News

Everyone loves a good villain. Without scenery-chewing, dastardly antagonists for our heroes to fight, things just aren't much fun. Sometimes villains become cultural icons in their own right, like Michael Meyers from the "Halloween" movies or even Jeremy Irons as Scar in "The Lion King." Of course, one of the greatest villains of them all is Hannibal Lecter. Created by author Thomas Harris, "Hannibal the Cannibal" was the baddie in the novels "Red Dragon" in 1981, "The Silence of the Lambs" in 1988, "Hannibal" in 1999, and "Hannibal Rising" in 2006, and his well-mannered eccentricity and fierce bloodlust makes him as alluring as he is terrifying. These books have since been adapted into several Hannibal Lecter movies and an NBC television series, with four different actors having portrayed the aristocratic Lithuanian serial killer, each with their own unique spin. 

But who did it best? No one person cast as the clever cannibal was ever truly bad in the role,...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

American Primeval is a Western thriller drama series created by Mark L. Smith. The Netflix series is set in 1857 during the Utah War, and it revolves around the violent feuds and schemes to gain control over the American West. American Primeval stars Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Derek Hinkey, Joe Tippett, Jai Courtney, Preston Mota, Shawnee Pourier, and Shea Whigham. So, if you loved the gritty Western backdrop, thrilling story, and compelling characters in American Primeval, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Hell on Wheels Credit – AMC

Hell on Wheels is a Western thriller drama series created by Joe and Tony Gayton. The AMC series follows Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier who joins the railroad construction to find the Union soldiers who killed his wife and son during the Civil War.

Remakes are pretty common in the horror genre, but not necessarily popular and not always good. Studios that own classic intellectual properties like "A Nightmare on Elm Street" or "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" obviously want to monetize them, but longtime fans have a hard time getting past anyone besides Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger or Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface. It's a problem at least as old as Universal's classics -- Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff were not the only actors to play Dracula and Frankenstein's monster, respectively, but they are the names and faces that everyone remembers and loves from the Universal Monsters movies.

So why remake the hits? Why not remake flops instead? Sure, some of those flops may have intense fan bases, but imagine how many more people would love them if the concept were done better the second time around? A clever notion that...

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Paramount+ is ready with an entertainment-packed December this year. The upcoming month will see the premiere of some of the best Paramount+ original shows including Dexter: Original Sin and the streaming release of the comedy film The Fabulous Four. Just like every month, Paramount+ is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the 5 best movies and TV shows coming to Paramount+ in December 2024.

King Richard (December 1) Credit – Warner Bros.

King Richard is a biographical sports drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green from a screenplay by Zach Baylin. Based on the true stories of Serena, Venus, and Richard Williams, the 2021 film revolves around Venus and Serena Williams who rise to the top in the world of women’s tennis with the help and support of their strict father Richard Williams.

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Landman is a neo-Western drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace. Based on the podcast Boomtown by Imperative Entertainment Texas Monthly, the Paramount+ series is set in West Texas within the world of oil rigs and it follows Tommy Norris, a crisis executive at a fictional oil company who handles the chaotic day-to-day job of the oil rigs while also dealing with his unhinged family. Landman stars Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Michelle Randolph, Paulina Chávez, Kayla Wallace, Jon Hamm, Demi Moore, and James Jordan. So, if you loved Landman’s chaotic drama, thrilling story, and compelling characters, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Yellowstone (Peacock & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Paramount Network

Yellowstone is a neo-Western family drama series created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson. The Paramount Network series...

The Hannibal movies, in order, helped turn the doctor into one of cinema's most charismatic villains, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Through creepy yet captivating dialogue, viewers get acquainted with his grisly acts of violence, his chilling intellect, and his criminal history. The character was created by author Thomas Harris, and his Hannibal Lecter books have all been adapted into series and movies with confusing timelines. To make matters worse, some actors appeared in multiple Hannibal Lecter movies playing different parts.

The combined popularity of the novels along with Hopkins' Oscar-winning portrayal inspired further onscreen depictions of the cannibal's origins. As more movies and series followed, a breakdown was necessary to understand and separate the release date from the chronological unfolding of events in Hannibal Lecter's life. For fans interested in the series kicked off by The Silence of the Lambs, this is the way to watch the Hannibal Lecter movies in order.

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Midnight at the Pera Palace is a Turkish time-travel historical drama series created by written by Elif Usman. Inspired by the 2014 historical non-fiction book titled Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul by author Charles King, the Netflix series follows the story of Esra, a young journalist in modern-day Istanbul as she is tasked with writing an article about the Pera Palace Hotel and soon she is transported back in time and tries to stop a sinister plot from unfolding that could change the Turkey she knows. So, if you loved the time travel intrigue, compelling characters, and a thrilling story in Midnight at the Pera Palace here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Dark (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

Dark is a German sci-fi mystery thriller series created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese.

Every fan of Netflix’s offbeat superhero series The Umbrella Academy, finally has the end for their favorite on-screen superpowered siblings. The Umbrella Academy has always been one of the best Netflix original series with its brilliant characters and capable creators who have given us a gem that every fan of the series cherishes with all their heart. So, if you loved the superpower shenanigans, dark humor, incredible action, and a lot of world-ending drama, here are some similar shows you could watch next.

Misfits Credit – E4

Misfits is a British sci-fi comedy-drama series created by Howard Overman. The E4 series follows the story of a group of young offenders working in a community service program. Their lives take a unique turn when a strange electrical storm gives them supernatural powers. Misfits stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Iwan Rheon, Lauren Socha, Antonia Thomas, Robert Sheehan, Joseph Gilgun, Karla Crome, Nathan McMullen, Natasha O’Keeffe,...

Longlegs is a crime horror film written and directed by Oz Perkins. The 2024 film follows the story of FBI Agent Lee Harker as she takes on the case of unsolved serial killings but the mystery takes an interesting turn when the evidence suggests a connection to the occult. Soon, Harker discovers that she has a personal connection to the killer and she must find him before he kills someone else. Longlegs stars Maika Monroe in the lead role with Nicolas Cage, Alicia Witt, Kiernan Shipka, Blair Underwood, Erin Boyes, Dakota Daulby, Lisa Chandler, and Jason Day starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the horror, crime, psychological, and mystery elements in Longlegs, here are some similar movies you could watch next.

The Silence of the Lambs (Prime Video) Credit – Orion Pictures

The Silence of the Lambs is a psychological horror thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme from a screenplay by Ted Tally.

Supacell is a British superhero drama series created by Rapman. The Netflix series is getting love from all over the world, and it deserves that because it takes a lot of bold leaps and gives us a thrilling ride filled with complex characters and their interesting story. Supacell is set in South London and follows the story of a group of people who suddenly develop superpowers. The only thing that is similar to all of them is that they are all Black. Supacell stars Tosin Cole in the lead role, with Nadine Mills, Adelayo Adedayo, Josh Tedeku, Calvin Demba, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, and Giacomo Mancini starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the mystery, thrill, and superhero elements in Supacell, here are some similar shows you could watch next.

Misfits Credit – E4

Misfits is a British superhero comedy-drama series created by Howard Overman. The E4 series follows the story of...

Here’s what we know about Longlegs so far. It’s coming in July of 2024, it’s directed by Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter), and it features Maika Monroe (It Follows) as an FBI agent who discovers a personal connection between her and a serial killer who has ties to the occult. We know that the serial killer is going to be played by none other than Nicolas Cage and that the marketing has been nothing short of cryptic excellence up to this point.

At the very least, we can assume Neon’s upcoming film is going to be a dark, horror-fueled hunt for a serial killer. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five disturbing serial killers-versus-law-enforcement stories to get us even more jacked up for Longlegs.

Memories Of Murder (2003)

This South Korean film directed by Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) is a wild ride. The...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!]

RoboCop 2 4K Uhd from Scream Factory

RoboCop 2 will protect the innocent on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on June 18 via Scream Factory. The 1990 sequel has been newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision.

Irvin Kershner (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back) directs from a script by comic book legend Frank Miller and Walon Green (Eraser). Peter Weller returns to star with Nancy Allen, Dan O’Herlihy, Tom Noonan, Belinda Bauer, and Gabriel Damon.

Special features include: commentaries by CG supervisor Paul M. Sammon and the RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop documentarians; Corporate Wars: The Making of RoboCop 2; Machine Parts: The FX of RoboCop 2; Ocp Declassified; and more.

Species...

I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion to state that, of all the RoboCop movies, only Paul Verhoeven’s original 1987 film deserves to be called a classic. However, a lot of us have always thought that the ultra-violent sequel, RoboCop 2, was better than its reputation suggests. I know from our Original Video on the movie that it has more than a few fans, so it’s exciting to reveal that RoboCop 2 is finally getting a 4K Blu-ray release via Scream Factory.

The news was broken by our friends at Blu-ray.com. The company has also licensed José Padilha’s 2014 remake for release. No RoboCop 3 yet. I suppose the company just decided to let that one go, and you can’t really blame them, as it just might be one of the worst sequels of all time.

No news yet on whether RoboCop 2 will contain any special features.

Ever since Rose Glass set cinemas alight in 2019 with her feature directorial debut, Saint Maud, there has been great excitement for what is next and Love Lies Bleeding does not disappoint.

It is bold, brutal and in some parts ridiculous, but even those elements work well with the grounded world Glass has created. Nothing is approached with a half-measure – especially the violence and sex.

Opening the 20th edition of the Glasgow Film Festival (Gff), it comes as no surprise it sold out speedy-quick in what is its UK premiere.

This ’80s romance-thriller doesn’t really feel like your typical movie set in that decade. This is a dark, almost bleak, setting of a small town in Albuquerque. You aren’t battling against an avalanche of the usual cliché styles, colour, sounds and fashion of the era.

It’s grounded with its own style and stays clear of tropes. If it...

As attention turns to the Oscars around this time every year, it’s easy to get caught up remembering some of the big winners. One of the most notable champs was The Silence of the Lambs, which took home the “Big Five” awards in 1992: Best Picture, Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director (Jonathan Demme), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally), as well as Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing to round it out.

And despite owning the film rights to works of author Thomas Harris, super-producer Dino De Laurentiis saw none of that windfall, be it Oscar gold or box office riches. How could a savvy Hollywood player, responsible for making some of the most important movies of all time, make such a wild mistake?

It’s all Michael Mann’s fault.

Hannibal and the Italian

In 1981, author Thomas Harris published Red Dragon, a...

"Unforgiven" reinvented the Western genre with its condemnation of violence, but a newer movie might have done it even better. While "Unforgiven" showed the negative effects of violence, the movie still glorified it by making Clint Eastwood's Munny into a cool and likable character. "Seraphim Falls" depicts violence in an uncomfortable way to deliver its similar main theme, making it a more effective film than "Unforgiven" in conveying its message.

Clint Eastwood's classic movie Unforgiven changed the Western genre forever, but another movie from 2007 might have beaten it in one key area that works better today. Unforgiven stars Eastwood as William Munny, a vicious outlaw who tried to leave his criminal days behind him. He was drawn back into the gun-slinging life after a young man offered to split the reward money from a bounty with him, and Munny needed funds to support his children. Unforgiven deconstructed the Western genre,...

Seraphim Falls captured the essence of the 1800s West by filming in various locations in the western United States. The opening scene was filmed along the McKenzie River in Oregon, featuring the bounty hunters and Gideon. A couple of cities in New Mexico were also used as filming locations for different scenes in the movie.

Seraphim Falls takes place in the 1800s, and like other producers of movies that transported viewers to hundreds of years in the past, they had to pick filming locations that could believably pull off old-time settings. The 2007 revisionist Western movie, directed by David Von Ancken and written by Von Ancken and Abby Everett Jaques, revolves around a Confederate colonel hunting down a Union soldier in an attempt to kill him. The film captures the essence of the West in the 1800s, shortly following the American Civil War, and the cast and crew pulled this off by traveling to Western locations.

Director Fred Dekker’s 1987 cult classic monster mash The Monster Squad (watch it Here) features variations of the classic Universal Monsters characters Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, and the Gillman, but it wasn’t actually a Universal production. So to avoid getting in trouble with Universal, the movie’s effects crew at the Stan Winston Studio had to create their own specific designs of the creatures… but that didn’t stop them from sneaking homages to the original monsters in there. It has been known for a while now that designers Steve Wang and Matt Rose hid the face of the original Creature from the Black Lagoon somewhere on the neck of their Gillman suit. Now – as pointed out by Monster Squad super-fan Shawn Robare of Plastic Rocket Pop – the exact location of that face has been found!

Thanks to a listing for a Monster Squad Resin Head Casting on eBay,...

With a love of cinema woven into its DNA, The Monster Squad helped indoctrinate ’80s kids to the classic monsters. The generation that grew up watching it on home video and HBO look back on the 1987 film with the same reverence director Fred Dekker had for the Universal monster movies, and now they’re passing it down in a similar fashion. There’s no better way to introduce the next generation than with the new 4K edition.

Conceived as “The Little Rascals meets the Universal Monsters,” the cleverly-plotted film clocks in at a tight 82 minutes. The punchy script by Dekker and Shane Black doesn’t have an ounce of fat on it, save for the casual homophobia, misogyny, and body shaming of the time. Drawing inspiration from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, human characters offer well-placed levity and a bevy of memorable one-liners, but the monsters are played straight.

The...

The Wolfen episode of The Black Sheep was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Brandon Nally, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

A black sheep doesn’t have to be considered bad to have that loving title and distinction. I mean, some of them are considered quite bad and need the layers peeled down to show off the good inside. There are other cases though. A movie can also be a black sheep if it was buried by a more popular outing like The Last Broadcast being utterly forgotten after the behemoth The Blair Witch Project made its appearance. Sometimes, like Last Broadcast, it can just be buried withing its own genre, decade, year, or as in today’s title, all 3. I’ve seen more than a few comments for this one so let’s take a look at werewolves in 1981. No,...

Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad will rise again with a brand new 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber, Bloody Disgusting has just learned this afternoon.

Kino Lorber upgrades The Monster Squad to 4K Uhd on November 28, 2023!

Check out the full Special Features lineup in the tweet below, which includes the feature documentary Wolfman’s Got Nards, audio commentaries, interviews, and more.

You know who to call when you have ghosts, but who do you call about monsters? The Monster Squad—a group of young kids devoted to protecting their suburban neighborhood from strange things that go bump in the night. They ain’t afraid of no ghouls!

Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr) escapes Van Helsing (Jack Gwillim) and adjourns to modern-day Earth in search of an ancient amulet that will grant him final control over the delicate balance between good and evil in the world. To help him, the...

It’s not very often that you see the 1987 cult classic monster mash The Monster Squad (watch it Here) in the news, but we have some cool news to share about the movie today! Dawn of the Discs has revealed that Kino Lorber is planning to give The Monster Squad a 4K Uhd release sometime later this year.

A specific release date has not yet been announced, but it’s good to know that The Monster Squad will be hitting 4K later this year. As of right now, all we know that this release will contain is the 4K disc with a “Brand New Hdr/Dolby Vision Master – From a New 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative!“, plus a regular Blu-ray copy.

Directed by Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps), who wrote the screenplay with Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), The Monster Squad was inspired by the classic Universal...

Have you ever had a vacation so iconic that people are still talking about it over two centuries later? Mary Shelley sure did, with her infamous getaway alongside Percy Shelley, John Polidori, Claire Clairmont and their host Lord Byron resulting in some of the most influential genre fiction of all time. And while Byron’s Darkness and Polidori’s The Vampyre have their merits, it’s pretty clear that Frankenstein remains the most enduring product of that fateful literary holiday.

That’s why it’s no surprise that we’re still seeing fresh adaptations of The Modern Prometheus well into 2023, with Yorgo Lanthimos’ Frankenstein inspired Poor Things proving that there are still new ways of exploring the tragic horror of Shelley’s immortal yarn. And with so many great adaptations to choose from, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six of the best modern Frankenstein retellings for your viewing pleasure.

A new episode of The Arrow in the Head Show has just been released, and in this one hosts John “The Arrow” Fallon and Lance Vlcek are looking back at the 1990 sci-fi action sequel RoboCop 2 (watch it Here), which sees our hero RoboCop trying to get a new drug called Nuke off the streets of Detroit… and then battling a drug dealer who has been turned into a RoboCop himself. To find out what The Arrow and Lance think of RoboCop 2, check out the video embedded above.

Directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Frank Miller and Walon Green, RoboCop 2 has the following synopsis: Cyborg Detroit policeman Alex Murphy is the sole officer on duty after the police force goes on strike against evil conglomerate Omni Consumer Products and its push to foreclose on the city of Detroit. Aside from dealing with the normal level of crime,...

Longtime readers of Arrow in the Head will probably remember the article series The Test of Time. Now The Test of Time has been revived as a video series, and you can check out the new episode in the embed above! With this one, we’re looking back at the 1987 cult classic monster mash The Monster Squad (watch it Here)! To find out whether or not this one stands the test of time, check out the video embedded above.

Directed by Fred Dekker, who wrote the screenplay with Shane Black, The Monster Squad was inspired by the classic Universal Monsters movies (plus Abbott & Costello and The Little Rascals). The film has the following synopsis: A group of youngsters find themselves up against the combined might of Dracula, the Mummy, the Gill Man and Frankenstein’s Monster, who arrive in town in search of a magic amulet.

Andre Gower, Robby Kiger,...

As many of you Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul fans know, before Vince Gilligan became a demi-God of modern television in the late aughts, he was learning the ropes under the hands of Chris Carter, the father of The X-Files. Gilligan wrote or co-wrote 30 episodes of the classic sci-fi series, which undoubtedly played a key part in his success many years later. Carter gave Gilligan enough creative freedom that allowed him to play out the full scope of his ideas ranging from suspenseful to touchingly dramatic to campy and downright hilarious. As a result, he’s written some of the most gripping and beloved episodes in the show’s history.

Gilligan had great talent to begin with, but it was the versatility of The X-Files that permitted his creativity to flourish in numerous ways. Now, we’re here to highlight some of the finest work he’s done for the series through nine seasons.

Director / Producer / Showrunner Greg Yaitanes discusses a few of his favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Innerspace (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, The Atomo-Vision Of Joe Dante At The American Cinematheque

The Ipcress File (1965) – Howard Rodman’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

On The Border (1998)

Hard Justice (1995)

Rorschach (1993)

Hard Target (1993)

Hard Boiled (1992)

Risky Business (1983)

Assault Platoon (1990)

Forrest Gump (1994)

Star Wars (1977)

All That Jazz (1979) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Star 80 (1983)

Lenny (1974) – Robert Weide’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

The Pope Of Greenwich Village (1984)

Southern Comfort (1981)

The Trial (1962) – Joe Dante’s trailer commentary

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

Babylon (2022)

Hitman’s Run (1999)

Birdy (1984)

The Last Temptation Of Christ (1988)

The Paper House (1986)

A History Of Violence (2005)

The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

Hail Mary (1985)

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)

Double Tap (1997)

Conspiracy Theory (1997)

Die Hard (1988)

Heat (1995)

Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s...

Horror director Ti West came up through the world of micro-budget filmmaking. His early efforts were bankrolled by the likes of Larry Fessenden. He was also involved in the mumblecore movement thanks to a friendship with Joe Swanberg: They've even acted in each other's movies. 

He has directed episodes of television shows as varied as "The Resident" and "Wayward Pines," and he has helmed short segments of modern classic anthology films such as "V/H/S" and "The ABCs of Death." In other words, West's directing sensibility is everywhere, never more so than in 2022, when he released two interconnected hits through A24, "X" and "Pearl."

His feature efforts reveal him to be a chameleon, the rare director who can work in many different horror registers. He makes straightforward slashers, slow-burn atmospheric chillers, films full of blood and guts, and movies where his characters are trapped in situations choked by unimaginable tension.

Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month, including a series on first films featuring David Cronenberg’s Stereo, Kelly Reichardt’s River of Grass, Jerzy Skolimowski’s Identification Marks: None, Fatih Akın’s Short Sharp Shock, Panos Cosmatos’ Beyond the Black Rainbow, and, with Mubi’s theatrical release of her new film Alcarràs, Carla Simón’s Summer 1993.

Additional highlights include Mathieu Amalric’s Hold Me Tight starring Vicky Krieps, Sundance favorites with films from Sean Baker, Lynn Shelton, Tom Noonan, and Andrew Bujalski, plus works from Nicolas Roeg, Claude Chabrol, and Aftersun director Charlotte Wells.

Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.

January 1 – Stereo, directed by David Cronenberg | First Films First

January 2 – Short Sharp Shock, directed by Fatih Akın | First Films First

January 3 – River of Grass, directed by Kelly Reichardt | First Films First

January 4 – Identification Marks: None, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski | First Films...

Any fan of horror movies knows the name “Hannibal Lecter.” This iconic character has been played by some of the biggest names in Hollywood, and his gruesome crimes have been the subject of numerous films and books.

Diabolical cannibal Hannibal Lecter has been the basis for five movies, all adapted from Thomas Harris novels about Lecter: 1981’s Red Dragon, 1988’s The Silence of the Lambs, 1999’s Hannibal, and 2006’s Hannibal Rising.

The first film starred Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecter. Anthony Hopkins took over the role for “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Hannibal,” and “Red Dragon.”

If you want to experience the full Hannibal Lecter story, then you’ll want to watch all the movies in order. Then, starting with” Manhunter” and ending with” Hannibal,” this list will take you through all the most significant moments in Lecter’s history.

So whether you’re a longtime fan or just getting started,...

If you were a kid in the eighties, you wanted to be part of The Monster Squad. While a box office dud that made under 4 million dollars at the box office, once this tween classic hit HBO and VHS, its cult status grew. Directed by Fred Dekker (Night of the Creeps), who co-wrote with the legendary Shane Black, The Monster Squad revolves around a group of horror-obsessed boys who come face to face with a gaggle of classic monsters, led by the evil Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr). Now they have to battle Dracula, The Mummy, the Gil-Man and the Wolfman while getting help from a descendent of Van Helsing and the surprisingly gentle Frankenstein’s monster (Tom Noonan – in a performance that tugs at the heartstrings).

In the years following The Monster Squad’s release, the kids from the film went on to varied careers before reuniting after the movie...

Spoiler Alert: The following review contains spoilers.

In “Ex Machina” director Alex Garland’s latest, “Men,” the leaves are so green, the tone is so ominous, and the men are so … Rory Kinnear-y that audiences are all but guaranteed to leave this folk-horror bizart-house offering feeling disturbed, even if no two viewers can agree on what bothered them about it. There’s that shocker of an ending, of course, but we’ll postpone discussion of that till the penultimate paragraph of this review, so as not to spoil the fun — even if, by the time you see it, “Men” is already likely to be defined by its over-the-top finale.

Kinnear, who comes across as a chummy enough fellow — albeit one who might chase you into a back alley and murder you if given the chance — impressively embodies eight different characters: basically, all the men, plus one particularly creepy boy,...

Back in 2005, Ti West first appeared on the scene with an odd little horror film called "The Roost" featuring killer bats, the reanimated dead, and Tom Noonan as a horror host. His follow up, the thrilling "Trigger Man," flew by viewers and went mostly underseen, but when West released "The House of the Devil" in 2009, he established himself as one of horror's most exciting new voices. In the years that followed, West put out a slew of horror films, like "Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever," "The Innkeepers," "The Sacrament," as well as contributing segments to "V/H/S" and "The ABCs of Death." Ti...

The post Here's When You Can Watch Ti West's X at Home appeared first on /Film.

This week’s horror and sci-fi home media releases are a fun bunch, as we have a lot of great new movies to look forward to, as well as a ton of killer classic titles headed home to various formats. If you missed it in theaters, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is being released alone and then alongside the first two Ghostbusters films as a three-movie collection, and for those of you who love mind-blowing animation, you’re going to definitely want to check out The Spine of Night. One of my favorite films from 2021 was Danishka Esterhazy’s Slumber Party Massacre, so if you missed seeing it then, now you can catch up with it courtesy of Scream Factory.

In terms of older titles, several of my favorite movies are headed to Blu-ray this week from the fine folks at Kino Lorber: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and both F/X...

For a long, long time we’ve heard word Michael Mann was co-writing a sequel / prequel novel to his indelible (and about 25 other adjectives) 1995 crime film Heat. So long we began to think it was yet another item this beloved, nevertheless exacting auteur couldn’t get into motion, despite having launched the label Michael Mann Books for the express purpose of such passion projects.

Yet here we are, more than 18 months since the last real news, with an August 9 release date and trailer for Heat 2, co-written with Meg Gardiner (replacing once-attached Reed Farrel Coleman) and jumping between 1989 and 2002—some six years before and seven years after, respectively, the film itself. It starts one day after as Chris Shiherlis (start picturing 1995 Val Kilmer) trying to leave L.A., for its remainder jumping “from the streets of L.A. to the inner sanctums of rival Taiwanese crime syndicates in a South American free trade zone,...

Exclusive: Michael Mann is ready to rip on Heat 2, a novel he has written with Edgar-winner Meg Gardiner that expands the tapestry of his 1995 crime classic film. The surprise here: the novel coming August 9 from William Morrow through the HarperCollins-based Michael Mann Books imprint will tell an original story about the lives of the characters in that movie both before and after the events depicted in the movie..

To those like myself who’ve watched the atmospheric Los Angeles-based heist thriller dozens of times, the prospect of its creator revisiting the terrain and characters is something to look forward to. To remind, the meticulously plotted mano a mano matchup between LAPD Homicide/Robbery lieutenant Vincent Hanna and master thief Neil McCauley became...

Multi-faceted filmmaker Mark Duplass discusses the movies he wishes more people knew about with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Duck Butter (2018)

The Puffy Chair (2005)

Prince Of Broadway (2008)

Tangerine (2015)

The Florida Project (2017) – Dennis Cozzalio’s review

Red Rocket (2021)

Starlet (2012)

Take Out (2004)

Mack & Rita (Tbd)

Old Joy (2006)

First Cow (2020)

Wendy And Lucy (2008) – Dennis Cozzalio’s favorite movie of 2020

Henry Fool (1997)

Trust (1990)

Amateur (1994)

Medicine For Melancholy (2008)

Shang-Chi (2021)

Your Sister’s Sister (2011)

My Effortless Brilliance (2008)

What the Funny (2008)

Humpday (2009)

True Adolescents (2009)

Man Push Cart (2005)

The White Tiger (2021)

Baghead (2008)

The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012)

Language Lessons (2021)

Stevie (2002)

Hoop Dreams (1994)

American Movie (1999)

What Happened Was… (1994) – Ti West’s trailer commentary

Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

My Dinner With Andre (1981)

Creep (2014)

Grown-Ups (1980)

Abigail’s Party (1977)

Nuts In May (1976)

Secrets And Lies (1996) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Naked (1993)

Parallel Mothers (2021)

The Freebie (2010)

East Of Eden (1955) – Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary

Strange...

Prolific television director David Von Ancken, who also helmed the feature Seraphim Falls, passed away July 26 at his home in Agoura Hills, CA after a two-year battle with aggressive stomach cancer. He was 56.

David Von Ancken, known lovingly as “Dva,” was born in New York on December 5, 1964. His career got off to a hot start with the 2001 short Bullet In the Brain, starring Tom Noonan and Dean Winters, which Von Ancken wrote and directed. It won Universal/Hypnotic Films’ Million Dollar Film Festival as well as numerous other festival awards and opened the doors for Von Ancken to embark on a directing career.

He became a sought-after — and beloved — episodic director who worked on some three dozen series over the past two decades, including Oz, Without a Trace, The Shield, Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, The Mentalist, Person of Interest, The Following, Intelligence, House of Lies, MacGyver, The Crossing and The Purge.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Last Action Hero will be available on 4K Ultra HD May 18th

Young Danny Madigan (Austin O’Brien) is a lonely 11-year-old boy who escapes from his bleak reality by watchingthe action adventure movies of his favorite film character, Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). When his best friend, Nick the projectionist, gives him a special ticket to the new Slater film, Danny is magically transported into Jack’s world, where the good guys always win. Danny becomes his helper as Jack battles a trio of nefarious bad guys, Benedict (Charles Dance), Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn) and The Ripper (Tom Noonan). But things get out of hand when Benedict steals Danny’s magic ticket stub and transports himself into the real world, where crime can, and often does, pay. Jack and Danny must leave fictional Los Angeles for real-life New York and battle the villains without the aid of movie magic or stuntmen.

While the summer movie season will kick off shortly––and we’ll be sharing a comprehensive preview on the arthouse, foreign, indie, and (few) studio films worth checking out––on the streaming side, The Criterion Channel and Mubi have unveiled their May 2021 lineups and there’s a treasure trove of highlights to dive into.

Timed with Satyajit Ray’s centenary, The Criterion Channel will have a retrospective of the Indian master, along with series on Gena Rowlands, Robert Ryan, Mitchell Leisen, Michael Almereyda, Josephine Decker, and more. In terms of recent releases, they’ll also feature Fire Will Come, The Booksellers, and the new restoration of Tom Noonan’s directorial debut What Happened Was….

On Mubi, in anticipation of Undine, they’ll feature two essential early features by Christian Petzold, Jerichow and The State That I Am In, along with his 1990 short documentary Süden. Also amongst the lineup is Sophy Romvari’s Still Processing,...

Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Siân Heder's Coda (2021). The winners of this year's Sundance Film Festival have been announced, with Siân Heder's Coda and Questlove's Summer of Soul sweeping the top prizes. Chloé Zhao's Nomadland, David Fincher's Mank, and Jason Woliner's Borat Subsequent Moviefilm lead the Golden Globe film nominations, also announced today. See more hereThe international jury of the 71st Berlinale includes six previous winners of the Golden Bear: Mohammad Rasoulof, Nadav Lapid, Adina Pintilie, Ildikó Enyedi, Gianfranco Rosi and, finally, Jasmila Žbanić. The festival's industry event will be taking place March 1-5, with a "summer special" taking place in June. More information has emerged regarding Tilda Swinton and Joanna Hogg's next collaboration, The Eternal Daughter. Executive-produced by Martin Scorsese and filmed in Wales during lockdown, the film follows a middle-aged daughter and...

As the annual Sundance Film Festival begins again this week, legendary actor/director Tom Noonan takes us back 27 years to a very different Sundance, where his film What Happened Was… won the Grand Jury Prize. It’s the ultimate “actor’s film,” just two people, Noonan and the incredible Karen Sillas, in one room, real time, on a first date like no other. He talks about the circumstances that led him to Sillas, the extensive rehearsal process they had, the production, and the ups and downs of its ultimately triumphant reception. Plus Noonan tells the story of the first big lesson that […]

The post Back to One, Episode 139: Tom Noonan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

As the annual Sundance Film Festival begins again this week, legendary actor/director Tom Noonan takes us back 27 years to a very different Sundance, where his film What Happened Was… won the Grand Jury Prize. It’s the ultimate “actor’s film,” just two people, Noonan and the incredible Karen Sillas, in one room, real time, on a first date like no other. He talks about the circumstances that led him to Sillas, the extensive rehearsal process they had, the production, and the ups and downs of its ultimately triumphant reception. Plus Noonan tells the story of the first big lesson that […]

The post Back to One, Episode 139: Tom Noonan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

While often considered a cult figure for his roles in Manhunter, Last Action Hero, RoboCop 2, and The Monster Squad among sundry others, Tom Noonan is perhaps most deserving of praise for his fiercely intelligent, emotionally lacerating, and masterfully composed work as a writer-director. 1994’s What Happened Was…, in which he is also lead actor, is a paramount achievement, making all the more shameful its relegation to relative obscurity for more than 25 years. This Friday, however, sees the virtual release of a remarkable 4K restoration, to which I can pay the finest compliment one might afford: as a longtime fan I simply did not think the film could look this nice.

I was able to speak with Noonan about the project, where he is now, and—to surprise and delight in equal measure—the sequel he’s written with intent to turn into a feature. As the conversation started we...

What Happened Was… is a lost classic of many stripes—the single-set movie, the bad-first-date comedy, the ’90s American indie, the multi-hyphenate passion project. Meager in scale and vast in implication, writer-director-star Tom Noonan’s 1994 Sundance winner is coming back at just the right moment: when we’re trapped inside and facing our worst fears.

Once only available in horrid-looking Sd, it’s been given a 4K restoration arriving next week from Oscilloscope. Thus a trailer that captures the film’s distinct sense of dread while showing off this new sheen’s revitalization—as a longtime fan it’s hard to believe the film could ever look this good.

Watch it below and check back next week for our interview with Noonan:

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Screenwriting Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, What Happened Was… is Tom Noonan’s directorial debut; a darkly humorous take on dating dread.

Welcome to this week’s Friday Night SmackDown review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and… Colack: The Shunting begins! He arrives…A-Shunt-e! Hahahahaha!!!!!!! Nathan: Ashanti! I love her! That woman can sing! Yeah! Ashanti! Colack: No! A-Shunt-e! Nathan: That’s what I said! Ashanti! Oh my God! We’ve got Ashanti! What an occasion! Let’s get this started! Ashanti! Yeah! Colack: A-Shunt-e! A…Shunt…E! Nathan: Ashanti!

Match #1: The Street Profits def. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode in a SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After scoring a non-title win over SmackDown Tag Team Champions over Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford several weeks ago, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode were awarded an opportunity at the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. But in the height of the explosive showdown, Ford’s ribs were visibly hurt after he leaped off the top rope to...

Stars: Nick Damici, Ethan Embry, Tom Noonan, Tina Louise, Rutanya Alda, Caitlin O’Heaney, Lance Guest, Erin Cummings, Larry Fessenden | Written by Eric Stolze | Directed by Adrián García Bogliano

Nick Damici has been a familiar face in the horror genre for years now. Primarily working with writer/director Jim Mickle, on whose films he has also co-written, this gruff, large but still oddly charming presence has impressed before but he was never given a true lead part until this film. With Mickle uninvolved, although long-time cohort Larry Fessenden produces and pops up in a cameo role, Damici takes centre stage in Late Phases, a film with the wonderfully juicy premise of a blind ‘Nam veteran getting revenge on a werewolf after it kills his best friend.

It feels appropriate to base this review around Damici as he is the chugging motor which drives the film and the beating heart which actually makes you invest in it.

Prop Store's auctions are always a treat for genre fans, because they're able to offer some of the very best props and costumes. Of course, an individual item could set you back hundreds of thousands of dollars, but this August's auction is focused on sci-fi movies and features items from Alien, Men in Black, Event Horizon, Judge Dredd, and many more! Even if you're not planning to bid, it's worth taking a look at their catalogue to see what they're offering. You can find all of the important details below:

"Next month's auction, brings one of the most significant and largest spaceships that we've ever handled to the block: the Nostromo from Ridley Scott's Alien (1979). The Nostromo stands among spaceship icons like the Millennium Falcon and the Discovery from 2001, and this is the primary model used throughout filming. It measures a massive 11 feet in length and originally had systems for lighting and CO2 effects.

John Schneider and Kirk Douglas in Eddie MacOn’S Run (1983) is currently available on Blu-ray From Mill Creek Entertainment.

Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas stars with John Schneider (The Dukes of Hazzard) in the action-packed Eddie Macon’s Run. Time is running out for Eddie Macon (Schneider). He’s trapped in a Texas jail on trumped-up charges. He’ll do anything to make it back to his wife and child, but if he’s caught, he’ll be back in the pen for life. Carl Marzack (Douglas) is an aging cop who must prove he can still get his man – and his man is Eddie Macon. The hunt is on in this exciting thrill ride that climaxes in an edge-of-your seat chase through the streets of Texas.

Eddie MacOn’S Run stars John Schneider, Kirk Douglas, Lee Purcell, John Goodman, Tom Noonan, and Gil Rogers

The post Kirk Douglas and John Schneider in...

The star, Alexandra Daddario, the writer, Alan Trezza, and the director, Marc Meyers, of the terrific new film We Summon The Darkness walk us through some of their favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

We Summon The Darkness (2020)

Burying The Ex (2015)

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

American Beauty (1999)

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Ghostbusters (1984)

The Sound of Music (1965)

L.A. Story (1991)

Ghost Dad (1990)

Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003)

Roxanne (1987)

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

Fargo (1996)

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Psycho (1960)

Psycho (1998)

Defending Your Life (1991)

Modern Romance (1981)

The Jerk (1979)

Jaws (1975)

Notting Hill (1999)

Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994)

When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

Love Actually (2003)

Marley & Me (2008)

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

World’s Greatest Dad (2009)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Raging Bull (1980)

Mandy (2018)

Heathers (1988)

Ed Wood (1994)

Hellzapoppin’ (1941)

Fletch (1985)

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Batman Returns (1992)

Warlock (1989)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Star Wars (1977)

Sixteen Candles (1984)

The Swimmer (1968)

Sherman’s March (1985)

Amadeus (1984)

Amarcord (1974)

Hugo Pool (1997)

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills...