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“Bootleg” Toys Better Than the Licensed Ones?

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Any movie or pop culture enthusiast has had their share of action figures through the years and they are relatively easy to come by especially if it’s a licensed item. Just go to a big box retailer, Amazon, or even Hot Topic to get your nerd on.

But what if you really want an effigy of something that isn’t massed produced in plastic. Or if there is, it’s not really “true” to the character or thing you feel it’s supposed to represent?

If you’re like some people, you make it yourself. But is that the same thing, or is it even as valuable? Surprisingly yes.

A recent New York Times article explores the question of “Bootleg” toys and their sentimental and monetary values.

Death By Toys

The article introduces us to Aaron Moreno an avid movie buff and collector who just wanted a figurine of a Critters alien furball or a something out of Creepshow, there wasn’t anything available at the time so he went ahead and made them himself.

Since packaging is also a part of the collectible experience Mr. Moreno sought out an artist friend to do that part of it and began selling them online to hungry collectors who bought each and every last one, sometimes selling out in only a few minutes.

Super Secret Fan Club

To be clear these aren’t the same types of toys sold through popular companies such as NECA or McFarlane Toys. No, these are considered artisanal where the artists often take pieces from other renderings and make them into something much more personal.

Buyers are at the ready too, take for instance our cover picture made by Dan Polydoris of Deathbytoys.com. Yes, that’s packaged fog from John Carpenter’s 1980 classic The Fog. And yes, people bought it.

“It’s a joke,” Mr. Polydoris said of his cotton creations. “It’s just garbage taped to other garbage.”

That trash turned out to be a lot of people’s treasure; 100 credit card commandos shelled out $30 each for the exclusive.

dogmantoys.bigcartel.com

You’d think the people who created the original property would be pissed, but rarely has there been a cease and desist order from a copyright lawyer to stop them.

Peter Goral, 33, makes a comfortable living off of his merchandise which he began to create back in 2007. “With a lot of the guys who collect and do this, it’s all deeply rooted in their childhoods,” he says.

These homemade figures have infiltrated television too. Adam F. Goldberg, creator of the pop culture and easter egg heavy “The Goldbergs” collects them and hides them in his show.

“I look at them as pieces of art,” Goldberg said of his bootleg horde. “I don’t collect art. This is what I collect instead.”

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News

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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