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TADFF Review: Supernatural Comedy ‘Extra Ordinary’ Will Lift Your Spirits

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Extra Ordinary

Few things are as instantly uplifting as a good horror comedy. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but when done well, they can win over even the darkest of hearts. If you’re in need of a good laugh and a heartwarming story, quirky Irish horror comedy Extra Ordinary is a solid selection. 

Extra Ordinary follows driving instructor Rose Dooley (Maeve Higgins) who has done her best to suppress her former life as a psychic after her supernatural talents caused the accidental death of her father. When a ritual prepared by one-hit-wonder Christian Winters (Will Forte) leaves his daughter floating and possessed, Martin Martin (Barry Ward) calls on Rose to help, and she reluctantly agrees to dust off her skills to save the day. 

via IMDb

Written and directed by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman, Extra Ordinary is a delightful feature film debut. Blessed with a quick wit and a perfect cast — including comedic heavyweight Will Forte (Last Man on Earth) and comedy darling Claudia O’Doherty (Love) — it skips through each scene with a lighthearted ease. 

Forte and O’Doherty ham it up, but they keep it at just the right energy so that it never feels excessive. Their passive bickering hits each comedic tone perfectly, really selling the exhausted nature of their relationship. They milk every scene for all it’s worth, and they’re both just so damn good at it.

Higgins as Rose is so instantly likable that you’re on board with her through the whole film. She has an innocent pleasence, and it’s thoroughly charming. Ward shows his versatility as an actor when his role demands a certain unexpected duality, which he pulls off to great comedic effect. 

via IMDb

Together, Higgins and Ward have great chemistry with an awkward yet endearing romantic shuffle. Rose is flustered by her feelings, and it’s a very sweet peek at the early days of love. She seeks a confidant in her fiercely supportive sister, Sailor (Terri Chandler); the two have a no-questions-asked acceptance that is actually quite moving. Relationships are a focal point in Extra Ordinary, easing the story forward and giving it a bit more depth. Each performance is well developed and played with full commitment. 

The film has a sensible enchantment; it’s modest with sparse yet well shot settings that are very down-to-earth. At risk of over-using the adjective, it’s just incredibly charming. The laughs are genuine and the spooky bits are vital yet never heavy-handed. 

via IMDb

Extra Ordinary balances its humor with its horror very well. It’s definitely skewed more in the comedic direction, but it uses horror elements as a baseline and jumping off point for the story. Demons, dark rituals, sacrifices, and lingering spirits are the bread and butter of the film — literally everything revolves around the supernatural in one way or another. But because of the lighter tone, Extra Ordinary is broadly accessible. You could watch this with a friend who has no interest in the horror genre and they’d have a good time. 

That said, there’s an excellent bloody surprise or two to keep your baser needs satisfied. The comedic vibe is ever-present, but it’s not at all afraid to dip into the dark side. As far as horror-comedies go, Extra Ordinary is rather sly. Where some films in the subgenre can feel a bit disjointed — jumping between tones and tripping in the process — the film’s two sides layer rather than compete. The story requires both to really work. The team of Ahern and Loughman have quickly found their footing, and as a result, Extra Ordinary hits the ground running.

Cheeky, charming, and completely enjoyable, the film spins a supernatural tale with a good sense of humor and pitch-perfect performances. If you’re in the mood for a horror comedy with a lot of heart and a great ghostly story, let Extra Ordinary lift your spirits.

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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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