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Review: WEBCAST Is Creepy, Believable and Stays With You

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We’ve reached the point where all one need say is that a film is of the found footage variety to induce eye rolls and dismissal. Though such a declaration is typically followed by a hurried, “Wait, wait! This one is different,” they rarely are. Taking such a stance with Paul McGhie’s project, however, would be a gross miscalculation because Webcast truly was different.

A pair of present day college students embark on a documentary film for a class project that revolves around family dynamics following the sudden disappearance of Chloe Webber’s (Samantha Redford) aunt in 1984. Though memories fade with time, that none of the family members could recall what aunt Amelia looked like was not what baffled and intrigued Chloe, it was that none of them seemed to really know who she was. While filming outside Chloe’s mother’s house, Webber and her boyfriend Ed Dickens (Joseph Tremain), capture the image of a young woman sprinting from a neighbor’s front door only to be tackled by a family member. Confused by the unknown, Chloe and Ed begin to ponder whether the girl was struggling with recovery from drug addiction as they’d been told, or actually being held against her will.

The more the pair look into strange sounds and visitors next door, the stranger and deeper down the rabbit hole they find themselves, only to press on in hopes of finding the truth which never surfaced with Amelia’s disappearance. In the spirit of leaving the film unspoiled, I won’t reveal any more, but from that point forward, Webcast is creepy, frenetically paced and truly jarring.

The Blair Witch Project (1999) was clearly an influence on McGhie, and while Webcast felt like a hike to Coffin Rock set in suburbia, its ultimate credit was that it held one firmly glued to the screen, repeatedly asking “What the hell is going on here?” Not because the script was misguided or confusing, but because much like the best of television, Webcast offered just enough peeks behind the curtain to leave one with a primal urge to know just what was lurking in the dark.

webcast 1McGhie’s writing and direction were perfectly paced, Redford and Tremain’s thoughtful and reserved performances enhanced the feeling of uncertain dread and the twists and turns delivered on intended effect.

It is no easy task to take a subgenre that has run the gamut over the past twenty-plus years and give it an original spin, but Webcast does just that. It is legitimately frightening and what’s more, believable. Nothing was forced and no leap of faith was required to follow the story from beginning to end. Every action and conversation of the characters were the same any one of us may have made had we found ourselves under similar circumstances.

And that’s why Webcast works.

The trailer will leave you itching to see it, but once you’ve take it all in, you will understand all too well that Webcast delves much deeper into the sinister than you could have possibly imagined. And as with all good pictures, it will stay with you.

Above all, Webcast left notes of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” lingering on this writer’s tongue. Not because any character ventured upon revenge or found themselves walled up, but rather out of the concept of regret. Much like The Blair Witch Project, the idea of perseverance in the face of uncertain adversity posed an important question — At what point does turning back go from a reluctance to be scared off the scent to the smart play?

Webcast is the bystander effect put to film. It will leave you questioning whether doing the right thing truly is the best course of action.

At present, Webcast is not slated for theatrical release, but you can find more information on how to see it and demand it play at a theatre near you at isawthewebcast.com.

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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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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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