Fear of missing out, or “FOMO”, has probably never been more appropriate than in the month of Halloween in a year that’s played out like a horror movie!

While social distancing has prevented many regular events from happening, it’s inspired movie critic Stephen “Spling” Aspeling to launch and host Bingeing with Spling.

The stay-at-home watch party concept has turned into a digital movie night festival described as the “best movie night in… ever”!

A brand new concept

Having curated, hosted and facilitated a number of physical cinema screening events over the years, Spling realised that he could launch his own unrestricted movie viewing experience.

“I used to host screenings where I invited magicians, guitarists, LEGO builders, lifesavers, astrophysicists and movie stars to help break the fourth wall and make it more than just a movie… during lockdown it dawned on me, I could keep doing it as part of an online watch party series.”

While there’s nostalgia to the idea of going to a cinema with a box of popcorn, health protocols around the recent pandemic have made the experience less appealing. People are surrounded by screens of all sizes these days and with the rise of streaming platforms, it’s so much easier (and safer) to find the best seat in *your* house for movie night.

Coming this Halloween

The monthly Bingeing with Spling event is typically built on a theme and/or a main feature film. This month, the event is on Halloween (October 31) and starts from 6:30PM.

You can join from almost anywhere with an internet connection, a screen and a phone to tweet along! Being the month of horror, Spling was prompted to stage the event at FrightFan.tv with the fresh horror film, The Cleaning Lady.

The Main Feature 

The title may seem a little comical in the country that birthed the Madam & Eve cartoon strip, but once you’ve set your eyes on the chilling trailer you’ll see it’s more in-line with its influences… Psycho, The Thing and Audition.

Directed by Jon Knautz, the psychological horror grapples with a love-addicted woman who hires a cleaning lady with a dark secret. The creepy, dark and twisted film stars Alexis Kendra, Rachel Alig and South African-born actor, Stelio Savante.

Here’s the trailer:

Special Guests

Beyond the main feature, Spling has a number of special guests lined up. Joining in the watch party and going behind-the-scenes with exclusive interviews, you’ll be able to get the inside story on The Cleaning Lady from Stelio Savante, Rachel Alig and Jon Knautz themselves!

The watch party opens with local horror-comedy short film, It’s Complicated, directed by Grant De Sousa, who will be sharing his thoughts too.

Also joining us is prolific South African horror author, Joan De La Haye, who will be closing the watch party with an adults-only bedtime story at midnight.

Special Features

To get horror fans in the swing of things, we’re kicking off the event with a piece of music inspired by John Carpenter’s Halloween, from film composer Marc van der Meulen.

Local gothic industrial metal band, Terminatryx, will be getting the watch party started with a shout out and two epic Halloween music videos to bookend the movie night festival.

For the first time ever, we’re turning it into a double feature with dark retro Swedish comedy romance, Videoman, rounding up the night’s festivities!

How to Participate

Beyond the jam-packed movie line-up, special features and exclusive interviews, Spling will introduce the event, serve up cool movie trivia and get people chatting on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp with live commentary and movie games.

You’ll be able to win prizes, engage with special guests and enjoy movie banter with other attendees. The best comments of the night will make the round-up on Monday and you can stand a chance of winning a prize by simply using the hashtag #BingeingWithSpling on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram on the night!

To stay tuned for updates or more information, follow @SplingMovies and /SplingMovies. You’ll be able to track the event overview on splingmovies.com, which will be updated with links during the course of the night.

Bingeing with Spling is all about movies and fun, so invite your friends to join you online, dress up for the occasion, get the popcorn popping and make it a brilliant night in.

To join this epic movie night festival, you don’t even need a ticket or subscription. You will need a credit card to rent The Cleaning Lady and Videoman from FrightFan.tv – both for just R50!