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If Dee Wallace didn’t stand up to Steven Spielberg, E.T. could’ve wanted to do more than just go home.

In a recent appearance on the “Still Here Hollywood” podcast, Wallace, who played Elliot’s mother Mary in the immortal 1982 classic, said there was an axed side plot in the film for a romance between her character and the titular alien.

“There’s a whole B story in ‘E.T.’ about E.T. having a love affair with Mary, a love crush on Mary,” she said. “And there’s little bits of it left in there.”

She continued, “There was a scene where he came in to put Reese’s Pieces down on my bedside table as I’m asleep. Well, Spielberg wanted the sheet a little lower than I was comfortable with.”

Wallce explained that she took her grievances up with Spielberg directly, arguing to maintain the family-friendly tone of the film.

Easter: a time for pastel colors, chocolate eggs, and… bloodthirsty bunnies? While the holiday is typically associated with renewal and joy, a niche corner of horror cinema has taken a darker turn, transforming the innocent symbols of Easter into sources of terror. From monstrous rabbits to unsettling holiday-themed slashers, these films offer a twisted take on the springtime celebration.

Whether you’re in the mood for campy gore or psychological thrills, here are five egg-celent horror movies that put a sinister spin on Easter and its iconic bunny.

Horror Movies with Killer Rabbits and Creepy Easter Vibes 1. Beaster Day: Here Comes Peter Cottonhell (2014)

In this horror-comedy, a giant, bloodthirsty Easter Bunny terrorizes a small town, leaving a trail of carnage in its wake. The film follows a hapless dog-catcher and an aspiring actress as they attempt to stop the monstrous creature. With its over-the-top gore and absurd premise, Beaster Day embraces its B-movie roots,...

For as much as people like to poke fun at kid-oriented genre productions these days, the fact is that there has never been a better time to be a child with an interest in horror. From less gruesome spin-offs like Jurassic World’s Chaos Theory to spooky PG-13 adaptations like Five Nights at Freddy’s, gateway horror is no longer limited to the dark corners of the Scholastic book fair. That’s also why we’ve been seeing some less-orthodox examples of the genre lately, such as Rodrigo Perez-Castro and Ricardo Curtis’s Night of the Zoopocalypse – an animated kids film produced by none other than Hellraiser creator, Clive Barker.

Barker is no stranger to kid-friendly fiction, having already published several fantasy novels as well as a handful of comic-books aimed towards children and young adults, but Zoopocalypse is the first major motion picture to be based on the author’s less disturbing work.

Which was Leonardo DiCaprio’s first big screen movie?(Photo Credit –Facebook)

In 1991, a fresh-faced Leonardo DiCaprio made his feature film debut in Critters 3, a direct-to-video sequel that took “cheesy” to a whole new level. The film followed flesh-eating alien furballs terrorizing an apartment complex, hardly the kind of cinematic milestone most actors dream about.

DiCaprio played Josh, the stepson of a corrupt landlord, caught in the middle of the chaos. But let’s be real: Critters 3 had one true claim to fame. As one critic bluntly put it, “Its claim to fame is that it marked Leonardo DiCaprio’s film debut, but aside from that Trivial Pursuit tidbit, there’s not much to recommend this subpar entry.”

The Critters franchise had some success early on, despite being a clear Gremlins knockoff. The first two films gained a cult following and even managed decent Rotten Tomatoes audience scores.

The 1986 sci-fi horror comedy Critters introduced us to voracious alien creatures known as the Krites – and since genre fans were left hungry for more, we got Critters 2: The Main Course in 1988, Critters 3 in 1991, and Critters 4 in 1992. Sadly, the franchise went dormant for many years after the release of the fourth film… but it was finally revived with the 2019 web series Critters: A New Binge (which was basically a 70 minute movie that was chopped into eight episodes) and the 2019 film Critters Attack! Now, Harker Press has published a book called We’re Here for the Krites: The Making of Critters, where author Matthew C. DuPée’s dives into the franchise for 339 pages! Copies are available for purchase at This Link.

Here’s the information on the book: Krites, Critters, La Criaturas. Whatever you call them, You Are What They Eat! Harker Press invites you to return to Grover...

Nepo babies have been around as long as there have been artists. The idea of a "legacy" is one we humans simply cannot get away from. As storytelling beings, we will have always constructed -- and will continue to construct -- broad, historical, intergenerational narratives for ourselves. We can't stop tracing our professional and personal origins among the ancients, and writing their stories directly into our own. We simply shed our fascination with the possibility that talents can be passed from one generation to the next. 

That's certainly the case in Hollywood, a relatively recent art institution in human history, but still rife with its own multigenerational legacies. It's likely you read the headline above and instantly thought of the Coppola clan. The Coppola family has, as of this writing, accrued 12 Oscar wins and 40 nominations between them, and they currently hold the record for the family with the most members to be nominated for Oscars.

Years before they were part of the Critical Role D&d role-playing crew, Ashley Johnson and Taliesin Jaffe were child actors — and they’re talking all about their experiences growing up in Hollywood in Cr’s upcoming show “Weird Kids.”

“Weird Kids,” presented as a podcast-style conversation between Johnson and Jaffe, is “part hilarious confession, part heartfelt reflection and all-around love letter to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider,” Critical Role says.

The full 24-episode run of “Weird Kids” will be available exclusively through Critical Role’s membership service, Beacon ($5.99/month). The show will premiere on March 20, with a live “Weird Kids Launch Party” streamed on Beacon, YouTube and Twitch leading into the episode premiere. The first episode then will be available on-demand on March 25 on YouTube, Beacon and podcast platforms; subsequent episodes will be released on Beacon every Tuesday at 5 a.m. Pacific.

In the show, Johnson and Jaffe recall “the wild,...

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," Dorothy famously stated in a movie quote considered the fourth greatest ever by the American Film Institute. No, Dorothy, you're not -- you're in Hollywood! With a population just shy of three million, the entire state of Kansas has less residents than New York City and Los Angeles, while it's just a hair above Chicago. Yet when it comes to the movies, "The Wheat State" punches far above its weight, with cinematic representation including Academy Award winners, blockbusters, and even films that have joined the hallowed ranks of the National Film Registry. What gives?

Perhaps it's because filmmakers consider the 34th state the perfect great plains state, with its waving wheat fields and endless horizons. More than anything, maybe it's the welcoming Kansas culture of "midwest nice" that has never met a stranger. Whatever the reason, "The Sunflower State" has proven...

What do you get when you take a couple of stars from two of the most iconic horror franchises and put them together in a movie? You get Devoted, a new horror film from writer/director Richard J. Bosner which stars Lin Shaye, Skeet Ulrich, Mena Suvari, Elizabeth Marvel, Alicia Sanz and Nick Stahl. Shaye is, of course, famous for her time in the blockbuster Insidious franchise, while Ulrich rose to fame in the mid-'90s for his portrayal of Billy Loomis in the Scream franchise.

Per Variety, Bosner is making his feature film debut with Devoted, and also serves as producer alongside Robert Ogden Barnum, Eric Binns and Carissa Knol. The film stars Suvari as a woman who takes guardianship of her estranged sister (Marvel), who is the only survivor of a recent mass cult suicide. Her happiness at their reunion soon turns to terror, however, as her sister's...

From April 4 to May 23, 2001, Comedy Central ran eight episodes of a 30-minute sitcom called "That's My Bush!," a sendup of the then-active George W. Bush administration. The premise of the show was as broad as possible. George W. Bush (Timothy Bottoms) was in the White House, but his life was more akin to that of an old-fashioned, 1980s-era workplace sitcom than that of a sitting president. There was a noisy, obnoxious laugh track paired with bright, even TV lighting, making the show look deliberately old-fashioned and artificial. Kurt Fuller played the buttoned-down killjoy Karl Rove, while Carrie Quinn Dolin played Laura Bush.

More than being a spoof of the Bush administration, however (and there was plenty to spoof), "That's My Bush!" was a satire of all-American sitcoms. Show creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker (of "South Park" fame) merely used the White House as a backdrop to mock dated sitcom...

Bit Bot Media and FreakZone Games, the studios behind The Rocky Horror Show Video Game, are back with another nostalgic 8-bit experience, this time with Frankie Freako, a retro sidescroller prequel to the film from Steven Kostanski.

Look for the game to arrive on Steam and major consoles in Q2 2025. Fans can wishlist the game now.

Frankie Freako: The Video Game acts as a prequel to the Raven Banner film, “immersing players in the apocalyptic chaos of Freak World. Take control of Frankie, Boink, and Dottie as they

run, jump, and battle their way through a vibrant cityscape and ascend the treacherous Munch Tower to uncover the secrets behind Munch’s sinister Freak Phone technology. Frankie Freako pays homage to classic ’80s movie-to-game adaptations with a challenging, fast-paced platforming experience. Known for their signature style in titles like Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, FreakZone Games delivers another expertly crafted retro...

Scarlett Johansson’s spider-infested horror movie Eight Legged Freaks was met with negative reviews on its initial release in 2002, but it remains an underrated gem. These days, Johansson is known for starring in giant blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and Oscar-winning dramas like Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit. But early in her career, she appeared in a wider range of projects — and that includes some of Johansson’s best movies. She appeared in critical darlings like Lost in Translation and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but she also starred in her share of B-movies.

Johansson co-starred with Ewan McGregor in Michael Bay’s sci-fi thriller The Island, she played Alex Pruitt’s older sister in Home Alone 3, and she played the sheriff’s daughter in Ellory Elkayem’s horror comedy Eight Legged Freaks. This movie sees a swarm of spiders getting exposed to mutagenic toxic waste, growing to kaiju size, and attacking a small mining town.

Mike Flanagan recently made a sci-fi splash with his script for "Stowaway," the incredible Kate Siegel-directed closer in V/H/S/Beyond. While their vision of life inside a UFO is startlingly original, one of Flanagan's favorite horror movies may have provided some inspiration: Phoenix Forgotten, a 2017 found footage feature produced by Ridley Scott. The movie offers a tricky blend of fiction and facts about the Phoenix Lights sightings, a real unexplained event witnessed by thousands.

Phoenix Forgotten plays like a sci-fi sister to The Blair Witch Project, with its tale of teen documentarists who vanish while trying to film a close encounter. However, Phoenix Forgotten is more complex, utilizing real news footage and interviews with real Phoenix Lights witnesses, and building a poignant family drama around the fictional main characters. It's easy to see why Mike Flanagan would be attracted to Phoenix Forgotten, since it is, like much of his own work,...

Critical Role's long-standing video game ambitions could be nearing fruition very soon. Back in 2015, Geek & Sundry launched Critical Role, an Actual Play streaming show featuring a cast of voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons. The show became an internet phenomenon and eventually became a media empire, with Critical Role selling out stadiums and launching multiple successful animated television shows on Prime Video. Now, Critical Role is its own business, with a tabletop game studio working on a Dungeons & Dragons competitor, its own streaming platform, millions of fans known as Critters, and big plans for the future.

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Critical Role's cast spoke about their desire to make a video game. "The last few years we have been having necessary conversations to figure out how to do that smartly," said Critical Role CEO and cast member Travis Willingham. "It’s, you know, it’s an entire enterprise...

Lindsay Lohan continues her Netflix holiday movie comeback with “Our Little Secret,” a fun screwball comedy demonstrating she hasn’t lost her comedic flair. After nearly a decade away from the big screen, Lohan has found her right fit in the world of seasonal romantic comedies, delivering performances that combine her typical relatability with true comedic aptitude.

The film follows Avery, a wealthy business consultant, as she finds herself in a comically complex predicament at a Christmas family reunion. When she arrives with her boyfriend Cam to meet his family, she realizes that Cam’s sister’s new boyfriend is Logan, her ex-lover from ten years ago. A lovely ballet of secrets, awkward interactions, and surprise reunions follow.

The movie throws Avery and Logan together in a situation where they must pretend not to know each other well. It is set against the backdrop of an ultra-rich family’s holiday feast.

While the horror genre has traditionally been intended for a more mature audience, numerous 'gateway' movies are targeted towards younger viewers and have a lower MPAA rating. Goosebumps is a great example, as are Coraline, The Corpse Bride, and the TV show Wednesday. However, young people will find a way to watch content that's not suitable for their age range, regardless of the censors.

Horror movies are designed to terrify, disgust, and thrill audiences in equal measure, and there's no fun in sticking to PG-13 horror movies forever. As such, it's no surprise that millennials have been brought up on more extreme films from the genre. Some of the best gateway horror movies may have been R-rated upon release, but would likely get a lower rating in some cases now. However, that's not to say they're appropriate for fans who experienced them way too young.

Arachnophobia Directed By Frank Marshall...

Directed by Steven Kostanski of Psycho Goreman fame, Canadian horror Frankie Freako is a homage to mini-monster classics like Gremlins and Critters, and to some extent Beetlejuice as well. Through its characterization, dialogue, and plot progression, Frankie Freako exudes a vibe that typically characterizes 80s horror-comedies. Having a simplistic, ridiculous plot structure, the key hook of the movie turns out to be its funky, silly humor, excellent prosthetic and animatronic work, miniature set design, and its music. Not once does the fact become apparent that the movie had a shoestring budget, as adept cinematography and production do an excellent job in creating a potent immersion of the world of Frankie Freako.

Spoiler Alert

Why Did Conor Summon the Freakos?

Set in the 80s, Frankie Freako focuses on an old-school, boring, naïve corporate employee, Conor, whose timid demeanor and conservative, extremely careful approach make him stand out from everyone else, but not in a good way.

Plenty of big-named actors got their start in horror, from Jennifer Aniston in Leprechaun to Kevin Bacon in Friday the 13th. A smaller number can claim a start in horror as a child, but that is just the case for Blades Stephen Dorff. Before he was the villainous vampire Deacon Frost, he was the demon-beset 12-year-old Glen in 1987s The Gate. Tibor Takcs PG-13 horror took cues from other lighter, scary classics like Gremlins and Critters, with the final product easing away from screenwriter Michael Nankins grittier first draft. That darker spirit remains, to a lesser extent, giving The Gate a grittier edge than other family horror movies, and making it a cult-classic demon flick, too.

The Legend of Boggy Creek. Cannibal Holocaust. Man Bites Dog. These are the usual suspects whenever someone brings up the origins of modern-day found footage. However, it was a long road full of cinematic experiments before these films would give rise to the movie that popularized the genre – The Blair Witch Project. After all, before Myrick and Sanchez’s film, most proto-found-footage productions were more interested in emulating documentaries and news footage than recreating amateur recordings that just happened to capture something creepy.

I say “most” because there is one notable exception. An infamous film so dedicated to its DIY presentation that many viewers were originally unaware that it was meant to be a film at all. Naturally, I’m referring to Dean Alioto’s iconic UFO Abduction (also known as The McPherson Tape), a misunderstood classic that I believe started all the familiar tropes of contemporary found footage over...

Lindsay Lohan is putting the “secret” in “secret santa” in the trailer for her new Netflix Christmas movie.

“Our Little Secret” sees Lohan and Ian Harding (“Pretty Little Liars”) play two resentful exes who are forced to spend Christmas under the same roof after discovering that their current partners are siblings. Things are only complicated further when Lohan’s character butts heads with her boyfriend’s mother, played by Kristin Chenoweth. Other cast members include Tim Meadows, Jon Rudnitsky, Henry Czerny, Judy Reyes, Chris Parnell, Dan Bucatinsky, Katie Baker, Jake Brennan, Ash Santos and Brian Unger.

“It’s so beautiful to be able to do films that are associated with holidays because it’s family time,” Lohan said, who serves as executive producer as well as star. “When you can make a movie that families can remember and come together to see, it makes it all the more special.”

“Our Little Secret...

Currently in select theaters, Frankie Freako will be released on Digital on October 25 before hitting Blu-ray on November 5 via Scream Factory.

Drawing inspiration from little monster movies like Gremlins, Ghoulies, and Critters, the Canadian horror-comedy is written and directed by Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman).

Conor Sweeney, Adam Brooks, Kristy Wordsworth, Matthew Kennedy, and Meredith Sweeney star.

Special Features include:

Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Steven Kostanski, Actor Conor Sweeney, and Cinematographer Pierce Derks Fasten Your Freakbelts: Behind the Scenes of Frankie Freako Conor & Frankie: A Conversation Between Actors Frankie Freako’s Funtime Phone Commercial Antique Connoisseurs Segments Trailer

In the film, “Workaholic yuppie Conor has a dilemma: no one in his life respects him! Not his boss, not his coworkers, not even his wife Kristina, who thinks he’s an uptight “square”! Conor sees no way out of this existential rut until one night while channel-surfing, he catches a bizarre ad...

From Executive Producer James Wan comes the new horror series Teacup.

Teacup follows a disparate group of people in rural Georgia who must come together in the face of a mysterious threat in order to survive. Inspired by the New York Times bestselling novel “Stinger” by Robert McCammon, the cast includes Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman, Chaske Spencer, Kathy Baker, Boris McGiver, Caleb Dolden, Emilie Bierre, Luciano Leroux.

The first two episodes of Teacup premiere on Peacock on Thursday, October 10, followed by two episodes weekly through Halloween. The horror, thriller contains eight 30 Min episodes.

Published in 1988, Stinger is a classic horror novel that blends elements of science fiction and pulp fiction. Set in a dying Texas mining town, the story centers around an alien bounty hunter who arrives to track down a fugitive alien who has escaped from its home planet.

Sounds very much like the movies Critters and The Hidden.

Arrow Video is gearing up for an explosive December with a line-up of iconic titles ready to captivate fans of cult classics and cinematic nostalgia. From Sylvester Stallone’s futuristic cop battles to intergalactic critters wreaking havoc, this month’s releases are an eclectic mix that promise something for everyone.

Leading the December collection is Demolition Man, starring Sylvester Stallone as the no-nonsense cop John Spartan, facing off against Wesley Snipes’ anarchic Simon Phoenix. Set in a future where crime is virtually extinct, Spartan is thawed out of CryoPrison to combat Phoenix, whose old-school brutality is wreaking havoc on a society that no longer knows how to handle him. The film, which also features Sandra Bullock in her breakout role, has been given a brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films, offering fans both the domestic “Taco Bell” and international “Pizza Hut” versions of the movie. Packed with extras—including exclusive interviews,...

Fans of the Critters franchise probably already own all the movies but Arrow Video is looking to tempt us all with the announce of a brand new 4-movie Blu-ray collection this week.

Critters: A Four Course Feast is a limited edition UK offering, and it features the first four movies in the Critters franchise housed together in a special Blu-ray box set.

The set will be released on December 2, and it’s up for UK pre-order now.

Arrow Video previews, “The Krites have landed! Carnivorous creatures from outer space! Vicious vermin with very sharp teeth! The beloved sci-fi/comedy-horror franchise makes its UK Blu-ray debut in this special edition box set from Arrow Video. A four course feast of fun, fur, fear and fangs, served with a platter of new and archive extras to whet your appetite!”

The 4-disc limited edition contents include…

– High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all...

Gremlins may have stopped at only 2 movies and a recent animated TV show, but a lot of its imitators went on to make a killing in the sequel market. Sure, we had one offs like Munchies from Roger Corman and Goobers from the mind of Charles Band which should have rightfully stayed one and done but others wanted in on that franchise action. The Gate would have 2 entries as would Hobgoblins. Troll would get a few sequels, kinda, if you want to go down the rabbit hole of strange Italian sequels in name only that are just called that to capitalize on the profits of other movies and Ghoulies would somehow, miraculously, get 4 films although if I’m being honest, I actually enjoy watching that series. Critters also had 4 (initially) but has a much stronger legacy in terms of enjoyment and interesting background including the fact that even though it came out after Gremlins,...

The legendary Shelley Duvall sadly passed away back in July at the age of 75 – but not long before she passed, she returned to acting after a twenty year break to take a role in the creature feature The Forest Hills. That movie is now set to reach theatres in the United States and Canada on October 4th, and with that date right around the corner, a trailer for The Forest Hills has arrived online. You can watch it in the embed above.

Written and directed by Scott Goldberg, The Forest Hills tells the story of a man who is tormented by nightmarish visions after enduring head trauma while camping in the Catskill woods.

Duvall is joined in the cast by Chiko Mendez (Smothered by Mothers), Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Dee Wallace (Critters), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Stacey Nelkin (Halloween III: Season of the Witch), Marianne Hagan (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers...

As the days get shorter and the nights creep in, there’s no better time for a horror film festival—and Grindfest is back to deliver the chills. The sixth edition of the UK’s dedicated genre film festival kicks off this Friday, 13th September, at the Art-Deco Regent in Christchurch. Running through Sunday, 15th September, this year’s event promises a jam-packed three days of iconic films, rare screenings, and genre-defining classics, all shown on original 35mm prints. With tickets and passes still available, horror fans are encouraged to grab their seats before they’re gone!

The festival celebrates the nostalgic appeal of film on film, presenting some of the most beloved and obscure movies that have been dug out of archives across the globe. Highlights include the 1980s 3D adventure Treasure of the Four Crowns and the sci-fi cult classic The Last Starfighter, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

Live in this World

After spending August discussing Paul Morrissey’s Udo Kier-starring Blood for Dracula (listen), Julia Ducournau’s Raw follow-up Titane (listen), and Stephen Herek’s comfort classic Critters (listen), we wrapped up the month with a look at Tim Burton‘s 1988 classic, Beetlejuice!

In the film, Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis) are perfectly content married nerds who enjoy staying at home and working on their house. When they die unceremoniously, they’re thrust into an afterlife with rules they don’t understand and horrible humans like Delia (Catherine O’Hara) and Charles Deetz (Jeffrey Jones) who take over their house.

When a bio-exorcist named Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) offers his services to scare the living out of the house, Barbara and Adam take him up on his offer. Unfortunately, they quickly find the rambunctious spirit is completely out of control. With Betelgeuse determined to marry the Deetz’s daughter,...

The two-episode premiere of Agatha All Along is right around the corner, and Marvel Studios just released new promotional material for the upcoming series that pays homage to the scary stories that came before it. A new spot for the Marvel Cinematic Universe television show features callbacks to stories such as Halloween and Critters. Decades ago, horror films were promoted with a serious narrator setting up the premise of the movie for the audience, which is what Marvel Studios has done merely days before the arrival of Agatha All Along.

Kill Krites.

After kicking off August with discussions of Paul Morrissey’s Udo Kier-starring vehicle Blood for Dracula (listen) and Julia Ducournau’s confronting Raw follow-up Titane (listen), we’re dialing things back a bit with a comfort watch of Stephen Herek‘s 1986 cult classic (and franchise originator) Critters!

Critters sees an fuzzy alien race known as the Krites flee a prison asteroid and land next to a farm in the small town of Grover’s Bend. Kansas. The farm belongs to the Brown family — Jay (Billy Green Bush), Helen (Dee Wallace), their daughter, April (Nadine Van Der Velde), and their son, Brad (Scott Grimes) — and they must fend off the malevolent little critters with the help of two alien bounty hunters with superhuman abilities.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio,...

‘Alien: Romulus’ is right around the corner, so it’s the perfect time to check out ‘Lily C.A.T.,’ an anime body horror classic that’s a gory tribute to ‘Alien’ and ‘The Thing’.

“Confine them? We’re on a ship. We’re practically confined ourselves.”

Ridley Scott’s Alien is an iconic horror/science fiction hybrid that’s had its ups and downs as a film franchise, but remains an essential genre film 45 years later. Alien is such a tried and true property with limitless potential that it’s kind of remarkable that there hasn’t been an Alien animated series or in-universe anime that’s in the vein of The Animatrix that translates this iconic sci-fi horror property into animated madness where it can really let loose and not be confined by live-action’s limitations. An unreleased Alien vs. Predator anime is the closest thing that audiences have gotten to this,...

When Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator was released back in 1986, the director and production team surely never, in their wildest dreams, imagined that their cult classic horror flick would become a trilogy. Yet, here we are. If you caught our last video on sequel Bride of Re-Animator, you’ll know by now that, although I dug the VFX and carnage in all of its practically made splendor, the movie had little else going for it. Plus, Bride didn’t have a proper theatrical run to show that continuing the series would be profitable from purely a box-office perspective. However, what makes horror the very best genre known to the movie-making universe, which of course it is my fellow gore-hounds, right? Is that despite certain movies being ridiculed or unappreciated by unimaginative critics, they become cult classics regardless. Which is a wonderful thing. Just consider daft horror flicks like Night of the Lepus,...

When you’ve reached part three in a movie franchise and you’ve realised that making it a prequel, and that dropping the main selling point may have affected your box office, what do you do? Make more hairy swearwolf and vampire movies of course. That’s exactly what you should do! I mean, it’s a tactic that’s been going on for years in Hollywood; to rinse a known, and existing IP for all it’s worth, in the name of making a quick buck. Usually in a desperate attempt to satiate fans of certain characters or franchises, and often at the expense of a decent story, sadly. Just look at the Die Hard and Terminator franchises. The first three Die Hard movies are great, and showcase the trials and tribulations of Bruce Willis’ weary, wise-cracking cop perfectly. Then the series lost its way and, sadly due to Willis’ unfortunate health issues,...

2024 has seen the long-awaited revival of Eddie Murphy's role as Axel Foley in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise through Netflix. One of the things viewers were keen to see was the return of the original film's stars. When the movie's trailer dropped, they were elated to see appearances by John Ashton and Judge Reinhold as Taggart and Rosewood. In the case of one of these stars, they also featured in one of the most iconic bounty hunter movies of all time.

Beverly Hills Cop was a true pop culture sensation when it was released back in 1984. From director Martin Brest (Scent of a Woman & Meet Joe Black), the film pulled together a slew of great actors of the comedy genre, with Eddie Murphy leading the cast. Telling the story of a Detroit street cop clashing with the luxurious and snobby culture of upscale Los Angeles, it was a great fish-out-of-water detective story.

Stars: Leven Rambin, Jake McLaughlin, Dee Wallace, Shane West, Sohvi Rodriguez | Written and Directed by Marcos Efron

Opening with a quote from Carl Sagan, “For small creatures such as we, the vastness is made bearable only through love” Last Night on Earth then shows us a brief glimpse of a couple and their young son camping. The man seems troubled, the woman so obviously upset that the boy asks his father about it. “She’s just tired” he replies unconvincingly.

Nearby, Holly and Ryan are staying in a trailer. They seem happy, although there are hints to the contrary scattered through their conversations and actions. A flashback to a party only heightens the feeling.

Writer/director Marcos Efron teases the viewer, making it clear that something is very wrong with the world we are seeing, but not giving any clues as to what that is. And if you actually did...

Get ready for some classic horror screenings at the sixth edition of Grindfest! This year’s festival looks to be an unforgettable cinematic experience from 13th to 15th September at the luxurious Art-Deco Regent in Christchurch. Tickets and passes are on sale now at The Regent and Dirt in the Gate.

Grindfest is the UK’s dedicated genre film festival, showcasing classic films on 35mm prints, a format beloved by cinephiles for its authentic, nostalgic appeal. The festival curators have scoured archives worldwide to present rare film prints, some of which are rarely screened in the UK.

Following last year’s unique Friday 13th 3D screening, this year’s festival features another 1980s 3D classic, Treasure of the Four Crowns. Presented in its original over/under 3D process, this film promises a cinema adventure you won’t forget.

Grindfest also champions emerging filmmaking talent with its ever-expanding Short Film Showcase.

The Krites -- the titular "Critters" from the eponymous film series -- are small, furry, extraterrestrial eating machines that are essentially dry-land piranhas. Krites only have impulses toward consumption and chaos. They have human intelligence, but are far more interested in eating than philosophy. The first "Critters" movie, directed by Stephen Herek (of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" and "Mr. Holland's Opus" fame) is one of the world's only Easter-themed horror movies, centering on a small Iowa town that discovers Krite eggs and paints them for the Sunday festivities. Naturally, the eggs hatch and the hungry Krites begin wreaking mayhem. Only a pair of alien bounty hunters named Ug (Terrence Mann) and Lee can help in stopping the alien threat.

The Krites can roll up into balls like hedgehogs and trundle quickly from place to place. They can also fire poisonous quills from their backs. They're mean little mothers.

The...

When you think of classic horror comedies, you definitely think of the 1980s, the decade where the genre was mostly born; you have “Ghostbusters,” “Gremlins,” “Critters,” and of course “Beetlejuice” by Tim Burton, arguably one of the masters of all things macabre and comedic and a genre unto himself. And while it took Burton almost four decades to make a sequel to his Michael Keaton-starring classic—about a malicious spirit (Beetlejuice) hired to drive out an unbearable family that has moved into the home of a recently deceased couple— he’s finally returning with “Beetlejuice 2,” aka “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in the fall.

Continue reading ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Trailer: Tim Burton & Michael Keaton’s Iconic Undead Character Returns In September at The Playlist.

Stars: Richard Kovacs, Connor Powles, Leona Clarke, Elliott Eason, Jon Kerr, Osian Dixon, Christabel Clark, May Kelly | Written and Directed by David Gregory

The Deadly Swarm is a great example of the downside to having a long run of good films to review. Because while you’re watching them, you know karma is going to send a real pile of shit to balance the score. And that’s certainly an apt description of this killer fly movie.

Dr. Holger Feldman is ecstatic, he’s managed to get a specimen of the rare vampire fly, and not just any specimen, this is a queen. His son Liam however is more concerned with how dangerous that fly is, apparently they wiped out the dinosaurs, not a meteor, than whether or not it could lead to a cure for the disease that killed his mother, and will kill him.

Liam may not have...

What would happen if one of those adorable Crites from the Critters franchise made its way onto an airplane? Well, that looks to essentially be the premise behind the upcoming monster movie Monster on a Plane, which has unleashed its official trailer this week.

An Official Selection of the 42nd Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifff), Monster on a Plane will premiere later this month. Watch the trailer below for a sneak peek.

In the film from writer/director Ezra Tsegaye, “Professor Singh embarks on a journey to bring a mysterious creature from a distant land to Germany. However, when unexpected turbulence strikes the airplane, the beast awakens and starts attacking passengers. Stewardess Nathalie and teacher Ben team up to regain control amidst the chaos. But as they also uncover a ruthless murderer among the passengers, things quickly spiral out of control.”

Eva Habermann, Robin Czerny, Philippe Brenninkmeyer, Dieter Landuris,...

New Line Cinema's history is rooted in horror, especially the iconic slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, and Jason Voorhees are top-tier slasher icons under New Line, but there is potential for reboots of Critters and Alone in the Dark. With Hollywood's focus on '80s properties, New Line could bring back slasher classics like Critters or create new hits, as they did producing Evil Dead Rise.

New Line Cinema, "The House that Freddy Built." And, eventually, the house behind Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But, still, it was horror that laid down the bricks that Sam and Frodo would traverse to toss the ring. Specifically, slashers, when they handled the United States re-release of Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. They also dealt with the distribution of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead.

But, of course, it was...

Horror sure does come in all shapes and sizes. Let it be known that size always matters to some. But most importantly, the smaller they are the dastardlier and more vicious they become. Ah yes, we’re at that time of month again… what is with this starting off with sexual and body anatomy innuendos?! Goddamn it, ok, we’re back with another Horror Movie Rip-off which brings about two pint-sized demonoids covered in fur. These things possess not just some gnarly looking features to them but can be misconstrued and mistaken for the other. As I’m writing this, I’m starting to get some brain fog of who’s who, but in the end they’re both unique and seem like they’re both concocted out of Hp Lovecraft’s twisted, and nightmarish tales. It’s a shame this wasn’t a three-way (Goddamn it I did it again!

Christmas and Halloween reign supreme in terms of holiday-themed horror to the point that every other holiday pales in comparison when it comes to horror offerings. Easter does have a few selections to offer, but many of them don’t lean into any familiar holiday motifs. Then there are the horror films that get lumped in simply because the villain bears likeness to the Easter bunny. It can be slim pickings. That’s okay, though, because we really only need one solid horror movie to celebrate Easter with. One that isn’t afraid to spill some Easter bunny blood.

Critters 2: The Main Course is that definitive Easter horror movie.

Co-written by David Twohy (Warlock, Pitch Black) and director Mick Garris (The Stand, Masters of Horror), Critters 2 makes clever use of the holiday as a means to implement those remaining Crite eggs stashed away in a barn from the end of Critters.

We all have holes in our reading, some more surprising than others. I started reading “comics” seriously about 1986, when I went off to college to a town (Poughkeepsie) with a good shop (Iron Vic’s) and bought mostly the weirdest stuff I could find on the racks at that time. There’s a lot that I’ve read since then, sometimes by following the same creators and ideas, sometimes by deliberately paying attention to new things (manga! YA! Eurocomics!). But no one can read everything – no one wants to read everything, to begin with, and it’s not physically possible now, if it ever was.

So I’ve known who Stan Saki was almost since that first trip to a comics shop in 1986 – maybe even earlier, since my kid brother might have already been reading Groo before then – but I’ve never sought out his central series Usagi Yojimbo, which...

M. Emmet Walsh, who excelled when playing characters that brought a delightfully menacing presence to films such as Blade Runner and Blood Simple, has died at the age of 88.

His longtime manager Sandy Joseph confirmed his death, and said he died from cardiac arrest on Tuesday in St. Albans, Vermont.

While Walsh would go on to play numerous supportive roles throughout his career, he took on a rare leading role as private detective Loren Visser in then-unknowns Joel and Ethan Coens’ 1984 film Blood Simple. The Coen brothers said that they...

M. Emmet Walsh has sadly passed away.

The actor – who has appeared in more than 150 movies including Blade Runner and Knives Out – died on Tuesday (March 19) at the age of 88.

The actor’s longtime manager Sandy Joseph confirmed his death to Entertainment Tonight, revealing he passed away from cardiac arrest at Kerbs Memorial Hospital in St. Albans, Vermont.

Keep reading to find out more…After growing up in rural Vermont, Walsh made his onscreen debut in Alice’s Restaurant back in 1969. He went on to appear in countless other movies including 1982′s Blade Runner as Harrison Ford‘s LAPD boss, 1986′s sci-fi horror flick Critters as the corrupt local sheriff, and in 1997′s My Best Friend’s Wedding as Dermot Mulroney‘s dad.

As for her roles on TV, Walsh starred as a series regular on Sneaky Pete and The Mind of the Married Man and also made guest appearances on Frasier,...

Actor M. Emmet Walsh has passed away.

Per TheWrap, it's been revealed that M. Emmet Walsh died on Tuesday, March 19, at Kerbs Memorial Hospital in St. Albans, Vermont. His passing was confirmed by his manager, Sandy Joseph, who verified that Walsh died of cardiac arrest. Walsh was 88 years old.

Walsh was born on March 22, 1935. He made his acting debut in 1969's Alice's Restaurant, starting a career that would see him take on over 200 roles over the next five decades. The actor would follow this up with roles in movies like Midnight Cowboy and Serpico before landing more recognizable roles in 1977's Slap Shot and 1978's Straight Time. Walsh would also pick up a memorable role in the classic Steve Martin comedy The Jerk in 1979.

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One of Walsh's best-known roles was in the original Blade Runner movie, released by director Ridley Scott in 1982; he played the role of Captain Harry Bryant.

M. Emmet Walsh, the wily character actor who became an audience favorite for his deliciously despicable performances in such films as Blood Simple, Blade Runner, Brubaker and The Jerk, has died. He was 88.

Walsh died Tuesday in St. Albans, Vermont, his longtime manager, Sandy Joseph, told The Hollywood Reporter. The cause was cardiac arrest.

With his distinctive lumbering form and droll delivery, Walsh was an ideal supporting player. A master of off-kilter comic delivery and dogged edginess, he excelled at roles that dwelled in the darker corners of humanity. No matter whom he played, he made a colorful impact.

“A consummate old pro of the second-banana business, Walsh has left his mark on 109 movies and counting, with the grin of that big bastard who stands between you and something else — and knows it,” Nicolas Rapold wrote in a 2011 profile of the actor for L.A. Weekly.

In the same piece, Walsh...

Very sad news today as it’s been reported that M. Emmet Walsh has died at the age of 88. No matter the size of the role, the prolific character actor always made a unique impression throughout his long career, which spanned six decades.

M. Emmet Walsh is best known for playing Bryant in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, the captain of the Los Angeles Police Department who tasks Deckard with tracking down the replicants at the beginning of the film. He told THR that the cast and crew weren’t quite sure what the make of the movie when they first saw it. “I don’t know if I really understood what in the hell it was all about,” Walsh said. “We all sat there and it ended. And nothing. We didn’t know what to say or to think or do! We didn’t know what in the hell we had done!

M. Emmet Walsh, a veteran character actor who appeared in more than 150 films including “Blade Runner,” “Blood Simple” and “Knives Out” and played Dermot Mulroney’s dad in “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” has died.

His manager Sandy Joseph confirmed that he died Tuesday in Vermont. He was 88.

In Ridley Scott’s 1982 “Blade Runner,” Walsh was Harrison Ford’s LAPD boss, while he played the vicious private detective Loren Visser in the Coen brothers’ directing debut “Blood Simple.” Wearing a sickly yellow suit, Pauline Kael said he was the film’s “only colorful performer. He lays on the loathsomeness, but he gives it a little twirl — a sportiness.”

His other roles included the corrupt sheriff in the 1986 horror film “Critters” and a small role as a security guard in “Knives Out.”

Walsh appeared in a string of memorable 1970s films, including “Little Big Man” with Dustin Hoffman, “What’s Up, Doc?” with Ryan O’Neal and Barbra Streisand,...