By Array on Sep 09, 2018 11:06 pm
This week saw the release of the third new DLC expansion for Destiny 2, Forsaken. It's much larger than the last two, being positioned as the equivalent of the previous entry's game-changing Taken King expansion. Whether it'll add the long-term legs players crave remains to be see, but in the meantime, there is a lot of new stuff to take in--including Exotics (both weapons and armor) for Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans to get their hands on. Be sure to check out our Forsaken review-in-progress for thoughts on what we've played so far. Following the recent changes made as part of the 2.0 update, among the many additions and changes in Forsaken and the 2.0.0.1 update are a new Power level cap, Strikes, story missions, areas to explore, a Raid (launching September 14), Gambit mode, Crucible maps, and much more. But players take part in many of these activities with one goal: to secure new gear, and specifically Exotic weapons and armor. You can always buy some old ones from Xur, but it's the new stuff that's most exciting. No doubt there are many hidden Exotics to uncover, some of which may not be available right away. But already we've either gotten our hands on or been able to preview a ton of the Exotic weapons and armor included, and you can see them above, including one of the new weapon type, bows. We'll continue to expand this as we come across more. One thing to bear in mind is that there are a select number of items that you'll only find on PS4. As with previous Destiny content releases, Sony has a timed exclusivity arrangement that sees certain things released first on PS4. With Forsaken, that includes a Strike called Broodhold, an Exotic weapon called Wavesplitter (pictured above), an Exotic ship (Great Beyond), and an armor set for each class: Thorium Holt (Warlock), Red Moon Phantom (Hunter), and Mimetic Savior (Titan). All of this will eventually release on Xbox One and PC, but not until at least Fall 2019. Forsaken is now live on all platforms. We've got some early impressions, a guide to activating a new Heroic Public Event, and we'll have a Gambit guide soon on how to compete effectively in the new PvE/PvP hybrid mode. Look for much more in the coming days.
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By Dan Auty on Sep 09, 2018 08:58 pm
Religion has played a major part in horror as long as the genre has existed. Many ancient religious concepts play directly into what makes horror movies effective, and it's not surprising that filmmakers tap into these primal scares. From demonic possession and the afterlife to angry gods and vengeful devils, much of what horror fans enjoy is rooted in the world's oldest religions. This week sees the release of The Nun, the latest movie in the Conjuring universe. The movie's demonic Valak first appeared in The Conjuring 2, and she now has her own terrifying spin-off. But she is hardly the first scary nun to be featured in a horror film. Directors have often used these holy and obedient women, who have dedicated their lives to Catholicism, to explore some scary concepts. From the oppression of the church and religious hysteria to encounters with demonic spirits, there are plenty of opportunities for some scary storytelling, as well as the controversy that helps sell horror. There was even a briefly-lived sub-genre known as Nunsploitation in the 1970s, that originated (as these things tend do) in Italy but also saw films made in Mexico, France, and Japan. Those movies usually played up the sexual angle, with repressed young women freed from the boundaries of their religion to commit deviant acts with each other. The cycle didn't last long but did produce some memorably sleazy cult favorites, and over the years, we've also enjoyed drug-addicted nuns, gun-toting nuns, and nuns with giant scissors. So with The Nun now in theaters, here's a look at some of the scariest sisters in cinema.
10. Sister Ursula (The Nun, 2005)
This year's The Nun isn't the first movie to carry that title. In 2005, this Spanish shocker featured a evil, twisted nun called Sister Ursula who tormented the poor girls in her care. They end up killing her and body her body in a lake, but inevitably, she returns many years later as a vengeful demon. The movie was produced by Re-Animator producer Brian Yuzna, and while it's not particularly good, it does have its creepy moments, as Sister Ursula uses the power of water to move between walls and kill her victims.
9. Sister Death (Verónica, 2016)
This Spanish chiller is one of the spookiest horror movies of recent years, and while the scares comes mostly from an unknown entity haunting teenager Verónica and young siblings, it does feature a memorably scary nun. Sister Death is the nickname given to one of the sister at Verónica's school--old, strict, and blind, it seems that every kid in the school is afraid of her. Ultimately, Sister Death proves to be a vital ally in Verónica's fight against evil, but she remains of one of the movie's creepiest characters.
8. Possessed Nun (Häxan, 1922)
Häxan was a groundbreaking horror mock-documentary, made back in 1922, that explored the phenomenon of witchcraft across the the centuries. It features what must be the earliest example of a scary nun--a frenzied, possessed woman who ends up being bashed on the head by Satan himself.
7. Sister Flavia (Flavia the Heretic, 1974)
While many of the crazed nuns on this list have been driven insane by religious oppression, in the case of Flavia, she's motivated by good old fashioned revenge. After years or torture and abuse, Flavia returns to the convent to get her bloody vengeance on the men who subjugated --cue plenty of decapitation, mutilation. castration, and impaling. Flavia the Heretic is actually more of a serious-minded historical drama than many of the other movies in the Nunsploitation genre, but this still delivers the unholy goods.
6. Thana (Ms.45, 1981)
Technically, Thana isn't a nun. She's just dressed like one at a Halloween party. But the image of Zoë Tamerlis Lund as the mute, vengeful, gun-carrying sister is one of the defining moments of '80s exploitation cinema. In Abel Ferrara's notorious rape-revenge movie Ms.45, Thana takes her vengeance out onto the streets of New York after suffering a series of assaults and wears a nun's habit for the final scenes. After gunning down a room full of men at the party, she is stabbed by her friend Laurie. Turning to her, she utters her only line in the movie: "Sister."
5. Sister Maria (Satánico Pandemonium, 1975)
Also known by the equally fantastic title of La Sexorcista, this was Mexico's outrageous entry into the Nunsploitation genre. Sister Maria starts the movie as a pure, dedicated follower of Christ but is tempted by Satan (represented here by a naked dude with an apple) and quickly embarks on a mission of evil. Maria is driven by uncontrollable sexual desires but also an urge to murder--frequently in the same scene. Nuns are strangled and farm-boys are stabbed, and in-between acts of sin, Maria wraps herself in barbed wire and orgasmically whips herself. Naughty Maria.
4. Nun With Shears (The Exorcist III, 1990)
This nun only appears on-screen in the third Exorcist movie for a matter of seconds but provides one of the biggest jump scares in horror. A quiet, drawn-out long shot of a nurse doing her rounds on a convent hospital corridor is suddenly punctured by the crash zoom into a hooded nun striding towards her with a giant pair of shears, as the soundtrack shrieks to life. Nightmarish and unforgettable.
3. Sister Gertrude (Killer Nun, 1979)
Perhaps the best known movie in the Nunsploitation cycle, Killer Nun starred '60s icon Anita Ekberg as the depraved Sister Gertrude. Gertrude has returned to the convent after a rushed brain operation, which has left her in a damaged, psychotic state. She takes heroin, torments old people, reads her innocent pupils tales of torture, picks up men at bars, and ultimately turns her hand to murder (or so we think, there is a predictable whodunnit element to the story). Good work Gertrude!
2. Valak (The Nun, 2018)
Valak the latest scary nun to hit screens. Originally introduced as a one of the guises of the demon in The Conjuring 2, Valak also cameoed in last year's Annabelle: Creation before getting her own spin-off movie this year. The Nun explores Valak's origins and director Corin Hardy gets every possible scare that he can out of the ancient, toothy demon as she creeps down dark corridors and terrifies both the characters and the audience.
1. Sister Jeanne (The Devils, 1971)
Ken Russell's classic adaptation of Aldous Huxley's novel remains one of most controversial movies of all time. It's an unforgettable examination of religious hysteria which features an incredible performance from Vanessa Redgrave as Sister Jeanne, a hunchbacked, sexually-repressed nun who is secretly in love with Oliver Reed's priest Grandier in 18th century France. The vengeance-crazed Jeanne accuses Grandier of witchcraft, claiming that he has bewitched the entire convent. As hysteria runs rampant through the nuns, Grandier is tortured and burnt alive for these imagined crimes.
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