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“The Girl With All The Gifts” Brings Life Back to the Zombie Genre

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Written by Shannon McGrew

Zombie movies are a dime a dozen and have become a staple within the horror genre. This past year, a handful of films focused on the zombie invasion, most notably the surprise thriller “Train to Busan”. However, there was another movie that deserved the same amount of recognition; a film that not only had a tremendous amount of heart but was also able to satisfy even the most hardcore zombie fan – that film is “The Girl With All The Gifts”.

“The Girl With All The Gifts”, based off the novel of the same name by Mike Carey, is directed by Colm McCarthy and stars Gemma Arterton, Sennia Nanua, Glenn Close and Paddy Considine. The story, set in a dystopian future, centers around Melanie, an extraordinary young girl who may be the key to curing a mysterious fungal disease that causes humans to become blood-thirsty ‘hungries.’

What I loved about this film was the by far the story. Though we, the viewer, are supposed to fear the ‘hungries’, there are moments when it becomes difficult too. You see, Melanie is part of a small group of children who are infected with this fungal disease but are still able to think and feel. By all accounts they are normal human beings, that is until they get a whiff of a non-infected person, at which point they become ravenous. Because of this, these children are studied and tested upon by scientists who are hoping to discover the cure of this disease. The children are guarded and treated as nothing more than a number on a sheet, with the exception of the school teacher, Ms. Justineau (Gemma Arterton) who sees them, especially Melanie, for the beings they truly are.

The beginning of the film really sets the scene for how Melanie is treated throughout the majority of the film. Looking further into the movie, past the first layer, “The Girl With All The Gifts” showcases how we treat those we don’t understand. Bringing to life our main character, Melanie, is actress Sennia Nanua, who is absolutely outstanding. Though all the actors involved are superb, Sennia really shines through as the breakout of the film. She embodies Melanie with such perfection that she is able to evoke a slew of emotions from her incredible performance.

Being as this is a zombie film, there is no shortage of gore and carnage; however it’s not over the top or unnecessary. What really impressed me though was the makeup effects that were used to transform these once ordinary people info fungal-infected killing machines. The beginning of the film shows the majority of the population as what most would envision a zombie to look; however, as the film progresses, their features begin to change to the point that it looks as though they are becoming a heavily distorted piece of greenery. The metamorphosis that takes place is nothing less than spectacular and the makeup FX team should be thrilled with what they have created.

Helping to push the story further along was the exceptional musical score and beautiful cinematography. When I first watched “The Girl With All The Gifts”, I didn’t appreciate how expressive and haunting the score was, but having watched it again, I now acknowledge how fitting it was for the story unfolding. The score is very understated, but when you focus on it, it begins to take on a life of its own, weaving the story together as a whole. In terms of the cinematography, the landscape we are shown is desolate and hopeless with a forgotten beauty to it. It’s strikingly visual against the harsh reality of what’s happened, but that juxtaposition works so well with the overall theme of the film.

Overall, “The Girl With All The Gifts” is a near masterpiece in the zombie horror genre. It’s a stunning yet grim story that illustrates how quickly we are to judge those that are different from us regardless of if those are the ones that could save us. There were a few moments where I felt the story lagged a bit but other than that, I see no issues with this film. Fans of zombie films that like to have more meat on its bone will have their appetite sated with “The Girl With All The Gifts”. Those of you who are tired of films and TV shows that focus heavily on the undead, I feel your pain, but don’t let this film pass you by as you will not be disappointed.

“The Girl With All The Gifts” is now available to own on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and Digital HD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

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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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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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