Well, if you ever wanted to head down eeriness lane dressed in nostalgia, then we have news for you that's more delectable than a cup of hot cocoa on a cold, wintry eve. GamesRadar+ recently had a tête-à-tête with good ol' Scott Derrickson, and he unveiled juicy titbits about the inspiration behind his VHS segment, Dreamkill. Take a guess, would ya. That's right, it's his past movies "Sinister" and "The Black Phone". It's like saying 'Hello, again!' to an old friend, just this one involves a ton of blood and screams.
When pitched the VHS85 gig, Derrickson started as a bashful bride, curious, but hesitant. That was, until he realized he could whip out an old, petrifying recipe from the back of his grizzled director’s cookbook. Starring Gunther, a teenager with the amazing (or do we mean horrifying?) ability to dream up VHS-recorded, premonition-laden murders, Dreamkill takes a few pages out of The Black Phone. Oh, and the teenager happens to be played by Starlet Derrickson, so it's got the family touch too. Talk about garden-variety nightmares coming to life. You remember, the one where Ethan Hawke is a serial kiddie-snatcher? Good times.
In "The Black Phone", we met Finney, a teenager unlucky enough to catch the attention of a psychotic lunatic, who adorns a fabulous mask, and soon finds himself in a soundproof cellar. Oh, and they had a magical phone that would ring with voices of previous victims. Now, add Gwen to the mix, Finney's sister with supernatural dreams that predicted abductions. Keeping up?
Because buckle up, it's about to get wilder. Derrickson, the directorial mad-hatter, decided to mix up this pot of spookiness and weave Gwen’s psychic dreams into Dreamkill, thereby managing to drop a nostalgic wink to Black Phone fans. Derrickson's created a cinematic universe where bunnies bleed, and it’s an Easter egg hunt you can't forget.
Adding more fuel to his fire of nostalgia is the Super 8 effect Derrickson used to impart a retrograde eeriness to the VHS dream tapes, a page borrowed from the 'haunted tapes' effect in "Sinister". This creepy detail also aligns with VHS85’s overall 1980's theme. The other filmmakers of the franchise continued this trend, all being from the glossy, disco-filled mid-'80s.
So, if you prefer watching your horror flicks with a side of fun nostalgia, head out to the streaming world and find this Scott Derrickson short on Shudder from October 6. And if you're wondering what's next on our spectral agenda, check out our list of major theatrical announcements set for 2023 and beyond. Just ensure your popcorn's buttered, and the lights are off! Happy haunting!
You must be logged in to post a comment!
