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You Owe Me Awe: Underappreciated Horror Performances

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From Boris Karloff’s Monster to Bela Lugosi’s Dracula and Robert Englund’s Freddy to Anthony Hopkins’ Dr. Lecter, the genres finest portrayals of villains have always been and shall forever remain lauded. With that in mind, I felt it was time to shed some light on a handful of the most underappreciated, yet memorable evil-doers that haven’t always gotten the recognition that they so clearly deserve.

Robert De Niro as Frankenstein’s Monster (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, 1994)

Seems a bit odd to have one of the greatest American actors in cinematic history on this list, but De Niro’s performance in Francis Ford Coppola’s epic was one for the ages. De Niro ran the gamut of emotions that Frankenstein’s Monster was intended to evoke — disgust, sympathy, anger and fear — but it was not the inhuman strength displayed ripping the heart from the chest of Dr. Frankenstein’s beloved or even the struggle to find acceptance as with Karloff’s Monster, but rather the dialogue that left viewers frozen in wide-eyed horror.

“Not things learned so much as things…remembered.”

When asking Kenneth Branagh’s doctor for “a companion. A female,” De Niro indicated that “I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine, and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one,” then head quivering with delicious enjoyment, “I will indulge the other.” Later, when Frankenstein looked to abandon the very task he had promised, De Niro assured “If you deny me my wedding night. I will be with you on yours.”

De Niro’s Monster left no doubt that he kept his promises.

de-niroEverett McGill as Reverend Lester Lowe (Silver Bullet, 1985)

Though Silver Bullet’s jaw-dropping performance belongs to Kent Broadhurst, if you’re a regular reader of iHorror, you are fully aware of my affinity for not only this Stephen King adaptation, but for McGill’s portrayal of Reverend Lowe. How far a man would go to protect himself, even when he begged of the horror, “Let it end, dear God. Let it end.”

From the reveal to a car chase that ended with McGill rocking an eye-patch and menacing five o’clock shadow, we learned that little Marty was going to have a terrible accident.

“Well Jane…little brothers sometimes do that.”

Eat your heart out, Negan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUBvcS5KEYc

Dan O’Herlihy as Conal Cochran (Halloween III: Season of the Witch, 1983)

Understated performances can feel the most unsettling, and that was indisputable in the case of O’Herlihy as Cochran. True, some knocked (and still knock) the third installment of Halloween for a villain not named Michael Myers, but the calm, composed exterior of Cochran was never rattled, even when things were falling apart around him.

Rather than panic as his Stonehenge plot unraveled, O’Herlihy simply offered something of a mocked golf clap. And his little spiel directed at a fettered Dr. Challis (Tom Atkins) told the tale of the festival of Samhain, when “the hills ran red with the blood of animals and children.” His gleeful “trick on the children” was cemented with every ounce of seething disdain that crept from his mouth at little ones “begging for candy.”

Evil intent with a dash of impunity. The very definition of horror.

Tom Noonan as Francis Dollarhyde (Manhunter, 1986)

It has to be said, I have always had an odd fascination, dare I say obsession with the Thomas Harris character who always takes a backseat to Hannibal the Cannibal.

While Red Dragon allowed greater opportunity for Ralph Fiennes to explore not only what created but continued to affect the Tooth Fairy, Noonan was precisely what I saw in my mind’s eye when reading Harris’ novel of the same name. The power, a life lived in imagination and dreams, and the God-like manner and horror of his Becoming.

The scene which encapsulated the essence of Dollarhyde (and left viewers ghastly white) came with Freddy Lounds (Stephen Lang) glued to an antique wheel chair and threatened with having his eyelids stapled to his forehead. With intense anger pulsating through every pore, Noonan’s delivery of “You owe me AWE” was enough to cause collective incontinence in the healthiest of audiences.

Just a few of my favorites. Tell us about yours.

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News

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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