The Sixth Annual Cinefessions Summer Screams Challenge is just over halfway done, but we’re already entering our second to last week of the Challenge. Last week, we all spent tons of time with alien visitors, giant bugs, and creepy haunted houses. This week, though, the focus shifts from the quieter films of the ’50s and ’60s to a type of film that really started overtaking theatres in the last decade: the superhero film.
Normally, a film has to have either the sci-fi or horror tag to count for this Challenge, but this week is a bit of a genre stretch because any film that features a superhero of some sort will count as following the Weekly Theme. Whether it’s a film that obviously uses science in a fictional way, like Avengers or Antman, or even if it’s just normal people that are sick of the bad guys winning, and decide to take matters into their own hands like Super or Kick-Ass, this week, they’ll all count!
This week’s featured film is something of a cult classic. It is one that spawned two sequels, and a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release from Scream Factory (which is on sale TODAY only – Sunday, June 18th – for $14.97 on Scream Factory’s website). Liam Neeson stars alongside Frances McDormand in this revenge thriller of sorts, directed by the one and only Sam Raimi. Darkman isn’t streaming anywhere for free, but is available on most streaming platforms for a fee. You can also find it on Amazon below.
Like the last three weeks, week four allows for some additional bonus points. This week, any non-Big Two superhero movie you watch will net you an extra bonus point! That means that any superhero film you watch that is NOT based on a superhero from the pages of Marvel Comics or DC Comics is worth an extra point all week long. Even if the movie is based on a character from a publisher whose parent company is Marvel or DC – like Vertigo or Icon Comics – it will still count for an additional bonus point this week. Also, original superhero films – meaning there was no comic book it was based on – will count for the bonus points as well, even if a comic book was released by Marvel or DC Comics after the release of the film (as is the case with Darkman). That means that Darkman will net the viewer four points this week as the Featured Film that isn’t originally from Marvel or DC! This will hopefully encourage some non-traditional superhero film viewing this week. If there are any questions about this, just reach out and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Remember that week four ends at 11:59 pm on Saturday, June 24th, 2017!
Be sure to discuss CSSC6 by using the tag #CSSC6 on Twitter! If you have any questions about any of the rules of the Challenge, please direct them to @Psymin1 or @Cinefessions. If you’re not on Twitter, you can email us at contact[at]cinefessions[dot]com for any questions that might come up.
Branden has been a film fan since he was young, roaming the halls of Blockbuster Video, trying to find the grossest, scariest looking VHS covers to rent and watch alone in the basement. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Branden started seeking out the classics of cinema, and began to develop his true passion for the art form. Branden approaches each film with the unique perspective of having studied the art from the inside, having both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in acting. He has been a film critic since 2010, and has previously written for Inside Pulse Movies, We Love Cult, and Diehard Gamefan. His biggest achievement as a film critic, to date, has been founding Cinefessions and turning it from a personal blog to a true film website, housing hundreds of film and television reviews, and dozens of podcasts.
