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WATCH: Shudder’s ‘Horror is Queer’ Panel at Comic-Con@Home

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Horror is Queer

In advance of their queer horror documentary, Shudder hosted a special panel this week as part of San Diego Comic-Con’s Comic-Con@Home titled Horror is Queer, and the results were as entertaining as they were informative.

The panel, moderated by journalist Jordan Crucchiola, brought together Bryan Fuller (Hannibal), Don Mancini (Child’s Play), Lachlan Watson (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Nay Bever (Attack of the Queerwolves podcast), and Sam Wineman (The Quiet Room) to discuss the intersection and the long history of queerness and horror. Wineman is also directing the upcoming documentary from the streaming platform which previously co-produced Horror Noire.

Horror is queer. Horror is teeming with references to “the other,” a label that many in the queer community have come to embrace after having it thrust upon us for so long. What I loved most about this panel, however, is that it brought together members of the community from different backgrounds with different experiences to discuss what horror has meant to them and how it has played a part in their development.

Nay Bever, for example, spoke of growing up in a strict, religious family where breaking the rules meant you were going to hell and how it was little acts of small rebellion such as watching scary movies that helped her find her own strength. Mancini, meanwhile, points to the fact that he grew up gay with an ultra-macho father who could not stand anything to do with queerness and how both consciously and subconsciously, he dealt with that in writing the first Child’s Play film.

It is a rather meaningful look into the lives of horror fans and creatives who exist on the LGBTQ spectrum. We need more panels like this, more discussions of not only where we find ourselves but also how we found our way into horror.

There are those out there, of course, who will talk about this panel and deny the things that are said about certain films and series despite the fact that the panelists are often talking about their own work. I have discovered in 2020 that I have no patience for that kind of reductive rhetoric. Those comments come from a place of fear and denial. Fear of what it means or says about them that they enjoy these films.

To those people, I say watch it anyway. Take in what is being said, and then take time to think about it before you comment. You might manage to learn something in the process.

You can see the full Horror is Queer panel from Comic-Con@Home below and I encourage you all to take 45 minutes out of your day and do so.

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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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