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Locke and Key – Welcome To Lovecraft Review

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Like every other comic book fan in the world I have heard great things about Locke and Key. Today I finally started reading it some time after the final issue was released. I began and finished reading the first volume today, burning through all of the issues in one sitting. It is as good as they say, it’s some of the best writing I have read in comic books and it is done with a truly cinematic flair.

Locke and Key - Welcome To Lovecraft flashbackLocke and Key is pure horror genius, there may not be a more frightening comic out there. Locke and Key has a gothic tone that is present in both the writing and the artwork. The art has an odd yet effecting style, I don’t know if are aware of The Uncanny Valley hypothesis or not but it is relevant here. The idea is that humans relate to a character that is artificial only if it is human looking but a little bit off. If an animated character is too human it has an eerie effect and it brings the audience out of the character as their brain looks for the features of it that aren’t like us. Animating a relate able and identifiable character for the audience to empathise with is about getting a balance of human elements and something else that makes it a little bit off. Gabriel Rodriguez has got it right in this one, he doesn’t draw characters perfectly anatomically correct because he doesn’t need to. We don’t notice that we just notice how excellently emotive he makes them. These characters are so easy to connect to because of how well he can draw emotion into the character’s eyes. This is where the Uncanny Valley theory comes in, we don’t notice what is wrong about the characters, because they are a little bit wrong but so human we connect with them.

Locke and Key - Welcome To Lovecraft-the first doorWe have to also talk about Joe Hill, he is a genius. I know I keep using that word but its true, Joe Hill, the son of Stephen King is a master at writing dialogue and an intricate story. These characters were so raw and so real, its amazing to think that a person can have so many real people in his head ready to place into a story. There were times where a character would say something that was like a punch to the gut, or a villain would say something that would send a shiver down your spine. There were even times in this comic where a character would say something that made me laugh which is also amazing given how gothic and glum this story is. Joe Hill also has an excellent writing skill in that he knows how to create a cinematic moment for the artist to create.

Locke and Key-flashbackThe concept of the keys and the locked door leading to endless possibilities is a fascinating one, it is an incredibly unique concept that has a lot of mileage. This premise is amazing, the writer has created a really fascinating mythos that make me want to learn more about this strange back story of dark magic. If you think that so far this doesn’t sound scary you are wrong, trust me. The strong writing making us identify with the characters alone makes this story scary as when the shit goes down you are terrified that these characters that you have come to care about might meet a terrible fate. The visuals pull no punches, not shying away from some quite brutal stuff making the danger of the antagonist very real. Which is why when the villain gets loose again in the final issue, the audience really is afraid of him. There is also a kind of jump scare which is amazing given that the format is that it is a comic book.

Locke and Key-The WellThe issues are really well paced, building up the tension more and more, issue by issue as the villains get stronger until the shit finally hits the fan in the climactic final issue. I cannot wait to read the other volumes, I might do a review of each volume given how good this series is and how much I enjoy writing about it. The fact that I have got my thoughts on the general stuff such as art and writing style out the way in this review means the review of volume 2 can be more about my thoughts on the events and plot itself of that instalment. So if you are more interested in discussion on the actual story, not just the basic surface level stuff stay tuned for my review of volume 2: Head Games which will be more in depth and will no doubt talk more directly about the story.

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Melissa Barrera Says ‘Scary Movie VI’ Would Be “Fun To Do”

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Melissa Barrera might literally get the last laugh on Spyglass thanks to a possible Scary Movie sequel. Paramount and Miramax are seeing the right opportunity to bring the satirical franchise back into the fold and announced last week one might be in production as early as this fall.

The last chapter of the Scary Movie franchise was almost a decade ago and since the series lampoons thematic horror movies and pop culture trends, it would seem they have a lot of content to draw ideas from, including the recent reboot of slasher series Scream.

Barerra, who starred as final girl Samantha in those movies was abruptly fired from the latest chapter, Scream VII, for expressing what Spyglass interpreted as “antisemitism,” after the actress came out in support of Palestine on social media.

Even though the drama wasn’t a laughing matter, Barrera might get her chance to parody Sam in Scary Movie VI. That is if the opportunity arises. In an interview with Inverse, the 33-year-old actress was asked about Scary Movie VI, and her reply was intriguing.

“I always loved those movies,” the actress told Inverse. “When I saw it announced, I was like, ‘Oh, that would be fun. That would be so fun to do.’”

That “fun to do” part could be construed as a passive pitch to Paramount, but that’s open to interpretation.

Just like in her franchise, Scary Movie also has a legacy cast including Anna Faris and Regina Hall. There is no word yet on if either of those actors will appear in the reboot. With or without them, Barrera is still a fan of the comedies. “They have the iconic cast that did it, so we’ll see what goes on with that. I’m just excited to see a new one,” she told the publication.

Barrera is currently celebrating the box office success of her latest horror movie Abigail.

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Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody

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Radio Silence Films

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella are all filmmakers under the collective label called Radio Silence. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are the primary directors under that moniker while Villella produces.

They have gained popularity over the past 13 years and their films have become known as having a certain Radio Silence “signature.” They are bloody, usually contain monsters, and have breakneck action sequences. Their recent film Abigail exemplifies that signature and is perhaps their best film yet. They are currently working on a reboot of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.

We thought we would go through the list of projects they have directed and rank them from high to low. None of the movies and shorts on this list are bad, they all have their merits. These rankings from top to bottom are just ones we felt showcased their talents the best.

We didn’t include movies they produced but didn’t direct.

#1. Abigail

An update to the second film on this list, Abagail is the natural progression of Radio Silence’s love of lockdown horror. It follows in pretty much the same footsteps of Ready or Not, but manages to go one better — make it about vampires.

Abigail

#2. Ready or Not

This film put Radio Silence on the map. While not as successful at the box office as some of their other films, Ready or Not proved that the team could step outside their limited anthology space and create a fun, thrilling, and bloody adventure-length film.

Ready or Not

#3. Scream (2022)

While Scream will always be a polarizing franchise, this prequel, sequel, reboot — however you want to label it showed just how much Radio Silence knew the source material. It wasn’t lazy or cash-grabby, just a good time with legendary characters we love and new ones who grew on us.

Scream (2022)

#4 Southbound (The Way Out)

Radio Silence tosses their found footage modus operandi for this anthology film. Responsible for the bookend stories, they create a terrifying world in their segment titled The Way Out, which involves strange floating beings and some sort of time loop. It’s kind of the first time we see their work without a shaky cam. If we were to rank this entire film, it would remain at this position on the list.

Southbound

#5. V/H/S (10/31/98)

The film that started it all for Radio Silence. Or should we say the segment that started it all. Even though this isn’t feature-length what they managed to do with the time they had was very good. Their chapter was titled 10/31/98, a found-footage short involving a group of friends who crash what they think is a staged exorcism only to learn not to assume things on Halloween night.

V/H/S

#6. Scream VI

Cranking up the action, moving to the big city and letting Ghostface use a shotgun, Scream VI turned the franchise on its head. Like their first one, this film played with canon and managed to win over a lot of fans in its direction, but alienated others for coloring too far outside the lines of Wes Craven’s beloved series. If any sequel was showing how the trope was going stale it was Scream VI, but it managed to squeeze some fresh blood out of this nearly three-decade mainstay.

Scream VI

#7. Devil’s Due

Fairly underrated, this, Radio Silence’s first feature-length film, is a sampler of things they took from V/H/S. It was filmed in an omnipresent found footage style, showcasing a form of possession, and features clueless men. Since this was their first bonafide major studio job it’s a wonderful touchstone to see how far they have come with their storytelling.

Devil’s Due

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Perhaps the Scariest, Most Disturbing Series of The Year

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You may have never heard of Richard Gadd, but that will probably change after this month. His mini-series Baby Reindeer just hit Netflix and it’s a terrifying deep dive into abuse, addiction, and mental illness. What is even scarier is that it’s based on Gadd’s real-life hardships.

The crux of the story is about a man named Donny Dunn played by Gadd who wants to be a stand-up comedian, but it’s not working out so well thanks to stage fright stemming from his insecurity.

One day at his day job he meets a woman named Martha, played to unhinged perfection by Jessica Gunning, who is instantly charmed by Donny’s kindness and good looks. It doesn’t take long before she nicknames him “Baby Reindeer” and begins to relentlessly stalk him. But that is just the apex of Donny’s problems, he has his own incredibly disturbing issues.

This mini-series should come with a lot of triggers, so just be warned it is not for the faint of heart. The horrors here don’t come from blood and gore, but from physical and mental abuse that go beyond any physiological thriller you may have ever seen.

“It’s very emotionally true, obviously: I was severely stalked and severely abused,” Gadd said to People, explaining why he changed some aspects of the story. “But we wanted it to exist in the sphere of art, as well as protect the people it’s based on.”

The series has gained momentum thanks to positive word-of-mouth, and Gadd is getting used to the notoriety.

“It’s clearly struck a chord,” he told The Guardian. “I really did believe in it, but it’s taken off so quickly that I do feel a bit windswept.”

You can stream Baby Reindeer on Netflix right now.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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