Horror Franchises Update

This might be something I do every once in a while but there's been a few horror franchise news bits that I've wanted to talk about. Here goes.

First of all, let's talk about the Friday The 13th. We haven't had a movie since 2009 but after what has seemed like an eternity, prequel series Crystal Lake will finally come out this year on Peacock. Linda Cardellini will take on the role of Pamela Voorhees while Callum Vinson will play the young Jason Voorhees. Other cast members include William Catlett, Devon Kessler, Gwendolyn Sundstrom and Cameron Scoggins. The pilot episode was written by Brad Caleb Kane and Bryan Fuller while directed by Michael Lennox. UK/Irish viewers will get the show on SkyAtlantic and Now TV.

Back in 2024, the Child's Play franchise came to something of a standstill when SyFy's Chucky TV Series abruptly ended after three seasons and worse still, it ended on a cliffhanger. Now, it seems like a new movie from creator Don Mancini could be in development that may also resolve that cliffhanger. Of course, we do need proper confirmation but hopefully that'll be soon. It's be nice to have a new movie for the franchise's 40th anniversary in 2028.

Speaking of anniversaries, we're two years away from the Halloween franchise hitting the big 50 mark and no sign of an upcoming movie or streaming show. However we will be getting a new game coming out in September on the usual platforms. The game has Michael Myers going after a new bunch of teenagers and it looks pretty decent.

Now let's talk about Mike Flanagan for a moment. First of all in October, Amazon Prime will premiere Carrie, starring Summer H. Howell in the title role. The miniseries will run for eight episodes with many Flanagan's alumni factoring into the cast. Meanwhile on October 23rd, Clayface which stars Tom Rhys Harries in the title role will release it's first trailer tomorrow. Mike Flanagan co-wrote the script with Hossein Amini doing rewrites. The movie was directed by James Watkins. Meanwhile Flanagan's yet to be titled The Exorcist movie starring Scarlett Johansson is currently being filmed in New York with a March 12th 2027 release date. Flanagan has also signed on to direct a new version of The Mist for the WB while still trying to work on a series adaptation of The Dark Tower for Amazon Prime.

• Filming for the third season of Wednesday (Netflix) has moved to Paris. It'll be released next year.
• A seventh Final Destination movie is in development.
• The trailer for Practical Magic 2 was released. The film will be in theatres from September 18th.
• Skeet Ulrich has confirmed that filming for the third Five Nights At Freddy's will start soon.
• A new Gremlins movie is also in development.
• The Saw franchise will be overseen by Blumhouse with James Wan also returning in a creative capacity.
• Dan Stevens will be in both The Terror: Devil In Silver (AMC) and Dexter: Resurrection (Showtime/Paramount+) this year.
• Irish fans have Hokum coming out May 1st, starring Adam Scott.
• Gay themed Australian horror Leviticus will get a US theatre release from June 19th.
• Amy Madigan will reprise her iconic villain role in Gladys, which will be in theatres from September 8th 2028.

A change of pace for this blog or perhaps not. This might be a sporadic thing I do.

My Review of Outcome (2026)

 

Written by Jonah Hill And Ezra Woods

Directed by Jonah Hill

Reef: "I have a lot to apologise to you for."

I fancied something a bit lighter last night, so I opted for this. I knew the reviews weren't good but I was curious to see if it was a total disaster or just mediocre at best. It's mostly the latter.

When he's not getting his action on, Keanu Reeves can sometimes do a bit of comedy. In this movie, he's playing a 56 year old slightly washed up actor named Reef Hawk. He's stepped from acting to focus on sobriety and building a new home. He's also on the verge of cancellation.

That's the main plot for the movie as a mystery blackmailer was threatening to destroy Reef's reputation. Fortunately, Reef had a support system with friends Kyle (Cameron Diaz) and Xander (Matt Bomer) and his crisis lawyer, Ira Slitz (Jonah Hill). All of them were on the case to nail down who was blackmailing Reef.

It didn't take long for this movie to reveal that Reef had annoyed so many people in his career. There was a former agent named Richie "Red" Rodriguez (Martin Scorsese). Reef's attempts of asking Red how he was getting on led to a clumsy scene about crossed wires. Saying that, I did find Scorsese funny in his few scenes with Reeves.

Someone who wants a lot funnier was Susan Lucci as Reef's mother, Dinah Hawk. I could see why Reef had the issues he had with her. There's also some entertaining enough scenes with David Spade as Buddy and that crisis meeting that it included Laverne Cox as Virginia Allen Green was the height of cringe with some choice references.

The best part of the movie would be Reef's relationships with both Kyle and Xander. I do think Keanu Reeves had the best chemistry with Cameron Diaz and Matt Bomer and there's a good sense of real history between the three of them. By the end of the film, it was nice to see them reunited.

- Drew Barrymore popped up as herself and her reaction to Xander completely missing the point of E.T was funny.

- That reference to Jussie Smollett really didn't work during that crisis meeting scene.

- Standout music: Joey Lawrence's Give My Regards To Broadway.

- Chronology: Reef had been sober for five years. He was also in Albuquerque.

Outcome (2026) isn't a bad film but it's definitely one of those movies that was wisely put to Apple TV rather than sent to theatres to die. Good enough performances, some funny moments but also some misjudged ones too.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Euphoria - Season 2 (2022, HBO Series)

 

Written And Directed by Sam Levinson

Maddy: "Wait, is this fucking play about us?"

If the first season had buzz about it, then the second season absolutely blew up. I remember back in 2022 when this particular season first aired on HBO, it was impossible to avoid it. In fact, some of the most meme'd moments are from this season alone. There's a lot to unpack here.

Let's look at Rue once again, shall we? The girl was doing very little to stay off drugs in the first season and this time around, she was actively putting herself into more danger because of her addiction. The opening episode alone had her and new girl Faye (Chloe Cherry) stripped along with Fezco and almost killed.

This season introduced a drug dealer in retired school teacher Laurie (Martha Kelly). She might seem like a harmless pusher but her interactions with Rue are some of the most quietly frightening moments in the season. Laurie's a woman who'll help you come down off a bad dose while also threatening to sell you to pay off a debt in the same breath. She's legitimately terrifying in the few scenes that she appeared in this season.

Also when Rue wasn't pissing off drug lords, she was actively pissing off both her mother and sister, her friends and even her sponsor. All of them bore the brunt of Rue at her absolute worst and the inclusion of fellow addict Elliot (Dominic Fike) certainly fucked up the Rue/Jules dynamic. I don't even dislike Elliot but it's hard not to blame him for his part in that particular relationship going south nonetheless.

Going back to the drugs plot this season, I like that we had someone actually challenge Fezco's duality with being a good person but also a drug dealer. Making that person be Lexi was a smart creative choice and there's something rather charming about the Lexi/Fezco relationship in this season. They even each other out in a nice way. Throw in Faye being an entertaining enough presence and what happened to Ashtray and Fezco really went through it this season.

Now what about everyone else? Lexi wrote a play that let's be honest as funny as it was, it was also incredibly mean spirited and showed how blasé the school were that they allowed her to run in the first place. Saying that, watching the various audience reactions and Ethan's sublime range while pretending to be Suze Howard (Alanna Ubach) and Nate was freaking hysterical.

Then there's the Maddy, Nate and Cassie triangle. I do think that while this season tried to humanise Nate and give him more context, he's still an awful person and tried too much to blame Cassie for something he took part in as well. Maddy on the other hand at least managed to get revenge and even clarity while Cassie destroyed her only friendship for a guy that wasn't worth it. As for Kat, she really did get fuck all to do because have a few erotic fantasies and dump Ethan. No wonder Barbie Ferreira decided to leave the show.

- Episode titles were Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door, Out Of Touch, Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys, You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can, Stand Still Like the Hummingbird, A Thousand Little Trees of Blood, The Theater and Its Double and All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name.

- Flashbacks for the season included Fezco's backstory with his grandmother and Ashtray, Rue's father's funeral and Cal's relationship with a male classmate. Nate took revenge on Cal and almost atoned for Jules.

- Suze had some genuinely hilarious moments and I loved how into Lexi's play she was. Let the woman watch her Millionaire Matchmaker in peace.

- There's a nice moment in the season where Rue/Jules spoof classic romances ranging from Snow White to Brokeback Mountain.

- Standout music: Lana Del Rey's Watercolor Eyes and Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero.

- Chronology: Took place during New Year's Eve at the start. Rue managed to stay clean, post finale.

I'll admit that while Season 2 definitely had some similar problems to the first season, it's also the best season to boot. Going back and properly watching it, there's a lot that worked and the bits that didn't aren't enough to derail the season either.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of The Gates (2026)

 

Written and Directed by John Burr

Derek (re Jacob): "We saw something and now the psycho is after us."

To get the elephant out of the room first. This movie was the last thing that James Van Der Beek filmed prior to his untimely passing. In this movie, he's taken on something of a villainous role. Actually, he's definitely the villain of the piece.

Throw in a gated community as the main setting and you've got Van Der Beek as Pastor Jacob. He's set up the perfect neighbourhood to keep any one he saw as undesirable out but when it came to getting away with murder, he had an obstacle to overcome.

The obstacle ended up being three outsiders - Derek (Mason Gooding) and his friends Kevin (Algee Smith) and Tyon (Keith Powers). These three men saw Jacob strike and potentially kill a woman named Elizabeth (Elle Evans). Jacob also had a tight-knit community to mostly protect him.

It's interesting that you had characters like former alcoholic Christopher (Brad Leland) and wannabe singer Roxy (Sofia Hublitz) having very different interactions with Derek and his friends. Roxy was willing to help get the men out of the community if she could join them. There's a plot where one of the men had to sing for the access code.

Then there was Christopher. He was quick to disbelief Derek and friends until Jacob's action made him realise that the pastor was off his rocker. Same was applicable to Officer Bobby (Kylr Coffman) and both men didn't live to tell the tale.

As a villain, I think James Van Der Beek did a decent job as Jacob. He certainly got more threatening as the movie progress and Mason Gooding's Derek was a decent foil to him. There's also a good insight into the fractured relationship between the three outsiders that got resolved by the end of the movie.

- Derek wanted to be a lawyer while Kevin had been a football star. Christopher admired that about him.

- Derek's family also factored into the movie when Pastor Jacob later threatened them.

- I do think it's funny that none of the men thought to steal a phone during a party where everyone was distracted.

- Chronology: Set within a gated community for the majority of the film.

The Gates (2026) isn't what I'd call a must see movie. James Van Der Beek did give a good performance as Jacob and the film itself took a few surprise twists along the way.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Undertone (2026)

 

Written And Directed  by Ian Tuason

Justin: "Don't be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of the silence."

Podcast horror, anyone? Well, that's more or less the premise of this movie along with some Catholicism for good measure. There are two main characters but only one of them was seen throughout the entire movie.

The seen character of course being Evangeline "Evy" Babic (Nina Kiri). She runs a podcast called The Undertone with her unseen but largely heard friend Justin (Adam DiMarco). Given the genre of this movie, of course it's a horror podcast.

Despite his lack of a physical appearance through proceedings, it's Justin that brought things into chaotic focus when he sent Evy a series of strange letters and audio files. Both of these things turned out to be a very bad idea in the long run.

Justin heard dangerous and malicious things from the audio files but Evy spent most of the movie in denial about what he heard. There's also the fact that Evy was taking care of her comatose mother (Michèle Duquet). That played a role into proceedings.

I'll admit that the movie was a bit hard to stick with. Despite it's short length, it felt a bit disjointed at times. There's various callers, including one looking for a Mary that drove Evy nuts before things ended on a horrifying note.

- The movie was inspired by the writer/director caring for his parents. It's even filmed in his childhood home.

- Justin was originally played by Kris Holden-Ried before being replaced by Adam DiMarco.

- Standout music: Steph Copeland's Baa Baa Black Sheep.

- Chronology: Set over the course of a night in Evy's house.

I wanted to like Undertone (2026) but I found it a slog to get through. It's very uneven as a movie, though Nina Kiri and Adam DiMarco give it their all.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Thrash (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Tommy Wirkola

Dee (to Will): "Bet you never saw this on Shark Week."

Remember a couple of years there was a film named Crawl (2019)? If you've seen that movie, you'll know what to expect with this one. Instead of alligators, this one had sharks. Lots of them.

It also had a lot of human characters that mostly interconnected with one another. Humans who brought out the best and worst in one another. I'm gonna break it down.

First of all, there's Lisa (Phoebe Dynevor). She was recently dumped by her boyfriend and she was due to give birth. She got caught up big time in the Category 5 hurricane and came close multiple times to being shark food. As did her baby boy, whom she gave birth to at the worst possible moment.

Fortunately for Lisa she managed to make a new friend in agoraphobic girl Dakota (Whitney Peak). The latter was dealing with the loss of her parents but found herself stepping into something of a heroic role due to Lisa needing her. It's a nice character that developed throughout the movie.

Dakota also had an uncle named  Dr. Dale Edwards (Djimon Hounsou). He was a marine expert that knew his stuff about sharks. Saying that, while he's an expert, he practically took forever to be reunited with Dakota and it was the arrival of a much bigger shark that actually saved the day in a roundabout way.

The funniest story in the movie involved three siblings - Ron (Stacy Clausen), Will (Dante Ubaldi) and Dee (Alyla Browne). They had to deal with terrible foster parents Billy (Matt Nable) and Rachel Olsen (Amy Matthews). Let's just say that their storyline involved deaths that were more funny than sad and that dynamite shouldn't be left near children.

- Sony were originally going to release this in theatres before sending it to Netflix.

- Alternative titles for this movie included The Rising, Shiver and Beneath The Storm.

- Standout music: Tennessee River Crooks White Lightning.

- Chronology: Set in the fictional town of Annieville. Lisa mentioned being from New York.

Thrash (2026) was a lot of fun. Yes, it's a very trashy C-horror movie that definitely wouldn't feel out of place on SyFy in the 2000s. If you're not expecting fine art, you'll have a good time with this one.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of Euphoria - Season 1 + Specials (2019-2021, HBO Series)

 

Written by Sam Levinson And Hunter Schafer 

Directed by Augustine Frizzell And Sam Levinson And Jennifer Morrison And Pippa Bianco

Rue: "I know it all seems sad, but guess what? I didn't build this system, nor did I fuck it up."

With the show's third and likely final season currently airing, I went back to the beginning to weigh up the pros and cons od this show overall. Sam Levinson certainly knows how to divide an audience and with this show, it's a case of flashes of brilliance mixed with so much frustration.

I'll give him credit for giving Zendaya her most influential role to date. Casting her as the show's protagonist - a queer drug addict named Ruby "Rue" Bennett, both Levinson and Zendaya have crafted one of the most complex female protagonists in the last decade.

The show started with Rue coming out of rehab after yet another overdose and her relationship with her mother, Leslie (Nika King) and younger sister, Gia (Storm Reid) doesn't much improve throughout the season. While She's relationships with Leslie and Gia get a fair amount of screen time, other characters and relationships are prioritised more.

In particular, Rue struck up a romance of sorts with transgender classmate Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer). I'd say for the most part, it's a sweet relationship with Rue genuinely in love with Jules but it's also marred by codependency and it's not a shock the two of them broke up by the finale.

Rue and Jules of course are the subject of special episodes that exposed some of the best writing on the show. When Sam Levinson dials down the sexual gratuity and general violence, he's capable of thoughtful conversation. Both Zendaya and Hunter Schafer certainly helped in that regard too.

These specials worked as two handers. Rue in a cafe during Christmas Eve with her sponsor, Ali Muhammad (Colman Domingo) and then Jules in a therapy session with Dr. Mardy Nichols (Lauren Weedman). They're easily the show at its best.

As for the rest of the show, there's a a slew of characters that intersect with Rue and Jules. For example, there's the deeply misogynistic and possibly closeted jock, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) who both terrorised Jules and his own girlfriend, Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie), resulting in both women having to lie to the police in order to send an innocent man to prison to save Nate's skin.

Other characters who made an impression included Nate's closeted father, Cal (Eric Dane), sister duo Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney). The former was a good friend to Rue while the latter was repeatedly shamed for her promiscuity and had been dating Nate's friend, Chris McKay (Algee Smith). There was also Rue's dealer, Fezco O'Neill (Angus Cloud) who had his own moral code and cam girl Kat Hernandez (Barbie Ferreira). All of whom are given a decent amount of screen time. 

- Season 1 titles were Pilot, Stuntin' Like My Daddy, Made You Look, Shook Ones Pt. II, '03 Bonnie And Clyde, The Next Episode, The Trials And Tribulations Of Trying To Pee While Depressed and And Salt The Earth Behind You.

- Special titles were Trouble Don't Last Always - Part 1: Rue and Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob - Part 2: Jules.

- The show's based on an Israeli series of the same name that only lasted ten episodes.

- Most of the episodes focus on a view point of a character but it's Rue narrating the show for the majority of the time.

- Standout music: Labrinth was responsible for most of the music. Still Don't Know My Name being the strongest.

- Chronology: The show is set in the fictional town of East Highland, California. The likes of Halloween, Christmas and New Year's are all touched upon.

Season 1 of this show easily would be the best but it also highlighted Sam Levinson's strengths and weaknesses as a writer/director/creator. There's moments of brilliance, moments of frustration and moments where it's too exploitative for it's own good.  Either way, it sticks with you as a show.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Bring Them Down (2025)

 

Written by Christopher Andrews And Jonathan Hourigan

Directed by Christopher Andrews

Ray (to Michael): "I want you to bring him his fucking head!"

Decided to watch anotheg Irish movie last night and this was one that went under the radar upon its releaae last year. In fact, it was my sister who suggestef seeing it. 

Splitting the narrative, the movie opened with rural shepherd Michael O'Shea (Christopher Abbott/Youssef Quinn) being responsible for the death of his mother, Peggy (Susan Lynch) and wounding former girlfriend, Caroline (Grace Daly/Nora-Jane Noone). 

In the present, he's got a volatile relationship with his Irish speaking father, Ray (Colm Meaney) and there's a rivalry of sorts between Michael and Caroline's husband, Gary (Paul Ready) and her son, Jack (Barry Keoghan). The latter's friend, Lee (Aaron Heffernan) also doesn't help matters.

Halfway through the movie, there's a dispute of sheep with Michael's flick being slaughtered by Jack. There's also a rather brutal scene involving Michael having to kill his own dog to relieve it's suffering that I wasn't prepared for. It's easily the most harrowing moment in the whole film.

Anyways the sequences of events played first from Michael's perspective and then it played from Jack's. Jack was heartbroken over his parents getting a divorce, though it was clear he preferred Caroline to Gary. Keoghan did play the role with an endearing enough innocence.

Then there's the climactic fight between Michael and Jack. Both men fought dirty and one of them came close enough to death. Sympathy was afforded to both men with Michael even apologising for the events at the start of the movie. Oh and for an American, Christopher Abbott managed a decent Irish accent.

- Originally Paul Mescal had been cast for the role of Michael but dropped out due to filming Gladiator II. Barry Keoghan replaced Tom Burke.

- Not only did Christopher Abbott deliver a convincing Irish accent but even sounded believable when speaking Irish in his scenes with Colm Meaney.

- Standout music: Michael Chapman's Among The Trees.

- Chronology: Present day and the movie was filmed in Wicklow.

Bring Them Down turned out to be a strong enough movie. An intense battle between two families with old grudges rearing their head in brutal fashion. Both Christopher Abbott and Barry Keoghan did a great job.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Knock Knock (2015)

 

Written by Eli Roth And Guillermo Amoedo And Nicolás López

Directed by Eli Roth

Bel (to Evan): "I'm glad we knocked on your door."

Okay, when it comes to Eli Roth as a writer and director, he's not that much better or worse than Rob Zombie. There's sometimes traces of brilliance and a lot of times, frustration and questionable writing for women.

This film somewhat encapsulated that to a tee. Remember when Quentin Tarantino delivered three female revenge films with both volumes of Kill Bill and Death Proof. Perhaps Roth was hoping for the same results here. 

You've got Keanu Reeves as architect Evan Webber. He's married to sculptor Karen (Ignacia Allamand) and the have two kids and a cute little dog named Monkey. The wife and kids are away for the weekend, which left Evan alone to look after Monkey, watch his shoulder and be terrorised by two unhinged women upon stupidly letting them into his house.

The women in question were Genesis (Lorenza Izzo) and Bel (Ana de Armas). They tricked Evan into believing that they were sent to wrong neighbourhood. Evan for the most part tried to be helpful by letting them dry off, giving them tea and repairing Genesis's phone. He also called them a cab.

Unfortunately for Evan, he doomed himself by falling for their obvious attempts of seduction and had a threesome. When he did manage to get rid of them, they returned to terrorise and sexually assault him. They also kept accusing him of being a paedophile, despite the fact that Evan wasn't.

I'll admit this movie really will test anyone's patience. Usually in these revenge thrillers, the woman has a good reason to go after the men they go after. Genesis and Bel were just psychopaths who purposely terrorise innocent men in order to break up their marriages for no reason. 

As characters, they're just straight up evil. Evan was foolish for letting them in but none of what's inflicted upon him was something that he deserved. The movie's ending in particular just rubbed me up the wrong way.

- Eli Roth was married to Lorenza Izzo at the time of this movie being made. 

- This movie is a remake of the 1977 psychological thriller, Death Game.

- Standout music: Goyele's Winter Nights.

- Chronology: Took place over the course of two days. Evan's 43 and Father's Day factored in for half the movie.

Knock Knock (2015) would just turn out to be a frustrating movie with okay-ish performances from everyone involved. It's a film that trivialised sexual assault towards men with some one dimensional villains in both Genesis and Bel.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

 

Written by Aline Brosh McKenna

Directed by David Frankel

Andrea: "But what if this isn't what I want? I mean what if I don't wanna live the way you live?"

Miranda: "Oh, don't be ridiculous. Andrea. Everybody wants this. Everybody wants to be us."

With a sequel due in theatres in less than a month's time, I just knew that I had to go back and watch the original itself. Can you believe it's been nearly twenty years since this movie? A part of me didn't but then I watched and realised how it's very much a product of its time.

Instead of Vogue and Anna Wintour, you've got Runway and the similarly fearsome editor in chief, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). This was a woman who'd terrifying even the hardest of men and also inspired the fiercest of loyalty to boot. Two things that our protagonist of the piece felt for Miranda.

The protagonist being aspiring journalist Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway), who found herself working at Runway as the number two to the recently appointed number one Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt). I'm talking assistants here. Emily's both trying her best to be helpful to Andrea while at the same time deriding the fact that the latter had no interest in the fashion industry.

Andrea's lack of interest in fashion led to that cerulean speech from Miranda that gave someone as fashion unconscious as myself food for thought. I felt personally attacked during that scene. Anyways, Andrea forming a friendship with fashion director Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci) did result in a bit of a makeover.

If there's only thing this film completely failed at, it was it's attempts of trying to make Anne Hathaway look dowdy before the character glow up. She's stunningly beautiful and Andrea had a chef boyfriend in Nate Cooper (Adrian Grenier) and an admirer in journalist Christian Thompson (Simon Baker). The latter in particular was rather helpful in getting Andrea a certain manuscript for her.

As the film progressed, there's a shift between Andrea and Miranda. Both women were more alike and while the latter could admit it, the former didn't seem like the idea. Saying that, Andrea made the right career decision and it was one that even Miranda respected her for making. Even Emily grew to grudgingly respect Andrea by the end of this movie.

- The film's based on a novel of the same name by Lauren Weisberger. That novel had two sequels to it.

- Andrea was run ragged trying to get the Harry Potter manuscript. A year after this movie came out, I remember the queue in my town for that book.

- There's some nice supporting performances from Tracie Thoms, Richard Sommer and Daniel Sunjata to name a few.

- Miranda's actually British in the book but American here. She's got twin daughters and was getting divorced towards the end of the movie.

- Standout music: Madonna's Vogue and Jump as well as KT Tunstall's Suddenly I See.

- Chronology: Andrea worked for Miranda for less than a year before changing to a new place.

The Devil Wears Prada easily could've veered too much into a parody of the brutality of the fashion industry but it hit the correct mark instead. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci are all excellent. It's genuinely funny from start to finish.

Rating: 9 out of 10 

My Review of Wasteman (2026)

 

Written by Hunter Andrews And Eoin Doran

Directed by Cal McMau

Taylor: "I just want to see my boy again."

Last year I caught up with Starred Up, which I really enjoyed as a movie. I wanted to venture into another British prison themed movie and this recently came to my attention. I've also watched both leads in other things over the last few months.

First of all, there's David Jonsson. He's playing a man named Taylor, who's about to be paroled. Taylor's also got a fourteen year old son named Adam that he's never met. On top of that, Taylor's a drug addict who gets his stash from the likes of Gaz (Corin Silva) and Paul (Alex Hassell).

I should mention that Taylor's a barber too and seemingly the only one in the prison. That's relevant later in the movie as his new cellmate Dee (Tom Blyth) would want him to utilise those talents to take out the competition. Dee's the main problem here for everyone.

He's a problem for Gaz and Paul as Dee was muscling in on their drug trade. Dee suffered the consequences of trying to be the top dealer of the prison. Dee being beaten up also meant that Taylor bore the brunt of his attempts to take over the drug trade. Of course Dee also had to threaten Adam to get Taylor in line.

Throughout the movie, Taylor's a man that's been constantly pushed around and it made sense that his former partner didn't want him anywhere near Adam. I did think he was going to kill Gaz and Paul in order to protect his estranged son. The fact that he went for Dee instead was better.

Dee's not a remotely sympathetic character. There's no nuance or attempts to explain why he's the way he is. He did work well as an antagonist with Tom Blyth serving as a perfect counter to David Jonsson's more earnest Taylor. There's also something suitably karmic about Dee's ultimate comeuppance.

- The film got a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.

- This movie was the director debut for Cal McMau. 

- Standout music: Jamie XX's Kill Dem and A Guy Called Gerald's Voodoo Ray.

- Chronology: Taylor spent thirteen years in prison before getting his early release.

Wasteman (2026) was a movie that really relied on both David Jonsson and Tom Blyth to deliver, performance wise. Both of them easily did that. It's a strong, gritty enough prison drama and a promising debut from Cal McMau.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Psycho Killer (2026)

Written by Andrew Kevin Walker

Directed by Gavin Polone

Satanic Slasher (to Jane): "What I hope to help you come to grips with. No matter how many times you replayed what happened, the outcome is inescapable."

If there's a contender for one of the worst horror movies of 2026, then I definitely think this will be on many a list. Once again, a good idea mired by some absolutely horrible execution.

There's a killer named The Satanic Slasher (James Preston Rogers). Hes also known as an infamous serial killer named Richard Joshua Reeves. Reeves had quite the reputation, including Satanism. Is this slasher Reeves or a copycat killer?

That was for Highway patrol officer Jane Archer (Georgina Campbell) to figure out. The death of her husband Mike at the start of the movie made things personal for her. Jane was determined to bring the Satanic Slasher to justice. Just about everyone else seemed more of a deterrent to her cause.

Of course Jane didn't let any doubters get in her way.  She was willing to cross States in order to get her killed and with a little help, she actually did track him down. There was also a scuffle between the two of them in a motel room and Jane also discovered that she was pregnant.

The pregnancy reveal added a little stakes into the mix and things led to a Satanic cult led by Mr Pendleton (Malcolm McDowell) and a final showdown at a prison where the Satanic Slasher literally wanted to open the gates. What should've been an exciting conclusion to this cross state event was a damp squib.

- The project had been in development since 2007. At one point, Fred Durst was poised to direct it.

- Georgina Campbell certainly seems to be a modern day horror queen. This movie was in theatres the same time as Cold Storage.

- Standout music: Cole Simon's Do You Dare.

- Chronology: Took place during 2007 in Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania before ending in Death Valley, California.

Psycho Killer (2026) was such a disappointment for a movie. The idea was great and Georgina Campbell did the best she could but it's such a dire movie. Some okay kills but not enough to make this a worthwhile experience.

Rating: 4 out of 10 

My Review of Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)

 

Written by Guy Busick And R. Christopher Murphy

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin And Tyler Gillett

Faith (to Grace): "I'm really not used to people combusting all over me."

In 2019, Radio Silence gave audiences Ready Or Not with Samara Weaving as beleaguered bride Grace MacCaullay. It was a massive hit, which meant a sequel had to happen. I think the problem with this sequel might have been timing.

Perhaps it was too long between movies because I'm genuinely mystified as to why this follow up hasn't hit like the first one. Maybe it's also the fact that while this one added more mythology, it just didn't feel big enough for audiences to return for seconds. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out.

Anyways, Grace didn't have time to process the fact that the Le Domas family tried to kill her on her wedding. Nope, she ended up in hospital, was under suspicion of murder and then reunited with her younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton). Oh and both sisters are kind of mad with one another as well.

On top of all of that, both Grace and Faith ended up being kidnapped by the other families, whom like the La Domas clan are also under the same deal with Mr Le Bail (James Vanderbilt) as they were. Elijah Wood popped up as Le Bail's neutral party lawyer while also laying out the rules.

Grace and Faith had to be handcuffed and hunted by six families during another game of hide and seek. If they survive until dawn, they're free. If they don't, the winning family would be seated at the highest table and practically control the world. Needless to say the families in question were desperate to kill those sisters.

The most memorable family of course are Danfoth family. Homicidal twins Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy). They're an absolutely brilliant counterpart to both Grace and Faith. While Grace and Faith's relationship gradually repaired as the movie went on, the exact opposite happened with Ursula and Titus. Oh and there was another wedding that wouldn't have looked out of place on Game Of Thrones.

The other families aren't as well developed but they do get some very funny and often brutal deaths. I had to laugh at the sheer incompetence of Ignacio El Caido (Nestor Carbonell) as well as his embittered daughter, Francesca (Maia Jae). The latter's unbridled hatred for Grace led to one of the best fight scenes in the movie and set to one hell of a song as well.

- The families fighting for survival were Danforth, Xing, Rajan, El Caido and Wilkinson. Kevin Durand played the head of the latter.

- The movie really upped the Satanism but while we got plenty of human deaths, the goat survived. Grace also got a black wedding dress during her near marriage to Titus.

- Originally the director pitched a different movie with sisters before this idea got made into this sequel.

- Faith's look was a homage to Buffy Summers. It was recently revealed that Kathryn Newton was going to be a part of Buffy The Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale.

- Standout music: Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse Of The Heart.

- Chronology: Takes place from where the first movie left off. Grace and Faith are three years apart in age and hadn't seen each other in seven years.

I really wish this movie was doing better because Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come in my opinion turned out to be a great. A brilliant double act with Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton, fun villains, more lore building and some batshit deaths. I had so much fun with this one.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Sleepwalker (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Brandon Auman

Sarah: "I haven't sleepwalked since I was a kid but it's never been like this."

In another timeline, Hayden Panettiere would've been in Scream 7 but in this timeline however, she was in this tepid horror thriller that was a mash up of domestic family drama and not so well executed scares.

The movie started with frazzled separated mother, Sarah Pangborn (Panettiere). She had her son Holden (Laird LaCoste) but was coping with both her daughter Aimee (Corinne Sweeney) and estranged husband Michael (Justin Chatwin). Both are in a coma. Both are haunting Sarah's dreams.

In flashbacks we learned that Sarah and Michael had a volatile marriage with the former being abused by the latter. Sarah eventually decided to leave Michael and the latter retaliated by trying to take their children. This resulted in both Michael and Aimee being in comas.

As the movie went along, Sarah wanted to pull the plug on Michael and fell out with the latter's sister, Joelle (Mischa Barton). Sarah was also living with her mother, Gloria (Beverly D'Angelo) and succumbing to sleepwalking, which ended in the latter's death.

I'll be honest, the more this movie went on, the more exhausting and clichéd it got. We saw supporting characters die, Michael being an evil force, wanting to own Sarah even in death and then, the movie ended on a drab note.

- It's a remake of a 2024 short movie from the same writer/director.

- There's a use of medium character but she didn't make it out of the movie alive.

- Joelle was also seeing Michael in her dreams but the movie didn't do anything with it.

- Chronology: Present day America.

I wanted to like Sleepwalker (2026) but it's such a lifeless, dull slightly of a movie with everyone practically sleepwalking through the whole thing. Don't bother with this one.

Rating: 4 out of 10 

American Horror Story - Season 13 Begins/Updates On Other Projects

It's been a long time coming but Season 13 of American Horror Story finally has started production and it looks like we're re-entering some very familiar territory.

Ryan Murphy took to Instagram to announce the start of the new season filming with a candid shot of Jessica Lange. Going by this image, it's very likely that the veteran actress will be reprising her role as Constance Langdon from Murder House/Apocalypse. It's also possible she's playing a new character but I'm not confident at that being the case here.

I suspected the minute the cast (plus Ariana Grande) for Season 13 was announced back in October 2025 that we were getting a continuation from Coven/Apocalypse and Murphy further confirmed that by mentioning that Angela Bassett will be reprising her role of Marie Laveau for the new season. Sarah Paulson and Emma Roberts have been confirmed as Cordelia Goode and Madison Montgomery respectively.

I do have mixed feelings on this. After Delicate, do we really need another witch themed season right away? Especially if this isn't the last season for the show itself. A part of me was hoping for something brand new.

I'm also editing this blog entry as it's currently being rumoured by several fan accounts that Joey Pollari has been cast a male lead for the new season. The actor has already appeared in both Monster: The Ed Gein Story and The Beauty and if true, this will make his fourth collaboration with Ryan Murphy. He will also be in the upcoming Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. No details as to whom he might be playing, though some have speculated it's an older version of a character introduced in Apocalypse. Also rumoured is cult director John Waters in an undisclosed role. Waters previously appeared in Feud: Bette And Joan.

As for other Ryan Murphy shows, given the viewing numbers for Love Story on FX/Hulu, I think a second season will definitely be happening. Both 9-1-1 shows will finish up their current seasons next month on ABC and have already been renewed. The Beauty ended on a cliffhanger and has yet to be renewed while the second season of All's Fair will begin production soon.

Then there's The Shards. Viewers can expect that to air on FX/Hulu during the summer while Netflix will release Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story around October. American Horror Stories is currently in limbo while there are no plans for either American Crime Story or Feud. As for the likes of Grotesquerie and American Sports Story, I think it's safe to assume both shows are unlikely to return for further seasons.

And that's a run down of the current Ryan Murphy shows. I'll update again when more information comes to light.

My Review of My Policeman (2022)

 

Written by Ron Nyswaner

Directed by Michael Grandage

Patrick: "There he was. I recognized him even from behind. That fine head. The unmistakable line of his shoulder. My policeman was magnificently alive in front of me."

In terms of movies I've left too long to actually review, this was another. In the time it's been released, I've watched/reviewed several gay themed movies and shows since. I've heard mixed things about this one.

This would be one of those movies in two different eras for it's three main characters. In the present day, Patrick Hazelwood (Rupert Everett) suffered a stroke and was being taken care of by his friend, Marion Taylor (Gina McKee). The latter's husband, Tom Burgess (Linus Roache) wasn't pleased about this.

In the past, we saw the younger versions of Marion and Tom, as played by Emma Corrin and Harry Styles meet and fall in love with one another. Then there was the younger version of Patrick, played by David Dawson. It didn't take long for things to become complicated for everyone.

Marion was a school teacher, Tom was a policeman and Patrick was a museum curator. As the three learned from each other, there was an affair brewing between Tom and Patrick. If I'm being pedantic, Tom was with Patrick before he decided to marry Marion. Tom also wanted to keep seeing Patrick, which didn't end well for anyone.

Yes, Marion found out about the affair and reported Patrick to the police. Patrick went to jail and Marion's marriage to Tom was never the same again. The fact that Marion in the present day chose to look after Patrick stemmed from guilt. It also led to her having the most honest conversation she ever had with Tom.

As with these period movies for gay men, there's a lot of angst and consequences of discovery but this one managed to end on a positive note. Marion left Tom and Patrick and the latter two finally held hands. I'll admit that little moment actually got to me and it's informed my rating for this movie too.

- Ron Nyswaner who wrote the script would go on to create the Showtime miniseries, Fellow Travellers. I've reviewed all of that on this blog.

- The movie's based on a 2012 book of the same name and of a relationship between writer E.M. Forster and Bob Buckingham. The latter was a married policeman.

- Standout music: Dean Martin's Memories Are Made Of This.

- Chronology: Present day in Peacehaven but the flashbacks started in 1957 Brighton.

I got to admit that I really like My Policeman as a movie. While it certainly felt familiar, I do think the central performances from both group of actors in both time settings genuinely worked. That ending also gave it an extra point for me.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Bent (1997)

Written by Martin Sherman

Directed by Sean Mathias

Max: "I love you... What's wrong with that?"

I'll admit that seeing a random gif on X/Twitter might have motivated me into watching this movie. I had vaugely heard of it but had never seen it until yesterday.

We've had a lot of movies in this specific genre but not many that have focused on the persecution of gay men during the rise of Nazism in Germany at the time. This movie centred on a gay man named Max (Clive Owen).

Max's been living in Berlin, had a boyfriend named Rudy (Brian Webber II) but a sexual encounter with Wolf (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) would be the ruin for both of them. It turned out that Wolf was a Sturmabteilung man and SS men killed him as both Max and Rudy tried to flee for their lives.

While Max had some connection through a wealthy uncle named Freddie (Ian McKellen), it was his refusal to abandon Rudy that resulted in the two of them being arrested by the Gestapo. Worse than that, Max was forced to kill his boyfriend while also concealing his own sexuality.

Max being in denial about his sexuality didn't shield him that much in the concentration camp he ended up, which was Dachau. He was still horribly treated by the Nazis and it seemed clear in some scenes that they were well aware that he was actually gay.  The way they would make him witness a particular death drove that point home.

The second half of the movie explored a relationship of sorts between Max and fellow prisoner, Horst (Lothaire Bluteau). It was a relationship that was intimate without physical touching and Horst's brutal death saw Max take his own life. It's a heartbreaking final moment.

- This movie also featured Mick Jagger, Paul Brittany, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz in prominent roles.

- Based on the 1979 play of the same name by Martin Sherman, who wrote the script for the movie.

- Standout music: Mick Jagger's Streets Of Berlin.

- Chronology: 1934, Germany and taking in the events of the Night of the Long Knives.

Bent (1997) for obvious reasons doesn't make for an easy watch. There's excellent performances throughout, notably from Clive Owen. This movie definitely saw one of his best work with Max being one hell of a character to watch. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

Doctor Who News - Missing Episodes Recovered And Other Bits

It's been a while since I've done a Doctor Who related blog. Actually, I think this might be the first one this year.

Let's start things off on a positive note first. There was the recent news of two more missing episodes being recovered. Those episodes were The Nightmare Begins and Devil's Planet from The Daleks Master Plan. This now means that there's 95 episodes from the classic era that are still missing. These recovered episodes are now available to watch on BBC iPlayer. I watched both of them last night and it made me happy to have seen them properly for the first time. Here's to more missing episodes getting recovered.

Now on to more frustrating things. 

Christmas 2026. Six months since a special was announced, we are still none the wiser as to what the hell is going on with it. Aside from Russell T. Davies causing more division among fans with his poor choice of sound bites (love RTD but he's not helping himself these days), both him and the BBC have given us little to work with. 

If the special is going to be a David Tennant and Billie Piper led one and it looks like it will be, then it could be a while before filming commences as both are filming upcoming seasons of Time and Wednesday respectively.

That's assuming it's this particular pair leading the upcoming special. Surely, we're due some actual news on the special within the next few weeks? 

Last but not least but what the hell is going on with The War Between The Land And The Sea? It's been nearly four months since it's debut on BBC1 and Disney+ have yet to release it to international audiences. In fact, at this point it's starting to look less and less likely they'll even bother with this show. 

After publicly cutting ties with the main show itself, are Disney+ going to bother releasing a spin off to it? I don't think they will. In fact, I'm surprised they just didn't dump it all at once during the start of the year. If you still haven't seen it, you might have to find other methods in order to watch the show.

Hopefully my next blog in relation to the show will be something more telling about it's actual future.

Scream 8 Finds It's Writers

This was announced a few days ago and I was meaning to get around to it, but yes - Scream continues to be the franchise that will make more movies.

Following the success of Scream 7 (currently in at $204.9 million and now available on digital), an eighth instalment of the popular horror is in the works. Penning the script for the movie are Nora and Lillla Zuckerman. Both have worked on the Peacock show Poker Face, which ran for two seasons. They also recently worked on the pilot for Buffy The Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, which Hulu chose not to pick up.

The film, which is in development with Paramount and Spyglass have no director confirmed as of now. It seems going by recent reports that Kevin Williamson will not return to direct while no cast members as of now haven't been confirmed.

So, I'm doing a list of things that I'd like to see in Scream 8.

• Returning cast should just be Sidney (Neve Campbell), Gale (Courtney Cox), Tatum (Isabel May) and Mark (Joel McHale)
• Perhaps have Robbie Rogers (Mark Consuelos) as an opening kill.
• Eight to ten new cast members. Two of them filling in as Ghostface. At least one new character surviving for a potential ninth movie.
• Ghostface motive to be better fleshed out and for them to interact with main cast a lot in the movie.
• All the new characters to be better fleshed out, including a new friendship group and love interest for Tatum.

Honestly, that's it. As news materialises for the movie, I'll report it here. 

My Review of This Is Not A Test (2026)

 

Written And Directed by Adam MacDonald 

Rhys (to everyone): "Never have I ever survived a zombie invasion."

Keeping with the horror for this year, I went for something on the zombie side of things. Not really my favourite subgenre within the horror space and this movie wouldn't be one to convert me either.

The movie started off like a grim family drama with a young girl named Sloane Price (Olivia Holt) about to attempt suicide in the bathtub. She doesn't go through with it but an altercation with her father (Jeff Roop) showed him to be an abusive scumbag towards her.

There's flashbacks peppered throughout the movie that showed Sloane's older sister, Lily (Joelle Farrow) being no longer able to tolerate their father and leaving. Lily promised to come back and get Sloane. It's not a promise that she's able to keep and their eventual reunion would be horrifying for both of them.

Anyways the film itself revolved around an outbreak with most of the town being infected. Sloane's dad didn't last long and Sloane ended up going to her highschool for sanctuary and also teamed up with fellow students. Those included boyfriend of sorts, Rhys Moreno (Froy Gutierrez), brother and sister duo Trace (Carson MacCormac) and Grace Casper (Chloe Avakian) and bad boy Cary Chen (Corteon Moore).

As a group, they're not exactly a united front and the discovery of their teacher Mr. Baxter (Luke Macfarlane) brought out their worst and then the death of Grace further splintered the group. Throw in a subplot where Lily was apparently in a safe area and things really ended on a tragic family note for Sloane and a bittersweet note overall.

- This book is based on Courtney Summers 2012 young adult novel of the same name.

- At one point in the movie, Sloane catches Grace and Cary hooking up before Grace died.

- Standout music: Orbital's Halycon and On and On.

- Chronology: December 12th 1998.

This Is Not A Test (2026) made for a rather middle of the road zombie film. There's decent chemistry with the main cast but it's very plodding in parts and generally a bit dull.

Rating: 5 out of 10 

My Review of Pretty Lethal (2026)

 

Written by Kate Freund

Directed by Vicki Jewson

Bones: "These guys are drunk and out of shape, and we're prima fucking ballerinas."

Was anyone in the mood for a ballet meets Hostel (sort of) themed movie? Well, Amazon Prime recently served up something in that regard and it's kind of a mixed bag. Partly entertaining and very much ridiculous but here we are.

You've got a ballet troupe comprising of Bones (Maddie Ziegler), Zoe (Iris Apatow) and her sister, Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), Grace (Avantika) and Princess (Lana Condor). For the most part, they're a troupe that were largely at odds with one another until the movie needed them to step up or get killed.

They're mostly kept in line by their dance instructor Thorna Davenport (Lydia Leonard) but upon entering the wrong hotel owned by Devora Kasimer (Uma Thurman). Let's just say that it didn't take long for all hell to break loose or for Thorna to be shot in the head. From this point onwards, it just got more and more violent.

Every man in this movie, including characters such as Pasha (Tamás Szabó Sipos), Lothar (Michael Culkin), Doktor (Gábor Nagypál) and Yuri (Julian Krenn) etc would be revealed to be a violent would be rapist and general misogynist. Because of this, the ballerinas had to put their many differences to one side and work together to make it out of the movie alive.

I'll admit the characters themselves are likable enough if not the most well drawn out. Bones somewhat became the defacto leader of the group and almost lost her leg when it turned out that Devora was a former ballerina missing a leg. Much as I love Uma Thurman as an actor, her European accent tended to verge on parody at times here.

The movie itself though did have some fun in the way the girls used their ballet skills to actually fight back against their oppressors. I'll give the movie points for some incentive enough scenes there before Devora's act of extremism took care of a bigger threat. 

- The film was originally titled Ballerina Overdrive. Lena Headey was attached at one point to star in it.

- Kate Freund played Sona, a character who ended switching sides by the third act.

- Standout music: Snap! Rhythm Is A Dancer (Ballerina Remix).

- Chronology: Present day Los Angeles at the start with the majority of the movie set in Budapest. 

As I said at the start of this review, I found Pretty Lethal to be mostly entertaining but it's also a bit messy too. Overall, it's decent enough with a few incentive moments of violence and team work. It won't be the best thing you watch this year but neither will it be the worst either.

Rating: 6 out of 10