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“Channel Zero” Casts a Twin and a Widow
Syfy’s upcoming horror anthology series, “Channel Zero: Candle Cove,” will star Paul Schneider, pictured above in “Newsroom,” and Fiona Shaw, pictured below in Harry Potter, Variety reported.
The close-ended season is based on Kris Straub’s online short story of the same name, and is set to debut this fall. It centers on one man’s obsessive recollection of a mysterious children’s television program from the 1980s – and his ever-growing suspicions about the role it might have played in a series of nightmarish and deadly events from his childhood. The show was initially picked up for two six-episode standalone seasons, with Season 2 set to premiere on Syfy in 2017.
Schneider stars as Mike Painter, a child psychologist who was a child himself when he witnessed the mysterious disappearance of his twin brother, Eddie, and four other children from their small town, Iron Hill, in 1988. Decades later, he is compelled to return to his hometown to investigate what really happened all those years ago, only to find that it – whatever it was – may be happening all over again. Schneider is represented by Creative Artists Agency.
Irish thesp Shaw also stars as Marla Painter, Mike’s mother and a widow. Marla is shocked when Mike returns home and is reluctant to relive the events of the long-ago disappearance of her son and the other children of Iron Hill. Shaw is represented by United Talent Agency and Independent Talent Group.
Shaun Benson will play Gary Yolen, Iron Hill’s Sheriff and Mike’s childhood friend. The father of two is happy to see his old friend, but terrified that the evil that plagued Iron Hill in the ‘80s might be returning. Benson is represented by Gary Goddard Agency.
Natalie Brown appears as Jessica Yolen, Mike’s childhood friend and the Sheriff’s wife. As the mother of two, she faces every parent’s nightmare when it seems like children may be disappearing from the town once again. Brown is represented by Amanda Rosenthal Talent Agency and Thruline Entertainment.
Luisa D’Oliveira is set to play Amy Welch, the tenacious Sheriff’s Deputy. Too young to remember the original disappearances, she learns about them quickly when she takes charge of a new investigation seemingly tied to the original cases. D’Oliveira is represented by Pacific Artists Management and Primary Wave Entertainment.
Independent filmmaker Craig William Macneill will direct all six episodes of “Channel Zero: Candle Cove,” which hails from Universal Cable Productions. Nick Antosca wrote the pilot and will serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside Max Landis.

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Legendary Grimdark ‘Warhammer 40,000’ Artist John Blanche Has Passed Away at 78
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.


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