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The Oscars of Horror: How ‘Get Out’ and Horror is Changing The Academy Awards

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2017 was the biggest year for horror

Movies like ITGet OutSplit, Happy Death Day, drew in humongous numbers in the box office as well as telling truly compelling and entertaining stories. Tonight marks the 90th Academy Awards ceremony with Get Out nominated for four categories. If won, the movie would join the ranks of classics that took home the gold like Misery, AlienThe Fly and Rosemary’s Baby, just to name a few.

When looking at the gross for 2017, horror movies made over a whopping 943 million. This number was calculated with data found on Box Office Mojo. Dominated by clowns, racists and killer dolls, 2017 has become the biggest grossing year in horror movie history. IT alone has made more than $327 million in sales. Even in the climate we are currently in, people are still drawn to these grim worlds in order to escape from their real ones. It proves that nothing truly compares to a good scare. Other years that struck gold with horror were 1987 with $293.6 million, 1999 with $574.6 million, and 2000 with $617.7 million in gross income according to The New York Times. However, Inflation was not factored into these statistics.

Warner Bros.

Horror hasn’t always been seen in a positive light, especially when it comes to the Oscars. In fact, in the past 89 years, fewer than 20 horror movies have won awards at the Academy Awards with most nominated in categories such as sound editing, lighting and makeup. The number of horror flicks nominated for Best Picture prior to Get Out can be counted on one hand: JawsThe ExorcistSilence of the LambThe Sixth Sense, and Black Swan.

This time around, The Academy has chosen to go against typical conservative choices and opted for more risqué nominations like Get Out. Get Out was not only a horror movie but it was also a reflection of our own society and the objectification of black men and women in America. It resonated with viewers through its compelling storyline that kept you on edge at all times. It was horror but still remained lighthearted and comical.

With four nominations under its belt, it was suspenseful to see which way the pendulum was going to swing. Though Get Out did not take home awards for other categories like film of the year, it still was a win for Peele. His emotional acceptance speech retold the story of how the script became (or almost didn’t become).

Entertainment Weekly/Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

He spoke of the fear he experienced: Fear of rejection, fear of not being good enough, fear of what other’s might think of a horror movie that explores race as its core element. He thanked his mom for always teaching him to love even in the face of fear and to us, the movie watchers.

This moment marked a win for diversity in film, a win for any person who dreams of making a movie, and a win for the horror genre that has been brushed to the side like a secondary thought. With 2018 looking like a promising year for Horror, next year’s Oscars should be a delightful fright!

Also, shout out to Guillermo Del Toro for creating such a beautifully crafted movie. The Shape of Water is visually stunning with an equally beautiful storyline and creature.

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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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