Top 5 Scariest Places to Visit This Halloween
Now that it is the month of October and with Halloween approaching, haunted houses filled with fake zombies and dropping skeletons are opening to the public. But what about the all year-round locations that have claims of hauntings? Considering the local clown outbreaks in Chicago, the normal, everyday parks may seem the most terrifying to some people. But here are a few examples of some of the most noteworthy real-life horror locations in Illinois.
1 Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Midlothian, IL —> Among the Rubio Woods lies one of the most haunted cemeteries in Illinois; maybe even one of the most haunted cemeteries in the United States as argued by history lovers and ghost fanatics. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery first burial was Eliza Scott in November of 1844, before the Civil War. Newspaper reports have also stated earlier burials held at Bachelor's Grove. In 1935, the Blue Island Sun Standard published that William B. Nobles was buried in Bachelor's Grove Cemetery in 1835. However, Bachelor’s Grove wasn’t legally considered a graveyard until records of the cemetery came to light, after the property was taken over by Frederick Schmidt in 1864.
Since the 1960s, Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery has been closed to car traffic; making it even more terrifying that the only way to roam around this graveyard is by foot. Locals over many generations report sitings of phantom cars, ghosts, glowing floating orbs; and more notably, legends of a ghost known as Madonna of Bachelor’s Grove, the Caretaker who supposedly lived on the grounds killed his family; the Hook Man, the farmer and the horse who supposedly drowned in the Bachelor’s Grove pond, the phantom dog, etc. There has also been factual evidence present of satanic rituals and grave openings/robbings at Batchelor’s Grove since the 1960s.
2 Peoria State Hospital in Bartonville, IL —> Peoria State Hospital, formerly known as the Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane, was active between 1902 to 1973. Because the hospital shut down in the early 70s, there isn’t too much factual information accessible online about the history of the establishment. Many reports, including the leading Doctor Dr. George A. Zeller of Peoria State Hospital, speaks of strange occurrences inside the hospital during its time of operation. One of the incidents being in 1910, when a patient by the name of Manual Bookbinder passed away. At Bookbinder’s funeral, numerous witnesses in the crowd, including Dr. Zeller, reported seeing Bookbinder’s ghost standing near a tree. According to Dr. Zeller, the funeral procession had to open the casket to verify that Manual Bookbinder, or Old Book as they called him, was in fact still inside his coffin.
3 Benedictine University in Lisle, IL —> Benedictine University, formerly known as St. Procopius College, was established by the Benedictine monks in 1887. The University’s nearby wooded area, along with Lake Saint Benedict and the college’s local cemetery emphasize the creepy feel of the campus. Ursula Bielski is a former Benedictine University student, historian, author, and founder of Chicago Hauntings Inc.; Bielski has strong credibility as the leading figure in the Chicagoland’s folk lore. According to Bielski, numerous students even tried to contact a ghost/spirit through the use of a ouija board. Reports of rumored exorcisms, alleged deaths on campus, and other supposedly strange occurrences have led some to believe that ghosts roam the campus of Benedictine University.
4 Joliet Correctional Center in Joliet, IL —> For nearly 150 years, Joliet Correction Center was home for small-scale criminals to noteworthy killers; including the infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Gacy was sent to Joliet Correctional Center before being transferred to Stateville Correctional Center. The prison first originated in 1858 as a replacement for Alton, Illinois’ first ever state prison. Over time, Joliet Correctional Center became one of the nation’s largest prisons. The prison closed from needed cut backs in the corrections budget. But is the abandoned prison really haunted by supposed stories of ghosts; or is it the fact that it is an abandoned prison that people create these folklores?
5 Iroquois Theater and Death Alley in Chicago, IL —> On December 30th, 1903, the Iroquois Theater burned to the ground after a lighting issue turned out of control. During the night of the fire, about 2,000 people sat inside to watch the musical “Mr. Blue Beard.” That December night, over 600 people died as the fire continued to blaze. The new building that stands in the Iroquois Theater’s place is the Oriental Theater. Some people have claimed to hear screaming and other strange noises inside the theater; others have told stories that exist in the alley behind the theater, which is known as Death Alley. Some have said to have seen the ghosts of those who died in the Iroquois Theater fire over 100 years ago, lingering in the alley.
Do you agree with our list? Are strange, supernatural elements lurking in these supposedly haunted hotspots, or are these just stories of legend and folklore? Many of us might just have to visit these places to decide for ourselves what horror lies behind these stories.
[Review] MTV's Scream: Pilot
I've been very interested in MTV's TV adaptation of the Scream films since it was announced. I was mainly concerned about how any of it would work. Taking the core essentials of the horror genre like tension, gore, and very little characterization and stretching it out over an entire season is a big task. After seeing the first eight minutes of the premiere the other day, I just had to see the rest of the episode. But how does it hold up? Does the TV series hold any of the charm of the original films, or is it just so different that it's good in its own right?
Well a little of column A, a little of column B, and a little of neither.
It looks like the TV series has adapted the feel of the original films more than anything. There's a completely new cast, completely new story, and a completely new "Ghostface." But at the same time, there's a lot of the same goofy meta narrative and bad writing. I should explain. The first episode begins with a Scream staple, killing off an actress with the biggest draw in the cast. Bella Thorne was touted as a cast member throughout most of the advertising, and her sequence, while entertaining, is hilarious in a different light. In terms of opening scenes, it doesn't quite rank up to the films but there's definitely enough to tantalizing things in there to draw for the rest of the episode. Then we get into the actual story.
The show takes place in Lakewood as Bella Thorne's death spurs talk of a similar chain of murders that took place 20 years ago where a man named Brandon James killed a bunch of students. There's this plot where he eventually gets captured thanks to his crush on a girl named Daisy, who happens to be the main girl's mother, and we'll eventually see how that all ties in. It's too early to say whether or not this new killer has a connection with that story, but since there's so much time devoted to fleshing that out I'm sure it's a big deal. As for the teenagers so far, I don't know what to think. I can't remember any of their names. They're all essentially horror archetypes: the girl who's forced out of the closest, the overbearing douchebag duo, the promiscuous one in a relationship with her teacher, the nerdy guy who spouts the stuff about the rules, the guy with the porn star mustache who just transferred in from another school, and the main girl.
While the script pulls a Scream and points out its flaws, it also delivers a meaty mission statement - That it's hoping we'll care about these characters as the show rolls on before any of the murders take place. And if it can accomplish that, it'll definitely separate itself from other slasher fiction. Basically, if it can make us care about these terrible people, then the game is won. Nothing else of note really happens,as the plot of the pilot is just mainly to establish these archetypes. There's a party to mourn Bella Thorne's character, there's a bit of tension to remind folks there's a killer running around, but there's a lack of immediacy and that's sure to be the show's downfall.
Assorted Musings:
- Everyone has weird, weird hair. It's kind of nice since it reminds me so much of the early 00s. Maybe that's intentional.
- I'm already annoyed with the show since it uses fake social media sites (like "Chirpster" and "Cliplicious") yet mentions the real ones by name.
- I don't know if this can hold up as an hourly show week by week, but that's why I'm here.
- This recap doesn't have much summary or plot because there wasn't really any. None of these characters matter, and none of them are memorable.
- Wow, these actors are not great. Is this how it is with all MTV shows?
- I'll be here every week to give you a rundown of the show, so stay tuned! Maybe future episodes will be more substantial than this.
Watch the First 8 Minutes of MTV's Scream TV Series
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I'm not a big fan of horror films, but I've always loved the Scream series. Its slasher horror tinged with a goofy and meta rule book really stood out among a genre where every film was nearly the same. It came out at exactly the right time, too. The rebellious 90s angst was fit for skewering and no better horror film caught the feeling of the time. Which is why MTV reviving the series with a TV show is so weird.
Slasher films (or horror in general) don't lend well to TV, so I'm wondering what the long term effects of this will be. With this first 8 minutes, the series establishes a completely different tone than the original films. Gone is the kooky humor (and pop referential killer), and replaced with faux social medias. On one hand, I'm digging the new tone. There's still a weird sense of humor that a teenager would be in a house that lavish (and will continue walking around in a bikini despite being frightened), and the "Heads up" bit made me laugh. On the other, why take the name if you're going to change everything about the original.
Then again, there was a time where MTV would've censored that gore. The kills in this opening scene are impressive, so I've got to admit I'm hooked. I'll keep an eye out on this show and see if it can keep up this interesting take.
Scream premieres on MTV, Tuesday at 10/9c.
[Review] Burying The Ex
Joe Dante is one of those directors you wish would get more work. At a time when any semblance of identity or creativity in blockbuster filmmaking is being increasingly calculated, focus-tested and formula-driven out of existence, Dante at his best brings a spirit of gleeful, unpredictable anarchism, a joy at throwing away the rulebook that is both very much his own and the product of his mentorship at the hands of the great B-movie maestro, Roger Corman.
Burying The Ex sounds like ideal Dante material, concerning a young horror buff, Max, struggling in his relationship with a controlling girlfriend, Evelyn, only for her to be hit by a bus on the day he finally decides to break up with her, then come back from the dead in zombified form just as he moves on and meets a kindred spirit from a nearby ice cream parlour. Unfortunately, despite all the premise's potential for Dante's brand of gunk-splattered cartoon chaos, he struggles to bring any life to an uninspired, pedestrian script that feels more like the extended pilot for a middling network sitcom called So I Dated A Zombie than a comeback cinematic outing for a great genre director.
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Burying The Ex
Directors: Joe Dante
Rating: R
Release Date: June 19th, 2015
The movie is rated R, specifically for sexual content, partial nudity, some horror violence, and language. All of that may be technically true - the 'nudity' is especially partial - but far from any degree that one might expect to trouble the censors were this a higher budget release, backed by a more influential major studio. There's plenty of blood, but mostly used to cover faces rather than douse the walls, while a brain-eating scene is edited in such a way that any real semblance of gore is restricted to quick flashes. Dante's affection for discharging large quantities of boldly coloured gloop is satisfied by the zombified Evelyn projectile-puking embalming fluid all over the terrified Max, but played strictly for laughs - none too effectively, it should be said, making a jarring tonal shift amid one of many lackadaisical, drawn out dialogue scenes that should be more fun and energetic considering the material being covered - and hardly the sort of thing to turn away from. It's one of the tamest R-rated movies for a long time and the feeling pervades that the rating gives the movie's horror bona fides more credibility than they deserve.
Part of that is surely a result of the low budget, which leads to a significant number of scenes taking place in Max's front room. Dante had great fun contrasting the safety of suburban decorum with the ravages of the supernatural in Gremlins, but Alan Trezza's script denies him the chance to really dig into what zombified havoc Evelyn is capable of unleashing on Max's slow-paced hipster existence beyond one bout of vomiting and a handful of demonstrations of super-strength. In fact, there's a real argument that she does more damage in redecorating his front room prior to her (first) demise than she ever does following her resurrection. What's left is a series of quickly wearisome back-and-forths in which Evelyn re-asserts her desire to covert Max to the undead so they can be together forever, followed by his expressions of disgust at that desire and her steadily decaying flesh.
The unadventurous script limits the strong cast, of which Anton Yelchin, playing the put-upon Max, feels most subdued. Yelchin is a charismatic actor who has made a good impression in minor roles in not-so-good movies, but he plays Max so sleepily and lacking any response beyond mild surprise and concern at what should be a terrifying situation that he's hard to have sympathy for when he himself barely seems concerned by what's happening. True, he's not supposed to be a character of any great assertiveness or courage, but Yelchin tips the balance too far until it drops into virtual indifference. His half-brother, Travis, is supposed to be the more ribald and confident of the two, but is such a tedious slobby womaniser stereotype that, rather than being an invigorating presence who pushes Max to stand up for himself, it's a relief whenever he exits a scene. It also speaks to the movie's disappointing safeness that he boasts of sleeping around not with centrefold models from Playboy, but FHM, a magazine, like the character, stuck in eye-rolling late-90s ideas of laddish masculinity.
Ashley Greene fares better as Evelyn, pushing back against the tame material to unearth a little of the sadness behind her character's anger and control-freakery. The obsessive, domineering ex-girlfriend is another tired cliché, but Greene's history with the Twilight franchise makes for savvy casting as she finds small traces of humanity in her zombified form. Perhaps one of the movie's most debilitating flaws is that it in fact makes the living Evelyn too likeable and sympathetic, justifying her controlling nature with a sad backstory and a genuine, if overbearing, desire to love and be loved. Her eco-conscious do-goodery (working for a firm called 'Live Green Or Blog Hard', one of a number of not-quite-funny-enough Simpsons-esque workplace names) may be pushy and annoying, but it's hard to deny she has a point when calling out Max for not showing any motivation to improve his lot despite constant complaining. She's the most fully rounded character in the movie, far moreso than Alexandra Daddario's dreamgirl sweet Olivia, entirely defined by liking all the same stuff as Max, a dating site approach to a romantic lead where compatibility is calculated exclusively by the number of shared interests.
What is the real stake through Burying The Dead's heart is that Shaun Of The Dead, an even more low-budget zom-com, did everything Dante's movie tries to do to much greater effect eleven years earlier. The movie skirts around the idea of relationship angst among geeky mid-twentysomethings, but Shaun committed more fully to the idea of the difficulty of youngish men finding a direction in life outside their nerdy and nostalgic preoccupations, all the while being significantly scarier, gorier, sweeter and funnier. Nick Frost's Ed, in particular, is a much more sharply observed depiction of what Travis should have been.
There are glimpses of the picture Dante might have made had his budget been bigger, the writing been sharper, and had he himself maybe been twenty years younger, but they are few and far between, in the end only growing the disappointment that what ended up on the screen is so consistently stuck in second gear and tepid in its execution of already underwhelming ideas. Ashley Greene in particular deserves better, while Alexandra Daddario continues her wait for a movie role which puts her natural affability to more lively use than the girlfriend role. A Dick Miller cameo and a handful of amusing sight gags provide the slim pickings for Dante's fans, but as welcome as it is to see him back in any sort of cinematic work, it's a shame the result shows few real signs of life.
Fox Reopens The X-Files For Six Episode Miniseries
Fox has confirmed reports that landmark '90s horror series The X-Files will indeed be returning to TV for a six-episode miniseries that will enter production later this year. No word on a premiere date, but series creator Chris Carter will be back on writing duties, while original stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson will also be returning.
Anyone who enjoyed the show during its heyday will find it difficult not to be at least a tiny bit excited about this, even if the shambolic 2008 movie sequel poisoned the well a little. The original run of The X-Files coincided perfectly with the advent of the internet and its insanely convoluted mythology and will-they-won't-they relationship between the two leads made perfect fodder for early fansites and chatrooms in the days of shrieking modems and parents shouting angrily from downstairs about not being able to use the landline.
Unlike the thematically timeless Twin Peaks, another classic series set for return if David Lynch can sort out a contractual disagreement with Showtime, The X-Files' focus on alien invasions and government conspiracies were very much a product of their pre-millennial time. These days, most people couldn't care less about UFOs, and while government secrets are very much at the forefront of many people's minds, the kind of evils being unearthed feel rather too nasty and real to make the notion of paranormal conspiracies feel anything other than a bit frivolous.
It's a fair assumption the show will focus telling a single story across its six hours, which could be a good or bad thing depending on what you enjoyed about the original, whose monster-of-the-week episodes produced some genuine masterpieces of televisual horror. It'll certainly be great to have Duchovny and Anderson back, while I'd also wager Mitch Pileggi is nailed-on to return as the agents' grouchy but loveable boss, Walter Skinner. Personally, I'd like to see Robert Patrick's John Doggett and Annabeth Gish's Monica Reyes appearing in some capacity as well, though accept I'm probably the only one.
It'll be interesting to see whether The X-Files or Twin Peaks is more successful at recapturing the old magic, though my money is very much on Lynch rather than Carter. Carter was never a particularly nuanced writer at the best of times and many of the series' finest episodes came from others, like Darin and Glenn Morgan or Vince Gilligan, who's probably too busy with Better Call Saul to make a glorious return. Still, at least this means the series will get a third chance at a decent ending, following the disastrous clip show recap that was the original two-part finale, 'The Truth', or the aforementioned 2008 movie.
Trust no-one, but fingers crossed regardless.
[Trailer] A Haunted House 2
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Countless scary movies cycle through movie theaters as the year progresses. People wait in lines for tickets with the hope that in a few hours they won't even be able to sleep with the lights off. They watch the movie for a little bit and more often than not are extremely disappointed in just how terribly not scary the experience was for them. In fact, if a majority of viewers are anything like me, they were probably laughing throughout the film instead of screaming.
A Haunted House 2 is the sequel to the popular flick A Haunted House, and it proudly embraces the humor that could come from scary movie situations. Malcom, played by Marion Wayans, was forced to exorcise his former girlfriend but is now working to make things go smoothly with his current girlfriend and her two kids. However, the paranormal manages to follow him to his brand new house. A parody of many recent horror movies, it's a film that's sure to get some laughs.
A Haunted House 2 is directed by Michel Tiddes and produced by Rick Alvarz and Marion Wayans. Other cast members are Jaime Pressly, Gabriel Iglesias, Ashley Rickards, Steele Stebbins, Essence Atkins, Affion Crocket, Dave Sheridan, Hayes MacArthur, Missi Pyle and Cedric The Entertainer. The film will hit the theaters on Friday, April 18! Below is A Haunted House 2's parody poster of Insidious 2.
[Trailer] The Sacrament
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Found footage films are still being made. Why?! Whenever I hear of a new found footage horror/thriller, I let out a hard groan. I understand how the intrinsic qualities of the found footage medium suits the horror genre, but damn, I would love to see somebody take the played-out format and create a different type of story that doesn't involve supernatural elements. Thus ends my short rant on found footage films.
The Sacrament is yet another found footage horror film. However it comes from the mind and vision of Ti West (V/H/S) and produced/presented by Eli Roth (Hostel). The film's premise is about a VICE crew investigating the disappearance of their friend's missing sister. Their journey brings them to an unknown location outside of the United States known as Eden Parish where more than a hundred people live as part of a religious community (re: cult). However, like all similar stories, the cult and its leader aren't all that they appear to be.
Festival reviews of The Sacrament were mixed, and while I don't foresee the film doing anything different with the format that'll wow me the same way Paranormal Activity and Chronicle did, I won't exactly write it off just yet. The Sacrament will be available on iTunes and On Demand on May 1st, with a theatrical release on June 6th.
[via IGN]
Photographer and Cosplayer Recreate Iconic Horror Movie Photos
Photos by David Love
The creative opportunities are endless when you collaborate a photographer, a cosplayer, and a makeup artist. Throw in a mutual love for horror movies and you have one thrilling photo series. This is exactly what happened when Graphic Artist/Photographer David Love was approached by renowned cosplay enthusiast Leah Borroughs, also known as Callie Cosplay, to do a photo shoot inspired by Carrie, a horror movie classic. Add talented make up artist Elia Lizcano with Love's great Photoshop skills, and the shoot evolved into an amazing recreation of several iconic horror movie scenes.
Check out these amazing photos and find more of David Love's recreations here.
[Via The Phoblographer]
