Warner Bros. is going full creepy-viral to promote Weapons — the upcoming child-horror flick from Barbarian writer-director Zack Cregger. The latest move? An unlisted two-hour surveillance-style video that shows kids running through the night. That’s it. Two straight hours of eerie night vision footage — mostly silent, occasionally disturbing, all deeply unsettling.
The official poster sets the tone perfectly: “Last night at 2:17 a.m., every child from Mrs. Gandy’s class woke up, got out of bed, went downstairs, opened the front door, walked into the dark… and never came back.”
A few of the comments on the video are fun.. A sampling of our favorites:
in the 1980s we would call this “normal” “Kids are gonna start doing this at night, running down the streets with their arms open and dangling” “Ok guys. This is the whole movie. Dont waste your money.” “E V I L….welcome to Holly Wood”
Weapons stars Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, June Diane Raphael, Toby Huss, and Benedict Wong — a solid cast, but let’s be honest, the internet can’t stop talking about that video. It’s already disturbing viewers, with some thinking — at first glance — that it might be actual found footage or worse. It’s not. It’s modern horror marketing, devolved and digitized for maximum effect. And it works. Two hours of children screaming, vanishing, and disappearing into the dark. Nothing concrete, just vibes. Bad ones.
Here is the official trailer:
This might be the most highly anticipated horror release of the summer. The trailer itself? Looks phenomenal. A seemingly mundane setup — high schoolers disappearing on a random Wednesday — but that’s what makes it even more terrifying. I’ve always found that the best horror comes from that sudden rupture of normalcy. The ordinary turning otherworldly. The safe spaces suddenly unsafe.
Horror fans, rejoice. The rest of the world? They’re recoiling at this ad campaign — and that’s probably exactly the point. Love it or hate it, Weapons has everyone talking. Mission accomplished.
Brad Caleb Kane just posted a photo on Instagram showing a production draft script for Crystal Lake — and he announced that the production offices are officially open for business!
The script he shared was written by Kane himself, based on characters created by Friday the 13th (1980) writer Victor Miller. The copyright is registered to “Camp Blood LLC,” which pretty much confirms that pre-production is underway and things are starting to move.
Also, Linda Cardellini has signed on to play Mrs. Voorhees for A24 and Peacock’s Crystal Lake. She’s described as “a mother who gave up a singing career to raise her special needs son, only to take a dark turn after losing him.” And that son, of course, is Jason Voorhees.
A bit of PR is coming from studios about the newest inclusion of yet another FINAL DESTINATION film into the ranks of horror history..
New Line is bragging up the potential popularity of the film ..
In the first 24-hours of release, the trailer traffic is the second best for any horror movie at 178.7M worldwide views behind New Line’s own It which had near 200M global views.
“I can’t critique this movie, to me it’s perfect. It’s got balls. [Screenwriter] Diablo Cody was outspoken and beautiful and smart and funny,” she said. “We were expressing a certain angst in a very specific, comedic way in a very specific genre. The special effects were so incredible, there were stunts, there was everything you could want.”
Though “Jennifer’s Body” has since found an audience as a subversive feminist cult classic, the film flopped on initial release, which Seyfried chalks up to poor marketing. “If the critics criticize anything, it would be the marketing,” she said. “The marketing sucked, it just did. And we all agree.”
It’s been quite a while since I did a movie review, so here goes nothing!
I just finished watching Presence, the David Soderbergh film starring Lucy Liu.
Before heading into the theater, I, like many others, had a general idea of what to expect—a ghost story, but not your typical one. Instead, it’s a story told through the eyes of the ghost, offering a fresh and unique perspective.
For a modern ghost story, it’s surprisingly creative. The last time something remotely similar was done was probably in the early 2000s with Nicole Kidman’s The Others. However, this film is vastly different. It stands apart with its stark tone and emotional depth. In fact, I believe many of the reviews I’ve read don’t do justice to what this movie offers.
x x x
Without giving away spoilers, I’ll just share this: the experience of watching the film in an empty theater added to the creepiness for me. I went alone, expecting a few other moviegoers, but since it was an afternoon showing, the theater was dark and empty. The occasional theater staff peeking in added to the eerie vibe, as if even they were surprised to find someone watching.
Now, about the film itself: Soderbergh invites us to see life—or rather, death—through the ghost’s perspective. We witness a troubled family with clear signs of sibling rivalry, teenagers dealing with the pressures of peer influence and drugs, and, overarching it all, the theme of death. The antagonist is genuinely dreadful; you despise him. And by the end, in a dramatic twist, he gets his just deserts—though not without deep, dark, unintended consequences for the family.
What struck me the most was the emotional impact of the film. None of the reviews I read beforehand prepared me for the depth of feeling it evoked. The last 10 minutes were utterly draining, and in the final moments, I sat alone in that dark theater, almost weeping. The intensity of the family’s struggles, the chilling implications of the story, and even the haunting nature of the 100-year-old mirrors left me shaken.
This movie isn’t boring, contrary to what some critics have said. It’s also nothing like Skinamarink, as some comparisons suggested. This film has dialogue, music, and a narrative style that’s far more engaging. It’s beautifully shot and masterful in its dialogue. While some might argue the human interactions weren’t as creative, I’d disagree. I left the theater deeply moved.
While there aren’t many jump scares, this film doesn’t rely on cheap tricks. Instead, it reaches into your soul and leaves a lasting impression. There’s something profound and meaningful about it. Even if it’s not to everyone’s taste, I urge you to ignore the critics who call it boring and give it a try. Perhaps you’ll leave the theater as I did, emotionally shaken yet strangely grateful for the experience.
A little movie about a guy with claws.. Freddy went from villain to 1980s phenom as movie after movie eventually got minced out like sausage in a factory..
But it all started on November 9 1984 when Wes Craven’s creation took hold as a pop culture icon.
It also gave is Heather Langenkamp–and Johnny Depp.
The original A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984, was a groundbreaking slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven. With a modest budget of around $1.8 million, it grossed over $25 million at the U.S. box office, making it a surprise hit. The film not only launched the iconic horror franchise but also helped propel the careers of several key figures. It introduced audiences to Robert Englund as the infamous Freddy Krueger, whose portrayal became legendary. Additionally, it played a significant role in the early careers of actors like Johnny Depp, whose role as Glen earned him his first major film credit, and actress Heather Langenkamp, who starred as the film’s protagonist, Nancy. The success of Nightmare also solidified Wes Craven as a major force in the horror genre.
But..
Going back in time, just for fun, we find this little snippet review of the film from the AP that was shared in newspapers across America a the time–and with reviews like this, 40 years of Freddy just should never have happened.
Happy birthday Fred … no worries about bad reviews anymore.
Now we know America still loves clowns, just not the one portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix .. Art the clown took center stage at the box office this weekend and trounced Joker 2.
And with the news of this small budget box office bonanza, something bigger seems to be happening.. something cultural seems to have shifted.
The Terrifier movie franchise centers on Art the Clown, a silent but sadistic killer who brutally murders his victims in increasingly horrific ways.
The first film, Terrifier follows Art as he torments two women on Halloween night, marking his debut as one of modern horror’s most terrifying villains. Terrifier 2 expanded on the lore, exploring more of Art’s supernatural abilities while maintaining the intense gore that became the series’ hallmark.
Both films are known for their graphic violence, practical effects, and unrelenting brutality, drawing comparisons to classic slasher films while pushing the envelope in terms of shock value.
The franchise was created by writer and director Damien Leone, who is also known for his work in makeup and special effects. Leone first introduced Art the Clown in a short film titled The 9th Circle eay back in 2008 and later included him in the anthology film All Hallows’ Eve in 2013.
As a filmmaker with a deep passion for practical effects, Leone’s work on Terrifier showcases his skills in creating disturbing, realistic gore, which has become a defining feature of the series.
Leone has expressed that he draws inspiration from horror classics like Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street while wanting to push horror into new, more extreme territory.
Terrifier 3 seemingly took the gore aspect to a much higher level. Just search up the rat scene or chainsaw scene. Choose if you wanted to watch it, but at least read about it. Chances are many of you already saw it at the either’s anyway.
Joker 2 dropped 82% at the box office Terrifier 3 for being a movie that costs little to nothing to make. It scored almost $20 million.
Timing is key.
Perhaps the fact the movie came out October. The weather’s colder and those Halloween decorations are abundant. Or perhaps just maybe something else is going on. It seems to be that there’s a craving out there for gore. Suddenly, it seems that society itself relishes in the macabre. And the dastardly.
It feels a lot like when the Saw movie franchise started back in the early 2000s. Then, society was overrun with torture and war footage on television. Reality was grosser than fiction, so fiction had to try to outdo it, and it tapped into a pop culture moment in which we as a people shifted into the acceptance of gore due to the acceptance of torture and a war stands in response to terrorism.
Art the clown then signifies something.. maybe Terrifier 3 is just a blip on the horror radar, or perhaps this movie coming out right before a really painfully divisive election showcases how painfully divided we all are ..
Art the clown is the instigator .. he’s the killer with no conscience, murdering children at a Christmas decorated mall without mercy. The darkest of crime and inhumanity.
Is it possible that Art the clown, while maybe not signifying how we all feel WE ACT, certainly signifies how society itself feels.. no remorse, no mercy and just relentless over the top violence to the point of absurdity.
Or maybe not.
Terrifier, 3 again could just be that blip .. the moment when moviegoers just said no to the supernatural scares, and they would rather have a blood-soaked and vomit laden theater to slip and fall in..
Time will tell, but either way Terrifier 3 has certainly made bloody waves.
No, really.. We’ve been seeing this for quite some time now. Terrifier 3 is coming out in theaters, and with the run up to the film, a lot of reviews have been talking about how revolting the movie is they’ve been talking about the amount of gore and for native bonus.
Now, websites and Facebook pages are discussing actively. How many people vomit during the film?
It’s really difficult to prove a negative, so it’s tough to say unless we’re there, whether people really have walked out in disgust, it’s also very difficult to say what the puke count is unless we’re literally in the audience watching people regurgitate while the movie’s playing.
But it certainly brilliant marketing.
A lot of movies have done this before Netflix films with headlines of people saying it’s the scariest film they’ve ever seen or other headlines saying people were so disturbed.
They walked out of theaters. Now, we’re able to find out that people are actively vomiting during the film, perhaps from a flu, the stomach virus, or from the blood and gore in the terrifier..
Tough to say, I guess unless you vomit from the film, you may never know.
You can’t make it up.. bit all joking aside is this a wee bit too..strange.. for confort?
The indie horror film “Late Night With the Devil” opened this weekend across 1,034 venues where it made $2.8 million and ended up in sixth place.
However our eyebrows are rising now that final numbers are being analyzed .. it has been revealed that the film’s estimated Palm Sunday one-day haul is coming in at $666,666 according to trade paper Variety..
No joke..
From Variety:
On the independent scene, “Late Night With the Devil” took sixth place and summoned $2.8 million from 1,034 venues, including (and you can’t make this up) $666,666 on Sunday. This marks the biggest opening weekend for its distributor IFC Films, overtaking 2022’s “Watcher” with $826,775. The low-budget thriller stars David Dastmalchian as a late-night talk show host who keeps the cameras rolling during a live Satanic incident.
“This weekend’s release of ‘Late Night With the Devil’ set fire to our old opening record,” says Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks Films, which encompasses IFC. “[It] continues to showcase that there is still potential for highly reviewed, intelligent auteur films in movie theaters across all genres.”
666 for the devil on one of the holiest days of the year.
Slurping eggnog spiked with rum and eating until you’re unable to move? That’s the American pasttime around the holiday season–and then the New Years guilt and resolutions to lose your new found weight is an annual tradition.
Kira Cochrane of the UK GUARDIAN wrote this to describe humanity’s long love of telling ghost stories around this time of year:
Christmas has long been associated with ghosts, says Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghosts: 500 Years of Hunting for Proof. Just before Christmas 1642, for instance, shepherds were said to have seen ghostly civil war soldiers battling in the skies. This connection continued in the Victorian era through Dickens’s story, and through the ghost stories he later published at Christmas in his periodical All the Year Round, with contributors including Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell. It would also continue in the tradition started by MR James, the provost of King’s College, Cambridge, who would invite a select few students and friends to his rooms each year on Christmas Eve, where he’d read one of the ghost stories he had written, which are still popular today. They include Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book (1895), in which an ancient holy book brings forth a demonic presence, first announced by a hand covered in “coarse black hairs, longer than ever grew on a human hand; nails rising from the ends of the fingers and curving sharply down and forward, grey, horny and wrinkled”.The popularity of ghost stories was strongly related to economic changes. The industrial revolution had led people to migrate from rural villages into towns and cities, and created a new middle class. They moved into houses that often had servants, says Clarke, many taken on around October or November, when the nights were drawing in early – and new staff found themselves “in a completely foreign house, seeing things everywhere, jumping at every creak”. Robbins says servants were “expected to be seen and not heard – actually, probably not even seen, to be honest. If you go to a stately home like Harewood House, you see the concealed doorways and servant’s corridors. You would actually have people popping in and out without you really knowing they were there, which could be quite a freaky experience. You’ve got these ghostly figures who actually inhabit the house.”
We have lost so much with the disappearance of this tradition! I call for a renaissance!
Telling ghost stories around this time of year appears to be a lost tradition. These days, we trample each other at malls and break glass doors for expensive Air Jordans that we cannot afford. But that aside, it would be sacrilegious in modern times to tell such haunting tales around the Christmas dinner table.. 50% of us celebrate the birth of Christ (though it probably would not have even happened this time of year) and the other 50% celebrate the modern rituals of present buying and giving. Ghost stories aren’t found within that celebration.. No time for the paranormal with those numbers.
We did borrow the Christmas tree and SO MUCH MORE from the pagans.. but for some reason, we ended the tales of horror in our newer centuries..
There are books and websites describing jut how popular ghostly tales were this time of year..
But that was then.
MAY ALL YOUR GIFTS COME ALIVE ON CHRISTMAS MORNING!
Now it’s all about fun, joy, peace, and harmony. Little thrown in of scary or weird….paranormal or other-worldly. And it seems we miss out on so much with the absence of the paranormal..
While I do not contend my theories or ‘feelings’ are ever correct or a representation of anything but bizarre mental manifestations, I have long felt that two times of year were always filled with mystery: One being Halloween, and the other being Christmas. I recall nights when I was a child, especially Christmas Eve night, where I felt something mysterious in the air..something strange around me. Something like a presence–not necessarily a negative entity, but just another ‘element’ that I could not understand with my five senses. Did the pagans and others get it right.. does the veil thing? Those old ghost stories are not without purpose, they were just a way for people to express their fears of the darkness without shining light. You could argue that such ghost stories in the Victorian Age being popular was because they simply lived in scary times–gas lamps that lit the way for some with prestige and money, but darkness at night for the rest of the troubled lot.
Joy and love and peace could not be found on radio stations, and often so many younger children died from pestilence and disease, Santa Claus was not as busy as he is now.
But I still say there is something else to the story. I think there is a deeper and more profound reason that so many tall tales were expressed this time of year in centuries past. And maybe it’s because we, as humans, have a connection to a sixth sense.. maybe we have a deep affinity for the unexplained because we as humans are a PART of that unexplained. Why are we here? Ghost tales make sense of our existence in some way, because it gives credence to an afterlife. Yes, maybe spirits get trapped here, but at least we ‘go somewhere.’
Though we have an absence of the fireside chats during Victorian times, there are a few paranormal tales that withstood the test of time.
Charles Dickens’ classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL is one of them, with a series of ghosts coming back to haunt a living man to scare him into being nice.. Some of the past film adaptations of CHRISTMAS CAROL were downright scary, and even the black and white versions of the story haunted me as a child, such as SCROOGE from 1935.
Some other stories from my lifetime that still keep the ‘creepy’ in Christmas: The GREMLINS was able to successfully utilize horror and holiday music, grounding up gremlins while DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR played .. that scene shaped my childhood dreams.. There were also some other badly made seasonal horror flicks, like SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT, and CHRISTMAS EVIL.
Even IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE has a paranormal theme. An angel coming to save a suicidal man before he ends it all..
Even the GRINCH THAT STOLE CHRISTMAS was scary.. and the idea that an ever-knowing Santa watches children when they sleep doesn’t really give me a deep down calm feeling either.
And who could forget, we still do have Krampus at Christmas..
And finally, there could be something else scary about this time of year. Besides the ‘veil thinning’ and the pagan acknowledgement of death during winter, it’s just a scary time altogether! .. New years is coming–one calender year over, of course calenders are man made but that doesn’t make them any less foreboding. Aging is scary.. not knowing what the next year will bring is also scary. We become victims to our paranoia and fear…and maybe that is why the Victorian Age was filled with so much of it..
There is, after all, lots to be actually scared of. Yes, then it was sickness and darkness, but what really has changed? The news media informs us almost daily that a big accident may soon happen to our entire grid, leaving parts of the United States dark for ‘years.’ We are equally warned about diseases that are not being killed off anymore by antibiotics. While we don’t dress with Victorian attire, we can attest that our fears are often the same as they were during our past. That’s the common bond in the human race. We surely don’t all get happy about the same things but that’s not true about fear. Deep down, we all fear the same things.. and ghosts represent the mystery and high strangeness that humans cannot explain.
So I say we bring back ghost stories! Let’s get the fire warm, open some gifts..drink up some spirits, and tell some tales about weird creatures and sounds bumping in the night.
Keep the Christ in Christmas. And keep the creepy, too.
If not, Santa may not stop by this year, but instead give us the ghost of CHRISTMAS FUTURE–and if you recall that was the scariest spirit of them all..
