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‘Silent Hill’ (2006): A Love Letter to Cybil Bennett

In April 2006, Silent Hill broke into theaters in the United States. I was still rather new to the world of horror gaming. With no real context or knowledge of the series, I went to see the movie anyway. Now I know that although the story of the film may change several key concepts about the plot (Rose taking the place of Harry being the biggest one and focusing hard on the whole, “Mother is God in the eyes of a child” thing). Overall, the film wasn’t necessarily a masterpiece. Still, there was something in that movie that amazed me: The incredible police officer Cybil Bennett, portrayed by the gorgeous Laurie Holden.

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The Silent Hill game franchise has been considered among players to be one of the biggest influences in the horror genre. Between its thought-provoking plots and truly unnerving monsters, complemented by the incredibly atmospheric music composed in most installments by Akira Yamaoka, it’s no wonder that the first game was chosen to be adapted into a feature film.

In April 2006, Silent Hill broke into theaters in the United States. I was still rather new to the world of horror gaming. With no real context or knowledge of the series, I went to see the movie anyway. Now I know that although the story of the film may change several key concepts about the plot (Rose taking the place of Harry being the biggest one and focusing hard on the whole, “Mother is God in the eyes of a child” thing). Overall, the film wasn’t necessarily a masterpiece. Still, there was something in that movie that amazed me: The incredible police officer Cybil Bennett, portrayed by the gorgeous Laurie Holden.

Cybil initially appears in the movie as a motorcycle-riding, no-nonsense, dedicated, driven cop. She even wears riding-appropriate attire, donning a leather jacket and a helmet! I immediately admired her for not only looking awesome but being smart. (I know wearing her sunglasses at night isn’t at all practical, but it still made her look tough and cool, okay?) However, what sealed the deal for me was in her first scene against a monster. A shambling creature approaches and spews noxious, acidic black goo all over Cybil, who stumbles away for a moment before ripping her helmet off. The rage on her face as she turns back around and fires on the monster, her short platinum blonde pixie cut mussed in this super slick and sexy way… I was taken aback at the level of unabashedly badass this character was. It might also have been one of the first times I realized I thought girls were cute. 

In a world full of horror adaptations, it seems many of them feature women with shoulder-length or longer hair (looking at you, Alice from Resident Evil), which I couldn’t identify with because I’d always kept my hair on the much shorter side. When Cybil graced the screen, it was incredibly refreshing to see that the film had shunned some of the more Hollywood-insisted “feminine” aspects that many female leads get pigeonholed into. She had short hair, she literally kicked ass, she carried confidence on her left and cunning on her right; she was a fighter that exhibited courage to the very end. 

Laurie Holden gave a performance that was moving and empowering, especially to a teenage girl looking for new role models (even if they were fictional). I had experimented with my hairstyle and color for years, but I will be damned if Holden’s short blonde pixie cut didn’t inspire me to keep my hair short and, years later, be comfortable being a blonde bombshell. Cybil’s portrayal of strength and powerful, capable femininity was a mind-blowing concept for me. I have seen some women in horror films be fearless and tough, but in the face of nightmarish abominations and the fires of misguided cults, Cybil remains at the top of my list for one of the baddest bitches in cinema.

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The movie may not be the greatest, and it definitely changes things from its source material, but Silent Hill gave me more than entertainment value. Because of Cybil, I found the ability to embrace my own strength in a way that is both powerful and feminine. I have developed an appreciation for the horror genre and its representation of women. I have gained confidence in rocking short hair. Most of all, however, I experienced a whirlwind of inspiration that has stuck with me for the last 18 years.

Bryn Wolanski lives just outside Cleveland, Ohio. She loves writing, reading, playing video games, and going for walks. She is happily married to her husband Derek and is a proud cat mom. Her goal is to leave the world a better place than when she entered it by being unapologetically authentic and hopes the words she shares inspire and encourage others to do the same.

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Boeing Starliner Anomalous Sounds and ‘The Antares Paradox’ (2022)

The Antares Paradox is a chamber piece like never before. It’s a cosmic gumbo of adrenaline and emotion. Alexandra is a tenacious scientist who wants nothing more than to be a part of something bigger than herself. The film’s singular set lends to the claustrophobic nature of Alexandra’s dilemma. It’s interesting to look at her predicament from the outside. When faced with the idea of life beyond our solar system, she stays in a cramped room full of computers. Her only communication with the outside world is via telephone. One of the most intriguing questions Alexandra is faced with, at the beginning of the film, is if a genie granted her the opportunity to cure cancer or give us evidence of extraterrestrials, which one would she choose? It’s the perfect Chekov’s gun to set up her entire character arc.

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Not too long ago, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams boarded a Boeing Starliner. Their destination? The International Space Station. In another hit to Boeing’s reputation, the world would be rocked with frightening news. Helium leaks and thruster issues would cause Wilmore and Williams an unexpected extension to their space journey. These two intrepid explorers will now be forced to spend the next [roughly] five months in space due to Boeing’s constant failures at every turn. Adding salt to the wound, Elon Musk and SpaceX have come to the rescue. A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will come to the rescue in February 2025 to escort Wilmore and Williams safely back to solid ground.

A Strange Sound From Space

As if things couldn’t get worse, or more weird, the crew of the Starliner would report back to base with some troubling information: a mysterious sound. On August 31, 2024, Butch Wilmore reached out to Mission Control at Johnson Space Center. Wilmore reported this strange sound, and it took the internet by storm. The sound Wilmore played for Mission Control was a haunting sonar-like sound. It still seems that the origin of this sound is unidentified, but it should be noted Wilmore seemed relatively unfazed throughout this whole correspondence.

Hearing this sound made me automatically think of two things. Firstly, it made me lament the passing of Art Bell. Just picture how much fun a Coast to Coast or Dreamland broadcast of this would be! The broadcast would probably start with Linda Moulton Howe interviewing one of her experts in this field and playing the interview off of a terrible-sounding tape recorder. Art would likely use ABBA’s hit song ‘SOS’ for his bumper music. And you just know the wild card line phone calls would be off the chain! Secondly, this event made me think of one of my favorite films, The Antares Paradox.

Two years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to catch The Antares Paradox at Fantastic Fest, and I was left breathless. Astrophysicist Alexandra Baeza (Andrea Trepat) is stuck on the overnight shift at the EART Observatory. Alexandra is set to have a life-changing night. Her father is dying in the hospital, they are about to experience the storm of the century, and EART has just received a signal from another planet that, if authenticated, could change the course of history.

The Antares Paradox is a chamber piece like never before. It’s a cosmic gumbo of adrenaline and emotion. Alexandra is a tenacious scientist who wants nothing more than to be a part of something bigger than herself. The film’s singular set lends to the claustrophobic nature of Alexandra’s dilemma. It’s interesting to look at her predicament from the outside. When faced with the idea of life beyond our solar system, she stays in a cramped room full of computers. Her only communication with the outside world is via telephone. One of the most intriguing questions Alexandra is faced with at the beginning of the film, is if a genie granted her the opportunity to cure cancer or give us evidence of extraterrestrials, which one would she choose? It’s the perfect Chekov’s gun to set up her entire character arc.

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When Will The Antares Paradox Get Released?

This all brings me to the point I really wanted to talk about. While the relationship between the Boeing Starliner and The Antares Paradox is tangential, it made me think long and hard about how the smallest things make me think of this movie. I’m not exaggerating when I say this, I google The Antares Paradox once a week to see if there is any new information regarding, at the least, a VOD release. (And I’m really not exaggerating when I say I have a weekly calendar notification to remind me to google it.)

And that’s where the one frustration of film festivals comes in. The number of films I’ve seen at festivals that quickly die out and don’t go on to have a release of any kind is staggering. Even having your film run at some of the biggest festivals doesn’t necessarily mean it’s getting released for streaming or theatrical release. A film like The Antares Paradox is not only an overwhelmingly beautiful film, but it’s also poignant.

In the age of modern disclosure, a film like The Antares Paradox hits the nail on the head. People like Lue Elizondo, George Knapp, Jeremy Corbell, Brandon Fugal, and many others, probably feel like they’re the Alexandra Baeza of disclosure–stopping at nothing to get the truth out there. However, many of these people, especially Lue Elizondo, have ulterior motives that revolve around financial gain rather than disseminating the truth. Was all this just a thinly veiled excuse for me to talk about The Antares Paradox or throw a dig at Lue Elizondo? Maybe. What I think the real takeaway should be is twofold: that sonar-sounding thing aboard the Boeing Starliner is odd and creepy, and it’s a damn shame there isn’t a physical release of The Antares Paradox.

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Get Your Milk and Cookies: The Terrifier 3 Trailer Just Dropped

Art the Clown is coming back to town, and everyone’s on the naughty list. The trailer for Terrifier 3 premiered on the Bloody Disgusting official YouTube account this morning and it looks like we’re in for quite a treat. The third installment of the Terrifier franchise releases to theaters on October 11th of this year, 2024.

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Art the Clown is coming back to town, and everyone’s on the naughty list. The trailer for Terrifier 3 premiered on the Bloody Disgusting official YouTube account this morning and it looks like we’re in for quite a treat.

If you’ve somehow evaded all things Terrifier for the last decade, let’s have a brief refresher.

Art the Clown in Terrifier

Art the Clown, as played by David Howard Thornton, started making waves in the horror community with the film Terrifier in 2016. The film saw a mime stalking and killing on Halloween night with various creative methods.

Terrifier’s blend of comedy, dark grit, and gore fueled by Tom Savini-inspired practical effects was polarizing to horror fans. Some like myself find real delight in the films, while others take issue with multiple things including gratuitous gore and Art the Clown’s use of a gun for one of his kills.

Not to be deterred, Damien Leone doubled down on everything for Terrifier 2. He let it be known within the first 15 minutes how he felt about the criticisms of Art using a gun in Terrifier, as Terrifier 2 saw Art the Clown unload a Tommy gun on a crowd in a dream sequence right at the beginning. As far as the criticisms of Terrifier being too gory went, there’s a reason why the words “bleach and salt” are well-known in the horror community now.

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If the first Terrifier caused waves, then when Terrifier 2 was released in 2022, it caused a tsunami. Reports of a moviegoer passing out while watching it in the theater are often attributed to why Terrifier 2 started receiving mainstream recognition.

To original Terrifier fans like myself though, we know that Art the Clown was born to be a horror icon. It’s no surprise that he’s gained such a following because the brutality of the character, combined with his comedic charm and edge, is unique in a way we haven’t had for a long time. We simply can’t get enough of him, so let’s get into Terrifier 3.

What We Know About Terrifier 3 So Far

The third installment of the Terrifier franchise releases to theaters on October 11th of this year, 2024.

If you follow Horror Press on Instagram or TikTok, you might have caught our Horror Trivia Tuesday about Terrifier, specifically that Damien Leone knew that Terrifier 3’s first five minutes alone will be very controversial.

The Terrifier 3 teaser trailer that was released back in May has a lot of people speculating that it’s because this time we will see Art the Clown slaughter a child.

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It drew a lot of criticism, as the line in horror is typically drawn at children. Even when we see tragic child deaths, they’re typically handled gingerly as we saw with Gage Creed in Pet Sematary. However, horror has always been known to push the boundary, with Mike Flanagan’s baseball boy scene from Doctor Sleep coming immediately to mind. Damien Leone has made it known that he, too, is one not to shy away from any boundaries.

Judging from the Terrifier 3 trailer alone, I think it’s safe to say this one will make even the most hardcore horror fans squirm. 

Watch the Terrifier 3 Trailer Now

The Terrifier 3 trailer picks up on the impending fifth anniversary of the events from Terrifier 2. Sienna, as played by Lauren LaVera, who beheaded Art the Clown at the end of the last film, is urged by her friends to speak out about surviving the harrowing events.

Meanwhile, Art the Clown is armed with the Christmas spirit and a chainsaw, advancing on a couple in the shower. He gives us an expression that tells us Terrifier 3 will give us the same goofy, brutal Art that we all know and love from the previous Terrifier films.

Remember when I said Damien Leone does not shy away from his vision, no matter the criticism? One scene, as Art the Clown sits in Santa’s chair at a mall event, tells me that people who were concerned about the potential grisly murder of a child will quickly find there’s way more than one in danger.

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The trailer also hints at Terrifier 3 giving us more Art the Clown lore as Sienna says she has to “go back to the Terrifier” hinting that Art the Clown may be buried at the abandoned carnival from Terrifier 2.

We also see a potential new villain, or perhaps an earlier version of Art the Clown, as Sienna faces a monster blacksmith.

The trailer closes with a festive Art the Clown enjoying some milk and cookies, as he must be exhausted from all that slaying.

If Terrifier 2 didn’t teach us that Damien Leone will not back down from presenting his vision of Art the Clown no matter the criticism, Terrifier 3 most certainly will. Get your Terrifier 3 tickets now.

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