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Behind the Monster: Robert Maillet is The Strain’s ‘Master’

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strainmaster

Have you ever been watching a horror movie or TV show and found yourself wondering who a particular villain is played by, underneath the makeup or behind the mask? Well in this new feature here on iHorror, we take off those masks, peel back that makeup and reveal the men (and women) behind the monsters!

Since the show’s first season is ramping up for the finale, it seems only fitting that the first monster we profile is from the FX vampire series The Strain. The lead villain of the series, ‘The Master’ is a MASSIVE monster who is responsible for the vampire infection spreading throughout New York City. Essentially, he’s the uber vampire, his appearance oftentimes cloaked in secrecy and his mind always focused on the destruction of humanity.

It was only recently that the cloak came off and The Master’s full form was revealed, during an episode a few weeks back. And holy shit does he look awesome. While many have commented on the relatively corny look of the makeup FX, that’s personally what I love so much about the character, as he looks like a giant rubber Halloween decoration. While such a description isn’t always a good thing in the world of horror, it totally works for The Strain, which is at its best when it’s wild and over the top.

maillet

So, who is it underneath all that heavy makeup? That’d be French-Canadian actor Robert Maillet, who actually got his start in the wrestling business. Performing in World Wrestling Entertainment in the late 1990s as Kurrgan, Maillet was a force to be reckoned with in the squared circle, the character eventually morphing into the fun-loving muscle of the freakshow-inspired group known as ‘The Human Oddities.’

After retiring from the wrestling business, the 7-foot-tall giant embarked on a career that didn’t involve a wrestling ring, acting in recent films like 300, Sherlock Holmes, Pacific Rim and Hercules. Given the size of The Master, Maillet was of course a natural fit for the role of The Strain‘s biggest and baddest monster, and it’s interesting to note that even he has to wear platform shoes, in order to make the complete transformation.

Though it’s Maillet who physically portrays The Master – except for select scenes where choreographer Roberto Campanella stands in – Robin Atkin Downes in the man who provides the voice for the character, when speaking is required of him. The British actor’s vocal work can be heard in horror films like Aliens vs. Predator, The Wolf Man and Prometheus.

The Strain airs Sunday nights at 10pm EST on FX, and there are only two episodes left in the inaugural season. If you haven’t been watching, you might want to start playing catch up!

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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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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 they’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 wouldn’t notice. 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. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

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. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

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.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

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

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