All posts by Manic Exorcism

There is a method to my madness. I've just not figured out what it is yet.

New VENOM Pic Has Fans Drooling For More! The Comic’s Coming to Life!

Image July 16, 2018 Manic Exorcism Leave a comment

Time to discuss one of comic-book history’s most beloved super-antiheroes – VENOM!

A brand new Venom pic has just surfaced and is taking fans by storm. Comic book licenses have never been hotter than they are now. The world we were introduced to by Dick Donner’s Superman and Tim Burton’s Batman has opened up in ways fans never dreamt of. We all wanted to see our favorite heroes and villains match off in colossal battles across land, sea, and air; battles brought to life from page to theater screen. We find ourselves in that age.

Sam Raimi hurled the Marvel property into unexplored territory with his fantastical take on some high octane web-slinging action in Spider-Man! The comic world of the web-head came to life as Spidey (Tobey Maguire) faced off against the malicious might of Green Goblin (Willem DaFoe) and Doc Oct (Alfred Molina). In the first couple of movies, fans pissed and cheered with inhuman rapture as the comic battles of old raged before our wet eyes. The sky was the limit, so where would we go from there?

To everyone’s sheer delight, it was announced that Spider-Man would face off against his most cherished foe, Venom! Fans dropped their drawers and shat with excitement right as they heard the news. At long-fucking last! VENOM! He was coming to goddam life and people were ready to sacrifice babies to Baal to see this happen.

Then they ruined it by casting Topher Grace in the monster’s role. Cheers turned into jeers as hearts blacked with pustule cists of anger. What in the hell did we just watch? That wasn’t Venom! That was a disgrace. Excitement for the character died an ugly death and the character lost his lethal charm among many.

Not all though. I still loved the character. He’s the reason I began to read the comics back in the 90’s. Marvel will never be as great as it was in that glorious decade. We had the talents of Todd McFarlane and Jim Lee illustrating some of the darkest, most savage, and eye-exploding depictions of our superheroes, the likes of which we’d never seen before. All of a sudden Spider-Man was more bestial, more arachnid than he’d ever been. His body posture was extraordinary, and it felt as if he was literally whipping by as he swung page to page. McFarlane’s Torment still stands as one of the most widely loved Spidey storylines to be published.

In came Venom, the dark and brutal antagonist to Spider-Man. An alien entity, a vicious symbiotic mastermind who sought to possess the mind and body of the right host. He found his mark with Eddie Brock, and the two of them became Venom! And they hated the Spider-Man with a passion.

With a maul like a cavern of dripping teeth and a taste for Parker’s flesh, Venom haunted the darkened places of New York as a nightmare reflection of the city’s most favored protector.

We wanted him to come to life. Some still had hopes that day would come, and it seems to be finally dawning upon us. Spidey has had two reboots and – now that he’s at home with Marvel – seems to be on the right track, although I did really enjoy the first Amazing Spider-Man. With new praise over the super-hero, it seemed to be the perfect time for his greatest threats to have a revival. The symbiotes have awakened.

My sources claim that this Venom movie does tie into the current Spider-Man series, but is not part of the larger MCU. Right now it’s unclear if the two will ever cross into one another. So fans shouldn’t expect any answers or tie-ins with the events of Infinity War.

Venom will be facing off against fellow symbiotes, and this has me very excited! Not long ago the teaser dropped and people lost their heads with excitement! Just from what little has been shown already this movie looks like a superior improvement over the last cinematic incarnation of the character.

The latest pic is keeping that flame of expectations glowing. Look at him! The veins, the teeth, and those eyes! Here’s hoping the movie lives up to the name.

Editorials, News

Could There Be A Chucky Game In the Making? New Teaser Hints At That!

Image July 10, 2018 Manic Exorcism Leave a comment

It’s a very fun time to be a Chucky fan! That little malevolent bastard is popular as ever it would seem. Fans are already anticipating an upcoming TV continuation of the current Chucky lore, while an unexpected Child’s Play remake is also in the works. How this is going to work is anyone’s guess right now. Not to mention the official Child’s Play 2 replica (by Trick or Treat Studios) proved to be a Kickstarter success – and believe me, I saw one of those things face to face and it looks entirely too real – allowing sickos and psychopaths to cuddle up with their very own Good Guy doll! If that doesn’t light your fire your wood’s wet.

Now, thanks to Fireblitz Games, it would seem we may also have a ‘Chucky’ game to look forward to. That’s right, my Nasties, you read that right. However, for now, it’s not being called Chucky, but just from a casual glance – thanks to this newly dropped teaser – we can easily see all the trademark signs of our favorite maniacal doll.

Sadly there’s not a whole lot known about this project and some are calling it a little sketchy. Originally the website offered more pics, some featuring models from the Bride of Chucky, or the stitched-faced Chucky, model. It’s also been claimed that the logo on his snazzy overalls which now reads “Cool Boys” originally said “Good Guys.” Not to mention, Charlie is wearing the familiar shirt, overalls, and by the maniac gods if that’s not Chucky’s face then I don’t know what is. This is Chucky in everything but name. It’s definitely something I want to know more about and it’s teased my curiosity.

This year games like Dead by Daylight and the massively successful Friday the 13th proved the high demand for horror films brought to video game formate. While we were all heartbroken to hear the sad news that halted all new content for any further Jason DLC, gamers are still piling into Camp Crystal Lake’s haunted woods to face off with the grueling might of Jason Voorhees. Meanwhile, Freddy, Michael Myers, Pigface (SAW) and Leatherface are playable denizens over at Dead by Daylight.

This is a new age of horror gaming! Where we the fans are finally given the chance to jump in and match our wits and wills against the dangers and awe of some of our most cherished horror franchises!

Child’s Play would seem like the perfect video game platform. Given what we learned from Friday the 13th – where players are allowed to step behind the fetid mask of Jason and stalk helpless campers to their messy demise – I would love to think we could become Chucky, oh I’m sorry, Charlie and hunt down random dipshits and sharpen our killing skills on their screaming faces.

Let’s get a properly liscenced Child’s Play game. Drop the Charlie bullshit and give us an authentic Chucky experience! Look at the titanic success other games are enjoying. Plus it would only help spread popularity in the property. It’s a clear win-win!

So here’s the teaser. Let us know what you think in the comments. Should this become a Chucky game? Would you be just as fine playing as Charlie?

Editorials, Horror Nostalgia

That Random Car In the Title of ‘Tales From the Darkside’

Image July 8, 2018 Manic Exorcism Leave a comment

One of my fondest memories from childhood was staying up late and watching the many glorious horror-themed shows late-night TV had to offer us back in the 80’s. My mom was pretty cool about that back then. I was no more than five and I still recall the greats I spent many nights watching. Twilight Zone, The Hitchhiker, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Unsolved Mysteries – just to name a few, and their themes still ring loud and clear in the shadowy halls of my memory.

One thing these spooktacular shows all shared was a riveting opening title accompanied by a haunting score. You all know what I’m talking about. The Twilight Zone sports a pivotal theme that remains timeless to this day. And who can deny the impact Danny Elfman’s immortal theme from Tales From the Crypt had on our generation? Remarkable!

All of that is to bring us to the subject at hand revolving around one of my favorite creepy shows, Tales From the Darkside!

From horror maestro himself, George Romero came this grizzly collection featuring beloved short horror tales from the mind of Clive Barker and other renowned writers of horror, Tales From the Darkside brought scary stories to life in various comeuppance morality tales.

The opening always gave me the chills as a kid. That eery as Hell music playing over visions of lovely fields, a country farmstead, a rippling brook and a covered bridge. Sights that should convey a welcoming sense of warmth and meditation, something the dark mind of Paw Paw Romero intentionally planned just so he could pull the rug out from underneath our feet. The sights change as the title is revealed and all of a sudden the pleasant world we have been introduced to is malformed into a sinister realm of shadows and dread, just like the genuine dark world which awaits behind the placid world we live in. Darkness is always just only one bad day away.

Right before the title shows, and I mean like a second or so before, we see in the bottom left corner a car that gets swallowed up in the Darkside. It never was anything I gave much of a thought to until an ex of mine mentioned the car was a blooper. Like it was a mistake and wasn’t supposed to be caught on film. Like while the studio was filming the opening shots some random car photobombed the process.

Funny, because I never once got that impression. I told her that too and explained how I always assumed the car was meant to be there. As if whatever family was in that car had just suddenly been sucked into the void. The idea startled her, because that’s how Hell works, right? One moment you’re out enjoying a lovely drive out in the countryside and the next the Darkside consumes you, your day, and possibly you’re entire life.

A flat tire lands you stranded in the middle of the shadowy woods where you can hear a distant banjo playing.

You’re out by yourself hoping to get some sun by the lake when local rapists come zooming by with oogly eyes all over your body.

You get a puzzle box and suddenly awaken the wonders of Hell.

You have a nightmare that lures the dream demon to your helpless state of mind.

That’s what horror has always been about! The normal and everyday world being consumed by the Darkside. That little car in the opening credits epitomizes what we love about horror. I don’t know who was in that car – and that’s part of the charm, it could be anyone of us in it – but I thank them for providing such a wonderful (but underrated) visual for us.

Ok my Nasties, this has been your good pal, Manic Exorcism once again. I’ll be back later to over-analyze even more things no one in their right mind would give a second thought to. But hey, that’s what we do here.

Let us know your thoughts in the comment below? Was it a simple photobomb, or perhaps there was something more sinister afoot?