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Streaming Services Are The Unsung Heroes During COVID-19

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Nurses, firefighters, and other essential crisis team members were the heroes during 9/11, and they still are today in this time of the great COVID-19 global lockdown, but there are other people who deserve a little credit and those are the ones behind streaming services.

Nearly 19 years ago America woke up to the news that large commercial aircrafts had flown into the World Trade Center in an act of terrorism. It was a shocking sight and nobody alive or near a television will ever forget it.

People reacted to the attacks by spending time with their friends and families. The public wasn’t going to let the terrorists win by staying at home in fear.

America went out into the world, it was a time of mass solidarity.

COVID-19 is not having it.

For the first time in modern history the United States is on lockdown. “Shelter in place” orders, quarantine directives, and other guidance are taking us out of the public and keeping us at home. It’s apparently saving lives, but it also cultivates the doldrums.

Thankfully there is something that can ameliorate the boredom: Binge-watch television on a streaming service. But for Netflix, the world’s most successful company in that arena, such a product almost didn’t happen.

In 2001, Netflix was near failure after the terrorist attacks. At the time, their business model was to have members receive DVDs and send them back via the postal service. September 11 had taken a toll on the company and they laid off one-third of their employees.

That would all change in 2007 when the company unveiled its then very limited streaming service. It was risky, but for a fee, customers could subscribe to a new video-on-demand feature. The movies weren’t that great, but as is usually the case, significant icons of pop culture have modest beginnings.

At last count, Netflix has over 160 million subscribers which is a far cry from the 300,000 viewers it had at the turn of the century.

Today the market is saturated with online media service providers and on-demand video rental companies. Entertainment choices are endless which until recently has become a criticism among the paying public.

Yet as America battles the coronavirus by flattening its curve, keeping people away from the things that entertain them collectively in public, our knights in streaming armor are contained in massive libraries of movies, television shows, and even video games.

The very things our parents said would rot our brains are actually saving lives.

Capitalism would suggest this is a perfect time to gouge the customer for money but just the opposite is happening. Many services are offering free subscriptions for 30 days to help holed-up families get through it.

Showtime, Acorn TV, Sundance, Starz, and one of our favorites, Shudder, are making available their content without a fee for a limited time, and it’s helping.

That’s not to say big subscription companies aren’t doing their part. The coronavirus is giving filmmakers a chance to turn a tiny profit by releasing first-run movies through their rental platforms.

The Hunt, The Invisible Man, Trolls World Tour, Onward and other big-budget films will have e-venues in which to give the public a chance to rent them without the risk of getting sick.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have said, “Put distance between yourself and other people if COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.”

Essentially, don’t go out into the public unless absolutely necessary.

The heroes in this pandemic are still the ones who are working overtime in hospitals, and the scientists who are racing for a cure and a vaccine. The heroes are also the truck drivers and grocery store workers who are essential to keeping people in food and supplies.

These people are not sitting at home binge-watching every episode of Schitt’s Creek, but I can guarantee they are happy that you are.

So thank you streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Prime and other entertainment options that provide us with content while we endure this confinement.

The economic fallout once this is all over is uncertain. Hopefully, America will bounce back vigorously with as little casualties as possible.

We have compiled some horror titles that are now streaming we think you might enjoy:

Shudder

Hulu

Prime

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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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