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An adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, the Osgood Perkins-directed, James Wan-produced The Monkey was released in theaters over the weekend, the second collaboration between Perkins and Neon after last year’s Longlegs. With a 77% Rotten Tomatoes rating and C+ CinemaScore, how did The Monkey fare at the box office in its first weekend?

In 3,200 theaters across the United States, The Monkey scared up $14.2 million at the box office over the weekend, coming in second place behind Captain America: Brave New World.

While the year is young, The Monkey currently has the horror genre’s highest opening weekend of 2025, besting the $10.8 million opening weekend of Universal’s Wolf Man reboot.

Here are the domestic opening numbers for all this year’s horror movies so far:

The Monkey – $14.2 million Wolf Man – $10.8 million Companion – $9.3 million Heart Eyes – $8.3 million Presence – $3.3 million The Damned – $769,721

The Monkey has a reported production budget of $10-11 million,...

A vengeful sex bot, a murderous monkey toy, and a blood-sucking icon lead this week’s lineup of new horror movie releases, and they’re joined by a twisted perversion of a pop culture icon.

Here’s all the new horror that released February 17 – February 21, 2025!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

Prepare for a sea of blood, because the public domain slasher Popeye’s Revenge sailed onto VOD exclusively on Amazon via ITN Distribution this past Tuesday, February 18.

The indie horror film turns the classic character into a slasher villain when the legend of Popeye haunts a group of counselors as they intend to open a summer camp.

William Stead directs from a script by Harry Boxley (Cinderella’s Curse).

Steven Murphy stars as Popeye alongside Poohniverse alumni Kelly Rian Sanson, Danielle Scott, Danielle Ronald, and Amanda Jane York.

Created by E.C. Segar, Popeye the Sailor...

Less than a year after he left audiences haunted with his Nicolas Cage-led indie horror hit “Longlegs,” writer-director Osgood Perkins is back with another singular cinematic nightmare. His latest film, “The Monkey,” is a darkly comic, hyper-violent thriller that promises to offer a far more playful but no less dark horror experience than his previous, extremely popular yet divisive effort.

Following the recent releases of “Companion” and “Heart Eyes,” among others, “The Monkey” is also the latest entry in what has been a surprisingly strong wave of crowd-pleasing horror comedies to kick off the year. Here’s how, when and where you can watch “The Monkey.”

When does “The Monkey” come out?

“The Monkey” is set to be released on Friday, Feb. 21.

Is “The Monkey” streaming or in theaters?

As of this writing, “The Monkey” is only available to watch in theaters. We’ll update this page once “The Monkey...

One recurring line in writer/director Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey cuts right to the heart of the film’s plot and tone: “Everybody dies, and that’s life.” Like Longlegs, Perkins centers his latest around the suffocating, inescapable inevitability of death, only this time, the filmmaker mines that for absurdist laughs instead of chilling dread.

The adaptation of Stephen King’s short story uses its source material as a loose framework for a Final Destination-style, gory comedy romp filled with a nonstop onslaught of over-the-top, Rube Goldberg-like elaborate deaths. All of it is a comical, carnage-fueled reminder of the film’s core thesis: Death comes for us all, and it’s quite silly to presume you can stop it.

The first sign that Perkins’ The Monkey won’t be an exact retelling of Stephen King’s story comes from a whimsically gnarly opening sequence that introduces a blood-drenched pilot...

Writer-director Osgood Perkins will wind up and let loose The Monkey into theaters nationwide this Friday, February 21st. Neon‘s star-studded Stephen King adaptation is one of the most hyped horror films of the year, having broken records on YouTube and nabbing the stamp of approval from King himself. Our own Meagan Navarro calls it “a delightfully deranged crowd pleaser,” and the early reactions are a strong indication that she’s 100% right.

In anticipation, Bloody Disgusting is hosting Stephen King Week, which includes daily editorials that drum through the ever-evolving world of the best-selling Master of Horror. There will be essays, there will be lists, there will be interviews, there will be podcasts, and … there will be blood. Well, on the images, of course. It’s a celebration for Constant Readers and a chance to dust off some classics both on page and screen.

Kicking off the festivities is a true sweet treat — and no,...

The Monkey, the latest terrifying film from director Osgood Perkins, is coming to theaters on February 21. But in an unusual move, Neon has announced plans to offer church screenings of the film at the same time as its theatrical release. Yes, you read that right—your local church might just become a horror movie venue.

Churches across the U.S. can request a screening through a website with the ominous name godsbowlingstrikestonight.com. The site, which has a ‘90s-style design and features a sunlit cross, quotes a passage from the Bible—Revelation 6:8—which speaks of death and destruction.

“And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.”

The application form is surprisingly simple,...

Oz Perkins has been kicking around Hollywood for some time now, starting out as an actor before pivoting to directing with movies like "Gretel & Hansel" and "The Blackcoat's Daughter" to his name. But Perkins elevated himself to the next level last year with the release of "Longlegs," which became the biggest indie horror hit in more than a decade. Neon then looked very smart, as the company had already partnered with Perkins for his next film, an adaptation of Stephen King's short story "The Monkey." So, with a red-hot director and horror's greatest author teaming up, can this movie become an even bigger hit?

"The Monkey" is currently eyeing an opening weekend between $17 and $25 million, per Box Office Theory. That is stellar news as the film is said to carry a budget in the $11 million range. Mind you, this was already mostly filmed by the time "Longlegs" became an unexpectedly huge hit.

This post contains major spoilers for "Heart Eyes."

One part rom-com, one part slasher movie, all bloody good fun, "Heart Eyes" is in many ways the perfect Valentine's Day entertainment. It's got a masked killer themed around the holiday, a genuinely fun "will they, won't they" romance at the center of it between Olivia Holt's Ally and Mason Gooding's Jay, and it plays expertly with two well-trodden genres. Credit to director Josh Ruben, who previously helmed the acclaimed video game movie "Werewolves Within," and screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon ("Happy Death Day"), and Michael Kennedy ("Freaky"). 

/Film's Chris Evangelista called "Heart Eyes" a "stylish and sweet" ride in his review, and the fun doesn't stop when the credits roll either, as the flick included a pretty fun post-credits scene that plays with a very common slasher movie trope. The film centers on a serial killer who has been...

Thanks to our fine friends at Neon, Bloody Disgusting is beyond thrilled to give their Midwestern fans a very early chance to see Osgood Perkins‘ delectably violent Stephen King adaptation The Monkey! Even better, the maestro behind the madness will be there in person!

Join us this Saturday, February 8th at 9:00 Pm for an exclusive screening and a post-film Q&a with Osgood Perkins at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre (3733 N Southport Ave). This is one of the most anticipated horror movies of the year, so plan to arrive early as seats aren’t guaranteed. This is first come, first serve.

The hype is real and the beat is strong with this monkey’s drum. Within the first 24 hours, the recent red band trailer passed 43 million views and hit 100 million in the first 72 hours, which Deadline cited as “arguably a record for a non-mpa studio independent horror movie.

Osgood Perkins dusts off a Stephen King story with The Monkey, which drums into theaters on February 21st. But Bloody Disgusting wants You to see the movie a bit earlier than that. Thanks to our pals at Neon, we’re presenting sneak preview screenings of the highly anticipated slice of horror in select theaters on Monday, February 10th!

There are 8 special sneak screenings across the US, each of them presented by Bloody Disgusting. All screenings start at 7 Pm local. Grab Your Tickets Right Now!

Locations include…

— Atlanta – AMC Madison Yards 8

— Boston – AMC Boston Common 19

— Dallas – AMC Northpark 15

— DC – AMC Georgetown

— Philadelphia – AMC Dine-In Fashion District 8

— Houston – Regal Edwards Marq’E

— Seattle – Regal Meridian

— Phoenix – Harkins Tempe Marketplace

In The Monkey, “When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged...

Netflix announced today that it has ordered a reboot of Little House on the Prairie, based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s stories and made popular by the acclaimed ’70s TV series starring Michael Landon.

Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys) will serve as showrunner and executive producer on the new series. “I fell deeply in love with these books when I was five years old,” added Sonnenshine. “They inspired me to become a writer and a filmmaker, and I am honored and thrilled to be adapting these stories for a new global audience with Netflix.“

“‘Little House on the Prairie’ has captured the hearts and imaginations of so many fans around the world, and we’re excited to share its enduring themes of hope and optimism with a fresh take on this iconic story,” said Jinny Howe, vice president of drama series for Netflix. “Rebecca’s vision threads the needle with an...

Last March, we heard that production had wrapped on the Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, which is coming our way from the team of producer / genre regular James Wan and director Osgood Perkins, whose credits include The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, and the recent Nicolas Cage horror film Longlegs (you can read our review Here). Longlegs was released by Neon – and they’ll also be giving The Monkey a theatrical release on February 21, 2025. In anticipation of the film’s release, Perkins was interviewed by SFX magazine, and during that interview he discussed the darkly comedic tone he brought to the material, the story’s setting, and the fact that he had to replace the cymbals-playing monkey from King’s short story with a drum-playing monkey.

Perkins wrote the screenplay for The Monkey. The film will tell...

Yeah, I know. The first reactions to The Monkey have been nothing short of positive, and the upcoming film has received the stamp of approval from Stephen King himself.

“You’ve never seen anything like The Monkey,” King wrote on Threads. “It’s batshit insane. As someone who has indulged in batshittery from time to time, I say that with admiration.” Of course, King wrote the short story on which The Monkey is based.

Related Everything We Know About The Monkey, a Stephen King adaptation from Osgood Perkins and James Wan

The Monkey has been written and directed by Osgood Perkins, and he recently teased that the project will be very different from Longlegs. “I honestly feel f***ing great about [how different The Monkey is from Longlegs],” Perkins said. “I can’t think of another morbidly surreal horror comedy that’s also heartwarming and redemptive and stars a bona-fide movie hunk. That’s the best...

The past several weeks have seen devastating losses of life and property in Los Angeles, California, with the region’s wildfires leaving communities in ruins and countless individuals without the support needed to rebuild. Many of our friends in the entertainment industry have been hit hard, with various fundraisers asking friends and fans alike to come together to help.

A makeup artist on Blumhouse’s Halloween Ends and The Exorcist: Believer, Jill Fogel has seen her neighborhood in Altadena decimated and rendered uninhabitable, leaving she and her two kids, Arrow and Rain, in a tough spot. A fundraiser on Go Fund Me started by a friend is currently just shy of its $18,000 goal, and you can lend a hand and pitch in right now.

Also a special makeup effects artist, Gabe Bartalos is a legend in the field, having worked on everything from Leprechaun to Frankenhooker, Darkman, Gremlins 2, Underworld, and...

One of Hollywood’s biggest cheerleaders has been sidelined at this year’s Oscars. Jamie Lee Curtis was snubbed for her performance in The Last Showgirl despite recent Best Supporting Actress nominations at both the SAG Awards and BAFTAs. In 2023, she won this category for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Gia Coppola‘s The Last Showgirl stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly Gardner, a 57-year-old Las Vegas showgirl who has performed for three decades in Le Razzle Dazzle. Curtis plays Shelly’s older best friend, Annette, a cocktail waitress who was ousted from the show years prior. Her brief, but impactful performance had launched Curtis into fifth place in our Best Supporting Actress Oscar odds heading into nominations morning.

Curtis, 66, has been vocal about her career resurgence in recent years. In addition to her Oscar win in 2023, the actress took home her first Emmy last year for playing...

There have been a lot of movies and TV shows based on the works of author Stephen King, but there are also still a good number of King stories that have slipped through the cracks and never received an adaptation. For example, the short story The Monkey has been around for over forty years, but it’s only just now getting the big screen treatment, with Neon planning to give a film based on The Monkey a theatrical release on February 21, 2025. With that date just a few months away, we figured this would be a good time for us to put together a list of Everything We Know About The Monkey.

Story

King’s short story was first published in 1980, in the pages of the adult magazine Gallery, giving subscribers something to read amidst the pictures of nude women. The story was later revised and included in King’s 1985 short story collection Skeleton Crew.

Last March, we heard that production had wrapped on the Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, which is coming our way from the team of producer / genre regular James Wan and director Osgood Perkins, whose credits include The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, and the recent Nicolas Cage horror film Longlegs (you can read our review Here). Longlegs was released by Neon – and they’ll also be giving The Monkey a theatrical release on February 21, 2025. We’ve seen a teaser trailer for the movie before and today (eight days later than expected), a full trailer for the film has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above.

Perkins wrote the screenplay for The Monkey, working from a King short story. The film will tell the following story: When twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their...

A complete departure from the seriousness of Longlegs last year, director Osgood Perkins is back with The Monkey this year, and the bloody-as-hell Red Band trailer has arrived today.

A horror-comedy adaptation of Stephen King’s same-titled short story, The Monkey arrives in theaters on February 21, 2025, and you can watch Neon’s Red Band trailer below.

The film’s new poster (below) promises an “outrageously gory” and “thoroughly gratuitous” experience, with instruments of death including a harpoon gun, a bowling ball, a shotgun, a hibachi knife, a lawnmower, and even a stampede of wild horses. Yeah, Osgood Perkins is letting his hair down with this one, going as brutally bonkers as an “R” rating will allow.

From Neon and producer James Wan, The Monkey has indeed been rated “R” for “Strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout, and some sexual references.”

In The Monkey, “When twin brothers find a mysterious wind-up monkey,...

We’ve got more Osgood Perkins to look forward to with The Monkey, but the director has teased that the upcoming horror film will be very different from Longlegs. Not only that, but it’s going to be gory in an over-the-top way.

“If you’re going for comedy then you’re going for extremes. Not subtlety,” Perkins told Empire. “We are guilty of putting far more blood in our human bodies than is really in a human body. When someone explodes in this movie — and a couple of people do — there’s a lot of mess. All the death set-pieces were hard to do. They all have a Rube Goldbergian connectivity — this happens, then this happens, then this happens…” The film has already earned an R rating for “strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references.” Bring on the exploding humans!

Perkins continued, “I honestly feel...

The company that brought us Longlegs this past year, Neon is hoping to strike more horror gold here in early 2025 with director Osgood Perkins’ follow-up movie, The Monkey.

A film adaptation of Stephen King’s same-titled short story, The Monkey arrives in theaters on February 21, 2025, and Neon promises a brand new trailer on January 8 at 12pm Et.

From Neon and producer James Wan, The Monkey has also been rated “R” this week for “Strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout, and some sexual references.”

This Wednesday’s new trailer alone promises everything from a “bowling ball smashing a child’s face” to “bloody entrails,” glimpsed in the MPA trailer report shared by Neon today. Check out the report below (A+ marketing!) and come on back on January 8 for the new trailer.

The Monkey is a short horror story that appeared in Skeleton Crew, a 1985 collection that also featured The Mist,...

Back in March, we heard that production had wrapped on the Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, which is coming our way from the team of producer / genre regular James Wan and director Osgood Perkins, whose credits include The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, and the recent Nicolas Cage horror film Longlegs (you can read our review Here). Longlegs was released by Neon – and they’ll also be giving The Monkey a theatrical release on February 21, 2025. We’ve seen a teaser trailer for the movie before (you can watch it in the embed above), but now it has been revealed that a full trailer will be dropping this Wednesday – and ahead of that, Neon has shared the Motion Picture Association ratings board’s report on the trailer! You can check it out at the bottom of this article.

Back in March, we heard that production had wrapped on the Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, which is coming our way from the team of producer / genre regular James Wan and director Osgood Perkins, whose credits include The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, and the recent Nicolas Cage horror film Longlegs (you can read our review Here). Longlegs was released by Neon – and they’ll also be giving The Monkey a theatrical release on February 21, 2025. And now, as a spooky Christmas treat, Neon has put out a new clip guaranteed to send some shivers down your spine.

A little while ago Entertainment Weekly unveiled a batch of images from the film (plus a behind-the-scenes image), and those can be seen at the bottom of this article.

Perkins wrote the screenplay for The Monkey, working from a King short story.

Fresh off this year’s box office hit Longlegs, director Osgood Perkins is headed into the world of Stephen King with The Monkey, a film adaptation of King’s same-titled short story.

From Neon and producer James Wan, The Monkey hits theaters February 21, 2025.

Entertainment Weekly scored a handful of first-look images from The Monkey this morning, while also offering up some insights from director Osgood Perkins and producer James Wan.

The piece describes The Monkey as a horror-comedy take on Stephen King’s tale, with Osgood Perkins’ pitch for the material leaning heavily into the humorous insanity of the premise.

He explains his initial pitch to EW, “What if it’s a comedy? Here’s this monkey that doesn’t do anything. It’s not M3GAN. It doesn’t attack. It’s evil just in its existence. Things happen around it for no better reason than they do. Its presence...

Back in March, we heard that production had wrapped on the Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, which is coming our way from the team of producer / genre regular James Wan and director Osgood Perkins, whose credits include The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, and the recent Nicolas Cage horror film Longlegs (you can read our review Here). Longlegs was released by Neon – and they’ll also be giving The Monkey a theatrical release on February 21, 2025. With two months to go until that date arrives, The Monkey has been screened for the Motion Picture Association ratings board and they have decided to give the film an R rating for strong bloody violent content, gore, language throughout and some sexual references.

Perkins wrote the screenplay for The Monkey, working from a King short story. The film will tell the...

Production is underway on the AI thriller Serena, and Deadline reports that a sinister chatbot in the story is being played by Andi Matichak, who is best known for playing the role of Allyson Nelson, the granddaughter of Laurie Strode, in the recent trilogy of Halloween sequels from Blumhouse Productions and director David Gordon Green.

Directed by Rob Alicea, who is making his feature debut, from a script written by Jonathan Benecke and P.T. Hylton, Serena has the following synopsis: Desperate to launch her company into the future with resounding success, a CEO commissions tech engineer Holly to build her an AI model. However, before being implemented it must be tested. Down-on-his-luck and funds, former rock star, Chris Sadowsky, is asked to be one of the testers — with devastating repercussions. A simple tool, a chatbot who calls herself ‘Serena’ (Matichak) proves to be a soothingly sinister weapon of destruction, all...

Dan Stevens is set to star in the new horror movie The Ritual with the legendary Al Pacino, which is set up to be the perfect replacement for the recent failed restart of a beloved horror franchise. From director David Midell and writer Enrico Natale, The Ritual recently got a release date for Easter weekend 2025, and based on the limited details revealed, seems like it will hit many of the familiar notes of the demonic exorcism subgenre. That certainly isn't a strike against it, given how many disappointing exorcism movies have been released in the last few years.

A familiar exorcism formula could still be a massive hit, considering The Ritual will be elevated by the presence of Pacino and Stevens. While there has been no shortage of attempts at high-quality modern exorcism movies, there have unfortunately been very few successes. In just the last two years, Academy Award-winner Russell Crowe...

General Hospital (Gh) spoilers note that while Nikolas Cassadine’s life might be at a standstill as he serves time in prison, his character’s portrayer has been a busy bee.

That’s because Adam Huss hasn’t only been active in a slew of acting projects, he’s also recently launched a ‘weird’ clothing brand along with his husband, Adam Bucci. Learn more about this story, below.

General Hospital Spoilers’s – Adam Huss – Small Town Weirdo

Bucci and Huss recently interviewed with Soap Hub, talking about ‘Small Town Weirdo’, their clothing brand of horror-themed accessories and hand-painted jackets, designed by Huss’s hubby, Adam Bucci.

Bucci turned his love of painting into a clothing line, and the pieces have become popular among pop culture and horror fans as well as some celebrities. Huss stated that quite a few celebs have the painted jackets, including the likes of Matt Bomer,...

Exclusive: Universal/Warner Bros’ Twisters has debuted as streamer Peacock’s biggest Pay 1 film ever in its 14 days on the platform.

The previous biggest Peacock Pay 1 film debut in its first 14 days was Universal’s 7x Christopher Nolan directed Oscar winner, Oppenheimer.

The Lee Isaac Chung directed, Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones starring sequel to the Michael Crichton written 1996 blockbuster Twister dropped on Nov. 15, after a 120-theatrical day window to the service. Twisters opened on July 19 to a massive $81.1M at the domestic box office, 98% higher than the original movie’s $41M. At its opening, the sequel became the biggest box office debut for a natural diaster movie. Twisters finaled at $267.7M and $370.9M. Oppenheimer dropped on Peacock on Feb. 16 earlier this year, a seven-month window from its theatrical release.

Three of the top five best performing Pay 1 films on Peacock have premiered on the streamer in the past three months,...

After starting off his career by directing independent dramas like George Washington and All the Real Girls, David Gordon Green shifted over to making stoner comedies like Pineapple Express and Your Highness for a while, then made his horror debut by taking the helm of a full trilogy of Halloween sequels: the 2018 Halloween, Halloween Kills, and Halloween Ends. That trilogy turned out to be rather divisive – some fans love what Green did with them, others were disappointed with how the story played out. Then he was planning to direct a trilogy of sequels to The Exorcist… but when The Exorcist: Believer was poorly received, he stepped away from that project. He’s currently doing the press rounds for his latest film, the family holiday comedy Nutcrackers, and during an interview with MovieWeb he shared advice and encouragement for directors who have the chance to work on established franchises like he...

A major Modern Family role was turned down by a Halloween franchise star. The mockumentary-style comedy was a network television hit that aired on ABC for 11 seasons and 250 episodes from 2009-2020. Acclaim for Modern Family's comedy, acting, and writing, along with the generally positive audience reception surrounding the show led to it winning an impressive 22 Emmy Awards, five of which were for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Modern Family's cast included Sofía Vergara, Ed O'Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Eric Stonestreet. Burrell and Stonestreet each won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, while Bowen won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Vergara, O'Neill, and Ferguson also received multiple Emmy Award nominations, with the series consistently gaining recognition for its talented cast.

Judy Greer Turned Down An Audition For Modern Family's Claire Dunphy Claire Was Played By Julie Bowen...

After it failed to garner any traction at the box office, a 2024 Blumhouse movie is finding renewed success on Netflix. The indie studio best known for their horror output has enjoyed something of a mixed bag in the past couple of years when it's come to both the critical and commercial reception to their movies. For every record-breaking M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy's, there's also been a near-franchise-destroying The Exorcist: Believer and lackluster Halloween Ends.

2024, in particular, has been something of a rockier year for Blumhouse. Having hoped to recapture the January release success of M3GAN, the horror short adaptation of Night Swim proved to be a critical misfire, albeit a modest box office success. The studio followed it up with four other releases, including the similarly panned Imaginary and the James McAvoy-starring English-language remake of Speak No Evil, which was a critical and commercial hit. There was...

After directing the Halloween sequel trilogy and an Exorcist reboot, David Gordon Green is back in the comedy genre with Nutcrackers — but it hasn’t done any better on Rotten Tomatoes than his horror films. Green has had a very interesting genre-hopping career trajectory. He first broke out in independent cinema with acclaimed dramas like George Washington, All the Real Girls, and Snow Angels. Then, he pivoted to making studio comedies with the likes of Pineapple Express, The Sitter, and Your Highness. Then, he pivoted to horror films with revivals of some of the genre’s biggest franchises.

Now, he’s firmly back in comedy territory with his new Christmas movie Nutcrackers, which is now streaming on Hulu. Ben Stiller leads the cast of Nutcrackers as a childless workaholic who has to relocate to rural Ohio to take care of his recently orphaned nephews. After Green’s horror movies were mostly panned by critics,...

The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green shares his guidance on how filmmakers should approach well-known and established franchises, and the balance between pleasing fans and adding their own perspective. The 2023 sequel to the infamous 1973 horror classic saw a father try to rescue his daughter and her best friend from possession. Alongside his work on The Exorcist: Believer, Green is also responsible for the 2018 Halloween soft reboot sequel, and its two following installments.

While Mike Flanagan is set to reboot The Exorcist series once more for a 2026 feature, Green opens up to MovieWeb about advice he'd be willing to share with the filmmaker, and others who had desires to tackle well-known franchises. While the director was willing to encourage any filmmaker to try and add their own vision to a franchise he acknowledged that there may be difficulty between adding their own personal take to a series while keeping with established continuity and lore.

Horror continues to be a major audience draw as a genre, and this year has delivered horror successes like Longlegs, Smile 2, and the critically-acclaimed The Substance. The genre continues to be attractive to filmmakers as horror flicks often feature smaller budgets, but this doesn't deter audiences. Every year, there are a few standout horror hits, and 2022 is certainly no different.

2022 saw the release of the Scream legacy sequel, which revitalized the franchise, and Halloween Ends, which ended that franchise's reboot trilogy. A number of standout original horror movies were also released, including Barbarian, which shocked audiences with its surprising twists and turns, and Smile, which reaped the benefits of a stellar marketing campaign to become a major box office success. Other notable titles include Jordan Peele's Nope, Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Menu, and Men, but the year also delivered two installments of what would become a horror trilogy.

Judging by the end of “Halloween Ends,” it would appear the franchise is dead. But we know how horror works and death is merely an inconvenience and not something that is set in stone. So, with that being the case, we can only assume more “Halloween” is on the horizon. And if that’s happening, then will Jamie Lee Curtis return to Haddonfield? Well, maybe.

Read More: Fall 2024 TV Preview: 40 Must-See Series To Watch

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jamie Lee Curtis was asked if she’d ever return to the world of “Halloween.” Folks may remember that her last appearance in the franchise included her killing Michael Myers and finishing her character arc seemingly once and for all.

Continue reading ‘Halloween’: Jamie Lee Curtis Says “Never Say Never” To A Potential Return To Horror Franchise at The Playlist.

The Halloween franchise's unstoppable bogeyman is possessed by an inhuman evil, but why is Michael Myers so strong? Given how Michael always comes back from death, even if Halloween Ends seemingly killed him forever, there's no definitive answer to this question since the franchise is divided across four different timelines, each of which has offered its own take on Michael Myers. Most recently, 2018's Halloween reset the timeline, ignoring everything from Halloween II onwards and positioning itself as a direct sequel to 1978's Halloween.

From Michael Myers' first appearance on theater screens, his psychiatrist, Dr. Samuel Loomis, maintained that Michael was not a man. When a distraught Laurie Strode calls Michael Myers the bogeyman, Dr. Loomis tells her that she is right. No matter what timeline he's in, Michael is a force of irrepressible evil. However, is Michael Myers immortal? Here's every possible answer to the looming specter of Michael Myers' origins.

Jamie Lee Curtis, who played final girl Laurie Strode in the Halloween series, teased a possible return to the horror franchise. After starring in the original Halloween movie in 1978, Curtis has gone on to appear in six more Halloween films. The most recent installment, 2022's Halloween Ends, served as a conclusion to David Gordon Green's reboot trilogy which began in 2018. However, over its almost 50-year history, the Halloween franchise has ended and then started again in a new form multiple times, so it wouldn't be surprising for another Halloween movie to be released sooner rather than later.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Curtis revealed she may be open to returning to the role. This comes as a surprise, as in the build-up to Halloween Ends, Curtis claimed it would be her last time playing Laurie Strode. Curtis teases another potential return to the Halloween franchise just two years...

Jamie Lee Curtis has ended her time with the Halloween franchise multiple times over the years, but she always manages to find a way to return. First in Halloween H20 back in 1998, and of course later in David Gordon Green’s trilogy that came to a close with Halloween Ends. But is she finally ruling out another return? Or is there still life left in Laurie Strode?

Taking to Instagram this afternoon, Jamie Lee Curtis has shared an interesting new interview piece with Entertainment Weekly where she seems to leave that door slightly ajar…

The article’s headline reads: “Jamie Lee Curtis cryptically teases Halloween future after Laurie Strode’s final film,” but how much of that is merely Halloween Day clickbait?

Well, here’s what Jamie Lee Curtis told EW during a phone call this week…

“I have hung up my bell-bottoms and my pale blue button-down shirt, and...

The last time we saw Michael Myers terrorizing Jamie Lee Curtis as her iconic "final girl" Laurie Strode was in the highly polarizing 2022 film Halloween Ends, a conclusion to the reboot trilogy started in 2018 from director David Gordon Green.

Halloween Ends seemingly wraps up the storylines of Laurie and Michael for good. Laurie and the townspeople of Haddonfield literally put his body in an industrial shredder and viewers are privy to a grisly shot of his innards getting torn apart inside. He's dead and gone. At least for now. As for Laurie, she's last seen writing her memoir and reconciling with her love interest, Deputy Frank Hawkins.

But in a world where Jason Voorhees can go to space, I don't think we can ever safely say that Michael Myers won't be back somehow someday. And Curtis appears to agree.

During a recent exclusive conversation with Entertainment Weekly, she confidently said...

Halloweens villain Michael Myers has become a cinematic icon and a favorite among horror fans, and while many are aware that Michael Myers was originally named The Shape, they might not know why. The Halloween franchise has seen many ups and downs with multiple retcons, remakes, and reboots of the series. Though not all Halloween films have been successful, they have certainly helped maintain the popularity and reputation of Michael Myers, who is now part of pop culture, being referred to and parodied on multiple occasions in different films and TV shows from all genres.

Michael Myers is credited as "The Shape in the original Halloween before being officially credited as "Michael Myers" in the sequels, only for the most recent Halloween trilogy, including Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, to return to crediting him as The Shape. With the constant switching back and forth, and the fact that the name...

For a lot of horror fans, October is their favorite month of the year, giving us 31 full days to watch even more horror movies than we do throughout the rest of the year, including films that are set on the holiday that ends the month: Halloween. Of course, the Halloween-set horror movies that get the most views are the slasher movies that share their name with the holiday. So with fresh viewings of every Halloween movie taken in, we have assembled a list: Halloween Movies Ranked, from worst to best. Check it out:

Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Director Rick Rosenthal did such a good job emulating the style of John Carpenter when he made Halloween II, bringing him back to direct the follow-up to H20 seemed like a great idea. It turned out to be a mistake. Rosenthal didn’t have great material to work with: the movie walks back the ending...

What is the legacy of David Gordon Green's "Halloween" reboot trilogy? When the first film, "Halloween," arrived in 2018, fans and even critics were impressed — a dormant franchise was alive again! But then Green would go on to make two more movies, both of which were met with a much more lukewarm reception. The sequel "Halloween Kills" had plenty of gore, but it was also a bit of a mess and not nearly as praised as the 2018 movie. Then came "Halloween Ends." Marketed as the definitive conclusion to the story of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, "Halloween Ends" was drubbed by both critics and loyal fans. As a result, the general consensus surrounding Green's trilogy these days seems to be negative. But what if I told you that "Halloween Ends" is ... good, actually? In fact, it might even be great. And you don't have to take my word for it! Stephen King,...

Halloween Franchise Films Ranked At The Worldwide Box Office(Photo Credit – Amazon Prime Video)

Halloween is almost upon us and just a few days away. It calls for scary decorations, a spiced pumpkin latte, a blanket fort, and spooky movies with family and friends. Nothing screams Halloween more than the Halloween film franchise. There are thirteen films in the series; Michael Myers is the prime character of this franchise and a very popular character in the world of movies. Myers is one of the Big Three Slashers – Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th Series, Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street horror film franchise, and Michael Meyers.

The first film in the franchise was released in 1978, around a year before Ridley Scott’s Alien. It is also a successful franchise. The latest film in this slasher film series came out in 2022, taking the franchise total to an estimated...

The Halloween franchise has been terrifying audiences since Michael Myers’ masked menace was brought to the big screen in John Carpenter’s 1978 classic. Four decades, 13 films, and a laundry list of rehashings, reboots, and remakes later, the franchise has become a slasher staple.

David Gordon Green’s reboots the Halloween franchise | Credits: Universal Pictures, TIFF

In the spirit of Spooktober – here’s a definitive ranking of all thirteen Halloween movies — from grisly goofs to the horrifying. Let’s slice through the clutter and get to the bloody best.

13. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)

Yeah, this is the lowest point without contention. Halloween: Resurrection sees Michael Myers in a reality TV setting, featuring Busta Rhymes’ kung-fu moves. This installment, directed by Rick Rosenthal (also responsible for Halloween II), attempts a “reality-tv-gone-wrong” trope that falls short on both scares and coherence. Even fans who appreciate so-bad-it’s-good films will not find something worthy of their time.

Back in 2018, Blumhouse and director David Gordon Green had great success rebooting the long-running "Halloween" film franchise with a movie frustratingly just called "Halloween." The 2018 "Halloween" ignored every other sequel to come after John Carpenter's 1978 original, taking place in a world where Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) was not the sister of Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney), and where Michael had been languishing in a mental institution for 40 years. That film spawned two sequels in its own miniature continuity, "Halloween Kills" in 2021 and "Halloween Ends" in 2022. 

Blumhouse and Green were clearly hoping that lightning could strike twice, as Jason Blum infamously purchased the rights to "The Exorcist" in 2021 for $400 million. The plan was for Green to direct another reboot trilogy that also ignored all the extant sequels to date, catching up with the characters from the first film decades later. Sadly, the first film in this proposed trilogy, called "The Exorcist: Believer,...

Update: 2024/10/20 08:01 Est By Brennan Klein

Smile 2 Still On Track For $23 Million While Terrifier 3 Gets A Slight Boost From Initial Projections

This article was originally written Saturday Am and has been updated Sunday Am with up-to-date box office projections (in bold), a full chart, and further analysis.

Smile 2 and Terrifier 3 are simultaneously conquering the box office. Both horror titles are sequels to successful 2022 releases, with Terrifier 3 - the $2 million blood-soaked outing for slasher villain Art the Clown - opening last weekend to $18.9 million, besting the entire $15.7 million run of the previous installment, which had a minuscule budget of $250,000. The Smile 2 release - which sees pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) cursed by the sinister smiling entity - has even bigger shoes to fill, as the original became the highest-grossing horror title of 2022, earning $217.4 million against its $17 million budget.

Per Deadline, as of Saturday morning,...

The “Halloween” movie series has had quite a journey, spanning over four decades and presenting multiple timelines that can leave even the most devoted fans scratching their heads. With the release of each film, Michael Myers has become a horror icon, and Jamie Lee Curtis’ portrayal of Laurie Strode has cemented her as a symbol of survival and strength. Whether you’re new to the series or a long-time fan, knowing the correct order to watch them is essential to fully appreciate the intricate (and sometimes confusing) narrative threads. Here’s a guide on how to watch all the “Halloween” movies in both chronological and release order.

Halloween Movies in Release Date Order

If you prefer to watch the “Halloween” films based on when they were released, here’s how they line up:

Halloween (1978) Halloween II (1981) Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) – (Unrelated to Michael Myers) Halloween 4: The Return...

Jason Blum couldn’t reveal details today about Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 but he brought New York Comic Con attendees the poster for the sequel to last year’s highest grossing horror movie.

The first movie opened during the actors strike, day-and-date on Peacock and defied all hurdles during last fall’s marketplace. The movie based on the hit videogame was an anomaly performing equally well in theaters and on Peacock since it was a hot fan frenzied franchise. Five Night’s Freddy‘s was Peacock‘s most-watched film or series ever in its first five days, besting previous record-holders Halloween Ends, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Bel-Air and The Best Man: The Final Chapters.

Blum gave props to the pic’s screenwriter Scott Cawthon for having the foresight that it would be a hit. The movie won over fans in its faithful-to-the-videogame production design, down...

An adaptation of the Stephen King story, horror movie The Monkey is headed our way in early 2025 from Neon, producer James Wan and director Osgood Perkins (Longlegs).

The Monkey will release in theaters February 21, 2025.

Watch the brand new Red Band teaser trailer below.

[Related] Osgood Perkins Previews His Fun-for-the-Family Stephen King Movie

The Monkey is a short horror story that appeared in Skeleton Crew, a 1985 collection that also featured The Mist, The Jaunt, The Raft, Survivor Type, The Reach, and more.

Theo James (The White Lotus) stars alongside Tatiana Maslany (She–Hulk: Attorney at Law), Elijah Wood (Maniac), Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), Colin O’Brien (Wonka), Rohan Campbell (Halloween Ends) and Sarah Levy (Schitt’s Creek).

Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Gretel & Hansel, this year’s Longlegs) wrote the screenplay for the feature film adaptation and he also directed the upcoming movie.

“In The Monkey, when twin brothers Hal and Bill discover...

Back in March, we heard that production had wrapped on the Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, which is coming our way from the team of producer / genre regular James Wan and director Osgood Perkins, whose credits include The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Gretel & Hansel, and the recent Nicolas Cage horror film Longlegs (you can read our review Here). Longlegs was released by Neon – and they’ll also be giving The Monkey a theatrical release on February 21, 2025. We saw a short teaser for this one back in August, and now a new teaser trailer has dropped online to give us a look at more footage from the film. You can check it out in the embed above.

Perkins wrote the screenplay for The Monkey, working from a King short story. The film will tell the following story: When twin...