Chris Hardwick's Blog, page 2273

CHANNEL ZERO: CANDLE COVE Recap: “A Strange Vessel”

This was the episode we’ve been waiting for from Channel Zero: Candle Cove, where they put aside both the clunky dialogue and any attention on the realistic human elements, and they let the totally nutso mystery encompass anything and everything. This was bizarre, creepy, unsettling, and flat out crazy from beginning to end, and as a result it was the clear standout from the first four episodes.

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT!

If we thought Eddie was a terror in 1988, the four young knife-wielding Candle Cove cosplayers under the control of their murderous teacher have certainly managed to up the stakes, culminating in the single scariest scene of the show at the end. This episode used footage from the actual puppet show better than any other (it wasn’t just weird, it was really unnerving), but the kids’ papier mache masks were the most chilling iteration of those characters yet. And even with all of the foreshadowing about their stabbing tendencies, the show’s misdirection that the female police chief was the target, and not Jessica, made that scene extra shocking. Every moment with those dead-eyed killer children and their masks was terrible in the best way.

Mrs. Booth also appears to be the big bad at this point. For one, the puppets in her basement seem to be the ones used on the show. Also, her son was a victim in 1988, but she was the one who was sending him off to play with Eddie (that felt like a goodbye hug, not a see-you-later hug in the flashback). If she was the person airing the show she certainly knew what Eddie was doing so did she sacrifice her son to Candle Cove? Is her son the Tooth Child now? With only two episodes left there are so many more questions about what happened in 1988, a mystery I thought had mostly been addressed, that I can’t wait to go back there more in the last two episodes to see how everything is connected.

A band of possessed kids roaming around their small town killing people under the direction of their evil teacher–who also cares for a Tooth Child–who may or may not be her own son–is a pretty good summation of what made this episode so great, and that’s before we even get to the stuff with Mike, his “daughter,” and his dead brother’s body.

Mike’s “daughter” Lily being possessed (presumably) by Eddie was one of the best developments on the show yet (“It’s hard to be in this body”), and Eddie instructing Mike to burn his body so he could rest was another really freaky aspect of this episode that just worked so well. (Poor) Jessica and Mike standing over his remarkably well preserved corpse while it burned was troublesome, not just in the visuals, but in how it might prove to be a mistake, considering evil forces are in play here and they might have been manipulated. Also, did Lily wake up at the end because Eddie’s body had been burned, or because Jessica had been killed?

Oh, and just slightly more important, is Mike really Mike or is he Eddie? Because that flashback to 1988, where young Mike told young Jessica the way to tell him and his brother apart is by the extra tooth he has, and her responding by saying she’d know if he tried to kiss her, certainly felt important, especially when he then didn’t kiss her in front of the house in the present. Clearly Mrs. Booth had a problem (understatement) with Jessica, and so did young Eddie.

Is this whole thing about how Eddie killed Mike and stole his identity to escape the clutches of Candle Cove? Does that make any sense? I don’t know and it doesn’t really matter, that’s how much fun this whole mystery has become. That note about the extra tooth will become relevant (uh, there’s a literal Tooth Child wandering around feeding on kid’s teeth), but with anything clearly being possible now who knows where it might lead.

(Side note: there were so many great, creepy moments it’s almost impossible to include them all, but some additional highlights were the kids wall of drawings at the hospital; the monitors in the school all having the skeleton puppet appear in them; the kids “rehearsing” on the stage and their silent stalking through the streets at night; the whole sequence of the female police chief entering the basement, followed by the cat licking the blood from the neck of the woman Mrs. Booth killed.)

The first three episodes of Channel Zero: Candle Cove were a mixed bag at times, with the best parts being the weirdest parts. Well this episode not only put all its attention on the craziness, it turned the insanity way up, and it resulted in a stellar hour of television.

What did you think of this week’s bonkers episode? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: Syfy

WESTWORLD Timelines, THE DEFENDERS Additions, and More TV News

We’re over halfway through the first season of HBO’s Westworld, and oh boy, is it a series that produces theories and causes serious amounts of thinking. We have some thoughts about the timelines in the show in today’s TV-Cap, along with an update on some confirmed casting for The Defenders, some news about season two of Lucifer, and more.

More Complicated. Every new episode of Westworld means fresh information to analyze–maybe it confirms a theory, maybe it dispels several possibilities. The number of timelines the show navigates is one aspect adding to the confusion/theorizing, and Jessica Chobot discusses them in the latest Nerdist News. [Nerdist]

The Coming Weeks. Since we’re over the tipping point in Westworld, the rest is going to be a downhill slide into all the answers, right? We’ll see. A new trailer teases the weeks ahead, and it’s packed with information. Head to the comments and tell me what you’re most excited about seeing before season one of Westworld wraps. [Slashfilm]

Where Is Barb? Netflix’s Stranger Things has finally addressed the whole missing Barb situation. A special news report released by Netflix on Halloween has Hawkins’ local news anchor discussing the whereabouts of the unfortunate teen… and that’s not the only important news the segment covers. Watch it above. [Nerdist]

Toy Barb Found. While we’re on the subject of Barb, she’s been found in a new Funko POP! collection. The Stranger Things line will debut in 2017, and it has a million versions of Eleven, and yes, even Barb. See the collection here at Nerdist.

Get ready. @deborahannwoll & @SimoneMissick return for The #Defenders. pic.twitter.com/Yjz6m6xuQ0

— The Defenders (@TheDefenders) October 31, 2016

But Of Course. In news that won’t surprise most of you, Marvel has confirmed Deborah Ann Woll will appear as Karen Page and Simone Missick will reprise her role as Misty Knight in The Defenders. [IGN]

One More from the Past. American Horror Story (AHS) executive producer Ryan Murphy has revealed another familiar face will be dropping into Roanoke. Sarah Paulson’s Lana Winters will make the leap from Asylum to the current season of AHS. [Variety]

CW Stars + Superhero. Okay. This tidbit is technically about a short film, but I hope you’ll forgive me for blurring the lines because Sidekick stars some of your favorite faces from Arrow, The Flash, and Once Upon a Time. The short about a dad using a superhero adventure to deliver some tough news features Josh Dallas, Emily Bett Rickards, and Tom Cavanagh. [A.V. Club]

Stop and Go. I have updates on two very different series for you. First of all, NBC has finally made a decision about the Cruel Intentions sequel series. They’re not moving forward with it at this time. Lucifer, however, has landed a full season two order at Fox; the move granted them nine more episodes for a complete 22 episode season. [TVLine and CBR]

Shooting, Time Travel, Martians. Monday night TV was extra exciting this week. Make sure you’re in the know with our recaps of Gotham (love!), Supergirl (alien fight club!), and Timeless (the Alamo!).

Which Stranger Things Funko POP will you be purchasing?

Featured Image: HBO

Our Favorite Fan-Submitted Halloween Costumes

Halloween. It happened. Building a costume, attending parties, shopping for the perfect candy for trick or treaters–Nerdoween is just as much work as Christmas. I hope you’re all relaxing from your Halloween preparations and enjoying a hazy, candy corn induced sugar coma. Based on the photos of your costumes you wonderful and creative people submitted, you deserve a break. Enjoy the fruits of your labor and that of other Halloween enthusiasts by checking out some impressive costumes.

Just like last year, Nerdist readers brought mad skills to the costume crafting arena. We’re dazzled. I selected some images at random to show off your talents. Let’s start with this Hawkgirl by Kayla Thibodeau:

Into Hamilton? I am and so is this entire family:

Photo courtesy of Lloyd Landicho

And in the mash-up category, please admire this Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Rey from The Force Awakens combination (she has a Flounder BB-8!):

Photo courtesy of Jacob and Christina Niedzwiecki

That’s not even all of them. Keep the party going by visiting the gallery below. You’ll find a few Stranger Things costumes (that seemed to be a popular choice this year), Appa and Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and so much more. Thank you all for sharing your pictures with us!

Want to show off your Halloween costume? It’s not too late. Head to Twitter and use the #Nerdoween hashtag to get our attention. And hey, if you like seeing costumes, come back here every Friday to enjoy a weekly round-up with Cosplay Friday.

Featured Image: Kayla Thibodeau

Brain-Bending Sculpture Explains How Particle Accelerators Work

Particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider are arguably the most complicated machines ever conceived by humankind, but just how they smash atoms can be explained rather simply. Well, by “simply” we mean “with a mesmerizing weird moving sculpture.”

In the video above, accelerator physicist (awesome title) Suzie Sheehy explains how beams of particles smashed together at close to the speed of light are held in place, floating in a particle accelerator. Preventing these particles from colliding into the walls is extremely complicated, but the fundamental physics can be summarized by a this perfectly looped GIF:

As Sheehy explains, the ball on the saddle above would fall right off if the saddle were stationary. To keep it in place, the saddle has to rotate as the correct speed. Particle accelerators use magnetic fields instead of psychical saddles. In this case, magnetic fields changing at the right speed force the ions into one area. Go too far up, down, to the left or right and the magnetic fields push the particles back towards the center. When the fields are balanced in the correct orientation, as the force arrows in the graphic below show, there is nowhere for the particles to go except the path of most smashing.

The idealized forces in what’s called a quadropole magnet. As the blue force arrows show, when particles are pulled and pushed in opposite directions simultaneously, the result is staying in one place.

Sheehy also shows off a slightly more complicated example of what particle accelerators do: pollen trapped in a beam by an electric field. Because the tiny allergy aggravators respond to positive and negative charges, they can be forced into one location by rapidly changing the direction of the fields. It’s like being pulled and pushed in all directions directions at once — you end up going nowhere.

As entranced by the above physics demonstration as we were? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: The Royal Institution; Andre.holzner

Chris Hardwick and THE WALKING DEAD Cast Got Carved Into Pumpkins

You probably know that Chris Hardwick has had a musical career, both as half of Hard ‘n’ Phirm and the original star of Rock of Ages. But did you ever imagine he’d make a smashing pumpkin?

Not, alas, the Billy Corgan variety. An actual pumpkin. If you looked closely on last night’s Talking Dead, you might have seen a few of the roundish orange veggies given a whole different kind of spice, with some familiar faces making (lantern) light of the situation:

With stage lights on, of course, it’s hard to get the full effect. Obviously one is King Ezekiel because of the dreadlocks, but blink and you might miss your guess on the others…until you see them fully darkened and lit from within, as the gods–and the expert carvers of Pumpkin Masters (maker of America’s #1 pumpkin carving kit)–intended. To remedy that, those Basquiats of the blade have sent us over some images of the Walking Dead pumpkins as they were truly meant to be seen.

What with Carol giving her best “death or cookies” fright face, Ezekiel roaring like his pet Shiva, and Morgan wielding his stick, Chris looks like he’s about ready to rely on the power of his mind to hold them at bay. Or, y’know, unleash them on the Saviors, as we all would if we could. Check out the close-ups of each pumpkin in the gallery below and see what you make of them all up close and personal-like.

Did you do any Walking Dead-themed pumpkins this year for Halloween? Let us know in comments so we can check them out!

Images: Pumpkin Masters, AMC

Listen to WESTWORLD’s Player Piano Covers of The Cure, Radiohead, Soundgarden

No doubt you can hum Ramin Djawadi’s iconic Game Of Thrones theme song in your sleep, but did you know that he is also the ghost in the machine for the music of Westworld? In addition to writing the sci-fi thriller’s harrowing opening score, setting the stage for the asymptotic nearing of AI singularity, Djawadi also covered all of the songs you hear interpreted into the old-timey clang of the player piano.

So far the songs that Djawadi has reconfigured for the Western aesthetic of Westworld include Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” Radiohead’s “No Surprises,” The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” and The Cure’s “A Forest.” Hearing these compositions without their signature vocalists is really jarring and it always takes a moment while watching the show to place exactly what it is you are hearing. But I guess that is perfect for a show that is all about probing uncanniness and the authenticity of what appears to be laid out before you.

You can check out a playlist of all Ramin Djawadi’s covers as well as the title theme below, but if you are looking to order yourself this collection of songs as an EP, you can head to WaterTower Music‘s official website.

Do you guys have any guesses as to what else we will hear Ramin Djawadi cover this season? I would love to hear him cover “Mr. Roboto” on piano, although that might be a little too on the nose.

Image: HBO

Matt Grosinger is the music editor of Nerdist and is beginning to have trouble telling if his friends are robots or not. Follow him on Twitter.

SUPERGIRL Recap: Survivors

Editor’s Note: This post contains spoilers for Supergirl . Proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet.

The first rule of alien fight club: Don’t talk about alien fight club… unless it’s the subject of the latest episode of Supergirl. During “Survivors,” we saw both Kara and J’onn connect with other aliens, witness an underground fight club, and endure even more romantic tension between Maggie and Alex. There’s a lot to get through so let’s dive right in.

At the beginning of the episode, Maggie called Alex out to a crime scene to investigate an alien body, and Kara tagged along. After looking at the creature, Kara discovered strange bruises on the knuckles—an odd sight on a peaceful race of alien. After also noticing a sharp piece of bone, the girls were led to another alien, where they were subdued while a batch of masked aliens abducted the creature.

Meanwhile, J’onn was busy investigating M’Gann (a.k.a. Miss Martian), whom he encountered in the previous episode. After taking another trip to the secret alien cantina from last week, J’onn struck up a conversation with Miss Martian to gather more information about how she was able to escape Mars. Apprently, someone helped her escape. To celebrate their budding friendship, J’onn asked if M’Gann wanted to link consciousness. She rebuffed, much to his dismay.

When J’onn caught up with Alex and Kara, the girls explained what had happened with the abduction. After getting rejected, however, J’onn was in no mood to deal with their issue. This led Kara to reach out to her mother (via hologram) about her current situation at work and in life. Towards the end of the conversation, Mon-El (the Draxom alien that crash landed at the beginning of the episode) walked in looking for help with integrating into the human world. But just as Miss Martian did with J’onn, Kara turned Mon-El down… for now.

Later, Maggie called Alex again with another tip, and to invite Alex to go out with her. She told her to wear something nice, and brought her to the underground alien fight club. club is run by a mysterious woman named Roulette who operates under the impression that aliens should be a form of entertainment. First up in the extraterrestrial funderdome was the recently introduced Miss Martian. When Kara tried to stop them, Roulette let fellow villain Draga into the ring to put up a fight before he escaped.

While Kara was neglecting him, Mon-El turned to Winn, and promised to let him come up with his superhero name and costume if Winn let Mon-El out of his cage and took him out that night. One thing led to another and son Mon-El was inebriated and trying to arm wrestle some humans… who weren’t expecting Mon-El to accidentally break their arms (oops!). This obviously didn’t go over well with J’onn, who was rightfully angry about the whole situation.

Already in a bad mood, J’onn told Kara to speak with Mon-El about what happened. Kara explained that she struggled with controlling her powers when she first got them. Mon-El understood what happened, and then agreed to follow the rules from now on. In exchange, Mon-El told Kara how to defeat Draga, which is good because M’Gann was busy helping Roulette capture J’onn.

But when Kara went to find the secret fight club again, she realized it had moved. To help find it, Kara reached out to Lena Luthor, and explained that she had to help out a friend who was in trouble. Already in the midst of forming a bond with Kara, Lena didn’t hesitate to help. So expect Lena to call in a favor later on. Whatever it is will probably be bad news for Kara.

Roulette then forced M’Gann to duke it out with J’onn, martian vs. martian. But during the fight, J’onn broke through and was able to get through to Miss Martian. He told her that she didn’t have to keep punishing herself for surviving. Just as things were about to run smoothly, Roulette let Draga out of his cage before he was finally stopped by Kara. In a matter of moments, Alex, Maggie, and the rest of the D.E.O. swat team burst in to apprehend Roulette. Before it turned into an all out war, Kara convinced the group to stand down and focus on getting the government to like them.

All of this wound up being great article fodder for Kara. Despite having her work returned to her with some edits, it was good to see her finally getting her due. Snapper added a “1” to her name. After leaving the office, Kara went to speak with Mon-El at the D.E.O. She offered him a place to live, and her assistance with training.

All in all, it’s great to see relationships budding between Kara and Mon-El, and J’onn and  M’Gann, who revealed her white martian form at the end of the episode. It will be fun to see them fleshed out.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let us know in the comments!

John Barrowman sings about the upcoming Supergirl/The Flash musical

Images: CW

6 Things We Want To See in Titan’s New PENNY DREADFUL Sequel Comic

Earlier this year, Penny Dreadful came to a surprisingly sudden end on Showtime after only three seasons. But this week, Titan Comics revealed plans for a new Penny Dreadful comic book series that will take place six months after the show’s conclusion. For fans of the series, that’s the best news we’ve heard in a while!

The creative team for the new Penny Dreadful comic has not yet been revealed, and all we know is that Ethan Chandler has been unable to get past the harrowing events of the series finale. But Ethan won’t be out of action for long, as he’ll be forced to “take up arms against the creatures crawling out of the night.”

Because of the way that Penny Dreadful wrapped up its third season, there were a lot of dangling threads left by the series. In fact, there are six things in particular that we want to see addressed in the new comic. There are spoilers ahead for anyone who didn’t make it all the way through the show. You’ve been warned!

The Wolf of God

For three seasons, the series put Ethan on the path to embrace his destiny as the Wolf of God. Now we need to understand what that means. According to the late Hecate, Ethan’s wolf man incarnation was meant to be a creature of darkness and she wanted to create a little hell on Earth alongside him. And it’s not like Ethan didn’t leave a long trail of bodies in his wake.

Kaetenay had a more hopeful vision for Ethan, and that’s why he made him into a werewolf. Kaetenay said that there was a prophesy in which an Apache would stand against the darkness coming for the Earth. He claimed Ethan as his son (which made him an Apache in spirit) and he empowered Ethan to face that destiny as humanity’s champion. Ethan can’t be both a savior and a destroyer, so we’re eager to see which path he ultimately takes. And if you think a happy ending is preordained, do you remember how well things worked out for Vanessa?

Dorian Gray’s Favor

No one should ever cross an immortal who has no problem killing almost anyone in his way. Dorian Gray warned Victor Frankenstein that he would claim a favor in return for saving his life. But Victor didn’t fulfill his end of the bargain when he released Lily without giving her Hyde’s serum to cure her dark urges. Does anyone think that Gray wouldn’t follow up on that favor from the good doctor? And what will he ask for this time?

Catriona Hartdegen

With Vanessa Ives lost to this world, Penny Dreadful already has an intriguing heroine who may be ready to step up as a major player. Catriona Hartdegen made quite an impression in the third season, with her skillful swordplay and her knowledge of Thanatology (the study of death). It’s almost as if she would have been one of the lead characters if the show had continued. Now that Penny Dreadful is going forward as a comic, Catriona should be at the forefront of what comes next.

The Rise of Mr. Hyde

The third season introduced us to Dr. Henry Jekyll, and established his brilliance with chemicals that could reshape the minds and personalities of others. And yet we haven’t seen Jekyll go full Mr. Hyde. That seems like a must for any continuation of this series, as it’s Jekyll’s destiny to be overtaken by the monster hiding beneath his skin and in his thoughts. We’re also very eager to see what Mr. Hyde would look like through the lens of this franchise.

Caliban

Frankenstein’s Monster (or Caliban, as we’ve come to call him) decided against resurrecting the son of the man he once was, before paying his respects to Vanessa. That means that Caliban can’t return to the wife he once had, and he’s once again alone in this world. It wouldn’t be quite right for Caliban to simply align himself with Ethan, and Sir Malcolm Murray, given their friendship with Frankenstein. But Caliban has been a part of this tale since the beginning, and that should continue in the comics.

Vanessa Ives

Vanessa Ives is dead…but when has that ever stopped anyone in fiction? Even in death, Vanessa’s story may not entirely be over. Penny Dreadful dealt with many supernatural aspects, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Vanessa’s spirit to linger. We certainly thought that there was more to her story than the show had time to tell. Now, Vanessa’s tale can go forward even if that only means a further examination of her past.

What do you want to see in the Penny Dreadful comic when it debuts early next year? Let us know in the comment section below!

Images: Showtime

‘Tales from the LEGO Crypt’ Build Brings Brick Graveyard (Back) to Life

What’s harder than raising long-dead people buried deep in their graves back to life? Building a super sweet, super spooky LEGO pop-up book that’s multi-functional and nearly studless, of course. But for one master crypt—nay, brick—keeper, both tricks are possible simultaneously! (Except the “people” being brought back to “life” are LEGO minifigures.)

First of all, if you haven’t heard of JK Brickworks—the mind behind the creation in the above video—please check out the man’s YouTube channel. Numerous brilliant and fully functional builds have sprung forth from his presumably brick-filled brains, including the Sisyphus LEGO kinetic sculpture that Adam Savage de- and re-constructed on Tested, as well as this egg decorator that will make next Easter a snap. (Get it? ‘Cause LEGOs snap? You get it.)

The MOC (or “my own creation”) build, which we first spotted on Reddit, is actually a one-off of one of JK’s previous builds: this LEGO pop-up book. To celebrate that build garnering over 5,000 supporters on LEGO Ideas, and Halloween of course, JK built this spooktacular version.

Among the highlights of this literal graveyard book (shout out to Neil Gaiman), are working gates, creepy vines, skeletons that rise from the ground, and a minifig ghost that, thanks to a movable piston, rises and falls in a very haunting fashion. On top of all that, the entire book can literally be opened and closed, with all of those functional pieces moving to accommodate the internal change in space, and it hurts to think about the problem solving that required.

If you want to support the original LEGO Pop-Up Book or Tales from the LEGO Crypt, you can do so by going to their respective support pages linked here and here. (Side note: builds need to reach 10,000 supporters to be reviewed by LEGO for potential retail sale, but it most certainly does happen: e.g. that recently announced, highly groovy Beatles Yellow Submarine.)

What do you think about this LEGO graveyard book? Are you wondering if that little ghost piece glows in the dark ’cause you remember it glowing in the dark back when you were a kid too?! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Images: JK Brickworks

These Classic Horror Movie Posters Have Been Given the 8-bit Treatment

Horror movies and video games are both quintessentially 80s, yet it seems like there was little crossover between the two in their day, or at least not as much visually as we’d like. Artist Jesus Rivera is bridging that gap, however, with his series of 8-bit-style movie posters of classic horror movies, and it’s beautiful.

He’s been sharing works from the ongoing series on Instagram over the past few weeks, and just in time for Halloween, he’s built up quite the artistic collection. So far, he’s tackled classics like The Evil Dead and Dawn of the Dead, as well as more obscure offerings like House, Cannibal Holocaust, and others.

A photo posted by Demonbabies (@demonbabies) on Oct 31, 2016 at 1:03pm PDT

A photo posted by Demonbabies (@demonbabies) on Oct 5, 2016 at 1:00pm PDT

A photo posted by Demonbabies (@demonbabies) on Oct 11, 2016 at 10:56am PDT

He’s even given a couple the full video treatment, which makes us really want to play these games that sadly don’t exist.

A video posted by Demonbabies (@demonbabies) on Oct 19, 2016 at 7:59pm PDT

A video posted by Demonbabies (@demonbabies) on Oct 13, 2016 at 11:45am PDT

The 8-bit style seems such an appropriate match for the horror genre: It’s capable of dark and dramatic colors, the relative lack of detail can add a really creepy aura, and the minimalist 8-bit music can be creepy even when it isn’t trying to be. It’s a perfect match, really, and that’s why Rivera’s depictions of these (sometimes cult) classic movies strike such a spooky nerve.

Speaking of 8-bit adaptations, today feels appropriate to remember the excellent recreation of the first season of Stranger Things that was created a couple months ago. If you missed it the first time, it basically turned the Netflix instant classic into a fun-looking RPG, so check that out here, and find more of Rivera’s film posters on his Instagram.

Keep the scares a-rollin’!

Featured image: demonbabies