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Fantasia 2019: Killer Coven Horror Comedy ‘Satanic Panic’ [REVIEW]

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Satanic Panic

Hosting its International Premiere at Fantasia Fest 2019, Satanic Panic is a sure-fire crowd pleaser. Fresh off of her directorial contribution to Hulu’s Into the Dark episode 8, titled All That We Destroy Chelsea Stardust brings a cheeky charm to the retro-infused, killer coven flick, Satanic Panic.

The film follows a pizza delivery girl, Sam (Hayley Griffith), who ventures into the rich part of town on her route in the hopes that she’ll score some big tips. When she’s stiffed by her wealthy customers, she sneaks inside to confront their frugal asses and finds herself at the hands of a coven in Satanic ritual prep mode. 

Produced by Fangoria with a script written by Grady Hendrix (My Best Friend’s Exorcism), the film embraces its classically inspired camp with open arms. The story is a collaborative effort between Hendrix and Ted Geoghegan (We Are Still Here).

Hendrix’s whip-crack dialogue slings lines like “booty calling Baphomet“ and “triple faced fuck-monster“, delivered with just the right amount of bite. Much like My Best Friend’s Exorcism, Satanic Panic paints the trials and tribulations of a wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time kind of girl who suddenly finds herself way out of her depth, and does so with a light flick of snappy writing to keep it all from getting too dark too fast. 

via Fangoria

The cast is peppered with recognizable names like Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, who beautifully blend into the genre mold alongside familiar faces like AJ Bowen (You’re Next), Ruby Modine (Happy Death Day), and Arden Myrin (MADtv). The performances aren’t exactly convincing, but they’re appropriately theatrical for the tone of the film, which settles somewhere between modern raunchy comedy and 70s/80s synth-scored horror. Satanic Panic knows what it is, and leans into it. 

Griffith plays her role with honesty and innocence while Modine tears into her quippy dialogue — monologues written with such a fierce flow that you’re hanging on every shit-slinging word. Myrin has an absolute blast with her role as the coven’s covetous right-hand man; her melodramatic outbursts work to turn up the energy of the film. Romijn’s performance as the coven leader is graceful and dramatic, but a lot tamer than you’d expect.

Satanic Panic

via Fangoria

Satanic Panic pays homage to the heyday of practical effects with its own series of prosthetics and rigs. It’s really heartwarming to see the commitment to practical effects, and there’s something oddly nostalgic about some of them. They’re modest and – at times – goofy, but that actually works with the whole ambiance of the film. 

That said, at times the film takes itself a little too seriously and doesn’t quite have the confidence to go fully bonkers. It wavers in the realm of light horror comedy, but an occasional dark turn will set a more somber tone. As the action progresses and the situation becomes more dire for our heroine, the easy breezy energy of the opening seems farther and farther away; while this is great for emotional development, it does make the pacing a bit inconsistent. 

Despite its inconsistencies, Satanic Panic is really a fun film. It works within its own realm while pushing beyond its borders for moments of genuine comedic absurdity. If you’re in the mood for a modern horror comedy that honors the cult classics of the 70s and 80s, consider this a beast to be summoned. 

 

Satanic Panic is playing as part of Fantasia Festival’s 2019 lineup. For more films, check out their website or keep an eye out for our reviews.

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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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