Connect with us

News

Short Film Review: Jennifer Trudrung’s ‘Here There be Tygers’

Published

on

Here There Be Tygers

Jennifer Trudrung is an emerging talent in the world of indie screenwriters and her most recent work, a Stephen King Dollar Baby based on King’s short story Here There by Tygers, is hitting the festival circuit this year.

For those unaware, back in 1977 when King was beginning to really become a success, he decided to give back to his fellow creatives by creating the Dollar Baby or Dollar Deal program. Basically, aspiring filmmakers, theater producers, and student filmmakers can secure the rights to produce one of his short stories for a total of $1.

Trudrung chose wisely with Here There Be Tygers. It’s one of those short stories by King that never got the kind of recognition it deserved, despite being published in one of his more popular collections, Skeleton Crew. It had previously been published in 1968 in Ubris magazine.

In the original story, a young boy named Charlie is tormented by his teacher, Miss Bird. She mocks him, teases him, and in a pivotal moment, loudly corrects him in class for not asking to go to the restroom when he needs to go.

Young Charles goes to the bathroom, only to discover a tiger hiding in the shadows. To give more away would spoil the story and the short film, but its ending is chilling!

Trudrung, who has previously penned UnbearingThe Ebbing, and The Share, teams up with director Polly Schattel (Quiet River) to bring the short film to the screen while making some interesting changes.

Penny Munroe in Here There Be Tygers

Penny Munroe in Here There Be Tygers (Photo via Melissa Presti Photography)

First up, comes a gender flip. Changing Charles to Charlie creates adds an interesting dynamic to this tale that actually improves upon King’s original story. Not only does Charlie, played beautifully by Trudrung’s daughter Penny Munroe, need to go to the restroom but she has also started her period and there is blood on her skirt and leg as she stands up.

Miss Bird (Trudrung) uses the opportunity to call Charlie out further and she also, to an extent, allows another student, Susie (Selah Atwood) to mock Charlie calling her “dirty” and “nasty.”

This kind of shaming is nothing new in a world where the basic biological functions of a woman’s body are mocked and ridiculed, and while Schattel and Trudrung certainly use their platform to spotlight this behavior, they do so in a way that is both subtle and powerful by putting the words in the mouths of other women.

They also found an interesting device with which to portray the tiger, pointing to a more innately primal aspect of our own psyches in the use of an animal mask.

For her part, Munroe does an excellent job of portraying Charlie. Her fear and melancholy are both palpable as she emerges from her desk and makes her way to the bathroom as is her transformation after her experiences there.

Not only does she view her own circumstances differently, but she also sees her classmates in a brand new light.

Schattel and production designer Shane Meador filled the short film with little visual nods to Stephen King and William Blake which add an exciting layer for fans of either or both.

As a whole, Here There Be Tygers is an exciting adaptation of one of King’s less well-known stories, and one that, I think, will do quite well on the festival circuit. It is an atmospheric short film of which the entire cast and crew can and should be proud.

Look for it at horror and film festivals near you!

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

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.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

Published

on

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.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

News

Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

Published

on

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.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading