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M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Servant’ is Off to a Brilliant Start on AppleTV+

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Servant

Servant, the new series written by Tony Basgallop (To the Ends of the Earth) and executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense), started strong last week when the first three episodes dropped on AppleTV+.

The series stars Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Toby Kebbell (Warcraft) as Dorothy and Sean Turner, a couple suffering after the loss of their infant child, Jericho. Dorothy was inconsolable to the point of catatonia after Jericho’s death but thanks to a controversial therapy using a lifelike doll as a substitute she has begun taking steps into her old life.

Making the decision to go back to work, she hires Leanne Grayson (Game of Thrones’ Nell Tiger Free) who takes the job, never questioning that her charge is not a living child.

The series is a gloriously atmospheric character study, carefully paced with unexpected surprises around every turn thanks to Basgallop’s writing and the cast’s commitment to their roles.

Ambrose moves from one moment to the next across a perilous psychological landscape with the alacrity of a trained dancer, giving each moment just enough weight before moving to the next inevitable hill or valley. Her performance is especially effective in those valleys, however, as we realize with a palpable sense of dread that even at her lowest, she is still standing on the edge of a cliff.

Kebbell’s Sean, meanwhile, is caught in the equally perilous balancing act between caring for his wife while trying to heal himself. His patience is thin and he lashes out before breaking down while trying to process all of the feelings he has going on inside himself.

And then there’s Leanne. Free plays her with a cold disconnect that leaves the audience uncertain of her actions as well as the motivations behind them. There is something terrifying about Free in this role that could very well place her on nomination lists when award season rolls around.

Nell Tiger Free as Leanne in Servant

The central cast is rounded out by Rupert Grint who famously played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise and continues to prove that he is much more than the role that made him famous with his no-nonsense portrayal of Dorothy’s brother.

It’s a dynamite mixture that keeps Servant on its slow-burn course from one episode to the next.

For his part, Shyamalan, who shares directing duties on Servant with Daniel Sackheim and Lisa Bruhlmann, brings some of his signature style and settings to the series. The man has an uncanny ability to inject dread into otherwise innocuous objects and that talent is on full display throughout the first three episodes.

Be warned, the pacing here is slow, and there are a lot of moving parts to the plot. There is nothing simple about this series at all, but despite its pace, Basgallop manages to include just enough unexpected twists and turns in each half-hour episode to keep the audience guessing.

Will that keep them watching?

That remains to be seen, and will almost completely hinge on whether they can maintain the precarious balancing act they’ve created for themselves and for their characters.

The first three episodes of Servant are currently available on AppleTV+ with new episodes debuting each week.

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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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Movies

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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