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Some stories start not with a bang, but with a strange, unsettling stillness. Alma & the Wolf opens on Deputy Ren Accord (Ethan Embry) standing in his hometown of Spiral Creek with a look that suggests he’s already disconnected from his own life.

The atmosphere feels immediately off, like booting up an indie game where the physics are just slightly wrong. The real inciting incident arrives when Ren discovers Alma (Li Jun Li), a bloodied figure from his high school past, cradling her dead dog. Her story is a wild one: a massive wolf, flanked by a herd of goats, mauled her pet.

Coming from someone the town knows has a difficult relationship with alcohol, her plea for justice sounds like a tall tale. The film doesn’t wait to ask for your belief; it simply presents its bizarre premise and asks, “What now?”

Is there a monster in these woods,...

The horror film Alma & the Wolf is set to receive a theatrical and digital release this Friday, June 20th – and to help you decide whether or not you’re going to be watching this movie in a few days, we have the trailer embedded above.

Directed by Michael Patrick Jann from a screenplay written by Abigail Miller, the film has the following synopsis: After a violent animal attack, paranoia spreads through Spiral Creek. But when Deputy Ren Accord gets too close, his son vanishes, and reality begins to fracture. This appears to be somewhat of a werewolf movie, with a whole lot of mind-boggling “what the hell is going on?” trickery mixed in.

Jann’s previous directing credits include Drop Dead Gorgeous, Organ Trail, and episodes of The Spiderwick Chronicles, Daybreak, The Good Doctor, Ghosted, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Atypical, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Last Man on Earth,...

While chatting with me about his new movie Alma and the Wolf, Ethan Embry briefly spoke about his involvement in Scream 7.

“The one thing I can tell you about Scream 7 was that it was absolutely incredible to be invited. That is a lovely community of people, from the very beginning to what it is now, and I’ve been wanting to a part of that franchise since the very beginning.”

Embry isn’t kidding — he auditioned for the original Scream with director Wes Craven.

“I remember auditioning for Scream 1. I can’t remember if it was [Jamie] Kennedy or [Matthew] Lillard — it was one of those — but I remember not getting good feedback from Mr. Craven,” he laughs.

Directed by Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, Scream 7 is due out in February 27, 2026.

Neve Campbell will reprise her role as final girl Sidney Prescott, alongside Courteney Cox, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown,...

Back in the 1990s, sketch comedy was mostly dominated by "Saturday Night Live." After a rough patch in the 1980s, the series rose to prominence again thanks to the talents of "Wayne's World" stars Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, and more. But during this time, there were also a series of worthy, alternative sketch comedy competitors that offered a nice change of pace from the mainstream network laughs of "SNL."

From the delightfully Canadian comedy of "Kids in the Hall," to the diverse hilarity of "In Living Color," the short-lived but brilliant "The Dana Carvey Show," to the madness of "Upright Citizens Brigade," there was a sketch comedy show for everyone. But perhaps the series that would go on to have the biggest impact in pop culture's future was MTV's "The State," named after the comedy troupe of the same name.

The MTV sketch comedy show The State ran for a mere 24 episodes between January 1994 and August 1995. And if you weren’t a teenager or young adult during that narrow window of time, odds are high you’ve never even heard of it. But the show left an enormous cultural footprint and launched the careers of some of the greatest comedic minds working today, including Thomas Lennon, Michael Showalter, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Ken Marino, David Wain, Ben Garant, and Kevin Allison, and ultimately led to Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911!, Children’s Hospital,...

Spectors Set To Bring On The Horror From Kraken Creators Shannon Eric Denton And David Hartman!: "Writer & Monster Forge founder Shannon Eric Denton and artist David Hartman brings Spectors – an exhilarating adventure complete with terrifying monsters, sinister cults, and a team of oddballs out to save the world, set to be released in May 2026 by Titan Comics.

In this brand-new original graphic novel, Spectors, armed with a mystical knife and a prosthetic multi-tool-gatling-gun, Reginald and Debby are the only people stopping evil cults from breaking the barrier between realities. It’s only when they uncover a hidden lab filled with human test subjects that the horrifying truth hits them, the cult’s twisted experiments have been running since the 1930s, and their latest victim may become Reginald and Debby’s greatest ally!

Shannon Eric Denton and David Hartman are the brains behind various titles in film, television, and comics.

Psychological horror Alma and the Wolf is set to arrive in select cinemas and on digital platforms from 20 June, courtesy of Paramount. Directed by Michael Patrick Jann and written by Abigail Miller, the film unfolds in a fictional Oregon community destabilised by a violent animal attack and a string of inexplicable events. Ethan Embry stars as a small-town deputy whose personal loss drives him to uncover a threat that may not be fully grounded in reality.

The film had its world premiere at the Boston Underground Film Festival in March and was shot on location in Pacific City, Oregon. It marks Jann’s return to feature directing following 2023’s Organ Trail, and continues his gradual shift from comedy and satire into darker, more atmospheric material. Republic Pictures holds distribution rights.

Set in the isolated town of Spiral Creek, Alma and the Wolf opens with the discovery of a local man wandering bloodied through backroads,...

He who is greedy is always in want, so says the trailer for Alma & the Wolf.

A unique blend of psychological horror and supernatural mystery with hints of folk horror and body horror, the film will be released in select theaters and on Digital June 20 via Republic Pictures.

Ethan Embry (Empire Records), Li Jun Li (Sinners), Jeremie Harris (“Legion”), Lukas Jann (Organ Trail), Beth Malone (“BrainDead”), Kevin Allison (“The State”), Alexandra Doke (“City on Fire”), and Mather Zickel (“Reno 911”) star.

After a violent animal attack, paranoia spreads through Spiral Creek. But when Deputy Ren Accord (Embry) gets too close, his son vanishes, and reality begins to fracture.

Michael Patrick Jann directs from a script by actress Abby Miller.

I wrote in my review out of Boston Underground Film Festival, “Continually reinventing itself, the film subverts expectations and turns conventions on their head throughout. The efficacy of the buildup make...

Jon Hamm has been on fire lately, isn't he? The Mad Men actor has found success with his new AppleTV+ show, Your Friends and Neighbors, and is playing a private eye in a new Audible Original. And now that he's filled up our televisions and audio queues, he's determined to head back to the big screen as well, in a new movie that will reunite him with writer/actor/director David Wain. It's a film so audacious as to be described as "off-the-rails," that producer Anthony Bregman claims the script made him laugh harder than the time he read Wet Hot American Summer (a film Wain co-wrote) for the first time.

In a new report from Variety, it was revealed that the film will star Zoey Deutch and co-writer Ken Marino (another longtime Wain collaborator). Sabrina Impacciatore (of The White Lotus Season 2 fame), Ben Wang, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley are also in the ensemble.

Grab a pack of Lucky Strikes, and pour yourself some Canadian Club rye because a Mad Men reunion (of sorts) is on the horizon. According to Variety, Jon Hamm and John Slattery will star alongside Zoey Deutch for an untitled R-rated comedy from Wet Hot American Summer and Childrens Hospital director David Wain.

The project, which has a placeholder title of Untitled Celebrity Pass Movie, is described as an “off-the-rails odyssey through modern day Hollywood.” David Wain directs the film from a script he co-wrote with Ken Marino, who also stars in the comedy with Sabrina Impacciatore, Ben Wang, and Miles Gutierrez-Riley.

In the untitled film, “a Midwestern bride-to-be, Gail Daughtry (Deutch), has a celebrity hall pass agreement with her fiancé… who uses it. With their relationship in crisis, Gail sets out on an epic journey through Hollywood to even the scales.”

“I have been excited about working with David...

Exclusive: Ethan Embry (Blindspotting) and Li Jun Li (Babylon) have signed on to star in Alma and the Wolf, a new feature from director Michael Patrick Jann (Drop Dead Gorgeous) and writer Abigail Miller.

In the psychological horror-mystery, set on the wild Oregon coast, Embry plays Ren Accord, a troubled police officer who must pull himself together when, while investigating a mysterious wolf attack, his estranged son goes missing.

Others set to star in the pic include Jeremie Harris (Legion), Lukas Jann (Organ Trail), Kevin Allison (The State), Mather Zickel (Organ Trail), Beth Malone (Fun Home), Alexandra Doke (City on Fire), and Dana Millican (Soft & Quiet).

Jann and David Codron are producing following their collaboration on the cult favorite Drop Dead Gorgeous, starring Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards and Ellen Barkin, and the horror Western Organ Trail. Ali Jazayeri, David Gendron, and Viviana Zarragoitia are exec producing through Tpc (formerly...

Over the past three decades, sketch comedy group The State has created an MTV series, a comedy album, a book, and a CBS special in addition to several spinoff projects like Reno 911!, Viva Variety, Stella, Wet Hot American Summer, Risk!, and Children’s Hospital. But the logistics of bringing the large troupe back together for a tour were always too daunting to even consider until just a few months ago when the SAG strike cleared off their calendars for the foreseeable future.

“We’re trying to make some lemonade,...

Ever since MTV’s The State went off the air in 1995, the 11-member sketch comedy troupe has faced the same problem every time it tries to reform: Finding the time when every member can commit to a project is virtually impossible. That finally changed earlier this year when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the entire entertainment industry and left this particular creative group at home with little to do.

“I was sitting on the couch about a month ago like, ‘Uh, I can’t look at the news anymore,'...

Earlier this week, Nineties MTV sketch comedy group The State reunited via Zoom to raise money for the NAACP and the California Immigrants Resilience Fund. Fans that paid $20 were able to see them tell old stories, auction off props and recreate some of their greatest sketches, including The Bearded Men of Space Station Eleven, Monkey Torture and Taco Mailman.

The show opened up with a new version of The Jew, The Italian and the Redhead Gay for the Covid-19 era. In this one, the Jew (David Wain) needs money for...

Next month will mark 25 years since the MTV sketch comedy series The State went off the air. Named after the comedy troupe at the center of the series, The State featured Kevin Allison (Flight of the Conchords), Michael Ian Black (Another Period), Robert Ben Garant (Reno 911!), Todd Holoubek (The Ten), Michael Patrick Jann […]

The post ‘The State’ Comedy Troupe Reuniting Virtually to Read Classic and Unseen Sketches for Charity appeared first on /Film.

The members of the cult classic MTV sketch show The State will host a reunion on Zoom to raise money for the California Immigrant Resilience Fund and the NAACP.

The event — dubbed “Zoom With The State” — will take place Wednesday, June 10th, at 9 p.m. Et. Per a description, the show will feature members of The State reading “beloved and never-before-seen sketches,” while they’ll also auction off memorabilia and do a Q&a with fans.

Advance tickets for the event are on sale now for $20, while day-of-show tickets will...

Getting MTV’s The State to reunite for a project has been a near-impossible task over the past couple of decades, but the near-complete shutdown of the entertainment industry finally provided the opportunity for the Nineties MTV sketch comedy troupe to band together.

The group is out with a brand-new version of their classic sketch “Porcupine Racetrack,” via David Wain’s Instagram.

All 11 members of the troupe appear in this video, along with a small group of musicians to recreate the iconic sketch. As the title suggests, it’s about...

September was a big month for music videos with house parties, and this week we break down which parties worked, and which ones we’d prefer we hadn’t gone to with Staff Writer Yolanda Carney in Month In Music Videos. We also talk to Kevin Allison, host of the podcast Risk, about Mel Brooks, and the influence of…

Read more...

With a highly searchable subject matter, there are a plethora of podcasts exploring the great unknown of human sexuality. Just type “sex” into the Apple Store search bar, and a slew of eyebrow raising titles come up, like “Sex Talk With My Mom” to “The Manwhore Podcast.” But how is one to choose, with only so much time on the morning commute or treadmill? For every engaging, funny, and informative sex podcast out there, there are twice as many skippable duds. Which is why we’ve searched the audio waves to bring you the very best sex-talk the podcast world has to offer.

Ranging from the hilarious and outrageous to the nerdy and informative, with a lot of overlap in between, these eight podcasts represent a diverse array of perspectives. We prioritized entertainment value, non-judgmental approaches, and feminist perspectives to deliver an enjoyable crash course in human sexuality. From long-running...

The State is making a comeback. Soon, you'll be able to read the entire oral history of the '90s MTV sketch group, Av Club reports.

The State TV show ran on MTV from 1993 to 1995. The 11-member comedy troupe featured David Wain, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Robert Ben Garant, Joe Lo Truglio, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Kevin Allison, Todd Holoubek, Michael Patrick Jann, and Thomas Lennon.

Read More…...

Nineties alt-comedy troupe the State will release a new oral history, The Union of the State, detailing their rise, dissolution, reunion and staggering dispersion and influence throughout the comedy world.

The book arrives May 3rd and features interviews with all 11 members of the State: Todd Holoubek, David Wain, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Ken Marino, Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Kevin Allison, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Michael Patrick Jann.

Corey Stulce penned The Union of the State, while comedian Keegan Michael-Key wrote the foreword. Pre-orders are available via Stulce's website.

First up, you should probably plan your lunch break around Days of Our Lives, because something gay is happening, and our own snicks will be liveblogging the action today and tomorrow.

Very sad, news. Director Tony Scott apparently committed suicide last night by jumping off an L.A. bridge. The younger brother of Ridley, Tony Scott scored a number of number of movie hits, including Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop 2 and most recently Unstoppable in 2010. In recent years Scott had ventured into TV producing (He was an Ep on The Good Wife.)

In a moment of gross stupidity, Congressman Todd Akin, who is running against Senator Claire McCaskill for her Senate seat, said “From what I understand from doctors… if it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Akin has since said he "misspoke" but still doesn't support abortion in cases of rape,...

South By Southwest (SXSW) has officially announced the lineup for SXSW Comedy, which will take place from March 10 - 17 in Austin, Texas. The festival's comedy programming has grown considerably since last year, with showcases, live podcast tapings and interactive shows stretching continuously throughout SXSW for the first time. The festival has announced 62 comedians scheduled to appear, nearly doubling last year's roster of performers.

Although SXSW is known for its music, film, and more recently, interactive portions of the festival, the comedy programming looks designed to delight both devoted comedy fans as well as casual observers. In fact, five of the comedians who landed on HuffPost Comedy's favorite comedy albums of 2011 list will be performing at the festival.

Part of the fun of SXSW Comedy is not knowing which performers will show up at which shows, although a full list of confirmed comedians has been released (and can be found in...

On October 3rd Rising Up: the Story of the Zombie Rights Movement, directed by Laura Moss, made its New York City premiere at the Coney Island Film Festival, playing in a sold out block to an enthusiastic crowd.

I've been an attendee/participant at the super fun, well-run Ciff for the past several years, and this year's Block 6 (which preceded the fest's official horror block but contained several horror/comedy-ish films) was one of the most solid programs I've seen at this or any other film festival. But even with all that strong competition, Rising Up was still a standout...

Rising Up is a History Channel-esque documentary spoof chronicling the troubled hippie- and beatnik-led fight for the rights of the nation's undead. It sort of occupies that same world presented in Fido or at the end of Shaun of the Dead, where zombies have been begrudgingly accepted into society...

Chicago – It’s a vastly overused phrase in criticism, but MTV’s “The State” truly was ahead of its time. I remember seeing the show in its original broadcast on MTV and thinking it was like nothing else on television. Now it would easily fit in the comedy landscape. After years of begging, fans of “The State” are finally being given a complete series set and it was worth the wait.

Perhaps one of the reasons that “The State” feels so ahead of its time is the frequency with which its cast members pop up in film and television now. The cast of “The State” would go on to work together on shows like “Stella,” “Viva Variety,” and “Reno 911!” and films like “Wet Hot American Summer” and “The Ten,” but they would also find massive success apart from the whole troupe.

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0 Original cast members of “The State” included Kevin Allison,...

Release Date: July 14

Starring: Kevin Allison, Michael Ian Black, Robert Ben Garant, Todd Holoubek, Michael Patrick Jann, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Michael Showalter, David Wain

Studio: MTV

MTV’s sketch show still mostly hilarious

Though extremely informed by the pop culture of its time, MTV sketch show The State has aged well. Like its spiritual predecessors, Monty Python and The Kids in the Hall, its surreality remains at the very least interesting, if not outright hilarious—even now, when what it’s riffing on has long been forgotten. While old fans can see the show in its full glory (well, almost—unfortunately, due to licensing issues, the DVD is missing the show’s original soundtrack), they may be surprised that The State isn’t quite as sharp or weird as they remember—just like any other sketch show, it has some duds. Still, while it...

Philly Improv Theater (Phit) announces that Kevin Allison of MTV's The State will be performing as part of the theater's April line-up, which runs April 6-12. Allison will be performing his one man sketch show, F*** Up. Philly Improv Theater performs at 407 Bainbridge Street. Allison will perform F*** Up at 10 p.m. on Friday, April 10 and Saturday April 11. He will also perform the show at 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 12. Tickets for the performances cost $15 each and are available online at www.phillyimprovtheater.com or at 267-233-1556.