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Tom de Ville’s ‘Corvidae’ is a Beautifully Dark Fairy Tale

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There’s something inherently magical about Tom de Ville’s captivating new short filmĀ Corvidae. It reaches into the viewer’s gut to a place where primal instincts reign supreme, bullies get what’s coming to them, and an act of kindness brings nature itself to one’s aid.

In other words, he’s created a fairy tale with the feel of a terrifying story you might uncover on the dusty shelves of your favorite library or in the back of a secondhand bookstore.

In the 11 minute film, a young girl named Jay, played by the remarkable Maisie Williams from “Game of Thrones”, rescues a crow after it is cruelly injured by a boy with a slingshot. She takes the corvid to her home and attempts to nurse it back to health.

Later on, when the boy and his two cohorts attack Jay when she returns to the woods, they find out far too late that crows have long memories…and they hold onto grudges.

Official poster for Corvidae

Corvidae,Ā which forgoes dialogue all together, is quite simply one of the most compelling short films of its kind that I have seen in a very long time. Every direction from de Ville is enhanced by the skilled editing hand of Miikka Leskinen resulting in a palpable tension that crescendos from the softest beginning to the guttural caw of its ending.

Williams gives an amazing performance in an almost entirely silent role proving, yet again, why hers is a rising star. Her soulful eyes convey every fear, every care, and every hurt to the audience and draws us into the film’s world with alacrity.

Sound designer Vincent Watts and composerĀ Adam NordĆ©n, meanwhile, bring their considerable talents to the film, filling the space left by the lack of dialogue with a textured landscape of natural sounds and music and amplifying its folkloric feel.

What works most about the film, however, is its universal feel. Much like any fairy tale, it could take place anywhere which only serves to intensify the sheer terror of the story’s moral.

CorvidaeĀ will make its debut this weekend at Fright Fest in London before it heads out to the festival circuit. Check out the trailer below, and keep your eye out for appearances at festivals near you!

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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/directorĀ SĆ©bastien VanicekĀ 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. “Heā€™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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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize theyā€™re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldnā€™t notice.Ā They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400.Ā 

If youā€™re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing.Ā 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction.Ā 

ā€œUncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you donā€™t sign, thereā€™s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!ā€

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I canā€™t bear it any longer.ā€Ā 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

Ā ā€œShe attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,ā€Ā Police Chief FĆ”bio Luiz said in an interview withĀ TV Globo. ā€œOur priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.ā€

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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