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Late To the Party: FRIDAY THE 13th (1980)

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Welcome faithful readers, to another edition of Late To The Party! This is a very special edition as we transition from a scary summer, to frightening fall (and Halloween on the way!). As well, a movie that epitomized the transition from thrillers, murder mysteries, and giallo into that beloved staple of horror, the slasher genre. I am of course talking about none other than the original Friday The 13th!

Love that title! I do feel some shame in having missed out on this landmark horror film for so long. Though, having seen several other entries in the massive franchise, I got the gist of the progenitor to Jason Voorhees in every sense of the word. On that, after the first film, the entire franchise revolved around everyone’s favorite hockey masked maniac! So, it was very interesting jumping into the roots of such a horror staple. I was fortunate enough, once again, to catch it at a local revival screening for the full experience.

via zedszombieranch on Etsy

In the Summer of 1959, a couple of counselors decide to get frisky at Camp Crystal Lake only to meet their ends at the hands of an unseen killer. Now, 1979. The camp is getting renovated despite the ‘blood curse’ proclaimed by lovable deranged local, “Crazy” Ralph. A group of teen counselors (Including a young Kevin Bacon!) and the camp’s new owner clean up the site for a new generation of campers… only to befall that same unseen killer! Tell me if you hadn’t heard that one before?

Of course, at the time, this was a groundbreaking independent movie from horror maker Sean S. Cunningham. It was very interesting to watch, as it was truly here that the sub-genre we know as the ‘slasher’ was born in blood. As opposed to its pumped up bloodier, and gorier sequels, the original was more a murder mystery in the vein of giallo or classical “Twelve Little Indians.” It’s only by the very end that it’s revealed that the least likely suspect was the true killer all along. And one who’s introduced rather abruptly and late into the game.

The twist, which honestly isn’t much a spoiler anymore considering it directly leads into Jason’s reign, that it was middle aged camp cook, Pamela Voorhees must have been rather shocking for its time. Knowing this beforehand thanks to the remainder of the series, it didn’t have quite as much an impact. Though still a bit shocking to think that Pam was surprisingly spry for her age! Especially handling that hunting knife. Though it did feel odd that Pamela’s introduction came with just the bare amount of foreshadowing. The other counselors mention a boy drowning and then the accidents, but it’s only after everyone is dead and Alice confronts the camp cook do we get the full story. It was also interesting to see, after so many sequels of Jason being a juggernaut, that the killer is all too human. Pamela takes time to recover after Alice bludgeons her. Plus, Pam’s desire to kill seems mentally driven as opposed to supernatural. “Kill them all, mommy” She keeps on repeating. Almost like a reverse Norman Bates. And it was only then I realized that Jason’s iconic them ‘ki-ki-ah-ah’  was a derivative of that crazed mantra!

 

Though, the film did a great job in establishing many of the hallmarks of the rest of the franchise, including: creative kills! No one’s ever going to forget seeing Kevin Bacon get stabbed through the neck from beneath his bed with an arrow. And it forever changed the way we look at machetes! We have the artistic and strong-willed Alice as the first in a long, long line of “Final Girls”, though things take a turn for her come Part II

The gore still holds up thanks to the masterful work from Tom Savini, complete with “Jason’s” first explosive appearance.People in the audience still shrieked as he dove out of the lake at Alice like a rabid dolphin! Which just goes to show that the classics can still be just as effective today.

 

Thanks for following us through a slasher filled summer, and join us next time for another carnage filled Late To the Party!

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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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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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