Spirit Halloween has been gearing up for the holiday season. Over the past few weeks, it’s announced a wealth of new products for release. The majority of these have been exclusive to the brand and based on hit films. Now, the company has unveiled a Trick ‘r Treat Funko POP! Toy. The toy, which is available on the company’s website, is already available for pre-order.
Standing at the typical height of a Funko POP!, the figure is of primary protagonist Sam. He also appears practically identical to what he looks like in the film, including a burlap sack over his head, an orange jumpsuit, and a jack-o lantern. There’s also a significant amount of detail in the burlap sack. Like many other products released by both companies, a lot of effort went into ensuring that the POP! is high-quality.
The character has gained a significant amount of popularity in the years since the film’s release. To date, this has made Sam relatively iconic for many modern and younger audiences. This continues to increase around Halloween, with Tick ‘r Treat being watched repeatedly over the holiday season. Naturally, Spirit Halloween and Funko have aimed to capitalize on this enduring popularity.
The Funko POP! is exclusive to Spirit Halloween and should begin shipping out near the end of September. This should give the majority of buyers enough time to have them delivered for Halloween. As a result, the Sam POP! could be a perfect gift for Trick ‘r Treat lovers. Alongside that, the timing couldn’t be any better.
The Funko POP! is available through the Spirit Halloween website for $21.99, plus postage. While on the site, potential buyers should be able to find quite a few other characters and products that they might want to pick up. With how good the collectibles are, they should be worth the money.
Funkoverse Games has seen a few additions to the franchise over the past few years. Each of these can be played separately or added together, giving players a wealth of playing options. While the range is already slightly large, it’s gotten even bigger with a new addition focusing on The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Directed by Tim Burton, the film became a cult classic upon release. In the decades since then, it’s gained more and more popularity and become a go-to movie for the holiday season. As a result of this, there’s been a significant amount of memorabilia and other products released focusing on the film and its characters.
While the Funkoverse Games strategy game is the latest in a long line of releases, it’s certainly one of the more attractive. There are quite a few things included with the board game. Alongside two maps, players will be able to choose to play as one of four figures, the designs of which are exclusive to Funkoverse Games.
As currently announced, these characters are Jack Skellington, Dr. Finkelstein, Sally, and Oogie Boogie. However, it’s also been noted that these could be subject to change. The figures all stand at approximately three inches tall. Alongside the map and characters are dice, cards, and anything else needed to play the game.
There are also several companion cards with the board game, each of which adds a small twist to gameplay. The Nightmare Before Christmas strategy game is available for pre-order for $39.99 and is set to begin shipping in October. According to Funkoverse Games, each game should last for about 45 minutes.
While the game is for between two and four players, it can be combined with other strategy games developed by the company. By doing so, players will be able to form teams and take on their opponents.
Click here or on the games image for more information.
Counting down the days to Christmas is every child’s dream, and while they enjoy opening advent calendars filled with treats and candy, we adults prefer a more rewarding alternative.
Over the last couple of years, Funko’s Pop advent calendars have been an extremely popular way to steadily count down the days until Christmas arrives, and while this was always an incredibly fun addition to the long month of December, it felt like something was missing.
Now, Funko has once again teamed up with Tim Burton’s beloved world to bring us our first-ever The Nightmare Before Christmas Funko advent calendar.
Credit – Funko
The Nightmare Before Christmas Funko advent calendar will include 24 cute mini-figures that are revealed each day from the start of the month all the way up until Christmas Eve.
Excitingly, most of these figures will be kept secret, and as you can see above, the only characters we are certain on is Oogie Boogie, Sally, Dr. Finkelstein, and, of course, Jack Skellington.
Pre-orders for the long-awaited Nightmare Before Christmas Funko advent calendar are available right now, and you can either head over to Entertainment Earth, to purchase one for yourself or someone special.
Click on the below image for more information.
Credit – Walmart
Without a doubt, the ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ Funko advent calendar will be one of, if not thee, most popular advent calendars this coming holiday season.
Arriving on September 30, fans of the franchise will need to act fast before these wonderful calendars are sold out, and you can make one yours for just $39.96.
Quite obviously, this isn’t the first time Funko and Disney have worked together, and for those of you that missed it, go over and check out The Nightmare Before Christmas Pop figure collection made available for us this Funkoween, HERE!
Credit – Funko
Are you excited to be opening The Nightmare Before Christmas advent calendar this year? Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below.
Plenty of people have argued about whether Gremlins is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie. While some believe that it falls into one section or the other, others believe that it’s a bit of both. Despite this, few people would expect there to be Christmas merchandise inspired by the film to be released.
However, that’s proven to be the case, as Jakks Pacific is releasing an advent calendar featuring characters from the film. The calendar itself is designed to look like to movie theater from the franchise, with there being several one-inch figures coming with the box. These stem from the first two films in the franchise.
This includes some fan-favorites, including Stripe and Gizmo. Based on reports, it seems as though the one-inch figures will be divided relatively equally between Mogwai and Gremlins. With there being 31 slots to be opened, there’ll be quite a few of the characters to appreciate.
You can pre-order the advent calendar here to avoid disappointment when they start to ship, as they’re expected to sell out fast.
The company is releasing a few other film-inspired advent calendars over the next few weeks. Elf, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell, is perhaps the most notable. For more information click here.
However, Elf is also getting a talking plush featuring Ferrell’s face. The 12-inch Buddy the Elf is similar to classic toys in that owners will have to pull a chord to make him talk. This could be a throwback to some of the toys on the market when the film was initially released. Its head has is also sculpted vinyl and looks much more like Will Ferrell than many people would have thought.
Entertainment Earth has started taking pre-orders of the Gremlins advent calendar this week, although it’s expected that it ship in August. As such, fans of the franchise shouldn’t have to wait long before enjoying the one-inch Lightning Gremlin.
Halloween is the perfect time for people to express themselves and show off their wonderfully custom-made outfits, but a problem that often occurs is the costumes seem to always miss that one little special accessory.
Well, fret no more, as we have now found the perfect item to add to your haunting Halloween costumes and they’re terrifyingly mesmerizing.
Credit – Love, Pain, and Stitches
These astounding Pumpkin Purses are courtesy of Love, Pain, and Stitches, a family run business that specializes in all kinds of Halloween-themed goodies.
The mother and son duo behind the company are responsible for all of the brilliant and spooky designs placed on their products, but none stands out more than their creepy Pumpkin Purses.
Credit – Love, Pain, and Stitches
As expected, the bags sell out incredibly fast, so anybody interested in buying one for themselves or as a gift for somebody else has to grab one AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
After the bags eventually sell out, it takes around two weeks for them to be re-stocked, so keep your eyes out to avoid missing the chance to get your very own Pumpkin Purse.
Love, Pain, and Stitches’ collection of new bags can be bought for anywhere between $50 to $220, and since they sell out quicker than they re-stock, it’s safe to say they’re definitely worth it.
You can head over to their official Instagram page – HERE – where you’re able to keep up to date with all of the latest additions to the Halloween-themed store.
For those concerned with the nature of the bags, Love, Pain, and Stitches are happy to announce that all of their Pumpkin Purse products are made with automotive-grade vinyl and are completely vegan friendly.
What do you think of these amazing Pumpkin Purses? Will you be treating yourself to one? Be sure to let us know any thoughts and opinions you have in the comments below.
The 90’s horror classic is being soft rebooted with a spiritual sequel in Nia Da Costa’s Candyman sequel. The horror franchise spawned 3 movies about an urban legend that returns to wreak carnage in the world.
With Jordan Peele acting as producer, the new Candyman is officially rated R for bloody horror, violence, and gore. This is not surprising given that the previous movies of the franchise were similarly rated R.
The original Candyman was all about a protagonist working on a thesis about urban legends. As she dug deep into one of those myths, she learns of a ghost murdering people who summon him by saying his name 5 times in a mirror. Nia DaCosta’s Candyman sequel continues that story, using the same neighborhood of the originals as its setting.
A new protagonist hears about the same urban legend of the Candyman and begins to unravel the past. In doing so, his life inevitably collides with the titular Candyman, bringing the myth into a new generation.
Candyman was one of those sleeper horror franchises that also dealt with themes of race and social classes within the United States. This is why producer Jordan Peele is the perfect fit to bring the new Candyman to life, given his work with race-driven horror films such as Get Out and Us.
Peele also co-wrote the script with Win Rosenfeld and director Nia DaCosta. With DaCosta being one of the few women of color in the industry directing the new movie, similarly recurring themes and motifs may be present in the new Candyman as well.
Nia Dacosta’s Candyman sequel stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the starring role, along with Colman Domingo being the character who provides exposition from the first franchise. The movie also sees the return of Tony Todd as the original Candyman from the first film.
In a similar premise to the original, the new Candyman features Abdul-Mateen’s character as an artist who discovers the legend of Candyman, weaving it into his art, with disastrous consequences.
The confirmation of the movie’s R rating is not at all unexpected given the violence and gore from the first films. If anything, the new Candyman sequel may even be gorier than its predecessors.
The Candyman sequel is set to release in theatres on October 16. However, that date may change given the current climate. Stay tuned to this space for more on Candyman before the movie’s release.
Halloween is often filled with a collection of creepy ghosts, horrifying monsters, and everything scary. And although they’re all perfectly reasonable for your haunting decor, sometimes, you just need to add a little charm to enhance your decorations.
Whether that’s in the form of harmless pumpkins, floating witch hat lights, or these flying bat succulent holders, Halloween just wouldn’t be the same without them.
Speaking of the flying bat succulent holders, they’re terrifyingly adorable, are handmade in Italy, and can be used as a hanging vase or simply for decoration.
Credit – TramaiCeramics on Etsy
The delicate little plant pots are made by Marina of TramaiCeramics, and her little designs have been the attention of shoppers in recent times.
Alcantara strings feed through the three holes in each succulent holder, which is then tied onto an object to make them flying vases.
Buyers can choose between 3 different sizes:
SMALL – the more compact of the three sizes has a width of 10 cm, a height of 8 cm, and a length of 5.5 cm. The sting length amounts to around 18 cm.
MEDIUM – a more common option than the other two, the medium has a width of around 11 cm, a height of around 10 cm, and a length of around 7 cm. Its string length measured at around 20 cm.
LARGE – With a width of about 16 cm, a height of about 13 cm, and the length at about 8 cm – alongside the length of its cord, which comes to about 24 cm – this is the biggest of the collection.
While the plant pots are great for anybody’s Halloween decorations, their design means that they can also be given as a gift no matter the time of year.
The two little wings, sharp teeth, long ears, and small legs really give the succulent planters a really engaging and highly unique look.
Will you be gifting yourself or a loved one an exceptional flying bat succulent holder? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
The petition to save Sabrina which was created yesterday has already reached over 31,600 signatures and is getting extremely close to achieving its goal of 35,000 signatures within 48 hours of its creation.
“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an extremely popular show” states the petition creator Dominic Barrett. He continues “We are petitioning to bring this back after it’s unfair cancellation and ask that it be renewed for a 5th season. The show is extremely loved by fans and we hope this petition can bring the show back from the dead.”.
The show definitely has a dedicated fan base, shown not only through the overwhelming rally of support shown in the petition but also the swathe of nominations and award wins that the Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina has under its belt.
Some of the comments for the petition just go to show how much some people want Sabrina to come back for at least another season. One signatory says “Why on earth would Netflix get rid of such an incredible show? It’s not like we have enough positive leads or anything? Rethink this one!!” whilst another exclaims “Dear Netflix: STOP CANCELLING YOUR BEST SHOWS!”.
So all hope is not lost for all the teenage witch fans out there, especially if the support keeps pouring in. If you’re a follower of the show don’t forget to head on over to Change.org and sign that petition!
Netflix announced last night that it has made the decision to cancel the Sabrina origin story which was originally created by Archie Comics in the 70s, despite its somewhat popular following on the streaming platform. The announcement was followed by a tweet from the official Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina Twitter account saying that “It all comes down to one last Chilling Adventure” before confirming that the final season of the show was up for a late 2020 release.
It all comes down to one last Chilling Adventure. Our final chapter is coming later this year. Coven forever. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/T0jkwAc1wJ
— Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (@sabrinanetflix) July 9, 2020
Sabrina, which was originally planned as a Riverdale spin-off joins a few other Netflix shows which have been unexpectedly canceled or given one last season to wind up their story arcs, including Ozark and Dead To Me.
Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who has also been involved in producing shows such as Riverdale and Glee, had a few emotional words to say about the show coming to a close, stating that his time spent on the production “has been an incredible honor from day one”. Aguirre-Sacasa went on to say that working with “the cast, beginning with Kiernan as everyone’s favorite teen witch, has been an absolute joy” before emphasizing how thankful he was to everyone who was part of the cast and crew as well as Netflix, Warner Bros., Berlanti Television and Archie Comics. He finished his statement by saying that “We can’t wait for everyone to see Part Four”.
It hasn’t been the best week for Aguirre-Sacasa or the Archie Comics Universe as news has also just broken that secondary Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene has also been canceled by The CW after only one season, but Warner Bros. who are the studio behind the show have stated that they are open to seeing the series continue elsewhere, perhaps hinting that they hope it will be picked up by Netflix?
So keep your eyes peeled for Sabrina’s final chapter, which promises to be a “spooky, sexy, and supernatural series finale”
Some years ago, this alien-looking mushroom – more commonly known as the Octopus Stinkhorn, Devil’s Fingers, or Phalloid Fungus – was spotted growing in and around the New Forest district in Britain.
Below, you can see the early stages of the fungus as the sac gently confines the long, terrible smelling red fingers before their eventual release.
Credit – Dan Hoare/Twitter
What makes this stand out from the rest, and also look quite otherworldly, is the fact that this fungus surfaces from an egg, whereas most usually emerge from the earth.
The Octopus Stinkhorn are native to Australia and New Zealand but found their way in Europe around 1914.
In the next stage of growth, the mushroom matures, revealing four creature-like tentacles which eventually grow to around 5-10cm in length.
Credit – Dan Hoare/Twitter
A bad-smelling goo known as ‘gleba’ covers the inside of the tentacles (or fingers), attracting flies.
The once joined together fingers then split, spread out, and droop, which resembles an Octopus.
Credit – Dan Hoare/Twitter
While it looks completely poisonous and dangerous, these mushrooms are rumored to be edible in the egg stage, while some countries still consider the fungus a delicacy. Though, nothing has been proven on the eating front.
Below, you can watch a video that shows the mushroom growing and demon-like tentacles emerging from the egg sac.
Although it is a measly 10 centimeters long, the fungus has an incredibly terrifying look that could easily lead the strongest minded people to look away.
If you enjoyed reading about this monster-like mushroom, why not go over and check out the flower that strongly resembles Darth Vader, HERE!
If you’re looking for something a little more mysterious (and a lot weirder), go over and check out the Slicing Skulls and Ominous Sunflowers brought to you by an extremely talented artist from Oregon, HERE!
What did you think of these creepy mushrooms? Make sure you share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comments below.
With most people spending more time at homes these past few months due to quarantine restrictions, it is no surprise that creativity continues to reach its peak.
Everyone was able to find exciting ways to approach their art, including this makeup artist from Tokyo, Japan who magically flaunts his craft by using just his two hands, paints, brushes, and some household items.
Amazing JIRO is a renowned special effects expert known for creating seamless makeup designs that easily defeat multi-million dollar computer graphics. When a lot of his planned projects were temporarily suspended or scrapped because of the pandemic, JIRO was forced to create his art alone while stuck in his home.
Because he cannot perform makeup to another person, he decided to do everything on his hand where he paints monsters from cute charmers to unsettling creatures. The results, given his incredible talent, is expectedly breathtaking.
JIRO described his “hand” arts as “a fun and cheerful activity aimed at those who are unable to leave their homes due to the current crisis.”
He added, “I hoped that I could improve everyone’s gloomy moods a bit, so I came up with monsters as a theme that eat gloomy feelings. In times of hardship, we save and cheer ourselves up by using the limitless power of imagination.”
What are your thoughts on Amazing Jiro’s beautiful monster creations he designed in his hands? Will you be taking part in the one hand challenge?
Share your reactions in the comments section below.
One of the most important things for people about Halloween each year is showing off their home-made outfits, and while most are quite mediocre, this mom from Cleavland, Ohio, has changed the game with her crocheted Xenomorph and Skeletor costumes.
Stephanie Pokorny – of Crochetverse – designs and creates special costumes for her family each Halloween, which really makes the group stand out when trick or treating.
For 2019s Halloween, Stephanie hand-made two costumes for her son Jack to choose from. One outstanding Xenomorph monster from the Alien film series, and one unbelievable Skeletor from the Masters of the Universe franchise.
Below, you can see the wonderful detail put into Jack’s glow in the dark Xenomorph ensemble, and while it does look completely frightening, it also radiates adorable energy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Kwkl-h8oX/
The Skeletor creation is just as impressive, and alongside the amazing detail Stephanie put into her 45-hour work, the costumes eyes light up to give the villain an extra evil touch.
The extremely fascinating pieces of art Stephanie Pokorny manages to produce are simply breathtaking, and it is good news for fans of her crocheting, as you can find a lot more of her creations on her social media.
You can join her 18,000+ followers and keep up to date with Chrochetverse’s wonderful world of creations, HERE!
If you’re a fan of costumes, you can check out this four-year-old boy get transformed into Pennywise in his astonishing cosplay, HERE!
These Pumpkin Smoke Bombs are the most hauntingly perfect Halloween decoration, and you can find out how to create your very own, HERE!
What did you think of Stephanie Pokorny’s amazing hand-made costumes? Do you have pictures of your own outstanding Halloween getup? Make sure you get involved and tell us all of your thoughts and opinions on the subject in the comments.
Gardening and flower-tending are one of the purest and most natural activities currently available to anybody who is interested, and yes, while it is there for everyone to start, a lot of effort and time is needed if the flowers are to flourish under your possession.
Succulents are among the most popular flowers for beginners to care for and for those of you that struggle to keep them well-kept, what’s better than owning these brilliantly haunting Nightmares Before Christmas artificial succulent planters.
These spooky planters are perfect for horror fans who’re interested in making their succulents stand out more than they already do.
Credit – The Bradford Exchange
The Bradford Exchange is responsible for these fantastic little gifts, and they have a two-set collection of plant pots fit with your promising (and artificial) succulent plants.
As seen above, you can choose to order yourself a set which comes with Sally and her Deadly Nightshade, or, if you prefer, you can order yourself another set which includes one Jack Skellington as himself and one as the Pumpkin King.
Credit – The Bradford Exchange
The plant pot itself is ceramic, and despite the fact the succulents are artificial, their incredibly realistic look makes it easy to fool people.
You can head over to The Bradford Exchange, HERE, where you’ll be able to buy yourself – or somebody you know – one of their very own Nightmare Before Christmas planters.
Each set of two will cost around $40, and the great part is, if you’re for some reason unhappy with your product, the company has a 365-day satisfaction policy which allows you to return the succulent planters anytime throughout the year.
Will you be adding to your creepy decorations with these succulent planters? Which design do you like best? Make sure you share your thoughts and opinions in the comments
The majority of Tim Burton fans loved A Nightmare Before Christmas and continue to do so. However, one thing that many have always wanted to do has been to see a live-action version of the film. Though this doesn’t look like it will come to the big screen, it has become a hit on the theater circuit over the past few decades.
Given time, good and bad versions of any film are going to be released, provided they get enough adaptions. While there might be some that wouldn’t please some of the movie’s fans, there is one in particular that might. In this one, part of which you can see below, Jack Skellington is portrayed by Matthew Patrick Davis.
Davis is perhaps best known for his YouTube work, alongside a lot of theater work. On his YouTube account, he’s brought the character to life and made the role his own while still remaining relatively faithful to A Nightmare Before Christmas. In addition, he manages to pull off Danny Elfman written songs perfectly.
Perhaps the most notable of these is Jack’s Lament, where Davis really shows off his chops. Filmed in a black box theater, the songs have quite an eerie quality, especially given that the sets are quite asymmetrical. While this would be odd for the majority of films, it’s oddly fitting for what it is.
With how great the theater production looks, it could lead many fans to wonder why Disney, who owns the rights to the film, hasn’t made a more theatrical version of it. It’s one of the older movies that they own that could be adapted into a Broadway musical relatively easily. Davis’ version of Jack Skellington, as well as the rest of the Nightmare Before Christmas cast on the production, only helps to highlight that fact.
A lot of our favorite Disney stories, while vibrant and optimistic, are not immune to the dark possibilities of storytelling. From the unfortunate deaths of Bambi and Simba to Dumbo briefly undergoing slavery, these stories never shy away to depict very sensitive subject matters.
Much like the films of Tim Burton, whose gothic visuals complement its often somber narratives, classic Disney stories can get moody and if they are willing to go deeper, shockingly heart-wrenching as well.
This comparison resonates so much with the amazing artworks made by Russian artist Andrew Tarusov, who draws iconic Disney characters by reimagining them as characters from a Tim Burton film.
The illustrations, which Tarusov posted on his Facebook page, surprisingly offers a new element that we never get to see to some of our beloved Disney characters before.
Pinocchio looks like he was pulled straight out of The Nightmare Before Christmas or The Corpse Bride; Aladdin seems to have hypnotized Princess Jasmine while flying in the magic carpet; the dark and deep blue sea was terrifyingly depicted in Tarusov’s reimagining of The Little Mermaid; Dumbo never looked so controlled and weak; the opening scene of The Lion King was reimagined as a sketchy cult procedure in the making, and The Sleeping Beauty artwork appears to look like a scene of torture.
Tarusov also made the same treatment for the heroes of Disney’s Marvel, wherein characters like Wolverine and Iron Man looked uncanny to an Edward Scissorhands type loner.
Tarusov has revealed that he loves “how Burton’s style looks chic, cute, and vintage all at the same time. Although his work has been marketed as “horror” movies, they can transcend to any genre.”
Captain America in Tim Burton's style! #Patreon #captainamerica #timburton
“My goal is to make viewers have a fun time when they come across my work. It’s meant to be whimsical and playful.”
What are your thoughts on these Disney artworks from Andrew Tarusov? What other Disney stories do you want him to work on next? Share your reactions in the comments section below.
Jeepers Creepers has been a heavyweight in the horror genre ever since its cinematic debut almost 20-years ago back in 2001.
Since then, the flesh-eating franchise has managed to get three separate movies under its belt, with the most recent (and by far the worst) releasing in late 2017.
Although Jeepers Creepers 3 left a sour taste in the mouth of die-hard horror fans, news has surfaced that a new installment is on its way, and a lot further developed than we originally expected.
First reported by iHorror, some changes have been made to the Jeepers Creepers 4 IMDb page earlier this year that has managed to catch fans’ attention.
Not only does it state that the fourth Jeepers Creepers movie has been “announced”, but it also claims that a “script” had been finished dating back some months ago in January.
Credit – iHorror
Alongside the reveal of the upcoming suspense-horror film, California-born filmmaker, Victor Salva, and Primetime Emmy nominee, Kirk D’Amico, have both been “announced” to have joined the Jeepers Creepers 4 team, with Salva working as a writer and D’Amico helping with producing.
Credit – iHorror
A major problem for the Jeepers Creepers franchise, if it is to have any success in the future, is Victor Salva.
It will be hard for people to support and truly buy into the return of a much-loved horror movie series if Salva, a convicted pedophile, has his name attached to the film in any way.
Despite nothing being set in stone as of now, Jonathan Breck is thought to be returning as The Creeper if the fourth part of the eerie film goes ahead.
Would you welcome another Jeepers Creepers movie following on from the previous three? Where would this installment rank amongst the rest in the franchise? Make sure you share your opinions and let us know in the comments.
Conducting social gatherings such as parties or large events is not possible at this point due to the pandemic, but it’s harmless to plan (and with extra precautionary measures, of course).
It is going to be a much different Halloween celebration this year though, it is expected that most people will wear face masks as part of their creative costumes. And if you’re already organizing your very own celebration months ahead, you might consider this listing from Airbnb.
It is no ordinary room. It is more than a room, it’s an actual ship from bow to stern floating on the river!
A listing on Airbnb invites everyone on a “one of a kind Pirate Ship,” located a few minutes away from the Mississippi Airport, making it accessible for many tourists. This pirate is certainly big enough, measuring up to 65’ long. Inside there are two bedrooms, a hammock, two heads, and numerous nooks for your hideouts.
Photos from Dan of Airbnb.
Amenities include a shower, kitchen, big upper deck, central air, plans, fireplace, tunes, tables and couches, and theme lighting.
Renting for $350 a night for 1 to 6 people and an additional $200 if you have more guests (the ship strictly admits only up to 15 people at once), the price for something this large is fairly decent. It would be pretty hard as well to find another Airbnb listing that offers the same pirate immersion like this.
However, the listing warns that the ship is not a five-star hotel with locking doors and professional staff abounds. The pirate ship will be all yours during your stay. The top deck gets wet during rainy seasons, and there may be noises from the outside. Talk about taking the pirate party experience to a stranger, if not, better level!
What are your thoughts on this pirate ship listing on Airbnb? Are you considering this as your venue for your future pirate-themed parties? Share your reactions in the comments section below.
High-quality Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments tend to be quite difficult to find. While there are dozens that look amazing, many of these tend to be poorly made or don’t match up with expectations once they’re delivered. However, there are a few that stand well above the rest, with these officially-licensed ornaments from Bradfords looking and feeling the part.
Styled to look like a shoe, the hand-made ornaments feature everything that Tim Burton fans love about the movie. While they come in sets of two, both look drastically different, with Jack Skellington being front-and-center on one, and his better-half, Sally, leading the other. Alongside this, there is a range of jack-o-lanterns, spider webs, and gravestones littering both.
The paint style also alludes to some of the film’s more memorable scenes. Standing at over three inches tall, they’re big enough to get all of the details right without taking up too much space. This should be enough to please anybody looking for some great Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments.
There are a few sets available, so you’ll be able to choose which shoes are your favorite before buying. The first set showcases Jack and Sally, alongside Zero, the loyal skele-dog. Set two, on the other hand, doesn’t focus on any characters in particular, though it does show off a wide range of the cast.
Being officially-licensed by Tim Burton and Disney, buyers will also be provided with a certificate of authenticity upon delivery. With how the shoes are designed, you’ll be able to use them in several ways, such as hanging them from a Christmas tree or simply putting them front-and-center on a shelf.
The Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments are available from The Bradford Exchange from £39.99, plus shipping cost. Alongside the certificate of authenticity, buyers will also get a one-year money-back guarantee if they don’t like the purchase.
With how popular Tim Burton’s movies have been for the past few decades, people may have assumed that everything has been turned into merchandise. While there has been a large range of the merch released over the years, Funko hasn’t released many of the characters as Pop figures. This is especially true for the Corpse Bride. However, that’s no longer the case, with the character now being available for pre-order.
The Pop comes as a follow-up to Funko’s Funkoween event, which was initially teased in May with a range of other Tim Burton-inspired releases. While there was a range of characters announced then, such as those from The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, the Bride was sorely absent.
With the Funkoween event only running from May 18 to May 22, fans hoped that characters from the film would be added by then. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. However, Funko seems to be rectifying that now with a range of new Pops being released. Alongside the character are additions from a few other franchises, such as Child’s Play and Killer Klowns From Outer Space.
Zombified versions of Marvel characters are also making their debut with the collection. That being said, it’s the Corpse Bride that looks to be getting attention, as it’s the first time that she has been made available as a Pop figure. As such, fans of the character and movie might want to pick it up as soon as they can.
The character will be joined by others from the film, such as Johnny Depp’s Victor Van Dort. Naturally, he’ll be accompanied by his loyal skele-dog Scraps. Standing at 3 ¾ inches tall, the Pops should be a great collection to many buyers’ collections.
Have you ever fantasized about having an undead being clawing their way to freedom from below the earth to wreak havoc on your innocent neighbors? I mean, who hasn’t? Well, now you have the chance for this exact thing (kind of).
If you’re a fan of zombie-themed decorations, these zombie garden lights are the perfect addition to the creepy, haunted, and traumatizing path to reach your house.
The eerie walker casts a haunting solar-powered LED lantern above its head, managing to capture its terrifying look to perfection all while it strikes fear into the hearts of anyone who gets too close.
The solar-powered light is most active in the night time, as it will automatically switch on when the day begins to die down and darkness arises.
The zombie garden light is made from cold cast resin, meaning time will not cause your new horrifying protector to rust or deteriorate.
Standing at 13 inches tall, 18.5 inches long, and 10.2 inches wide, this product will make any garden, lawn, or even inside horror decorations complete.
Interested in adding this to your Halloween collection? You can do so by going over to Amazon, HERE, where the wonderfully creative business named ‘Private Label’ is selling them.
However, according to some reviews from buying customers, the ornament’s solar/LED light is less than impressive.
One reviewer labeled the light “woefully dim”, while another stated the light did not work at all upon arrival. Fortunately, they rewired it and it worked perfectly, meaning they either received a bad zombie garden light or the company isn’t too great when it comes to the manufacturing of its products.
Despite some minor problems, will you be purchasing one of these scary zombie decorations? Regardless of whether you will or won’t be adding this to your wishlist, be sure to let us know what you think about the product in the comments.
When it comes to the ever-growing list of monopoly games we always wonder where board game creators Usaopoly are going to go next. From Garbage Pail Kids to Godzilla to Nightmare Before Christmas, these officially licensed products are always of the highest quality and are excellent additions for both collectors and boardgame enthusiasts alike!
And now it seems that it is Tim Burton’s turn to be immortalized in the form of the game which has both made and destroyed friendships and families.
Available to buy at Amazon the product description urges that “Before you call his name three times, work your way through the strange and unusual afterlife of MONOPOLY®: Beetlejuice!”.
The game includes countless references to the film and is extremely well designed in service of the 80s classic. The playing pieces are modeled around key items from the movie, such as the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, Charles Deetz’s binoculars, the wedding dress, the skeleton key, Beetlejuice’s tombstone, and Lydia’s camera.
Instead of Chance and Community cards, you will get the appropriately refashioned Haunting and Occurrence cards alongside Haunted Houses and Paranormal Museums which replace the normal houses and hotels.
On top of this, the money of the game has been completely redesigned to fit in with the Beetlejuice aesthetic.
It wouldn’t be a Beetlejuice game without some disputed title deeds that you can use to show ownership of the spaces of the board which is now replaced by some familiar faces as you “Buy, sell, and trade your favorite dark comedy characters such as Lydia, Delia, and Charles Dietz, Adam and Barbara Maitland, and the irreverent bio-exorcist himself.”.
One satisfied customer exclaimed that it was “by far my favorite edition…all the Beetlejuice details in every part of the game make it so much fun” with another stating that if “you are a Beetlejuice fan you won’t be disappointed”.
A hopeful Kickstarter began in March 2019 in the hopes of giving horror fans a never before seen insight into the making of the cult classic Beetlejuice. Within a day they had reached half of their total and had soon exceeded their goal of €20,000. When all was said and done the effort had raised over €30,000 and work on the Documentary For The Recently Deceased: The Making Of BEETLEJUICE began.
And now, a piping hot trailer has been released for the documentary which boasts dozens of original interviews with the cast and crew of Beetlejuice which you can see for yourself at the bottom of this article.
The documentary is directed by self-proclaimed Beetlejuice superfan Fred China and produced by The Goldbergs creator Adam Goldberg and Lee Leshen who some of you may know from previous documentaries such as Back In Time.
The Kickstarter says that “The film will cover all the aspects of the Beetlejuice production: from filming in East Corinth, Vermont, to the stop motion and special effects work, as well as a series of exclusive interviews and rare behind the scenes archives acquired by the director Fred China over the years.”.
Not only this but the Documentary For The Recently Deceased: The Making of Beetlejuice promises tours of East Corinth where the film was created, as well as interviews and insights from the people who resided in the small Vermont time whilst the production of Beetlejuice went on around them.
If that isn’t enough, the Kickstarter also promises “never-before-seen archive footage, including stop-motion sequences” which have been remastered and digitized especially for the documentary, as well as an original soundtrack.
So if you are even a small fan of either Beetlejuice or Tim Burton films as a whole, Documentary For The Recently Deceased: The Making of Beetlejuice is one to watch. The film is currently in post-production so it should be available for release shortly. In the meantime have a look at the brand new trailer below.
With previous successes with themed sets focusing around franchises such as Pokemon, Garbage Pail Kids, Star Wars, The Simpsons and Zelda, boardgame behemoths The OP Games and Toho Ltd, Godzilla rights holders are teaming up to bring out two new games that Godzilla fans should look forward to.
Godzilla Monopoly is set for an upcoming North America release and has a very enticing product description “Demolish the competition in a city-terrorizing twist on the classic board game with MONOPOLY®: Godzilla. Begin the invasion by buying, selling and trading locations like Monster Island, Goro’s Workshop, and Kitakami Lake and take over the board with Facilities and Bases. Custom sculpted tokens of giants such as Mothra, Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla easily impose on anything in their path!”.
You can now pre-order the game to avoid the disappointment of it selling out here at Entertainment Earth. The game will ship next month in May.
Demolish your opponent in a city terrorising twist on the legendary board-game with the Godzilla Game. Begin the invasion by buying, selling and trading locations like Monster Island, Goro’s Workshop, and Kitakami Lake and take over the board with Facilities and Bases.
Custom sculpted tokens of giants such as Mothra, Godzilla, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla who simply destroy anything in their path! The Godzilla Monopoly Game will make a fantastic addition to your game night. For two to six players. Ages 6 and upwards. (you can click the image below to see more information)
Whoever said weird razor teeth Dolphin-like creatures with no eyes or fins weren’t real? Well, they were lying because reports are now suggesting that this monstrous mammal has been washed up on Mexican beach.
The popular surfers’ beach in Destiladeras is where the beast was spotted, and local Fishermen have claimed it could have originated and traveled from deep in the Pacific Ocean.
Credit – CENTRAL EUROPEAN NEWS
Residents were understandably frightened by the creature which strongly resembles both Dolphin in the head and Eel in the lower body.
This is not the only weird sighting in the past couple of years, as a Reddit user shared a post in attempts to identify another weird underwater animal washed up on a beach.
Credit – Pen News/Travis Power
As well as unknown sightings, Roman Fedortsov, an experienced fisherman, has shared pictures of the unusual discoveries he has come across in his time.
Credit – Jam PressCredit – Jam Press
Although there’s not much more information known about the Dolphin-like creature that washed up on the Mexican beach, at least we now know what to call a fish with no ‘eyes’.
If you are all caught up on the Stranger Things saga you will have already seen the tragic death of the beloved Chief Hopper played by David Harbour. But his demise may have been somewhat exaggerated, as previously speculated.
The brand new trailer titled ‘From Russia With Love’ shows Hopper as part of some kind of chain gang working on a railway as Russian music comes to a peak with the reveal.
Fans across twitter were elated at the news and the Duffer brothers were happy to make a statement saying “We’re excited to officially confirm that production on ‘Stranger Things 4’ is now underway — and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper!” They went on to say “Although it’s not all good news for our ‘American’; he is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human…and other.
With such an exciting twist so early on, and even though we know hardly anything else at this point, this new season of Stranger Things should be a bumpy ride. Check out the exciting new trailer for yourself below.
Mike Flanagan, who’s previous creations include the hugely popular The Haunting Of Hill House,the recent release Doctor Sleep and the adaptation of Gerald’s Game is all set to produce a brand new horror series on Netflix.
Titled ‘Midnight Mass’, Netflix briefly describes the plot as ” an isolated community experiences miraculous events – and frightening omens – after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest”. With a proven director at the helm and an apparently seasoned cast this should definitely be one to watch, and with a multi-year contract reportedly signed by Flanagan, Netflix seems to have faith in the longevity of the production.
Midnight Mass begins shooting in Vancouver this spring and the season will consist of seven episodes, but if Flanagan’s previous Netflix releases are anything to go by it will be worth the wait.
Horror fans have long waited for H.P. Lovecraft’s legendary creation to hit the big screen proper. Turns out, he already has, the movie folks just didn’t tell us. Until now..
Director of the new aquatic horror movie ‘Underwater’ William Eubank has confirmed that, as many horror fans suspected, the creature around which the film is built is none other than old tentacle face himself. Or at least a close approximation.
The film, which owes more than a small debt to predecessors like Alien and The Abyss, is built upon the premise that at the darkest depths of the ocean there are things waiting to be discovered. An idea that will be familiar to some readers of cosmic horror.
Speaking about the monster’s development Eubank highlights that plans for the creature’s appearance were initially somewhat sketchy, with it being written in the script as a ‘big whale-like creature’ initially referred to as ‘The Behemoth’.
However, once shooting of the more concrete elements were completed Eubank admits that he leapt at the opportunity to give one of Lovecraft’s best loved creatures some long overdue screen time “We were done shooting, but we obviously never shot the behemoth cause we were gonna do him later – I just basically was like … we were early enough in the design that was able to shift more to a mystical being. So that’s where we started going Lovecraftian. So I was like alright, ‘[We’re] making Cthulhu here“.
Due to the murky nature of the film’s setting at the bottom of the ocean and the director taking full advantage of that setting to provide only fleeting and suggestive glimpses of the monster, we only catch glimpses of the thing’s true shape and scale. However, there are a few elements that give away the thing’s Lovecraftian origins.
Whether it is the tentacled face or the wings described in the author’s tales, Eubank wanted us to be in no doubt that it was in fact ‘The Sleeper of R’lyeh’ that was down there. “You see his wings too – you definitely see Cthulhu’s wings”.
As a self professed classic horror fanatic and a director who specialises in gorgeously grotesque imagery, it is little wonder that the idea of Guillermo Del Toro bringing HP Lovecraft to the big screen is one that gets many people giddy with excitement. Including the man himself.
As a lifelong fan of the famed writer and creator of the Cthulhu mythos, Del Toro has long harboured a desire to bring the infamously difficult to visualise stories to life and fans have also long begged for studios to let him.
And it has almost happened…
In 2006 the Mexican director went so far as to submit a script for his take on Lovecraft’s supposedly unfilmable novella At The Mountains of Madness to Warner Bros studios.
In keeping with his penchant for vivid aesthetics and detailed visuals Del Toro wanted to make this a lavish production. His proposed budget of 150 million dollars was considered too steep and the material, which Del Toro naturally proposed to bring with it an r rating was considered too unpalatable to the market.
The film became one of the most notorious ‘ones that got away’ in horror movie history.
A passion project which has sat on the backburner for Del Toro ever since the studio said no, the film did seem to briefly have life breathed back into it in 2011, now considered by Universal, with rumours that James Cameron was to produce and Tom Cruise to star. The stumbling block this time turned out to be the r rating. Which, considering Universal are now using that rating for, of all things, The Invisible Man, seems like madness itself.
The film seemed on course for production once again when Del Toro established himself at legendary pictures. Once more however the film fell through, with Del Toro instead enjoying acclaim with the undeniably Lovecraftian award magnet ‘The Shape of Water’.
With a number of Lovecraft productions set to hit the big and small screen over the coming year and Hollywood’s likely more favorable view of r rated content, the question arises as to whether the next few years could be the right time to resurrect the great ‘lost’ Lovecraft movie, after all, if he wants it and we want it it should be a done deal. For now, fans can only hope and pray to The Elder God that this vision eventually becomes a reality.
During a weekly Jane Fonda climate change protest, a familiar face was in attendance, and although it was great to see, things didn’t end well for the Joker star.
Joaquin Phoenix was there in support of Jane Fonda and her views, while also sharing some strong views of his own, saying… “Something I think isn’t oftentimes talked about in the environmental movement or in the conversation about climate change, is that the meat and dairy industry is the third leading cause of climate change…”
The Puerta Rican-born actor went on to say. “There’s something that you can do, today, right now and tomorrow, by making a choice about what you consume…”
You can see some more of Phoenix’s views in this video.
Joaquin Phoenix was thought to be arrested alongside fellow actor, Martin Sheen, among others.
According to certain reports, police warned protesters of potential arrests if they did not comply when asked.
Phoenix can’t seem to stay out of the news, as his Golden Globes speech went viral, news of Joker 2 has been circulating, and now this.
Despite being arrested, there doesn’t seem to be any serious charges against Phoenix, and news of his release will be imminent.
Christmas may be well and truly over but it seems the good folks at Netflix have decided we all deserve a treat anyway and have announced that a huge cache of choice horror will now be available on the site, including some very eye catching titles.
Included in the newly added titles and a definite pick of the litter is the sci-fi horror classic Event Horizon, which, if you’ve never seen it will be a massive treat and if you have, will be an enjoyable revisit to a roundly praised and much loved flick.
Other movies on the list of newly added titles include the devilishly creepy found footage film Paranormal Activity, four of the Final Destination titles including the superior first installment and Guillermo del Toro’s dark fantasy Pan’s Labyrinth (just in time to get us in the mood for Del Toro’s newest effort ‘Antlers’ due out this year).
Also to be found in the new batch are the Tremors movies, fan favourite The Craft and supernatural shocker What Lies Beneath, alongside Cloverfield and The Amityville Horror.
Plenty to keep the horror fan entertained for quite some time. ‘Where we’re going we’ll definitely need eyes’.
By the way, if you don’t get that last joke it may be time to remove the digit from the orifice and get Event Horizon watched. Like, now.
If you happen to have taken a s*** within the last 24 hours then in all likelihood in the time it took you to finish your business and pull up your underwear, someone somewhere will have announced a new Stephen King adaptation.
The question is, why should you give a s*** about this one in particular?
So frequent and numerous are the current wave of interpretations that there seems to be a veritable scramble going on, as major studios, directors and production companies fall over themselves to adapt the master of horror’s work.
In fact, some have already begun to ask whether there is too much King at the moment. To those people I say ‘Silence you fools! Don’t you realise this is good news?’
Despite having had such a long and storied career (storied, stories, see what I did there? Oh mercy) one thing King has in his favour to go alongside his longevity as a writer is an almost supernatural consistency.
Not only has his fertile imagination produced an absolute ton of work, it’s also produced a ton of good work.
Yes, there have been missteps, but in a decades long career, that is forgivable. Especially when the right steps are so perfectly placed.
However, despite the usually high quality of King’s work, all adaptations are not created equal and sometimes, despite great raw material, the end product is less than brilliant.
How then, with such a glut of adaptations made and upcoming do you know which to get excited about?
Answer: ask the man himself.
One huge advantage of so many of ‘The Dickens of Horror”s works being adapted now is that unlike Dickens, he’s still around to tell us what he thinks of them.
Which brings us to ‘The Outsider’.
Despite being arguably one of King’s lesser known works and certainly one of his more recent, The Outsider should be considered alongside some of his best. In terms of the upcoming HBO adaptation, King recently tweeted
“THE OUTSIDER is one of the best adaptations of my work. Hope you’ll watch it.”
If that’s not a recommendation I don’t know what is.
Sharing a title with works by Camus and Lovecraft, The Outsider plays on one of our primal fears ( a fear that King himself discussed in his own non fiction work on the horror genre Danse Macabre).
It begins, in typically brutal King fashion, with the investigation of an horrific child murder and starts out almost as a mystery crime drama.
Of course, this being King, there is a darker element more sinister than even murder to consider and as this is slowly revealed the reader feels that familiar icy grip around their mind.
What elevates The Outsider above most horror novels on the page however, comes before the supernatural terror. Namely King’s often overlooked talent for drawing believable and well drawn characters that the audience genuinely empathises with or are at least morbidly drawn to.
We care about the horror in King because we are already invested in his characters. Scaring is caring.
Not allowing time for this investment is where many adaptations of his work fall down.
Which is one of the reasons we are so excited about The Outsider.
With Richard Price, most famous for his work on The Wire and known for building memorable characters himself, having adapted the script and early pre-release reviews emphasising the show’s triumph in transferring these captivating characters successfully to the screen, it seems we might have an adaptation that really exploits the secret ingredient of King’s work.
Oh and did I mention, one that looks scary as hell? Now that’s worth giving a s*** about.
There was something dark lurking in HBO’s new season trailer. Dark, but exciting.
For a few fleeting seconds we caught a glimpse of the much anticipated ‘Lovecraft Country’ set to hit screens in 2020 and brought to life by Misha Green and standout horror director Jordan Peele.
For those unfamiliar with Peele’s work we suggest watching “Get Out” and “Us” before finishing this article. Seriously. We’ll wait…
With such stellar efforts and a string of awards and nominations under his belt, hopes are high that Peele and Green’s adaptation of Mark Ruff’s novel will be essential viewing and bring to the small screen the captivating yet unnerving flavour of his previous work.
The fact that the series also has J.J. Abrams on board is a hell of an added bonus and enough to make many horror fans giddy with excitement.
Set in the 1950’s and making obvious reference to legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft (master of ‘cosmic horror’ and creator of The Necronomicon, and the Cthulhu mythos) the series, will follow protagonist Atticus Black as he journeys with his companions across the Southern United States, encountering terrors both supernatural and man made and in his quest to find his father.
Ruff’s novel, which explored the history and horror of the Jim Crow era U.S. alongside more Lovecraftian nightmares, was roundly praised and if handled well, the series has the potential to be far more than your standard sci-fi horror offering.
HBO didn’t give us much of a peek but we do get to see a title board for the show that prominently features a certain tentacle faced being front and centre.
As if that wasn’t enough, the trailer also features a first look at ‘The Outsider’ the upcoming adaptation of the novel by Stephen King. Interested? You should be.
HBO 2020 teaser,
There is more information in video by Lamont Tyson….
Howard Phillips Lovecraft, a famous American author who lived in the early 20th century and died in poverty. A man of extremely controversial convictions to say the least and one of the most influential horror writers of all time.
His novels have had a tremendous impact on a huge chunk of the genre, literature as well as cinematography and video games. It’s not only the weird and disturbing monster designs where the Lovecraftian style truly shines. It’s also the deeply psychological, even philosophical approach that makes his work so unique and appealing.
Lovecraft is known as the father of cosmic horror at that time a new category in the horror genre, it emphasises the insignificance of humankind in the cold and fundamentally alien universe. According to Lovecraft, humanity is but a tiny ignorant substance in space and there is a myriad of other beings far more powerful and ancient.
Some of these beings are so monumental and supreme that their very existence goes far beyond our comprehension. Cthulhu is undeniably the most popular of the Lovecraftian creatures is one of these God like entities. Thankfully the majority of us and by us I mean people have no idea they even exist.
Very few have ever had a chance to discover them and these discoveries have always ended badly, not because these great old ones hate humans and want to see them dead. In fact there is absolutely no indication that they even have feelings, desires or motivations. It might very well be that they actually transcend all that is relatable a natural to humankind. Overall that is a truly fresh and thought provoking way of telling us that we are not as important as we like to believe!
Lovecraft’s approach to the genre was strikingly unique for his time, before him it was mostly Gothic horror, ghosts, vampires, medieval castles and ancient curses. As well as emphasis on people. Lovecraft found the latter especially repulsive. To him humans were not worthy to be the centre of the story again, because of their absolute insignificance on a larger scale of things. His novels almost never had a happy ending. Most of his characters would perish or go completely insane and then perish upon discovering themselves. Our minds simply don’t have the capacity to handle this terrible truth, So it would eventually destroyed itself.
Lovecraft’s ideas resonated with a few people who agreed to publish his novels. Sadly they didn’t make him popular or rich during his time though, his fame actually came after his death. When his followers took interest in the universe and not only kept it alive but also added to it. One of them was August Derleth who is believed to categorise the Cthulhu mythos, a pantheon of Lovecraftian characters settings and themes. Throughout the years the mythos has evolved and expanded thanks to the contribution of many other writers. The idea of putting humanity against unfathomably alien merciless entities has ended up being quite popular. Various films, books, board and video games have picked up on themes and ideas. Often none explicitly and if you think about it the Cthulhu mythos are perfect for adaptation in different media.
Lovecraft created a vast world with a sense of place but he left a lot of imagination and interpretation, his vague approach to the details and descriptions gave a lot of freedom to the artists who wanted to incorporate his ideas.
So there you have it! Unique ideas, fascinating universe and faithful followers is what kept Lovecraftian horrors alive long after the death of its creator!
Fans of legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft will no doubt think that that Cthulumas has come early this year with the announcement that next year’s eagerly anticipated Lovecraft adaptation ‘The Colour Out of Space’, is to be the first in a proposed trilogy of adaptations of the author’s work from SpectreVision.
The film, set for release in February 2020 “Color out of Space” starring Nicholas Cage already has a degree of mythos attached to it owing to the fact that its director Richard Stanley has come out of retirement to make the film following a 27 year hiatus (his last outing being an adaptation of HG Well’s The Island of Doctor Moreau which saw more pannings than a gold rush river).
The news that this adaptation is set to be part of a trilogy will be music to Lovecraft fans’ ears, as will the producers apparent desire to create adaptations that are more faithful to the original stories.
Speaking about Colour Out of Space, co producer Daniel Noah said “We had been hellbent on finding the Lovecraft adaptation that truly captured cosmic dread without the camp”. Promising that the film would contain a variety of allusions to other Lovecraft stories, Noah added that when he read director Stanley’s script, he texted fellow producer Elijah Wood to say “This is it. We found it.”
Lovecraft fans will be crossing their tentacles and hoping that he’s right.
Remember when you were at school and someone would show you the best way to plait hair? Remember how, in theory, You’d take three strands and work them toward the middle to make a perfect binding of three separate elements into a single whole?
Sort of. If you’re anything like me then all you actually managed to make from those three strands was a massive vaguely plaited mess, held together by lose ends and static, that looked suspiciously like a cross between a dead pastry and some kind of crustacean.
Anyway, on with the metaphor.
So, what does this hair based trip down memory lane have to do with Doctor Sleep? Allow me to explain…
Even from the trailer for Doctor Sleep it was obvious that director Mike Flanagan intended to allow the film to follow on from Kubrick’s vision of The Shining, not least because the characters wind up at the Overlook Hotel (if you don’t know why this would be somewhat difficult in a faithful adaptation of King’s work then just trust me. It would).
Which would be fine. Were not for the fact that the book this film is an on screen adaptation of does not follow on from Kubrick’s film but from King’s novel version of The Shining, which although it shares a name and characters with Kubrick’s film (and is a classic in its own right), is a completely different topiary animal. Here in lies the problem and the need for the plait.
Going into this project , Flanagan was faced with the mammoth (and some would say near impossible) task of taking three separate and equally important elements and binding them together. Braiding them into a single coherent whole.
On the one hand the film is an adaptation of a Stephen King’s novel, a sequel to a previous massively successful work in the Shining. On the other hand, the film is also the spiritual successor to Stanley Kubrick’s classic on screen adaptation of The Shining.
This, again, would be fine. Were it not for the fact that these two elements are often starkly different, if not entirely contradictory (despite its critical acclaim and classic status King was famously unhappy with Kubrick’s version of his novel, especially the ending which was changed from the text).
Throw in Flanagan’s desire to illustrate his own vision and style and you have three different and at times conflicting impulses and audiences to be placated. None of which can be ignored.
The only choice for poor old Mike therefore, was to meld these influences together into a film that does justice to all three. To plait them. The question is, does he manage to braid these elements well or does the result look similar to the twisted hair nightmares you produced?
The answer is, a little of both.
As a whole the film is an entertaining and above average horror flick and Flanagan should be commended for juggling the different parts as well as he has.
With some genuinely interesting ideas and characters, as one would expect from the pen of King, Doctor Sleep is the continuing story of Danny Torrence, the little boy from The Shining, who, played by the ever dependable Ewan McGregor, has grown up damaged by the events of his youth and struggles with alcoholism.
Danny or ‘Dan’ as he is now known, eventually settles into a job at a nursing home, earning himself the moniker ‘Doctor Sleep’ on account of his ability to use his ‘shining’ to help the residents transition from life to death more comfortably.
The plot thickens with arrival of Rose the Hat, leader of a group of creatures that feed on the energy from ‘gifted’ children. A beautifully sinister mix between a vampire and the child catcher from Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, Rose is easily the most memorable character in the movie played fiendish enthusiasm by Rebecca Ferguson.
Torrence is called to prevent this group, known as the True Knot from taking another particularly gifted child and the sometimes meandering plot leads the whole gang back, predictably, to an isolated hotel famous for its leaking lift, tricycle friendly corridors, and authors in residence programme.
There are a number of crowd pleasing nods to Kubrick’s classic, not least McGregor’s appearance at the world’s most famous DIY cat-flap, imortalised by a crazed Jack Nicholson, that will definitely raise a smile with horror enthusiasts.
Furthermore Flangan’s talent for drawing out the more poignant and emotionally affecting moments encourage us to be suitably invested in the characters when the suspense inevitably ramps up.
All of which goes to show that Doctor Sleep is not a bad film.
In some ways, it feels churlish to look down upon it for only being ‘good’ rather than very good or excellent. Unfortunately, you can’t help it. It’s like seeing an A grade student get a C+. It’s still a pass grade, yeah, but its not an A is it?
Whether that A was ever actually achievable is debatable. Perhaps bringing together the three strands into a satisfying whole was an ambition beyond any director and to his credit, Flan the Man does give it a good go.
Unfortunately, just like the Overlook the film feels oddly haunted. Haunted by a desire to please, with the ‘too many cooks’ tug of its forebears being a constant ghostly presence that hampers rather than helps.
In keeping with my tradition of eschewing five star reviews in favour of five word reviews I would say “Good, but not good enough” or “Not good enough, but good” if you prefer.
It is somewhat fitting that Flanagan choses to use a palate of cold greys and blues for a film that struggles to emerge from the shadows cast both by Kubrick’s movie and King’s novel. They were both classics, Doctor Sleep is not- but it is worth your time. Sometimes ‘good’ has to be good enough.
The Witcher was originally a book series that Netflix planned to adapt into a movie. However after much persuasion from Kelly Luegenbiehl, the Vice President International Originals at Netflix she was able to manage to convince the producers to turn it into a series, not a movie. Kelly remembers asking “How can you take eight novels and just turn it into a film? There’s so much material here!”.
The Cast Line Up
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia
Freya Allan as Princess Ciri
Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg
Jodhi May as Queen Calanthe
Björn Hlynur Haraldsson as King Eist Tuirseach
Adam Levy as Mousesack
MyAnna Buring as Tissaia de Vries
Mimi Ndiweni as Fringilla Vigo
Therica Wilson-Read as Sabrina Glevissig
Emma Appleton as Princess Renfri
Fans won’t have to wait long as on the 20th December 8 episodes will be released on Netflix, it looks like something most of you will be looking forward to over the Christmas holidays.
If your looking for a recommendation of what to watch next time you decide to Netflix and Chill (or just Netflix, the ‘chill’ element usually meaning that whatever is on the screen won’t be getting much attention anyway), then you could do worse than checking out the recommendations made by the king of horror himself, Stephen King.
The ‘Maestro of the Macabre’ recently took to Twitter to voice his approval for the channel’s French horror series Marianne drawing comparisons with Stranger Things and even his own work. High praise indeed!
King, who is not shy about sharing what he likes in the horror genre, having previously lavished praise on Netflix movie ‘Bird Box’ and ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ stated in a tweet that Marianne had “glints of humor that give it a ‘Stranger Things’ vibe,” and also “ a Stephen King vibe.”
A glance at the show’s premise also shows why it may have had particular resonance for King, being about a horror author who is plagued by malevolent spirits. Though some have commented that the series is overly reliant on standard horror tropes and at times feels like a greatest hits package of standard horror movie cliches, it has received widely positive reviews, currently clocking a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, though of course a positive review from King will probably be enough to have most horror fans searching for the series already. To quote King “If you’re one of those sickos – like me – who enjoys being scared, ‘Marianne’ (Netflix) will do the job.” Good enough for me.
All eight episodes of Marianne’s first season are available now on Netflix.
Whether it’s kids dressed as witches pushing shopping trolleys full of candy or that annoying coworker who is actually named Candy and insists on wearing a ‘sexy witch’ costume to work every October (put em away girl, nobody wants to see your ‘familiar’) it’s easy to see why some people think that Halloween has become overly commercialised or, dare I say it, too ‘Americanised’.
It’s for precisely this reason that this year Ireland will be investing 1.5 million Euros to bring to life the new festival of Puca which will celebrate the origins of Halloween and return it to ancient roots, firmly planted in the Celtic soil of its spiritual homeland of Ireland.
The organisers of the festival, aim to reclaim Ireland’s ownership of Halloween by reminding people that the holiday evolved out of a pagan festival known as Samhain, which traditionally marked the start of winter and conclusion of the harvest season.
To that end, they have worked with historians and archeologists to underscore the point and plan to celebrate an event in Ireland’s Ancient East, which will be built more solidly around the celtic and pagan traditions than more modern plastic Mc-Halloween interpretations found elsewhere.
Make no mistake though, this is not a small scale event for a few ardent pagans. With over a million euros worth of investment, the festival, which will be spread across several locations, is expected to bring in 12 million euros of revenue and attract 100000 visitors. That’s big noise.
One look at the costumes for this event, geared toward more traditional characters will already get fans of ‘folk horror’ eager to attend, formed from primarily natural materials and retaining a deliberately archaic aesthetic the costumes are wonderfully creepy and really help push the ‘feel’ of the festival.
Described as a three night celebration of ‘light”music’ ‘food’ and ‘spectacle’ events will include processions, markets, candlelit retellings of Irish epics and the ritual lighting of a fire near the Hill of Ward.
There will also be a screening of the classic silent movie Haxan with a live score, which if you’ve never seen it, can be a mightily unnerving piece of film with some wonderfully striking imagery.
As always there are some naysayers and the fact that event uses phrases like ‘Meet the original spirits of Halloween’ and playful invitations such as ‘Who knows what will happen on the night – or even who will appear!‘ have ruffled feathers with some religious groups opposed to such blase invitations to spirits and demons.
At least one group is hoping to run a counter event to combat what they refer to as ‘grave evil that once more threatens our land‘ planning to battle the threat with masses, rosaries and the recitation of the inscription on St Patrick’s breastplate. Jesus wept.
Whilst I have to admit that to me that sounds suspiciously like the ritualistic use of charms and incantations against evil, by a group opposed to people celebrating the ritualistic use of charms and incantations against, you know… evil, it’s not for me to judge. If it makes them happy and they aren’t hurting anyone, then each to their own.
Samhain Season’s greetings and welcome to the final instalment in our countdown of the best horror movies for Halloween.
Seven creepy classics have already become victims and only the strong have survived this far. So here, for your devilish delectation are our top three recommendations for horror movies to enjoy on Halloween. Sweet dreams…
3.The Ring/Ringu
Although some would argue that this is one of the rare instance in which a U.S. remake is actually of comparable quality to the original, I would still recommend watching the 1998 Japanese version of this classic, but I’ll a cheat a little and include both versions as one entry and let you decide which you prefer (incidentally, the 1998 version isn’t, strictly speaking, the original. A previous on screen adaptation of the novel was produced in 1995, though it is the 98 version I’ll be referring to. One ring to rule them all indeed).
This atmospheric chiller built around an Japanese urban myth about a cursed videotape that means impending death for anyone who watches it, creeps, lank hair dripping, onto most lists of scariest horror movies.
When it was released in the UK, the distributing company cleverly chose to place a disclaimer on the packaging saying that they weren’t responsible for any injury or death caused by viewing the film, a great tie in with the premise of the plot, but also an acknowledgement that the film is regarded as one of the few genuinely terrifying horror films out there, with the resident critic at The UK’s Guardian Newspaper labelling it ‘The scariest film ever made’.
Whilst I wouldn’t quite that far, The Ring or Ringu (not to be confused with ‘Pingu’ the terrifying plasticine penguin) is definitely not for the faint hearted. The sense of impending doom built by the pacing the film permeates the movie and manages to instil within the viewer a palpable feeling of helpless dread. As effective as it is uncomfortable.
That the film takes its sweet time to incrementally increase the tension is one of its great strengths, meaning that when the climax does come, the slow build has heightened its impact and leaves you swearing to never watch a traditional television set ever again.
Interestingly when the director of the American remake of Ringu, first saw the Japanese version of the film it was on a poorly copied VHS tape. You’d s*** yourself wouldn’t you?
2. The Blair Witch Project
If you go down in the woods today…then you’re an idiot. For the love of God, it’s Halloween, get inside and watch some horror. If you do feel the need to go creeping about in the pines, resist the urge and instead bang this beauty on. It’ll put you off for life.
The Blair Witch Project is the ‘found footage’ film that spawned a thousand immitators, but which is arguably, still the best and most effectivly frightening example of its genre.
Built around the simple premise that things unseen stalking you in the dark is fucking terrifying and that seeing someone else experience that in raw, un-edited footage would add to the experience, The Blair Witch project is another film that unsettles the viewer to such an extent that it stays with them long after watching, popping up from some buried corner of the mind like a terrifying jack in the box, the next time they pass the local woods.
The plot essentially involves a group of students heading out into the pine barrens to film a documentary about a local legend about the eponymous witch. The fact that the fabled old crone never actually appears on camera, the directors preferring to rely on the viewers’ imaginations to piece together the horror, is one of the most effective things about the film and what makes it a modern classic. And so, to number one…
1. The Exorcist
Our top pick for the best movie to watch on Halloween is possibly, probably, maybe, might be, the scariest and indeed best horror film ever made. Arguably.
It’s an interesting exercise to watch the opening scenes of The Exorcist after having read the same opening scenes in William Peter Blatty’s novel.
So similar is the sequence of events, the visuals and the atmosphere of what you see on screen to the way it plays out in the book, that it is almost like stepping into William Friedkin’s imagination and watching live as he reads it, seeing it the way he imagined it in his head, scene by scene. A disturbing thought, and a deeply disturbing film.
Built around the story of Regan, a young girl who becomes possessed by a demon and the struggle to free her from that torment, The Exorcist now sounds like a familiar plot trope. The fact that in all of the subsequent films to use this blueprint, none have ever come close to being as shocking or as powerful, is testament to the film’s quality (not to mention its uncanny knack of scaring the bejeezus out of people).
From the slow build atmospherics of the beginning, to its standard setting contrasts and jumps between loud and quiet, The Exorcist features some of the most famous scenes in all of horror movie history. Although often parodied in the years since the film’s release, these sequences still pack a powerful punch with every viewing and rank amongst the most genuinely unsettling in the history of film.
When a movie is so terrifying it induces ‘cinematic neurosis’ to the extent that it can be written up in Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, and cinemas are compelled to have ambulances and sick bags for audience members standing by, you know that it’s a special kind of scary, the kind that should be savoured, appreciated and wheeled out on special occasions.
If only there was just such an occasion coming up…
On a street in Japan, believed by locals to border the spirit world, a procession of demons, ghosts and ghouls stalk the streets every year for the Hyakki Yagyo or ‘Night Procession of 100 Demons’. Which, if you stumble across it unaware will be quite the unsettling sight.
Imagine the scene. You’ve saved all your hard earned cash to pay for a family holiday to Japan. One of the must see highlights of which is a weekend in Kyoto, home of the word famous Geisha’s.
After a good meal you decide to explore the ancient city’s quiet, shaded back streets in search of a Geisha or too who might, if you ask politely, be willing to pose for a photograph. What you find instead is a crowd of demons marching the other way…
This is exactly the situation faced by some tourists who, unaware of the festival, stumbled across the annual procession in which local dress up as ‘Yokai’ in an attempt to scare the spirits away. The procession which takes place on “Ichijo Yokai Street” is based on the tradition that centuries ago there was a parade of real ‘Yokai’ through this street.
It is believed that locals cleared out their antiques, leaving them at the side of the road. Upset by this mistreatment the objects transformed into Yokai and terrorised the townsfolk. The procession now takes place on the third Saturday of October each year.
You spend the weeks running up to Halloween giddily counting down the days like some demented version of Will Ferell’s character in Elf (deliberately misspelling ‘Santa’ and hoping Satan will come down the chimney instead).You annoy colleagues and friends alike with your ebullient enthusiasm for all things ghoulish, ghostly and grotesque and simply can not wait for the 31st.
You carve the pumpkins, prepare the costumes, buy the candy and hang the decorations, all in honour of the spookiest night of the year, a big part of your excitement for which, is the anticipation of some great horror movies to chill your spine and make your flesh creep.
But then, your actually faced with it. So much choice…
A cavalcade of creepy features, a multitude of monsters and a slew of slasher flicks that leave you utterly spoilt for choice. How the hell are you supposed to decide which classic to fire up for this most fitting of occasions?
Before you know it, you’ve spent an hour and a half flicking through your collection, skipping through Netflix and scouring the internet to find the perfect picture for your Halloween night, whilst everyone else has either left or grown bored at your dithering and decided to make themselves sick gorging on candy in protest.
‘If only there was another way’ I hear you cry. Well guys and ghouls, you’ll be pleased to know that there is, because we’ve selected the ten most suitable screams for samhein (pronounced Sah-Wain by the way, just so you don’t look a d*** in front of your mates) From all time classics and the truly terrifying to campy laughs and slasher flicks, we’ve got a selection box of terrible treats to give you nightmares ‘till next halloween. Let’s start our creepy countdown with numbers 10-7…
Later in the list I’ll be using phrases like ‘not for the faint hearted’ so it’s only fair that we start with some entries that are a bit more friendly to those of a nervous disposition, acknowledging that great horror tradition of building slowly toward a terrifying climax…
10. Poltergeist
The fact that Steven Spielberg successfully argued for this movie to get a PG rating, thereby ensuring that whole generation of kids would never look at creepy trees, puppets or clowns in the same way ever again is stunning.
Don’t be fooled by the rating. Although stripped of the more adult oriented content that usually makes for a good horror, when you consider that Stephen King was originally asked to write the script for this, you get an insight into the film’s intention, from the start Poltergeist was meant to be scary and is still effective in giving some bone fide chills.
Essentially a more ‘movie and effects friendly’ version of the old fashioned ‘haunted house’ narrative (not to mention a cheeky rehash of a very similar episode of The Twilight Zone), Poltergeist squeezes out its scare by ticking off a list of set pieces built around common childhood fears. It is a slick, fast paced crowd pleaser that ticks all the right boxes for some spooky Halloween entertainment.
9. The Gate
A guilty pleasure and another selection perfect for those with younger horror fans in the house, this 80’s nostalgia fest is like watching a mix of Stranger Things and the Goonies, set against the backdrop of a storyline in which a young boy accidentally opens a portal to hell in his back yard (see, this is the sort of wholesome creative stuff kids got up to before the invention of i-phones. Whatever happened to the days when rosy cheeked youngsters could spend a quiet afternoon conjuring demons? Good clean fun. Kids today, pah.).
The effects, which rely heavily on stop motion, latex and forced perspective are dated, but this only adds to the popcorn appeal of a film that isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. Though the minions in the film (no, not those minions) still retain a certain creepiness that holds up even now.
Low brow, 80’s video store fodder sure, unlikely to pick up any academy awards definitely, but perfect for a light hearted halloween horror fix? Absolutely.
8. Saw
This is one is also family friendly. If you’re the Manson family that is.
I have to admit that the first time I saw this movie I went into the cinema ready to snickering eviscerate it for the amusement of myself and my friends.
I knew what to expect. From the title alone, you could already tell that this was going to be a lackluster gore fest built upon gross out effects and a breath thin script that could have been written by a monkey with a crayon. I settled into my seat with the stated intention of mocking this one mercilessly. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.
Whilst the promised gore is still there, the splatter moments are woven together by a clever, well thought out premise that keeps the viewer intrigued and teases out the plot in well paced increments. The film’s inclusion of less visceral horror imagery, for example the creepy doll and pig mask, elevates it above the usual run of the mill blood and guts offering into something more worthwhile. For those who have never seen it and have somehow managed to avoid years worth of spoilers, the film’s eventual twist is also a treat. Just maybe avoid sharing that treat with the kids…
7. Halloween
Well, it had to be here didn’t it? John Carpenter’s classic laid the bloody blueprint for a slew of slasher flicks to come, with even the jagged, puncturing strains of its soundtrack making a generation of horror fans feel uncomfortable.
The tale of Micheal Myers stalking babysitters runs like an obstacle course of horror cliches, primarily because it invented a lot of them and whilst I would always condone the responsible consumption of alcohol at any time of year, it does lend itself well to a drinking game or two.
Jamie Lee Curtis turns in a great performance as the archetypal plucky heroine, fighting for survival against the seemingly indestructible Micheal (whose mask, interestingly enough, was actually a painted William Shatner mask, which must be an unsettling fact for Shatner himself to consider when he looks in the mirror every morning).
With more jumps than a frog in a trampoline factory and enough heart racing scares to make it practically count as a cardio workout, Halloween remains a stellar choice for October 31st.
And there you have it, entries 10-7 on our list of treats to avoid the tricks. Keep an eye out for the next installment of our countdown and in the meantime don’t forget to eat, drink and be scary. Happy Halloween folks!
Just in case you’re worried that the title of this article is clickbait, I’ll put your mind at ease. It isn’t.
There really is a place where participants can win 20,000 dollars if they make it through a haunted house experience. McKamey Manor in the U.S. offers contestants a shot at the cash if they can just make it to the other side of the experience. Sounds easy, right?
‘Hold my beer!’ I hear you cry.
But wait.
As any fan of horror will tell you, in every haunted house flick, there is a point at which the protagonist choses to continue when most of us mere mortals, would have run screaming. How many times have you found yourself hollering at the screen when ‘she’ opens the door she shouldn’t open or ‘he’ goes into the exact dark cellar ‘where the damn noise is coming from’! We’ve all been there.
Well, before you dive into this challenge with both feet, perhaps consider the information below, and avoid becoming just such a protagonist, starting with the fact that so far, nobody has managed to complete the course. As in, not one. Nobody. Ever.
If that wasn’t off putting enough, consider the fact that you have to sign a waiver before you enter, a waiver that extends to forty, yes, count them, forty pages. Considering most waivers on bungee jumps and sky dives are a maximum of two pages, that’s a little perturbing.
As are the revelations that you must be over 21, have proof of medical insurance, pass a drug test, watch a 120mins film and think up a ‘safe word’ before you head in. Hmmmm….
That the owner is only charging the price of some dog food to participate is also a spider sense tingling nugget of information that should have you thinking twice, but if even that doesn’t make you turn back, take into account the fact throughout this entire, terrifying experience you are forbidden to swear. That’s right, no f bombs, no shouting ‘s***!’ when something jumps out you, no cursing. Period.
In the words of a very wise man: “F*@k that”.
For more information visit the Mckamey Manor website. If you dare.
The new Chucky doll for the upcoming ‘Child’s Play‘ reboot has officially been revealed. You can check out everyone’s favorite murderous doll’s new look here:
Notice, the word “Buddi” replaces the part of Chucky’s overalls that usually read “Good Guy.” Beatrice Kitsos (The Exorcist), Ty Consiglio (Wonder), and Brian Tyree Henry (Widows) star in the upcoming film, which hits theaters on June 21. Lars Klevberg directs with Tyler Burton Smith writing the script, which is based on the original story.
Per IMBd, in ‘Child’s Play,’ “a mother gives her son a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature.” You can check out one of the film’s official posters here.
The sequel to Corin Hardy’s ‘The Nun‘ has reportedly landed ‘Hell Fest‘ writer Akela Cooper to pen the script for the film. This comes via a report from Deadline.
For those of you who missed it, Producer Peter Safran told EW recently that the sequel was in the works:
“I think there is an inevitability to another Nun movie,” Safran said. “We have a really fun storyline for that teed up, so I think that’s the next one that will be written.”
‘The Nun‘ was the most successful film in ‘The Conjuring‘ universe after raking in $365 million worldwide last year. While fans wait for that, they can wait for the next installment in ‘The Conjuring‘ series, which will be ‘Annabelle Comes Home.’ Also, ‘The Conjuring 3‘ is set for a 2020 release.
Rob Zombie has finally given us an update on when horror fans can expect the highly-anticipated ‘The Devil’s Rejects‘ sequel, ‘Three From Hell,’ to hit theaters.
Speaking on Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live From The Rainbow Bar & Grill this week, Zombie said he expects the film to release anywhere from early fall to September (via Bloody Disgusting):
“I had to finish the movie. I just literally finished that two days ago. That’s done. That was taking my life for the last couple of years,” Zombie said. “I don’t know for sure [when it will be released]. In the early fall — September vicinity.”
Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, and Sid Haig all reprise their roles in the in the upcoming sequel. They’re joined by new cast members such as Danny Trejo, Kevin Jackson, Wade Williams, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Clint Howard, Pancho Moler, Emilio Rivera, Daniel Roebuck, David Ury, Sean Whalen, Austin Stoker, Dee Wallace, Richard Brake, Bill Oberst Jr., Richard Riehle, Dot-Marie Jones, and Tom Papa.
For those of you who have missed it, Zombie has been sharing bits and pieces of the film on his Instagram, sharing photos from sound mixing.
The first teaser trailer for Warner Bros’ ‘Joker‘ has officially been released, with Joaquin Phoenix portraying the legendary comic book villain. Todd Phillips directs, and also co-wrote the script along with Scott Silver.
Cast members include Joaquin Phoenix (Her), Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), and Robert De Niro (Raging Bull). ‘Joker‘ serves as more of an origin story for the iconic villain, focusing on Arthur Fleck’s beginning as a small-time stand-up comedian. The film also takes place in a separate universe from that of ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘Shazam,’ ‘Aquaman,’ and Jared Leto’s Joker.
The film hits theaters on October 4, 2019. Check out a brief synopsis and the official trailer here:
“A failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and becomes a psychopathic murderer.”
Nobody is expecting Halloween 2020 to be as entertaining as most other years. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be special. Instead, horror movie fans can make the entirety of October to enjoy a range of films. Tim Burton fans, specifically, may enjoy it. Thanks to Freeform, potential event-goers can expect a drive-through event throughout the month called 31 Nights of Halloween.
The company is hosting another Halloween House event, which is in its third year. Specifically, fans will enjoy the Halloween Road event, which gives fans an immersive experience while watching kid-friendly horror movies. Participants will also be able to drive through multiple scenes inspired by the films.
On the first night of the event, for example, the majority of the scenes will come straight from Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas. Some of the other notable films include Ghostbusters and Hocus Pocus. While it will typically be one film per day, there are some exceptions.
For example, October 8 will be split among Goosebumps, 1991’s The Addams Family, and Addams Family Values. Naturally, these will take place at different times. However, it isn’t clear if a ticket will be for one film or the entirety of the day’s films. Alongside live-action, there will be several animated movies giving the event inspiration. On October 28, there will be several Pixar movies, such as Monster’s Inc.
Each of these experiences will last about half an hour. According to Freeform, there will also be trick-or-treating, among other activities. Based on how it looks, 31 Nights of Halloween will be quite a kid-friendly event. Tickets for Halloween House’s Halloween Road go on sale on September 12 and can be found on Freeform’s website.
It will also take place in several cities across the United States. This should mean that potential 31 Nights of Halloween attendees might want to check the website to see if it takes place near them.
There’s nothing quite like finding low budget horror movies that stands up against the genre’s elite, overcoming the odds, and becoming a great watch.
They do so by managing to keep tensions running high and scare you just as much as, or in some cases even more than, the high budget horror movies.
While it doesn’t necessarily mean the movie is good quality, Return on investment (ROI) is what all moviemakers strive for regardless of how big their project is, and today, we are going to share ten horror movies that managed to rake in an enormous amount of profits despite having a much lower budget.
Unfriended follows a group of teenagers as they are stalked over social media by an unknown figure, which is thought to be a revenge act from a vicious bully who killed herself because of the teens one year prior.
Although Unfriended didn’t set the world on fire when it arrived in cinemas back in 2015, its appeal to teens around the globe ultimately made the horror flick incredibly successful.
From a small $1 million budget, the suspense-filled movie managed to earn $64.1 million at the box office and their return on investment stands at 6210%.
9. Saw
Two strangers wake up in a room with no recollection of how they ended up there but soon come to realize that they’re pawns in a sinister game put together by a notorious serial killer.
Despite failing to impress on a number of critics’ scores, the original Saw remains a real fan-favorite among the horror community. Its premise, along with the twist ending and eerie atmosphere throughout were three factors in the chilling movie’s success at the box office.
Having invested $1.2 million, Saw eventually went on to make an incredible $103.9 million return, giving the film an 8391% return on investment.
8. The Devil Inside
Set in Italy, a woman becomes heavily involved in unauthorized exorcisms in attempts to discover what really happened to her mother, who allegedly murdered three people during her own exorcism.
While The Devil Inside is said to be ‘a cheap, choppy unscary mess’ that features ‘one of the worst endings in recent memory’ – according to Rotten Tomatoes – it didn’t stop moviegoers intrigue from buying a ticket to see the disappointment.
Even though there were no brilliantly scheduled or interesting advertisements surrounding the movie, The Devil inside still managed to weather the storm from their audience’s backlash and took home $101.8 million off a $1 million budget – earning Paramount Pictures an astounding 9980% return on investment.
7. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
While visiting their grandfather’s grave, two siblings and their three friends are captured and terrorized by a family of cannibals and must do whatever it takes to escape from the sickening clutches of Leatherface and his family.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘s nonstop suspense, unforgettable antagonist, and ability to expertly execute documentary-style camerawork made it an instant classic, and rightly so.
The film was banned in several countries which stunted the potential earnings, but in the end, that didn’t matter as the mere $300,000 spent on the movie saw it make $30.8 million, a 10,066% return on investment.
6. Friday The 13th
An unknown murderer begins killing a group of camp counselors as they attempt to reopen a summer camp which served as the site of the drowning of a child and a gruesome double murder years prior.
Even though 1980’s Friday the 13th never won any awards and is considered average by many critics, it is still believed to be one of the best horror movies of all time by some, and will forever hold a place in the heart of countless horror fans.
In what is seen as a masterpiece to those who are not critics, Friday the 13th made a 10,672% return on investment after pumping $550,000 into the movie and gaining $59.8 million at the box office.
5. Open Water
Open Water is based on the true story of two scuba divers who unintentionally get stranded in waters overrun by sharks after their tour boat left them behind.
The shark horror attracted large audiences everywhere as it boasted a true story element to an already tense genre. What helped the film succeed was its set-up which made you believe you were stuck in the waters alongside the pair.
The execution of the intense film earned a large $54.6 million from its $500,000 budget, giving Open Waters a 10,720% return on investment.
4. Halloween
A young boy is sent to a mental hospital after murdering his sister on Halloween. 15-years later, he escapes and returns to his home town to terrorize the residents once again.
When referring to John Carpenter’s 1978 masterpiece, there are not enough positive words out there to describe the suspenseful, eerily engaging, and genuinely scary horror movie that is Halloween.
Amazingly, Halloween’s limited $325,000 budget generated a staggering $70 million at box office, rightfully earning Carpenter’s work of art a 21,338% return on investment.
3. Night of the Living Dead
A group of misfits barricades themselves in a farmhouse in hopes of staying safe as an onslaught of flesh-eating monsters lays waste to the East Coast of the United States.
Laying the foundation for all successful zombie projects to come, Night of the Living Dead is a real fan-favorite among critics, and the movie managed to earn itself a respectable Metascore of 89 on Metacritic.
Despite its amateur cast and inexperienced director, Night of the Living Dead’s minor $114,000 budget eventually brought in $30 million at the box office, successfully making a 26,115% return on investment.
2. The Blair Witch Project
Three thrill-seeking film students disappear after traveling into a forest determined to investigate the local Blair Witch legend, leaving nothing but their footage behind.
Timing was everything for The Blair Witch Project, and as people started to become familiar with the internet, a marketing campaign explaining the situation of the movie quickly became viral and even the biggest skeptic’s attended their showing with doubts in their mind as to whether the events were real.
The wonderfully executed documentary filmmaking technique helped make the horror believable. Understandably, Blair Witch made $248.6 million from the little $60,000 project, essentially giving the film an unbelievable 414,133% return on investment.
1. Paranormal Activity
Katie and Micah become progressively troubled when they are the victim of a nightly demonic presence in their new suburban home.
Given its very little budget, Paranormal Activity does incredibly well to turn a regular haunted house story into a 1 hour, 26 minutes movie of utter suspense.
Normally, the top spot is fought out between two or three different options with one just edging the victory, but, this certainly isn’t the case for Paranormal Activity. Boasting a reported budget of just $15,000, the haunted movie acquired an outstanding $193.4 million, leaving it with a near-impossible return on investment of 1,289,133%.
Did we miss any out? Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the horror movies in the comments below.
Announced last year, the remake of the cult-classic The Witches starring Anne Hathaway had been put on hold for quite some time. This was quite understandable, given that the movie industry had come to a standstill as a result of recent events. However, this has also meant that there hasn’t been much information released about the movie since its announcement.
That being said, there were some marketing materials developed for the film, although these were created with the belief that the film would be released this year. One such poster has made its way online, though it naturally appears somewhat out of date. While it shows the remake’s original release date of October 9, there’s a lot more to take on board.
This is primarily focused on the first glimpse of Anne Hathaway and other actors in-character. The poster, which you can see below, shows each of the characters in all of their slightly-campy glory. Fans of the original The Witches might be slightly disappointed, however, as there’s quite a noticeable lack of prosthetics and other makeup.
The original film had the titular witches looking grotesque. However, Hathaway and the other actors don’t appear to be wearing any form of makeup to make them look more witch-like. That being said, it could be possible that there’s some form of transformation during the film. This would make the characters look somewhat more similar to how they appeared in the original.
While the remake would naturally want to take the characters in a new direction, the poster makes it look as though the film is steering well clear of the original. That being said, Anne Hathaway and the rest of the cast all look amazing as the characters.
The Witches’ remake has been delayed as a result of current events. While many other delayed films have gotten new release dates recently, this hasn’t been the case yet here.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Made Halloween An Evergreen Celebration
October, 29th 1993. A couple of days before Halloween, Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas opened in theaters just in time for Halloween and the Holiday retail season that begins immediately after. The film seemed at first like the standard cyclical fare.
It had the dark atmosphere that is the hallmark of Burton’s work, featured in his previous hits like Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and the 1989 blockbuster Batman film. Blending slapstick antics, risqué humor, grim melancholy, and tragic origins into films that managed to be appealing across America’s fickle movie-going audience was what Tim Burton excelled in. His films captured a niche so rare it should be taught in film schools as a master class.
A niche of uncensored, authentic cinema that managed to be family-friendly, not by design, but by the simple truth of Burton’s voice. These stories didn’t pander to children or avoid adult themes. Without pulling punches, Burton’s films received PG-13 ratings.
Tim Burton simply told stories that were harsh, dark, humorous, tragic, and joyous, and delivered these emotions not as an overarching thematic device, but rather in the same fashion that real-life delivers them. Sometimes life is fair, sometimes it isn’t.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Became An Evergreen Theme
Children’s movies tend to make a splash, hang out for a few months as they make the rounds in Happy Meals, soundtracks, retail, and clothing before something new comes out and restarts the whole process. Even Disney’s beloved heroes, heroines, and sidekick characters had a shelf life.
What made The Nightmare Before Christmas literally unforgettable though were the profoundly nuanced and never-before-seen character design and overall visuals. There was something appealing about the characters, something not seen in children’s animated cinema before. The characters were all morbidly beautiful. The animators didn’t sit down to draw visually appealing ghouls, they simply drew ghouls with appeal.
The demand for Jack Skellington branded clothes, home decor, glassware, and figurines doesn’t ebb and swell. It isn’t cyclical. And now it has expanded into a set of pillows featuring the skeletal hero.
Check out the collection in the gallery below.
Click the link below if you want to add these to your home decor!
Netflix’s horror-comedy The Babysitter was a hit with audiences back in October 2017, starring the amazing Samara Weaving as Bee the magical murderous babysitter. It’s almost surprising that Netflix has made us wait this long for a sequel, but it has just been confirmed that The Babysitter: Killer Queen will be available to stream from September 10th, 2020 alongside some telling first-look images.
After the original announcement that the film had begun production, it was confirmed that McG returned to the director’s chair for the new feature after overseeing the first film and that we will be seeing Judah Lewis reprise the role of Cole, the first film’s protagonist.
The sequel is reportedly set two years after the occurrences of the first film and will again center on Cole as he tries to “forget his past and focus on surviving high school”. His plans change however when “old enemies unexpectedly return” and “Cole will once again have to outsmart the forces of evil”.
The cast list as well as the movie’s description perhaps creates more questions than it does answers due mainly to what went down in the first film and how they’re going to deal with certain characters returning. Perhaps we’re going to be seeing the supernatural side of the Babysitter universe in more detail?
We hope that the levels of gore, as well as the comedic timing from the first Babysitter film, can be carried over to its sequel, and seeing as it’s in the hands of the accomplished McG that seems pretty certain.
Are you looking forward to the next chapter in the Babysitter saga? What were your thoughts on the first film and how do you think they’re going to be bringing back those that had some pretty gruesome deaths? Let us know in the comments.
Have you seen the trailer for the Terrifier 2? if not check it out here.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas is quite obviously one of the biggest and most-watched festive movies of all time, but did you know the grumpy green Who also tried to ruin the spooky holidays of Halloween for the residents of Whoville?
As reported by Insider, the short animated movie aired in 1977, and while it never gained as much popularity as its Christmas counterpart, it still had some minor success during the late 70s, with the film managing to earn itself a Primetime Emmy Award one year on from its release.
Titled ‘Halloween Is Grinch Night’, the not so known prequel follows Euchariah – a young Who that decides to confront the Grinch whose foul mood and negative attitude around Whoville has forced all the citizens to stay indoors.
🎃'Halloween Is Grinch Night' first aired 41 years ago tonight, October 29, 1977, on ABC pic.twitter.com/uK2Ad8tSwL
Amazingly, in the entirety of the short animated movie, the term “Halloween” is never used, it is instead replaced by the Dr. Seuss-esque, “Grinch Night”.
If you’re yet to watch this must-see short, you can do so by purchasing “Dr. Seuss’s Holidays on the Loose” ultimate edition DVD which is available on Amazon, or, you can choose the easier option and head over to YouTube – HERE! – to watch the full movie for free.
The movie has been on YouTube for over eight years, and in that time, it has managed to gain close to 4 million views on the platform.
To get you excited about the 25-minute video, check out this near-2-minute clip posted to Twitter, below.
‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ – which earned both an Oscar win and an Oscar nominee – is without a doubt the leading force in the franchise’s success, and if you’re as big of a fan as we are, you need to watch what happened prior to those events in ‘Halloween Is Grinch Night’.
Have you already seen the movie? Will you be watching for the first time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
For those of you who enjoyed our last post where we covered four unbelievably uneasy silent horror comics with haunting twist endings – which you can find HERE – you’re in luck, as we’ve now found a further five to share with you!
Instead of scrolling through the terrible selection of horror on Netflix, why not check out these silent horror comics to get your daily dose of terror.
See some of DarkBox’s best silent comics down below.
Considering the fact children are so easily influenced and people often jump to conclusions without knowing the full details of a story, the terrifying outcome of this comic isn’t too outlandish.
It’s a horrifying moment knowing the woman can’t speak out and all she needed was her husband to realize something wasn’t right. I’m slowly starting to understand why women call us men useless!
Although it’s always terrifying to see a ghost, at least the woman was doing something harmless opposed to, you know, trying to murder somebody.
Did you enjoy these silent horror comics? Have you checked out our other post in the link above? Be sure to let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
The Predator alien race from the franchise of the same name has become iconic in the past few decades. The majority of science fiction and horror fans have loved the character since the first two movie installments came out. While most of the recent films haven’t been that successful, it hasn’t stopped fans from buying cool movie-related merchandise. This Predator fire pit may be one of the coolest so far.
Made by Burned by Design, the fire pit measures 60cm by 60cm by 65cm and is made out of metal. Being handmade, the pits are quite high-quality and they take a lot of time to actually make. As a result, anyone ordering them may need to wait a while before they actually get it. However, based on how it looks it could be worth the wait.
The Predator fire pit looks almost identical to the titular characters. Though it mainly uses the masks that the hunters wear, it also includes the dreadlocks that have become synonymous with them. The pieces are what’s known as functional art. That is, it’s art that people can actually use for something functional.
Alongside the metal that it’s made from, it has a coat of clear lacquer. This has been treated to a high temperature, so buyers shouldn’t have to worry about it melting off or the design being damaged by heat. It also adds some health and safety when it comes to any food that might be cooked in or near the fire pit.
The Predator fire pit is available to order from Burned by Design on Etsy. With the amount of work that goes into it, however, it should cost $1,049.11. Given how high-quality it is, though, it’s worth every penny. It should also be noted that it may take a few weeks to arrive. This is mainly because of how much time it takes to make.
If you like this you should also check out the Freddy Krueger one too HERE.
Some of you may remember the meteoric rise and subsequent fall of movie rental giant Blockbuster, some of you further still may know that the once-mighty chain are now down to just one location in the US located in Bend, Oregon. What you might not know though is that the store is now opening its doors for patrons to spend the night for their ‘End Of Summer Sleepover‘ and it’s all socially distanced using quarantine pods!
The description for the listing tempts you in by saying that you’ll “have the store to yourself from check-in to check-out”. The location manager Sandi brags that “Whether you want to stay up until sunrise or pass out on the couch, we’ve created the perfect space”.
And all of this costs only $4 a night! The low pricing reiterates the way in which Blockbuster is doing this for the community that has kept it alive and not only that but Airbnb has agreed to make a donation to the Humane Society of Central Oregon as well.
Unfortunately, this exclusive experience is only open to residents of Deschutes County, and even if you are a resident the sleepover is only occurring over the period of three nights from 18th to 20th September so you’ll have to have a little luck to get a booking.
It’s strange to think that the worldwide chain was only started in 1985 and is now seen as a fossil of a bygone era. Especially seeing as recently as 2004 Blockbuster was considered at its peak with over 9000 stores, 60000 employees, and a revenue of over $5.9 billion. It”s also strange to think about how it could still be a global powerhouse if only it had moved with the times.
So if you’re a local resident and you’re a fan of the bygone Blockbuster era, old movies, video games and junk food (who isn’t!??) then make sure you try your luck by booking here!
There’s quite an eclectic mix of lizards around the world. While many people may think of Australia when it comes to some of the more interesting reptiles, that may not be the case. Instead, people may want to turn their attention to Southeast Asia, which houses the Draco Lizard. Despite being relatively unheard of, they’re one of the most interesting reptiles on the planet.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of their physiology is that it can fly. Though this is common to many reptiles, the way this species does so is quite different from others. Instead of developing wings attached to its arms, it uses its ribs. The lizard is able to extend and retract these ribs whenever it needs to travel.
Credit: Maximilian Dehling
When doing so, it stretches out a piece of skin that functions like a wing. When this is stretched out, the Draco Lizard can glide for up to 30-feet. Like some other reptiles, it uses its tail to steer and change direction. The eight-inch-long reptile also has quite a flat body, which supposedly helps when flying.
According to reports, the reptile – also called a Flying Dragon – developed this flying ability to stay away from predators. The lizard typically stays in trees while its natural predators tend to stick to the floor. Given that the Flying Dragon needs to travel for food, it naturally needed to find a way to do so without putting itself at risk.
Despite this, the female members of the species will descend to the floor when laying eggs. However, this will usually only last about 24 hours, after which she leaves the offspring to their fate.
This isn’t the only reason why the reptile will use its flying ability. Being quite territorial, it will chase rivals away from the trees that it inhabits. Typically, one male Draco Lizard will call two or three trees home and fiercely defend them.
