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Fantasia 2019: Killer Coven Horror Comedy ‘Satanic Panic’ [REVIEW]

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Satanic Panic

Hosting its International Premiere at Fantasia Fest 2019, Satanic Panic is a sure-fire crowd pleaser. Fresh off of her directorial contribution to Hulu’s Into the Dark episode 8, titled All That We Destroy Chelsea Stardust brings a cheeky charm to the retro-infused, killer coven flick, Satanic Panic.

The film follows a pizza delivery girl, Sam (Hayley Griffith), who ventures into the rich part of town on her route in the hopes that she’ll score some big tips. When she’s stiffed by her wealthy customers, she sneaks inside to confront their frugal asses and finds herself at the hands of a coven in Satanic ritual prep mode. 

Produced by Fangoria with a script written by Grady Hendrix (My Best Friend’s Exorcism), the film embraces its classically inspired camp with open arms. The story is a collaborative effort between Hendrix and Ted Geoghegan (We Are Still Here).

Hendrix’s whip-crack dialogue slings lines like “booty calling Baphomet“ and “triple faced fuck-monster“, delivered with just the right amount of bite. Much like My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Satanic Panic paints the trials and tribulations of a wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time kind of girl who suddenly finds herself way out of her depth, and does so with a light flick of snappy writing to keep it all from getting too dark too fast. 

via Fangoria

The cast is peppered with recognizable names like Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, who beautifully blend into the genre mold alongside familiar faces like AJ Bowen (You’re Next), Ruby Modine (Happy Death Day), and Arden Myrin (MADtv). The performances aren’t exactly convincing, but they’re appropriately theatrical for the tone of the film, which settles somewhere between modern raunchy comedy and 70s/80s synth-scored horror. Satanic Panic knows what it is, and leans into it. 

Griffith plays her role with honesty and innocence while Modine tears into her quippy dialogue — monologues written with such a fierce flow that you’re hanging on every shit-slinging word. Myrin has an absolute blast with her role as the coven’s covetous right-hand man; her melodramatic outbursts work to turn up the energy of the film. Romijn’s performance as the coven leader is graceful and dramatic, but a lot tamer than you’d expect.

Satanic Panic

via Fangoria

Satanic Panic pays homage to the heyday of practical effects with its own series of prosthetics and rigs. It’s really heartwarming to see the commitment to practical effects, and there’s something oddly nostalgic about some of them. They’re modest and – at times – goofy, but that actually works with the whole ambiance of the film. 

That said, at times the film takes itself a little too seriously and doesn’t quite have the confidence to go fully bonkers. It wavers in the realm of light horror comedy, but an occasional dark turn will set a more somber tone. As the action progresses and the situation becomes more dire for our heroine, the easy breezy energy of the opening seems farther and farther away; while this is great for emotional development, it does make the pacing a bit inconsistent. 

Despite its inconsistencies, Satanic Panic is really a fun film. It works within its own realm while pushing beyond its borders for moments of genuine comedic absurdity. If you’re in the mood for a modern horror comedy that honors the cult classics of the 70s and 80s, consider this a beast to be summoned. 

 

Satanic Panic is playing as part of Fantasia Festival’s 2019 lineup. For more films, check out their website or keep an eye out for our reviews.

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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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