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Movie Review: Vampyres (2016)

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Vampyres from Spanish filmmaker Víctor Matellano is a remake of a 1974 British vampire film about two women vampire lovers who live in an old house in the countryside, where they lure men to use as both playthings and food sources – often simultaneously. This is essentially the plot of both the original and the remake.

For the first two-thirds, Vampyres feels like an uninspired rehash of the original, and frankly I was ready to write the entire thing off as such, but then things started to take a different turn in the final third, which is where you can say that the film warrants its reason for existing.

First, let’s talk about that first two thirds. I’ve lost count of how many remakes I’ve seen this year, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of two in particular while watching this one – Martyrs and Cabin Fever. That’s not because this movie in any way resembles either film. It’s because like this film initially felt, both of these films also felt incredibly pointless. They took films that many consider to be modern classics and rehashed them in ways that did nothing to improve upon the originals.

I certainly don’t have the affinity for 1974’s Vampyres that I do for Martyrs or Cabin Fever (though it’s certainly well-liked by a lot of people), but it’s certainly a cut above this remake in these earlier two-thirds. The original told basically the same story (there are some minor changes), but in a more visually pleasing and well-photographed way. It’s not that Matellano and crew did a poor job here. It’s just that the original already exists, and there’s nothing in this majority of the movie that brings anything superior to the table.

Now, the final third is where things get more interesting. Again, I’m not a huge fan of the original, so those who love that may strongly disagree here, but this is where things take a turn for the more gruesome and firmly plant this version in the horror genre whereas you might say the original borders on soft core.

I won’t go into specifics, but there’s enough here for gorehounds to latch onto and make it worth a watch. It’s also enough to change my opinion of the film as a whole in terms of its validity as a remake. While it take a while to do so, it does in fact bring something new to the table, and depending on what you want from the film, this could be considered an improvement.

Vampyres is now out on DVD and VOD. The film stars Caroline Munro, Christian Stamm, Veronica Bacorn, Marta Flich, and Almudena León.

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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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