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Reinventing Vampires Guillermo Del Toro style

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The Strain, Guillermo Del Toro’s new show on FX is not the stuff of normal vampire lore. In the classic Del Toro style, he completely takes the vampires we are all used to and replaces them with a much more terrifying and biologically believable beast.

In 2009 Del Toro partnered with writer Chuck Hogan to write a trilogy of books exploring a new type of vampire. The books respectively ended up being called, “The Strain,” “The Fall” and “The Eternal Night.” Each book delved deeper into a viral outbreak that caused people to turn into vampires.

This was a welcomed change of pace from all the “Twilight “ books that were being released at the time. These vampires weren’t heartbroken and didn’t sparkle; they were a virus whose only real purpose was to spread with no other agenda in sight.

Producer Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Del Toro have now taken The Strain to FX and built a vibrantly colored bit of ultra-violence to television that will reinvent the way we think about vampires.

Del Toro produces the series and directs the pilot episode. But, he made it clear he will stay actively involved as the series goes forward.

“I have made it a point to stay obsessively involved in supervising every single one of the effects, make-up effects, color correction, and I feel like this is our baby neither Chuck nor Carlton’s nor mine alone. It’s the three of us. It’s like “three men in and a baby” for vampires, and I feel like it would be essential to stay involved in that way.” Del Toro said.

The story follows Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll) of the CDC and a group called the Canary Team who are rapid responders called in to diagnose potential biological outbreaks.

One night a passenger plane mysteriously stops on the runway and goes completely dark. Goodweather and his team go aboard to find almost everyone dead except for four survivors.

Added to this a mysterious hand-carved 9-foot-tall coffin is found in the cargo hold that contains something that could be the root of all the deaths on the plane and part of the bigger picture.

The Master (voiced by Lance Henriksen) is an ancient vampire who has survived the centuries by trading bodies out once they become too ravaged by the virus. He has come to New York with a plan to change the balance between Humans and Vampires and throw the world into a real horror show.

Much like Del Toro’s other films he takes a biologically feasible approach to his horror. In this case, he has thought out the lower vampires as well as the Master in great detail to create something that seems functional in the real world.

“The more they lose their humanity by losing their heart,” Del Toro said about the characters in his new show.

“Their heart is suffocated by a vampire’s heart and it overtakes the functions. It was important metaphorically to me because the beacon that leads these vampires to their victims is love. Love is what makes them see their victims, they go to see the people they love the most. So, they turn to the instinct that is most innately human to their feeding mechanism. Next, their digestive system is overtaken then their genitals fall off and their excretion system becomes simplified just like lower forms of life who feed on blood do. They excrete while they eat, which in the show comes with the splashes of ammonia-infused liquid that they expel while feeding. They lose their soft tissue like their ears and nose. And they develop a tracheal opening to vent the extra heat from their high metabolism. Del Toro Said. ”

“The Strain” feels very much like a film that is broken into pieces. It doesn’t feel episodic; it carries the same feeling of pushing pause on a film and picking it up again next week.

“We approached the making of the television show with a lot of the same things you do when you make a feature. We are incredibly grateful to FX for being so supportive and allowing us our process,” Carlton Cuse said, the show’s executive producer.

“The Strain” was created with a planned ending to stay away from the endless second act some shows with no end have.

“Part of finding a home for “The Strain” at FX was having an ending in mind and going in with a two-arc model,” Del Toro Said.

David Bradley masterfully takes on the role of Abraham Setrakian and quickly becomes a large part of the story playing a pawnshop owner who carries a hidden sword in his walking stick. Setrakian is the only one that truly knows what’s going on and tries to warn people but isn’t afraid to take things into his own hands.

“The Strain” has a very saturated look that mixes cyan and magenta together to help create a unique world. Del Toro had the color scheme expertly planned out even in terms of what certain colors would signify looking back.

“You will notice the color red in the show is connected with the vampires, every time you see red whether it’s a fire hydrant or a police siren you will know it is linked to vampires. So some of the characters that are going to turn in the pilot are coded to have a little bit of red. So in retrospect, you will realize they were linked to that world,” Del Toro said.

 

“The Strain” begins July 13 on FX.

 

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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