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Stars: Dominic Keating, Jane Hajduk, Courtney Fulk, Neirin Winter, Anthony Jensen, Patrick Labyorteaux, Kathleen Turner, Lisa Cole, Landon Jacob Lee, Aria Surrec, Zack Gold, Saskia Norman | Written and Directed by Ryan Ebert

Every now and then, a film studio surprises you, and with The Jolly Monkey, Asylum Pictures delivers one of its most unexpected entries to date. Known primarily for mockbusters, over-the-top disaster flicks and SyFy-esque creature features, the studio takes a sharp left turn into the realm of backwoods slasher horror. The result is a flawed but undeniably compelling entry in the genre, one that punches above its weight and plays with familiar tropes in surprisingly effective ways.

The plot centres on a cursed, long-abandoned roadside establishment: the Jolly Monkey Motel. Forty years prior, entire families mysteriously vanished while staying there. Now, the descendants of the original owners, chief among them the Blythe and Williams families, reunite at the site to decide its future.

In the latest episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard chatted with General Hospital co-star Eden McCoy about the grief process since losing her mom.

Grief and Gratitude

McCoy will be celebrating her 10th anniversary as Josslyn on Gh this year. But what no one knew during her many years on the soap was that she was carrying a heavy load. In 2021, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and in 2023, passed away after a two-and-a-half-year battle with illness.

McCoy took a leave from the show during the difficult time, temporarily replaced by Courtney Fulk. Now, the actress has taken to State of Mind to share her experience and what she’s learned about grief and life.

Read This: Here’s what’s coming up on Gh.

“Nobody would have ever known that I was dealing with something of that scale,” McCoy admitted. “It’s just an awareness to have because...

Writer/director Osgood Perkins‘ feature film adaptation of the Stephen King short story The Monkey reached theatres last week – and now, a mockbuster from The Asylum called The Jolly Monkey has joined it on the big screen! You can watch the trailer for The Jolly Monkey in the embed above.

The feature directorial debut of Ryan Ebert, who has previously written the likes of Heretics, Shark Warning, Megalodon: The Frenzy, Shark Side of the Moon, Tales of a Fifth Grade Robin Hood, Apocalypse of Ice, and San Andreas Mega Quake, the film has the following synopsis: Upon their mother’s death, siblings Jenny and Marshall return to renovate her crumbling motel, The Jolly Monkey. But as they work, a deadly force tied to their family’s dark past emerges, forcing them to face terrifying truths if they want to survive.

Dominic Keating (Star Trek: Enterprise), Jane Hajduk (Year by the...

Viewers of General Hospital have seen the loss of various characters and actors from the show thanks to recent storylines. However, fans are starting to get worried for one character in particular: Josslyn. In fact, Josslyn is connected to quite a few characters who have also recently left the series.

Josslyn Has Been Part Of General Hospital Since 2009

On General Hospital, Josslyn is the daughter of Jasper Jacks and Carly Corinthos. The character was born on the soap back in 2009.

Josslyn has been played by a variety of actresses over the years, with viewers watching the character growing up. In fact, the character appeared as a teenager in a dream sequence before she was born. Her most recent regular actress is Eden McCoy, although Courtney Fulk filled in for the role during 2023 to early 2024.

Josslyn on ‘General Hospital’ – YouTube

However, fans have recently started to worry that Josslyn’s time...

Eden McCoy is back on General Hospital after taking a leave of absence for the past six weeks.

The 20-year-old actress, who just won a Daytime Emmy Award for her work as Josslyn Jacks, is making her return to the soap opera series starting on Thursday (February 1).

Eden temporarily left the show in mid-December and her role has been played by Courtney Fulk during the break.

So, why did she leave?

Keep reading to find out more…

Eden‘s mother tragically died from cancer back in November.

“My mother has fought an intense battle with cancer for the past 2 and a half years and has now left us physically. I’m not sure what to say other than she was, is, and will be the best thing I have ever known,” Eden wrote on Instagram while announcing the devastating news.

Learn all about the recent cast changes on General Hospital.

Nicholas Chavez, who has been portraying long-time General Hospital character Spencer Cassadine since 2021, will be going on hiatus from the ABC soap opera very, very soon. As reported by TVLine, Chavez’s final episode for a while will air this Wednesday, January 31. However, this isn’t a permanent goodbye but rather a temporary absence while Chavez goes to film a leading role in Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story. It hasn’t yet been explained how the long-running daytime soap will write Spencer out of the series or if he’ll be replaced by another actor, similar to how Courtney Fulk took over from Eden McCoy as Jossyln Jacks while McCoy was on hiatus. As speculated by Michael Fairman, it’s possible Spencer will follow Trina (Tabyana Ali) to Paris, where she is set to study at the Sorbonne for a semester. This would allow the...

There is exciting news for General Hospital viewers as fan-favorite Eden McCoy is set to return to Port Charles this week to reprise her role as Josslyn Jacks. As reported by TVLine, McCoy is expected to make her much-anticipated comeback on the Thursday, February 1, episode. Since her hiatus in mid-December, actress Courtney Fulk has been portraying Josslyn on the long-running ABC soap opera. While the show nor McCoy confirmed a reason for her absence, many speculated it was due to the passing of the soap star’s mother, who died in November 2023 after a battle with cancer. “My mother has fought an intense battle with cancer for the past two-and-a-half years, and has now left us physically,” McCoy wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “I’m not sure what to say other than she was, is, and will be the best thing I have ever known. She is...

Eden McCoy’s General Hospital sabbatical is coming to an end. TVLine has learned that the actress — who stepped away from her role of Joss for six weeks, leading the soap to recast her with Courtney Fulk — will return to the ABC soap on Thursday, Feb. 1.

Fulk has been portraying Carly and Jax’s daughter since mid-December. Although no official reason was given for the McCoy’s leave of absence, the Joss switcheroo came shortly after McCoy shared the news of her mother’s death on social media.

More from TVLineGeneral Hospital's Tyler Christopher: Cause of Death RevealedHayden...

Barring any last minute pre-ememptions, Eden McCoy — better known to fans of Port Charles as Josslyn Jacks — will be back next week on General Hospital.

McCoy is expected to reappear Feb. 1 as Josslyn, who will be helping her troubled friend Adam.

McCoy went on a brief sabbatical from the soap that earned her an Emmy Dec. 15 for Outstanding Younger Performer. Fans didn’t realize she was going to take a break from the sudser until they tuned the following Monday to find newcomer Courtney Fulk in her place as Josslyn.

She took to X in December to appreciate her followers and give everyone an update on her life.

“Wanted to hop on & wish everyone happy holidays,” wrote the actress on social media last month. “I think I’m gonna take some time off of Twitter, but first needed to give thanks...

Another week, another casting change on General Hospital.

Lindsay Hartley on Tuesday filled in as Sam McCall while Gh mainstay Kelly Monaco took some personal time. But her absence will be brief; she’s back on Friday.

Hartley has filled in for Monaco before on the ABC sudser.

News of Monaco’s absence comes after it was revealed last week that Nicole Paggi will be taking over for Kirsten Storms as Maxie Jones in Port Charles. Storms will be out for a few days.

And a day after the Daytime Emmys aired in December, fans discovered that first-time Emmy winner Eden McCoy was Mia as character Josslyn Jacks; someone else was appearing in her place.

Turns out it is actress Courtney Fulk filling in for McCoy — a surprise development since Gh didn’t give viewers a heads up that a temporary change was in the works. But a spokesperson for...

Another week, another General Hospital recast.

As viewers of the ABC soap learned on Tuesday, Lindsay Hartley has been tapped to once again temporarily replace Kelly Monaco in the role of Sam McCall. (Soap vet Hartley previously — and briefly — stepped in for Monaco in 2020 and 2022.)

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A Gh rep declined to comment on the reason for Monaco’s absence, but sources confirm to TVLine that the actress was simply under the weather.

General Hospital star Eden McCoy has shared an update with her fans two days after it was revealed she will be taking a temporary break from the long-running soap opera. “Wanted to hop on & wish everyone happy holidays,” McCoy wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “I think I’m gonna take some time off of Twitter, but first needed to give thanks for any of the support within the last few weeks. Been a strange year, but I still feel very lucky. Wishing everyone reading this love and health.” McCoy, who last week won a Daytime Emmy for Oustanding Younger Performer for her role as Josslyn Jacks, will be absent from the show until the beginning of the new year, according to a General Hospital spokesperson (per Deadline). As fans discovered on Monday’s episode, McCoy has been temporarily replaced by newcomer Courtney Fulk, who will portray Josslyn until the former is ready to return.

Eden McCoy just won a Daytime Emmy Award for playing Josslyn Jacks on General Hospital, but you won’t see her on the show for a while.

She earned her Emmy award on December 15 and on the episode that aired on December 18, newcomer Courtney Fulk was playing the role of Josslyn.

The replacement is just temporary though.

Keep reading to find out more…

A spokesperson for the show confirmed to Deadline that Eden will return to the show in the new year.

Eden‘s absence from the show is seemingly due to the death of her mother in early November.

“Since Gh is said to tape around six weeks ahead of air, McCoy’s departure would make sense during that time frame,” soap opera reporter Michael Fairman wrote.

Check out the full list of winners from the 2023 Daytime Emmy Awards.

Two days after General Hospital fans discovered that Eden McCoy was taking a break from life in Port Charles, the actress and new Emmy winner took to X to appreciate her followers and give everyone an update on her life.

“Wanted to hop on & wish everyone happy holidays,” wrote the actress who plays Josslyn Jacks. “I think I’m gonna take some time off of Twitter, but first needed to give thanks for any of the support within the last few weeks. Been a strange year, but I still feel very lucky. Wishing everyone reading this love and health.”

Wanted to hop on & wish everyone happy holidays ❤️ I think I’m gonna take some time off of Twitter, but first needed to give thanks for any of the support within the last few weeks. Been a strange year, but I still feel very lucky. Wishing everyone reading this love and...

General Hospital fans who watched Eden McCoy take home the Emmy Dec. 15 for Outstanding Younger Performer got quite the jolt Monday when they tuned back into the ABC daytime sudser; McCoy was Mia as character Josslyn Jacks and someone else was appearing in her place.

Turns out it is actress Courtney Fulk filling in for McCoy — a surprise development since Gh didn’t give viewers a heads up that a temporary change was in the works.

But rest assured, followers of Port Charles: a spokesperson for the show says McCoy is on a brief sabbatical and will return at the beginning of the new year.

McCoy’s absence may have something to do with the passing of her mother in early November; Michael Fairman reported that “since Gh is said to tape around six weeks ahead of air, McCoy’s departure would make sense during that time frame.”

General Hospital...

If you tuned into General Hospital on Monday, December 18, you might have noticed something a little different about Josslyn Jacks; well, there is a good reason for that. That’s because Courtney Fulk has temporarily replaced Eden McCoy in the role of Josslyn. No official reason for the recasting has been given, but fans have speculated it’s due to personal matters. Last month, McCoy shared that her mother had passed away, so it’s likely she took time off for that reason. Given the soap’s busy schedule, which shoots about a month in advance, it makes sense why McCoy would be absent from the December episodes. The replacement role marks Fulk’s daytime debut; her previous credits include the television movies Killer Cheer Mom and Student Seduction. She is also set to star as Young Sam in the upcoming horror film Devil’s Ride, which is currently in pre-production.