and explores where the Reagan administration, 80’s era new money and our current state of social media usage has lead us to a time we are embolden to our digital selves.

It’s one of those films that I’m sure can be dissected a hundred ways. And that’s what is really special about it. I can already feel that my second, third and fourth viewings will each bear new theories.

While it is a razor sharp cookie of a film, it is a simultaneous blast and a crowd pleaser. Creating big moments that had our audience cheering, the mood of the film is still very Jordan Peele and in the vein of honesty in comedy and horror. For example, from the beginning of the film, multiple VHS cases are visible on a shelf that include C.H.U.D., The Goonies, The Man with Two Brains among others. And each is playfully paid homage to throughout. This makes for intense melding of fun, smarts and genre nerd stuff that I can totally get behind.

The film is full to the brim with symbolism as well, ranging from baby boomer generation inspired multiplying rabbits, to the easter eggs of strange coincidence that fill each frame. Even the doppelgängers names are in references to specific queues. “Umbrae” for example refers to the darkest part of a shadow. The entire film is filled with these little mysteries that beg to be pieced together.

Cinematographer, Mike Gioulakis is responsible for creating the visual tension in both It Follows and Glass and follows up here with the best thing I have seen him do yet. Not afraid to play around with angles, close-ups and wide shots Gioulakis is able to maintain an energy that is hard to look away from even with the threat of being petrified with fear.

In its final moments the film gives what is going to be one of my favorite edited, choreographed and scored sequences of 2019. It’s entirely haunting, beautiful and grounded in genius and I can’t wait to discuss this in a more spoilery way after the film comes out. Cause… damn!

Us is weird, hilarious, terrifying and poignant. Most importantly it’s devilishly entertaining and has a lot of fun to unpack. Peele is at ease that stance has lent to creating more tension, frights and laughs than he has before. Get Out was good, Us is plain masterful.

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

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The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

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