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[SXSW Review] ‘Ghost Stories’ is an Effectively-Spooky Throwback to Hammer Classics

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Stories

If you are a fan of Hammer Films, you are in luck. The very British and somewhat William Castle aligned, Ghost Stories anthology film is going to be precisely your cup of tea.

Ghost Stories centralizes on Professor Goodman (Andy Nyman), a supernatural skeptic, out to disprove every bit of otherworldliness that shows its face in the public eye. After a long, successful track record of bringing down big name paranormal fakes, Goodman is asked by a personal hero to investigate and attempt to disprove three case files, described as “unexplainable.”

From there the film breaks off into an interesting exploration of science versus the unexplainable and the possibilities of an afterlife. Those themes are surveyed within the three cases.

Each case breaks down into its own ‘ghost story,’ told by one of three characters who believes they have had a truly supernatural experience. Each, story begins with Goodman taking note of each character’s details before diving into the spooky vignette of what occurred to them.

Each story plays out with its own chilling sequence of horrors ranging from things that go bump in the night to run ins with the supernatural inhabitants of the woods. Ghost Stories does a fantastic job making those elements hair-raising and even manage to sculpt a few good jump scares. The problem is that the stories within Ghost Stories, feel too short and almost incomplete. One second you are being invested in someone’s trauma; the next you are yanked away to someone else’s narrative. I would have liked to have seen more of each character’s story as opposed to being all too quickly shifted around.

Unlike, the majority of anthology films, this one’s wrap-around narrative is the focus of the whole thing, making the overall centralized skeptic plot the thing that eventually ties everything together for an interesting twist. While most of these kinds of films throw in a twist ending for funsies, Ghost Stories has one that is actually justified and in a way, changes the meaning of the stories in-between.

Stories

Ghost Stories is a much more serious film that I supposed it would be from its trailer. There are a few laughs peppered in occasionally but the brunt of the film is somber. It’s Hammer sensibilities make for a cut and dry-whited approach that has obvious reverence for the classics.

Writer/Directors, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman deliver something that feels personal in its grander ideas. Along with that they manage to push engaging drama out alongside the things that go bump in the night. The deeply flawed and tortured characters are fleshed out in great detail through their pre-ghost story confessions. In addition, these guys do a heck of a job executing precise, suspenseful beats once they do dive into the spooky bits, making for a super well-rounded film experience.

Case number two, featuring Alex Lawther (Black Mirror, The End of the Fucking World) is my personal favorite of the bunch. Lawther’s fragile state as the psychologically haunted Simon Rifkind, is a fantastically disarming approach. Outside of the character, case number two is just plain scary from beginning to end. I definitely would have loved to see more of this one in particular. Excellent stuff, and something I’m going to have glued to the back of my skull the next time I’m driving down lonely country roads.

Ghost Stories is the first heady anthology that I can recall. What you are seeing the entire time might not necessarily be what is at face-value and I appreciate that as well as its bigger themes. Ghost Stories has the bones of a classic and is effectively terrifying. It has plenty of creeping flesh inducing moments complete with effective gags. As a collector and outright fan of anthologies, Ghost Stories is a good one that offers a nice twist on the genre.

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‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

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Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

The Strangers

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

The Strangers

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The Strangers

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

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It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

Great Movie Ride

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

Alien Romulus
Alien (1979)

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

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Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

Home Depot Skeleton Prop

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

Home Depot Prop

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.

Terror Dog Prop
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