Connect with us

News

Horror Short Sunday: ‘Intruders’

Published

on

December’s icy grip is already taking hold, and what better way to welcome the cold this Horror Short Sunday than with writer/director Santiago Menghini’s melancholy short film Intruders (2014). This chilling piece stars Joshua Young, Charles Sirard Blouin, Sarianne Cormier, Alain Gendreau, Lynda Lapierre, and Tristan Gabriel Chaput. The film was produced by Katerine Lefrançois.

Here is the official synopsis:

“In the aftermath of a deadly haunting in a small suburban home, a sinister omnipresent entity proceeds to cause havoc in the private lives of a young boy, an unsuspecting teen, and an absent minded inspector.”

Intruders plays out like an episodic horror story told in three parts. The first two segments of the film are adapted from short comics titled 5:45 A.M. by Al Columbia and Jacov by Uno Moralez, while the final segment titled Inspector is an original creation.

Here is a breakdown of Intruders’ three segments:

5:45 A.M.

We open on a suburban home now still and quieted in the aftermath of something terrible that occurred. The interior is left in disarray, as an older woman’s lifeless body sits with eyes wide open on the living room couch. But there is someone else with her. We hear a ruckus outside as eggs pelt the windows, and two young vandals are seen making a run for it into the cold night.

Jacov

One of the vandals now sits alone in the bedroom of his high-rise apartment drawing at his desk. As the snow falls softly outside, Jacov suddenly pauses sensing a strange presence. Something has followed the boys home from the sleepy suburban house they antagonized.

Inspector

An inspector wanders into the disheveled home seen in the first segment to investigate what occurred. He makes his way from room to room, snapping photos of the scene. As he continues searching for clues, he suddenly feels he’s not alone.

Intruders is a unnerving experience, as we drift in and out of each ambiguous segment like a bad dream. Jacov’s story is terrifying in such a surreal way. The monstrous woman inexplicably spots Jacov from the window, makes her way to him at impossible speed, and somehow knows exactly where he is in a large building. The pacing and tone feels like it was pulled directly from someone’s nightmares. It’s a horrifying call-back to Hitchcock’s Rear Window that absolutely stands on its own.

Director of photography Ray Lavers does a gorgeous job bringing the panels from the comics to life. The disheveled interior of the suburban home sits undisturbed and bathed in shadow like a mausoleum, with outside streetlights and headlights revealing the horrors within. The short has rich visuals with many stunningly lit shots resembling classic chiaroscuro paintings. The visual storytelling in Intruders is so strong you may not even realize until after you watched it that there is no actual dialogue.

Intruders has an eerie peacefulness to its snowy winter aesthetic. The sound department lends a delicate subtlety to the cold atmosphere with soft wind blowing outside, and no stinging jump scares breaking the mood. The score by Hugo Mayrand is subdued, creeping in and out of the silence during key moments.

Santiago Menghini’s Intruders is a dark force to be reckoned with that will keep you unsettled long after it’s over. This ominous film would pair well with the heavy atmosphere of Ju-On and Let the Right One In. Check out the full short film below!

Be sure to curl up on the couch and take a look at some of our other Horror Short Sunday picks! We’ll be back next week with another great short film for you to enjoy!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

on

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

on

lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

on

28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading