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Surgeons of Horror

~ Dissecting horror films

Surgeons of Horror

Category Archives: News article

Top 18 Movies the Surgeons team can’t wait to go under the knife

25 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by surgeons of horror in News article

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a quiet place, aimee mullins, alien:covenant, Amityville: The Awakening, amy irving, Annabelle:Creation, annihilation, anya taylor joy, before i wake, blumhouse, cadaver, cargo, cate blanchett, christina hendricks, claire foy, corin hardy, danny mcbride, david gordon green, eli roth, emily blunt, game of thrones, gerald's game, Get Out, green inferno, Halloween, helen mirren, hellraiser:Judgement, hounds of love, insidious: the last key, It, it comes at night, jack black, Jamie Lee Curtis, jason statham, Jeepers Creepers 3, jennifer jason leigh, johannes roberts, john krasinski, Joshua Leonard, juno temple, Leatherface, lin shaye, maisie williams, mother!, natalie portman, nick frost, olivia munn, Patient Zero, rafe spall, Raw, shane black, simon pegg, slaughterhouse rulez, Split, stephen soderbergh, stranger things, Suspiria, the autopsy of jane doe, The Babysitter, the conjuring, The Conjuring 2, the god particle, the Hallow, the house with a clock in its walls, the lodgers, the marshes, the meg, the new mutants, The Nun, the predator, the ritual, the strangers 2, the witch, thelma, thomas jane, thorughbreds, tom hardy, truth or dare, unsane, venom, winchester

2017 proved to be a mammoth year in horror, with the likes of Get Out, It, and Annabelle: Creation causing waves of elation and that’s not to forget some awesome movies that rippled beneath the surface, including Gerald’s Game, Hounds of Love, Raw, The Marshes, mother!, and The Babysitter.

What does this mean to the genre as a whole? It can spell good news as the movie business see success and a money opportunity to exploit this genre to the bone.
This could mean an outpour of horrendous carbon copy movies that will grate to the bone, but it can’t be as bad as Amityville: The Awakening, Leatherface, or Jeepers Creepers 3 right?

But let’s not be too hasty on the negative-front. What does look promising is that we could very well get some fine horror films churning out over the coming years.

So with that in mind, the team stitched our collective minds together and come up with 18 of the most anticipated horror movies coming out that we would love to bring into the operating theatre and splice them wide open.

Annihilation

23 Feb / 12 Mar via Netflix

Directed by Alex Garland and starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Oscar Isaac looks off the dial.
The fact that it has been picked up by Netflix for a release some 17 days after its cinematic release has left some people scratching their heads as to whether or not this film has merit, but that’s old school thinking.
We at Surgeons see this at as a bold attempt at a streaming company to make their move onto the big arena.
If the trailer is anything to go by this film could be a massive hit and shape up the distribution method in a big way.

Cadaver

23 Aug

Some may instantly see comparisons with The Autopsy of Jane Doe with this one, but this story of a city cop fresh out of rehab, who takes up a role at the city hospital morgue, could very well be a trippy affair, where sanity is on the line.

Halloween

19 Oct

You’d be remiss to neglect this one on the list. With the return of Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle in their respective roles, alongside the creative minds of David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, can we finally see Michael Myers rampaging his way that will delight and reignite the franchise once more?
Here’s hoping.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls

21 Sep

Cate Blanchett and Jack Black lead the charge in Eli Roth’s latest feature about a young orphan and his magical uncle who go in search of a clock that could bring about the end of the world.
Could we see a return of fantasy horror on the big screen? Can Roth extend his bloody touch to go beyond the success of Green Inferno?

Insidious: The Last Key

8 Feb – Australian release

Whilst this has already been released in the States, the Surgeons team who are based in Australia, need to wait with eager anticipation for Elise Rainer and her team of ghost hunters to delve into the Further once more.
Early reports suggest that Lin Shaye continues to impress in her role, but that the franchise may have run its course. We’ll have to wait and see before we cast our thoughts on the latest addition to the franchise.

The Lodgers

23 Feb

2015’s release of The Witch and its success may have reawakened that love of folk horror, which has been embedded in British culture with the likes of The Wicker Man, Witchfinder General, and Blood on Satan’s Claw, has some of our team intrigued by this latest offering.
Set in 1920’s Ireland, a twin brother and sister must endure a sinister presence with a strong hold over them that may result in turning them against one another with drastic circumstances.

The Meg

23 Aug

Movies don’t get bigger than this one.

Sorry couldn’t resist that.

Whether you like him or not Jason Statham has a habit of packing a punch when it comes to ‘balls to the wall, testosterone-fuelled action movies.

Now he must come face-to-face come face to face with a 70-foot shark.

“You’re gonna need a bigger air tank.”

The New Mutants

12 Apr

When Logan was released and with the success that followed, Marvel were then faced with the enterprise of a much darker world.

In steps, The New Mutants which sees Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split) and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) among the imprisoned young mutants as they discover their new-found abilities and potential salvation.

It’s a good cast, but will it deliver?

The Nun

12 Jul

Speaking of franchises, The Conjuring universe continues to expand and haunt in more delectable ways to terrify our souls with the much-anticipated return of Valak.

In this instance, Rome is our setting and Father Burke is sent to investigate the mysterious death of a nun. Burke played by Demian Bichir, who I hope is given more time to flex his acting muscles compared to his under-used performance in Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant.

Gary Dauberman from It, Annabelle:Creation, and The Conjuring 2 is back on board to write the screenplay, so expect similar twists, turns, and scares to arise.

In addition, Corin Hardy steps in to direct, who oversaw the surprisingly decent The Hallow from a few years back and has been given the vote of confidence to resurrect The Crow, starring Jason Mamoa.

The Predator

2 Aug

Becoming something of the lesser cousin to the Alien franchise, The Predator universe has never managed to really make a dent beyond its original Arnie feature, which surprises as it is ripe full of potential.

One of the original stars Shane Black is on to direct, so you could argue that there isn’t anyone closer to the source to re-capture the magic of the first film, and he has proven success with Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and Iron Man 3, but is that enough to win over fans and the many?

The additions of Oliva Munn, and Thomas Jane, who has had a something of a career comeback with Before I Wake, and 1922 of late, could very well help cement this together.

A Quiet Place

3 May

Where some were left aggrieved following the screening of It Comes At Night, (which is probably the best example of false advertising when it comes to luring your audience in – as an aside its actually a pretty decent and intense movie, just not how it was promoted) will no doubt have their needs met in this movie, which promises an intense and horrific ordeal.

John Krasinski directs and stars in his passion project alongside Emily Blunt as part of a family forced to live in silence from an unknown threat that will attack with the slightest noise.

The Ritual

9 Feb – on Netflix

Another example of how Netflix continue to become a force in the movie market, and another example of folk horror entering into the scene.

The Ritual stars Rafe Spall as a man with a damaged, who joins a group of friends on a camping expedition in the forest only to discover that they are not alone.

Slaughterhouse Rulez

7 Sep

Much discussion has been surrounding this project due to the re-collaboration of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) who both star in and produce this movie.

The story centres on a boarding school that unleashes all hell when a mysterious sinkhole emerges.
Cue comedy and bloody mayhem.

 

The Strangers 2: Prey at Night

9 Mar

The first film had horror fans divided – a bit like vegemite, you either love it, or hate it. For those that fell into the former category, they can rejoice as the trio of masked psychopaths return to reek havoc on some more prey.

The cast includes Christina Hendricks (Mad Men, The Neon Demon) and Martin Henderson (The Ring, Everest) and is directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Other Side of the Door) but don’t let that sway you as he also helmed the magnificent F, and if he could tap the rage and anarchy unleashed in that movie, we could have a surprise hit on our hands.

Truth or Dare

3 May

Horror production giants, Blumhouse, who have been partly responsible for the rise in recent genre movies will be hoping to keep the trend going and repeat their successes of Get Out, and Happy Death Day.

Truth or Dare follows a group of friends who play a deadly version of said game when those that break the rules start a meet a grisly end.

Unsane

23 Mar

Critically praised film director, Steven Soderbergh enters the horror arena with his usual approach to exploring different filming techniques, in this instance shooting the entire film on an iPhone camera.

The cast is also impressive with Claire Foy (The Crown), entering a mental institution and once again reality comes into question. Foy is accompanied by Juno Temple (Horns), Aimee Mullins (Stranger Things), Amy Irving (Carrie) and Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project).

Venom

5 Oct

If The New Mutants is going to push the boundaires of darkness in the Marvel universe, then Venom will surely rip that apart and enter whole new level of insanity.

With Tom Hardy taking on the titular character, you can expect some hefty weight in the acting department.
It’s a project that is shrouded in secrecy at the moment and just a few screenshots that have been handed out to the media. Lets hope that it will be worth the wait.

Winchester

22 Feb

Helen Mirren takes on the role of Lady Winchester house, heiress to the Winchester firearms, who becomes obsessed with building a house to trap ghosts with one of the most obscure architecture ever built.

From the creative minds of the Spierig Brothers (Undead, Daybreakers), this movie could be hit or miss.

Notable recommendations

Cargo, The God Particle, Hellraiser: Judgement, Patient Zero, Suspiria (remake), Thelma, Thoroughbreds

  • Saul Muerte

Encounters with the unknown

29 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in News article

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Tags

Aliens, area 51, blue mountains triangle, the unknown, ufo's

Ever since my youth, this Surgeons of Horror reporter has had a growing fascination with life beyond this planet.
Does it exist? What lies beyond the stars?
So compelled was I to find out the answer to one of life’s eternal conundrum’s that I almost willed something to happen.

This one time, my parents were driving along the freeway in the United States, (where else?) in a hired convertible.
It was late and my eyes were drawn to the heavens above.
As I rested my head on the back seat, my eyes began to scan the skyline, casting across from one star to the next.
I became immersed in its sheer enormity. Out there on the open road, I felt insignificantly small and this notion that surely we can’t be alone in the universe crept across my mind.
What started off as an idle admiration of the stars and all its infinite glory suddenly became a futile desire to look beyond the shining lights in the sky to search for anything out of the ordinary.
An anomaly that didn’t naturally belong in the sky. If life did exist out there, now was the chance for it reveal itself to me.
Why me of all people you could ask?
Well this 7 year old boy didn’t think beyond the realms of his own sphere, which is ironic considering I was now willing, nay praying for signs of life beyond.
It seemed as though hours had past, when in reality it was probably only a few minutes, but finally something odd did occur.
A green light flashed before me high into the night sky and hovered momentarily for a few seconds before instantaneously propelling itself upwards and out of my field of vision.
To this day, I’m not entirely sure if I dreamt that moment. Was it real? Or had I drifted off to sleep in the back of the car, and let my imagination run wild in the eases of my mind? Either way, that moment hung with me over the years.

98168f363df6a7c8ee165a1ee7071089

It was only a few years later, where my fascination was sparked once more, primarily due to watching numerous episodes of The X-Files and watching Mulder and Scully scamper around trying to seek the truth.
This led me on my own search, as I had learned of something known as The Blue Mountains Triangle.
Allegedly, there is an underground military base located in the heart of the Blue Mountains, somewhere in the Burragong region.
This base, which supposedly is co run by both Australian and the U.S. is probably best described as Australia’s own Area 51; a place where the military have been studying and experimenting with UFOs and UFO sightings.
Again without any basis of truth or facts to steer my investigation, I ventured out to uncover if there was anything to these so-called stories.
I took the long drive out to the Lake Burragong lookout and set up camp for the night. Surely now I could find more proof?
There had been numerous sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects over the Blue Mountains skyline and I couldn’t see how I wouldn’t be one of the lucky few to witness such an awe inspiring moment; a moment that would connect me with the universe.

From what I remember, it was a bitterly cold night. My insane mission would lead me from the shelter of a nice warm house, to sitting in the middle of nowhere at the height of winter.
Yes logic had been lost on me and my only goal was to find proof of existence. I sat there willing and praying as I had done before.
Hours passed and then all became foggy and darkness settled once more.

The next thing that I recall, there was a loud tapping on my car window, which shook me back to reality.
The car had steamed up, so I had to wind the window down, where upon I was greeted by a Park Ranger, wondering what I was up to.
I tried to explain to him my reasoning’s and even quizzed him if he had ever witnessed anything unusual whilst working out here, but all I received from him was an expression of strangeness, as though he had pigeonholed me into a group of crazies, and the only thing unusual was my intent on proving something that simply didn’t exist.

I drove off, as dawn was finally breaking, with a sense of disheartenment. Not knowing if I would ever find the answer to my quest, whilst also knowing that I would be greeted at times with that same odd expression from people whenever I would try to pursue this further.
Over the years though, I learnt that I wasn’t alone. At least not in my search for Extra-Terrestrial life. There were others like me.
Admittedly some had strange and wild tales that were hard to believe, and yet there were also others that were detailed studies into this field.
There were scientists and all manners of experts that were leaping into the same quest that I had set out for all those years ago.
And as humanity makes advances in technology, so comes the greater chance of finding life beyond this planet.
Thankfully now, I don’t have to venture out into the dead of a cold winter night to carry out my quest as I can leave the professionals to it.

– Anonymous

7 Shades of Chucky

18 Wednesday Oct 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in News article

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brad dourif, bride of chucky, child's play, child's play 2, child's play 3, chucky, chucky franchise, cult of chucky, curse of chucky, don mancini, fiona dourif, jennifer tilly, seed of chucky

Fast encroaching 40 years since our favourite serial killer trapped inside a Good Guy doll, Chucky first graced our screens, delighting and menacing in his own twisted and macabre way.

Since then, Chucky has spawned 6 sequels and numerous comic books and has in some circles say shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Jason, Freddy, and Michael.

But how has the fiendish doll faired over the years?

This surgeon delves onto the guts of the Chucky franchise to see if he really does hold weight.

 

  1. Child’s Play (1988)
    Aka – The original

You can’t go too far wrong from the movie that started it all.

Part of the appeal of the Chucky movies has been the voice performed by the brilliant Brad Dourif. I’m a firm believer that this has been a core element to the films success.

Played with a much more straight-laced approach, which works of be hard to pull off seeing as convict serial killer on the run, Charles Lee Ray is shot and “killed” during a pursuit, but not before transferring his soul into a doll by a voodoo technique.

Said doll, Chucky, then takes up residence at 6 year old Andy’s house as he starts using his Killing ways once more.

With great support from Chris Sarandon as the homicide detective, Directed by Tom Holland at probably the height of his career following Psycho 2 and Fright Night, and would craft Child’s Play into an instant classic, so it’s of no surprise that more instalments would follow.

  1. Child’s Play 2 (1990)
    Aka – The resurrection

Don Mancini would return to scribe the sequel to Child’s Play, as he would with all subsequent movies.
Andy Barclay would once more fall victim to Chucky’s antics when Charles Lee Ray inhabits another Good Guy Doll after a freak electrical storm.

Strangely, growing up, this sequel and its predecessor would merge as on in my mind, which is a testament to the writing and performances that were delivered in the same strong vein.

It felt like this franchise was in safe hands for sure.

  1. Child’s Play 3 (1991)
    Aka – The one with Jimmy Olsen

 The third instalment would see a now teenage Alex Vincent) played by Justin Whalin, who would go on to star in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) once again pursued by Chucky.

Unfortunately, it is at this point in the juncture that it feels like the wheels might be falling off this franchise.

Some might blame the directing, but jack Bender has gone on to produce some stellar work, most notably for the Game of Thrones episode, The Door, which he recognised for.

It has to come down to the writing, which had grown stale and as such, Chucky had fallen under the curse of the final act of a trilogy.
Thankfully there’d be more to come with…
Bride of Chucky (1998)
Aka – The one where Chucky meets Tiffany

Most followers of the Chucky franchise will point out the notable change in style to the movies from this point on with the introduction of humour, something that has kept the heart beating in what could have been a long drawn out series of films.
As such this inclusion of self-referential parody was a much-needed recipe and by having the freedom to laugh at the madness and mayhem that Chucky delivers, we the audience are invited in on the joke, and feel more relaxed as a consequence.

It helps that there is also the addition of a feminie touch as Tiffany played by Jennifer Tilly in a role that she appears to relish, chewing up the scenery with every frame that she is in.

Even bringing back Graeme Revell to score the music as he had done in Child’s Play 2, helps lift this movie above the ‘norm’.


Seed of Chucky (2004)
Aka – The twisted one

If anyone wanted to see how Don Mancini would work another film out of the Chucky universe with his own creative flair, then Seed of Chucky would be your answer as he would not only write but also direct this instalment.

The result is a warped insight into Mancini’s’ mind as we’re taken on a journey of Chucky and Tiffany’s offspring, Glen, reluctant in continuing in his parent’s footsteps.
There are twins, more Jennifer Tilly, artificial insemination, a masturbating Chucky, John Waters, and dismemberment.

All of which add to the sheer bat-shit craziness that this film delivers.

Curse of Chucky (2013)
Aka – The return to form

Don’t be fooled by this film’s straight-to-video appearance.

Having cut his teeth on its predecessor, Seed of Chucky, Mancini really comes to his own in building a whole new playing field for Chucky to continue his bloodlust.

The franchise introduces us to paraplegic Nica (played by Dourif’s daughter, Fiona) who unwittingly becomes the ‘fall guy’ for Chucky’s latest killing spree.

The story catapults us along using more soul transferals, which allows Chucky to continue killing without ever being suspected. It seems as though he has the perfect solution to carrying out his evil ways and in doing so, carves a whole new storyline for the franchise to effectively continue. That is until he’s delivered back to his original owner, Andy to put an end to things once and for all.

Cult of Chucky (2017)
Aka – The one that cements as a franchise to be reckoned with

By the seventh instalment of any franchise, you’d think that all the tricks could be pulled have already been witnessed, bit somehow, Cult of Chucky is able to keep up the ante and deliver the gore and humour with absolute glee.

Sure it comes across as ropey in places and you can feel the smaller budget that is on display as we find ourselves in a mental institute for Chucky’s latest outpouring of murder and mayhem.

The story continues with Nica (Fiona Dourif reprising her role) trying to come to terms with the notion that she was responsible for the murders from the previous movie.

That is until Chucky surfaces again and in doing so, we’re treated to some fine tongue-in-cheek humour and some pretty cool death scenes.

Jennifer Tilly returns once more and if anything this film feels like it has perfectly blended all that has gone before and served up a film that delights and ticks so many boxes that it is beyond glorious.

Whilst the movie did end on a note that appeared to round things out, judging by Mancini’s comments on recent interviews, there’s still life in the old doll yet. Perhaps even a trip into space. Hell they all go into space eventually.

On things for certain, it’ll be interesting to see where and how they go to next.

– Paul Farrell

 

 

The lure of Dracula

06 Wednesday Sep 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in News article

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Tags

Abbot and Costello, Andy Muschietti, Andy Warol, Bela Lugosi, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Frank Langella, FW Murnau, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, It, Max Shreck, Nosferatu, Pennywise, roman polanski, Salem's Lot, Stephen King, Universal, Werner Herzog, Wes Craven, Willem Defoe

Ever since Max Schreck transformed into Count Orlock in the now infamous silent film, Nosferatu, directed by F.W.Murnau in 1922, the subject of Bram Stoker’s Dracula has graced the screens across the ages.

Like the titular character from one of Gothic literature’s finest creations, Dracula seems to be eternal, forever gracing the celluloid art form, whist adapting and transitioning across the years.

With the latest news coming from geek tyrant that It director, Andy Muschietti and Bram Stoker’s Great Grand Nephew teaming up for a project involving the prince of darkness as a prequel, entitled Dracul, I thought I’d take a quick snapshot of this enigmatic character and what draws us to him year-on-year.

Notably, it would be Universal who would elevate Stoker’s creation into the limelight with Tod Browning’s Dracula on 1931.

Starring Bela Lugosi, who’s interpretation would be the catapult for the look and feel that his character would bring to the screen and would initiate a further four sequels before Abbott and Costello turned his image into a comical adaptation.

It would take a further 10 years before a production company would bring Count Dracula back into the darkness with Hammer Films 1958 version starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

Hammer would use their new-found success and blood red recipe to push the Dracula series into a total of 9 films, with the afore-mentioned Lee appearing in 7 of these movies. Interestingly Dracula wouldn’t appear in their first sequel, Brides of Dracula directed by Terence Fisher.

During this time, numerous other production companies would try their hand at the subject matter, including Blood of Dracula, an attempt from producer Herman Cohen to repeat the success of I Was A Teenage Werewolf, the latter would appear in the It Mini Series made in 1990 as it was the height of pop culture Stateside during the 50’s and would see the Loser’s Club watch it at the cinema.

As the Hammer recipe grew stale, Roman Polanski would inject some much-needed zest with The Fearless Vampire Killers in 1967 and a blatant parody of the British film company’s vision.

Following this Jesus Franco would add some Spanish flavour with Count Dracula in 1970, starring Christopher Lee again in the titular role, before Blaxploitation movement would see an African prince lured into the land of the dead in Blacula and Scream Blacula Scream before Andy Warhol would dabble as well introducing his own visual style with Blood for Dracula in 1974.

Five years later, Universal would try to re-invent the fable and bring some much-needed sex appeal and casting Frank Langella as Dracula.
This also coincided with another version of Nosferatu coming to the screen, directed by the enigmatic Klaus Kinski entitled, Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht, and has its own cult following as a result.

A brief interlude in the comedy realm would see Duncan Regehr take on Dracula in The Monster Squad, which comes across as a haunted version of The Goonies.

And then, he would pretty much stay dormant until, he would be moulded once more for Francis Ford Coppola in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, and Anthony Hopkins, in the early 90’s.

Mel Brooks would craft his comedic touch with Dracula, Dead and Loving It by 1995 and starring Leslie Nielsen, before the shouldn’t be comical, but tragically is, Dracula 2000, presented by Wes Craven and starring Gerard Butler.

It’s only saving grace during this timeframe is the simply brilliant, Shadow of the Vampire, a quirky portrayal of the making of Nosferatu that would depict actor Max Shreck as a real-life vampire, awesomely played by Willem Defoe.

By the mid-2000’s Count Dracula would find himself morphed into the Stephen Sommers universe with Van Helsing starring Hugh Jackman, a movie, which in my mind is probably best forgotten.

Another film director auteur would try his hand at the subject in 2013, when Dario Argento would provide us with Dracula 3D, but would be pale in comparison to his earlier work.

The last time, we saw Dracula grace our screens would be in the under-whelming Dracula: Untold starring Luke Evans, which left us wondering if there was life still in this age-old tale?

This may all disappear in the coming years, if Muschietti and Dacre Stoker’s project sees the light of day.

Dacre Stoker has delved into the world of his lineage before with his novel, Dracula, the Un-dead, so he is no stranger to the subject, and one can already see comparisons with Stephen King’s creation Pennywise. A character that feeds on the fear of the innocence.

Stephen King would also seek inspiration from the Count in his own tale, Salem’s Lot, so it certainly bodes well with the announcement of this latest pairing.

I for one can’t wait to see how they re-vamp Dracula for a modern audience that will horrify and delight the masses.

Bring it on.

 

  • Paul Farrell

 

How Annabelle and the Conjuring universe is connected to the Manson family murders

15 Tuesday Aug 2017

Posted by surgeons of horror in News article, Uncategorized

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Tags

Annabelle, Annabelle 2, Annabelle: Creation, Charles Manson, Gary Dauberman, James Wan, Satanism, Sharon Tate, the conjuring, The Conjuring 2, The Crooked Man, The Nun, Wolves At The Door

As discussed in our latest podcast on Annabelle: Creation, the Conjuring universe is certainly expanding and this latest entry into the world feels like the first to make its mark.

Cinematic universes are fast becoming the next big thing – you can’t create a movie these days without looking beyond the movie that is being produced in order to explore untapped story potential.

Annabelle: Creation is no exception and a lot has been resting on the shoulders of this film to succeed in order for The Conjuring Universe to leap ahead with its grand plans.

Already committed to the franchise is ‘The Nun’ spinoff, heading to cinemas mid-next year, plus a stand-alone film centered on ‘The Crooked Man’ from The Conjuring 2, plus a third outing on the supernatural investigations led by The Warrens.

Overseeing this universe from a writing perspective is Gary Dauberman, who not only has cast his vision across the numerous films slated, but contributed towards the much-anticipated It movie, due to be released in the coming weeks.

What is notable however in Dauberman’s writing is his fascination with the occult and those that practice or delve into the dark arts.

Despite its obvious flaws, Annabelle’s beating heart centred upon ‘Satanists’ and that of a woman from an undisclosed cult projects her twisted soul into the titular doll and thereby exacting its demonic will upon the afflicted family.

What has this all to do with the Manson family murders, I hear you cry?

Well, sandwiched in-between the release of Annabelle and Annabelle: Creation, Dauberman worked on a little movie called Wolves At The Door, a tough, hard-hitting drama horror based on the Sharon Tate murders.

Those who are unfamiliar with this case, there were 5 victims in total, murdered in the home of Sharon Tate, wife to director Roman Polanski at the time and who was 8 months pregnant when she was killed.

The murders were carried out by four of Charles Manson’s ‘family’ by climbing into the estate and carrying out one of the most brutal and documented crimes in Hollywood.

It’s a dark subject and perhaps due to its historical context makes the viewing all the more harder to take on-board despite its lenient running time.

The connection doesn’t just stop with this movie though, as a more obvious relation is at play in Dauberman’s writing in the form of this guy.

eric-ladin.jpg

Eric Ladin’s detective character, Clarkin was last seen in the Annabelle movie, charged with overseeing the murders that took place at the start, and would be called upon by Mae to discuss the ‘ritual’ behavior that was carried out.
“Crazy people do crazy things sometimes.”
A line that he mentions in passing to sum up all the horror that has unfolded and would be repeated again in Wolves At The Door, when Clarkin is again called in to investigate a break-in that has all the hallmarks of satanic beliefs and the precursor to the Sharon Tate murders.

His appearance may be minor in both films, but is there more to be uncovered in this character?

Does Dauberman have any plans to explore this character further? Could we expect another spinoff following Detective Clarkin’s investigations?

With the expanding universe, anything’s possible, right?

 

– Paul Farrell

 

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