Horror

“La Llorona” legend featured in two spooky Halloween TV episodes

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“La Llorona” legend featured in two spooky Halloween TV episodes

I had been unfamiliar with the Latin American legend of “La Llorona” (“The Weeping Woman”) until compiling our list of this year’s Halloween programming. In doing so, I came upon two episodes of TV series that will feature this ghost story that apparently has deep roots in Latino culture. The legend of La Llorona tells of a distraught mother who drowned her children and then herself. The ghost of the mother emerges from the water and is forced to return to haunt and terrorize the living — mainly children, from the sounds of the descriptions of these two episodes featuring [...]

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“American Horror Story: Asylum” promises to bring the crazy

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“American Horror Story: Asylum” promises to bring the crazy

A quote like this could only come from talking about a show like American Horror Story. “Last year we were a sweet little family drama — albeit in which we killed off the entire family.” So says writer/producer Tim Minear of the FX series that captivated audiences with its edgy mix of scares and sex (hel-lo, Rubber Man) that got people talking about what had just happened and what could possibly come next. “This year couldn’t be more different,” Minear says. Oh, the creepiness will still be there, but instead of following the doomed Harmon family further into their afterlife [...]

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“The Walking Dead” brings new characters, struggles for Season 3

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“The Walking Dead” brings new characters, struggles for Season 3

It’s hard to believe now, but two years ago people weren’t sure if The Walking Dead belonged on a tony network like AMC. This was, after all, the home of Mad Men and Breaking Bad, not to mention its stable of classic Hollywood films. How would some zombie show based on a (gasp!) comic book fit in? Quite well, it turns out. The Walking Dead immediately set rating records for AMC, and fan fervor has only grown, with the Season 2 finale in March pulling in a jaw-dropping 9 million viewers. The show was also one of the biggest attractions [...]

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Robert Englund dives into “Lake Placid The Final Chapter”

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Robert Englund dives into “Lake Placid The Final Chapter”

When I was a kid, my grandpa used to tease me by talking about “crocogators,” some sort of fictional creatures he made up, an obvious amalgam of a crocodile and an alligator. Seeing how lucrative the crocodilian species has become for Syfy and its Saturday night original movie franchise, maybe I shouldn’t have forgotten those stories so easily. Perhaps I should yet whip out a screenplay and turn Crocogator into the next hit Syfy movie franchise (by the way, Syfy, don’t get any ideas). As it is, the network is continuing its most successful crocodile horror franchise tonight, with Lake Placid The Final [...]

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Halloween programming 2012

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Halloween programming 2012

  Updated Oct. 24, 2012 at 1:42pm CT The month of October (and even the last few days of September) have plenty to offer the fan of all things creepy, as we gear up for Halloween season. Whether you like your horror hardcore, or more family-friendly, you should be able to find some movie or show to your liking. Here’s some of the notable Halloween Programming 2012. (All times Eastern; check back regularly for updates and additions.) And for more scares, download our October Horror Movie Guide! Paranormal Paparazzi – Fridays at 7pm starting Sept. 28 on Travel Channel. In [...]

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Syfy’s “Paranormal Witness” scares up Season 2 tonight

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Syfy’s “Paranormal Witness” scares up Season 2 tonight

Fans of paranormal reality shows may have gotten a little bummed in the last week, with the season ends of Syfy’s School Spirits on Aug. 1, and Haunted Highway last night. But don’t give up the ghost! Syfy has all your creepy needs ready to be fulfilled some more starting tonight with the return of its hit series Paranormal Witness, which airs its second season Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT starting tonight. Season 2 of Paranormal Witness will feature 12 episodes — twice as many as in its inaugural season, when it ranked as one of the Top 10 new original [...]

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FEARnet to add two-hour “Funhouse” weekend programming block

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FEARnet to add two-hour “Funhouse” weekend programming block

    FEARnet — a multiplatform service dedicated to horror, suspense and thriller content currently available in more than 7 million American homes via its linear cable channel — is adding a new two-hour weekend programming block to that linear channel starting Saturday, Aug. 18, in which it will bring back a couple of animated favorites from the past, as well as air two live-action series — including one never seen before on U.S. airwaves. Dubbed “Funhouse,” the programming block is aimed at the Adult 18-34 demo, a group that other networks, notably Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, have found success [...]

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Barry Williams and Danny Bonaduce battle “Bigfoot” — and each other — in a Syfy original

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Barry Williams and Danny Bonaduce battle “Bigfoot” — and each other — in a Syfy original

It’s been kind of a ’70s flashback week here at Channel Guide. One of my compatriots, Lori, got to finally interview her teenage crush Leif Garrett, while I got to screen Syfy’s latest original movie, Bigfoot, which casts Barry Williams of The Brady Bunch and Danny Bonaduce of The Partridge Family. And in a way, the film somewhat resembles, in plot, anyway, one of those ’70s “nature strikes back” movies that had an environmental message. Of course, it’s filled with the usual Syfy cheese, too. Bigfoot takes place in Deadwood, South Dakota, where Bonaduce plays an obnoxious radio host (not [...]

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Episode lineup for Syfy’s 2012 “Twilight Zone” Fourth of July Marathon

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Episode lineup for Syfy’s 2012 “Twilight Zone” Fourth of July Marathon

The Twilight Zone may remain famous for its often-surprise endings, but at this point there is nothing surprising about the fact that Syfy’s annual 4th of July marathon airing of the classic series’ episodes has done well for the network. The popular programming event will return this Fourth of July, with 21 hours of Zone airing from 8am July 4 through 5am July 5 (times Eastern). Here is a rundown of the episodes airing during Syfy’s marathon: July 4 8am: “Probe 7 Over and Out” 8:30am: “Caesar and Me” 9am: “The Old Man in the Cave” 9:30am: “Mr. Dingle, the [...]

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Fracking spiders! Syfy unleashes “Arachnoquake”

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Fracking spiders! Syfy unleashes “Arachnoquake”

If you remember the 1990 movie Arachnophobia, you might recall that it was (somewhat awkwardly) marketed as a “thrill-omedy,” trying to play up its effective combination of scares and laughs as it told the tale of a spider invasion of a small town. Syfy’s original movie Arachnoquake could be similarly billed as such, as it features thrills but less outright horror than most Saturday night movie titles the network has aired, and a lot more fun and humor, even down to the peppy, bouncy, and almost comic musical score that propels the action. The plot, of course, is ridiculous. A [...]

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