Shudder News Roundup: November 2021

Published

2 years ago

November 21, 2021

David Davis

We have a whole heap of news from Shudder this month that we’re happy to share. What do we have to look forward to? Originals, acquisitions, and a video game? No way!

What is the news on Shudder for November 2021?

AMC Games and Shudder Present The Fabulous Fear Machine

The Horror Streaming Service Enters the World of Games as “Fear Consultants” For New Pulp Strategy Game Coming to PC in 2022

New York, U.S.A October 27, 2021 – AMC Games today announced its upcoming title, The Fabulous Fear Machine, a narrative-driven strategy game for PCs that challenges players to conquer the world through fear. The newest game from the Madrid-based developer Fictiorama Studios (Do Not Feed the Monkeys), The Fabulous Fear Machine combines an audacious social simulation with pulp horror roleplaying. Partnering with AMC Games and Fictiorama on the title is AMC Networks’ premium horror streaming service Shudder, whose expertise at spreading fear proved invaluable for the developers.

The Fabulous Fear Machine is coming to PC in Spring 2022. Watch the game’s teaser trailer here:

A single-player, real-time strategy game with a retro horror comic style, The Fabulous Fear Machine casts the player as a newly minted “Master of the Machine.” To pursue their goals, players must generate and spread fear through the careful cultivation of various Legends—those scary stories, urban myths, and conspiracy theories that lurk in the dark corners of the mind.

“AMC Games’ next title brings us back to our horror roots,” said Clayton Neuman, Vice President of Games for AMC. “The Fabulous Fear Machine is the ultimate manifestation of why we tell scary stories. It explores the tales we all grew up hearing as kids, and the thrill we get from sharing them with others. We’re so excited to be partnering with the award-winning developers at Fictiorama and our colleagues and Shudder to deliver for players the power of urban legends… that they may spread and continue to scare the bejeezus out of us all.”

“With this game we’re not just exploring the subject of urban legends as an essential element of culture and folklore all around the world, but also reflecting on the huge power these tales can hold over a population. Working with the horror experts at Shudder and AMC on this process has been a blast,” according to Fictiorama. “Just how deeply are we all influenced by these fables? In The Fabulous Fear Machine, we answer that question by turning scary stories into strategic tools… and then we place them in the hands of players.”

The game’s campaign is structured around distinct chapters that follow the exploits of several new Masters, each with their own ambitions. As the player’s power in a home region grows, missions gain an increasingly grand scale, and the pressure from other characters increases. The forces of good fight back by reducing Legends to sanitized fairy tales, and randomly occurring social events force players to modify their strategy constantly.

Features include:

Horror evolved. Plant the seeds of fear in fertile ground. Watch and listen to how the media reacts to your Legends. Feed them, then see them grow more powerful and effective.

The job done right. Your strength is in strategizing; leave the dirty work to your Agents. Send them to explore new locations and infiltrate your enemies, making interesting choices along the way.

An equal and opposite reaction. Rivals and the forces of good alike seek to undo the Machine’s influence for their own ends. Plan accordingly, or you may find your own Legends twisted into inspirational stories, mascots, or other sugary-sweet clichés.

Think globally, scare locally. Many Legends are drawn from the unique cultural history of specific countries. Travel the world, and learn what terrors each populace delights in.

A tale as old as time. Across one playthrough you’ll direct the stories of several Masters operating in different regions of the world. Along the way, explore the history of the Machine, its enemies, and the Agents who aid you.

Early development of The Fabulous Fear Machine was supported by Red.es and FEDER (European Regional Development Fund). This is the third title from AMC Games, the video game publishing division of AMC Networks. Their first game was 2020’s acclaimed flight passenger simulator Airplane Mode, which meticulously recreated the experience of real-time commercial flight, and they recently released the metal-detecting narrative game The Magnificent Trufflepigs on PC and Nintendo Switch.

Learn more about The Fabulous Fear Machine on its Steam page here.

SHUDDER ACQUIRES CHILLING PARANORMAL THRILLER THEY LIVE IN THE GREY

Written and Directed by The Vang Brothers the Shudder Original FilmWill Release to Members in Early 2022

NEW YORK – November 1, 2021 – Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller, and the supernatural, has acquired worldwide rights to supernatural feature They Live in The Grey. The Shudder Original Film, which is written and directed by Burlee and Abel Vang (Bedeviled), is set to release in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand in early 2022. Vertical Entertainment will be handling international sales for the remaining territories at the upcoming American Film Market.

“The Vang Brothers have crafted a stylish, scary chiller, easily one of the year’s most frightening films, led by a gripping central performance from Michelle Krusiec as Claire. We’re thrilled to invite Shudder members to see through Claire’s eyes and peer into that fascinating and haunting space between life and death,” said Craig Engler, general manager of Shudder.

“Most horror films with Asian leads are foreign films. We’re proud and excited to tell an Asian-American horror story – something you don’t often see,” said the Vang Brothers. “We can’t imagine a better partner than Shudder to help us bring this Asian-American narrative to the horror genre.”

In They Live in The Grey, Michelle Krusiec (Hollywood), plays Claire who, while investigating a child abuse case, discovers that the family is being tormented by a supernatural entity. In order to save the family, she must confront her own fears and use her emerging clairvoyance to stop the malevolent force.

They Live in The Grey is a Standoff Pictures Production in association with Whiskey Stream Films. The film is produced by Stephen Stanley and The Vang Brothers and features performances by Ken Kirby (Good Trouble), Ellen Wroe (For All Mankind), and Madelyn Grace (Don’t Breath 2).

The acquisition deal was negotiated by Emily Gotto, VP, Global Acquisitions & Co-Productions on behalf of Shudder and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.

GORY MONSTER FILM DEATH VALLEY COMES TO SHUDDER ON DECEMBER 9

NEW YORK – November 17, 2021 – Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced today that it will release the original film Death Valley in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand on Thursday, December 9.

Written and directed by Matthew Ninaber (Psycho Goreman), who also appears as the frightening monster in the film, the adrenaline-fueled action horror stars his brother Jeremy Ninaber (Escape the Dark), Ethan Mitchell (Escape the Dark) and Kristen Kaster (If I should Die).

When a secret experiment goes horribly wrong, bioengineer Dr. Chloe (Kaster) becomes trapped inside a secret underground facility. With only 24 hours before a fatal decontamination protocol destroys the entire lab, Chloe deploys an emergency distress signal before a terrifying creature (Matthew Ninaber) of unknown origin can consume what’s left of her.

Alerted by the distress beacon, battle-weary guns for hire, Marshall (Mitchell) and Beckett (Jeremy Ninaber) are commissioned to carry out a covert operation to extract the imprisoned scientist. Upon deployment, the team is ambushed by another heavily armed militia hell-bent on finding a way into the compound themselves.

Severely outnumbered, the mercenaries find entry to the bunker through an unsealed emergency hatch only to find themselves in a horrific fight for survival. With time and ammunition running out, the team must locate Dr. Chloe while also navigating the underground maze of corridors before they’re hunted down one by one.

Death Valley is produced by Black Fawn Films who also produced the Shudder original Vicious Fun. The film is executive produced by Matthew Ninaber, Ira Levy, Michael McGuigan and Patrick Ewald. The film is produced by Chad Archibald, Cody Calahan and Matthew Ninaber.

Also, before we go, here is just a little more news from Joe Bob Briggs himself!

We're baaaack! It's an auction, it's a telethon, and it's the kind of genre-bending movie choices that are guaranteed to make you say "Huh? What? Explain that one again." Join us for a major distortion of what Christmas is all about. Friday December 17, 9 p.m. Eastern/6 Pacific. pic.twitter.com/DFZkGD2T5c— Joe Bob Briggs (@therealjoebob) November 17, 2021

And that is the news for November. We’ll keep you posted if anything else is mentioned!

Related Topics:breaking news Shudder streaming

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David Davis

David Davis is a writer, cartoonist, and educator in Southern California with an M.A. in literature and writing studies.

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Breaking News

Joe Bob Briggs Creepy Christmas spooktacular: The Last Drive-In Special Charity phenomena

Published

5 months ago

December 7, 2023

Jim Phoenix

Famed horror host, Pulitzer Prize nominated, and Cracker Barrel aficionado Joe Bob Briggs is back in action, ready to bring some macabre merriment to your holiday season with Joe Bob’s Creepy Christmas. It also gives us horror fans something to take into the new year, be that something Darcy’s panties (sorry, box, I tried) or just the intangible good feels of hanging with friends and supporting a lot of good causes.

The Return of Joe Bob Briggs’s Christmas Special

The Joe Bob Briggs’s Christmas event is akin to a Jerry Lewis telethon for Gen X, with a twist of ‘the last drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs’. This ‘Briggs’ auction of sorts is a nostalgic nod to the past, especially for those who remember the telethons. The dread, however, has shifted from the … well… whatever Jerry was supposed to do (see Sam Kinison’s bit on this for more info) to that of evil goodies.

Without a doubt, this Joe Bob Briggs special is the event we eagerly anticipate each year. It’s a tradition, and a worthy one at that. We hope to see everyone on the interwebs, joining the ‘creepy links’ and engaging in the conversation (We’ll be on Threads and Twitter….tag us as you wish!) ‘live’ the only way anyone should ever watch a tv show (oh, and I guess on demand, but ya weirdos will never know the sting of the Iron Mutant Award!). ‘Live’ is the only way anyone should ever watch a TV show, especially ‘the last drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs’ (as it’s far too hard to watch tv whilst dead).

Joe Bob’s Creepy Christmas The ‘Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl’ special will hit the airwaves live on Shudder TV and AMC+ TV on Friday, December 15th at 9 p.m. ET. Fans of ‘the last drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs’ can also catch the special on-demand starting Sunday, December 17th.

A Creepy Christmas with a Cause

In its fourth year, the holiday tradition of The Last Drive-In goes beyond mere entertainment. It aims to use the platform to raise funds for four vital causes. The charity auction will feature unique props and exclusive merchandise from The Last Drive-In and memorabilia from Briggs’ illustrious 35-year career…including some of his unspoken work as John Bloom. I say Unspoken, because if anyone remembers the first Christmas Special, the autographed copy of Eccentric Orbits was featured (sincerely, a good book–check it out if you haven’t. Jim gives it 4.5/5)

The supported charities for Joe Bob’s Creepy Christmas will include:

The Mystery of the Joe Bob Briggs’s Creepy Christmas Special

The anticipation for Joe Bob’s Creepy Christmas is high, with fans wildly speculating what films will be featured. Personally, nothing can beat the #1 top horror Christmas film of all time, the Easter classic: Passion of the Christ (if a snuff film about a guy who doesn’t fit in getting whipped and nailed up doesn’t scream horror story, I don’t know what does. Also: See Sam Kinison’s concept on crosses and resurrection). However, a Christmas movie I really want to see up on this is Hogzilla and Kiss Save Santa Clause! BOOMMM!! Christmas Won!

As we eagerly wait for December 15th, we wonder what surprises our favorite horror host, Joe Bob Briggs, has in store this time. Will there be exclusive ‘merch’ that Jim will buy and then accidentally put in a Toys for Tots box in the mall?

Join the Fun, Join the Cause, Join the Joe Bob Briggs Christmas event!

Are you ready to dive into the world of Joe Bob’s Creepy Christmas? Do you dare to watch along and help raise money for a good cause? If so, join us at HauntedMTL on Threads (_HauntedMTL_) and maybe Twitter (@HauntedMTL) as we experience the thrill and chills that only Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy can deliver.

Remember, this is not just about indulging in some good old horror fun with ‘Joe Bob’s’ double feature. It’s about giving back and making a difference. So, let’s gear up to have a creepy Christmas with ‘Joe Bob Briggs’, filled with ‘christmas horror films’, ‘christmas demons’, ‘christmas slasher films’, ‘ho-ho-horror’, ‘yuletide horror’ and insightful ‘horror commentary’.Joe Bob’s Creepy Christmas and make this holiday season memorable for all the right reasons! I’m sure Fright Rags will have another stellar set this year, too. They are perfect for the horror fan in your life (even if that fan is you!). I can’t wait to see what they have in store (no pun).

SPECIAL — IF YOU WANT Freeeeeeeee (as supplies last) Fright Rags Joe Bob Briggs merch for this year, just tweet/thread at us during the event and Jim will pick the one that makes him chuckle the most (you will need to give us your address and size in DMs)

No subscription to watch Joe Bob Briggs’s Creepy Christmas yet? No problem! Check the link below:

AMC Networks’ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudder’s expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. For a 7-day, risk-free trial, visit Joe Bob at www.shudder.com.

Breaking News

#ChadGetsTheAxe Coming Out September 1st

Published

8 months ago

August 31, 2023

J.M. Brannyk

Look, I’m a simple guy. Sure, I like my Small Town Monsters and my silly-billy movies about cats eating people.

But sometimes there comes a film that’s smartly written, full of humor and social commentary, plus great acting. Oh, and scares that actually scare the shit out of me.

Almost a year to the date, I got to watch such a film called #CHADGETSTHEAXE that I saw as a screener for FilmQuest Fest in October, 2022. And I was blown away by the talents of director/co-writer Travis Bible and co-writer/producer Kemerton Hargrove; starring Spencer Harrison Levin (Black Jesus), Michael Bonini (New Amsterdam), Taneisha Figueroa (Duck World), Cameron Vitosh (Walker), Brandon Doyle (Murder Made Me Famous), and Shun Hagins (Snitch).

Mini-Review, I swear it’s short:

And, I know, I know, I know. ‘But Brannyyyyk, isn’t livestreaming horror movies just a flash in the pan? Hasn’t it been done beforeeee?’ For one, stop saying it like that, it’s weird. For two, not like this. The care and attention that went into #CHADGETSTHEAXE is wickedly clever with such tongue-in-cheek humor of influencers, humanity, and the toxic culture of fandom. It’s the shining example of live-streaming movies because it’s so f-ing smart.

Case in point, the characters are living up to their personas. However, even when the personas are ragged and driven to the edge of life and death, we never see them as people, fully dimensional people, because we never see them break away from their devices. There’s never a shot that shows us ‘hey, this is a film, now let’s see them as the real character they are’. The actors are really carrying dual roles as the personas and the real people underneath; as they are struggling to keep up appearances in front of the millions of viewers.

Plus, don’t get me started on the characters within the livestream feed, along with running jokes and clues to the haunted house.

Anyway, I don’t want to give too much away as I’m going to be covering it on Streamin’ Demons soon. But I wanted to also tease about the fact that I’m going to be interviewing some VIPs from the movie for What’s Kraken? So, shhh, only tell your closest friends because it’s going to be incredible.

It has the characters taking selfies in front of an axe killer

Join the Hype Train:

Adapted from an award-winning short with the same title, #ChadGetsTheAxe follows four social media influencers as they live-stream their trip to Devil’s Manor, former home to a Satanic Cult. Things don’t go well. And as the violence ramps up… so do the views.

The film premiered at FilmQuest in October 2022 and Internationally at FrightFest Glasgow in March 2023 where it was well received by critics. #ChadGetsTheAxe was produced by Travis Bible, Eric Gibson, Kemerton Hargrove, and Frances O’Hanlon, while Dream Big Group serves as executive producers.

The Horror Collective is the genre label of Entertainment Squad — a production and distribution company founded by veteran producer Shaked Berenson (TURBO KID, TALES OF HALLOWEEN). The label’s latest releases include the Daytime Emmy nominated Limited Series DOOMSDAY, the killer-pants Shudder Original SLAXX, and the critically acclaimed horror-comedy SUMMONING SYLVIA.

Website: https://thehorrorcollective.com/

I’m hoping it gets DVD distribution one day because I’m old and I need DVDs for when the zombie apocalypse happens.

Breaking News

June Title for Arrow Streaming

Published

11 months ago

June 1, 2023

J.M. Brannyk

Welcome to June! There’s so much on the hopper for Arrow that I just have to give you, my friends, the hot goss.

Just a picture of the stuff I'm talking about after the picture.

June 2nd: Paul Joyce Documentaries

June 2nd kicks off the month with ARROW’s latest curation of Paul Joyce documentaries, this time looking at legendary filmmaker John Cassavetes, straight from the mouth of his friend and collaborator co-star Peter Falk (Columbo) in Out of the Shadows: The Films of John Cassavetes.

After a six year directing hiatus, Monte Hellman sat down with Paul Joyce and just talked for an hour while Joyce filmed. The result is Plunging on Alone: Monte Hellman’s Life In a Day.

June 2nd: the wild world of Ero Guro

What is Ero Guro? Well, the Japanese sub-genre of horror and pink films Ero Guro combines the erotic (ero) and the grotesque (guro) to deviant, decadent and unforgettable effect. ARROW’s Ero Guro collection features the unholy trinity of core Ero Guro films, Teruo Ishii’s Shogun’s Joy of Torture and Horrors of Malformed Men and Yasuzo Masumura’s Blind Beast, plus plenty more exciting, explicit and enticingly depraved delights to delve into.

Titles Include: Shogun’s Joy of Torture, Blind Beast, Irezumi.

June 6th: Warriors Two (US/CA)

After making his directorial debut with the intense The Iron-Fisted Monk and firmly solidifying his worth at Golden Harvest, Sammo Hung would be given more creative control behind the camera. Now able to inject more of his own personality, Hung would bring to life the more upbeat (yet only slightly less violent) Wing Chun cult classic: Warriors Two!

Predating the Ip Man tetralogy by three decades – as well as Hung’s own The Prodigal Son (starring Yuen Biao as the younger incarnation of Leung Tsan) by a few years – Warriors Two is one of the earliest films to authentically portray the teachings of Wing Chun while also delivering the kind of kinetic and pulse-pounding fights synonymous with the name Sammo Hung!

June 16th: Eli Roth Selects (UK/IRE/US/CA)

Splatter icon Eli Roth takes a stroll through the archives with Eli Roth Selects (UK/IRE/US/CA). “I absolutely love Arrow and have been a collector of their editions for years, and Arrow Player is the most streamed channel in my house. I’ve seen a lot of Select lists, and while I agree with them, I wanted to highlight some that people might have otherwise overlooked.”

Titles Include: Basket Case, Contamination, Madhouse.

June 19th: Toru Murakawa’s Game Trilogy (UK/IRE/US/CA)

Made at the end of the 1970s, Toru Murakawa’s Game Trilogy launched actor Yûsaku Matsuda as the Toei tough guy for a new generation. Matsuda was the definitive screen icon of 1980s until his career was tragically cut short by cancer at the age of 40, following his Hollywood debut in Ridley Scott’s Black Rain.

The Most Dangerous Game (UK/IRE/US/CA): In this career-defining triptych, Matsuda is Shohei Narumi, an ice cool hitman of few words, a steely trigger finger, and a heart of stone, hired in The Most Dangerous Game by a company bidding for a lucrative government air defence contract to take out the competition.

The Killing Game (UK/IRE/US/CA): Narumi finds himself caught in the midst of violent yakuza gang warfare, while his own brutal past catches up with him in the form of two beautiful women still bearing the emotional scars of his past assignments.

The Execution Game (UK/IRE/US/CA): Narumi falls for a mysterious saloon bar chanteuse who may or may not be part of the same, shadowy underworld organization as the rival hitmen he is employed to rub out. (I’m assuming the tough-guy way and not the sexy way)

June 23rd: SHAAAARKS!!!

Yessss, Cruel Jaws is coming to Arrow!

ARROW heads to the beach for some terror with shark attacks.

Cruel Jaws (US/CA): A huge shark terrorizes a beach in Florida, and the locals try everything to kill it.

Deep Blood (US/CA): Several young men have to stop an ancient native American evil in the form of a killer shark which is attacking a small beach community.

June 23rd: Sci-fi Stunners (UK/IRE/US/CA)

For the penultimate Season, ARROW boldly goes to the stars on June 23, seeking out new life and new cinema.

Sci-fi Stunners (UK/IRE/US/CA): There are other worlds than these. Come and explore them in this collection of cybernetic, planet-probing, time-travelling, cosmos-trotting, aliens-zapping, virtual and far-too-real adventures in Sci-fi Stunners – ARROW’s home world for the coolest Cult science-fiction films in the galaxy.

Titles Include: No Escape, Donnie Darko, Crimes of the Future.

Last but not least

Cosa Nostra Collection (UK/IRE/US/CA):

The most American of directors according to celebrated critic Paolo Mereghetti, Damiano Damiani (A Bullet for the General) nevertheless surveyed his own country’s mafia history unlike anyone before him, to critical and box office success.

Full of twists and a fascinating meta-commentary on cinema, Damiani points the camera at himself and the genre as he investigates the social impact of mafia violence, a fitting end to this survey of Damiani’s Cosa Nostra.

Titles Include: Day of the Owl, The Case is Closed, Forget It, How To Kill a Judge.

About ARROW:

From Arrow Films, a recognized world-leader in curation and creation, ARROW is a premium platform giving audiences an unparalleled viewing experience across multiple devices, so fans can explore the films and TV shows that the Arrow brand is famous for.

Specially curated by members of the ARROW team, ARROW is home to premium film and TV entertainment, exclusive new premieres, cutting edge cinema, international classics and cult favorites – such as the works of Lars Von Trier, Brian De Palma, Dario Argento, David Cronenberg and Park Chan-wook, and brand-new short films from both new and established filmmakers.

In the coming months, ARROW will be adding Oscar-winning hits, European classics, Asian cinema masterworks, rediscovered Westerns, offbeat gems and much more as part of ARROW’s international strategy to support and celebrate the medium of film.

For more information on ARROW and its titles, please contact: justin@justincookpr.com or visit https://www.arrow-player.com.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ArrowVideoUK

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arrowPlayer

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Arrow_Player

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArrowVideo