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‘Remothered: Tormented Fathers’ is Intense and Enigmatic

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I have a problem when it comes to horror games. I can watch horror movies all day long and while they might get to me, they don’t hold a candle to the fear that a horror game inspires. I sweat and scream and my heart races. I think it’s because it feels like it’s more personal and actually happening to me.

So, when my editor asked me to review Remothered: Tormented Fathers, there was a moment of trepidation and a couple of days of preparation before I sat down to actually play.

Believe me when I tell you that the prep time was needed…

Remothered all begins when Clarice Starling, I mean Rosemary Reed, approaches the home of the mysterious Richard Felton. I joke about Clarice Starling, but this character’s design was an obvious homage to Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs, and there’s no point in pretending otherwise.

It is soon revealed that Reed is at the home under false pretenses. Felton’s daughter disappeared years before and she believes there is much more to the story than what has been made public.

After she has been summarily thrown out of the house by the loyal housekeeper, Gloria, she sneaks back into what is actually a rather impressive mansion after dark. This begins one of the most intense games of cat and mouse I’ve ever played with an all too real cast of antagonists.

Real is a keyword here. The game’s director and developer Chris Darril created Remothered: Tormented Fathers, the first chapter in a proposed trilogy, citing influences like Roman Polanski and other games like Alien: Isolation.

The game is beautifully rendered. The cut scenes are well acted and the house feels real with its multitude of textures and dimly lit corners that become more and more claustrophobic as you are forced to return to the same rooms and run the same hallways repeatedly in order to solve puzzles.

As Reed, you must use your wits and react quickly to navigate those corners and rooms, collecting items to defend yourself and others to set diversions, and every decision you make can mean the difference between life and death.

You can run, for instance, but if Reed becomes winded, her reactions become slow. This is important to remember as she can fight back if attacked but she only really gets one defensive move and after you’ve made it, you need to run like hell to escape because once the game’s Stalkers have you in their sights, they are relentless.

Actual controls for the game (keyboard and mouse) are pretty straightforward. Defensive moves involve a combination of rapid-fire mouse-clicking while effective hiding involves a mechanic using the mouse in slow, smooth movements to avoid detection.

The dauntless Dr. Reed searches the Felton Villa in Remothered via Darril ARts

Speaking of those Stalkers, there are three main enemies you have to worry about here. Richard Felton and his skull-splitting sickle, the Red Nun and her spear (which remarkably resembles the human spinal column), and the aforementioned loyal Gloria.

They can appear out of nowhere at any moment, and your only warning is hearing their voices and various insane ramblings. A good pair of headphones came in handy here as the direction of the voices was easier to ascertain.

All three of these Stalkers are terrifying, but I’m telling you there is nothing quite like the Red Nun for inspiring fear. Even Felton runs like the Devil is on his heels when she shows up.

Voiced by Allen Illman, she appears declaring “I am the Ambassador of the new Lord! L’ambasciatrice della novella del Signore!” with a hoard of moths who seem to obey her commands and a caduceus like spear for a weapon that she takes particular glee in shoving through an eye socket.

Remothered is well-written and plotted throughout, creating a taut, potent gaming experience, but it isn’t without faults.

Once game play really starts, it took me almost an hour to figure out where I needed to go. I wandered the house kind of aimlessly trying to find the key to get the ball rolling with the result that I found some evidence out of order and it made little sense. A little better direction in the beginning would have been helpful.

Also, while I realize that limiting the ability to fight back raises the tension level and forces you to make quick decisions to hide, fight, or flee, It would have been nice to be able to make an offensive move once in a while rather than being stuck on the defensive.

The game ends without really solid answers to most of your questions. This is only the beginning of our story, remember, but I was left with a real desire to learn more. I want to play the next chapter and I want to play it now.

As my fellow iHorror writer, Ryan T. Cusick, says, “Remothered: Tormented Fathers will seep into your skin.”

I’ll take it a step further and say that it gets deep into your mind and stays with you long after the credits roll.

Remothered: Tormented Fathers is available on Steam with the promise of a release on other platforms later this year.

 

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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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