News

Horror movies rely on many elements to bring their terror to life, and the setting is a big part of that. For titles set in the past, getting the environment right is crucial, especially for period pieces. In horror films that take place in the Middle Ages, a well-executed medieval backdrop can add layers of tension, drama, and dread. This allows the story to tap into the historical fears of the unknown and the harsh realities of the time.

By creating a world in which the characters are at the mercy of their isolated, oppressive environments, the sense of inevitable doom makes the horror feel more authentic. From The Witch to the Evil Dead franchise, a number of popular and less-known horror movies have successfully used their medieval settings to pull viewers into their terrifying worlds. By grounding the story in a time filled with religious fervor, disease, and superstition,...

"The Decameron" is a new 8-episode comedy TV series, created by Kathleen Jordan and set in the 14th Century, directed by Michael Uppendahl, starring Tony Hale and Zosia Mamet, streaming July 25, 2024 on Netflix:

“…in the year 1348, the ‘Black Death’ strikes hard in the city of Florence and a handful of nobles…

“…retreat with their servants to a grand villa to wait out the plague with a lavish holiday of debauchery.

“But as social rules wear thin, a scramble for survival ensues, brought to life by a cast of over-sexed characters both cunning and outrageous…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Creep director Christopher Smith will direct episodes of horror comedy series Video Nasty for BBC Three. Here are the first details:

British director Christopher Smith has made an eclectic range of films, from the tube tunnel terror of Creep to the mind bending time loop thriller Triangle, the historical horror of Black Death to the family fun of Get Santa (an opportune moment to point out that Get Santa is a hugely underappreciated British festive movie). He returned to horror with 2020’s The Banishing, and his next film, Spider Island, looks like it will have a similarly irreverent mix of horror and comedy to his 2006 hit Severance.

According to British Comedy Guide, Smith is also set to direct episodes of Video Nasty, a new horror comedy series for BBC Three.

The story is “set in 1985, with the home video revolution in full analogue swing, Video Nasty’s six 30-minute episodes...

It’s Groundhog Day, a strange little holiday overshadowed by a popular Bill Murray comedy that sees his selfish character become a better person thanks to a bizarre time loop. It’s a fascinating concept that can turn downright sinister within the realm of horror.

So we’re celebrating Groundhog Day by revisiting ten horror and sci-fi time loop movies that bring suspense, terror, and sometimes laughs through messing around with time…

Haunter

From director Vincenzo Natali, Haunter brings a refreshing twist to a haunted house thriller through a time loop. Abigail Breslin stars as Lisa, a teen who slowly comes to realize that she’s a ghost stuck reliving the day she was murdered in 1985 along with her family, on a perpetual loop. Lisa also discovers that she can bend time to communicate with people in other timelines, eventually working with a teen currently living in her home to...

Director Christopher Smith has built up a solid following in the horror community over the last twenty years by taking the helm of such films as Creep (2004), Severance, Triangle, Black Death, Detour, The Banishing, and Consecration. Now he has lined up his next genre project, signing on to direct Spider Island for Vertigo Films. Protagonist Pictures is handling the project’s worldwide rights and will be launching distribution sales ahead of the American Film Market, which is set to be held in Santa Monica, California from October 31st through November 5th.

Scripted by Christopher Jolley (The Price We Pay) and David Quantick (Veep), Spider Island will follow a group of social media influencers going to the launch party of a new luxury resort on a beautiful island. With deadly spiders.

The killer spider effects will be handled by Automatik VFX, a company that has previously designed creatures for Monsters: Dark Continent,...

Horror Director Christopher Smith is getting ready to unleash arachnophobia-inducing horror-comedy madness in Spider Island. The project was announced today by Protagonist Pictures’ CEO Dave Bishop.

Spider Island “follows a group of social media influencers going to the launch party of a new luxury resort on a beautiful island. With deadly spiders.”

The film is written by Christopher Jolley (The Price We Pay) and David Quantick. Vertigo Films will produce the film, and Protagonist Pictures is handling worldwide rights, launching sales ahead of the upcoming American Film Market.

While the specifics behind these lethal spiders remain under wraps, we at least know that they’ll be handled via VFX.

From the press release: “The state-of-the-art VFX will be handled by Automatik VFX, the visual effects studio responsible for the brilliant creature design on Monsters Dark Continent, ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘The Wheel Of Time.’ Seb Barker will serve as VFX supervisor.

Award-winning horror writer-director Christopher Smith will direct concept horror comedy “Spider Island.”

Written by Christopher Jolley (“The Price We Pay”) and David Quantick (“Veep”), the film will follow a group of social media influencers going to the launch party of a new luxury resort on a beautiful island – one that is infested with deadly spiders.

Smith has won awards at Neuchatel for “Detour” and “Black Death” and at Bucheon for “Severance.” Most recently he directed HBO series “Spy/Master.”

The U.K.’s Vertigo Films will produce the film. Protagonist Pictures is handling worldwide rights, launching sales ahead of the upcoming American Film Market. Automatik VFX will handle visual effects with Seb Barker (“The Wheel of Time”) serving as VFX supervisor.

Production is set to begin in early 2024 in Mauritius. The film will feature a multinational cast.

Smith said: “For a while now, I’ve been searching for the perfect project...

Quick Links Black Desert's Expansion Has A Larger Narrative Focus Boss Blitz Brings New Competition To Black Desert Land Of The Morning Light Brings Homes, Gear, & More Black Desert Online Has Taken A Bold New Direction With Lotml

Black Desert Online will soon receive one of its most substantial expansions yet, entitled Land of the Morning Light, which brings a huge new Korean-inspired region to the Mmorpg. The long-running game comes from developer Pearl Abyss, which has several other upcoming open-world adventure titles in development, like Crimson Desert and DokeV. Screen Rant attended a special hands on preview for the expansion to learn more about what the new area has to offer.

The Mmorpg has expanded quite a bit in recent years both internally and externally, with several recent expansions as well as the release of Black Desert on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, but this endeavor is one of the most impressive yet.

One does not simply watch a Sean Bean movie expecting him to get out alive. After all, it’s a bit of a running joke that if Sean Bean is cast, he’ll be getting a death scene. That’s some reputation right there–but at least the actor takes it in stride, recently revealing that one stands out above the rest. Can you guess which one?

Speaking with Screen Rant, Sean Bean said that his sacrificial death in the first Lord of the Rings movie stands as his personal favorite. “I suppose the best death was Boromir in Lord of the Rings, that was a very epic kind of death, it was very emotional, very moving, and Peter Jackson allowed me enough time to die and milk it, and get the music and pathos. I like that one.”

Sean Bean also fondly recalled his first on-screen death, in 1986’s Carvaggio,...

Walpurgisnacht, also known as Walpurgis Night or Hexennacht, is a pagan holiday celebrated on the night of April 30th. It is named after Saint Walpurga, an eighth-century nun who Christianized parts of Germany. However, the holiday has roots in pagan traditions that celebrate the coming of spring and the triumph of life over death. It is also associated with witchcraft and supernatural phenomena, making it a perfect occasion to indulge in some spine-chilling horror films.

So, grab some popcorn and get ready for a night of scares with these ten chilling recommendations for Walpurgisnacht.

1. Dracula (1931)

What better way to kick off Walpurgisnacht than with the most iconic vampire movie of all time? Dracula (1931) stars Bela Lugosi as the titular count who travels from Transylvania to England to spread his curse of the undead. The beginning of the film is actually set on Walpurgisnacht, as Renfield (Dwight Frye) arrives at Dracula...

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!

V/H/S/99 Blu-ray from Rlje Films

Produced by Bloody Disgusting, V/H/S/99 is going to Hell on Blu-ray and DVD on May 23 via Rlje Films. Pre-orders are only $14.99.

The fifth installment in the found footage horror franchise consists of five segments from directors Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down), Vanessa & Joseph Winter (Deadstream), Maggie Levin (Into the Dark: My Valentine), Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls), and Flying Lotus (Kuso).

Special features include a filmmaker audio commentary, New York Comic Con panel, deleted scenes, bloopers, and more.

Bride of Chucky Vinyl Soundtrack from Enjoy the Ride Records

Bride of Chucky’s original motion picture soundtrack is available on vinyl for the first time for $40 via Enjoy the Ride Records.

The first cast member for American Horror Story season 12 has been announced. The popular anthology series has been airing since 2012, with each season focused on a different story and horror theme, although there are sometimes connections between the various seasons. After season 10, FX not only renewed AHS for season 11 but also renewed the series for seasons 12 and 13. One of the major questions heading into season 12 is who the main cast members will be.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Resident star Matt Czuchry will join the cast of AHS season 12. Even though Fox just cancelled The Resident, Czuchry being in AHS means that he will continue to be part of 20th Century Studios as they produce both series. His role and the theme of AHS season 12 have not been confirmed at this time.

What Will Be The Theme Of American Horror Story Season 12?

AHS season 12 may focus on the plague...

1993 was a banner year for Sylvester Stallone. While he had started the nineties on shaky ground due to the failure of Rocky V and his two comedies, Oscar and Stop or My Mom Will Shoot, the back-to-back success of Cliffhanger and Demolition Man reestablished Sly as one of Hollywood’s biggest action heroes. For his follow-up, he would pick another action flick, albeit one that embraced elements of another genre quickly gaining popularity in Hollywood: The erotic thriller.

Flashback to 1992. The movie Basic Instinct was a worldwide smash and established Sharon Stone as the biggest sex symbol of the day. A veteran actress with a career going back a decade, her performance as the murderous but insanely alluring Catherine Trammel made her a cultural icon. She followed it up with another steamy thriller, 1993’s Sliver, also a hit, and The Specialist would be her last entry into the cycle of erotic thrillers,...

Ahead of the European premiere of his psychologically disturbing supernatural thriller, Consecration, at FrightFest Glasgow 2023, director Chris Smith talks about the supernatural side of religion, filming in Scotland, and his encounter with a pregnant sheep.

Chris Smith directing Consecration

Another FrightFest, another Chris Smith movie! Our destinies seem intertwined. Why has FrightFest always been a key component to your release strategy?

I feel very fortunate to have been brought into the FrightFest family. I was very lucky that my first film, Creep, was included and then I got very lucky with the dates of release of my subsequent films. Severance was shown the night before the festival started in 2006 and then of course there was the spectacular Premier for Triangle at the Empire Leicester Square. FrightFest has also shown Black Death and Detour. They didn’t bother with Get Santa but that’s their loss. FrightFest is the best audience for any director.

We move from February into March this week, which means the arrival of Scream VI is now just over one week away. But before we get there, we’ve got other fresh horrors to consume.

This week, Six brand new horror movies will be released, and included in the mix is the latest installment in a long-running franchise based on a classic Stephen King horror novel.

Here’s all the new horror arriving February 28 – March 5, 2023!

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

First up, Gravitas Ventures unleashes Wolf Garden via On Demand outlets today (February 28), being described by Gravitas as a “elevated horror picture in the tradition of It Follows.”

Written and Directed by Wayne David, Wolf Garden tells the blood-curdling story of William (Wayne David), a young man who disappears upon experiencing haunting visions of the woman he loves and a mysterious creature in the nearby woods.

We’ve been tracking this week’s new releases all week long, with four horror movies debuting on Tuesday and two more debuting on Thursday. Believe it or not, we’re still not done.

Here are four more new horror movies released today, February 10, 2023!

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

First up, director Erik Bloomquist (Ten Minutes to Midnight, Long Lost) is back with She Came from the Woods, an ’80s-set summer camp slasher movie that’s now playing in theaters.

We don’t yet have a home video release date, but we expect one soon.

She Came from the Woods follows “a group of counsellors who accidentally unleash an ancient evil spirit on the last night of a summer camp. As the situation turns bloody, the group is forced to confront what stories are worth telling and what secrets are worth keeping.”

She Came from the Woods...

Nothing is more threatening to religion than a woman possessed. A woman in full possession of her own power, freedom, and mind can think for herself, can question male authority, and even create life. Women are typically the recipients of witch burnings, exorcisms, and speaking in twisted tongues; their capacity to be a vessel is both their power and their weakness. Perhaps that’s why the prickly focus of “Consecration,” a muted possession thriller set in an isolated Scottish convent, feels like such a blank slate, albeit a self-possessed one. Jena Malone brings a biting charm to her portrayal of Grace, but the story’s straightforward revelations end up feeling far too muted for the holy surroundings.

Directed and co-written (with Laurie Cook) by British horror maven Christopher Smith (“Black Death”), “Consecration” makes an artful attempt at telling a feminist revamp of a possession thriller. The minimalist story leans into the ornate Scottish Highlands surroundings,...

“Let the Badness Out.”

A nun mutters this as Jena Malone (The Ruins, The Neon Demon) finds her after a chase through the dark in an exclusive clip from Consecration. What follows gets macabre and unsettles her, but did it happen at all?

One thing is clear; there’s something seriously amiss at this convent. And more ominously, what is the badness that needs letting out?

The clip teases the latest mind-bending horror from Triangle, Black Death, and The Banishing director Christopher Smith. The psychological, convent-set horror film releases in theaters on February 10, 2023.

In Consecration, “Grace (Malone) goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what was behind the suspicious death of her brother, a priest. She is initially helped by Father Romero (Huston), but she soon comes to distrust the account of the church as she uncovers murder, sacrilege, and a disturbing truth about her own...

It’s a long, treacherous road for child stars. Many don’t make it to adulthood unscathed, and rarely with a respected career to show for it. Much like Kristen Stewart or Daniel Radcliffe, however, Jena Malone has comfortably moved into a mature body of work that runs the gamut from auteur-driven indies (to stay relevant) with a smattering of popular studio fare (to stay afloat).

Once a precocious kid who brought unexpected gravitas to box office hits like “Contact” (1997) and “Stepmom” (1998), Malone successfully transitioned into arty indie darling with her turn in “Donnie Darko” (2001). Since then, she’s excelled in everything from horror to sci-fi to period comedies, bringing her unique screen presence to “The Neon Demon” and “The Hunger Games” without missing a beat.

So, what’s her secret?

“Maybe I sold my soul to the independent film devil, and I’ve been moderately sacrificing my blood every new moon or something.

With the Sundance Film Festival now wrapped up, offering our first glimpse at the 2023 cinematic offerings, eyes are now on Berlinale, which kicks off later this month. Looking at this month’s theatrical releases, it’s an eclectic mix of fest favorites (including the best film from last year’s Cannes and a pair of highlights from last year’s Slamdance), underseen gems, and a few auteur-driven studio offerings.

12. The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic (Teemu Nikki; Feb. 3)

A week before James Cameron’s 1997 box-office behemoth returns to theaters, we’ll see the release of an acclaimed festival favorite in which his Best Picture winner figures into the central narrative. Winner of the Orizzonti Extra Audience Award at the Venice International Film Festival, Teemu Nikki’s The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic follows Jaakko (Petri Poikolainen), a charming Finn who loves movies despite his blindness,...

A few months ago, IFC Midnight announced that they had acquired the distribution rights to Consecration, the latest movie from genre regular filmmaker Christopher Smith, whose credits include Creep, Severance, Triangle, Black Death, Detour, and The Banishing. Now IFC Midnight has revealed their release strategy for the film: Consecraction will be reaching theatres on February 10th, with a digital release to follow on March 3rd. At a later date, the movie will also be available to watch on the Shudder streaming service. Along with the release info comes the unveiling of the film’s trailer, which you can check out in the embed above.

Scripted by Smith and Laurie Cook, Consecration follows Grace as she goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what was behind the suspicious death of her brother, a priest. She is initially helped by Father Romero, but she soon comes to distrust...

Scary monasteries and creepy demon nuns were the highlight of 2018’s The Nun. Now comes the upcoming movie, Consecration.

In Consecration, after the suspicious death of her brother, a priest, Grace (Jena Malone) goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what really happened. Once there, she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about her own past.

https://www.ifcfilms.com/films/consecration

Starring Jena Malone and Danny Huston, Consecration is exclusively In Theaters February 10th from IFC Films and Shudder.

Directed by Christopher Smith, watch the trailer now.

Heading to theaters on February 10th from IFC Films and Shudder, here's a look at the trailer for Consecration, directed by Black Death and Severance's Christopher Smith!

In Consecration, after the suspicious death of her brother, a priest, Grace (Jena Malone) goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what really happened. Once there, she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about her own past.

Director: Christopher Smith Screenwriters: Christopher Smith, Laurie Cook Starring: Jena Malone, Danny Huston, Dame Janet Suzman, Thoren Ferguson Producers: Laurie Cook, Jason Newmark, Xavier Marchand, Casey Herbert, Stuart Ford Cinematographers: Rob Hart, Shaun Mone Editor: Arthur Davis Language: English Running Time: 90 min. Country of Origin: Scotland

The post Watch the Trailer for Consecration, Starring Jena Malone and Danny Huston appeared first on Daily Dead.

Triangle, Black Death, and The Banishing director Christopher Smith returns to horror with Consecration, coming soon from IFC Midnight and Shudder here in early 2023.

IFC Midnight will first release the film in theaters on February 10, 2023, Entertainment Weekly reports this morning. Consecration then comes to Digital on March 3, 2023.

Consecration stars Jena Malone (The Ruins), Danny Huston (30 Days of Night, “American Horror Story”), and Janet Suzman. Christopher Smith co-wrote the script with Laurie Cook.

In Consecration, “After the suspicious death of her brother, a priest, Grace (Jena Malone) goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what really happened. Once there, she uncovers murder, sacrilege, and a disturbing truth about her own past.”

Previously, Smith described the project as “a film about the nature of religion and how defining one thing as divine creates a false opposite that is heretical.”

He added: “This film is an opportunity to...

First landing on my radar with the back-to-back genre blasts Triangle and Black Death, director Christopher Smith is returning this year with Consecration. Led by Jena Malone, the psychological horror drama follows her character, Grace, to a Scotland convent upon the news of her brother, a priest, passing under mysterious circumstances. Once there she uncovers murder, sacrilege, and a disturbing truth about her own past. Ahead of a February 10 release from IFC Midnight, the first trailer has now arrived.

Also starring Danny Huston, Dame Janet Suzman, and Thoren Ferguson, the preview hints at a brooding mystery conveyed with chilly atmosphere, clues leading to the inevitably bloody conclusion. Malone is poised for quite a major year or two, starring alongside Kristen Stewart in Rose Glass’ Saint Maud follow-up Love Lies Bleeding, Kevin Costner’s western epic Horizon, and Zack Snyder’s sci-fi feature Rebel Moon.

See the trailer below.

Consecration opens in theaters on February 10th.

After living through a global pandemic, it isn’t easy to find humor in the suffering of innocents, but Netflix is ready to try. Netflix announced the main cast of The Decameron TV series on Wednesday, including Tony Hale, Zosia Mamet, Tanya Reynolds, Amar Chadha-Patel, Leila Farzad, Lou Gala, Karan Gill, Saorise-Monica Jackson, Douggie McMeekin, and Jessica Plummer.

Kathleen Jordan is the creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the Netflix dramedy, set in 14th-century Italy during the bubonic plague pandemic known as the Black Death. According to Netflix, The Decameron TV series is “a soapy period dramedy that aims to examine the timely themes of class systems, power struggles and survival in a time of pandemic with a touch of levity.”

The Decameron takes place in 1348 when the Black Death, the deadliest pandemic in human history which killed as many as 200 million people, descends on the city of Florence. In the show,...

American Horror Story is now preparing for its 12th season, and as usual, the biggest question is which horror theme it will use – and it’s the perfect opportunity for it to use one big theme that has already been teased before. Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, each season of American Horror Story explores different fears, settings, monsters (both human and supernatural), and addresses social issues, and as such, there’s a lot of speculation about what will be the theme to cover every time a new season is announced.

American Horror Story kicked off with Murder House, which was all about a haunted house and the many ghosts living in it. Since then, AHS has covered a variety of horror themes and settings, such as a mental hospital in Aslyum, vampires living in a cursed hotel in Hotel, and witchcraft in Coven. For its eleventh season, titled American Horror Story: NYC,...

Consecration, the latest movie from genre regular filmmaker Christopher Smith, whose credits include Creep, Severance, Triangle, Black Death, Detour, and The Banishing, has just secured distribution! Variety reports that IFC Midnight will be giving the supernatural thriller a theatrical release sometime in 2023, then the film will be moving over for the Shudder streaming service. Shudder has the exclusive rights to Consecration‘s first streaming window.

Scripted by Smith and Laurie Cook, Consecration follows Grace as she goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what was behind the suspicious death of her brother, a priest. She is initially helped by Father Romero, but she soon comes to distrust the account of the church as she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about her own shadowy past that brings long-buried trauma to the surface.

Jena Malone (The Hunger Games) plays Grace, with Danny Huston (Wonder Woman) as Father Romero.

Triangle, Black Death, and The Banishing director Christopher Smith returns to horror once more with upcoming supernatural thriller Consecration.

Per Variety, IFC Midnight and Shudder have acquired North American rights to the film. IFC Midnight will release the film in theaters in 2023 with Shudder subsequently taking the first streaming window exclusively.

Consecration stars Jena Malone (The Ruins), Danny Huston, and Janet Suzman. Smith co-wrote the script with The Banishing producer Laurie Cook.

In Consecration, “Grace (Malone) goes to the Mount Saviour Convent in Scotland to find out what was behind the suspicious death of her brother, a priest. She is initially helped by Father Romero (Huston), but she soon comes to distrust the account of the church as she uncovers murder, sacrilege and a disturbing truth about her own shadowy past that brings long-buried trauma to the surface.”

Arianna Bocco, president of IFC Films, said in a statement, “Christopher Smith...

Attending the Zurich Film Festival for the screening of his latest film, “The Good Nurse,” Eddie Redmayne spoke about his desire to work with director Tobias Lindholm, the joy of watching Jessie Buckley’s performance in “Cabaret” and the disappointment of missing out on “Games of Thrones.”

“The Good Nurse,” which Variety’s Tomris Laffly describes as “soulful” and “devastating,” tells the true story of nurse Charles Cullen, who confessed to murdering at least 29 patients but who may have in fact murdered as many as 400 people, and fellow nurse Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain), who helped solve the case. It’s based on the book “The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness and Murder,” by Charles Graeber.

“I was sent the script and I knew nothing about the film,” Redmayne said, taking part in a Zurich Film Festival master class. “The story unraveled in front of my eyes and...

The massive success of Netflix’s Bridgerton has reinforced just how hungry audiences are for soapy period dramas. Deadline has reported that the streaming service has given an eight-episode series order to The Decameron, a drama loosely inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio’s collection of short stories of the same name.

The Decameron series comes from Kathleen Jordan (Teenage Bounty Hunters) and Jenji Kohan (Orange is the New Black). The series will be set in 1348, a period in which the Black Death has struck the city of Florence. “A handful of nobles are invited to retreat with their servants to a grand villa in the Italian countryside and wait out the pestilence with a lavish holiday,” reads Deadline’s description. “But as social rules wear thin, what starts as a wine-soaked sex romp in the hills of Tuscany descends into an all out scramble for survival.” The Decameron will examine the “timely themes of class systems,...

If you can’t get enough of soapy dramas after binging two seasons of Bridgerton already, you won’t have to switch apps soon. Netflix has ordered another period soap drama to series. The streaming service has announced it has ordered The Decameron, from creator and showrunner Kathleen Jordan and executive producer Jenji Kohan, under Kohan’s overall deal. It will examine the timely themes of class systems, power struggles, and survival in a time of pandemic with a touch of levity, with a charming and riotous ensemble of characters. The Decameron is set in 1348, as the Black Death strikes hard in the city of Florence. A handful of nobles, with their servants, are invited to wait out the pestilence with a lavish getaway to a grand villa in the Italian countryside. However, as social rules wear thin, what starts as a wine-soaked sex romp in the hills of Tuscany...

The Walt Disney Company continues developing an adaptation of the six-issue Icon Comics graphic novel series, "Incognito" (2008), written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Sean Phillips, as a live-action series:

"...What if you were an ex-super-villain hiding out in 'Witness Protection', but all you could think about were the days when the 'firewalls' were in place, and the rules didn't apply to you? 

"Could you stand the toil of an average life after years of leaving destruction in your wake? And what if you couldn't stand it? What would you do then?..."

"'Incognito' is the story of a bad guy forced to be good," said Brubaker," and what happens when he starts to go stir-crazy from the monotony of normal life. It's a dark look at good and evil and pulp and noir all in one hard-hitting package."

"Set in a world where pulp magazine heroes and villains...

April is here and that means there’s a whole slew of new releases headed to Hulu to meet your streaming needs.

In the realm of original films, Hulu has the queer rom-com “Crush,” starring Rowan Blanchard and Auli’i Cravalho, which debuts April 29. Meanwhile, new library arrivals this month include the Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt sci-fi mind-bender “Looper,” both “Shrek” and “Shrek 2,” and all four films in “The Twilight Saga.”

April is also a big month for new TV shows on Hulu. Andrew Garfield’s hot streak continues with the FX drama “Under the Banner of Heaven,” which debuts exclusively on Hulu April 28. For reality TV fans, “The Kardashians” premieres on April 14. Hulu also has two franchise spinoff kids shows returning with Season 7 of “Madagascar: A Little Wild” on April 4 and Season 2 of “The Croods: Family Tree” on April 5.

These are but a few highlights in a rather...

Though the confusingly named initiative “FX on Hulu” is on its way out, FX is still bringing premium television to Hulu in the meantime.

Hulu’s list of new releases for April 2022 is highlighted by FX limited series Under the Banner of Heaven. This adaptation of the non-fiction book by John Krakauer stars Andrew Garfield as a Mormon police detective whose faith is shaken when investigating a murder involving the church.

It’s not all just FX on the TV side of things for Hulu this month, however. The streamer is debuting second seasons of its series The Hardy Boys (April 6) and Woke (April 8). There isn’t much to report from Hulu’s original movies arm aside from true crime documentary Captive Audience on April 21. But that doc about one family’s 50-year journey for justice sounds like a must-watch.

April 1 sees the usual arrival of library film titles. Looper,...

Time is running out to stream films like “Lincoln,” “The Fisher King” and “He Got Game” on HBO Max. Below is the complete list of everything leaving HBO and HBO Max in January 2022, which includes some classic “Planet of the Apes” films, Ben Affleck’s Oscar-winning “Argo” and 1988’s “Married to the Mob,” among others. Most of these titles leave the streaming service on Jan. 31, but departing HBO and HBO Max on Jan. 20 is a behind-the-scenes look at Guillermo del Toro’s new film “Nightmare Alley,” which is exclusively in theaters now.

If you’re looking for noteworthy titles to add to your watchlist before they depart, “Lincoln” is one of Steven Spielberg’s best, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” is a handsome and nail-biting spy thriller and “The Fisher King” is a great two-hander with Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams.

Check out the full list of what’s leaving HBO Max in January 2022 below.

AGC International handles worldwide sales.

Principal photography has begun in London and Scotland on AGC Studios supernatural horror thriller Consecration starring Jena Malone, Danny Huston and Janet Suzman.

Christopher Smith, whose credits include The Banishing and Black Death, directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Laurie Cook. Xavier Marchand of Moonriver Content and Jason Newmark and Laurie Cook of Bigscope Films are producing.

AGC Studios is fully financing and co-produces. Chairman and CEO Stuart Ford is executive producer alongside the company’s Linda McDonough, Miguel Palos, and co-executive producer Zachary Garrett, and Bigscope’s Ed Fraiman and Adam Nagel. Casey Herbert...

Back when WarnerMedia (which technically no longer exists in the same form) announced that it would be premiering its entire slate of 2021 films on HBO Max, this is the kind of month they likely had in mind. For HBO Max’s list of new releases in August 2021 is highlighted by an honest-to-goodness blockbuster.

The Suicide Squad is set to premiere Aug. 5 on HBO Max. This film featuring some of DC Comics’ most curious villains borrows its name, format, and many of its characters from the David Ayers-directed 2016 film Suicide Squad. This time around, the rogues gallery is directing by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and his colorful disposition. In addition to The Suicide Squad, August sees the arrival of the Hugh Jackman-starring Reminiscence on Aug. 20.

Read more Movies The Suicide Squad First Reactions Are In By John Saavedra Movies How The Suicide Squad is Different from Guardians of the Galaxy...

HBO Max will arguably debut its biggest Warner Bros. release yet on August 5, when James Gunn’s take on “The Suicide Squad” makes its day-and-date premiere on the streaming platform (the comic book blockbuster is also coming out in theaters nationwide).

But beyond “The Suicide Squad,” film fans will find a copious amount of features on HBO Max in August 2021, including a new Hugh Jackman movie, plus classic ‘90s favorites like “Basic Instinct,” “The Birdcage,” “The Fugitive,” “Deep Cover,” “Malcolm X,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”

Ahead, every new movie and series coming to HBO Max in August 2021, plus the top titles leaving the service before September 1.

New on HBO Max in August 2021

August 1

2 Days in the Valley, 1996 (HBO)

9/11: Fifteen Years Later, 2016

A Mighty Wind, 2003 (HBO)

A Walk Among the Tombstones, 2014 (HBO)

The Accidental Spy, 2002 (HBO)

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, 2005 (HBO)

Americano, 2017 (HBO)

Anna to the Infinite Power,...

The Vicar Man: Smith Returns to Period with Bustling Slow Burn

If you’re familiar with the filmography of British filmmaker Christopher Smith, you know you’re in for some unexpected twists and turns in genre fare usually hemmed in by formula. Like his 2010 film Black Death, Smith returns to a specific time and place with his seventh feature, The Banishing, a haunted house exercise set in 1938 England, while the country was on the brink of entering WWII.

Some astute character development builds a foundation for a fantastic lead performance from Jessica Brown Findlay, supported by a handful of interesting, sometimes transfixing supporting characters.…...

There’s an intriguing moment in director Christopher Smith’s latest contribution to the supernatural horror sub-genre, The Banishing: Harry Price, a seedy, small-town occultist with a bad dye job and a marked lack of concern for his personal safety, comforts a newly murdered woman, gently lowering himself to the blood-stained ground and lying down next to her her, ushering her soon-to-depart soul to the next world with a solemn benediction of decidely non-Christian origin. Both an eccentric gesture and oddly poignant, Price’s personal gesture stands in stark contrast against the remainder of a frustrating genre entry that simultaneously tries too hard, cramming enough ideas for several films or even a miniseries, and...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Director Christopher Smith‘s genre output runs the gamut in style and tone, demonstrating a filmmaker consistently looking to explore various horror angles. From a brutal underground chiller in Creep to the mind-bending slasher at sea, Triangle, to Black Death’s introspective Middle-Aged epic, Smith gives unique spins on familiar subgenres. That continues with his latest, The Banishing, a period ghost story that […]...

A family seeks help from an Occultist when their daughter is plagued by a sinister spirit in Chris Smith's The Banishing, and ahead of the horror film's April 15th streaming release on Shudder, we have a look at the official trailer:

"From acclaimed director Chris Smith comes The Banishing, which tells the true story of the most haunted house in England. A young reverend and his wife and daughter move into a manor with a horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and threatens to tear the family apart, the reverend and his wife are forced to confront their beliefs. They must turn to black magic by seeking the help of a famous Occultist...or risk losing their daughter.

Starring Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey), Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible franchise), John Lynch, and John Heffernan (Eye in the Sky) and directed by Christopher Smith.

The Banishing is a WestEnd Films production.

When it comes to haunted houses we’ve seen it all near enough. From the psychology of Robert Wise’s The Haunting, to the playful macabre of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, to the shuddering realism of Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity, the jolts of James Wan’s The Conjuring, the fresh voice of Remi Weekes’ His House, and the ice cube down the spine chills and lingering emotions of J.A. Bayona’s The Orphanage. We have seen so many filmmakers craft so many different bumps in the night emanating from the home, and in Creep and Black Death director Christopher Smith’s The Banishing, we go back to the traditional British hauntings of old, which have recently been resurrected in films like The Woman in Black, When the Lights Went Out and An English Haunting.

This Yorkshire shot ‘30s set haunted house chiller, inspired by “The most haunted house in...

We’re not saying this is inspired by recent events that fill us with terror and insomnia, but we are saying that if you happen to relate to that feeling, here’s a list of very cathartic movies about virus outbreaks to get you through it. Whether you want realism, fantasy, horror, or maybe computer stuff, we have you covered. Feel free to take a personal day and not leave the house while you watch.

And, before you ask: This whole gallery could have been nothing but zombie movies, so we decided to limit things to just Zombie movies that make the disease aspect front and center.

“Cabin Fever” (2002) – Eli Roth’s directorial debut follows a group of recent college graduates who become infected with a flesh eating virus during a camping trip. It was remade in 2016 but neither version makes camping look any more appealing.

“Outbreak” (1995) – When a new...

Spencer Mullen Sep 23, 2019

In the Tall Grass, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Death Stranding, and more in today's daily Link Tank!

Here are the three reasons why a planet from the prequels may return in The Rise of Skywalker.

"For a thousand generations, the Republic and the Jedi Knights kept the peace in the galaxy, governing from the planet Coruscant. Since 1991, Star Wars fans have thought of Coruscant as a pivotal planet, a place filled with tons of history — and also a great cityscape for a good chase sequence. The prequel trilogy’s most pivotal scenes happened on Coruscant, and now, as the Skywalker saga is set to end in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, there’s a strong argument that this film needs to check in on the famous planet. In fact, there are three compelling reasons why Rise of Skywalker will be incomplete with Coruscant. Here...

There’s another new streaming service making its way into the market. Magnolia Pictures announced Thursday that it has launched Magnolia Selects, an indie streaming platform boasting Magnolia’s library of independent films.

Magnolia has also launched three subscription-based movie channels that will air via Dish in the U.S. The channels, called “Warriors & Gangsters,” “Dox” and “Monsters & Nightmares,” are genre specific to action, documentaries and horror, respectively, and will provide a curated selection of movies within those genres.

Magnolia Selects launches at a price of $4.99 per month, and each standalone chanell will cost $2.99 per month via Dish’s On Demand Subscriptions and the Dish Anywhere app.

Also Read: IFC Films Launches Subscription VOD Streaming Service

“With Magnolia Selects’ latest expansion on Dish, our films have the ability to reach new audiences on more platforms than ever before,” Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles said in a statement. “We’re excited to...

Looking for to learn more about the real-life creepy clown phenomenon that has swept the nation in recent years? Ahead of its world premiere at Fantastic Fest, the documentary Wrinkles the Clown has been acquired by Magnet Releasing, with an October 4th theatrical release planned.

Press Release: New York, NY – Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today that they have acquired worldwide rights to Wrinkles The Clown, an unnerving new documentary that seeks to uncover the mystery behind chilling accounts of a nightmarish clown seen terrorizing disobedient children throughout Florida. Directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Michael Beach Nichols (Welcome To Leith) and financed and produced by Topic Studios, Wrinkles The Clown will world-premiere at Fantastic Fest, followed by an October 4th theatrical release.

It started with a silent black and white surveillance video uploaded to YouTube that depicted a child sleeping peacefully. Until a disheveled old man disguised...

Stars: Rebecca Acock, Rhys Meredith, Simon Pengelly, Luke Bailey, Christopher Vowles, Simon Nehan, Richard Burman, Sarah-Louise Tyler, Richard Tunley | Written by David Shillitoe | Directed by Anthony Smith

I was slightly surprised to find that The Cleansing wasn’t the only horror movie set in the 14th century that I have actually seen. The two most notable being Season of the Witch, starring Nicolas Cage, and the Christopher Smith directed Black Death, both of which are pretty entertaining but don’t show too many similarities with The Cleansing.

The VVitch seems to be the most obvious influence for the filmmakers behind The Cleansing. Opting to make a movie with a similar atmosphere and style but a movie that when compared to, will always suffer. That said, there’s enough to enjoy here. The basic story is an interesting one, with a sixteen year old girl, Alice, accused of being a witch...

Hammer’s attempt at a budget monster romp for 1966 isn’t quite as good as its sister film Plague of the Zombies, but it has fine atmosphere and a couple of worthy grace notes, namely its fine actresses Jennifer Daniel and Jacqueline Pearce. Although the title monster bites some fans the wrong way, it works for this reviewer — it’s every appearance is a surprise, and for me it’s convincingly… reptilian.

The Reptile

Blu-ray

Scream Factory

1966 / Color / 1:85 + 1:66 widescreen / 91 min. / Street Date July 30, 2019 / 27.99

Starring: Noel Willman, Jennifer Daniel, Ray Barrett, Jacqueline Pearce, Michael Ripper, John Laurie, Marne Maitland.

Cinematography: Arthur Grant

Film Editors: James Needs, Roy Hyde

Production Design: Bernard Robinson

Makeup: Roy Ashton

Original Music: Don Banks

Written by John Elder (Anthony Hinds)

Produced by Anthony Nelson Keys

Directed by John Gilling

Here’s something fresh for this reviewer, a noted Hammer picture to enjoy that I...