Horror Archives - ComicBook.com

Outlast Becoming a Movie With Major Creative From the Games Directly Involved

Alec Mullins — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 23:14:39 +0000

Miles Upshur’s journey through Mount Massive Asylum is coming to the big screen thanks to a partnership between Lionsgate and Outlast developer Red Barrels. Bloody Disgusting broke the news that the video game series is headed for the big screen, with longtime series writer JT Petty tapped to work on the screenplay. He isn’t alone in developing the adaptation. Horror veteran Roy Lee, whose other work includes It (2017) and Late Night With The Devil (2024), will join him on the production side.

Outlast‘s reputation is one of tense, heart-pounding atmospheric horror. The first game alone provides enough scares to fuel ten movies, but there’s more to making a film than raw creepiness. That’s nothing new for Lionsgate, the studio behind the James Wan and Leigh Wannel-created SAW franchise that has haunted audiences since 2004. Still, Lee knows exactly what the fans are looking for, and is ready to bring it to life in an entirely new way.

“Its deep, emergent lore has provided a perfect foundation for creating a film that delves into the psychological and physical horrors at the core of the franchise,” Lee revealed in a statement.

Psychological and physical horror is an apt description. Influenced by movies like The Blair Witch Project and REC (and games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent) both Outlast and Outlast 2 feature grotesque and adrenaline-pumping set pieces. Violent psychiatric patients, unhinged cultists, and nightmare creatures haunting your every step are just a brief look at how the series has traumatized players over the years.

We don’t know how close the movie will stick to the classic story beats, but no matter what, this new format will retain all of the macabre spirit of the seminal spooky-time games. Red Barrels Co-founder David Chateauneuf chimed in on the development, delivering high praise for both Lionsgate and Lee.

“As die-hard fans of horror across every medium, at Red Barrels we are great admirers of Roy Lee’s and Lionsgate’s work,” he said. “Horror movies old and new have had an undeniable impact on our franchise over the years, and to now have the opportunity to work on an Outlast film with true horror legends is a dream, or should I say, nightmare, come true.”

A film isn’t the only bold new step for the franchise in recent memory. Last year’s Outlast Trials traded in the deeply isolating feeling of the early games for a subtler kind of collective dread. In that game, up to four players team up to survive the tasks set out for them by a deranged director of a Cold War-era medical facility. While there are more people to share in the misery, it still retained all of the grimy, paralyzing scares that made the first game a hit eleven years ago.

A new medium brings new challenges, but it won’t be shocking if the eventual Outlast movie brings all the same terrifying feelings fans have come to love.

Roy Lee is also a producer on the Minecraft Movie and the upcoming film adaptation of Until Dawn.

The post Outlast Becoming a Movie With Major Creative From the Games Directly Involved appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Smile Director Reveals Conditions for Developing a Smile 3

Patrick Cavanaugh — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 22:50:56 +0000

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Parker Finn’s Smile 2 made a bigger splash with its opening than the original Smile in 2022 with not only its box-office performance, but also with critics, as the sequel sits at 85% positive reviews compared to the original’s 79% positive. In addition to the sequel earning more attention than the debut movie, the sequel concluded with a more explicit tease that the demonic curse of the franchise was about to be taken to new levels, with Finn recently confirming he’d only be interested in continuing the saga if he could find a way to tell character stories as opposed to delivering cheap scares. He also teased he personally saw a lot of storytelling opportunities for the franchise, though a third film has yet to officially be confirmed. Smile 2 is in theaters now.

“Well, I will say this, I think there are a lot of interesting roads that any future Smile could go down. For me, I love all the stuff that goes bump in the night, and all the really frightening things of the big concept of Smile and the Smiler,” Finn detailed to Collider. “But really, for me, Smile is a vehicle to tell really intense and hopefully thoughtful character stories, and so I’d wanna make sure, regardless of if more than one person might have it, that we still find a way to really invest intimacy into the storytelling. That’s super important to me. But I think there are some really interesting tricks still up the sleeves of Smile.”

The original movie focused on Dr. Rose Cutter (Sosie Bacon) witnessing a client kill themselves in front of her, only for audiences to realize the young woman had become possessed by a supernatural curse. In Smile 2, the curse had made its way to pop singer Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), whose past trauma and guilt manifested the curse in bigger and more horrifying ways.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Smile 2

Part of what sets the sequel apart from the original movie is that, while the debut movie saw the curse passing from one person to another, in the finale of Smile 2, Skye violently kills herself in front of an entire crowd at her concert. It can be assumed that thousands of people in the audience will now be targeted by the curse, spreading it even further for another entry.

Finn is currently attached to develop a new take on the 1981 horror classic Possession, and while that project doesn’t have a release date, it would seem likely that he would move forward on that before a new Smile. The success of both films, however, could mean that, rather than Finn helming a follow-up movie, another filmmaker could step in for Smile 3, or that another story could be told in that world that wasn’t a direct continuation of Smile 2.

Stay tuned for updates on the future of the Smile franchise. Smile 2 is in theaters now.

Do you hope we get a Smile 3? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post Smile Director Reveals Conditions for Developing a Smile 3 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Five Horror Games That Desperately Need Remakes or Remasters

Marc Deschamps — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 20:44:09 +0000

An unfortunate reality of the video game industry is that a lot of games only ever get one release. If you miss out on a game when it first comes out, you often won’t get a second chance to play it. For that reason, we’ve seen a lot of remakes and remasters pop up in recent years, but there are lots of great games in desperate need of this treatment, including several in the horror genre. Shockingly enough, many of these games are owned by major publishers, making their lack of wider availability all the more puzzling. To give these companies a push in the right direction, ComicBook has assembled five horror games in desperate need of a second chance on modern platforms.

5. The House of the Dead: Overkill– Some of the older House of the Dead games have been getting remasters recently, but the one most deserving of this treatment is The House of the Dead: Overkill. Released on Wii in 2009, the rail shooter leaned into the franchise’s cheesy acting and stories with a style inspired by grindhouse cinema. The new direction was a perfect fit for the series, with language and gore that felt fittingly over-the-top. The overall absurdity added to the game’s charm, resulting in one of the funniest and most enjoyable games in the series. While Overkill was later ported to PS3, the game is unfortunately unavailable on modern platforms; Sega desperately needs to rectify that.

4. Resident Evil – Code: Veronica– Over the last few years, Capcom has remade several classic Resident Evil games. Favorites like Resident Evil 2 have gotten a huge glow up as a result, with gorgeous visuals and improved gameplay. Unfortunately, the publisher has exclusively focused on the numbered entries in the series, leaving Resident Evil – Code: Veronica fans out of luck. Originally released on Dreamcast in 2000, the game offered a compelling story centered around Claire Redfield. Unlike many of the games on this list, the original version of Code: Veronica is thankfully available on modern platforms, so even if it never gets the remake treatment, at least series newcomers can see what all the fuss is about.

3. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem– One of the most unique video games ever published by Nintendo, Eternal Darkness was released on Nintendo GameCube back in 2002. The game was a commercial flop, but it has built a passionate following in recent years. This unique game took players on a journey spanning human history, in which the games protagonists were tasked with stopping a Lovecraftian menace from conquering the world. As the heroes encountered increasingly dark and frightening things, a meter would build, and the game would produce “Sanity Effects” that would actually mess with the player. These Sanity Effects made it look like the volume on the TV was being lowered, or that the memory card was being deleted.

Sadly, Nintendo has never made a sequel, and the original game has never been made available on another platform. Given the large user base Switch has, there’s never been a better time to bring this game back.

2. Dino Crisis– In 1999, Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami delivered Dino Crisis on the original PlayStation. The elevator pitch is simple: Resident Evil meets Jurassic Park. With faster, more intimidating enemies than the Resident Evil games had provided, Dino Crisis seems like the kind of series that should have about 10 sequels right now. Unfortunately, the franchise has been dormant since 2003. Fans have spent years begging for a Resident Evil style remake, and Dino Crisis even topped a worldwide poll asking which Capcom series is in need of a new entry. Modern consoles could make the game’s enemies far scarier than they were back in the day, and it’s exciting to think how great a remake of the first game could look on PS5 or Xbox Series X. It remains to be seen whether that will ever happen, but those who would like to play the first game can now find it on PlayStation Plus.

1. Parasite Eve– In the original PlayStation era, Square’s offerings largely centered on turn-based RPGs. 1998’s Parasite Eve was a rare exception; while the game did feature RPG elements, it also added survival horror in the mix. The game centers on police officer Aya Brea, one of the few survivors of a horrific event at an opera where the audience spontaneously combusts. Aya begins to investigate, in an adventure that takes place in New York City around Christmas. The game’s theme and setting would make it a perfect candidate for a remake on current platforms. With Square Enix in the process of remaking games like Dragon Quest III and Final Fantasy VII, Parasite Eve should be next classic to get that treatment.

What horror games do you want to see get a remake or remaster? Do you agree with any of our picks? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Five Horror Games That Desperately Need Remakes or Remasters appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Comic Book Reviews for This Week: 10/30/2024

Matthew Aguilar — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 19:57:07 +0000

Happy new comic book day! It’s another major week in comics, and the ComicBook staff have come together to break down and review as many of the big comics releasing this week as possible. Now obviously this isn’t every single comic on stands, but we’re breaking down new releases from Marvel, DC, Image Comics, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, Dynamite, Oni Press, IDW, Mad Cave Studios, DSTLRY, and more!

We’ve also carved out some additional space for three of this week’s biggest books, including The Amazing Spider-Man #60, It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour #1, and Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing: Feral Trees #1, so if our smaller review here piques your interest, make sure to check out the full review for a much more comprehensive analysis of all three issues. As for ratings, we keep things simple with a whole or half number out of five, and you can check out some of our previous reviews right here. With all that said, let’s get to this week’s new comics!

DC

Action Comics #1073
Other than the Superboy subplot that is wedged in the middle of things (and that, at this point, feels like it should have been a backup story rather than a subplot), Action Comics #1073 is outstanding. The issue sees Superman come face to face with Aethyr but then in a surprising twist finds himself in a much more dire situation when his attempt to find the way home goes sideways and lands him in an entirely different idea of home. What really works here is the centering of the story around the idea of what Jor-El really did in the creation of the Phantom Zone prison while still delivering on some high-stakes action. As for the Supergirl backup story, we get a little bit more about the mysterious prisoner, but the overall story still feels like a puzzle box that is moving towards solution at an almost too-slow pace. It’s interesting, but it just feels like there could be more. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 4 out of 5

Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #2
Batman: The Long Halloween The Last Halloween #2 continues the slow burn of the story kicked off with the first issue, but keeps things moving by adding interesting elements, such as the arrival of the FBI — who has their own agenda — and by having Batman miss an important clue along the way. The tone of this issue is much more consistent than the first, particularly with Robin, and that also gives this issue a bit more gravity to it and makes it a bit more interesting, both to those unfamiliar with the original The Long Halloween and those who know it chapter and verse. The art fits the overall vibe very nicely as well.
– Nicole Drum
Rating: 4 out of 5

Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing: Feral Trees #1
DC has delivered the team-up I didn’t know I needed right in time for Halloween in a new one-shot special titled Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing: Feral Trees. As the title suggest, the issue brings Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing together in a haunting and emotionally complex adventure that conveys a clearer understanding of Swampy and Ivy’s roles in the protection of the green and how the Parliament of Trees fits into that equation and how they perceive outsiders. Poison Ivy/Swamp Thing: Feral Trees #1 keeps you hooked on the greater mystery and emotionally invested in the people in the center of it all the way through, and it’s an adventure you won’t want to miss.
– Matthew Aguilar (Read the full review here)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

The Nice House By The Sea #4
James Tynion IV finds new layers as he continues to dig deeper not only into his characters but in the larger plot of Night House by the Sea as well. As things continue to open up and reveal the broader picture, questions still linger, making the entire thing all the more intriguing. Series art by co-creator Álvaro Martínez Bueno remains the high point of experiencing the series though as he not only captures specific moods and styles (this issue depicts security camera footage and actually making it terrifying). Jordie Bellaire’s color work also remains an MVP, elevating the already great images to new heights.
– Spencer Perry
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Marvel

Captain America #14
The most surprising thing about this Captain America run is that it’s somehow still going on. Issue #14 brings Thor and Spider-Man into the fold to try and give Steve some familiar faces to fight alongside. Their additions are more hurtful than helpful. Neither one of them are written particularly well, with Spider-Man feeling like the most frustrating of the two. This continues, month after month, to be one of the most baffling books in Marvel’s lineup.
– Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Namor #4
Namor is awesome. I tried to think of a more eloquent, intelligent way to phrase that, but that’s not necessary. “Namor is awesome” is exactly what needs to be said right now. This saga from Jason Aaron is already a gripping, complicated tale about a fallen king wrestling with his past in order to save the future of a people that hate him. Now we’re adding an entire army of sentient beings made of the seaweed and coral reef that have been relentlessly abused over the years? It just doesn’t get much better than this. An absolute bruiser of a book week after week. – Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 5 out of 5

NYX #4
NYX has been quietly putting together one of the more compelling corners of the X-Men universe, and it feels as if NYX #4 is the true boiling point that will shift the series into its next gear. Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have successfully woven Ms. Marvel into the fabric of the X-Men saga in a natural and organic way, and her interactions with Prodigy and Sophie are major parts of why NYX #4 works so well. Kamala is the heart and soul of this book, but as we’ve learned with the character in the past, one of her most important powers is the ability to relate to others in a meaningful way and get through when most others can’t, paving the way for welcome turns and heartbreaking turns in equal measure. Artist Enid Balam and colorist Raul Angulo pull on the heartstrings throughout the issue in several key scenes, but they also deliver frenetic action sequences that take advantage of the cast’s dynamic power set. Also, Julian looks like an absolute powerhouse in several of these sequences, and that last page has my hyped for an anticipated and long awaited throwdown. NYX has carved out a unique identity within the X-Books and is really starting to hit its stride at the right time. – Matthew Aguilar
Rating: 4 out of 5

Phases of The Moon Knight #3
This has been a really great concept for an anthology story. The nature of Moon Knight makes for a story that can span numerous characters, time periods, and settings, and the series has done an excellent job of finding little corners where magic can come alive. Not every story is as good as the others, but they’ve all been enjoyable to some degree.
– Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 3 out of 5

Predator vs. Black Panther #3
Benjamin Percy has proven himself already to be well suited to writing these types of epic crossovers for Marvel. Percy weaves a tight narrative that not only respect the lore of Marvel’s hero and his home but also the larger Predator franchise, making them work together and mingle in a way that only works in comics. This issue features artwork by pencilers Chris Allen & Sean Damien Hill (with inks by Craig Yeung & Jonas Trindade and colors by Erick Arciniega) and that many cooks in the kitchen has resulted in some inconsistent art on the whole. Larger pages that deliver huge splashes and tell the story across unique fragmented images are the best, while the traditional pages often leave something to be desired. That said, Predator vs Black Panther continues to impress.
– Spencer Perry
Rating: 4 out of 5

Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku – Insurgency Rising #3
There’s a good idea at the core of Insurgency Rising, it’s just a shame the book itself can’t reach quite as high. It’s scattered, both in its writing and its art. There’s little consistency with these characters and none of it ever feels particularly new. This is unfortunately just another stab at trying to tell fresh stories in a period of Star Wars canon that has been exhaustively explored. – Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 2 out of 5

The Amazing Spider-Man #60
Zeb Wells’ Spider-Man run is one that has been met with some major controversy thanks to some of the wild swings that it took with its story. The writer introduced us to the now infamous “Paul”, gave Mary Jane superpowers, stepped up Tombstone’s game, introduced the most villainous Ben Reilly to date, and even sent Spidey spiraling into the underworld. For all the flaws that Wells’ run might have had, the creator goes a long way in his final issue to not only pay tribute to Peter Parker but give a worthwhile ending to nearly every plot point that he introduced over the years. – Evan Valentine (Read the full review here)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Ultimate X-Men #8
Ultimate X-Men has some interesting elements and character beats that are a part of this new take on Marvel’s merry mutants but unfortunately, the series remains misplaced in terms of being the forefront of the Ultimate Universe in relation to the X-Men. Peach Momoko is able to give this series some really solid art but the story itself is one that just doesn’t resonate in the same way as its Ultimate counterparts. It feels…”off” in many regards in that it is a scattershot series that would work as an independent story but being the premiere Ultimate X-Men story hampers it. It just all feels extremely disconnected with its characters. This isn’t to say that it doesn’t have some noteworthy moments but they are not enough to right this ship’s trajectory. It’s really a shame but there are simply too many puzzle pieces that don’t fit here to truly make it stand toe-to-toe with the other Ultimates.
– Evan Valentine
Rating 2.5 out of 5

Wolverine: Revenge #3
One thing that I was expecting from Wolverine: Revenge, based on Hickman and Capullo’s first two issues, is plenty of blood and violence surrounding the Canucklehead. What I didn’t see coming was one of my favorite Logan and Deadpool interactions that I think I’ve ever read. In this alternate universe, Wade Wilson made a decision that means forgiveness might forever be out of his grasp, as Wolverine reminds him here. This story might not be “canon” but what the creative team is doing here might just give us one of the pinnacle Wolverine stories in Marvel history. There’s a lot to love in this tale of revenge and I’m beyond interested to see what takes place next when it comes to Logan’s journey, especially considering how this latest issue came to an end. – Evan Valentine
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Image Comics

Feral #7
The only thing that could make Feral more of a tension-filled affair has found its way into the series, and that comes in the form of three adorable little kittens. In Feral #7 the ice starts to subside and with it new dangers approach, and watching Elsie and Gigi try and navigate those unpredidtable dangers is as stressful as it is riveting. At this point I feel personally attacked by Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner, Tone Rodriguez, and Brad Simpson for how long I find myself forgetting to breathe as the story twists and turns, and that still didn’t prepare me for one truly unexpected cliffhanger by issue’s end. Feral continues to be must read each and every single month, and now the long wait for Feral #8 begins.
– Matthew Aguilar
Rating: 5 out of 5

It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour #1
While we are still getting to know the overall world of Hyde Street in the main comic, It Happened on Hyde Street: Devour #1 makes for a strong and impressive introduction to the lure of the world. By speaking to something that is so relatable and unfortunately common for many by taking on the obsession with being thin, Devour #1 reminds readers just how easy it is to succumb to the lure of a quick fix with no thought to the consequences. The result is a horror that maybe isn’t full of jump scares or gore, but settles right into the thoughts and is deeply uncomfortable less for the world the story inhabits, but for the world the reader actually exists in. – Nicole Drum (Read the full review here)
Rating: 5 out of 5

Kaya #22
Kaya concludes its journey down the Dragon Road in stunning fashion. The issue begins with Kaya’s portentous dream but from the moment she awakes onward, it maintains a fast pace as she, Jin, and their mysterious new ally Razel try to escape from Atrian pursuers. As always, Wes Craig impresses with his unconventional character designs and creative layouts but Tom Nopalitano’s lettering stands out in this issue for ably conveying tones, timbre, and meaning with emphasis, shape, and color. This issue’s plot feels a bit thin and also light on character development — Kaya and Jin begin the issue divided over how much they should trust Razel and they don’t budge any from those positions — but makes up for it danger and adventure as it successfully ramps up the tension as it leads into a situation where Kaya and company are stuck between a robot army and a haunted city. After the previous, much weightier arc, “Kaya and the Dragon Road” proves lighter and much more visceral, making for a nice change of pace in this gripping journey.
– Jamie Lovett
Rating: 4 out of 5

Violent Flowers #2
Violent Flowers #2 spends most of the issue explaining things before sending Carnelia after Erzsebet at a strange, supernatural party that doesn’t exactly go as planned. It is certainly an interesting take on vampire stories with a strange, sexy edge, but the issue is hampered by both a lot and nothing really happening along with some somewhat cliche dialogue during the confrontation. A bit of a cliffhanger closes the issue and pushes the story forward, but it is otherwise a bit of a mixed bag. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 3 out of 5

Other Publishers

Anansi Boys #5
The screwball comedy of it all intensifies in Anansi Boys #5 as Spider takes Fat Charlie’s place at work for the date and his lunch date with Rosie. Meanwhile, Charlie wakes up to find an unfamiliar woman with him in bed and his would-be mother-in-law at his front door. Charlie’s confusion and exasperation are appropriately inverse to Spider’s natural charm as he fills in for his brother in some helpful ways and some less so. There’s a bit of an unexplained plot hole in that Rosie’s mother never really explains why she showed up at Charlie’s home if she thought he’d be at work anyway — Perhaps she planned to slide the paperwork about the upcoming wedding under his door, but then why knock at all? — but there are also some sly artistic touches, with Graham Coates drawn every bit as small in Spider’s presence as Charlie once did upon entering the boss’s office. Setting aside the one plot tangle, it’s a charming issue with the art to match. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 4 out of 5

Kill All Immortals #4
Finding interesting angles for immortal beings can be difficult, but Kill All immortals has an excellent angle that makes for a compelling read. Mixing this father/daughter rivalry and morality play with an organized crime saga is just really exciting stuff. These characters are fully realized and they fit seamlessly into the world that’s being created. – Charlie Ridgely
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Night Club 2 #3
Who knew that all it would take is a change of scenery for Mark Millar’s style to actually feel fresh. The scribe continues to explore superhero tropes through the lens of a horror comic in Night Club 2 and since he’s not making sure to have a piece of shock value every other page there’s a nice rhythm to the story. Night Club 2’s real highlight however remains the artwork by Juanan Ramírez with colors by Fabiana Mascolo, as the pair have created a distinct look that combines pop-superhero artwork with moody grim horror. The result is stunning splash pages and reveals when you turn the page that makes your jaw drop.
– Spencer Perry
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

‘Patra #3
‘Patra #3 is part crime, part horror and while there is a lot of promise in the story of Patra hunting down the crazed killer Jeremy Jones, there’s a lot of character development and particularly dialogue between Patra and her sister that feels a little drawn out and very tedious when we could, at three issues in, already be getting further in the story. It’s also not quite clear yet what is really going on which is something that we should have some inkling about at this point. Still, the chase is interesting and if things ever really come together, it could be a cool story. Right now it’s just lot of extra that doesn’t fully come together. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Power Rangers Across The Morphin Grid #1
Power Rangers fans have seen a number of their favorite Rangers appear in the comics, but with Power Rangers Across The Morphin Grid, they have a chance to see those characters written by the people that brought them to life on the screen. Across The Morphin Grid is a one-shot special featuring five stories from franchise favorites, including David Yost, Nakia Burrise (with JD Sutphin), Steve Cardenas (with Mat Groom), Walter Jones, and Meghan Camarena, and while some are stronger than others, they all capture the core elements that made their characters such favorites to begin with. Billy’s Metamorphosis takes a trip to the future with out of this world style thanks to Patrick Mulholland and Ellie Wright, while Tanya’s Heavy-Metal Rescue is a thrilling Alpha team-up with the stellar art of Tango and JP Jordan. In The Red by Groom, Cardenas, Anand Ramcheron, and Francesco Segala might be my favorite in terms of highlighting the underrated aspects of a Ranger. An Apple A Day is solid and has some fun moments, though the issue ramps up the fun with Camarena, Paulina Ganucheau, and Rebecca Good’s hilarious Chloe’s Chaos Kitchen, which is the type of HyperForce absurdity we’ve missed so much. Overall it’s a thoroughly entertaining one-shot that will delight fans of the franchise. – Matthew Aguilar
Rating: 4 out of 5

Red Sonja #15
While the art in Red Sonja #15 leaves a bit to be desired, story wise it’s an interesting read. I am admittedly jumping into this one blind, but the issue overall does a surprising job of getting the reader up to speed without being overly repetitive about what is happening and what Sonja is facing. There is also plenty of action to keep things moving as well as Sonja finds herself trying to run from death only to end up in a dire situation. There are seemingly real stakes here which makes it all that much more interesting. – Nicole Drum
Rating: 3 out of 5

Sonic The Hedgehog #74
Sonic the Hedgehog #74 brings the series’ racing arc to a satisfying climax. The villain is revealed, and the endgame is set in motion, but what’s charming is that it doesn’t fall entirely to the heroes. Regular folks doing their jobs and looking out for another also play a crucial role. Whether the idea that a villain’s wrongdoing being revealed would lead to their downfall or any real consequences is wholesome or naive will likely be determined by each reader’s level of cynicism. The artwork gives the issue a comic, cartoonish energy, with layouts providing the perfect timing for certain comedic bits and the story playing out at a lively pace. As multiple points of tension hang in the balance and lives are on the line, Sonic and most of the book’s major characters spring into action, teeing up what’s shaping up to be a fun, kinetic, and dramatic finale. – Jamie Lovett
Rating: 4 out of 5

The post Comic Book Reviews for This Week: 10/30/2024 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Best Horror Movies to See in Theaters This Halloween

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 19:49:32 +0000

Halloween falls on a Thursday night this year, which means that in addition to all the Halloween parties, events, and trick-r-treating, there are also going to be some fun group outings to the movies in the hopes of seeing something spooky, chilling, or horrifying on the big screen. Lucky for them, horror has become as much of a go-to for studios as superhero films have; Halloween 2024 has no less than half a dozen different horror flicks currently playing in theaters, which fans can choose from.

Here are your choices!

Best Horror Movies to See in Theaters During Halloween 2024

Smile 2

Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Smile 2 is the sequel to the breakout hit 2022 film by writer-producer-director Parker Finn. In the sequel, the concept of a grinning supernatural entity passed as a trauma virus gets applied to mega pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) who has to face an entire menacing public before launching her world tour.

Smile 2 has been overwhelmingly hailed as being far superior to the original film, not to mention one of the best horror films of the year. Star Naomi Scott (Power Rangers, Disney’s Aladdin) has even been sparking talk about awards nominations (Golden Globe, Oscar) for her performance. With its mix of psychological, supernatural, and bloody gore horror, Smile 2 delivers on all fronts.

Read our Smile 2 Review Here

MORE: 7 Movies to Watch at Home Instead of Smile 2

Terrifier 3

Art the clown (David Howard Thornton) in “Terrifier 3”

Art the Clown has grown from an indie-horror hopeful to one of the biggest icons of the Halloween 2024 season. Writer-producer-director Damien Leone’s threequel Terrifier 3 has also become the “double-dare-you to see it” horror movie event of the year, with scenes so graphic and disturbing that even the crew of the film was unnerved by them.

If you are looking for the hardest of the hardcore horror movies for your Halloween viewing experience, look no further.

The Substance

Demi Moore in The Substance

The Substance is the dark horse breakout horror hit of the season, and it’s building bigger hype every day. Writer-producer-director Coralie Fargeat delivers one of the best and most biting satirical horror films in years — one with an insane body-horror bend. The story follows former movie star Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) who celebrates her 50th (and a severe injury) by taking a black market drug called “the Substance,” which creates a much younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley).

We’ll stop there, as the actual mechanics of using the substance (and the inevitable cost) are the true “horror” of Fargeat’s film. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are both earning big praise for their respective performances, while Coralie Faregeat is being saluted for her Cronenberg-ian Freaky Friday takedown of Hollywood beauty standards.

Heretic*

This new film by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods is going to be opening in theaters the week after Halloween — but if The Simpsons can do Halloween specials a week (or so) later, why not this list?

Heretic explores the dark, twisted, story of two Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who come to the wrong house. That house is owned by “Mr. Reed” (Hugh Grant), who turns out to have a deeply nefarious reason for luring the two girls into his house — one that could break their faith, as well as take their life.

Check out our interviews with the Heretic Cast & Crew

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Warner Bros. Pictures

On the lighter side of things: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is still in theaters, and some fans may have been waiting for the Halloween holiday to enjoy it!

In the sequel film, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) returns to Winter River with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) and stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) to bury her father Charles. Unfortunately, old ghosts still haunt that town, and before long Astrid is snatched into the Ghost World, forcing Lydia and Delia to ally with Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to get her back.

Tim Burton seems to have struck cult-hit gold again, as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice remained at the top of the box office for three consecutive weeks, and continues to play in theaters nearly two months after opening (it even beat Joker 2).

Read our Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review Here

Speak No Evil

If you like thrillers more than straight-up horror, then Speak No Evil is the one for you to see this year. The remake of the Danish original film turns every couple’s least-favorite social situation (forced company with another couple/family) and turns it into an excruciating downward spiral of increasing tension and awkwardness — and that’s before it crashes out into a full-on slasher/survival experience.

It’s James McAvoy’s biggest “must-see” performance since M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, and concrete proof that the former X-Men actor is uniquely talented at playing a terrifying villain.

Read our Speak No Evil Review Here

Re-Releases

Nicolas Cage in Longlegs

Check your local theater listings! Movie re-releases have become a regular part of the industry — and seasonal re-releases are a growing trend.

During Halloween 2024, we’ve seen the Texas Chain Saw Massacre back in theaters for its 50th Anniversary, as well as the animated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the seasonal classic, Hocus Pocus.

Also back in theaters are more recent films like horror-comedy hit Happy Death Day and cult-horror hit The Black Phone. During Devil’s Night (October 30th) and Halloween (October 31st), you can find the horror-gaming adaptation Five Nights at Freddy’s and Laika Studios’ stop-motion classic Coraline back in theaters (respectively).

Finally, if you missed one of the biggest indie-horror hits of 2024, Longlegs, it is also running in theaters again throughout Halloween.

The post Best Horror Movies to See in Theaters This Halloween appeared first on ComicBook.com.

This Is Netflix’s Highest Rated Horror Movie, According to Rotten Tomatoes

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:35:15 +0000

It’s Halloween 2024 and movie lovers are looking for the best kind of spooky films to watch from the safety of home. Well, one great thing about streaming services is they have the metric data to let you know what your best bets are for any kind of TV/movie content — including the best scary movies to watch during Halloween. If you’re a Netflix subscriber, there is one horror film that is currently rated highest: the psychological-supernatural horror film His House.

What Is Netflix’s His House About?

Synopsis: “A refugee couple makes a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, but then they struggle to adjust to their new life in an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface.”

His House stars Wunmi Mosaku (Batman v Superman, Marvel’s Loki), Sope Dirisu (Gangs of London, Slow Horses), and Matt Smith (Doctor Who, House of the Dragon). It is written and directed by Remi Weekes, who is making his feature-film debut, after directing shorts, music videos (Jessie Ware “Say You Love Me”), and a TV miniseries (Fright Bites). Weekes wrote the screenplay based on a story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables (The Baby Swindler).

Wunmi Mosaku & Sope Dirisu in “His House” (2020)

Ironically enough, His House isn’t a new release: the film was released on Netflix on October 30, 2020, making it a major comeback kid, having retained the highest score for a horror movie for the last four years. Weekes hasn’t made another film since — but both Mosaku and Dirisu have become breakout stars, while Matt Smith has graduated from fandom level to mainstream fame with the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.

As of writing this, His House still holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes (after 126 reviews), with a 73% audience score.

What Do Critics Say About Netflix’s His House?

The mix of real-world refugee drama, the psychological-horror metaphor it creates, and the supernatural elements needed to make it dark and fantastical all blend perfectly to create a horror movie experience with deep resonance.

Critic Bilge Ebiri of New York Magazine‘s Vulture said that “His House is beautifully made, and its scares are monstrously effective, but its images of real-world dread remain unresolved, its specters unvanquished. The film leaves you with wounds that won’t heal.”

Amy Nicholson of NPR Los Angeles said that His House is “an absolute knockout. When we’re looking to the horror genre to tell us stories with such emotional resonance… This film does it just fantastically.”

Even more modest reviews — like Variety‘s Jessica Kiang — still admit that His House is “an uneven but impressive debut… at its most persuasively terrifying when it gets out of the house and into the existential terror of reality.”

How to Watch His House

His House can only be streamed on Netflix by those with subscriptions.

The post This Is Netflix’s Highest Rated Horror Movie, According to Rotten Tomatoes appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Arrow Video Conquers Halloween With Two of the Best Physical Horror Releases This Year

Charlie Ridgely — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:34:49 +0000

2024 has been a great year for physical media releases. Even as stores like Best Buy and Target have phased out a lot of their physical movie sales, studios and boutique labels have been releasing a steady stream of very high quality restorations. There have been few 4K titles in 2024 you could point to and say aren’t very good (far fewer than in previous years). As frustrating as the overall state of physical media has seemed lately, we’re at the center of an incredible wave of movie collecting and film preservation, and Arrow Video is leading the charge.

Arrow has been doing impeccable work for years, giving beloved films beautiful restorations and putting together hordes of great features for movie fans to enjoy. It seems like this year, however, Arrow has taken things a step further and really become one of the best (if not THE best) physical media retailers around. Nothing makes that more evident than the two titles that headline Arrow’s horror slate this Halloween season: Trick ‘r Treat and Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment.

These two releases aren’t just among the best physical horror releases in 2024, they’re probably among the best physical movie releases of the year, period.

Let’s start with the Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment (you can order one here), which is without a doubt my favorite 4K box set of 2024. This release contains the first four films from the Hellraiser franchise, all given brand new 4K restorations from their original camera negatives. The Hellraiser movies are bloody, gooey, colorful, and uncomfortably tactile. The 4K transfers give those qualities the kind of life we’ve never seen from these films before. The first time Frank crawls out of the shadows in this restoration of Clive Barker’s original Hellraiser, it’ll send chills up your spine no matter how many times you’ve seen the film.

The quality of all four discs is out of this world, but anyone who has purchased from Arrow before knows that is to be expected. They don’t take these restorations lightly. What really sets the Quartet of Torment apart from other collections, like the recently released Paramount Scares Vol. 2, is just how much work was put into everything beyond the restoration itself.

The first Hellraiser alone has multiple hours of brand new special features that deal with Barker’s legacy and how the film revolutionized the horror genre. There are three feature commentary tracks on this thing, two of which are previous releases that feature Barker, while the third is a brand new commentary with historian Stephen Jones and film critic Kim Newman. You could spend a couple of days working through all of these features, and that’s just on the first disc. All four Hellraiser films in the collection were given a similar treatment.

Maybe the most impressive thing about the Quartet of Torment, though, is the packaging. I’m not usually one to obsess over the box a movie comes in, so long as the disc itself is great. But that’s not the case with his Hellraiser collection. The box alone is almost enough reason to buy it. The outer box, slip-cover, and actual Blu-ray case represent layers of Pinhead that peel back as you get closer to the discs. A full picture of the iconic monster transforms into a layer of flesh and blood, before the slip-cover comes off to reveal nothing but a skeleton. All of that is packaged in nicely with a 200-page hardback book detailing the history and restorations of these films.

Box sets nowadays don’t usually look half as good as the Quartet of Torment. It’s got everything a Hellraiser fan wants or needs. The craziest part is that it’s only one of two phenomenal horror releases from Arrow Video in October.

Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat has become an iconic Halloween rewatch for horror fans over the years. People are still asking Doughtery about a sequel to this connected anthology on a regular basis (and he still plans to deliver one). It’s a movie so many love but hadn’t gotten the 4K release that a lot of film fans hoped for. That changed this month.

Trick ‘r Treat is all about creating an atmosphere, and Arrow’s 4K restoration (approved by Dougherty) brings that atmosphere to the forefront. The shadows are darker than ever before. The glow of the jack-o-lanterns are somehow even warmer than you remember. When things start to get violent, the blood creates a stunning contrast to the rest of the picture. Maybe even more impressive than anything in the picture is the audio track that almost demands some type of surround sound. Wind, leaves, footsteps, and so many individual little elements really pop through this track and transport you to a chilling Halloween night.

Like with the Quartet of Torment, this Trick ‘r Treat disc goes heavy on the special features. Dougherty returns for a brand new commentary (in addition to one of his previous commentary tracks). There are six new special features packed onto the release, alongside some of the best features from the previous Blu-ray and DVD releases. The cherry on top is the new Sam-centric cover art, which is also included as a separate poster.

You can order your copy of Trick ‘r Treat on 4K here, if they’re still in stock.

I know a lot of this sounds hyperbolic, but I wouldn’t write it if I didn’t believe in it. I am lucky enough to get sent a lot of physical releases to review and cover, so I’ve watched and played around with a good chunk of this year’s physical movies. I have yet to come across any that I’ve enjoyed quite as much as these two Arrow Video releases.

It really does make a difference when you can see and feel the love going into a physical movie. It amplifies your own love of that film, in a way. It’s like your adoration of a piece of art is enhanced when you get to experience firsthand that same adoration from others. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s also rather hopeful.

Isn’t that what movies are supposed to be?

The post Arrow Video Conquers Halloween With Two of the Best Physical Horror Releases This Year appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Alien: Romulus Limited Edition VHS Release Is Up For Pre-Order

Sean Fallon — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 14:26:42 +0000

Alien Romulus VHS Edition

Alien Romulus VHS

It appears that the conversation about the death of physical media was a bit premature, because Blu-ray sales have been hot lately – especially when it comes to limited edition Steelbooks. Deadpool & Wolverine Steelbooks have been selling like crazy, and there have been super quick sellouts on releases like the Terminator 40th anniversary and Godzilla Minus One 4K Steelbooks. The Alien: Romulus 4K Steelbook has also been a big seller, but the question now is – how will the VHS release fare?

You heard that correctly. A VHS edition of Alien: Romulus exists, and you can pre-order it now here at Walmart for $59.96. It might also turn up here on Amazon in the near future. Keep in mind that this is a very limited edition release, and will undoubtedly sell out even at that price. It will arrive on your doorstep December 3rd. This is obviously a collector’s item, but if you actually own a VCR keep in mind that the VHS is fully functional. It also features some fantastic cover art by Matt Ferguson. Additional details about the VHS release are available here.

Alien: Romulus 4K Blu-ray Steelbook Edition

As for the Blu-ray releases, at the time of writing you can grab the Alien: Romulus 4K Blu-ray Steelbook, standard 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD options here on Amazon and here at Walmart. Again, the best Steelbook releases have a tendency to sell out, so reserve one while you can. It will arrive on December 3rd, which places it squarely in the holiday gift-giving zone. The list of bonus features includes the following:

DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
Return to Horror: Crafting Alien: Romulus

The Director’s Vision – Discover how one of today’s greatest horror directors, Fede Alvarez, collaborated with master filmmaker Ridley Scott to craft a new, heart-pounding chapter in the Alien franchise.
Creating the Story – Learn what inspired the story of Alien: Romulus and see the many easter eggs from previous Alien installments that you may have missed.
Casting the Faces – Meet the stars of Alien: Romulus as they take us inside the hearts and minds of their characters. Explore the parallels between Rain and the iconic franchise heroine, Ripley, and learn how filmmakers brought back a face from the past.
Constructing the World – Explore the massive, practical sets of Alien: Romulus that hearken back to the futuristic style established in the ’80s and get up close and personal with a hoard of practically built facehuggers, chestbursters, and xenomorphs.

Inside the Xenomorph Showdown – Experience the film’s climactic zero-gravity sequence from every angle as filmmakers break down what it took to make the moment spectacular. From sets and performances, to wirework, stunts, and VFX, see how it all came together.
Alien: A Conversation – A special conversation with Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez for the Alien 45th Anniversary theatrical re-release.
Alternate / Extended Scenes – Check out scenes that didn’t make the final cut.
Optional English SDH, Japanese S, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature

Another Alien Movie on the Way?

Given the strong box office performance of the film, it seems likely that another entry into the franchise.will happen, though nothing has been confirmed at this point. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter recently, Alvarez was asked about a potential Romulus sequel. While it wasn’t on the forefront of his mind during the film, he definitely thought about ways the story could be extended after the fact.

“Yes, I definitely can. We tend to do that naturally, not even thinking about sequels. For us, movies have not become franchises, tentpoles, and sequels,” the director said. “This is a language that I’ve only learned in the last ten years of my life working here. For me, it’s always been about story. So, once we finished, we started thinking, ‘What do you think happens when or if they get to your Yvaga? Is it going to be great? Or is it a terrible place?’ We tend to believe it’s probably a terrible place that they think is great and fantasize about, so we naturally started thinking about where it goes and what’s going to happen. And then, a few minutes in, we go, ‘Oh, that sounds like a sequel.’

The post Alien: Romulus Limited Edition VHS Release Is Up For Pre-Order appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Best Netflix Horror Movies to Watch for Halloween

Charlie Ridgely — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 14:25:33 +0000

Image Courtesy of Netflix

Halloween is finally upon us! For some, that means dressing up and going to parties or out trick-or-treating. For others, it means curling up on the couch, turning off all the lights, and sitting through a horror movie marathon. Heck, why not do both? If you’re a Netflix subscriber and you’re looking for something to send chills down your spine on the final day of Spooky Season, there are some great options for you to explore.

We decided to break down some of the best Netflix original horror films worth turning on this Halloween. Whether you’re into slashers or the supernatural, there’s something exciting to add to your watchlist as October comes to a close.

Non-Netflix Original Honorable Mentions

Before we get into some of Netflix’s best original horror movies, it’s worth mentioning some awesome horror films that are currently streaming on Netflix and are absolutely worth your time.

There are a couple of iconic horror options available on Netflix right now, including Jaws, The Birds, and Pyscho. Then there are a couple of modern classics-in-the-making you should check out. Movies like Pearl, The Babadook, and Creep.

If you’re into slashers, there are some solid options in the form of the 2018 Halloween reboot, the fifth Scream installment, and Eli Roth’s recent hit Thanksgiving. For something scary that’s a little more under-the-radar, check out 2014’s As Above So Below.

Fear Street Trilogy

Back in 2021, Netflix did something unprecedented when it released a series of films based on R. L. Stine’s Fear Street books. The streaming service released all three installments in the trilogy over the course of three consecutive weeks, allowing fans to experience the story together on a weekly basis (a lot like the traditional TV format that Netflix refuses to embrace).

The three Fear Street films — Fear Street Part 1: 1994, Fear Street Part 2: 1978, Fear Street Part 3: 1666 — tell one cohesive story about the residents of a cursed town called Shadyside. The story works backwards so you can see the origins of the curse and how it has affected the town over centuries, before bringing things back to 1994 to tie a nice bow around it all.

Apostle

Filmmaker Gareth Evans is best known for his hard-hitting action chops. His 2011 film The Raid: Redemption is often considered one of the best action movies of all time. Don’t let that fool you, though. He’s got a knack for horror.

In 2018, Evans partnered with Netflix to release a chilling folk-horror film called Apostle, which stars Dan Stevens as a man who gets tangled up in an eerie cult while trying to rescue his sister.

Gerald’s Game

The partnership between Netflix and filmmaker Mike Flanagan has been a fruitful one over the years. He has made acclaimed series for the streaming service like The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher. With so much focus on his TV titles, some may have missed the fact that Flanagan made one of the best Stephen King adaptations for Netflix a few years ago.

Gerald’s Game stars frequent Flanagan collaborators Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood as a married couple on a getaway at a lake house in the middle of nowhere. While handcuffed to the bed, the woman watches her husband die, and is faced with horrifying hallucinations as the tries to escape.

The Platform

Screenshot

The Platform 2 hit Netflix earlier this month and was a pretty big hit for a couple of weeks, but most viewers agreed that it doesn’t hold a candle to the quality of its predecessor.

Released back in 2020, The Platform is a dystopian horror-thriller about a vertical prison that lowers a massive display of food down hundreds of floors every single day. The people at the top eat their fill, while those at the bottom starve. It’s a blunt anti-capitalist message that will both thrill you and having you pondering its biggest questions days after you watch it.

It’s What’s Inside

Courtesy of Netflix

Released on the same day as The Platform 2, It’s What’s Inside is perhaps the best Netflix horror movie of the year.

This genre-bending body-swap thriller follows a group of college friends who play a dangerous game at a party the night before a wedding. As they start inhabiting one another’s bodies, secrets start coming to light. The entire thing erupts into a brilliantly chaotic third act that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

His House

If you’ve ever wondered what the best Netflix original horror film is, most critics and horror fans will tell you it’s His House.

Released in 2020, His House comes from director Remi Weekes and tells the story of a South Sudan couple who seek asylum in England, only to find out that something sinister is haunting their new home. If you want to be genuinely scared by a movie this Halloween, His House is the one to watch.

The post Best Netflix Horror Movies to Watch for Halloween appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Netflix’s Best Stephen King Movie Was Described as “Unfilmable” for Decades

Spencer Perry — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 04:02:12 +0000

Before filmmaker Mike Flanagan would put his mark on Netflix with hit shows like The Haunting of Hill House and The Fall of the House of Usher he started his career-long trend of adapting Stephen King. Netflix is no stranger to Stephen King adaptations, having produced the likes of In the Tall Grass, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, and 1922, but none as impressive as this, since it was with a book that should have been impossible. The film that not only secured Flanagan’s place at Netflix but got him in the door as the go-to Stephen King guy is not only the streamer’s best adaptation of the master of horror, but one long considered unfilmable, 2017’s Gerald’s Game.

Gerald’s Game the novel was published in 1992, and despite being considered a futile story to attempt to adapt, the story is pretty much the same from book to film. It tells the story of Jessie Burlingame (Carla Gugino in the film) and her husband Gerald (Bruce Greenwood), who take a weekend trip to their lake home in Maine. As far as the title goes, Gerald’s “game” is when he handcuffs his wife to the bed ahead of having sex with her, but once she’s tied down it becomes clear that he intends to take part in a rape fantasy while she’s immobilized. Distraught by this development however, Jessie tries to get out and begins yelling at her husband. The confrontation results in probably the worst possible outcome as Gerald has a heart attack and dies right there while Jessie remains tied up.

As the story unfolds, Jessie remains tied to the bed and begins to hallucinate any number of people appearing and speaking to her, including not only her child self but an alternate version of herself, plus former friends from her life. Another mysterious figure also appears in the house as she begins to succumb to delirium, a ghostly apparition that shows her his basket of trinkets and human bones.

This is in large part why the book was considered unfilmable. Most of the book takes place in one room with a character that can’t even leave the spot that she’s confined to where she’s largely having conversations with herself and recalling her traumatic past. Not to mention, the other characters that appear may not even be real. Flanagan has not been shy about the challenges of making this work, not to mention being fully aware that this adaptation was a major hurdle.

“I’ve wanted to make this story since I was 19. I’m a Stephen King fanatic. When I was in college I read the book and thought it was amazing but unfilmable. Half my life I’ve been trying to make this movie,” Flanagan previously told The Independent. “We had to find a mechanism to make the story cinematic while being faithful to the story, which is a beautiful story. In the book, Gerald’s dead and gone by page 10 and the rest of the book takes place entirely in Jessie’s head. It’s a stream of consciousness. The trick for us was trying to make that visually interesting. What we came up with was keeping Gerald — played by Bruce Greenwood — in the movie by taking that inner monologue and making it an outer monologue. It was really hard.”

To his credit, his plan clearly worked, as Gerald’s Game is one of the highest rated horror movies on Netflix (plus far and away their best rated Stephen King adaptation). As of this writing Gerald’s Game is “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes and carries a 91% approval rating, with praise not only for Carla Gugino’s performance but Flanagan’s ability to adapt the unadaptable.

The success of Gerald’s Game would also make way for Mike Flanagan to flex his muscles not only as a visual storyteller but to prove how well he understood King. After Gerald’s Game Flanagan’s next feature film would be 2019’s Doctor Sleep, another novel from the author that it was assumed would never see the big screen. Earlier this year he rolled out his latest Stephen King movie too, the upcoming The Life of Chuck, which won the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. In the not-too-distant future Flanagan will return to King twice over, adapting Carrie into a limited TV series and bringing The Dark Tower to life in a series of interconnected movies and shows.

The post Netflix’s Best Stephen King Movie Was Described as “Unfilmable” for Decades appeared first on ComicBook.com.

This Is the Horror Classic I Watch Every Halloween

Spencer Perry — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 01:58:18 +0000

Phantasm (1979).

Some people make it a tradition every Halloween to watch a certain movie, like John Carpenter’s 1978 slasher Halloween, or Michael Dougherty’s anthology film Trick ‘r Treat. Given the season it’s not uncommon for horror fans to annually revisit the likes of Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, or any other seasonal favorites. For me though, it’s Don Coscarelli’s 1979 movie Phantasm, which immediately puts me in the Halloween mood early in the season and which I already have the itch to watch again despite it not being set on the holiday at all. Thanks to the nightmare imagery at its core, a killer soundtrack, and a plot that is as captivating as it is indecipherable, Phantasm is an easy pick for this time of year.

Phantasm’s opening scene immediately tells the audience what kind of movie it really is, because it confirms that it will not be going in any direction you expect. A young man named Tommy has been seduced by a woman into a sexual encounter in, where else, a graveyard. In the midst of their tryst she takes out a knife and stabs him, with a quick cut revealing that this sultry young woman is not a young woman at all, but instead the local mortician who we will come to know as The Tall Man. This isn’t spelled out with any grand special effect or magical transformation; just two quick cuts by Coscarelli reveal the secret. The film is not only revealing that you cannot expect anything normal within Phantasm, nor trust what your eyes see, but that a storyteller with a full command of his narrative is behind the camera.

Young Mike (Michael Baldwin) is confronted by the nefarious Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) in Phantasm.

Tommy’s death kicks off the larger plot of Phantasm which follows Mike Pearson, a young boy who finds himself in a bit of daze. After his parents death, he was placed in the custody of his older brother Jody, who would prefer to be getting up to things that a young man is eager to take part in than look after his younger brother in a parental capacity. Mike is desperately attached to his brother, but Jody openly ponders sending him away so he can live his own life. Their relationship becomes the main crux of one of the movie’s larger themes, coming to terms with death through leaning on others.

As Jody and his pal Reggie (the ponytail-sporting, ice cream-selling comic relief of the franchise) attend the funeral, Mike watches them from a distance, always eager to keep his brother in his sights in case he decides to finally up and leave town one day. While spying on them, Mike sees unlikely images unfold around him in the graveyard as dwarven figures wearing black hoods pass between the headstones just out of his peripheral vision, culminating in the moment where he sees The Tall Man lift up Tommy’s coffin by himself and place it in the back of the hearse.

Having witnessed all this, Mike becomes obsessed with figuring out what The Tall Man is up to, prompting him to do more sleuthing. After breaking into the funeral home and its adjacent mausoleum at night, Mike encounters the third horrifying piece of imagery that is nestled into Phantasm, the tiny chrome sphere that flies through the air and drills its way into the head of anyone that crosses its path. An unlucky caretaker at the cemetery gets a new hole in his forehead after it slams into the space between his eyes and sends blood flying all around. The death is not only gruesome, but wholly unique.

Phantasm (1979)

(As a side note, JJ Abrams apparently loves Phantasm so much that he was a driving force behind getting the movie remastered a few years ago. He even went on to create the Star Wars: The Force Awakens character Captain Phasma in reference to it. Now, what did she look like again?)

Though the flying sphere is maybe Phantasm’s most notable addition to pop culture, it’s Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man that is its most iconic nightmare fuel. Standing at 6’4”, Scrimm’s subtle mannerisms, long stride, and guttural delivery of the iconic “Booooooy!” are just some of the elements in his performance that make The Tall Man feel not only fully realized but memorable. In a world where the genre was dominated by masked killers using whatever household items they could find to get kills, a dignified older man whose defining characteristic is primarily that he’s just tall is already enough of a reason to make him stand out. Couple that with how Scrimm didn’t take his role lightly and you’ve got one of the most underrated movie villains of all-time, and he can be found in all five of the Phantasm movies.

This is where I draw the line at revealing what Phantasm has in store for you, because ruining its biggest surprises to a fresh audience member feels criminal. It’s also why it has become such a seasonal treat that feels ripe for repeat viewing in October; it’s all in the experience. There’s not only a human story at the center of Phantasm, but its outer shell is a surreal nightmare that Don Coscarelli masterfully brings to life. Fans will also find themselves quietly jamming to the film’s score from composers Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave, a dreamlike melody that manages to keep your hair on edge while also making you wonder how much of what you’re seeing is real.

Phantasm offers a lot of meat to chew on, not only from the imagery that feels like it was plucked directly from our subconscious fears but its clear thematic arc and fresh characters. In the end though, it’s also a film that’s just fun as hell to watch. Will Phantasm always make sense to you? Perhaps not. But when the characters themselves are this likable and real, you can buy into supernatural happenings around them. You have to just buy the ticket and enjoy the ride.

You can watch Phantasm for free online over at FREEVEE; KANOPY; PLUTO; ROKU; or TUBI.

The post This Is the Horror Classic I Watch Every Halloween appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Why Fans Keep Demanding a Sequel to This Unexpected Halloween-Themed Cult-Classic

Patrick Cavanaugh — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 22:24:16 +0000

Image Courtesy of HanWay Films

If you’re filmmaker Adam Wingard or actors Dan Stevens or Maika Monroe, you’re having a pretty good year. Wingard’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire became the highest-grossing Godzilla movie of all time, Stevens starred in genre hits Abigail and Cuckoo (in addition to Godzilla x Kong), and Monroe starred in Longlegs, which has become one of the most talked-about horror movies of the year. This year also marks the tenth anniversary of The Guest, directed by Wingard and starring Stevens and Monroe, which marks ten years of passionate fans asking for another entry in the genre-bending and Halloween-themed adventure.

The Guest follows the mysterious David (Stevens) as he visits the family of a fallen military friend, aiming to offer assistance in a challenging time. David is handsome, charming, and a help around the house, as he manages to even win over even the wary sister Anna (Monroe). Aiming to learn more about him, Anna uncovers some conflicts in David’s story, with her investigation inadvertently kicking off an action-packed confrontation that reveals David’s true nature.

Image Courtesy of HanWay Films

In 2011, Wingard and writer Simon Barrett unleashed the home-invasion horror movie You’re Next, which injected plenty of laughs into its terror and won over festivalgoers at the Toronto International Film Festival and Fantastic Fest. The movie was purchased by Lionsgate, though as the distributor developed a release strategy, the buzz around You’re Next made it feel like a forgotten masterpiece locked in a vault. It wasn’t until two years later that the movie got a theatrical release, and while it might not have become a blockbuster, it helped build a following for Wingard and Barrett’s unique takes on genre storytelling.

The pair reunited for The Guest, whose festival screenings and (albeit lackluster) theatrical release have earned it 92% positive reviews from critics, according to aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, marking the highest score of their careers. The movie was inspired by Barrett’s background as a private investigator, which saw him uncover all manner of unexpected secrets about clients, as well as Wingard’s random revisiting of the movies Halloween and The Terminator. Its initial, underwhelming release on audiences meant it flew under most viewers’ radars, though anyone who caught the movie on streaming services over the years resulted in it feeling like a true discovery to newcomers.

Image COurtesy of HanWay Films

The Guest has earned acclaim for a variety of reasons, one of which is the charm and charisma of Stevens. His role as Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey earned him fans, but The Guest opened up his talents to an entirely new audience. Monroe managed to capture the sarcasm of a young adult who is doubtful of the strange figure yet who is also drawn to his magnetism, and her role in the horror sensation It Follows within that same year cemented her as an up-and-coming “It Girl” for genre stories. The rest of the cast, which includes Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser, and the late Lance Henriksen, all created the necessary blend of warmth and openness necessary to convey the gravity of the situation thrust upon them.

Much like You’re Next, The Guest manages to tonally and visually dip its toes into a number of genre pools, running the gamut of sci-fi, horror, thriller, action, and comedy from one scene to the next. This is a credit not only to Wingard, Barrett, and the cast’s individual contributions to the project, but also to the alchemy they all created together to help concoct an adventure that both felt familiar for fans of ’80s cinema and also entirely fresh. Additionally, the film’s score was crafted by Steve Moore of the band Zombi, while the soundtrack included music from Clan of Xymox, Gatekeeper, Survive, and Love and Rockets, all of which amplified its throwback tone.

Image Courtesy of HanWay Films

One reason The Guest gains so much attention in October is for how unconventional of a Halloween movie it assuredly is. With the movie being filmed in New Mexico, it doesn’t embrace the traditional iconography of crunchy leaves and grey skies of other Halloween-centric movies, which might be why the filmmakers were so intentional about the way the holiday is integrated into the narrative. When David and Anna attend a party together, it’s a Halloween party with expected decorations and costumes. A key scene sees David carving pumpkins with Luke (Meyer) where David uses his own knife, which he gifts to Luke, only for Luke to use it later in the film. The entire final showdown between David, Anna, and Luke unfolds at a high school decorated for a Halloween dance, which includes fog, strobe lights, and spooky decorations (including oversized decor honoring Halloween III: Season of the Witch).

As if the overall experience isn’t enough to make it a contemporary classic, its Halloween relevance results in annual viewings from fans, which only amplifies the demands for a sequel. Virtually any good movie will see subsets of fans asking for a sequel, while David’s mysterious backstory and The Guest‘s open-ended finale keep the doors open for future adventures either with these characters specifically or just set in this world. Even though Wingard, Barrett, Stevens, and Monroe have all gone on to make multiple other compelling projects, virtually every promotional circuit for a new endeavor results in them being asked about a sequel, as they all tease their interest in such a reunion.

Image Courtesy of Lakeshore Records

Fan demands for more The Guest might not have all been for naught, though, as the figures involved in the series teased in 2021 and in early 2022 that something was gestating, which led to the debut of The Guest 2 (Original Soundtrack) on April 1, 2022. The album featured music from Wingard, Moore, and various other contributors, with the track titles embracing the overall trajectory of what Wingard and Barrett saw as the next chapter for the saga. Including songs titled “The Guest Returns,” “Grim Showdown,” “Carver’s War Machine,” and “David vs. The Splinters of the Cross,” these narrative teases might be the closest we get to a live-action sequel.

Every year that passes, The Guest finds more fans, and regardless of what projects they move onto, the cast and crew of the film continue to be asked about getting more of this sci-fi world. Luckily, even if we never get more of the movie, getting one such compelling story in the first place is already enough of a win and we’re happy to have such an unlikely project to add to the list of annual Halloween watches.

The Guest is currently available to rent on digital platforms.

What do you think of the movie? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post Why Fans Keep Demanding a Sequel to This Unexpected Halloween-Themed Cult-Classic appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Mortal Kombat 1 Ghostface Trailer Shows Scream Killer Ready To Haunt Earthrealm

Alec Mullins — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 20:35:51 +0000

Mortal Kombat 1 released in September 2023 and has steadily expanded ever since. Like all of the latest Mortal Kombat games, the new inclusions have blended franchise staples with a mix of popular picks from around film and TV. Over the last year, fans have gotten their hands on The Boys‘ Homelander, DC’s Peacemaker, and Invincible‘s Omni-Man already, and it won’t be long before Scream‘s Ghostface joins the party.

Hailing from the beloved slasher franchise, Ghostface is something of a mystery. Every character that dons the iconic mask seems to gain some level of superhuman resilience, battling through even the most grievous of wounds to keep stalking their prey, taunting them with chilling lines, and bamboozling would-be captors no matter how dire the circumstance. This kind of supervillain buff fits right in with the aforementioned roster of newcomers.

Ghostface’s reveal trailer doesn’t give much away about his in-game moveset, but it does deliver a quick array of unnerving clips to establish his character. After all, he’s just “a dude with a knife,” as Johnny Cage pointed out (just before getting stabbed to death). Additionally, the short preview also confirms Roger L. Jackson (like John Cena and J.K. Simmons before him) has reprised his iconic role as the voice behind the mask.

Speaking of the mask, the trailer gave us a brief-but-helpful look at a few variants of Ghostface’s iconic guise—including the crimson “Devilface” variant, which was most recently seen in Behaviour Interactive’s asymmetrical horror game Dead by Daylight. Blink and you’ll miss it, but there’s also a glimpse at a Scorpion-themed variation that calls back to one of MK’s oldest designs. That’s not all, though. We also get a look at an all-chrome style mask, as well as a blood-soaked variant, much like you might have seen on Halloween 20 years ago.

Khaos Reigns DLC owners will get the first crack at the Woodsboro menace as he hits early access on November 19th. Everyone else will be waiting for the full release a week later on November 26th. Ghostface is far from the last fighter to join the fray in this set, though.

As revealed back at San Diego Comic-Con, both Conan the Barbarian and the T-1000 Terminator variant are still waiting in the wings to round out this wave, adding two more big pieces to the Hollywood-themed mural the series has painted with its DLC ever since A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s Freddy Kreuger showed up in MK 9.

While Ghostface will be overshooting the Halloween release window by about a month, anyone eager to scratch their spooky fighting game itch can brave the Towers of Time to earn appropriately scary makeover skins for movie star Johnny Cage, Li Mei, and Mileena, until November 2nd.

There’s no word yet on characters to come after the Khaos Reigns batch is fully integrated, but if previous Mortal Kombat games are anything to go by, there will still be at least one more round of newcomers to shake up this new era in the fighting game’s strange new timeline.

The post Mortal Kombat 1 Ghostface Trailer Shows Scream Killer Ready To Haunt Earthrealm appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Heretic Reveals Real People That Inspired Hugh Grant’s Sinister Character

Kofi Outlaw — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 20:23:12 +0000

The new horror movie Heretic features Hugh Grant as “Mr. Reed,” a reclusive man living in a house that holds some dark secrets. When two Mormon girls acting as missionaries show up on Reed’s doorstep, he lures them into a dark test of their faith that could also be a test of life and death. The film’s trailers have gotten audiences hooked on directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ (writers of A Quiet Place) atmospheric dread, and the tease of a deliciously unhinged performance from Hugh Grant.

ComicBook got the chance to sit down and talk with Woods and Beck about Heretic; during that conversation, the director duo revealed some of the real-life figures that influenced the character of Mr. Reed:

“Yeah I mean definitely from a cult standpoint we were thinking about Jim Jones with the Jonestown Massacre; Keith Raniere and the NXIVM cult,” Beck explained. “All of these people who are fairly charismatic and you enter into this organization at first thinking it’s going to better your life, and then it perverts itself over the course of time.”

“Yeah, also he was inspired by great atheist thinkers,” Woods added. “Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins: he’s an amalgamation of 30 different real-life people and then you bring Hugh into the conversation and Hugh is such a brilliant mind. He had a lot of ideas as well about who the character connects to. It was so fun to work with him.”

Heretic Cast, Crew & Story Info

Sophie Thatcher & Chloe East in “Heretic” (2024)

Per the official synopsis for Heretic: “Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.”

Heretic is written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, and is being released by A24 Films. It stars Hugh Grant, Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3), Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets), and Chloe East (The Fabelmans). Heretic will be in theaters on Friday.

The post Heretic Reveals Real People That Inspired Hugh Grant’s Sinister Character appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Where to Watch the Scary Movie Franchise Online

Cameron Bonomolo — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 19:55:00 +0000

Do you like Scary Movie? More than two decades after spoofing such films as 1996’s Scream, 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, and 1999’s The Blair Witch Project, the Wayans brothers are bringing the horror parody back to life with Scary Movie 6. The new installment in the franchise — which has starred Anna Farris, Regina Hall, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, Simon Rex, Ashley Tisdale, Charlie Sheen, and more — will reunite series creators Shawn, Marlon, and Keenen Ivory Wayans, who are writing with Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House and Sextuplets).

The Scary Movie sequel will shoot in 2025 for a theatrical release from Miramax and Paramount, which acquired Dimension Films and the Scary Movie franchise in 2020.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the new Scary Movie and work with each other again. This is a franchise we created more than 20 years ago,” the Wayans said in a statement confirming their first Scary Movie since the R-rated Scary Movie 2 in 2001. “We remember people laughing in the aisles and hope to see that happen again. We look forward to working with Jonathan Glickman and his team at the new Miramax to bring these laughs to theaters, where they belong. It’s a double reunion.”

Ready to die laughing after watching the Halloween movies in order and streaming October’s new horror movies? Then read on to find out where to watch every Scary Movie online, and which movies are parodied in each installment.

Scary Movie (2000)

Carmen Electra, Marlon Wayans, Jon Abrahams, Shannon Elizabeth, Shawn Wayans, Cheri Oteri, and Anna Faris star in this outrageously funny parody slasher. A year after accidentally killing a man, a group of teenagers are stalked by a very familiar masked movie madman. As the victims pile up, the razor-sharp satire delivers never-ending shocks and laughs.

Movies parodied: Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Halloween, Friday the 13th, The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project

Where to watch Scary Movie: Paramount+

Scary Movie 2 (2001)

In the hit follow up, your favorite comedic characters are back in a film that scares up even more irreverent fun than the original with it’s take on cliché haunted house thrillers. Nothing’s sacred and anything goes in this outlandish must-see comedy hit that takes your love for sequels too far. Anna Farris, Regina Hall, Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans star with Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), Chris Elliott (Schitt’s Creek), Tori Spelling (Beverly Hills, 90210), Chris Masterson (Malcolm in the Middle), and David Cross (Arrested Development).

Movies parodied: The Exorcist, The Haunting, The Amityville Horror, Hannibal, Poltergeist, The Legend of Hell House

Where to watch Scary Movie 2: Paramount+

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

The third film in the Scary Movie franchise piles on hysterical, yet gratuitous, cameos while spoofing horror, blockbusters, and pop-culture. Roving reporter Cindy Campbell (Farris) sets out to find a hard news story in the middle of television sweeps. She soon uncovers an outrageous onslaught of globe-threatening developments including alien invaders, killer videotapes, freaky crop circles, prophecies of The One, eerie-eyed children, ambitious white rappers and even a run-in with Michael Jackson. Faced with conspiracies of massive proportions, and a crew of very strange people following her around, Cindy must fight to stop evil from taking over the world yet again.

Directed by David Zucker (Airplane!), the threequel stars Charlie Sheen, Anna Faris, Eddie Griffin, Queen Latifah, Regina Hall, and and features Pamela Anderson (Baywatch), comedian George Carlin, Leslie Nielsen (Naked Gun), and a who’s who of rap legends, including RZA and Method Man.

Movies parodied: The Ring, Signs, 8 Mile, The Matrix

Where to watch Scary Movie 3: Paramount+

Scary Movie 4 (2006)

The ever-naïve Cindy Campbell (Farris), seeking a career in home healthcare, finds work with a creepy old lady (Cloris Leachman) in an even creepier old house haunted by a ghostly presence. Throw in a good-looking guy next door and the threat of aliens intent on global domination and Cindy’s instantly up to the top of her extremely blond head in danger. Our fearless heroine catapults into action once again struggling to decipher ominous messages from the beyond, looking for love in some very weird places and trying to save the world from mass destruction. As she struggles to discover life-saving answers, Cindy encounters horrific plane crashes, bodacious blind girls, village idiots, disheveled rappers, kinky contraptions, psycho survivalists, alien sphincters and even Oprah!

Also starring Regina Hall and Craig Bierko with appearances by NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Pullman (Spaceballs), Molly Shannon (Saturday Night Live), Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), and Kevin Hart.

Movies parodied: War of the Worlds, Saw II, The Village, The Grudge, Million Dollar Baby

Where to watch Scary Movie 4: Paramount+, FuboTV (until Oct. 31)

Scary Movie 5 (2013)

Home with their newly-formed family, happy parents Dan and Jody are haunted by sinister, paranormal activities — disrupting new mama Jody’s dancing aspirations in the Swan Lake ballet and threatening Dan’s rise as an ape researcher. Determined to expel the insidious force, they install security cameras and discover their family is being stalked by an evil dead demon. Charlie Sheen, Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical), Lindsay Lohan (Freaky Friday), Snoop Dogg (The Underdoggs), Katt Williams (Norbit), Katrina Bowden (30 Rock), Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy), Heather Locklear (Melrose Place), Mike Tyson (The Hangover), and Terry Crews (Deadpool 2) appear.

Movies parodied: Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Mama, Sinister, Evil Dead, The Cabin in the Woods, Black Swan, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Where to watch Scary Movie 5: STARZ

The post Where to Watch the Scary Movie Franchise Online appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Trick ‘r Treat Director Promises Sequel Is “Not Dead by Any Stretch” Despite Years-Long Delay

Patrick Cavanaugh — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 18:18:28 +0000

Image Courtesy of Legendary Entertainment

In the years since a Trick ‘r Treat sequel was initially announced, director Michael Dougherty has been busy with other projects like Krampus and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but despite the delays, the filmmaker claims that fans shouldn’t give up hope entirely. On the film’s recent 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release, per Bloody Disgusting, Dougherty shares in a commentary track that the main reason for the delay is he doesn’t want to have to make any sacrifices or compromises that would impact his vision for the experience, and that he’s quite happy with the current version of the script. As far as whether there has been any significant momentum on the sequel since he recorded the commentary track is yet to be seen.

“I want to do it. It’s not dead by any stretch. We have some momentum moving in the right direction for sure, but I’m also of the belief that I’m not going to compromise or make sacrifices just to make a sequel,” Dougherty shared on the commentary track, according to the outlet. “It has to be under the right conditions with the right resources. Otherwise, I will be content with just letting this be this weird little movie that fought its way through a lot of adversity.”

He added, “But I’m very, very happy with the script for the sequel.”

The original movie was released in 2009 and served as a tribute to All Hallow’s Eve, as it blended humor with horror to deliver an anthology experience celebrating all manner of traditions honoring October 31st. At the time, streaming platforms hadn’t established themselves as avenues to watch movies, so Trick ‘r Treat was relegated to only earning a home video debut as opposed to either a major theatrical rollout or streaming debut. The movie’s sporadic streaming availability in the years since, however, has seen it earn a passionate following, leading to enthusiasm for another entry.

“It’s tricky, because I think we really did capture lightning in a bottle with this one, and it nearly killed me. What a lot of people don’t realize is that the bulk of our favorite horror movies, especially the ones that introduced new horror icons, were all independent movies,” Dougherty detailed on the disc, while citing other indie hits like Halloween and Friday the 13th. “There aren’t the typical metrics that a studio can point to to make it an easy ‘yes.’ Something I was adamant about in the sequel was that it has to retain this nonlinear storytelling, [and] it has to retain that weird mix of horror and comedy.”

One of the last updates about the sequel, which was initially announced in 2013, came from Dougherty last year, in which he similarly promised that he only wanted to move forward on a sequel if it could surpass the effectiveness of the original experience.

Stay tuned for updates on the possible future of Trick ‘r Treat 2.

Are you hoping we get a sequel to the movie? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post Trick ‘r Treat Director Promises Sequel Is “Not Dead by Any Stretch” Despite Years-Long Delay appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Wayans Brothers Reuniting for Scary Movie Reboot After Nearly Two Decades Away

Charlie Ridgely — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:19:15 +0000

Image Courtesy of Miramax

It was revealed at CinemaCon earlier this year that some kind of Scary Movie reboot was in the works over at Paramount. That was enough to get fans of the satirical horror franchise excited, but little did anyone know the best news was still yet to come. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that original franchise creators Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Marlon Wayans would all be returning to the series for this new installment.

Deadline broke the news that the trio of Wayans brothers that brought the Scary Movie franchise to life back in 2000 would be reuniting to write a screenplay for the first time in 18 years. The brothers are penning the screenplay for the new Scary Movie alongside Rick Alvarez. All four of those writers will also serve as producers for Miramax.

As part of Miramax’s first-look deal with Paramount, the new Scary Movie will receive a full theatrical release. Filming is slated to start sometime next year, though no specific date was mentioned. At this time, there is also no word on a release date.

“We are thrilled to reunite Scary Movie with the Wayans brothers, the brilliant creators behind the beloved franchise,” Miramax boss Jonathan Glickman told Deadline. “The timing is perfect to bring back the series to the big screen and we’re lucky to have Keenen, Marlon and Shawn’s unique comedic vision bringing it to audiences around the world.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the new Scary Movie and work with each other again,” added Keenen, Shawn, and Marlon. “This is a franchise we created more than 20 years ago. We remember people laughing in the aisles and hope to see that happen again. We look forward to working with Jonathan Glickman and his team at the new Miramax to bring these laughs to theaters, where they belong. It’s a double reunion.”

Keenen Ivory Wayans wrote and directed the first two films in the Scary Movie series, which found massive audiences for their comedic takes on popular horror films like Scream and The Ring. Marlon and Shawn Wayans wrote those two films alongside their older brother, in addition to starring on-screen.

When the news first went live, Marlon took to Instagram to celebrate the reunion that fans have spent years asking for.

“WE’RE BACK,” Wayans wrote. “After nearly 20 years, the Mayans brothers are finally going to give the fans what they’ve been asking for… a return to the SCARY MOVIE franchise! We’re looking forward to having fun on the big screen again.”

The post Wayans Brothers Reuniting for Scary Movie Reboot After Nearly Two Decades Away appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Universal Orlando Offers New Looks at Frankenstein, Wolf Man, and More at Monsters Unchained

Patrick Cavanaugh — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:31:54 +0000

Image Courtesy of Universal Orlando

Universal Studios in Orlando, Hollywood, and Japan are all still celebrating Halloween Horror Nights, immersing guests in a number of frightening haunted houses, but next year will see an all-new addition to Universal with Epic Universe. The attraction will feature various compelling new lands, but arguably the most exciting is the Dark Universe, an area where all of your favorite Universal Monsters come to life in a permanent, year-round experience. Universal Orlando Resort has released the first look at the iconic figures who will be living in Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, which includes Frankenstein’s Monster, Wolf Man, Dracula, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. You can check out first looks at the creatures below before Epic Universe opens on May 22, 2025.

Per press release, “Universal Orlando Resort is sharing a first, up-close glimpse at some of the Universal Monsters that will come to life like never before in the all-new ‘Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment’ attraction at Dark Universe – one of the five immersive worlds coming to Universal Epic Universe in 2025. The groundbreaking ride will feature 14 of the most ambitious and life-like animated figures ever created – each one depicting one of the legendary Monsters that will prey upon guests in what promises to be Universal Orlando’s most terrifying attraction yet.

“‘Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment’ will take guests deep into the catacombs of Frankenstein Manor, where Dr. Victoria Frankenstein – the great-great-granddaughter of the infamous Henry Frankenstein – conducts her twisted and misguided experiments. In a vain display of her genius, she invites guests to witness a demonstration of her ability to control monsters – but her plans go awry when a horde of enraged monsters are unleashed. Guests then embark on a terrifying ride through the darkness as they try to evade Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more.

Some of the most visceral, powerful, and fast-moving animated figures ever created, here’s a first look at a few of the terrifying, technologically advanced monsters that are wreaking havoc in Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment:

Image Courtesy of Universal Orlando

Frankenstein’s Monster

Created by science and feared by most, Frankenstein’s Monster walks tall at nine feet and weighs over 800 pounds. Guests will first encounter this figure within the queue of the attraction – where he will actually walk within Dr. Victoria Frankenstein’s lab during the preshow.

image courtesy of Universal orlando

The Wolf Man

Among the monsters unleashed within the attraction is the fearsome Wolf Man. As guests try to escape the catacombs of Frankenstein Manor, they’ll come within inches of his razor-sharp teeth and jagged claws.

image courtesy of universal orlando

Dracula

No creature of the night strikes terror into the hearts of mortals like the iconic vampire, Dracula. And to Dr. Victoria Frankenstein’s dismay, he is the most dangerous of monsters she’s trying to control. Guests will encounter Dracula at various moments throughout the attraction, as he’s behind the horde of enraged monsters terrorizing the Manor.

image courtesy of universal orlando

The Creature from the Black Lagoon

Guests will also witness the amphibious “Gill-man” emerge from the inky depths of the Black Lagoon, ready to terrorize guests alongside his fellow monsters.

Guests not yet ready to brave Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment will still have the opportunity to meet, greet, and take photos with legendary Monsters and characters as they explore Dark Universe — including Dr. Victoria Frankenstein’s Monster and the alluring Bride of Frankenstein. Guests will also encounter other unusual inhabitants roaming the eerie village, including Dr. Victoria Frankenstein’s assistant, Ygor, The Invisible Man, an eccentric monster hunter, and a talented musician who regales guests with songs and tales.

Stay tuned for updates on Universal Epic Universe before it opens on May 22, 2025.

Are you looking forward to the attraction? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post Universal Orlando Offers New Looks at Frankenstein, Wolf Man, and More at Monsters Unchained appeared first on ComicBook.com.

New Horror Movies Streaming This Week for Halloween 2024

Cameron Bonomolo — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 23:45:26 +0000

2024 has been a real scream for thriller and horror movies. M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap put a twist on the Eras Tour, Nicolas Cage and James McAvoy were unhinged in Longlegs and Speak No Evil, Sydney Sweeney gave a divine performance in Immaculate, Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot saw the light of day, and studios mined their libraries for the new prequels A Quiet Place: Day One, The First Omen, The Strangers: Chapter 1, and Rosemary’s Baby prequel Apartment 7A. And those are just the horror movies you may have heard of.

Besides Smile 2 and Terrifier 3, the October box office has had few frights this Halloween season. But not to fear: there are new horror movies streaming in the days before October 31, so you can get your horror fix without leaving the house.

Don’t Move

Produced by Sam Raimi (the Evil Dead movies and Drag Me to Hell), this thriller stars Kelsey Asbille (Yellowstone) as a woman who is injected with a paralytic drug by a killer (American Horror Story‘s Finn Wittrock) in a secluded forest. As her body shuts down, her fight for survival begins.

Where to stream Don’t Move: Netflix

The Exorcism

In this meta-horror that’s not related to The Exorcist or The Pope’s Exorcist — which starred Russell Crowe as an exorcist — The Exorcism sees Crowe play Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions… or if there’s something more sinister at play.

Where to stream The Exorcism: Shudder, Shudder on AMC+ (premieres Oct. 30)

Time Cut

When teen Lucy Field (Outer Banks‘ Madison Bailey) discovers a time machine — just another day in the life of a high school science whiz — she decides to travel back and prevent the crime that’s haunted her young life: the murder of her older sister Summer (Ginny & Georgia‘s Antonia Gentry). Can she survive the early ’00s and unmask the killer? Or will she say “Bye Bye Bye”… to her life?!? Only time will tell.

Where to stream Time Cut: Netflix (premieres Oct. 30)

The Substance

One of the best-reviewed movies of the year is also one of the bloodiest. Gory body horror The Substance stars Demi Moore (Feud) as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister past her prime and drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn — temporarily — as the gorgeous, twenty-something Sue (Kinds of Kindness‘ Margaret Qualley). The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. Easy, right?

Where to stream The Substance: Mubi

Amityville: Where the Echo Lives

1979’s The Amityville Horror, the classic horror movie based on the best-selling novel of the same name, inspired dozens of sequels, remakes, and ripoffs unrelated to the DeFeo murders and the infamous house in Amityville, including Amityville: Where the Echo Lives. In the low-budget Lionsgate movie, a paranormal investigator (Sarah McDonald) receives a call from a terrified woman who claims her house is inhabited by a ghost and discovers the building has a horrifying history.

Where to stream Amityville: Where the Echo Lives: PVOD (starting Oct. 29)

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (Apocalipsis Z: El principio del fin)

A strange rabies-like disease begins to spread unchecked across the planet, turning humans into extremely aggressive creatures. But Javier (Francisco Ortiz) has been living his own apocalypse for some time; still reeling from the loss of his wife in an accident, he’s been depressed and isolated from his family for a year, with Lúculo, his cat, as his only companion. As the illness worsens, his sister insists that he leave Vigo and join her in the Canary Islands, but the plan fails. He and Lúculo are soon forced to leave, meeting unlikely but essential travelling companions by land and sea. Apocalipsis Z: El principio del fin is a story of grief, a journey of survival, both physical and emotional, with action, suspense, a rabid infection, a little blood… and a grumpy cat.

Where to stream Apocalypse Z: Prime Video (premieres Oct. 31)

The post New Horror Movies Streaming This Week for Halloween 2024 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Your Monster Stars Talk Playing Pivotal Roles in an Unexpected Romance

Patrick Cavanaugh — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 22:52:03 +0000

Image Courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Even though love stories are often more grounded than bombastic cinema, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still treacherous villains, and Your Monster is no different. While Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey play the lead roles in the project, actors Edmund Donovan and Kayla Foster also star in the project and play key roles in our protagonist’s narrative, which forced them to endure some pretty intense on-screen dynamics. Making the feat all the more impressive is that there’s an actual monster in the experience, yet that monster was nothing compared to the wrath of our protagonist. Foster played double duty on the project, as she also served as a producer with writer-director Caroline Lindy. Your Monster is currently playing in theaters.

As far as how he endured a vicious tongue-lashing from Barrera’s character, Donovan detailed to ComicBook, “Man, I’m not going to lie, that was rough. And everyone — Kayla, you were very sensitive to the fact that I had to be this horrible villain, [this] hated guy the whole time. Everyone, on the day, was very sympathetic. And she was making up a lot of that stuff, she was just improvising, so I didn’t even know it was coming, man.”

Foster added, “And Edmund is so sensitive and sweet and wonderful. So he was really taking it in, really listening to her. And so Caroline and I were checking on him constantly.”

Your Monster tells the story of the soft-spoken actor Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera), who is dumped by her longtime boyfriend (Edmund Donovan) while recovering from surgery and retreats to her childhood home to recover. With her future looking bleak, insult is added to injury when Laura discovers her ex is staging a musical that she helped him develop. But out of these gut-wrenching life changes emerges a monster (Tommy Dewey) with whom she finds a connection, encouraging Laura to follow her dreams, open her heart, and fall in love with her inner rage.

While maybe not as overtly harmful to Barrera’s Laura, Foster’s Mazie still plays an important role in having a negative impact on Laura’s mental state.

“I think there’s something about feeling like you have support and that it’s there and it keeps falling away and betraying you. There’s something really painful about that,” the actor admitted. “It’s one thing to feel like you have nothing and no one, and you know how to approach that. But I think Mazie adds to Laura’s pain through the beginning of the story, because she keeps saying, ‘I’m your ride or die, I’ve got you. I’m going to do this, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do this.’ And she keeps just bailing on her, which I think is almost more painful than her not being there.”

Your Monster understandably has plenty of metaphors and allegories, as the actors expressed the film resolves itself by addressing how things aren’t always black-and-white divides between good and evil.

“I had to advocate for him in playing him, but I don’t back him. I don’t agree with what he does,” Donovan explained of his character’s actions. “He is definitely, objectively the bad guy. I don’t think that it’s all that hard to see. So I do think he deserves something.”

Foster noted, “By the way, the story, while it’s a redemption story, it’s also a warning story of not having a relationship with your monster. If you don’t create a relationship with your monster and it’s too late, it can spin out of control. So I think it’s two-sided.”

Your Monster is now playing in theaters.

The post Your Monster Stars Talk Playing Pivotal Roles in an Unexpected Romance appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Your Monster Filmmaker Caroline Lindy Talks the Long Road to the Big Screen

Patrick Cavanaugh — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 21:11:18 +0000

Image Courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Writer/director Caroline Lindy’s Your Monster has gone through a number of evolutions since she first conjured the concept. The story began as a feature before she trimmed it down to a short, and even then, there were possibilities that it would have been adapted into a series for the short-lived platform Quibi, with it ultimately landing in theaters as a genre-bending love story. Lindy recently recalled the evolution of that original story and how her original idea pivoted in various ways on its path to becoming the feature film that audiences have been checking out. Your Monster is now playing in theaters.

“Originally, the project was a feature film, and then I found out about the grant program through Women in Film, so I had to somehow chop it down to a 15-minute project, 15-minute script, but that was actually extremely helpful because it makes you laser in on what the most important elements of the story [are], the most exciting aspects of it,” Lindy expressed to ComicBook of the project’s development. “And then when I had to expand it back to a feature, the proof of concept is really helpful for getting my production company, my partners on board. Because I had the short film and producers attached, it helped to get the financing, ultimately, for the feature film.”

She continued, “So it’s a long road. It’s a long journey. For a moment, it was going to be a Quibi show, so you have to be extremely patient. It takes many, many years to get an idea like this off the ground, especially one that’s as wacky as this film. I think the hardest thing was trying to remain hopeful that it was going to come to fruition, even though it took so, so long.”

While the film manages to embrace a variety of tones throughout its run time, it doesn’t pull its punches with its finale, a decision that Lindy always knew she would arrive at.

“This movie is a monster film, so I felt like I had to, even though this is not straight horror, it’s more spooky, cozy, or lighthearted, horror painted with a lighter brushstroke, I felt like I still needed to pay homage to some of my favorite monster movies,” the filmmaker detailed. “I felt like this is a movie about a woman’s rage and a woman finding her voice and in an unapologetic, proud way. She’s a musical theater actress, so I felt like it had to have a really big, bold, grand finale that was going to be fun and ridiculous but truthful to the way I felt when I, finally, was proud to share my monster with the world.”

She added, “I love grand finales. Usually in a Broadway show, there’s a big grand finale, and so I felt like it was appropriate for the character. I felt like it was appropriate for the movie, but ultimately I thought it was the most fun way to end the film and I will always pick the most fun ending over anything else.”

Your Monster is now playing in theaters.

The post Your Monster Filmmaker Caroline Lindy Talks the Long Road to the Big Screen appeared first on ComicBook.com.

How to Watch Trap and More M. Night Shyamalan Movies Online

Cameron Bonomolo — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 20:05:01 +0000

M. Night Shyamalan movies are known for their twists. Whether it’s the truth about the “I see dead people” line in The Sixth Sense or that Split was part of Shyamalan’s superhero trilogy of Unbreakable/Split/Glass all along, the filmmaker is a master of the plot twist and didn’t-see-it-coming endings across such films as Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), The Village (2004), The Visit (2015), Old (2021), and Trap (2024).

The twist? Many of these Shyamalan movies are available to stream in the same place. The M. Night Shyamalan Spotlight, part of the No Sleep October Collection on Max, is a seven-movie collection that includes the Shyamalan-produced Caddo Lake (starring Dylan O’Brien) and The Watchers (directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan).

Below, we’ve rounded up all the ways to stream M. Night Shyamalan’s best movies, from The Sixth Sense (1999) through Trap (2024).

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), an 8-year-old boy, is haunted by his ability to “see dead people.” A helpless and reluctant channel, Cole is terrified by threatening visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. Confused by his paranormal powers, Cole is too young to understand his purpose, and too terrified to tell anyone, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), about his torment. As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the ominous truth about Cole’s supernatural abilities, they both receive a jolt that awakens them to something harrowing and unexplainable.

Where to watch The Sixth Sense: Max

Unbreakable (2000)

David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is the sole survivor of a devastating train wreck. Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) is a mysterious stranger who offers a bizarre explanation as to why David escaped without a single scratch, an explanation that threatens to change David’s family and life forever

Where to watch Unbreakable: Max

Signs (2002)

In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a mysterious intricate 500-foot design of circles and lines appears carved into a family’s crops. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), the family patriarch, still bereft over the accidental death of his wife, is tested in his journey to find the truth behind the unfolding mystery.

Where to watch Signs: Max

The Village (2004)

In 1897, a close-knit community lives with the frightening knowledge that a mythical race of creatures resides in the woods around them. The evil and foreboding force is so unnerving that none dare venture beyond the borders of the village and into the woods. But when curious, headstrong Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) plans to step beyond the boundaries of the town and into the unknown, his bold move threatens to forever change the future of the village.

Where to watch The Village: Fubo (until Oct. 31), FX Now

Lady in the Water (2006)

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

Where to watch Lady in the Water: Prime Video

The Happening (2008)

Mark Wahlberg stars as a man who takes his family on the run when a natural disaster threatens to end civilization. For years, the earth has been the victim of mankind’s “progress,” and the pollution has finally built to a point that causes a global backlash. An invisible neurotoxin is released into the air making the people in Philadelphia go crazy and kill themselves, causing a large-scale, cataclysmic environmental crisis that turns into a struggle by mankind to overcome nature.

Where to watch The Happening: Hulu

The Last Airbender (2010)

Shyamalan’s live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Aang (Noah Ringer), an extraordinary boy with incredible “bending” powers, as he journeys through an exotic land filled with magical creatures and powerful friends. As the Avatar, he is the only one who can end the age-old conflict between the four nations: Air, Water, Earth and Fire.

Where to watch The Last Airbender: Pluto TV

After Earth (2013)

A crash landing leaves Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher injured, Kitai must embark on a treacherous journey to signal for help. They must learn to work together and trust each other, if they want any chance of returning home.

Where to watch After Earth: Max

The Visit (2015)

When Loretta (Kathryn Hahn) sends her children, Becca and Tyler, to their grandparents’ secluded Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong stay, they quickly discover something is not right with the elderly couple. Faced with strange rules and increasingly frightening behavior, the children soon realize it will take all their wits to make it home alive.

Where to watch The Visit: Max

Split (2016)

Split delves into the mysterious recesses of one man’s fractured, gifted mind. Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him – as well as everyone around him — as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.

Where to watch Split: Peacock (until Oct. 31)

Glass (2019)

M. Night Shyamalan brings together two of his standout original films — Unbreakable and Split — in this explosive comic book thriller. Elijah Price, also known as Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), finds David Dunn (Bruce Willis) pursuing Kevin Wendell Crumb’s superhuman figure, The Beast (James McAvoy), in a series of escalating encounters. Price, armed with secrets critical to both men, emerges as a shadowy orchestrator.

Where to watch Glass: Prime Video

Old (2021)

Shyamalan unveils a chilling, mysterious thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly… reducing their entire lives into a single day.

Where to watch Old: Peacock, Fubo TV, USA Network

Knock at the Cabin (2023)

In this Shyamalan thriller, a tight-knit family is taken hostage by four armed strangers while vacationing at a remote cabin. The visitors, led by Leonard (Dave Bautista), demand that the young girl and her parents (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) make an unthinkable choice: to save their family or save humanity.

Where to watch Knock at the Cabin: STARZ

Trap (2024)

A father, Cooper (Josh Hartnett), and his teen daughter, Riley (Ariel Donaghue), attend a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.

Where to watch Trap: Max

The post How to Watch Trap and More M. Night Shyamalan Movies Online appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Chucky Creator Says Franchise Will Continue Major Trend After Cancellation

Spencer Perry — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 01:58:57 +0000

CHUCKY -- Season:1 -- Pictured: Chucky -- (Photo by: Brendan Meadows/USA Network)

It’s been exactly one month since the Chucky TV series was cancelled by SYFY and USA Network, ending the show on a major cliffhanger and leaving fans wondering when the killer doll would return. No official news has been revealed on when Chucky fans will next see the killer doll slash his way through a crowd or cause havoc with Tiffany, but series creator Don Mancini (who wrote or co-wrote every film in the franchise and was showrunner for all three seasons of the series) has been assuring fans that the story will continue.

Having previously reiterated that Chucky “always comes back,” Mancini took to Twitter this weekend to offer a tease for fans that were worried the big cliffhanger of the TV show would never get resolved. In his post, Mancini wrote: “The CHUCKY franchise has always prioritized story continuity, across different media, for decades. You WILL see your favorites again.” Included in the post were photos of stars Devon Sawa, Zackary Arthur, Björgvin Arnarson, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Lachlan Watson, Bella Higginbotham, plus Fiona Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Christine Elise, and Alex Vincent.

To his credit, Mancini is right, the Chucky franchise has been bringing back the same actors to play the same characters and continue their stories since the very beginning. Not only has Brad Dourif voiced the titular killer for seven movies and three seasons of the show, but Alex Vincent has been playing the part of Andy Barclay since 1988’s Child’s Play. Even Jennifer Tilly has been playing the role of Tiffany Valentine since 1998’s Bride of Chucky. The precedent is there, and even before Mancini’s hopeful message there was no reason to believe otherwise.

How did the Chucky TV series end?

Knowing that our favorite characters from the Chucky TV show will eventually return is good for fans of the show as it ended in a way that spelled doom for them. As Chucky season 3 came to a close, Jake (Zackary Arthur), Devon (Björgvin Arnarson), and Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) were all put into doll bodies using the same voodoo magic as Chucky and Tiffany. To make matter worse, they’re being held captive in a display case, all while Chucky and Tiffany are off running free, reunited and smooching all through the night.

It’s really unclear where the Chucky TV series would have gone after such a dramatic cliffhanger for the story, but considering the ramifications of the ending it would make sense for the three characters to be stuck as dolls for at least a little while. Granted, budget wise, it would eventually add up if three of your human actors were actually tiny puppets with their phases super-imposed onto the bodies, so a return to their human form could happen quickly.

What is the future of the Chucky franchise?

So far there’s been no confirmation about what comes next for Chucky. Previously however, before the Chucky TV series was cancelled, Don Mancini did confirm that he was writing the next movie in the series. It’s unclear if the movie was being written to act as a continuation of the show, a side-story adjacent to the show, or maybe something that would have followed a theoretical fourth season of Chucky. With the series now over, this movie could very well be the next thing to be released in the franchise, but we may not know for sure for some time.

The post Chucky Creator Says Franchise Will Continue Major Trend After Cancellation appeared first on ComicBook.com.

When and Where to Watch the Halloween Movies on Halloween

Cameron Bonomolo — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 23:00:03 +0000

“It’s Halloween. Everyone’s entitled to one good scare.” Or ten. Halloween is upon us, which means two things: the return of Michael Myers, and the end of AMC’s month-long FearFest. The network’s annual block of horror programming will conclude with the 10-movie Halloween on Halloween Marathon on Oct. 31, followed by a Halloween Hangover on Nov. 1.

AMC will air the Halloween movies out of timeline order starting at 1 a.m. on Halloween, with the all-day marathon featuring repeat airings of John Carpenter’s original 1978 classic about escaped mental patient Michael Myers (Nick Castle) — a.k.a. the Shape — stalking babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) as he’s hunted by his psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), on Halloween night.

AMC Halloween on Halloween Marathon Schedule: October 31, 2024

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
4 a.m. ET
A couple (Tom Atkins, Stacey Nelkin) get wise to a madman’s (Dan O’Herlihy) explosive masks.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
6 a.m. ET
Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) renews his hunt for killer Mike, who has escaped from the hospital once again.

Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
8 a.m. ET
An ancient Celtic ritual drives Dr. Loomis’ patient to sacrifice an entire family in Illinois.

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
10 a.m. ET
Internet users watch six collegians as they spend the night in Michael Myers’ (Brad Loree) childhood home.

Halloween (2007)
12 p.m. ET
A psychiatrist follows an escaped psychopath’s blood-soaked trail back to his hometown.

Halloween II (2009)
2:30 p.m. ET
Unstoppable Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) continues his murderous rampage in Haddonfield.

Halloween H20: 20 years Later (1998)
5 p.m. ET
In hiding for two decades, a traumatized woman (Jamie Lee Curtis) learns her murderous brother has returned for her.

Halloween (1978)
7 p.m. ET
John Carpenter’s chiller about an escaped maniac who returns to his Illinois hometown to continue his bloody rampage.

Halloween II (1981)
9 p.m. ET
A killer follows his injured target (Jamie Lee Curtis) to the hospital on Oct. 31 in Haddonfield, Ill.

Halloween (1978)
11 p.m. ET
A re-airing of the first Halloween movie.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
1 a.m. ET
Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) meets killer Mike’s niece (Danielle Harris).

Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
3 a.m. ET
An ancient Celtic ritual drives Dr. Loomis’ patient to sacrifice an entire family in Illinois.

Halloween Hangover Schedule: November 1, 2024

Thinner (1996)
10 a.m. ET

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
12 p.m. ET

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
2 p.m. ET

Friday the 13th (1980)
4 p.m. ET

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
6 p.m. ET

Beetlejuice (1988)
8 p.m. ET

The Lost Boys (1987)
10 p.m. ET

Silver Bullet (1985)
12 a.m. ET

How many Halloween movies are there?

There are 13 movies in the Halloween movie franchise, which means AMC will air all but three: 2018’s Halloween, 2021’s Halloween Kills, and 2022’s Halloween Ends. Don’t want to wait until Halloween night? Here’s the Halloween movie timeline and where to watch all the Halloween movies online.

The post When and Where to Watch the Halloween Movies on Halloween appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Hysteria! Creators Reveal KISS Turned Down Series For a Very Surprising Reason

Spencer Perry — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 22:38:27 +0000

HYSTERIA! -- "Mother" Episode 105 -- (Photo by: PEACOCK)

The new Peacock TV series Hysteria! has an era-appropriate soundtrack. Set against the backdrop of the 1980s Satanic panic, Hysteria!‘s soundtrack naturally included the likes of Mötley Crüe, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard, Alice Cooper, and Judas Priest, but there’s also songs from Belinda Carlisle, New Kids on the Block, and Queen (of course “Psycho Killer” from Talking Heads also has a prominent appearance). Considering the time and place for the series, one shouldn’t be surprised to see any of those names, but you may have noticed some notable omissions.

Speaking with ComicBook in an interview for the series, we asked series creator Matthew Scott Kane about creating the soundtrack that lives in the show. Kane not only detailed how the songs all came together, with a major hat tip to the show’s music supervisor, but also revealed that none other than KISS wouldn’t allow their song to be used in the series.

“So we had the world’s greatest music supervisor and a woman named Jen Malone, who you could throw her any track, any obscure or whatever, and she would go find it and slam dunk it for you,” Kane revealed. “I’m talking about like the Pixies cover two song from Eraserhead that has all kinds of legal red tape all over it. She got it for us. We have a song from a Swedish band called Father. Bathory, which that was a whole huge rights issue. The only thing that she couldn’t get for us and we all had a good laugh about it, was the song ‘Beth’ by KISS.”

He continued, “We could not get ‘Beth’ by KISS because there were, how do I say this? There were religious objections to using ‘Beth’ in our show. I did not know the Knights in Satan’s Service had such strict standards as to what what shows that their songs could appear on. But we respected their decision and moved on and had our composer create something that we think works for the moment better.”

Hysteria! is described by Peacock as follows: “When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the late 1980s, Hysteria! follows a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts who realize that they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band. This is until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported ‘supernatural activity’ triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.”

Hysteria! stars Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), and Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness), as well as Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis, and Nikki Hahn. All eight episodes of Hysteria! season 1 are now streaming on Peacock.

The post Hysteria! Creators Reveal KISS Turned Down Series For a Very Surprising Reason appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Fortnite Adding Leatherface’s Iconic Chainsaw Dance for Halloween

Marc Deschamps — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 17:08:20 +0000

There are few slasher villains as iconic as Leatherface. The lead antagonist from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has been haunting horror movie fans for more than 40 years, and he can now be found plaguing Fortnite fans as well. The skin is currently live in the Item Shop, and HYPEX has shared a video showcasing Leatherface’s appearance. From the video, it seems Epic Games pulled out the stops trying to make this one big deal. The company even added a Chainsaw Dance emote, meant to evoke the final scene in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre film. When used, Leatherface swings his chainsaw around over his head and in multiple directions!

A video from HYPEX showcasing the skin and content can be found below.

While Fortnite has not shied away from adding content from R-rated films, the developers sometimes have to tone things down a little to make them compatible with the game and its world. Notably, Leatherface looks a little less intimidating than he does in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre video game, with a more cartoonish design; his mask looks nothing like decaying skin. However, the developers have gotten pretty creative with the character’s back bling, with an option that’s pretty messed up, but also darkly hilarious. The Prized Peel back bling features Peely’s face, which has been cut off, stretched out, and stuck in a picture frame. It’s a little less gruesome since we’re talking about a banana, but it’s still kind of shocking. There’s also an Unpeel’d assault rifle wrap, that shows more of Peely’s ripped up “skin” and face. Yeesh.

So far, reception to the Texas Chain Saw Massacre content has been a bit mixed. Many fans seem disappointed with the actual skin’s design, particularly the mask itself. That was kind of to be expected, but some fans have also expressed frustration with the animations. Some are saying that they look “goofy” and a step down from the chainsaw options that accompanied Ash Williams. While the Peely options have gotten some praise, fans couldn’t help but feel like it was a missed opportunity not including a Peely face mask for Leatherface. That might have taken things a little farther than Epic Games was willing to go, but it would have been a nice inclusion.

RELATED: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Game Is Now Permanently Cheaper

Leatherface is not the only slasher villain appearing in Fortnite this Halloween season. Michael Myers was also brought back to the Item Shop this weekend, after previously appearing during last year’s Fortnitemares event. The haunter of Haddonfield is a welcome return to the game, as fans had long been hoping for his return. Thankfully, Michael’s Fortnite design looks a lot closer to the films than Leatherface does, so slasher fans that aren’t sold on the Texas Chain Saw Massacre villain can always go with the Halloween antagonist instead.

How do you feel about Leatherface’s new look in Fortnite? Do you think Epic Games could have done a better job on this skin? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

The post Fortnite Adding Leatherface’s Iconic Chainsaw Dance for Halloween appeared first on ComicBook.com.

28 Years Later Star Reveals First Plot Details and Has Shocking Update on Filming Progress

Nicole Drum — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 22:56:10 +0000

Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later.

The eagerly anticipated 28 Days Later sequel, 28 Years Later, just its first plot details — and a major update — from one of its stars. Speaking with IndieWire, Ralph Fiennes revealed that the film, which is one of three follow ups to 28 Days Later, has already been shot as has the second in the trilogy. More than that, Fiennes revealed that 28 Years Later will center around a boy looking for a doctor to help his dying mother, nearly three decades after the initial plague from the first film.

Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later.

“It’s three films, of which two have been shot,” Fiennes said. “Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother. He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain. But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good.”

This latest update comes just a couple of months after producer Andrew Macdonald had confirmed that the first film in the new set of films, 28 Years Later, was already shot and that part two was about to begin production back in August. At that time, Macdonald said he was hopeful that there would be a third part for the trilogy and while Fiennes’ comments don’t shed any additional light on the progress for a third film, that the first two are complete certainly bodes well.

In addition to Fiennes, 28 Years Later will star Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The film is a sequel to 2002’s 28 Days Later which followed bicycle courier Jim (Cillian Murphy), who woke up from a coma only to find that the accidental release of a highly contagious and aggression-inducing virus had caused society to totally break down. The film got a sequel in 2007 with 28 Weeks Later with that film finding two young siblings breaking protocol to find a photograph of their mother and, in the process, reintroducing the Rage Virus to London’s safe zone. That film starred Rose Byrne, Jeremy Renner, Imogen Poots, and Idris Elba.

What Do The New 28 Years Later Details Tell Us?

The new plot details about 28 Years Later give us quite a bit of information about what the world has been like in the decades since the events of 28 Weeks Later. If there are just a few pockets of uninfected communities in Britain, it appears that they were unable to contain the Rage Virus or even potentially create much in the way of safe zones. This also suggests that the world at large may now also be decimated by the infection. The end of 28 Weeks Later ended with a group of infected emerging at the Paris Metro, a moment that revealed the virus had made its way to continental Europe. It is just the next step in logic to assume that from there the infection continued to spread — especially since one of the characters in the film was an asymptomatic carrier of the Rage Virus, suggesting a source for the virus in continental Europe.

28 Years Later is currently scheduled to open in theaters on June 30, 2025.

The post 28 Years Later Star Reveals First Plot Details and Has Shocking Update on Filming Progress appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Halloween Toys, Games and Collectibles Guide: Disney, Arkham Horror, and More Create the Perfect Spooky Holiday

Matthew Aguilar — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 20:23:17 +0000

Halloween is almost here, and you are more than likely stocking up on some staples of the holiday like candy for trick or treaters, a top notch set of costumes for the family, and plenty of ghostly decorations. If you happen to be celebrating with some family and friends as well, all of those are going to come in handy, but what if you want to create the perfect spooky holiday? Well we’ve got you covered with a full guide to the toys, games, and collectibles that will make your Halloween holiday fun even better, so let’s get started with items for the whole family.

Family Fun

If you have a range of ages celebrating Halloween at your house this year, it’s important to make sure that you’ve got games and experiences that will be fun and approachable for younger players as well. The good news is there’s plenty to choose from this year, and for the smallest players, the top choices include Moose Games’ Bluey Hide and Seek and Tippy The Magic Dragon, and Basic Fun’s Lite Bright Pokémon.

Bluey Hide and Seek is beautifully in its simplicity, as you activate the little Bluey figure when you’re ready to play hide and seek. Then someone hides the figure and Bluey makes noises to give players hints as to where she’s located until someone finds her and activates dance mode to celebrate. LiteBright Pokémon Edition gives the beloved toy a Pikachu makeover, and Tippy the Magic Dragon is great for very young players who are looking for a challenge.

If you have a mix of ages playing, Scooby Doo The Board Game, Bananagrams, BOOoop!, Tee Turtle’s Casting Shadows, Chronicles of Light: Darkness Falls, and Monopoly Wicked Edition will all be great picks for a fun time, and if you have someone who is wanting to learn Disney Lorcana, the Disney Lorcana TCG Gateway is the absolute best way to make that happen. If you want to pre-order something that will likely be perfect for next Halloween, you can check out the campaign for Twisted Cryptids right here. Here’s our full rundown of family games and toys.

Spooky Tabletop

Now if you are looking to create a spookier gaming experience for your family and friends, there are some amazing games you can add to the party list. If you happen to have some time and a crew of adventurers who want to really experience a spooky adventure, Edge Studio’s Arkham Horror RPG Starter Set is right up your alley. Up to five players and 1 Game Master can jump into an immersive horror adventure that is geared towards helping newcomers learn the system while still having considerable depth for experienced players, and ages 14 and up can jump in. You can also play a longer session or break things down into an individual scene, so while it won’t be 15 minutes or anything, you can adjust your Arkham Horror adventure so that it doesn’t take up the whole night.

Another great pick for the holiday is Smirk and Dagger’s The Night Cage, which clocks in at around 40 to 50 minutes and offers a cooperative experience. In the game you’ll need to work together to escape a dark maze with only a candle lighting your way, and since it’s easy to teach and get up and running, this could end up being the hit of your Halloween gathering.

Other highlights include the new Horrified: World of Monsters, the action-packed Zombicide 2nd Edition (which also offers a host of expansions to fit any occasion), and the new Betrayal Deck of Lost Souls Card Game from Avalon Hill, which plays super quickly in around 20 minutes and is cooperative to boot for ages 12 and up. Here’s the full rundown of Spooky Tabletop games.

For The Disney Fan

The Disney fan is in luck this season, as there are a number of offerings that will delight longtime fans. If you want to play something perfect for the season, Mixlore’s Nightmare Before Christmas Card Game accommodates 2 to 6 players for a 45 minute game where you’ll be playing as favorites like Jack, Sally, Santa Claus and more. The goal is to collect Holiday Tokens, and each character feels distinctly different in a still approachable way.

That said, you might want to just show up in style, and Loungefly’s Lilo & Stitch Candy Corn backpack is a brilliant way to do just that. I’m a sucker for candy corn in general, and once paired with Stitch, well, it’s a match made in heaven. Speaking of Stitch, you can also collect some candy in the adorable Stitch Skelton costume mug from BoxLunch, though frankly you could just pick it up for any season because it’s delightful.

If you’re looking for something that you could give to partygoers or trick or treaters, Disney Doorables’ Neon Glow figures are beyond cute, and they are good for ages 5 and up. Plus, there’s a Winnie The Pooh one, so that immediately makes it worthwhile. I’m a fan, what can I say. Here’s the full rundown of Disney items.

Threads, Care Bears, and Star Wars

If you want to make sure you really lean into the spirit of Halloween, you’ve got some great options this year, starting with rocking the BoxLunch IT House-themed Zip Sweatshirt, which is as stylish as it is spooky. On the other side of the equation is the Sanrio Hello Kitty Halloween Lace Mini Backpack, which is adorable but still perfect for the season.

For the collectibles fan, Pop Mart’s Star Wars Blind Box series is out and offers wonderfully animated figures of some of your favorites. While not directly Halloween-themed, you can’t tell me that Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Chewbacca wouldn’t make brilliant additions to your Halloween decor.

On the other hand, you could go with the big Care Bears rollout this year, as the delightful bears are embracing the holiday all the way. Funko has their Pop Movies Universal Monsters x Care Bears line, which features standouts like Bedtime Bear as The Mummy, Cheer Bear as Bride of Frankenstein, and Tenderheart Bear as Dracula. If you’d prefer those characters in plush form, Basic Fun has you covered, and they look just as great in plush. You can find the full rundown below.

Will you be picking any of these up? You can talk all things toys, games, and collectibles with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Halloween Toys, Games and Collectibles Guide: Disney, Arkham Horror, and More Create the Perfect Spooky Holiday appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Silent Hill 2 Players Left Disturbed by Mysterious Room in the Remake

Tyler Fischer — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 20:21:05 +0000

Silent Hill 2 players have been left disturbed by a mysterious room in the new remake of the game. Just like the 2001 PS2 original, the Silent Hill 2 Remake masters the feeling of atmosphere. And one of the ways it does this is by combining attention to detail and mystery, the latter of which is achieved by little environmental bread crumbs that leave players curious and on the edge of their seat.

For example, in room 210 in the Woodside Apartments one of the walls has a human silhouette. And we don’t know why. It is never explained in the game. Because of this, not only does it add to the creepy and unsettling atmosphere of the game, as well build out its world, but it leaves fans wondering if there’s anything more to it. In other words, it leaves players wondering if there is a mystery to solve because surely it is not a random human silhouette, but it seemingly is just that.

To this end, one of the top posts on the Silent Hill 2 Reddit page this week is a post wondering about this human silhouette in room 210 in the Woodside Apartments.

Why is there a human silhouette on the wall in room 210 in the wood side apartment ?
byu/thedudefrom1987 insilenthill

As the comments point out, this is most likely nothing more than t scare players and, again, create an atmosphere, something the game does better than just about every other horror game before it.

There are other explanations for this mysterious room though. Some think it is a nod to Japanese horror movie Pulse, which is possible, especially given the Japanese roots of the Silent Hill series.

And then there are other theories that suggest there is much deeper meaning to not just this silhouette, but to the other ones as well.

“The silhouettes symbolize James’ inability to move past his trauma as his inner self is bound to the rigid confines of his mind,” reads one comment. “He wants to reach out and scream, but the walls of his mind keep repressing his thoughts, so the silhouettes are his subconscious appearing to alert him and tell him to wake up.”

Of course, right now all we have is speculation. The reality is there is probably nothing more to it than simply environmental dress up and storytelling. Whatever the case, it is very effective. So effective players are assuming there is more to the silhouettes, and maybe there are, but this just speculation for now.

The post Silent Hill 2 Players Left Disturbed by Mysterious Room in the Remake appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Cult-Favorite Horror Movie That Channels the Halloween Spirit in a Totally Unique Way

Patrick Cavanaugh — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Image Courtesy of Midnight Crew Studios

Halloween represents a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For younger kids, it’s a chance to dress up as a beloved figure, going door to door to amass unreasonable amounts of candy. For teens and young adults, the holiday is a chance to get together with friends for Halloween parties, typically partaking in lighthearted revelry. Older enthusiasts will either get to supervise their own kids as they quest for candy, or possibly marathon their favorite horror offerings. While a number of movies have embraced all of these premises, 2013’s WNUF Halloween Special taps into a very specific slice of nostalgia to honor those of us who would tune into event programming that aimed to unsettle audiences on a low budget. Not all audiences will be able to connect with WNUF, but for those of us who do, it feels both like an evocative blast from the past and an entirely fresh approach to honoring All Hallow’s Eve.

Set on Halloween night in 1987, the WNUF Halloween Special begins with a news broadcast featuring anchors talking about fictional news stories as they’re dressed up in Halloween outfits. The anchors discuss regional topics, like a dentist offering cash for candy and local law enforcement offering tips to stay safe while trick or treating. The broadcast then introduces Frank Stewart (Paul Fahrenkopf), an anchor who is conducting a live investigation into a supposedly haunted house.

The WNUF Halloween Special isn’t the first project that aimed to replicate the look and feel of a live investigation from a network, as the formerly hard-to-find 1992 movie Ghostwatch had a similar premise. WNUF also isn’t the latest experience that embraces this premise, as one of this year’s best-reviewed horror movies is the David Dastmalchian-starring Late Night with the Devil, in which a talk show host hopes to revive viewership by bringing in a “possessed” girl on Halloween. What really makes the WNUF Halloween Special stand on its own, though, are the interstitials and commercials that both do and don’t pay respects to Halloween.

Before the age of streaming or the rise of home video, anyone with an interest in horror or Halloween would have to rely on TV networks to get their fix. This meant that, in addition to more gruesome movies being edited for content, viewers grew accustomed to movies and locally produced Halloween specials being interrupted by commercials. Many of these promos would be for national brands, though these commercial breaks also featured ads for local businesses. In the ’80s and ’90s, brands of all sizes would channel the spirit of the spooky season for themed commercials, so while viewers were disappointed to see programs interrupted, witnessing a vampire-themed Reese’s peanut butter cup commercial or advertisement for a nearby haunted house could at least keep the spooky atmosphere running.

Developed by Chris LaMartina, Jimmy George, and Jamie Nash, the premise of WNUF is that it is a recording of a broadcast from 1987. One question that audiences often have with found-footage horror movies is who has edited this “found” footage, but the filmmakers behind WNUF were so committed to authenticity, they even crafted dozens of fake commercials for fictional brands. From local drug stores offering Halloween makeup to horror hotlines to nearby farms, WNUF delivers era-appropriate parodies of such promos. Not all of the commercials have a seasonal sheen to them, as we even get commercials for upcoming episodes of fictional sitcoms or spots that highlight music compilations. We even get themed bumpers featuring network identification to fully immerse the viewer in the concept.

Image Courtesy of Midnight Crew Studios

To say that the WNUF Halloween Special was a labor of love would be an understatement. With a reported budget of $1,500, LaMartina would spend hours and days crafting each 30-second spot, either by filming new material or by expertly editing together stock footage that could pass for an ’80s-set promo.

“They’re either made from stock footage that we thought could believably look like the ’80s, they’re made from clips from filmmakers that we knew had footage from the late ’80s that were friends of ours that would let us take stuff and use it without any problem, and then also a little bit of public domain-type footage,” LaMartina explained to ComicBook of the process back in 2020. “Basically me and a handful of other writers, most notably this guy Pat Storck, who was incredible, he would knock out … he sent me 30 scripts for commercials, that I probably used like, I don’t know, 10 to 15 of. We wrote to the resources. I literally had this pool of writers come over to my house and I showed them all the clips, and then give them assignments. I’d be like, ‘Pat, would you write a commercial for the arcade footage I have here? Hey, I could go get my buddy [Joe Mitra] to record heavy metal songs. Could you come up with a list of fake bands? And we could do one of those f-cking ’80s, heavy metal compilation commercials.’ I knew the types of commercials I wanted to make, and then it was figuring out, it’s almost how like you use every part of the buffalo, right? There was not a f-cking clip I had that we didn’t use.”

He added, “At the time, I was a single dude. I was working as a video editor at a marketing agency and I was just living in the basement. I would wake up, edit a commercial, come back on my lunch break, because I could walk from my office to my house where I was living at the time, I would come back at my lunch break, edit another commercial, come home that night, edit another commercial, fall asleep. If the commercials were just made of stock footage, I could do three a day. And it was easy. I mean, literally, from script to screen, WNUF was nine months, the fastest we have ever made a movie. And that was sort of great; it was like a f-cking big fever dream.”

There’s a lot of movies and TV shows that honor all corners of Halloween festivities, but WNUF manages to both authentically and specifically pay respects to a bygone era of fandom. If your plans were impeded by weather or illness, if you had your evening cut short, or if you took more comfort in staying home on October 31st, a very specific era of Halloween fans have memories of watching local programming that embraced the spirit of the season and the WNUF Halloween Special channels those nostalgic feelings like no other movie out there. The project is so specific, that it even includes a bit of a post-script in which the Halloween theming has been abandoned, as it takes place on November 1st and signaled that the holiday is officially in the rearview.

Halloween fans have no shortage of content to watch every October, but there’s argubaly only one experience that scratches that nostalgic itch of what it was like to be watching TV on October 31st and all of the fond memories that come with it, and that’s the WNUF Halloween Special.

What do you think of the movie? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post The Cult-Favorite Horror Movie That Channels the Halloween Spirit in a Totally Unique Way appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Alien Reveals Romulus Station’s First Xenomorph Outbreak in New Prequel Story

Kofi Outlaw — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Alien: Romulus made the bold move of taking viewers along for the dark journey of the kids from Jackson’s Star, who wanted nothing more than to get off their dead-end mining colony home. However, the film quickly made it clear that the kids’ plan to steal the cryostasis chamber from a nearby Weyland-Yutani space station Renaissance was doomed from the start; the Romulus and Remus sections were already graveyards, with a full-on xenomorph outbreak frozen mid-progress. The aftermath hinted at a significant story of death, tragedy, and scientific hubris – a story which now being told in a new Alien: Romulus prequel.

WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW!

Marvel Comics has released Alien: Romulus #1 by writer Zac Thompson and artist Daniel Picciotto, with Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez and co-writer Rodo Sayagues contributing to the story. The comic takes place immediately following the opening prologue of the Alien: Romulus movie, which saw Weyland-Yutani discover a cocooned version of the original Alien (1979) Xenomorph that attacked the Nostromo (designated “XX121”) and bring it back to the Renaissance station for study. But how did all go so wrong?

Alien Reveals The Story of Romulus Station’s First Xenomorph Outbreak

In Alien: Romulus #1, we discover that xenomorph XX121’s arrival on Renaissance station caused major division amongst the crew. Science officer/android Rook was fascinated by the bio-engineering possibilities the xenomorphs presented – but security officers Hyla and Adrian know from experience that hostile lifeforms can cause havoc – especially when they appear most harmless. When Rook and the scientists take XX121 to Remus, Hyla, and Adrian wait for an opening and sneak in trying to eject the xenomorph off the station.

20th Century Studios / Marvel

As always in Alien, the plan goes sideways: the two security guards unwittingly disable the cryogenic bed that XX121 has been kept on, and the xenomorph comes back to life, tearing off Adrian’s face. XX121’s rampage leaves a trail of bodies – and the creature accidentally releases the cloned facehuggers Remus’ scientists developed, resulting in even more xenomorphs being implanted in human hosts.

The outbreak comes to a head when Hyla and Rook have to form a temporary alliance, to open the airlocks and try to purge the xenomorphs, parasites, and infected hosts from the station. Hyla lures XX121 into a killbox and shoots it to pieces – but Rook ultimately sacrifices her, half his body, and the rest of the human crew by choosing to complete his Prometheus serum extracted from XX121, rather than prioritizing human life and closing the airlock.

20th Century Studios / Marvel

The Alien: Romulus prequel comic manages to be a significant and thrilling expansion of the film’s story, as was the plan. It also does an admirable job of making readers want to go out and watch Alien: Romulus the movie right afterward, to enjoy it on a whole new level.

Alien: Romulus is available to watch on streaming.

The post Alien Reveals Romulus Station’s First Xenomorph Outbreak in New Prequel Story appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The Running Man Becomes Scott Pilgrim Reunion With Michael Cera Joining Reboot

Nicole Drum — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 02:34:22 +0000

The Running Man is turning into a Scott Pilgrim vs. The World reunion, at least in terms of its casting. On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter reported that both Michael Cera and Emilia Jones have joined the cast of Paramount’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. In the case of Cera, this sees the actor reunite with director Edgar Wright, how was also the filmmaker behind 2010’s Scott Pilgrim in which Cera played the titular role. The Running Man is set to kick off production in London early next year.

Cera and Jones are the latest cast announcements for the film. It was recently reported that Marvel alums Lee Pace and Josh Brolin had both been added to the film and before that, Twisters actor Katy O’Brian was cast in the film as well. They all join Glen Powell in the film. Set in a dystopian world where people enter to appear on violent game shows the totalitarian regime uses to control and placate the masses, in The Running Man, a man desperate for money for his sick daughter joins the popular show — called The Running Man — that sees teams of killers hunting down contestants. The longer a contestant survives and evades the killers, the more money that person makes. However, the desperate man will break all the rules as he plays the game and, in the process, expose the show’s dark secrets.

michael cera in scott pilgrim vs. the world

Cera is set to play a naive rebel who tries to help Powell’s desperate man while Jones is set to play a privileged woman who is “blind to the oppression of the government.” O’Brian is set to play another contestant of the show while Brolin plays the ruthless game show producer and Pace will play the chief hunter on the trail of Powell’s character. The Running Man is set to open in theaters November 21, 2025.

For Cera, his work in Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is one of his best known and best loved roles to date. It’s also a role that he recently returned to, reprising Scott Pilgrim to voice the character in Netflix’s animated series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. He also appeared as Alan in 2023’s hit Barbie and also appeared in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City. Jones is best known for her role in 2021’s CODA as well as the Netflix series Locke & Key.

The Running Man Reboot Will Be More Faithful To King’s Novel

The upcoming The Running Man film isn’t the first time King’s novel has been adapted for the screen. Filmmaker Paul Michael adapted the story in a 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger that was a much looser adaptation of the story. When this new version was first announced back in 2021, it was at that time confirmed that the film would be closer to King’s work, something that Wright himself has previously addressed, revealing that while he likes the Schwarzenegger-starring movie, he likes the book more — and has always felt it needed to be adapted.

“In terms of things that I’ve been (doing), like you know, The Running Man which is something that is in active development. Why is that interesting to me? I like the film but I like the book more and they didn’t really adapt the book,” Wright said. “Even as a teenager when I saw the Schwarzenegger film I was like, ‘Oh this isn’t like the book at all,’ and I think nobody’s adapted that book. So, when that came up, I was thinking you know and Simon Kinberg says, ‘Do you have any interest in The Running Man?’ I said, ‘You know what I’ve often thought that that book is something like crying out to be adapted.’ Now that doesn’t mean that it’s easy but like it is something that we are working on, yes, I’ll say that much.”

The Running Man is set to open in theaters November 21, 2025.

The post The Running Man Becomes Scott Pilgrim Reunion With Michael Cera Joining Reboot appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Secret Predator Movie Rumored to Be an Animated Anthology

Nicole Drum — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 00:37:59 +0000

Fans of the Predator franchise got exciting news this week when it was announced that Predator: Badlands, the next installment in the Predator franchise, would hit theaters in November 2025 but then got even better news when it was revealed that another, secret Predator film was also coming out in 2025 with it also being directed by Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg That’s two Predator films from Trachtenberg next year, but now, a new rumor may be shedding some light on what to expect from that secret, second film and according to Gizmodo, it might just be an animated anthology.

Per their report, the secret Predator movie is looking like it will be an animated feature that will be anthology-like in that it will tell three different stories of different Predators fighting warriors across multiple eras. The report suggests that one could be pirates, one samurai, and a third unknown one. Again, this is being presented as a rumor at this time, but what is at least interesting about this is the idea that an animated Predator anthology type it does fit into the recent comments from 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell who noted that Trachtenberg had offered up some “crazy” ideas after Prey as he didn’t want to do Prey 2.

“Yes, a Predator movie will have a theatrical. I’ll tell you very simply. After Prey became a success Dan [Trachtenberg], came back and said he didn’t want to do Prey 2. And we’re like, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he rattled off a bunch of ideas that were really crazy but really cool,” Asbell said.

He also noted that Badlands would also be “bonkers” but offered no details about the secret Predator movie. It is also worth noting that Asbell specifically referred to a “live-action Predator film with Elle Fanning that just wrapped in New Zealand” — meaning Badlands. The verbiage seems to suggest that indeed, the secret Predator film could be animated.

The ideal of an animated Predator film would be something new for the franchise. The Predator franchise has seen five total main films to date as well as two crossovers with the Alien franchise, but has also expanded into novels, comics, video games, and more. Animation would be something completely different — especially at a feature length. Additionally, an animated Predator film would also explain how the existence of this installment was kept secret for so long as arguably, it is a little easier to keep animation under wraps than filming live-action films on location or a set.

As for another entry into the general Predator franchise — specifically another Alien vs. Predator film, Asbell had a bit of a promising update on that as well. He said we’ll “probably” see another Alien vs. Predator, but it will be something different that will “be organically created out of these two franchises that we’ve continued with characters that we fall in love with and those characters will combine… perhaps. But we haven’t gotten to that point. And we’re not just going to bang it out.”

Predator: Badlands is set to open in theaters on November 7, 2025 — the date previously held for Marvel Studios’ Blade.

The post Secret Predator Movie Rumored to Be an Animated Anthology appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Your Monster Stars Open Up About the Unconventional Love Story

Patrick Cavanaugh — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 22:07:59 +0000

Image Courtesy of Vertical Entertainment

Horror films have a long tradition of featuring monstrous characters who fall for beautiful women, with there being literally hundreds of different love stories that explore entirely unique dynamics. The all-new movie Your Monster continues that tradition, though the actual specifics of the premise still manage to find new angles on the concept, making for an experience that manages to both feel entirely new yet also honors expected elements of such stories. Stars of the movie Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey recently weighed in on the emotional toll such a story took on them and what their own theories about the nature of this romance really was. Your Monster is in theaters now.

While discussing with ComicBook the physical toll having to cry regularly took on the actor, Barrera admitted, “I do cry a lot. I don’t swell a lot, honestly. My eyes don’t swell when I cry, so I don’t have that problem.” Dewey joked, “This is a true movie star quality, a real movie star. Their eyes do not swell when they cry.”

As far as which movies typically make the most emotional impact on them, Dewey detailed, “I’ve become a real crier since I had a kid. So I cry at episodes of Bluey. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Bluey. If you don’t have kids, probably not. It’s an Australian cartoon. There is a scene in Armageddon where Liv Tyler is saying goodbye to her dad, Bruce Willis, and she reaches for the screen and says, ‘Daddy,’ and I cry even right now.”

Barrera added, “I am also a big crier. I will cry at everything, but I think probably anything with a dog in it, or animals in general. Marley and Me, my husband paused and was like, ‘Are you okay? Can you keep watching this? I don’t think you should.’ Yeah, that was that was a rough watch.”

The movie questions whether this monster is a figment of Laura’s imagination or if they’re an actual figure, with Dewey weighing in on how he approached the role.

“Real entity, from the beginning,” the actor admitted of his theory. “And that’s not a commentary on the movie, but the way I approached it. I thought, ‘I have to be just all in. This is a fully formed, three-dimensional thing that exists opposite her. And then [director] Caroline [Lindy] can do all the work of figuring out what he is, really, in the universe of the movie. But I think he needed an intention and his own qualities and all of that stuff, and then Caroline could mess with the dialogue as we were making the movie.”

He continued, “So I thought it was my job to help get [Laura] back on her feet, to love her, to charm her, to do all of that stuff. And I thought it was probably best to do that as a fully formed, separate thing.”

Your Monster is in theaters now.

Will you be checking out the movie? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post Your Monster Stars Open Up About the Unconventional Love Story appeared first on ComicBook.com.

How to Watch M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap Online

Matthew Aguilar — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 20:37:27 +0000

M. Night Shyamalan’s newest film has wrapped up its theatrical run, concluding that run with $82,667,281 million against a $30 million dollar budget. Now it heads to streaming, and as of today, you can watch the movie to your heart’s content on Max. Those who didn’t make it to the theater to catch the serial killer thriller can now see the film for the first time, and it will be interesting to see the reactions to the film now that Trap is getting out to an even bigger audience on streaming. You can check out the film on Max right here.

Trap stars Josh Hartnett as Cooper, who we quickly learn is a serial killer who has law enforcement on his trail. What starts out as a fun night out with his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) as they attend a Lady Raven concert turns into a game of cat and mouse, as the police have used the concert as an elaborate trap to finally catch Cooper. Cooper then tries to figure out a way to get out of the arena, and the close calls proceed from there.

Part of what makes Trap intriguing from the get-go is that Cooper’s role as the serial killer is revealed early on and not saved for any late film twist. In a previous interview with ComicBook, Shyamalan spoke about making the bad guy the central character and how it changes up the dynamic of the film.

“The actual interesting and wicked part of the movie is you are him,” Shyamalan said. “That was the thing that made me want to do it. We’ve seen a million stories about serial killers, but to say you are him and this is what life is like for you on the day that you might get caught [is new].”

“The villain is the protagonist. He’s both the antagonist and the protagonist,” Shyamalan said. “It’s very interesting. The good guys at points are the antagonist and you’re like, ‘How did I get here on this side of this argument?’ I was rooting for him. We know this is not the good guy, but we kind of want to see him continue to evade all this. It was really cool.”

As for what’s next, Shyamalan is already working on his next idea, or should we say batch of ideas. On Instagram Shyamalan shared a picture of a notebook, which has become a tradition for him when he takes on a new project. It will house all of his brainstorming for the mysterious new project, which will be movie number 17 for the popular director.

On Instagram Shyamalan wrote, “As a ritual for each film, I pick a notebook that speaks to me and I write notes, ideas for the new film in that,” Shyamalan wrote. “When it’s overflowing with ideas, I go outline then script. This is the notebook for movie 17! This bright red felt just right! As [Trap] passes 80 million in theaters, I am so grateful and begin the new one inspired by all the support you have given me over the years.”

Trap is now streaming on Max.

The post How to Watch M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap Online appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Scream and Abigail Star Teases a Radio Silence Reunion for Ready or Not 2

Patrick Cavanaugh — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 19:51:00 +0000

Actor Melissa Barrera first collaborated with the filmmaking collective known as “Radio Silence” for 2022’s Scream, a partnership that continued with Scream VI and also Abigail. Directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin are next set to helm Ready or Not 2, and while Barrera hasn’t been looped in on the latest updates regarding the project, she voiced her interest in taking part in the upcoming sequel. Despite not being directly involved, Barrera confirms she already knows what the overall story will explore, which makes her all the more interested in joining the sequel. Barrera can currently be seen in Your Monster, which is in theaters now.

When asked by ComicBook if Barrera has been in touch with the filmmakers, she confirmed, “I have not. I’m so excited about that because, the last that I spoke with them about Ready or Not, they weren’t going to direct it. So I’m so happy that they’re back on board because, who better to do it than them? It’s a very exciting story. I know some about what the second movie is about and it’s really good.”

As proven by Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin (as well as producer Chad Villella) with Scream, Scream VI, and Abigail, Radio Silence has a tendency to collaborate regularly with performers they have a strong relationship with. Similarly, original Ready or Not star Samara Weaving had a small role in Scream VI, which consisted of her getting killed off in the opening scene.

While Ready or Not was teased in various reports earlier this year, it was only last month that Weaving shared that she was aiming to return. Filmmaker Adam Robitel was previously reported to be directing the new sequel, but earlier this month fans were given a confirmation on social media first about Weaving’s return, but also about Radio Silence directing.

The original movie saw Weaving play Grace, a newlywed who took part in a tradition with her recently earned in-laws. The family played a game of hide and seek which Grace thought was merely a children’s activity, only to turn immensely deadly. There are no plot details about what Ready or Not 2 will explore.

As fans wait for updates about Barrera potentially joining Ready or Not 2, they can enjoy her latest movie in theaters now. Your Monster tells the story of the soft-spoken actor Laura Franco (Barrera), who is dumped by her longtime boyfriend (Edmund Donovan) while recovering from surgery and retreats to her childhood home to recover. With her future looking bleak, insult is added to injury when Laura discovers her ex is staging a musical that she helped him develop. But out of these gut-wrenching life changes emerges a monster (Tommy Dewey) with whom she finds a connection, encouraging Laura to follow her dreams, open her heart, and fall in love with her inner rage.

Your Monster is in theaters now. Stay tuned for updates on Ready or Not 2.

Would you like to see Barrera appear in the sequel? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post Scream and Abigail Star Teases a Radio Silence Reunion for Ready or Not 2 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Don’t Move Directors Dive Deep Into Their New Netflix Thriller

Patrick Cavanaugh — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 17:34:13 +0000

Image Courtesy of MK McGehee

In recent years, experimental horror movies have resonated with viewers when they are direct reflections of impeded senses. In the A Quiet Place movies, audiences witness characters attempting to remain completely silent, as they live in a world where monstrous creatures hunt exclusively by sound. In the Bird Box films, characters navigate a post-apocalyptic world in which seeing otherworldly creatures causes victims to kill themselves. Netflix’s new film Don’t Move is grounded more in the real world, though it similarly presents a situation in which a protagonist has limited control over their own physiology. In this case, however, it’s more of a race against the clock of our hero overcoming the effects of a paralytic drug.

Netflix describes the movie, “A grieving woman hoping to find solace deep in an isolated forest encounters a stranger who injects her with a paralytic agent. As the agent gradually takes over her body, she must run, hide, and fight for her life before her entire nervous system shuts down.”

ComicBook caught up with directors Adam Schindler and Brian Netto developing the film, collaborating with Sam Raimi, and what the future could hold for our main characters.

Image Courtesy of MK McGehee

ComicBook: How did this project originally come about? How did this script make its way to the two of you?

Brian Netto: Well, it came from the two of us. We didn’t write it, but this was our original concept. This is a concept that we had probably dating back to 2016 or 2017. Anyone who writes knows, sometimes you have a kernel of an idea, and sometimes it pops, and sometimes it doesn’t. This stuck around for a while, because we just thought it was really this universal fear of the ability to be trapped inside your own body. It’s frightening.

Anyone who’s ever had sleep paralysis, or even just the concept of it alone, it’s frightening, so it stuck around for a while. I think it wasn’t until we figured out what the journey of the main character was going to be, for Iris, and we figured out what she was going through in her life, and why this particular event would be perfect for someone going through something like this.

I think once we had that, and we had conversations with the writers, T.J. Cimfel and David White, they had written our previous film, but that was a spec, so we brought it to them. They’re great with character. They live in genre, but it’s always smart and grounded. Once we figured out, this will be our character, this is what she’s going through, and then built the antagonist off of that, it all came together pretty quickly.

It originally originated from us, and we just … they’ve done a phenomenal job, what they did with it, what they did with the script, we just were so pleased with it and just flew through it when we read it, and just fell in love with it right away, even more than we already had been with the original concept.

Going along with that, you have this kernel of an idea, almost a decade ago, whether it be just through the passage of time or once you get these writers involved and they put their own spin on it, did the project drastically change from that original idea back in 2016 or was it still pretty faithful to that core concept?

Adam Schindler: It was 100% faithful to the core concept, which was simply, can you do a genre exercise where the main character is paralyzed for a majority of the movie? That was the biggest thing, was like, “Okay, is that something that you can do? How would you actually do that?” The biggest thing for us, when we brought T.J. and David on, they wrote this and we developed it over a portion of the pandemic, the middle portion of the pandemic to the end of it, and very much like this: four [Zoom] boxes there in Chicago. Four Zoom boxes, us developing the script in that way.

The biggest thing for us was, we told them, “We don’t want to go into her head. We don’t want to do voiceover.” We want to try to keep it as much in real time as possible. We thought that would be the best way to do it, and the most suspenseful way to do it, would be along for the ride with the character. We hadn’t really seen anything like that before. We’re like, “Is that possible?” So yeah, it really didn’t change.

We all developed this character, Iris, and then figured out what her journey was going to be. Once we figured that out, we’re like, “Okay, we have something,” and then it was just matching an antagonist to her journey that prods her along as, or pokes her with a syringe along, as you would, to flush out her and what her journey is.

Netto: When the initial concept came to be, we didn’t know exactly where it was going to be taking place. I think once we figured out that this is why and when we meet her, I don’t want to give anything away, but when we first meet Iris’s character, the place she’s in mentally and physically, we knew where she was going to be mentally, but we just made sense, like, “All right, what if she’s visiting this particular location for this specific reason?” And, thus, that became the setting.

That was the one thing that was never blocked in, the place, but obviously it makes the film so much more unique. Telling a story like this in broad daylight in a very lush, green, beautiful, frankly, beautiful setting is what, in many ways, sets it apart and also just gives it a very unique look. It’s not in a dark, dingy basement. It’s not in an urban setting. It’s in nature. That presented challenges, but also gave it, again, we’re really proud of the marketing materials and what they’re using to put out into the film.

It just looks like nothing. It looks like not a lot of other films in this genre that are coming out recently. So I think we love that it has its own little imprint in look, so that was unique.

Image Courtesy of Vladislav Lepoev / Netflix

I think another thing that really helps your movie stand apart is that you have this built-in, ticking clock. What I appreciate is that it’s the opposite of so many horror movies where there’s a ticking clock of: this horrible situation is going to happen at the end of the movie and you’re getting closer and closer. This was, “No, actually, the further into the journey we get, the more likely we are that she will get to escape this situation.” Was that an intentional flipping of the script that was also part of that original concept or was that something that came through the collaborative process?

Schindler: No, that was originally the whole concept was exactly that, exactly what it turned into. We just thought we had never seen anything like that, and we were like, maybe it’s just because it’s impossible to do. But we spent a lot of time working on it and figuring out, like, they say, “Paint yourself into a corner,” we have all the specific sequences that we wanted her to have to manage and work her way through. Just paint yourself into a corner as far as you can, and then try to get yourself out of it. There were a lot of times we painted ourselves into a corner in developing the project, we painted her into a corner and said, “You actually can’t get out of that.”

Because another thing that we really charged the writers with, we wanted it to be as realistic as possible. So we want to make sure every character that she comes in contact with throughout the film or the story is making a decision that that character would make at that point and not doing movie stuff where it’s like, “Oh, I’m just gonna fake it, I’m just gonna do this just because it gets us moving and gets the story going.”

We were really keen on trying to make sure every character made sense, the decisions they’re making make sense to the situation that they’re in.

Netto: We’re big on structure, so a lot of times when we’re watching a film, if something really works, you can always go back and look and go, “Why does this work? The spine of this is so tight, it’s so strong.” Sometimes you can watch a film and you can see the machine working behind the scenes. Like, “Okay, we’re at this point in the story. Now they got us to this point in the story.”

Sometimes, it’s recognizable, and the times when it’s not recognizable, but you realize, “Oh, wow, they got us. I didn’t understand that this was gonna be the hook, but this is great. It makes sense. And this is the midpoint.”

So, for us, we just love the idea that the middle section of this was going to be this paralysis and then, for the audience that doesn’t know where it goes from there, now she’s waking up again, but that’s just as agonizing because it’s not happening fast enough, so we really love the idea of that.

Also, structurally, this is a story where the emotional arc, the emotional journey that she’s on mimics the structure of it, because she’s at a low point when the film starts, but it gets lower. When we get to the midpoint, she is at a really low, low point, physically and emotionally and psychologically. Of course, the whole point of this story, the thing that really made us gravitate towards this journey for this character, was the idea of someone picking themself off the mat, to use the sports metaphor. It’s just getting up when you’re down and she’s in a tight spot. I think all of those things just combined, and, of course, the skill of the writers made it feel just so tight and the back half is just as intense as the first half.

Image Courtesy of Vladislav Lepoev / Netflix

Speaking to that realism, was there much research or did you allow some creative liberty when it came to the actual, physiological paralysis components? Were you like, “Actually, based on this research, this would not be possible, but it’s a movie, so let’s ignore that,” or was it, “No, in our research, we’ve discovered that these are the things that would come back first, then these muscle groups would come back second?”

Netto: The writers, first off, they did the research, did a really good job. They didn’t tell us what they were basing this particular drug on and we didn’t ask, and we very purposely did not mention it in the story. Once the script was done and we went through it and we started getting further into production, fortunately, no one had any questions about the drug or why it worked or how it worked, but a good friend of ours that we grew up with, his wife is an anesthesiologist and [star] Kelsey [Asbille], in her press has been touting her.

So I’m going to say it one more time: Amanda Boland, Mandy, we had a Zoom session with her. We had two. The initial one, it was so cool because, of course, she’s a nurse by trade. We first met with her and reading a script is not easy for people that don’t know how to read scripts, but what’s so cool is that we sent her the script, we met with her and she had all these notes and she’s talking about this and it was so cool to watch. It’s always fun to watch someone that has a very specific trade and they’re just really good at what they do and she was able to break it down in a really interesting way.

Then we brought Kelsey into a Zoom session and I think there was only one thing in there where it was like, “All right, maybe that isn’t exactly how it would work,” — we’re not gonna say what that is — “but for purposes of our story,” we were like, “We need this to be this way so it’s going to work.” But the one thing she did do, when she first had our initial session, she was like, “The drug you’re talking about, the onset of this particular drug is a little bit slower, so it’s probably an older drug because newer drugs, the onset is a little bit quicker.”

From that, we were like, “Oh, that’s perfect. Because then it makes sense that this character has access to something that’s either older, or he might have built it himself. He might’ve made it himself.” So all that lined up well enough for us to feel comfortable moving forward. But one thing she did help out was with the idea of the breathing, which she was like, “The breathing, it’s going to be very specific. It’s going to be very hoarse. It’s going to be ugly. It’s the kind of thing that might make the hair on the back of your neck stand up,” and I think Kelsey did a great job of conveying that in the film, so I think it was pretty accurate.

Schindler: You hear a little bit of that in the trailer for it, that strident breath that makes your skin crawl.

I do want to bring up the involvement of Sam Raimi in this movie and how that came about and if he was hands-on, not in an overwhelming degree, but if he offered some mentorship or some advice here and there? I think that’s the dream, is a literal horror icon being involved in your production in any capacity is exciting.

Schindler: Well, we worked with Sam on a previous project. We did an episode of 50 States of Fright for the now-defunct Quibi. Sam also directed an episode there, so that’s our first time we’ve ever worked with him.

He’s very hands-on. So, in that 50 States process, he read through the script, every line of dialogue, talked about everything, same process here. You finish the script, we send the script out to the various different places, hoping somebody raises their hand. Zainab Azizi, who is Sam Raimi’s producing partner at Raimi Productions, she was the one to pick it out of the pile and said, “This. We’re making this movie.”

We met with Sam in pre-production going through, we literally spent hours going through the script. Line by line, reading the script, he took a character, he took action lines, and has some of the best script-to-screen notes we’ve ever received just in regards to … His whole thing is, “What do you want the audience to react to? How do you want them to react? How are you going to elicit that response?” It was all about, from camera angles to lines of dialogue, the character arcs, making sure things make sense or questioning us on things, like, “This is what our approach is going to be,” and, “Oh, okay. Have you thought about this?” “Yes, we have.” He’s a hundred percent hands-on.

That’s his process, at least as it relates to our experience with him. He was on set for some of the film, traipsing up mountains, back there offering support. The biggest thing that we’ve learned in our experience with Sam is that there is nobody that’s more enthusiastic about you getting to make your movie than Sam Raimi. He is the consummate cheerleader, four decades deep. He’s back there, supporting you, clapping, cheering.

It was the same thing when we turned in our director’s cut of the film, just to watch him respond to it and be an audience member. We’re thinking he’s going to be sitting there skeptically, like, “I’m the producer and I got to put my fingerprints on this and that.” But it was just fun to watch him cheer and yell at the screen and throw up a fist and then get down to work about how we’re going to make it better.

Netto: He is the guy for us when it comes to horror films. His stuff is so influential. Evil Dead, obviously, but anyone who knows me knows that Darkman was my favorite film for a good majority of my life. Darkman was hugely influential, A Simple Plan, Drag Me to Hell. The Gift, someone was talking about the other day, I guess that got a new release. He was so influential on us, just us as audience members, so the idea that we’ve had a chance to partner with him on two projects and have two more with him that we’re working on, that is invaluable

Echoing what Adam said, this is a tough business, it’s always been a tough business and it’s getting tougher, but if you attack it with the mentality that he has, in which it’s always about enthusiasm, just never losing the love for it. And you fall out of love with things sometimes. That happens, but it feels like, the person we met, when he first got to Hollywood, he still has that love for it. And that’s so awesome. I think that can really carry you through the lean times in between projects, when you’re hearing “no” a lot, because it happens. You hear a lot more no’s than yeses, and so I think having that mentality, which I think is just who he is as a person, but it’s certainly a lesson to be learned. We took that away. The idea that we’ve worked with him twice, it’s hard to process.

[50 States of Fright], that was an incredible experience because there were some really cool filmmakers on that show.

Schindler: And are now good friends. It was like filmmaking camp. It felt very much like that. With Sam being the camp counselor, and then all of us getting to go shoot our little movies and him offering guidance and availability, and then also just the money and resources to go shoot something that we wanted to shoot.

Netto: It was pretty incredible experience.

Image Courtesy of Vladislav Lepoev / Netflix

The casting for this project, it’s going to be challenging because you have Iris, who is so restrained, so restricted, having to cast an actor who can say a lot without actually doing a lot. Then on the other end of things, you have Finn’s character that’s obviously a bit more maniacal, but he’s not an outright cartoon character, he’s not like Al Pacino in The Devil’s Advocate, a bonkers-level villain. What was that casting process like? Did one of the characters get cast first and then the other actor cast as a complement?

Netto: Kelsey was cast first and she came on pretty early in the process. I hadn’t been as familiar with her stuff on Yellowstone, but was very familiar with Wind River. Anyone who’s seen that film and her scene, it’s, wow, it’s pretty incredible. And then Fargo, which, I’d seen the show, but didn’t realize it was her. She was totally unrecognizable. If you can do a Coen Brothers style of performance, and then you can do something like Wind River, like, “Okay, she’s got range,” and then you meet her, and we met her with Sam, and Sam was a huge fan of Yellowstone. When he realized we were meeting with her, he was very excited.

She was just so thoughtful and so sweet. Speaking with her, it was just like, “This is the character. This is who we need to embody this role, because this woman is going on this really harrowing journey.” She just threw herself into it. When we first met her, we met her on a Zoom on Super Bowl Sunday. When she came on, it was like, “Oh, that’s her. That’s her. It just felt like her.”

Schindler: Casting films, our films, we just got to use our gut. You have casting directors and they’re putting … Every person that’s sent our way, in this type of situation, is a phenomenal actor. It’s just, for us, feeling like we developed the script from the scripting process and everything, so we knew this character back and forth. It’s just a matter of using your gut. We both were, after that Zoom, just like, “Yes, that’s the Iris character.”

It was the same way with Finn [Wittrock]. The people are sending us things and, I heard his name, I wasn’t really familiar with a lot of his work on American Horror Story and what have you, but they sent along clips and reels and things for us to look at. He was in a scene with Renee Zellweger where he’s playing opposite her and she’s playing Judy Garland, he plays one of her husbands. It was just a simple scene where they’re sitting at a piano and they’re just talking and having this thing, and we were just like, “That’s it.” Again, it’s just gut, you go, “That’s the guy we need.”

Finn’s character wears a lot of masks in this movie and, for a portion of it, carries some of the narrative, dialogue-wise. It was important that that character was somebody that you just wanted to watch. Immensely watchable, charming, sometimes sadistic, but can play those equally and navigate that just seamlessly.

And that’s Finn. Remarkable actor. Just speaking to the process of actually shooting the movie, watching Kelsey and Finn work was one of the highlights of this whole. They’re just such different actors, but they were caring, and they were down for whatever. We’re asking Kelsey to lay there, like, “Don’t move, but move us.” That’s not easy to do. I know people think, “Oh, just lay there on the ground, and we’ll be fine.” It’s not that easy.

Then to watch Finn, there were sequences where they’re sitting and you’re on Kelsey and we’re shooting on Kelsey, and, a lot of times, the actor would be like, “Well, I’m not in the scene, it’s not on me, put a stand-in here for eye line. Then I’m gonna go over here and prepare for my part.” But they were just very giving with each other. If Kelsey needed Finn there, even though he wasn’t on camera, he was there, emoting and being in the scene. She was doing the same for him, and it was just really great to watch, because, a lot of times, you don’t get that collaborative thing so much. Sometimes it’s just, “I’m here, and I’m doing my thing,” but it was really like a family. The whole production was pretty much like a family.

Netto: There’s a world in which you can have a more obvious villain in a role like that. I think one of the things we were really protective of, and all the producers agreed with this, was just the idea of having someone that you understand how they operate out in the world and how they’re able to do what they’ve been doing for so long and be as successful at it as they have been, up until the point when we meet them. If “success” is the right word to use it, but undetected and not caught.

For us, it was just like, “Well, who would this person be? How do they operate? What does it look like being out every day in their shoes?” And again, there’s fun in someone that is more mustache-twirling and this and that, but I think for us, it was like, “Nah, it just feels so much more frightening.”

The stuff that usually inspires us and frightens us is when you see someone that is just evil walking around in plain sight, every day, and you don’t recognize it. Everybody always says, “I didn’t know the neighbor, he was so quiet.” Well, they never say, “Oh, I knew it from the start,” they never say that. This person would have been caught a long time ago, so that’s what we were trying to embody. I think Finn, he was able to tap into that. As dark as that is, he was able to find that place, and that’s what I think makes it sing as well as it does.

Image Courtesy of Vladislav Lepoev / Netflix

Was there a particular scene or sequence that logistically was the most challenging to bring to life, whether it was because of the practical locations and shot setup, that was difficult, or finding the right pace in the edit that was particularly difficult? Also, was there a scene where the two of you didn’t fully see eye to eye once you actually shot it or discussions that were harder to get on the same page about?

Netto: Production, just being in the water. We hadn’t done anything on water before, and we have two sequences that take place there. I always say it slows everything down by half, and maybe by more. So just logistically, we have actors and crew, and there’s safety, there’s continuity. If you get wet, you have to dry it out. Those are the things where it’s hard to process until you’re there doing it. I think we had just enough time to get it all done, but at the same time, you’re scared that you’re going to be running out of time, because there’s so many things that are coming your way.

For example, the lake at the end, that was not closed off. We didn’t have 100% [of it], people might be passing in the background on boats or canoes. You’ve got waves that are coming by, so continuity is different. Those are the things that are scary. It explains why sometimes people will go out of their way to go, “Well, do we really need to do this in this location? Can we do it? Can we have it on a backlot? Can we have it in a tank? Can we do these things?” And a lot of it is because of control.

Control, it costs money, but at the same time, you realize you don’t have those elements that can come out of nowhere that can derail a day or half of a day. I do remember there was a period of time when we had waves, serious waves coming in, and we were just thinking, “This is not going to match anything of what we had before.” I think we were able to navigate that as well as can be. But yeah, water.

Schindler: As it relates to anything that Brian and I weren’t on the same page with, Brian and I, we’re big on prep. Everything is handled in prep, so any of those discussions never really carry over onto set. We have everything planned out.

We know exactly where the camera is going to be and what the plan is, at least, so that you’re on the day, you can play jazz if you need to, because the lights come in a certain way or the wind’s coming here. “Oh, I didn’t know that building was in the background.” As long as you have a plan, you’re fine.

There was one issue that Brian’s going to smile about, because it was literally the only thing that we didn’t fully prep, and it’s a good lesson for us, at least. It’s one thing that we didn’t fully prep.

It’s a small thing, but a big thing that we were like, “Next time we’ll just figure that out,” and it involves Iris’s character grabbing a string, I won’t give it away. Figuring out the position of her hand, how she would do that.

Netto: It was, “How is she going to signal using that, without giving anything away?”

Schindler: It was a decision where we were there on the day, now you have 50 people standing there like, “How are we going to do this?” That was the only time where we were like, “Okay everybody, just give us five minutes, literally five minutes.” And we sat there with our DP, Zach Cooperstein, who was amazing, bringing all these images to life. Talk about a constant cheerleader, like Sam Raimi, that’s Zach Cooperstein. The happiest, hardest-working guy probably on our set.

He was there and helping us figure it out, and it took us about five minutes and we settled on what you find in the movie and then on we went. But it was a good lesson for us. Even the smallest things, we should have prep.

Netto: A really small thing.

Schindler: But it took time. When you’re shooting and you have a certain amount of time in a day, those things can really stall you out. Lesson learned. We will make sure next time that we have everything prepped.

Netto: In terms of pacing, our editor was Josh, “Senor Etier” we call him, Josh Ethier, who is a producer in his own right. He and his partner, Joe Begos, have been making movies for a number of years. [He’s] just an encyclopedia of film. He is a passionate person. He’s an incredibly bright person. He’s a great cheerleader and he’s a damn good editor, so he was just a really great partner to have on this.

In terms of pacing, we have edited our first two feature films, which is largely out of necessity, but it was a really fun process for us. I think the first time we’d actually used an editor was on the 50 States episode, an editor named Justin Lee, who works in Vancouver. He just did Heretic for [Scott] Beck and [Bryan] Woods. He was the first time we’d ever used someone else outside of the process. I don’t even know that it was an option for us to edit it, frankly.

But we fell in love with the idea that another pair of eyes, another brain in the room, is just a better thing for your movie.

Schindler: Also having somebody, this is the first time we’ve ever had somebody start editing the movie as we’re shooting. A shoot at this level, this is the thing, they need to get started. I never felt like he was ever telling us, “We need this,” or, “We need that,” but it was more of just having Zooms with him and having getting emails from him saying, “This is cutting together like we think it’s going to cut together, guys.” Having that behind you, the reinforcement of, “Just stick to the plan, because it seems to be lining up the way we imagine.”

Netto: He was so enthusiastic. After a while, I’m just like, “Listen, there has to be something we’re not getting,” because it’s easier for me to hear criticism, even if it’s constructive, than it is to hear praise. I’m just like, “We can’t just be getting all of this, there has to be work.” There were a couple of times he was like, “You might want to get this or that,” but mostly he was just like, “This is gorgeous. I get what you’re doing. I see the movie that you guys are trying to make,” and it was awesome to hear that.

Then, getting in the editing room, which, we shot in Bulgaria, but we did that here in Los Angeles, and he had an editing room in his home and we just sat there for the back part of the summer into the fall. It was awesome. It was such a fun process. I think he understands film so well. He understands all the different genres. He can talk any genre ad nauseum.

He understood what this movie was and I think he just was like, “Oh, I got this. I understand. We want to live in certain moments longer than others. But, more than anything, just give this thing time to ratchet up the tension,” and he just got it.

Schindler: He would be like, “This is like that 1976 Czechoslovakian, art-house movie,” and in this moment, I’m just like, “Whoa.” He’s that encyclopedic with his knowledge of film. But he’ll give Brian all the criticism. That’s why we worked together good together. Tell me all the good things that you like about it and then we’ll meet in the middle somewhere. That’s why we work together so well.

Image Courtesy of Vladislav Lepoev / Netflix

WARNING: Spoilers below for Don’t Move

For people who prefer concrete answers or do not enjoy ambiguity, because Finn’s character is left, not definitively dead, there’s a sequel that could pick up from a park ranger stumbling across him and trying to get him some help or something like that. Do the two of you have a definitive ending in mind for his character and also for Iris? Or in your mind, is the joy that ambiguity? You don’t even want to think about what the next scene would have been for either of these characters?

Schindler: Brian and I have a concrete idea as to where this movie ends, but we love ambiguity. We love ambiguous endings because, not just for the fun of it, but more for, since Iris’ journey is so specific and there’s something that’s happening with that, I’m not going to give away what that is in this interview, but the idea of it being universal and then letting the audience take from it what they will and carry that on into their next day is really exciting for us.

I think the point of film, at least the films that I like to watch, I love genre, we love genre, I always have, but if you can mix genre-sugar and medicine and walk out feeling something emotional and being like, “That was a hell of a ride, and I feel something on a human level,” that’s just kismet, that’s the ultimate right there.

Netto: Our first film is a small movie called Delivery and we thought it lined up and had a very specific — it was telling us a very specific story, but it wasn’t until we started going to screenings and people had so many different interpretations of what was happening and we just fell in love with that. Now, this film, similarly, we think it’s actually … I think what you’re asking is more about the fate of some of the people involved, and I think one of the reasons it works is because, again, I know we’re in the spoiler-y section of it, but the reason she leaves him, the way we leave both characters is very specific. She is picking up with a story that was told earlier in the film, she’s carrying that through, but also, at the same time, it’s like, this is her story and her journey, so she’s trying to figure out what her path is and really not worried about what his path might be, wherever that leads him, so it feels like it’s pretty definitive.

The cool thing is, in the test screenings we’ve been having, the way that people respond to the last words that she says and then also the way that we cut out of the story, people have had really unique interpretations of what it means for her, when the frame ends and they’re like, “All right, well, now what?” So that’s been awesome because it was never intended.

Schindler: I remember it being like, “I think it’s this,” and we were like, “Oh, man, I didn’t even think of that.” But you could really think back on it, you’re like, “Yeah, maybe.”

Netto: There’s been thoughts that she might be taking a really interesting path after this movie ends, and we’re just like, “Sure.” To me, when you watch a movie, the greatest joy you can have is when you’re thinking about these characters after, but you’re thinking about what their life was like before the movie started and after, so when you go home, you’re just like, “I wonder what’s going to happen.” It’s like when we watch Memento, I remember like, “God, I wonder what’s happening to Guy Pearce’s character? What small towns is he just wreaking havoc on right now?” because you just don’t know, he’s just a dog without a leash, and you don’t know where he’s going. And that’s a compliment that people are actually caring or thinking about what’s next for her. Because you don’t often care, right?

There was a joke, we had a running joke when we were in Bulgaria, because we kept calling it, Sam [produced] Don’t Breathe, and this is Don’t Move, and we were like, “Well, this is the Don’t-iverse, so maybe we’re going to have another one.” Who knows? We have batted some ideas around of what it might look like. I think an audience has to want it, and then it has to actually make sense.

Schindler: We didn’t write this as a thing that can continue, but there’s ways in which the story could continue if it needed to be, and that feel organic. At least to us, feel an organic way to do it.

Netto: We’re just happy people are thinking about the journey of what’s after, I think that’s awesome. I love that, when I see that in the film, so if that’s what this is giving to people, then that’s awesome, that’s great.

And I think you fully accomplished telling Iris’s journey at this point in time, and the next movie could be a romantic comedy, her journey doesn’t necessarily need to be a genre film, and the same thing for Finn’s character. If he’s found, it could be a prison drama or whatever. There’s so many open-ended ways for that journey to continue, and I don’t feel at all that it was just, “Make sure to come back next October for Don’t Move Too: Stop Moving,” or whatever the hell.

Netto: Don’t Stop, Can’t Stop.

Knowing it’s coming out on Netflix, for as much as there are disappointments in some degree of not getting the theatrical experience, just knowing it’s this equalizer. So many people just have access to Netflix who might stumble across your movie or anyone else’s movie that wouldn’t normally seek it out, and just knowing there’s going to be an audience for this, it’s going to be a test.

Netto: That’s a good point about the Netflix of it all. We made this independently, but they raised their hand and said we love the movie.

Schindler: They’ve been fantastic, absolutely fantastic. They want people to see the movie, they’re super excited about it and excited for people to see it, as are we. People’s televisions and stereos are way different than they were 10 years ago, so they’re hearing all the great sound, all the great sound work by the sound team, Darren Hannis and Andrew Rice. Everybody did so much hard work on this and did their best, it’ll be fun to have as many people as possible to see the movie. That’s, ultimately, the goal of making a movie is to get as many people to see it as possible, but no better outlet than Netflix for that.

Netto: It’s been awesome to watch these films this summer that came out and did so well, the Neon films in particular. I’m thinking Longlegs, seeing that, and Cuckoo came out afterwards, and it’s been great to see these films that come out, and people are talking about them, and then at the same time, Rebel Ridge came out, I watched it opening night, Friday night. I sat there, and I was so excited for the film, and it did not disappoint, and I think people were talking about that film just as well. [Jeremy Saulnier] has a following and we’re huge fans of him. I think, for us, we’re just excited that people, whatever size film, and wherever you can find them, it’s nice that people are taking chances.

For us, where we are in our careers, it makes sense that this is something where people — we don’t have to tell our family, “This is how you see it, but you got to see it here on this platform, and then on that platform, and this date,” and they’re just like, “I don’t know.” So I think the cool thing is you say Netflix, everyone has Netflix, and it’ll go out simultaneously across the world at the same time, and it’s just something nice about knowing where it’s going to be, and it’ll be easy to find, and also the kind of film it is, it just sucks you in, you might start it not knowing what you’re getting into, and then you won’t be able to stop, and that’s something that’s fun as well.

A good story is a good story is a good story, and us three all being horror nerds, or genre nerds, just because I saw some movie on video that came out 20 years earlier, that doesn’t make it any worse because my first introduction to it was on my TV, and at the time, it would have been a CRT, 17-inch TV with the built-in VCR, as opposed to seeing it in theaters. It just tips you off to things, and people can follow your work, go back into some of previous projects, and also keep their eyes out for what you all do next.

Netto: The first time I saw Children of Men was on an Academy screener on my television. It blew my mind. I couldn’t stop talking about it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see 1917 in the theater. I saw it on Netflix, maybe three or four months ago, because I missed it. I saw it and it blew my mind, and everyone’s like, “Yeah, dude, we saw it. It came out four years ago.” I had just never got to see it.

Schindler: That was me, that was Brian’s impression of me going, “Yeah, dude, it came out four years ago.”

Netto: It blew my mind. My point is, it’s great to play on a big screen. It’s great to have the communal experience, and I think for some films, that’s a necessity, and for others, it can or it doesn’t, it doesn’t hamper it. I’ve watched some great films on my phone, sorry to say. I’ve watched things on tablets, and I’ve had amazing experiences with other people in the theater. Just saw The Substance a couple of weeks ago. You have to see that. That’s a great big-screen movie.

I just love content. I just love stories and I don’t care how I’m told, or how I see it. That’s always been — that’s been me. I can enjoy something on any platform, and if it’s good, it’ll get my attention. I think that’s the biggest thing. Is it engaging? I saw Bullet for the first time on my phone, waiting in the waiting room. My niece was in the doctor, and I sat and I was like, “This film is incredible,” on my phone.

I know I’m the exception rather than the rule. I understand that, and would it have been great to see it on the big screen? Great, but it did not diminish the experience for me at all. It was just as engaging.

Don’t Move is now streaming on Netflix.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter.

The post Don’t Move Directors Dive Deep Into Their New Netflix Thriller appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Silent Hill 2 Update Released Today Fixes “Critical Issue”

Tanner Dedmon — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 15:26:42 +0000

The Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober Team and Konami got an update a few days ago shortly after launch to address a couple of problems players had been experiencing since its release. Shortly after that, however, another issue was discovered, one that was seemingly introduced by the update itself and was determined by the Silent Hill 2 creators to be a “critical” problem that could prevent players from progressing through the game. Another update has now been released today to fix that problem alongside a new feature, but that feature is only for those playing on the PC.

This Silent Hill 2 hotfix released today on Friday is pretty much entirely geared towards the progression blocker save for the new PC feature that enables cloud saves on Steam, so the patch notes for the update are pretty brief. The problem in question that players were having dealt with the Labyrinth section of the game with these patch notes confirming that the progression problem was indeed tied to Patch 1.04. Patch 1.05, thankfully, takes care of the issue.

Silent Hill 2 Patch 1.04 Notes

Fixes

Labyrinth Progression Blocker

Fixed an issue where players who saved their game in the Labyrinth, after Toluca Prison, on the previous version encountered a progression blocker if the save data was loaded after updating to Patch 1.04. We have implemented a fix by adding a safeguard that forces proper activation of the necessary triggers, ensuring smooth progression moving forward.

Features

Steam Cloud Saves

We have enabled Steam Cloud support for PC players on Steam®. Please note that the game will automatically sync with the latest cloud save data. If the cloud save is more recent than the local save, it will overwrite the local data without a warning pop-up. We recommend players back up their local saves if you wish to keep multiple versions.

Considering how these are the only clean-up issues that needed to be fixed in the most recent Silent Hill 2 update, this speaks further to the success of the Silent Hill 2 remake. It’s already being held in high regard much to the surprise of those who doubted Bloober Team after some so-so games in the past like The Medium which has helped bolster interest in the developer’s new game called Cronos: The New Dawn. Bloober Team itself has not been ignorant to these past criticisms and has committed to making stronger games moving forward as well.

You can check out our review of Silent Hill 2 here with a snippet of it below to show what the Silent Hill 2 remake felt like from the perspective of someone who hadn’t experienced the original if you’re a newcomer to the series.

“As a Silent Hill 2 newcomer, I have been so impressed with this new remake. Bloober Team faithfully captured the spirit of games from this early PS2 era to the point that it made me reminisce and long to go back and play more games from that time,” an excerpt from our review said. “To that end, I very much have the desire to go back to the original Silent Hill 2 and see how it matches up with this remake. While I can’t speak to how longtime SH2 fans might receive this revamped version of the game, for anyone else who hasn’t played any Silent Hill games before, this is a perfect jumping-on point.”

The post Silent Hill 2 Update Released Today Fixes “Critical Issue” appeared first on ComicBook.com.

How to Watch the Predator Movies in Order (And Where to Stream)

Cameron Bonomolo — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0000

If it bleeds, we can stream it. With Disney’s 20th Century Studios setting Predator: Badlands — director Dan Trachtenberg’s followup to Prey — and a second, secret Predator movie for 2025, fans may be on the hunt for the rest of the movies in the franchise that began with commando Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) going to war against a tribal alien hunter in a Central American jungle in 1987’s Predator.

The Predator series has spanned five films to date (seven if you include the crossovers Alien vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem). They include the 1990 loose sequel Predator 2; a standalone sequel, 2010’s Predators; an interquel, 2018’s The Predator; and, finally, a Predator prequel, 2022’s Prey.

Below, read on to find out how to watch the Predator movies in order, and then reference our guide to stream the Alien movies in order, including 2024’s Alien: Romulus.

How to watch the Predator series in order

Prey (2022)

Set 300 years ago, Prey tells the story of Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche woman, a fierce and highly skilled warrior, who stalks, and ultimately confronts, a highly evolved alien predator (Dane DiLiegro) with a technically advanced arsenal.

You can stream Prey on Hulu.

Predator (1987)

Deep in the jungle, several bodies have been discovered skinned and hanging from trees — although who or what could have done this is a mystery. Military covert specialist Dutch (Schwarzenegger) and his team are called in to eliminate the threat, but once in the heart of the menacing jungle, they discover something far worse than they could ever have imagined — the Predator — an alien which has come to earth with cloaking technology, extensive combat skills and a desire to hunt humans for sport.

You can stream Predator on Hulu.

Predator 2 (1990)

In the urban jungle of Los Angeles, detective-lieutenant Mike Harrigan’s (Danny Glover) police force is at war with drug lords and gangs. But just as Harrigan admits he’s losing the fight, one by one, gang lords are killed by a mysterious, fierce adversary with almost supernatural powers: the Predator. Before long, the vicious creature begins to hunt the hunters — Harrigan’s men. Now, Harrigan doesn’t just want to bring the creature in… he wants to bring it down in director Stephen Hopkins’ action-packed seque

You can stream Predator 2 on Hulu.

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

An environmental technician (Sanaa Lathan) partners with a doomed Predator, becoming a “hunter” when her team of explorers is caught between rampaging aliens and the ruthless predators who “seeded” them for a coming of age rite in an ancient, automated pyramid beneath the hostile antarctic surface.

You can stream Alien vs. Predator on Hulu.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

The deadly conflict between the Yautja and Xenomorphs continues in Colorado. When an injured Predator crew crashes in a rural wooded area of Colorado, Alien/Predator hybrid creatures escape the ship and plant Predalien embryos in everyone they encounter. Can Sheriff Eddie Morales (John Ortiz) and local residents stop the extinction of humankind?

You can stream Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem on Hulu.

Predators (2010)

Robert Rodriguez presents Predators, a bold new chapter in the Predator universe. Adrien Brody stars as Royce, a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors in a mysterious mission on an alien planet. Except for a disgraced physician (Topher Grace), they are all coldblooded killers – mercenaries, mobsters, convicts and death squad members – human “predators.” But when they begin to be systematically hunted and eliminated by a new predator breed, it becomes clear that suddenly, they are the prey.

You can stream Predators on Hulu.

The Predator (2018)

The hunt has evolved in the terrifying next chapter of the Predator series from director Shane Black (Iron Man 3). Now, the most lethal hunters in the universe have been genetically upgraded to be stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before…and only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and an evolutionary biology professor can prevent the end of the human race.

You can stream The Predator on Hulu.

The Predator movies in order by release date

1. Predator (1987)
2. Predator 2 (1990)
3. Alien vs. Predator (2004)
4. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
5. Predators (2010)
6. The Predator (2018)
7. Prey (2022)
8. Untitled Predator Movie (2025)
9. Predator: Badlands (2025)

The post How to Watch the Predator Movies in Order (And Where to Stream) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Another Scream Fan-Favorite Character Could Be Returning for New Sequel

Haley Miller — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 01:43:39 +0000

Scream 3 star Patrick Dempsey is open to returning to the iconic slasher franchise.

While he only appeared in a singular film in 2000 in a pretty crucial role, fans have been clamoring to see him return in recent years. He took on the role of Detective Mark Kincaid, a homicide detective investigating the Stab 3 murder victims. Throughout the film he grows closer to Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott. They eventually went on a double date with Gale and Dewey at the end of the film after successfully surviving the Ghostface killer.

It is presumed to have went well considering he was alluded to being Sidney’s husband in the Scream reboot in 2022, however he hasn’t physically been seen since. In last year’s Scream VI, he is briefly mentioned as being in “hiding.” Campbell had notably not signed onto that film due to a dispute over her salary which forced her to walk away.

Meanwhile, Scream 7 has been met with a ton of controversy over the last year. While it should continue the story of the Carpenter sisters (played by Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera) who grapple with the fact that their father is literally Billy Loomis, at this current time it’s looking like they’ll be forced to return to their legacy characters. Barrera was fired for her pro-Palestine comments and Ortega dropped out due to “scheduling conflicts.” One person most definitely returning, however, is Campbell.

Is Patrick Dempsey Returning For Scream 7?

Her return could be the perfect opportunity to bring back Dempsey, especially with the small seeds being planted that he’s still out there somewhere in the universe. The Grey’s Anatomy star spoke on potentially returning to the franchise in a new interview with the Today show.

“I’m waiting on the script,” Dempsey said. “There has been a conversation about it. I haven’t seen anything yet, so, we’ll see what happens. But, Neve was actually on the show, she played my sister on Grey’s Anatomy, and then we worked together almost 26, 27 years ago. It was ’99, ’98, when we did that.”

“Yeah, I mean, you know, it’s always good to have a job,” Dempsey later admits about a potential franchise return. While it remains to be seen if Dempsey will put pen to paper, there is still a hold out from Courtney Cox who plays the iconic Gale Weathers as well. Cox has appeared in every single Scream film since she was introduced in Wes Craven’s 1996 film that kicked things off.

Scream 7 is slated to release in theaters in February 2026.

The post Another Scream Fan-Favorite Character Could Be Returning for New Sequel appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Predator Getting a Top-Secret Sequel in 2025 in Addition to Badlands

Matthew Aguilar — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 19:58:15 +0000

2025 is shaping up to be something special for fans of the Predator franchise, as it’s been revealed that a secret Predator film is now joining the already-announced Badlands next year. Predator: Badlands has been confirmed for a theatrical release, but what wasn’t known was that Prey director Dan Trachtenberg secretly directed another Prey movie that will also be released next year. In a new THR interview with 20th Century Fox President Steve Asbell, he revealed what led to both films and how they will differ from each other.

When asked if the next Predator movie would get a theatrical release, Asbell said, “Yes, a Predator movie will have a theatrical. I’ll tell you very simply. After Prey became a success, Dan [Trachtenberg] came back and said he didn’t want to do Prey 2. And we’re like, ‘What do you want to do?’ And he rattled off a bunch of ideas that were really crazy but really cool.”

That led to the project moving forward in secret, which will join the Badlands next year. “We’ve actually done two of them. Two are coming out next year. One I can’t talk about yet, but the other one is the live-action Predator film with Elle Fanning that just wrapped in New Zealand. That’ll be out theatrically sometime next year,” Asbell said.

As for Badlands, Asbell teased a bit of what fans can expect, saying, “It is an absolutely bonkers idea. It is a sci-fi thing, but it’s not what everybody thinks it is. And I mean, it’s awesome. It is so nuts. But in Dan, we trust.” As for the secret Predator movie, Asbell couldn’t reveal much, saying, “There’s a second Predator movie that we have different plans for. Dan has actually directed both.” Then he added, “There’s a secret Predator movie that will come out before the theatrical one but I can’t say anything about yet.

Asbel had one more nugget to share though, as when asked if there will eventually be another Alien vs. Predator movie, Asbell said, “Probably”, and then elaborated a bit more on what that would be if it does become a reality.

“It wouldn’t be in the way you think. That’s the thing,” Asbell said. “Not in the way that it will just be called Alien vs. Predator or anything like the original movies. If we do this, they’ll be organically created out of these two franchises that we’ve continued with characters that we fall in love with and those characters will combine…perhaps. But we haven’t gotten to that point. And we’re not just going to bang it out.”

Part of the challenge in handling franchises like Predator, Alien, and Planet of the Apes is figuring out how to balance the overall slate and not overexpose any one franchise, and next year is no exception. “Job one was figuring out these franchise movies first and coming up with the right cadence of Avatar, Apes, Alien and Predator specifically. Getting those right was the first part, which we’ve done now. And so that idea is to be able to say, ‘Okay, we know when the Avatar movies are coming. We know now about Predator. There’ll be another Apes in ‘27, let’s just say.’ So knowing where we can plan those franchises, it helps us look to see and ask what kinds of original movies in terms of genre do we want to test the marketplace with?”

Are you excited for two new Predator movies? You can talk all things movies and film with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Predator Getting a Top-Secret Sequel in 2025 in Addition to Badlands appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Alien: Romulus Sequel Set to Bring Back Director Fede Álvarez

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 19:57:58 +0000

Alien: Romulus is confirmed to be getting a sequel film, with director Fede Álvarez returning to helm it. The sequel was announced by 20th Century Studios head Steve Asbell, who just did a length feature article detailing how he’s rebooting some of the studio’s biggest franchise IPs into modern-day success stories – including the Alien and Predator franchises, which have both made big turnarounds in the last few years with the releases of Prey and Alien: Romulus (respectively). Now that the franchise fires have been rekindled, Asbell and co. are pouring on the gas, wasting no time with the next Alien movie:

“We’re working on a sequel idea now. We haven’t quite closed our deal with Fede [Alvarez], but we are going to, and he has an idea that we’re working on,” Asbell revealed to THR. “The two survivors, Rain and Andy, played by Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, were real highlights of the film. And so I always think of it like, ‘Wow, where do people want to see them go next?’ We know there’s going to be aliens. We know there’s going to be great horror set pieces. But I fell in love with both of them and I want to see what their story is.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Alien: Romulus hitting digital platforms, as well as the release of the Alien: Romulus #1 prequel comic from Marvel, which fills in crucial story points about the Romulus/Remus space station disaster, that set up the events of the film. The lane that Álvarez has carved out in the Alien mythology has quickly been widening, not to mention snaking back to connect to previous Alien movies. Rain (Spaeny) and her synthetic “brother” Andy (David Jonsson) escaped Romulus station and the hybrid “Offspring” creature and entered cryostasis on their way to a plush wilderness colony.

But, as we know in the Alien franchise, such journeys almost never end up at the intended destination – and that cryo-slumber either never stays peaceful for long, or lasts way too long. It’ll be interesting to see which version of the story Álvarez chooses to go with, as it will determine whether the Alien: Romulus series still plays as an interquel in the years between Alien (1979) and Aliens – or if it jumps forward to a new time period for the franchise to play in.

Alien: Romulus is available on digital. It’s streaming release date is projected for sometime in November.

The post Alien: Romulus Sequel Set to Bring Back Director Fede Álvarez appeared first on ComicBook.com.

This Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K Blu-ray Set Includes a VHS Copy and a Chainsaw

Sean Fallon — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 16:50:51 +0000

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 50th anniversary chainsaw edition

Tobe Hooper’s iconic horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is celebrating its 50th birthday this year, and movie milestones always include a Blu-ray release. This one is more fun than most with the inclusion of a VHS copy of the film with the original artwork and a chainsaw replica that triggers the sound of Leatherface firing it up in the film.

Of course, you won’t need to rely solely on a VCR that you probably don’t own to enjoy the film in this set. It also includes a 4K UHD edition, Blu-ray edition, and a bonus Blu-ray disc that’s loaded with extras, some of which are completely new like The Merchandise of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Restoration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

A listing for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition has just gone live here on Amazon priced at $299.99. It is currently listed as unavailable, though that may change. It may also turn up here at Walmart or here on GRUV in the coming days. Note that it was originally exclusive to Dark Sky Selects. A full breakdown of the bonus features can be found below.

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY: FEATURE FILM

Audio Commentaries
- Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Actor Gunnar Hansen, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl
- Actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, and Paul A. Partain, and Production Designer Robert Burns
- Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper
- Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou

DISC TWO – BLU-RAY: FEATURE FILM

Audio Commentaries
- Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper, Actor Gunnar Hansen, Cinematographer Daniel Pearl
- Actors Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, and Paul A. Partain, and Production Designer Robert Burns
- Writer-Producer-Director Tobe Hooper
- Cinematographer Daniel Pearl, Editor J. Larry Carroll and Sound Recordist Ted Nicolaou

DISC THREE – BLU-RAY: BONUS FEATURES

NEW The Merchandise of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
NEW The Restoration of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Feature-Length Documentary: The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Cinefamily Presents FRIEDKIN/HOOPER: A Conversation About The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Between William Friedkin and Tobe Hooper
Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw
A Tour of the TCSM House with Gunnar Hansen
Off the Hook with Teri McMinn
The Business of Chain Saw: An interview with Production Manager Ron Bozman Interview
Deleted Scenes & Outtakes
Grandpa’s Tales: An Interview with Actor John Dugan
Cutting Chain Saw: An Interview with Editor J. Larry Carroll
Blooper Reel
Horrors Hallowed Grounds: TCSM
Dr. W.E. Barnes Presents “Making Grandpa”
Still Gallery
Trailers
TV Spots
Radio Spots

The post This Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K Blu-ray Set Includes a VHS Copy and a Chainsaw appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Your Hocus Pocus Funko Pop Collection Is Now Complete

Becca Down — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 16:30:00 +0000

Hocus Pocus Allison, Binx, and Max Funko Pops!

The beloved Halloween classic Hocus Pocus just got some much needed Funko Pops to add to their line-up. The three witches, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary, had been given their fair share of Funko Pops, not to mention the wave for Hocus Pocus 2, so adding an extra cute Max and an adorably spooky Pop and Buddy of Allison and Thackery Binks in cat form will help fans complete their collections. These Pops are Funko shop exclusives, and should be available to pre-order right here today, October 24th.

Hocus Pocus Allison & Binks Funko Pop!: Allison’s help is much needed in this movie, and Max and Dani couldn’t have done it without her! Not to mention the importance of the adorable man-turned-cat, Binks! This combo is necessary for any Hocus Pocus collection / $15/
Hocus Pocus Max Funko Pop!: Max’s anti-Halloween attitude doesn’t last long, especially once he’s helped to resurrect the Sanderson Sisters! It’s up to him, his sister, and Allison to stop them from their evil mission – to become immortal! $15

Hocus Pocus 2…Maybe 3?

The long awaited sequel to the cult classic Halloween movie released in 2022 on Disney+, and it was a huge success. The spirit of the original was perfectly placed and the love it received was seen as proof that the film should definitely get a third entry in the franchise. Disney was happy to oblige with the announcement that a third installment was in development, though details have been scarce since then. Bette Midler, who plays the wicked witch Winifred Sanderson, would really like them to hurry up:

“I haven’t seen the script but I’ve heard rumblings, but I haven’t seen anything,” she shared with Busy This Week. “But I think if they’re gonna [make it], they oughta, because time is not just marching, time is like, barrel-assing to the finish line. Get us while we’re still breathing.”

It would definitely be great to see a third installment of this story, and it’s fantastic to hear the cast talking about it so excitedly. It took years for us to get the sequel, and now this three-quel seems like it will also take a few more years to be confirmed. Though it’s not the best news for those of us who crave more of the Sanderson Sisters, we’ll just have to be patient. While we await the confirmation (that’s hopefully close!), for now we can keep growing our spooky collections and celebrate the Halloween season with the first two Hocus Pocus films!

The post Your Hocus Pocus Funko Pop Collection Is Now Complete appeared first on ComicBook.com.

No More Room in Hell 2’s First Update Is Live with Patch Notes

Tanner Dedmon — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 15:59:13 +0000

After a rough start out the gate, No More Room in Hell 2 developer Torn Banner Studios laid out plans for the game’s first hotfix. Many of those initial plans dealt with server issues and matchmaking problems which were great to see addressed, but as players whacked zombies and extracted (or failed to do so) in No More Room in Hell 2 matches, more gameplay issues became apparent such as shotguns failing to do much of anything at all despite their pedigree in zombie outbreak scenarios. For those who encountered problems like that and more, however, you’ll be happy to hear that the very first No More Room in Hell 2 update has already addressed issues such as shotgun efficiency and more as well as the server issues.

The patch notes for the first No More Room in Hell 2 update are brief given that this initial release is just a hotfix and not a full-on update, but they’re still more than players were expecting based on what’d been previewed before. Some of the names of points of interest may still be a bit fuzzy to No More Room in Hell 2 players as they familiarize themselves with the map, but areas like the Cooling Tower, Farmhouse, and Gas Station were experiencing their own unique sets of problems. Those have also now been fixed (according to the patch notes, at least).

No More Room in Hell 2 players will of course find more issues as they play — such is the nature of early access — but for now, here’s what’s changed in the zombie game’s first update:

No More Room in Hell 2 Patch Notes

Shotgun damage was inconsistent and sometimes did no damage at all.
Responders were unable to connect nodes (wires to wires) and encountered a soft lock while in the wiring mini-game in the Cooling Tower
Weapon animations would end up out-of-sync and misaligned when performing various actions, such as picking up weapons, swapping weapons, or sprinting.
Generator would become locked after depositing a gas canister at Farmhouse, Lookout Tower, and Gas Station.
Nameplate VOIP icon states were inverted – appearing to be speaking when silent and vice versa.
Various optimizations to improve server performance.

As someone who’s played a few hours of No More Room in Hell 2 since its early access launch, the shotgun change is already going to be a significant one. No More Room in Hell 2 has firearms like pistols, magnums, a shotgun, and rifles, but the shotgun was by far worse than even the starting magnum due to this bug. Point-blank shots at zombies failed to even register at times which meant you were not only wasting your time but were wasting two inventory slots as well — one for ammo and one for the weapon. Considering how saferooms and weapon caches typically had one of a few types of weapons to go around as well, the shotguns being duds meant that groups had to make decisions about who wasn’t going to leave that saferoom rearmed with better weapons.

No More Room in Hell 2′s first update is live now via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

The post No More Room in Hell 2’s First Update Is Live with Patch Notes appeared first on ComicBook.com.

New From Clip Dives Into the Mystery of the Bottle Tree (Exclusive)

Patrick Cavanaugh — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 15:58:36 +0000

Image Courtesy of MGM+

Fans have had a lot of questions about what’s really going on in MGM+’s From ever since its first episode, and it’s something the on-screen characters can relate to, as they seem just as bewildered by what’s happening to them as audiences are. One major question audiences have had is about the bottle tree, which seemingly serves as a location that can transport people to other places without much rhyme or reason, but in a new clip from this week’s episode, Boyd (Harold Perrineau) and Jade (David Alpay) aim to explain how such impressive events could be happening with such regularity. You can check out the new clip from this week’s From above before it premieres on Sunday, October 27th on MGM+.

Episode 6 of the series is described, “Fatima and Ellis make a big decision about her pregnancy while Boyd fears for the future of his family. Tensions rise in the Matthews house. Randall opens up to Marielle about his fears.”

From unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down. In the wake of Season 2’s epic cliffhanger, escape will become a tantalizing and very real possibility as the true nature of the town comes into focus, and the townspeople go on offense against the myriad horrors surrounding them.

Not only are fans and the characters in the series themselves perplexed by the situation, but so is the cast, with Perrineau previously expressing how he both avoids speculation about fans about the series’ future and also hasn’t learned it himself.

“I won’t know what’s happening. If they did guess it, I won’t even know. I don’t know, I don’t wanna know,” Perrineau shared with ComicBook earlier this year of how little he knows about the series’ trajectory. “That being said, I don’t follow too many of the fan theories. I try to be as open to whatever’s happening as I can, you know what I’m saying? I try to find a way to make sure Boyd just responds the way Boyd might respond, without any other noise. My head can get noisy.”

A new episode of From premieres on MGM+ on Sunday, October 27th.

Are you looking forward to the new episode? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post New From Clip Dives Into the Mystery of the Bottle Tree (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Dark Horse Comics Reveals Into the Unbeing Part Two First Look (Exclusive)

Matthew Aguilar — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 19:11:35 +0000

Dark Horse Comics has some amazing news for fans of its hit series Into the Unbeing, and we’ve got your exclusive details right here! Into the Unbeing put a thrilling science fiction spin on Lovecraftian horror, and now Dark Horse has revealed that they will be jumping back into that world for a second chapter. Writer Zac Thompson (Cemetery Kids Don’t Die), artist Hayden Sherman (Absolute Wonder Woman), and letterer Jim Campbell will be defying and rewriting the laws of nature in Into the Unbeing Part Two, and the team couldn’t be more thrilled to be returning for more. Into the Unbeing Part Two #1 will land in comic shops on February 12th, 2025, and you can get your first look in the gallery below.

“With INTO THE UNBEING, Zac has dug into something primal,” said Sherman. “Something deeply unsettling and familiar. The horrific scale of how the world is changing around us, and the terror of figuring out who we are while caught in the middle of it. It is such a pleasure to be returning for the second half of this cataclysmic book to visualize the unease that Zac constructs so effortlessly.”

“I’m beyond thrilled to be returning to the world of INTO THE UNBEING.” confirmed Thompson. “This is the comic I’ve always dreamed of making where we’re using a vast, sprawling scale to deliver a five-course-meal in unease. Beyond that though, this is a deeply human journey into hell. A story about losing your world and finding a way to keep going. I can’t wait for people to witness what Hayden’s doing on these pages because it’s going to melt your ****ing mind.”

Sherman will return as the main cover artist, and the series will also feature a variant cover from Alison Sampson (Sleeping Beauties) and a special incentive variant cover from Matias Bergara (CODA). You can find the official description for Into the Unbeing Part Two below.

“Continuing the journey through time and space, Into the Unbeing Part Two follows the survivors of a climate science team who are stranded inside some incomprehensibly enormous creature. This ancient being is both a corpse and an eldritch landscape filled with hidden dangers. Our heroines are joined by a new compatriot – a ghoulish creature known only as The Stranger. This Stranger claims to have lived here for a century, it claims to know the way out, it claims there is still so much to see. Join our heroines on their perilous ascent back from the depths of hell and… into the heart of the Unbeing. Will any of them survive? And if they do, what will they become?”

Into the Unbeing Part Two #1 (of 4) will hit local comic stores on February 12th, 2025, and you can pre-order the book right now for $3.99. You can get your first look at the new chapter in the images below.

Are you excited for Into the Unbeing Part Two? You can talk all things comics with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

The post Dark Horse Comics Reveals Into the Unbeing Part Two First Look (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Is 2024 the Best Year of Horror Movies Yet?

Patrick Cavanaugh — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 19:03:45 +0000

Image Courtey of Neon/Mubi

Whenever a horror movie is a success with audiences or critics, countless industry “pundits” craft pieces about the power of horror and how the genre manages to bring excitement back to the movies. What horror fans know, however, is that horror has been a dominating force at cinemas for over a century and, while there can be lulls, tales of terror have always and will always give audiences reasons to head to the theater. As we near the end of 2024, the power of hindsight reveals that genre fans have gotten to enjoy some of the best horror offerings in recent years, as fans have been treated to an embarrassment of riches across various platforms. Additionally, not only have fans been given relatively successful entries in familiar franchises, but the most impressive outings have been entirely original and independent titles, proving just how bright the future is for the genre on screens both big and small.

Like many other years, 2024 got off to a rough start with horror, as Night Swim fell flat with audiences and critics alike, and while Lisa Frankenstein served as an unconventional love story in honor of Valentine’s Day, the project didn’t entirely resonate with a larger viewership. Luckily, as fans headed into spring, genre titles gained a bit more momentum.

In March, fans were given the religious-themed Immaculate starring Sydney Sweeney. Its subject matter combined with Sweeney’s growing star power resulted in box-office highs for studio Neon, with promising reviews also earning it plenty of positive buzz. That month also saw the release of the David Dastmalchian-starring Late Night with the Devil, which remains one of the best-reviewed horror movies of the year, sitting at 97% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite fans having doubts about The First Omen and how it was reviving the iconic The Omen franchise, the prequel managed to take audiences by surprise and find fresh entry points into the decades-old mythology, thanks in large part to the performance of Nell Tiger Free and direction of Arkasha Stevenson. While it was understandably inspired by Universal Monsters, Ready or Not and Scream filmmakers Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin unleashed Abigail, delivering audiences their signature blend of humor and horror. Even if it didn’t blow up at the box office, getting any unconventional take on vampire lore felt like a refreshing release from a major studio.

May might have been relatively light when it came to mainstream genre releases, as I Saw the TV Glow was a remarkable outing from A24 and filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun yet might not have been the conventional “horror movie” some audiences were anticipating, though June, July, and August offered up some standout titles. A Quiet Place: Day One proved that the series could be expanded outside the limitations of the Abbott family from the first two movies, while filmmaker Ti West and star Mia Goth concluded their trilogy of horror films with MaXXXine, which became the top earner of the series.

Nicolas Cage in Longlegs

July also saw the release of arguably the year’s most talked-about horror movie, Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs, whose serial-killer vibes, cryptic marketing, and frightening performance from Nicolas Cage helped the experience permeate all of pop culture. Merely weeks later, Neon had another impressive outing on their hands with Cuckoo, and while it also might not have been a box-office dynamo, it earned promising reviews and showcased the talents of filmmaker Tilman Singer, previously lauded for his work on festival favorites. August also offered up Alien: Romulus, and while it marked a relatively divisive experience among fans who either appreciated the embrace of elements of the franchise or decried the adventure for feeling too familiar, it performed well at the box office and helped give the iconic sci-fi franchise the jolt of interest it so desperately needed.

September ran the gamut of the genre, as it kicked off with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which surprised audiences and critics with its devotion to the silly and spooky spirit of the source material as opposed to merely being a cash-grab on the iconic title. The James McAvoy-led Speak No Evil shocked fans of the original 2022 Danish-Dutch film of the same name with how it managed to channel the pertinent elements of its predecessor while putting an American spin on the concept. The month closed out with The Substance, the 2.5-hour epic body-horror satire about beauty standards in Hollywood, which delivered audiences one of the most unforgettable cinematic experiences of the year, regardless of the genre.

Demi Moore in The Substance

In years past, October has been the go-to release month for a variety of horror franchises, as both Saw and Paranormal Activity movies would also open close enough to Halloween to bring out audiences in droves. This year, up-and-coming franchises earned new releases in the form of Terrifier 3 and Smile 2, and while neither series has quite the same cultural footprint as their predecessors, the early results are proving the franchises are building massive fan bases.

Hits for the horror genre aren’t limited to mainstream theatrical releases, as movies like In a Violent Nature, Strange Darling, Oddity, Azrael, V/H/S/Beyond, and It’s What’s Inside have all earned promising critical reactions and audience buzz that prove indie and streaming releases are just as thrilling, if not more so, than releases from larger studios. Even if their cultural footprints might not be as large as some theatrical releases, In a Violent Nature and V/H/S already have announced sequels on the way, which will only expand their followings.

Azrael movie at Fantasia International Film Festival

Sadly, this doesn’t mean that 2024 wasn’t without its misses for horror. Mainstream releases like Trap, The Watchers, Imaginary, and Tarot failed to make any substantial mark on viewers, as did streaming reboots and revivals like Salem’s Lot and Apartment 7A. Attempts to revive dormant properties The Strangers: Chapter 1 and The Crow showcased that audiences might not entirely be interested in returning to well-worn properties, though time will tell if they accomplished their goals of generating buzz or if they merely kicked off the latest ticking clock of fresh spins on these series.

Even without a box-office juggernaut dominating the horror conversation in 2024, we’ve seen a wide variety of filmmakers all telling unique and compelling stories in that realm, keeping the overall discussion alive all year long. From masked killers to supernatural spirits to otherwordly monsters, 2024 has delivered one success after the next for a substantial portion of the year, reminding audiences, critics, and pundits at large that no matter how many setbacks the genre might suffer, it’s only a matter of time before it comes back from the dead.

What was your favorite horror movie of the year? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

The post Is 2024 the Best Year of Horror Movies Yet? appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Alien: Romulus Prequel Reveals the Fate of the Original Movie’s Xenomorph

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 19:00:16 +0000

Alien Romulus Prequel

Alien: Romulus is a breakout hit new addition to the Alien franchise — and now that film has a prequel story that reveals what happened to the original xenomorph from Ridley Scott’s Alien. If you don’t know: Alien began with the story of commercial space liner the Nostromo being diverted to the planet LV-426 to investigate a distress signal. There they find an alien spacecraft (Engineers) containing parasitic lifeforms that attack one of the crew, infecting him with a xenomorph. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) was the only survivor of the creature’s subsequent infiltration of the Nostromo; she blew the ship up and blew the xenomorph out of the airlock of her escape craft vessel. But that’s not where the story ended.

The opening scene of Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus saw the Weyland-Yutani corporation finally locate the wreckage of the Nostromo nearly a quarter century after its destruction. The survey team also found a cocoon-like rock in the wreckage, which they confirmed as the remains of the original xenomorph that attacked the Nostromo (designated “XX121”). The specimen is taken back to the Remus/Romulus space station, to be examined by science officer Rook in the lab on Remus.

Warning: Spoilers below for Marvel’s Alien: Romulus #1

Marvel Comics’ new Alien: Romulus #1 prequel comic reveals that, as always in the Alien franchise, conspiring and backstabbing are the true cause of the disaster that unfolds. A pair of security guards named Adrian and Hyla are very much against XX121 being on Remus — especially Hyla, who lost an eye on a previous mission battling hostile alien species. Rook and the Remus scientists take the precaution of keeping the xenomorph sample on a cryogenic bed to ensure stasis — but that is not a detail Adrian and Hyla know when they eventually sneak into the lab and try to eject the xenomorph off the station. When two security troopers cut off the cryo-bed, XX121 is revived and gets right back on its job: killing off entire crews, starting with Adrian. Chaos breaks loose and facehugger specimens engineered on Remus get loose, infecting various science personnel — if XX121 doesn’t murder them first.

20th Century Studios / Marvel

The ending of Marvel’s Alien: Romulus prequel comic sees Hyla and Rook in a race to their respective objectives: Hyla wants to purge open the airlocks and suck the xenomorph back into space; Rook needs to ensure the completion of the Prometheus serum developed from the creature, before destroying it. In the end, Hyla battles and fatally wounds XX121 with a barrage of gunshots, ending the creature for good. Unfortunately, Rook doesn’t shut the airlock in time and Hyla gets sucked into space along with the rest of the crew, while Rook marvels at the Prometheus compound, and the test mouse it has revived.

20th Century Studios / Marvel

Now we have the official canon story of how Alien‘s iconic xenomorph met its end — and how that ending began the events of Alien: Romulus.

Alien: Romulus is available to watch on streaming. You can purchase the comic at Marvel.

The post Alien: Romulus Prequel Reveals the Fate of the Original Movie’s Xenomorph appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Terrifier Art the Clown One:12 Collective Figure Is On Sale Now

Sean Fallon — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 18:42:29 +0000

Mezco Terrifier Art the Clown One:12 Collective Figure

Terrifier Art the Clown One:12 Collective figure

The box office for Terrifier 3 has proven that moviegoers still have a big appetite for slasher films (an appetite that they’ll quickly lose after they witness Art the Clown’s gruesome kills). The Funko Pops based on the Terrifier series and Blu-rays have also been big sellers. Now the question is, how do fans feel about a high-end Art the Clown figure from Mezco Toyz? Let’s find out.

As is always the case with Mezco’s One:12 Collective figures, the accessories are to die for. Art the Clown includes 3 interchangeable head portraits, 11 interchangeable hands, and a whole bunch of maniacal weapons for them to wield. There’s also a decapitated head with a delightful light-up function, sunflower glasses, his signature garbage bags, blood FX and more. Pre-orders are available now here at Entertainment Earth priced at $115 with free U.S. shipping. It’s set to arrive in April, and you won’t be charged until it ships. A full breakdown of the features and accessories can be found below.

Terrifier Art the Clown One:12 Figure Features:

One:12 Collective body with over 28 points of articulation
Hand painted authentic detailing
Approximately 17cm tall
Three (3) interchangeable head portraits
Eleven (11) interchangeable hands:
- Two (2) pairs of weapon holding hands (L&R)
- One (1) pair of relaxed hands (L&R)
- One (1) pair of posing hands (L&R)
- One (1) horn holding hand (L)
- One (1) syringe holding hand (R)
- One (1) scalpel holding hand (R)

Costume:

Top hat
Blood-stained clown suit
Weathered clown shoes

Accessories:

One (1) decapitated head with light-up function
One (1) brain
One (1) pair of sunflower glasses
Two (2) garbage bags
One (1) flamethrower
One (1) cat o’ nine tails
One (1) hacksaw
One (1) table leg
One (1) knife-edge hammer
One (1) hammer
One (1) horn
One (1) butcher knife
One (1) cleaver knife
Three (3) blood FX (attach to knives)
One (1) One:12 Collective display base with logo
One (1) One:12 Collective adjustable display post

“Terrifier 2‘s remarkable success was driven not only by the insatiable appetite for new and thrilling horror icons like Art the Clown but also by its unparalleled theatrical release and marketing, along with its unyielding spirit,” Director Damien Leone said in a previous statement about Terrifier 3‘s release. “In a cinematic landscape where risk-taking is scarce, I will continue to push boundaries in Terrifier 3, and I can’t wait for you to see what’s in store for Art the Clown.”

Per the synopsis, “In Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting’s Terrifier 3, directed once again by Damien Leone, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is set to unleash another round of chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.”

The post Terrifier Art the Clown One:12 Collective Figure Is On Sale Now appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Horror Archives - ComicBook.com

Outlast Becoming a Movie With Major Creative From the Games Directly Involved

Smile Director Reveals Conditions for Developing a Smile 3

Five Horror Games That Desperately Need Remakes or Remasters

Comic Book Reviews for This Week: 10/30/2024

DC

Marvel

Image Comics

Other Publishers

Best Horror Movies to See in Theaters This Halloween

Best Horror Movies to See in Theaters During Halloween 2024

Smile 2

Terrifier 3

The Substance

Heretic*

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Speak No Evil

Re-Releases

This Is Netflix’s Highest Rated Horror Movie, According to Rotten Tomatoes

What Is Netflix’s His House About?

What Do Critics Say About Netflix’s His House?

How to Watch His House

Arrow Video Conquers Halloween With Two of the Best Physical Horror Releases This Year

Alien: Romulus Limited Edition VHS Release Is Up For Pre-Order

Another Alien Movie on the Way?

Best Netflix Horror Movies to Watch for Halloween

Non-Netflix Original Honorable Mentions

Fear Street Trilogy

Apostle

Gerald’s Game

The Platform

It’s What’s Inside

His House

Netflix’s Best Stephen King Movie Was Described as “Unfilmable” for Decades

This Is the Horror Classic I Watch Every Halloween

Why Fans Keep Demanding a Sequel to This Unexpected Halloween-Themed Cult-Classic

Mortal Kombat 1 Ghostface Trailer Shows Scream Killer Ready To Haunt Earthrealm

Heretic Reveals Real People That Inspired Hugh Grant’s Sinister Character

Heretic Cast, Crew & Story Info

Where to Watch the Scary Movie Franchise Online

[RELATED: Wayans Brothers Reuniting for Scary Movie Reboot]

Trick ‘r Treat Director Promises Sequel Is “Not Dead by Any Stretch” Despite Years-Long Delay

Wayans Brothers Reuniting for Scary Movie Reboot After Nearly Two Decades Away

Universal Orlando Offers New Looks at Frankenstein, Wolf Man, and More at Monsters Unchained

New Horror Movies Streaming This Week for Halloween 2024

[RELATED: How to Watch the Halloween Movies in Order, and Where to Stream in 2024 ]

[Related: Where to Watch Trap and More M. Night Shyamalan Movies Online]

Your Monster Stars Talk Playing Pivotal Roles in an Unexpected Romance

Your Monster Filmmaker Caroline Lindy Talks the Long Road to the Big Screen

How to Watch Trap and More M. Night Shyamalan Movies Online

[RELATED: Halloween Timeline Explained: How to Watch the Halloween Movies in Order]

Chucky Creator Says Franchise Will Continue Major Trend After Cancellation

How did the Chucky TV series end?

What is the future of the Chucky franchise?

When and Where to Watch the Halloween Movies on Halloween

[RELATED: Halloween Timeline Explained: How to Watch the Halloween Movies in Order]

Hysteria! Creators Reveal KISS Turned Down Series For a Very Surprising Reason

Fortnite Adding Leatherface’s Iconic Chainsaw Dance for Halloween

28 Years Later Star Reveals First Plot Details and Has Shocking Update on Filming Progress

[RELATED: Highly Anticipated 28 Days Later Sequel Was Secretly Shot on an iPhone]

What Do The New 28 Years Later Details Tell Us?

Halloween Toys, Games and Collectibles Guide: Disney, Arkham Horror, and More Create the Perfect Spooky Holiday

Family Fun

Spooky Tabletop

For The Disney Fan

Threads, Care Bears, and Star Wars

Silent Hill 2 Players Left Disturbed by Mysterious Room in the Remake

The Cult-Favorite Horror Movie That Channels the Halloween Spirit in a Totally Unique Way

Alien Reveals Romulus Station’s First Xenomorph Outbreak in New Prequel Story

Alien Reveals The Story of Romulus Station’s First Xenomorph Outbreak

The Running Man Becomes Scott Pilgrim Reunion With Michael Cera Joining Reboot

[RELATED: Stephen King’s Carrie Getting TV Adaptation from Fan-Favorite Collaborator]

The Running Man Reboot Will Be More Faithful To King’s Novel

Secret Predator Movie Rumored to Be an Animated Anthology

[RELATED: Alien: Romulus Sequel Set to Bring Back Director Fede Álvarez]

Your Monster Stars Open Up About the Unconventional Love Story

How to Watch M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap Online

Scream and Abigail Star Teases a Radio Silence Reunion for Ready or Not 2

Don’t Move Directors Dive Deep Into Their New Netflix Thriller

Silent Hill 2 Update Released Today Fixes “Critical Issue”

**[RELATED: Halloween Timeline Explained: How to Watch the Halloween Movies in Order]**