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William McGregor’s ‘Gwen’ is a Haunting, Dark Welsh Folk Tale

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Gwen

Writer/director William McGregor (His Dark Materials) takes viewers to the stark hills of Wales in Gwen, a dark folk tale built on dread.

It is the 19th century, and Gwen (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) lives with her mother Elen (Maxine Peake) and younger sister Mari (Joddie Innes) alone on a struggling farm. It seems the whole world is turning against her family as Elen succumbs to illness and a local mining company who wants their land successfully turns the local community against them.

Darkness creeps ever closer to the family and McGregor deftly captivates and works the emotions of his audience to keep them guessing if that darkness comes from humans or something even more insidious.

McGregor makes smart choices throughout the film. There is very little score to speak of, so we are left to the sounds of nature, and it isn’t long before creeping winds and crackling fires take on a sinister tone.

Worthington-Cox (The Enfield Haunting) is transcendent in the role of Gwen delivering a flawless performance that is tonally near-perfect throughout. The character is constantly pulled between childlike innocence, teenage stubbornness, and adult responsibilities, the last carrying with it a weighty burden as her mother becomes ill and she must try to keep the farm running on her own.

Elanor Worthington-Cox is stunning the title character in Gwen.

Likewise, Maxine Peake (Peterloo) radiates the quiet desperation of a mother trying to hold her family together. With the mining company constantly watching she cannot be seen as weak, no matter the circumstances, and we watch as she pricks her fingers in order to draw blood that she massage into her cheeks to give them a healthy glow and walking the great distance to attend church when she can barely stand.

Among the supporting cast, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith stands out as Doctor Wren, a man torn between his allegiances to the mining company and his oaths as a doctor when Gwen begs for medicine for her mother.

Unfortunately, other members of the supporting cast aren’t given much more to do than scowl and look threatening. While it works overall, at the very least the head of the mining company and perhaps the minister could have been given more development to underline why they do what they do.

And then there’s the Welsh countryside itself. There are times when the hills and countryside of sparsely populated filming location, Gwynned, seems to loom over the family and press in on them, underscoring their isolation.

Gwen was filmed in County Gwynned in Wales and it’s landscape becomes a character all its own.

As the elements come together, not only does McGregor manage to convey a nearly consuming sense of dread within his characters, but he pushes it beyond the screen onto his audience.

How can there be nothing to fear after all if we know that something or someone is moving inside the shadows and it will devour us if we allow it?

Gwen will release this Friday, August 16, 2019 in select theaters and video on demand, and it is definitely a film that fans of The Witch will want to see.

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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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