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M. Night Shyamalan Movies That Deserve Another Chance

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M. Night Shyamalan is one of those writers/directors everyone loves to hate but I never really understood why. Yes, The Last Airbender was not his shining moment and his first attempt at an ACTUAL horror movie format with The Visit didn’t go well, but that doesn’t mean he’s not great at what he does. He’s got talent and some of his least popular movies deserve another chance.

Everyone loved The Sixth Sense. That was our introduction to the Shyamalan twist, as it has come to be known. Nobody saw it coming and if they said they did, I call bullshit. It was slow burning, quiet and terrifying. Haley Joel Osment killed his role and it went down very quickly as a classic.

Unbreakable was also a crowd favorite, but then things started to go downhill for Shyamalan and his fans. People started getting tired of the twists, disliking the stories thinking they were stupid and giving his movies poor ratings to which I say….”What the hell is wrong with you people??”

There was even a creepy mockumentary about all of his mysteries like he was some supernatural being called The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan. It was wildly entertaining and I thought it was so fun that he participated even though he got a lot of criticism for marketing it as real. They took a tip from The Blair Witch Project and it backfired.

I’m taking this time to remind you, my lovely readers, about why you should love M. Night Shyamalan’s movies, past The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. This is excluding his new movie Split that has received rave reviews.

5. The Village

M. Night Shyamalan

Image courtesy of Where’s the Jump

Oh my God, the hate for The Village is palpable. When you start talking about it, the haters literally climb from between the couch cushions to say why they hate it so much. Maybe because I don’t go into a movie or a magic show determined to spoil the twists and tricks that I am able to enjoy it more. While I thought the “monsters” in the woods were silly looking, the actual story was interesting and heartbreaking.

4. Lady in the Water

M. Night Shyamalan

Maybe it was the performance by Paul Giamatti or the dry humor hidden between the fantasy story, I’m not sure but I love this movie, despite the overwhelmingly negative reviews. I have seen it multiple times and I love it every time. Bryce Dallas Howard pulls out another quiet and strong performance as Story and the characters in the apartment building are exaggerated and wonderful. It doesn’t deserve the hate it receives.

3. Devil

M. Night Shyamalan

Image courtesy of Culturefy

While it follows the famous Shaymalan guideline, its style is very different due to the fact that he just produced it. Confined to basically one set, this movie is paranoid and claustrophobic. While the twist is easier to see coming in this particular movie, it was creepy and more disturbing than his other movies.

2. The Happening

M. Night Shyamalan

Image courtesy of OSW Review

Spoiler alert….it was the trees and people bitched about that to no end. It was M. Night Shyamalan’s first rated R film and I think this might be his creepiest one. It released to negative reviews but this remains one of my favorites. The thought that you take your own life out of your own control is terrifying. And I thought that the idea that nature was doing what it had to to protect itself was a refreshing and new idea. This movie deserves a lot of love.

1. Signs

M. Night Shyamalan

Image courtesy of Blu Ray

This movie is considered one of his better ones and for good reason. I’m biased because I love most things alien but this movie is very well made. While I could do without the repeated flashbacks that build to the big ending, it’s a slow burn and builds to a creepy crescendo. The fact that you only see small flashes of the aliens themselves makes the movie even better. Signs is great for watching more than once and the creepiness remains. It’s definitely tops in my book.

I believe these movies deserve more love than what they were given. What is your favorite of M. Night Shyamalan’s so-called “worst” films? Let us know in the comments. While you’re here, check out the Split/Unbreakable news here.

(Featured image courtesy of ET Online)

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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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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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