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Review: ‘Scream: Resurrection’ Starts Off with a Bang on VH1 Tonight!

Published

5 years ago

July 8, 2019

Scream: Resurrection, or Scream the TV Series Season 3–there are IMDb pages under both names with the exact same information–debuts tonight on VH1 at 9 pm EST with a brand new story set against the backdrop of Atlanta.

The new series centers on Deion Elliot (RJ Cyler), a football star with big dreams and an even bigger secret he’s kept locked away for years. His mother (Mary J. Blige) and half-brother (Tyga) both support him as best as they can, but despite their help, he soon finds himself in a game of cat-and-mouse with a killer that seems to know everything about him and will stop at nothing until Deion is exposed, dead, or both.

What’s more, this killer has a serious hangup with hypocrites, and the first two episodes become increasingly tense as Deion finds that his friends are also targets.

The writers really went for it, attempting to create the meta-trope-filled environment that made the Scream franchise great right down to the character archetypes updated in the most tongue-in-cheek way possible for 2019.

The cast of characters includes:

Kym (Keke Palmer), the activist who is so used to being a leader she just assumes people will do what she says.
Manny (Guillian Yao Gioiello), Kym’s gay best friend who is just trying to make it to graduation so he can make the jump to college and a more queer-friendly environment.
Liv (Jessica Sula), the good-girl cheerleader with a police officer father whose just almost too good to be true.
Amir (Christopher Jordan Wallace), the aspiring DJ who is trying to walk the line between his parent’s faith and the life he wants to live.
Beth (Giorgia Whigham), the goth horror movie fanatic, who knows all the rules for surviving a horror movie but can’t seem to stay out of trouble in the real world herself.

Scream: Resurrection Cast

The show’s creators have also brought back the franchise’s original costume and Roger Jackson who voiced Ghostface in all four of the films which makes this particular iteration of the Scream television series feel just a bit closer to its big screen forebears.

Unfortunately, the writers were working so hard to make it Scream that almost every horror homage and reference seems to barrel off the screen into your face.

Tony Todd, for instance, appears as a war veteran suffering from PTSD with a hook for a hand that the kids call Hookman. All he’s really missing is that fur-lined coat to turn Hookman into Candyman.

It’s certainly nostalgic, but this lack of subtlety ultimately ends up working against them as they set up the rules of the game their killer is playing.

Still, the cast does a fine job of embracing their roles and telling stories of people who recognize their flaws, even if they’re only doing so at knife-point.

Cyler, especially, stands out in the role of Deion pivoting from tough-guy to vulnerability with admirable ease. Whigham’s Beth, meanwhile, is an edgier version of the Randy character from the original trilogy, and though we know that’s her function in the “game,” it’s still refreshing to see her take a more proactive role, rather than rehashing the lovable buffoonery of the trope.

Oddly enough, it’s Keke Palmer as Kym that sits the most uncomfortably. Don’t get me wrong, she acts the role with ease, but you can almost tell at times that she’s growing weary of playing this particular type of character.

After all, she spent two years on Scream Queens playing what is basically the same role, but Kym lacks the humor that Zayday had and because of this, ends up just being loud and a version of brash that borders on bullying even toward Manny, who is supposed to be her best friend.

Despite its flaws, however, by the end of episode two, I was ready to see what would happen next and I suppose that says something about the show.

Will the show ultimately deliver the goods?

Tune into VH1 for the special Scream: Resurrection event starting tonight at 9 pm EST and see for yourselves. The next four episodes will follow, two each night, at the same time through Wednesday, and iHorror will be here with reviews each day to help you get ready.

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

4 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

5 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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.

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.”

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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?

Movies

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

Published

7 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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.