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Horror Short Sunday: ‘Intruders’

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December’s icy grip is already taking hold, and what better way to welcome the cold this Horror Short Sunday than with writer/director Santiago Menghini’s melancholy short film Intruders (2014). This chilling piece stars Joshua Young, Charles Sirard Blouin, Sarianne Cormier, Alain Gendreau, Lynda Lapierre, and Tristan Gabriel Chaput. The film was produced by Katerine Lefrançois.

Here is the official synopsis:

“In the aftermath of a deadly haunting in a small suburban home, a sinister omnipresent entity proceeds to cause havoc in the private lives of a young boy, an unsuspecting teen, and an absent minded inspector.”

Intruders plays out like an episodic horror story told in three parts. The first two segments of the film are adapted from short comics titled 5:45 A.M. by Al Columbia and Jacov by Uno Moralez, while the final segment titled Inspector is an original creation.

Here is a breakdown of Intruders’ three segments:

5:45 A.M.

We open on a suburban home now still and quieted in the aftermath of something terrible that occurred. The interior is left in disarray, as an older woman’s lifeless body sits with eyes wide open on the living room couch. But there is someone else with her. We hear a ruckus outside as eggs pelt the windows, and two young vandals are seen making a run for it into the cold night.

Jacov

One of the vandals now sits alone in the bedroom of his high-rise apartment drawing at his desk. As the snow falls softly outside, Jacov suddenly pauses sensing a strange presence. Something has followed the boys home from the sleepy suburban house they antagonized.

Inspector

An inspector wanders into the disheveled home seen in the first segment to investigate what occurred. He makes his way from room to room, snapping photos of the scene. As he continues searching for clues, he suddenly feels he’s not alone.

Intruders is a unnerving experience, as we drift in and out of each ambiguous segment like a bad dream. Jacov’s story is terrifying in such a surreal way. The monstrous woman inexplicably spots Jacov from the window, makes her way to him at impossible speed, and somehow knows exactly where he is in a large building. The pacing and tone feels like it was pulled directly from someone’s nightmares. It’s a horrifying call-back to Hitchcock’s Rear Window that absolutely stands on its own.

Director of photography Ray Lavers does a gorgeous job bringing the panels from the comics to life. The disheveled interior of the suburban home sits undisturbed and bathed in shadow like a mausoleum, with outside streetlights and headlights revealing the horrors within. The short has rich visuals with many stunningly lit shots resembling classic chiaroscuro paintings. The visual storytelling in Intruders is so strong you may not even realize until after you watched it that there is no actual dialogue.

Intruders has an eerie peacefulness to its snowy winter aesthetic. The sound department lends a delicate subtlety to the cold atmosphere with soft wind blowing outside, and no stinging jump scares breaking the mood. The score by Hugo Mayrand is subdued, creeping in and out of the silence during key moments.

Santiago Menghini’s Intruders is a dark force to be reckoned with that will keep you unsettled long after it’s over. This ominous film would pair well with the heavy atmosphere of Ju-On and Let the Right One In. Check out the full short film below!

Be sure to curl up on the couch and take a look at some of our other Horror Short Sunday picks! We’ll be back next week with another great short film for you to enjoy!

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The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

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beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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