Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Y’all best take cover, ’cause Christmas is comin’ at us like its brakes are cut, and 2020 ain’t too far behind. Tarnations, the holidays are flyin’ by this year. Barely have any time to kick-back with some SoCo nog and soak it all in ya know? Not that we have that kind of time to spare anyway as the web’s #1 animated horror host show, ’cause we’re consistently keepin’ the wheels on our operation rollin’ to pump out more Screaming Soup! content in the near future.
Now, we freely admit we’ve been professionally distracted from maintainin’ the tight production schedule our show used to keep, but when folks start wavin’ money in our faces to work on other projects, can ya blame us for temporarily steppin’ away from our passion fueled project to earn a payday? Luckily, most of these side gigs have been quick turnarounds like drawin’ independent comics for friends and alternate covers for Full Moon’s Deadly Ten comics. There was this one job buildin’ a website, however, that took twice as long as predicted, and ate up a whole two months we weren’t prepared to lose.
But hey, Screaming Soup!’s still as active as ever in the meantime. Our first season’s been uploaded to Mr. Lobo’s OSI 74 channel, we pitched our show to an important rep at a big time animation studio we’re waitin’ to hear back from, still deliverin’ the Howl’n Hottie of the week, continuin’ to add new bite size movie reviews on our R-Rated Reviews blog, added more reviews of the latest comics we’re readin’ on our Sequential Slime blog, and created a page here on the site featurin’ all our art for Full Moon Comix.
Despite all that though, most y’all will be happy to hear the jobs are beginnin’ to die down, and we’ll have an easier time addin’ animatin’ back into our daily jugglin’ act for your sake and ours. Mark our words, Screaming Soup! season five will be wrapped next year or we’ll change the name of the show to Pukin’ Poop!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
See ya later, Scream Freaks!
PS
Here’s a Christmas CD ya probably never thought existed!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Well, we rocked Halloween, gobbled our way through Thanksgivin’, and now we’re slidin’ into Christmas, the holiday folks have been burstin’ at the seams to celebrate since August. Yup, for months we’ve been seein’ folks eagerly cover their homes in garish lights, slam their fridges with eggnog, and orchestrate full on drone attacks with those little terminator start-ups bombin’ neighborhoods with online goods they ordered in the comfort of their underwear. But as fun and relaxin’ as the holiday is, it’s also a lot of work, and we’re busy as it is bein’ the web’s #1 animated horror host show!
Like a couple of weeks ago. If y’all recall, we mentioned we were ’bout to hit up a convention where an important contact for a well-known animation studio would be in attendance, and we were dead set on gettin’ ’em to see our stuff. Well . . . we did just that. We found the very person we were lookin’ for, introduced ourselves when the moment was right, and as if karma was piggyback ridin’ the cosmic balance comin’ into alignment, curious bystanders saw our eye-catchin’ Screaming Soup! logos on our outfits and excitedly asked us ’bout our show as soon as we struck a conversation with the rep.
Right on cue, we flung open our portable DVD player with the show’s intro already playin’ and gave our best elevator pitch while handin’ ’em a folder containin’ our show’s bible ‘long with Screaming Soup! tradin’ cards, magnets, and a DVD featurin’ sample episodes in the back. Everyone’s eyes widened with joy from what they were lookin’ at, the rep told us how impressed they were with our pitch package and immediately told us they wanted to share it with their studio after Thanksgivin’. After a brief discussion regardin’ TV politics and show pitches to the head honchos of a studio, we exchanged business cards and happily parted ways. We feel really good ’bout this, Scream Freaks. Now, it’s just a finger-crossin’ waitin’ game as we hope our stuff impresses the big fish ‘nough for televised syndication.
Patience, y’all . . . this could be our wildest ride yet!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Thought we’d drop-in real quick so ya didn’t think we abandoned y’all and catch up on what’s new with your favorite animated horror host show. Tarnations, simmer down! We know you’re hungry for another excitin’ episode of Screaming Soup!, but that’ll be served soon ‘nough. In the meantime, we’re cookin’ up some side dishes that, if we’re lucky, could be a big break for all of us!
Now, we’re no stranger to knockin’ on doors and askin’ networks to take a gander at our show for possible syndication. Independent streamin’ services have been the easiest to contact and work out mutual content-for-exposure deals, but the corporate ran operations aren’t as easy to rub elbows with. For years now, we’ve submitted numerous samples of our show to cable channels, emailed screeners to a handful of supposed program directors, and tweeted our stuff at countless TV station accounts on Twitter – all in the hope someone would recognize how special our content is and help Screaming Soup! reach a larger audience we know will love it as much as we do.
Recently, we became aware of an upcomin’ convention where a representative for a well-known animation studio will be in attendance, and we dropped everythin’ to prepare for such a rare occasion. With the chance to potentially pitch Screaming Soup! to someone who can help us take horror hosting to the next level, we put the petal to the metal and cranked out an awesomely wicked pitch package full of information on our show, its characters, the game changin’ direction Screaming Soup!’s takin’ horror hosting in for 21st century audiences, and a DVD full of content from past episodes to boot! We’d be flabbergasted at anyone who didn’t feel the same excitement every Scream Freak experiences when seein’ our show for the first time.
We’ll keep ya posted on how all this goes, but ’til then – fangs crossed, y’all!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
See ya later, Scream Freaks!
The illustrated spoils for the winner of Mandy‘s Halloween Movie Compilation Contest!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Hope you had a speedy recovery from yer Halloween hootenannies without too much regret, ’cause the witchin’ season may be over, but we’re just kickin’ it into overdrive ’round here.
First off, you may have heard we were in attendance at the Reedy Reels Film Festival this past weekend ’cause one of our misadventures was accepted as an animated short. Our show’s never hit this kinda artsy fartsy scene before, so it was quite the treat rubbin’ elbows with all walks of indie talents from ambitious filmmakers to up and comin’ actors. The free grub and happy hours didn’t hurt either! While we didn’t come away with any awards to speak of, we still felt like a success with every laugh we heard through the theater when our re-edited version of Deadwest Screams at Blood Diner played ‘cross the screen. Even better is when we got to go up on stage with fellow filmmakers whose films played durin’ the same block as ours and entertain the audience with our upcomin’ episodes of fightin’ demonic dung beetles on rivers of shit to stop the Iron Horsemen from damnin’ the Crosslands. Pretty tough act for flicks ’bout psycho bitches, Civil War spies, and narc comedies to follow we think.
Besides runnin’ into a emphatic audience member who became an instant fan of our show after it played, the best part of the festival was gettin’ to see a local horror director present his newest feature, A Nun’s Curse, starrin’ Sleep Away Camp‘s Felissa Rose as a homicidal nun. This guy and his crew did a great job hypin’ the film up with cool banners, buttons, and even a couple of guys dressed as nuns hangin’ in the back of the theater, but it unfortunately failed to meet the bar it set for me. I was expectin’ to enjoy a Tom and Jerry plot of a slasher movie but it endin’ up bein’ this talk heavy tour of a dilapidated prison that saves all its important deaths for the very end with some psychological switcheroos that completely ruined it for me. Fun experience ’cause of the festival but could be a lot better.
More sweet news that happened lately is our recent induction into Mr. Lobo‘s Roku channel, OSI 74! For those who don’t know, Mr. Lobo’s the horror host of Cinema Insomnia where he makes the case, “They’re not bad movies – just misunderstood.” If ya ever get the chance to read the man’s bio, he’s got a pretty impressive history with all kinds of creative endeavors from underground comics to starrin’ in the 2015 spin on Plan 9 From Outer Space. More recently, the legendary jack of all trades launched his own Roku channel featurin’ a sweet collection of entertainin’ programs. Similar to a UHF station, OSI 74 offers a line-up of original shows that include indie toons, space adventures, pop culture reviews, obscure flicks, and a variety of horror host programs that include Mr. Lobo himself, Veronique Von Venom, Lord Blood Rah, and even Sleazy P. Martini of GWAR fame.
We were hooked the second we stumblin’ ‘cross this one of a kind collaboration ‘mong hosts and been plannin’ to pitch our show as one of its programs for awhile. The only reason we held out so long is ’cause our original plan was to wrap up Screaming Soup!’s fifth season ‘fore we contacted Mr. Lobo, but with all the recent work we picked up drawin’ covers for Full Moon Comix impactin’ our production schedule, now seemed as good as any to continue gettin’ the word ’bout our show out and grow our fan base. So, after a few messages ‘tween us and Mr. Lobo, he liked what he saw, had us edit our kick-off season into 30 minute packages, and we’re now streamin’ on OSI 74 as we speak. Lotta thanks to Mr. Lobo for the exposure and ecstatic to be included in such good company of talented hosts. Get OSI 74 today and check it out, Scream Freaks!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Halloween’s still creepin’ up ’round the corner, but with this bein’ the last weekend of October, it’s high party time for all us spooks and ghouls ready to blow this holiday out! Trick ‘r treatin’ will still be reserved for the true calendar date of course, but the majority of us are ready to get the good times rollin’ with rowdy get-togethers full of costumed creeps, fright flicks, gross out grub, and most importantly — hauntin’ tunes that’ll rock ya to the bone!
Yessir, music ain’t our strongest area of trivia, but we sure as shootin’ love it, and that’s why we took it upon ourselves to compile what we consider the best playlist of horror related tunes to jam out to this Halloween. A nice mix of upbeat tracks with pops of mellow melodies to break it up, our list is comprised of over 300 songs we’ve hunted down over the years, all which have somethin’ to do with horror. Songs from all grades of horror movie soundtracks, ditties with dark lyrics, and terrifyin’ tunes sung by monstrous musicians we enjoy listenin’ to on a daily basis at the Howl-Inn Grub & Spirits.
Now, ‘fore ya say anythin’, we admit we omitted some mainstream classics like “This is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Sheb Wooley’s “Purple People Eater,” ‘long with fan favorite themes from Psycho, Halloween, and Tales From the Crypt. Not ’cause we forgot ’bout ’em, mind ya! This list was primarily made for our own entertainment as stuff we’d enjoy at a party, and those beats (as much as we like ’em) just aren’t things we wanna hear after a double play of Metallica or Alice Cooper ’cause they’re more ’bout buildin’ forebodin’ atmosphere versus lively fun. But hey, if that rocks yer boat the wrong way, than we encourage ya to use our playlist as a launchin’ pad for creatin’ your own mix of jack-o-lantern jams.
For a read-out of what’s on our playlist in the order they play, click HERE. Otherwise, hit the play button below and start barkin’ at the moon!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV and Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo’s OSI 74!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! You know, we can’t help but feel a little frustrated as horror hosts lately. As leadin’ influencers of horror entertainment, we strive to keep up with all the latest fright flicks while ‘pandin’ our encyclopedic knowledge of horror films in general. Scannin’ endless streamin’ services, checkin’ local theater listings, readin’ obscure movie review books — we’re always on the hunt for content worth sharin’ with y’all while ensurin’ our position as legitimate horror aficionados. The longer we do this, however, the more we realize there’s only so much one sick brain can retain!
Use to be, we could quote entire horror movies from beginnin’ to end with ‘nough spit leftover to share the most hardcore trivia no one asked for. A Nightmare on Elm Street series, the Evil Dead trilogy, John Carpenter films . . . we swam circles in the most mainstream horror titles, rewatchin’ the same monster movies over and over, ’cause we thought that’s all there was. In hindsight, it’s hilarious rememberin’ how frustrated we use to get thinkin’ there weren’t ‘nough horror movies to watch, forcin’ us to resort to an umpteenth viewin’ of Candyman 2 or Bride of Chucky. It wasn’t ’til we made the decision to be horror hosts we doubled down our efforts to dig up more content worth talkin’ ’bout and discovered an ocean of counterculture cinema we never knew existed!
At a rate of one to three horror movies a day, we’ve covered some considerable ground in the pursuit of knowledge these past few years (as documented in our R-Rated Review Blog) but startin’ to realize the cost of all that exposure. With us dedicatin’ so much time to only watchin’ stuff we haven’t seen, there’s rarely a time we ever rewatch anythin’ ‘less it’s for review purposes. That said, we’re shocked when we notice we haven’t watched a memorized favorite in years like Re-Animator or An American Werewolf in London, and find it surprisingly difficult to recall certain details like character names or theme music.
It’s kind of like a gag we saw in a season eight episode of Married . . . With Children, “Kelly Knows Something.” Al learns his daughter Kelly’s bimbo brain can actually retain a lot of sports trivia to help him win a gameshow, but there’s a limit to how much her cranium can hold. Whenever someone tells her somethin’ new, prior knowledge is lost to make room for that information which humorously puts her at risk for losin’ the game altogether. By comparison, we use to know everythin’ ’bout the Freddy and Jason movies, ’cause that’s all we regularly watched, but in an effort to become familiar with as many horror movies as we can from grades A through Z, chunks of grey matter dedicated to those nit picky factoids are bein’ divvied up so we can impress y’all we know a little somethin’ ’bout more ‘scure titles like Nightmare Beach or Sonny Boy.
Is it worth it? We think so, but it’s still a little embarassin’ when we claim to be such horror experts but can’t tell ya the name of the band screamin’ some rock tune in the background of a Michael Myers kill. Not that we’re livin’ in fear we’re gonna lose street cred with any of you, Scream Freaks, but this is just somethin’ that’s been kinda stickin’ in our craws lately. The one comfortin’ fact is seein’ horror host legends like Joe Bob Briggs even gettin’ stumped from time to time by fans quizzin’ him to name a particular horror flick on his show. That fella acts like his wrinkled muscle is a steel trap, but if even he can’t recall a few details out of the three lifetimes worth of movies he’s watched, then we think we’re in good company.
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV and Sluggo’s The Vortexx!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks, and goodbye summer! That skin roastin’ ball of radiation settin’ on the horizon may signify the temporary absence of scantily clad beach parties, homesick campin’ trips, and get out of school free cards, but it also means it’s time for haunted attractions to open their doors, stores to start packin’ their aisles with cheap scares, and small town invasions by overnight costume shops makin’ a quick buck off fire hazard goods. Yup, we’re talkin’ the pre-show kick-off to the Halloween season which many of y’all been antsy to start since July. Well, one way to start celebratin’ horror fan’s favorite time of year with summer’s exit is to do what we did last night and go to the movies to check out the next lukewarm chapter of the remade It flicks.
For those out of the loop, Stephen King, one of the most successful horror writers on Earth, wrote a backbreakin’ size book ’bout a gang of childhood friends called the Losers’ Club fightin’ a young’n eatin’ clown named Pennywise, this shapeshiftin’ creature who stalks their small town of Derry ’bout every 30 years or so for small fleshy meals. This mammoth work of fiction was made into a TV movie that took two nights to broadcast and has recently been re-imagined with a Hollywood budget almost 30 years later to fans’ satisfaction. With the big screen treatment and advancement in special effects technology, the remake of the first half of the TV movie ’bout the Losers’ Club’s initial run-in with Pennywise as young’ns went ‘bove and beyond what that original adaptation did with perfectly timed scares, unnervin’ imagery, and frightenin’ situations.
With the premier of the new version’s second half, however, the story turns to tellin’ the Losers’ Club’s fight with Pennywise as adults and more or less follow the same beats as its TV counterpart while fallin’ back on a lot of the same scare tactics we’re already desensitized to from the first part in 2017. It’s a well made flick for what it is, sportin’ a top notch production value with a solid cast of talented actors, but it simply pales in comparison to the power of the first film which has the advantage of initially introducin’ audiences to a Pennywise they hadn’t seen yet and scarin’ the piss outta a compellin’ cast of kids who we feel exhibit better chemistry than their adult doppelgangers in the second chapter. The filmmakers go to a lot of trouble to give the grown-up version of the characters more depth than the TV movie did and especially try to make up for the silly spider flood light creature that soured that version’s endin’, but it doesn’t push the envelope ‘nough to make it that new or interestin’, especially when it comes to the scares, some of which are carried over from the last one!
Bottom line, there’s two to three unnervin’ scenes that’s sure to get a “Whoa!” kinda reaction from ya, but this ain’t as good as the first part of the re-imagined It series. It’s still good and worth a watch, but just don’t expect it to be more than the second half of the TV movie with the exception of a long-winded CGI fantasy fight scene in a cave that feels more Harry Potter action than scary.
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV and Sluggo’s The Vortexx!
Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Hope you’re doin’ well and beatin’ this summer heat with some well-deserved downtime watchin’ scary flicks at your local air-conditioned theater. That’s what we’ve been doin’ after all! In fact, we just got back from watchin’ a 5/5 treat we didn’t expect to like so much, Ready or Not.
When we first saw this flick advertised, we didn’t give it a whole lot of thought. It looked like a bland period piece and felt a little hackneyed with that tired ol’ Most Dangerous Game plot with folks huntin’ other folks for sport. But then a trailer was released showin’ characters in cars and on their cell phones which clued us in this is a modern story, and we caught wind Stephen King was singin’ its praises. So, our rowdy gang of misfits headed for the big-screen for what would turn out to be the best weddin’ horror flick we’ve ever seen!
The plot’s as follows. Grace marries Alex, the estranged son of board game barons, at his family’s estate, but as soon as they say, “I do,” she’s hurried into a weddin’ tradition where new members of the family are initiated by playin’ somethin’ like game roulette. The family reveals through some convoluted backstory how they came into their fortune thanks to a satanic box or somethin’ an ancestor won in a gamble forever ago, and some deal with the devil was struck. In return for their fortune (and their lives), new spouses have to play a randomly selected game on their weddin’ night. Some joke ’bout havin’ played checkers or Old Maid for their initiations, but Grace unfortunately ends up with hide-and-seek which turns out to be devil code for sacrifice. Grace eventually gets a clue she’s in actual danger durin’ the game and spends the rest of the movie fleein’ her satanist in-laws who believe they need to kill her to avoid their own death by mornin’.
Full of fun tension, Ready or Not hits on all pistons with escalatin’ dangers, solid characters, dark humor, thoughtful cinematography, and went above and beyond any expectations we had for it. It’s still the tired ol’ Most Dangerous Game plot essentially, yeah, but the satanist detail really adds somethin’ special with the whole movie keepin’ us on the edge of our seat regardin’ Grace’s fate while wonderin’ if the demonic dealin’s are real or a bunch of hookum. You know it’s a great movie when any endin’ you imagine happenin’ feels equally satisfyin’. The only thin’ sweeter is Grace bein’ played by Samara Weaving, who honestly should’ve been ‘nough reason for us to run our asses to the theater to begin with.
Samara Weaving first made our radar with her head-turnin’ performance as the killer bombshell in Netflix’s The Babysitter then caught our attention again when she played a memorable deadite casualty in the first season of Ash vs Evil Dead (which someone wrongfully used her gory behind the scene photos as fake evidence of violence at President Trump rallies to stir online controversy). Followin’ those notable acts with a kick-ass performance as a rage fueled woman out for blood in Mayhem, we knew she was securin’ a foothold in the horror genre as its next superstar. After seein’ her stretch her actin’ range to include a final girl who can compete with Carrie White in a horrific fashion show by the end of Ready or Not, it’s clear she’s destined for hall of famer status. Killer, victim, fighter, last girl . . . is there any horror role this gal can’t tackle?!
So, to wrap this love letter up, go seek Ready or Not! It’s a perfect date night movie, there’s plenty of dark humor without it feelin’ stupid for a gang of friends to laugh at, and Samara Weaving is well worth the ticket price alone!!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV and Sluggo’s The Vortexx!
When someone asks that question, the undeniable desire to say yes goes deeper than DNA. Something integral to most souls screams at the darkness and anxiously awaits a response to confirm the horrors we’ve always known are there. The filmmakers behind Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark skillfully explore that timeless concept, and they use the most effective medium known to man: a motley crew of captivating kids.
From The Goonies to Stranger Things, there’s nothing like coming-of-age angst to fuel an adventure, and the Scary Stories ensemble definitely has the “It” factor . . . lovable outcasts with believable quirks. This movie may not resonate with some genre fans who’ve set the meter to one extreme or another—either “Goosebumps” or hardcore horror. The viewer has the feeling that everything is going to be okay, so we’re safe on this ride, but it still takes us through the twists and tunnels of the scariest place of all, our childhood imagination.
I recently watched a documentary on the Scary Stories book series, which is a straightforward presentation of short stories that have been retold in assorted iterations across many cultures and generations. You probably can’t name the writer, because he never became wildly famous, but you’re familiar with one who provided commentary on his work: R.L. Stine. Ironically, like the Scary Stories screenwriters and director, Stine chose to fictionalize and build on the influences of folklore, and that usually is better for the bank account. The original book might have thrived as a nonfiction work for adults had it included all the research the documentary revealed the author had conducted on versions and details of the stories. Of course, the books became infamous, as they were banned from school libraries; in one way or another, their legends outlived the author who collected them.
I mention this because Scary Stories ultimately is a writer’s movie. As in numerous Stephen King classics, the main character aspires to a literary life, but first, Stella, the plucky protagonist, well played by Zoe Margaret Colletti, will have to fight for her actual life as she and her friends discover the real story behind a myth and learn that humans can be monsters.
The film is set in the Vietnam era and uses industrialism, racism, and other timely issues simply as effective context for the characters. Perhaps one of the reasons the movie is both appropriate for the PG-13 demographic and a great summertime escape for adults is that the writers brilliantly avoid personal political and social statements. The moral of the story is a commentary on the importance of telling the right story and not allowing complacency or fear to necessarily perpetuate some of the tales we’ve been told to believe.
If someone asks you to go see this “Scary Story,” say yes!
Other than that, be sure to catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV and Sluggo’s The Vortexx!
Screaming Soup! 