Haunting on Fraternity Row is an upcoming horror film that looks poised to blow the roof off when it comes to stuffing tropes into one movie. The preternatural monster-on-the-loose film comes out soon.
About Haunting on Fraternity Row
Official Description: A fraternity house throws their big “Winter Luau” party, but when fraternity brothers and coeds begin dying horrible deaths they discover an evil entity has taken over the house.
Director Brant Sersen is no stranger to horror films having previously helmed Sanatorium in 2013. The trailer for Haunting on Sorority Row features a wild college party where a bunch of college friends stumble onto a secret room in their house. Unfortunately, the secret room houses a demon spirit thing that begins to have a party of its own. But as we know, demons only get high off of murder and mayhem.
Jacob Artist as Jason
Jayson Blair as Tanner
Molly Tarlov as Maggie
Shanley Caswell as Claire
Claudia Lee as Liza
Ashton Moio as Dougie
Cameron Moulène as Grant
Chester Rushing as Drew
Breon Pugh as Wiggles
Ashton Leigh as Sadie
Haunting on Fraternity Row is littered with tropes in the trailer. This can be an indication of a horror film that’s also part comedy and having fun with the kind of movie this is, OR it’s a sign of a film that thinks it’s clever when it does the “drag someone away by their from the camera” shot. We’ll have to wait and see what the Haunting on Fraternity Row has in store. At least the trailer doesn’t hide the monster, and it’s a pretty cool looking smoke demon-face thing. Not a bad place to start for fans of the horror genre.
Did this trailer get you excited for Haunting on Fraternity Row? Leave your comments below!
Ingmar Bergman is considered by many to be one of the best filmmakers of all time, having created seminal masterworks such as The Seventh Seal, Fanny and Alexander, and Persona.
The new documentary Searching for Ingmar Bergman explores the eponymous auteur’s life, career, and impact on the film industry. It is co-directed by and features the renowned director Margarethe von Trotta, who had personal experiences with Bergman.
One does not need to have familiarity with the work of Bergman to appreciate this documentary, but it certainly helps. Even if you haven’t seen any of his films in their entirety, understanding why people consider his movies to be great is important, as most of the film assumes that the audience already knows that he is great.
There are clips of Bergman’s films spread throughout, but there is little commentary on the clips themselves. Rather, the movie focuses on him filmmaking process and personal life that led him to create his masterpieces.
As a result, the film is more insightful than educational, aimed at an audience that already has a comfortable understanding of what goes into making a movie. If you are not a hardcore cinephile, then this film probably isn’t for you. The story likely won’t keep the interest of anyone who isn’t passionate about the documentary’s subject.
That being said, the film does provide some very interesting details about the ways in which Bergman worked. A recurring theme that the documentary explores is the way that Bergman treated the actors with whom he worked. It is weird to look at how differently actors were treated in the past compared to how they are treated now.
The segments featuring von Trotta speaking of her admiration of Bergman are fine, but the other interviews are far more in-depth and enjoyable. The interviews with Bergman’s son are perhaps the best, shining the most light on the filmmaker’s personal life. However, since the personal and work lives of the artist were so intertwined, his son is also able to provide insight into his career. Additionally, interviews with modern filmmakers such as Olivier Assayas do add some level of analysis as to the reasons why Bergman is considered to be a master.
The documentary is very ably-assembled, but that would be expected given that von Trotta herself is a distinguished filmmaker. The editing is great, with archive footage, clips, and interviews being used effectively to create variety within the film. However, von Trotta’s presence as the narrator of the movie can be somewhat distracting at times, as she tries to compare her own success to that of Bergman.
Overall, Searching for Ingmar Bergman is a fascinating documentary about one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. It isn’t for cinema “novices”, but for the film-minded crowd, this is sure to be a worthwhile watch.
Searching for Ingmar Bergman opens in select theaters beginning November 2.
It is not new information that the Juggernaut is one angry dude and nearly unstoppable, but we may now know what the centerpoint for his rage is, thanks to the most-recent issue in the X-Men Black series, X-Men Black: Juggernaut #1.
You already knew that he is the half-brother of one Dr. Charles Xavier. Growing up, Cain Marko endured both psychological and physical abuse from his father, Dr. Kurt Marko, but it was not until he moved in with his stepmother and stepbrother, Charles, that he realized his boiling point, including jealousy and sadness, as his father preferred Charles to him.
Juggernaut is the avatar of Cytorrak, a demon god. Marko stumbled upon a shrine housing the Crimson Gem of Cytorrak while excavating and took it as his own. As long as he is in possession of it, he is unstoppable and filled with power and rage.
It was announced back in July that Marvel was planning an X-Men Black Event, which would essentially give the mutant villains the spotlight, but we had no idea that it would include brand-new origin stories!
SPOILERS AHEAD – YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!!!
It has now been revealed that the Crimson Gem indeed amplifies Marko’s rage, but it is not the pure source of it. In the issue, Cytorrak has become angry with Marko’s performance in yielding his power and orders the Priests of Cytorrak to hold him prisoner while forcing him to relive moments from his past, ones that test his psyche, both mentally and physically.
Cytorrak reveals himself to Juggernaut and presents him with a challenge to a fight. Marko, already hallucinating, is visited by spectres from his past, including his younger self, making him feel more inadequate, thus filling him with even more rage. He then realizes that this personality trait is within him, channels it and then defeats Cytorrak.
Marko’s victory restores Cytorrak’s faith in the Juggernaut’s abilities as his avatar and he frees him from his priest’s mental prison. The priests had mentioned, while Juggernaut was subdued, that there are, in fact, eight gems and Cytorrak is but just one of the magic beings associated with the ‘Octessence’. Each created totems, similar to that of the Crimson Gem, that if accumulated, would morph a mortal into the, ‘Examplar’.
Maybe a series will spring up from this new knowledge in that, Juggernaut, will seek out the other seven gems, in an attempt to garner Examplar status and challenge Cytorrak for his power.
Is this the best issue yet in the X-Men Black series? What do you think about this new information, is Juggernaut bound for bigger things? Let us know in the comments section below.
Frankenstein is the latest in a new run of hardcover releases from Viz Media showcasing the work of Japanese horror master Junji Ito. And this new volume is just what the mad scientist ordered for your Halloween reading.
If you’ve been on the internet long enough, you’ve probably seen Ito’s work in a dozen different memes and image macros:
Anyone possessing even a modest familiarity with either horror comics or Japanese horror should be familiar with the name. Ito’s been active since the 1980s. Over the last thirty-plus years, he’s put out some of the most surreal and horrifying, yet genuinely beautiful comics you’re likely to find.
I was first introduced to Ito’s work in high school. I was a big manga fan, and one of my classmates who shared my interest passed me a copy of a book I’d never heard of. The cover was a simple blood-red field. The only ornamentation was a subtle spiral pattern I couldn’t quite make out, along with the title and author credit scrawled in scratchy lettering: UZUMAKI by Junji Ito. I cracked it open, and was instantly obsessed.
It would take years before I could track down my own copies of all three volumes of the series. Uzumaki, along with much of Ito’s other work, was only available in English intermittently. Long-out-of-print copies of his Junji Ito Horror Comic Collection and Museum of Terror anthologies sold for top-dollar, meaning scanlations of dubious quality where the only option for a teenager working a minimum wage job such as myself.
Fortunately for me, I’m not as broke as I once was. And fortunate for everyone, more of Ito’s amazing work is finally finding wider distribution abroad.
Uzumaki, along with other Ito classics Gyo and Tomie, are available in beautiful hardcover omnibus editions. The two compilations Shiver and Fragments of Horror showcase some of the master’s acclaimed graphic shorts. And now, Frankenstein is the latest to join the mix.
Why Frankenstein?
The first half of the collection features Ito’s adaptation of the legendary Mary Shelley story. More of Ito’s shorter subjects fill-out the rest of the book.
Frankenstein seems like a weird choice at first glance. Victorian gothic horror and proto-sci-fi doesn’t really seem like Ito’s main wheelhouse. His usual work tends to revolve around body horror, surrealism, and supernatural monsters.
However, above all other concepts, there is one recurring theme present in almost all his work: inevitability.
For example, take a look at the well-known Ito story The Enigma of Amigara Fault. The citizens of a small village discover holes in the side of a mountain, and all feel a powerful draw to the place. Villagers claim specific holes where made for them, and can’t help but jump in. Even as they struggle against the allure, they are powerless to resist it. One by one, the villagers take the plunge, without knowing where the holes will lead.
Simply put, the characters in a typical story by Junji Ito are doomed. Without giving away too much, his stories tend to revolve around people struggling against a destiny they probably can’t stop. They feel compelled toward a grim fate, and fight as they might, there’s not much they can do to escape that end.
When you consider that little fact, it makes Frankenstein—a story about a man whose hubris sets his life on an inevitable course of tragedy and death—a natural choice.
The Writing
As mentioned before, the book is a collection of Ito’s short stories. The title piece is the longest by far, though, occupying the first half of this 400-page compilation.
The story is very faithful to the original, varying only in the minor details. Of course, the original Frankenstein is a classic of world literature. Thus, there is only so much that can really be said about the writing. If you’ve ever wanted to see a version of Shelley’s classic related in graphic format, this is a great option.
The other stories in this volume include six tales revolving around a young man named Oshikiri. The lonely boy lives alone in a mansion at the edge of town, and begins to notice strange occurrences around the house.
The first two stories fall more under the supernatural horror genre. While they’re good, they’re nothing particularly amazing relative to Ito’s usual oeuvre. However, as the suite of tales progresses, we discover that the home plays host to a sinister gateway to another world. At this point, Ito’s tendency to always think of the most surprising way to direct a story really shines.
The volume also includes two standalone stories, each just 5-6 pages in length, including the well-known The Hell of the Doll Funeral. Finally, the book wraps with a palette-cleanser in the form of two heartwarming shorts about the Ito family’s (former) pet dog.
The writing throughout is consistently strong. Ito has a natural talent for finding grotesquerie in every nook and cranny of day-to-day life. This ability is most apparent in the shorts that occupy the second half of the book.
The Art
With Western comics, a team of creators typically work on a story together. Certain figures will usually focus on the writing, while others are solely on art. With manga, though, one creator is more often the sole author, both writing and inking the story. Some creators tend to be better at one aspect more than the other. Junji Ito, however, is a master of both angles of the craft.
Even after thirty years in the business, no one manages to deliver uncanny, unsettling images like Junji Ito. There is a level of detail present on every page. The real payoff, however, comes when Ito really lets his twisted imagination lose, producing breathtaking horror artwork. You could genuinely take many of the pages throughout this volume, rip them out, frame them, and hang them on your wall.
I mean…we’ve seen Frankenstein’s monster brought to life in graphic format before. However, it take a true master to create a grotesque, strikingly-horrific being like the one we find in the pages of this volume.
Final Thoughts
The short works contained here aren’t quite on the level of a masterpiece like Uzumaki. However, that’s an incredibly-high bar to reach. Frankenstein by Junji Ito should be a welcome addition to the collection of horror fans of any persuasion.
Monkeys Fighting Robots is proud to be partnering with 20th Century Fox to invite you, our readers, to see the new film Widows at a FREE advance screening!
Widows is directed by the phenomenal Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave, Shame) and written by McQueen and Gillian Flynn (author of Gone Girl). It stars an ensemble cast featuring Viola Davis (Fences, How to Get Away with Murder), Michelle Rodriguez (the Fast and the Furious series), Elizabeth Debicki (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), Liam Neeson (the Taken series), Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead), Colin Farrell (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), and Robert Duvall (Apocalypse Now).
Synopsis: Set in contemporary Chicago, amidst a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husband’ criminal activities, take fate into their own hands and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.
This is one you definitely won’t want to miss! It debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September to rave reviews and is expected to be a major contender in awards season.
If you live in the Tampa or Orlando area and want to see the film, follow your respective link below to claim passes. We only have a limited amount of passes and seating is limited, so act fast! On the day of the screening, be sure to arrive early, because having a pass does not guarantee admission and the screening is intentionally overbooked to ensure full capacity.
After you see the movie, be sure to let us know what you think! We hope to have a massive turnout of MFR fans so that we can continue to bring you opportunities like this! Not in Tampa or Orlando? Let us know in the comments so we can try to get passes in your market next time!
No purchase necessary to enter or win. Passes and seating are first come, first served. Must create a free account with Gofobo and claim pass online to attend event. Passes do not guarantee seating. Limit one admit two pass per person per account. WIDOWS is rated R — under 17 requires accompanying parent or guardian. See pass for further restrictions.
SUPERGIRL spends its third episode this season without its hero. ‘Man of Steel’ has Supergirl benched, as she deals with a bad case of Kryptonite poisoning. This episode also doesn’t feature the more notable “Man of Steel” Superman either. This episode focuses on Ben Lockwood, the son of a steel-working father, whose world turns upside-down by aliens. The story is nothing new, but it’s a sensible well-told version of the everyman who turned to evil and bigotry. ‘Man of Steel’ is a solid episode that lets viewers know exactly who Lockwood’s Agent Liberty is.
This episode is a classic villain origin story. Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer) is a professor who slowly becomes angrier with aliens. It starts with Luthorcorp dropping his father’s company for an alien company, and ends with his father’s death. The story is fairly basic, but that’s not necessarily bad. ‘Man of Steel’ is a well-written episode, and Witwer does a fantastic job with the character. While you can understand Lockwood’s descent into evil, he’s still clearly evil. SUPERGIRL knows how to make a villain that’s a bit relatable, but unquestionably wrong.
SUPERGIRL continues finding good ways to weave modern political problems with its human-vs-alien storyline. Specifically, Lockwood’s descent into bigotry as his working class family is at odds with aliens works well. SUPERGIRL weaves in political buzzwords as well, especially with Lockwood’s students. It’s important that this man complains about “millennials” and “safe spaces” in his dismissals of those who think he’s extreme. Professor Lockwood isn’t trying to defend free speech – he’s trying to justify his hateful rhetoric. It’s an important distinction, and this touch is one of the reasons ‘Man of Steel’ is so strong.
The show also does a good job of connecting other SUPERGIRL characters into the story. Even though Supergirl is benched, Kara and her friends make appearances. Not all of them are entirely blameless in the struggle with Lockwood, either. Lena’s dismissal of Lockwood is definitely an example of her being more of a ruthless businesswoman. James’ hesitation to take a stronger stand on aliens is a flash to last week. Some of SUPERGIRL’s strongest work this season has been its character development. ‘Man of Steel’ continues the trend, as many characters deal with the anger of Agent Liberty.
As strong as the episode is, there are some holes in Lockwood’s development. There is a disconnect between his bigotry against humans and aliens. He alleges that human immigrants have helped to shape America and make it great when an alien student speaks up against him. This kind of selective bigotry dilutes how pervasive bigotry is, and how it’s very present in the world. It’s also unclear where Lockwood stands with his wife and child, which is a strange omission. How do they feel about Ben’s new path? These details are small, but they’re crucial to the larger picture of this villain.
That said, it will be exciting to see SUPERGIRL continue exploring Agent Liberty. There are many that may feel SUPERGIRL has gone too far into political parallels this season. However, in such a politically charged time, with real bigotry and hatred gaining a larger voice in America, it’s important to stand against it. ‘Man of Steel’ makes it clear that bigotry can only lead to evil – and in Ben Lockwood’s case, leads to domestic terrorism. Agent Liberty is evil that hides behind the veil of nativism and patriotism. But this perverse form of nationalism is twisted, and should not have a place in our society. Bravo to SUPERGIRL for taking a stand, even when Supergirl is down for the count.
Weapon H: AWOL is proof that you can give Greg Pak whatever silly, over-the-top premise you want, and he can make it work.
Clay was a military contractor who was turned over to Weapon X. There, they blended his DNA with that of Wolverine and the Hulk, giving Clay the powers of both heroes. Now, Weapon H is on the run, determined to not be anyone’s pawn ever again. But Dario Agger and the Roxxon Corporation are hot on his tail, in need of the “Hulkverine’s” special skills for a secret mission. Clay’s wife is also searching for him, refusing to believe the reports that he died in the line of duty.
The trade is out October 31st, collecting issues one through six of the series. Pak writes the story, while Cory Smith draws issues one through five, and Ario Anindito draws issue six. Terry Pallot, Roberto Poggi, Keith Champagne, Scott Hanna, and Walden Wong ink issues four and five. Morry Hallowell does the colors with Rachelle Rosenberg and Chris Sotomayor, and Joe Caramagna does the letters with Clayton Cowles. The covers are by Leinil Francis Yu, Philip Tan, and Romulu Fajardo Jr.
Let’s be frank – this is a crazy, over-the-top premise. Some might even call it “silly.” Every time someone says the word “Hulkverine,” you can’t help but giggle. There is no reason this story should work.
But here’s the thing: it totally works. This is a really fun action comic, with heart, strong characters, and good artwork.
Weapon H works for the same reasons that regular Hulk or Wolverine stories work; it’s largely a tragedy. Clay is a man on the run. He’s had a monster inside of him long before Weapon X got a hold of him, and he’s tired of other people using it for their own gain. He’s done things that he isn’t proud of, and he has to live with that. But what sets Clay’s story apart from the others is his family. The fact that he has a wife and kids, and that his wife won’t let him push them away to “keep them safe,” adds a layer of depth and drama to his narrative.
An action comic such as this is depends heavily on its artwork, and Smith and Anindito – along with their inkers and colorists – deliver the goods. The action sequences are full of explosive energy, and the way Smith draws Wendigo, Man-Thing, and Minotaur is downright monstrous. Wendigo in particular is terrifying. This is a story that really lets an artist let loose, and you can tell these guys had fun with it.
Pak is a talented storyteller, as if you didn’t already know that. He has a gift for dialogue and characters, and a natural way of sucking his readers in to his tale. And – according to Pak’s letter in the back of the AWOL trade – Weapon H was his own idea. You can feel his passion in this work – his desire to make this fun, silly idea he had into something great.
If Weapon H: AWOL slipped under your radar in single issues, be sure to pick up the trade. This is what superhero/action comics are all about – letting go of all reservations and just having fun with a crazy, over-the-top premise.
What are the many mysterious behind the fan favorite character Broly from Dragon Ball Z? After you have enjoyed enough Manga and Anime you are able to read between the lines and can see a detail or two another may have missed. Through this and other detailed evidence you are able to piece together what really happened in a particular series. This results in an abstract idea, a thought which doesn’t have a physical existence but can be speculated. Welcome to Anime Abstract.
There are two great questions which surround this character. 1. Why is he so strong? 2. Why is he so popular? Both are simple enough to answer you just take the time to look at the elements surrounding the character.
Broly’s strength comes from the fact he is the Legendary Super Saiyan. What does this mean? Originally a Super Saiyan was supposed to be an event which came every 1,000 years. Broly is the Super Saiyan born to become this legendary being. The aspects of Legendary Super Saiyan seems share those of an Ascended Saiyan, a form which only came into play briefly in the Dragon Ball mythology. The Ascended form was shown to value power over speed and fits perfectly with how Broly’s superiority in the battles he takes part in. He is shown to be like a tank, where everyone has to keep throwing everything at him in hopes of toppeling him. On his second appearance, Broly – Second coming, Son Gohan takes advantage of Broly’s lack of speed by leading him into a crevice and burying him under lava. Unfortunately, Broly’s power allowed him to form a shield around his body to help him survive the lava.
Adding to Broly’s unique power set is his fragile mental state. He is shown to have be traumatized by Goku when they were still children because Goku cried too much (yes it’s lame but ignore it) and was later tethered by a control device by his father Paragus who intended keep Broly’s power from becoming unmanageable. This resulted in Broly to become simple minded and at the same time a ticking rage bomb ready to go off. When he confronts Goku later in life, it causes Broly to snap and become obsessed with one goal: Destroying Goku. This single minded objective mixed with the overwhelming power over speed of the Ascended Saiyan resulted in Broly being an unstoppable juggernaut who faced several opponents without breaking a sweat.
Was this overwhelming sense of power all which made Broly such a popular character? Yes and No. There was one other aspect which made him so appealing to fans of the franchise. Broly is shown to have no clear single opponent. Every time he was defeated, Broly was taken down by some form of a team effort. In the first film Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, Goku was only able to defeat Broly thanks to borrowing power from the rest of his team. In Broly – Second Coming, he was destroyed thanks to a Family Kamehameha by Goku, Gohan, and Goten. In the 11th Dragon Ball Z film Bio-Broly, he was taken down by a Triple Kamehameha by Krillin, Trunks, and Goten. In all of these incidents there was never a moment where one single opponent stepped up and was able to conquer Broly without some form of back up. Many feel a proper opponent would be Vegito or Gogeta, the fusion forms of Goku and Vegeta. On the other hand, these forms are a combination of two characters and is not a single opponent. Again, Broly would still not be defeated by a single rival but a different form of teamwork and helping to solidify him as an unstoppable force of destruction.
Thanks to the films and Broly’s additional appearances in different video games, the character has able to maintain his staple as one of the powerful characters in the Dragon Ball franchise. He has become so popular, he will feature in the film Dragon Ball Super: Broly. It will be interested to see how Broly will be able to face off against Super Saiyan Blue. Luckily the wait won’t be long as the film is set to be released in January of 2019.
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What do you think of Broly from Dragon Ball Z? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Two new constellations have been spotted, both of pop culture reference, by one of NASA’s superior telescopes, in Hulk and Godzilla.
The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope is currently celebrating its 10-year anniversary, reaching its milestone back on June 11. Fermi serves as a superior tool for the science community. It allows astronomers to study black holes, which pull matter in and accelerate gas outward at accelerated speeds. It also allows physicists to be able to study subatomic particles at greater energies than those seen from the ground and cosmologists are able to deduct information about the early birth and evolution of the universe.
Some other notable pop-culture constellations identified by NASA via the Fermi Telescope include: Mjolnir (Thor) and Tardis (Doctor Who). Click HERE for the complete list.
From the looks of the teaser (below), the crossover, in conjunction with Teen Titans Go!, doesn’t look like it will be the much-anticipated sixth season, which fans have continuously pined for, but rather, a mashup of the Titans and their more-animated counterparts. With Cartoon Network having brought back numerous shows, following premature cancellations, including Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Young Justice and Samurai Jack, it would just make sense to bring back this series, especially since the post-credit scene from the Teen Titans Go! to the Movies featured the Titans announcing that they had indeed, ‘Found a way back’.
As you can see, the teaser features both show’s opening sequences and ends with the graphic, Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans. No further information has been given regarding the project, so fans are left wondering if this will be a movie, short or even a series, but iO9 did validate the leak with Warner Bros., and it is set to launch in 2019. Keep an eye out for more news as it comes.
Are you one of the devoted fans that have been waiting for the return of Teen Titans? What other series would you like to see brought back? Let us know in the comments section below.
