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Horror Master George Romero has Died

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It is a sad day for horror fans.  George A. Romero whose work defined an entire sub-genre of horror died today after a brief battle with an aggressive form of lung cancer.  The director and writer was 77 years old.

Romero burst onto the scene with his 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead.  The film centered on a group of survivors taking refuge in a secluded home as flesh eating zombies closed in on them.  It was a standout film for multiple reasons, not the least of which was his casting of Duane Jones, a black man, as the lead.  The controversial move made movie goers sit up and pay attention.  On the surface, this was a horror movie, but down deep, they knew it was something more.

Romero would add Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead to his zombie family over a period of 41 years.  He used the films to voice his opinions of the changing world and the socio-political climate of the times they were released.  In 1978 when he saw the U.S. being consumed by materialism his survivors hid out in a shopping mall.  In 2005, he took on the modern caste system, as his survivors lived inside a gated city, but only the truly wealthy could find a place in the inner sanctum and count themselves safe from zombie attack.

In each scenario, Romero picked apart societal norms and pointed a bloody finger at the people who were the real monsters.  He was never heavy handed with the symbolism, however.  He never felt the need to be.

“I don’t try to answer any questions or preach,” he once said.  “My personality and my opinions come through in the satire of the films, but I think of them as a snapshot of the time. I have this device, or conceit, where something happens in the world and I can say, ‘Ooo, I’ll talk about that, and I can throw zombies in it! And get it made!’ You know, it’s kind of my ticket to ride.”

It wasn’t only zombies for Romero, however.  Many will remember his strange vampire story Martin from 1978.  It was, according to legend, Romero’s favorite of his own films because the final product was the closest to his own beginning vision.  A young man named Martin, who claims to be nearing 90, believes he is a vampire.  He arrives at his uncle’s home seeking salvation from his thirst but all does not go according to plan.  It’s a masterpiece that isn’t shown nearly enough during Halloween horror marathons.

Along the way, he also gave us The Dark Half (adapted from Stephen King’s novel), Monkey Shines, and the cult anthology Creepshow (for which I will personally be eternally grateful).

Romero, at 6’5″ towered over most of his stars, but he was the gentlest of giants, and fans and collaborators took to social media to remember the legend as word spread.

According to reports from the L.A. Times, Romero died at home while listening to his favorite film score, 1952’s The Quite Man  His wife, Suzanne, and daughter, Tina, were at his side.

The horror world will never be the same without this steady, Brooklyn-laced voice of the common man within it. We at iHorror extend our condolences to Mr. Romero’s family.  We mourn with you…

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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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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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