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Return of the Orca from ‘JAWS’

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Cape Cod Shark Biologist Greg Skomal has big plans to recreate the Orca, the vessel in Jaws that pursued the 25 foot, 3 ton great white off the coast of Amity Island.

‘Jaws’ 1975

With Discovery Channel’s Shark week closely upon us, this news can’t come at a better time! The highly anticipated week long ode to sharks begins August 9 and runs until August 16 and marks the 32nd anniversary for shark aficionados.

It was 45 years ago when audiences were introduced to one of the most successful and iconic movies in cinematic history directed by Steven Spielberg; Jaws.

‘Jaws’ 1975

The movie’s heroes pursue the man eating shark on a boat named the Orca. Ironically, the orca, also known as the killer whale, has recently been discovered to be the only natural enemy of the great white shark in the wild.

In a Hulu documentary entitled The Whale that Ate Jaws, specialists in the field examine the phenomenon that orcas will attack a great white just to eat their liver. The killer whales will not eat any other part of the long time feared fish. This behavior has been most notably been observed in waters off of South Africa.

Seeing the blood thirst for sharks incited by his book and subsequent movie, author Peter Benchley was soon hit with the guilt of these beautiful creatures being slaughtered in oceans across the world. Soon after he started a shark conservation to help education the public as well as protect these creatures of the deep. After his untimely death in 2006 his legacy entitled the Peter Benchley Ocean Awards have been instituted and carried on by his wife, Wendy Benchley and David Helvarg.

Peter and Wendy Benchley

Almost five decades after the release of the horror movie that kept many out of the water, a goal of an indiegogo campaign is to recreate the Orca. However, while Captain Quint’s vessel was initially created and deployed to destroy sharks, this research team is recreating the iconic ship to observe and study marine life in the same waters off of Martha’s Vineyard where the movie was filmed.

However, the vessel will not be built from bare bones. Instead, the team found a Nova Scotia lobster ship named Lydia along the coast of Massachusetts, and it is this ship they will remodel for their project.

Nova Scotia lobster boat, Lydia

The original Orca has been lost for 30 years, and since that time a replica has not been produced. This new ship will be deemed Orca III, as there were two Orcas created for the filming of Jaws.

To assist in the remodeling of the lobster vessel, Jaws production designer Joes Alves has come aboard to refine the details and characteristics that made the original Orca so memorable. In many ways, this ship was a character within itself, and Alves will help bring it back to life. Alves will be providing art direction as well as design plans to replicate Orca III and make the final product as similar as possible to Orca and Orca II.

Joe Alves

Martha’s Vineyard local boat builder Chris Crawford has joined the team to undertake the responsibility of physically recreating Lydia into the Orca III. Crawford origionally refitted the Orca for the 1975 film from a boat in 1974 in a mere four weeks! No small feat.

Joe Alves and Chris Crawford on the original Orca in ‘Jaws’

To help bring the Orca III to life, the team has set up an indiegogo page where they are aiming to collect a total of $150,000. As of the date of this article, August 4, 2020, the campaign has collected nearly $9,500.

To learn more about the project and indiegogo campaign click here. To learn more about the Return of the Orca be sure to check out their website!

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

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Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

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