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There’s a certain comfort, a familiar echo, in the return of a character like Gunnery Sergeant Brandon Beckett. For over a decade, the Sniper series has carved out a respectable niche for itself, becoming a reliable staple for action aficionados who appreciate a story with clean lines and a clear objective.

Beckett, as portrayed by Chad Michael Collins, has evolved into the genre’s dependable anchor, a figure whose presence guarantees a specific brand of straightforward, yet effective, filmmaking. In Sniper: The Last Stand, the eleventh entry, he is once again called from the shadows, this time deploying alongside his trusted, sharp-witted partner, Agent Zero (Ryan Robbins).

Their destination is the politically turbulent, entirely fictional nation of Costa Verde. The setting itself is a loving nod to the action-movie geography of the 80s and 90s, a place like Val Verde where geopolitical complexities are secondary to the mission at hand.

The long-running action war franchise Sniper has been around for over two decades. The first entry, 1993's Sniper, starred Tom Berenger as expert American gunner Thomas Beckett, alongside Billy Zane as Richard Miller.

Although the original film received poor reviews from critics and audiences, it was a commercial hit and kicked off a franchise of direct-to-video movies that currently includes 11 installments. The latest entry, Sniper: The Last Stand, was released on Jan. 21, 2025 and it didn't make a splash.However, following its recent release on Netflix, the action film debuted in ninth place on the platform's U.S. streaming charts, per Tudum.

Sniper: The Last Stand hit Netflix on May 6, a few months after the film's release on digital. The movie's success in its first week, between May 5 and May 11, proves there's still interest in the action franchise, although the movie didn't have a huge impact during its January release. Since...

The latest installment in one of the longest-running action franchises of all time is all set to land on Netflix. The streamer has excelled in the realm of action thrillers in recent years with the likes of the Extraction franchise, the acclaimed Rebel Ridge, the surprise hit The Shadow Strays, and more, with the platform now set to host the 11th installment in the Sniper series.

Directed by Danishka Esterhazy, this year’s Sniper: The Last Stand stars Chad Michael Collins alongside Ryan Robbins and Sharon Taylor, and finds ace sniper Brandon Beckett going up against an arms dealer who plans to unleash a deadly superweapon. Sniper: The Last Stand is now all set to land on Netflix on May 6, 2025, just a few months after the action movie was released on Digital. You can check out the official synopsis for the latest Sniper movie below.

“To stop an arms...

One of the longest (and most underrated) action movie franchises is about to enter its 12th installment. The likes of James Bond, the Fast and Furious, and more have delighted audiences for years and years with their ever-growing lore and multiple sequels, but many action fans continue to sleep on the Sniper series. Now, following the release of the 11th outing, Sniper: The Last Stand earlier this year, lead actor Chad Michael Collins has now revealed that another explosive installment in the SniperVerse is already locked and loaded.

Thanking fans for their ongoing support, Collins took to X/Twitter to make the announcement. Appearing on the set of the new Sniper movie, and looking like he’s already seen plenty of action, the actor revealed that the next chapter in the ongoing saga, which first started all the way back in 1993 with the Tom Berenger-led Sniper, is already “halfway through production.

There’s no shortage of horror movies about the allure of youth and beauty, perhaps in part due to there being so many different ways to portray it. While The Substanceput the consequences of seeking beauty onto Demi Moore’s character, in Level 16, director Danishka Esterhazy focused on the outside collateral damage. Set in what seems to be an all-girls “school” in a dystopian future, this tense thriller follows Vivien (Katie Douglas), a teenager hoping to be adopted, as she reaches the school's 16th level; she soon learns that she isn't as safe as her guardians want her to think.

Danishka Esterhazy’s “Sniper: The Last Stand” (2025) marks the eleventh installment in the Sniper franchise. While you might be reasonably awed the series has lasted so long, this installment is rank proof that this universe is badly, desperately in need of a violent, massive shake-up. It is so blatantly derivative and thinly conceived. The sequences are mounted without something to actively propel them through, which becomes an ordeal to endure. It is an overwrought exercise in silliness, painfully protracted into almost two hours despite little holding it together.

Sniper: The Last Stand (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis Does the film Deliver on Its Explosive Promise?

The film opens with action. It is a trick, a gambit to lure us in. Such action returns only in the drawn-out climactic passages. In between is a yawn-fest, riddled with disastrous attempts at wheedling occasional pathos, patriotism, and discovering and accepting one’s purpose. It...

Stars: Chad Michael Collins, Arnold Vosloo, Vusi Kunene, Ryan Robbins, Noxolo Dlamini, Scott George, Sharon Taylor, Sizo Mahlangu, Rob Van Vuuren | Written by Sean Wathen | Directed by Danishka Esterhazy

Sniper: The Last Stand is the eleventh film in a franchise that began back in 1993 with Sniper and continued on through films like Sniper: Rogue Mission and most recently Sniper: G.R.I.T. – Global Response & Intelligence Team. After so many entries, many franchises are running out of steam and getting by on past glories, will this be any different?

The film opens with a ten-minute sequence where the members of Operation Phoenix track arms dealer Ryker Kovalov to his headquarters in the jungles of Costa Verde only for him to trigger his doomsday weapon.

The film then travels back to forty-eight hours earlier and Brandon Beckett’s arrival at a remote airstrip in Costa Verde, a trip that involved...

A while back, we shared a Best Movie You Never Saw video on the action thriller Sniper, which was given a theatrical release in 1993 and spawned a direct-to-video franchise that is continuing to this day. In fact, a trailer for the eleventh film in the franchise, Sniper: The Last Stand, has just arrived online and can be seen in the embed above. The film is set to receive a digital release on January 21st.

Tom Berenger took on the lead role of sniper Thomas Beckett in the original film, and came back for Sniper 2 (2002) and Sniper 3 (2004). As of 2011’s Sniper: Reloaded, Thomas’s son Brandon, played by Chad Michael Collins, became the lead character in the franchise, and his story has continued through Sniper: Legacy (2014), Sniper: Ghost Shooter (2016), Sniper: Ultimate Kill (2017), Sniper: Assassin’s End (2020), Sniper: Rogue Mission (2022), Sniper: G.R.I.T. – Global Response & Intelligence Team (2023), and now Sniper: The Last Stand.

"Sniper: The Last Stand” is a new Sony Pictures live-action thriller, directed by Danishka Esterhazy, starring Ryan Robbins, Sharon Taylor, Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz, and Arnold Vosloo, available January 21, 2025, direct-to-vod:

“…to stop an arms dealer from unleashing a deadly superweapon, ‘Ace’ sniper ‘Brandon Beckett’ (Chad Michael Collins) and ‘Agent Zero’ (Ryan Robbins) are deployed to lead a group of elite soldiers in Costa Verde.

“Taking an untested sniper under his wing, Beckett faces his newest challenge: giving orders instead of receiving them. With time and ammo running low, they must overcome all odds just to survive…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Five Nights at Freddy's adapts the eponymous Scott Cawthon video game franchise into its first feature-length movie in an expected new franchise. Josh Hutcherson stars as Mike Schmidt, a security guard by trade who picks up a new job at an abandoned pizzeria as he battles for custody of his little sister after their parent's deaths. However, once he starts working his overnight shifts, he discovers Freddy Fazbear's Pizza's animatronics come to live at night, and he ends up fighting for his life when his sister ends up trapped in the restaurant with him.

Five Nights at Freddy's divided critics and audiences, but it was a box office success, making $291.1 million on a $20 million budget, and its critical reviews never hurt its success. As a result, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is coming, with an expected Christmas 2025 release date, which should excite fans of the movie and the games on which it is based.

When you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Time Cut is a sci-fi slasher horror film directed by Hannah MacPherson who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Kennedy. The Netflix film follows a high school senior student and amateur inventor who accidentally finds a time machine and travels back to the year 2003 when an unknown killer killed her sister in hopes of saving her. Time Cut stars Madison Bailey, Antonia Gentry, Michael Shanks, Griffin Gluck, Megan Best, Samuel Braun, Sydney Sabiston, Kataem O’Connor, and Rachael Crawford. So, if you loved the inventive element in the slasher horror genre and the compelling characters in Time Cut here are some similar movies you should check out next.

Totally Killer (Prime Video) Credit – Prime Video

Totally Killer is a slasher horror comedy film directed by Nahnatchka Khan from a screenplay co-written by David Matalon, Sasha Perl-Raver, and Jen D’Angelo.

I Will Never Leave You Alone

Stars: Ken Trujillo, Katerina Eichenberger, Emma Anne Wedemeyer, Chris Genovese | Directed by D.W. Medoff

I Will Never Leave You Alone, directed by D.W. Medoff, is a haunting and emotionally intense horror film that premiered at this year’s FrightFest. The film centres on Richard, portrayed by Kenneth Trujillo, an ex-convict haunted by his dark past. Upon his release from prison, Richard is forced to stay in a haunted house for six days as part of an unusual arrangement; if he leaves, he will be sent back to prison. As he endures the horrors within, both supernatural and personal, Richard’s past trauma resurfaces, creating a chilling and deeply unsettling atmosphere.

The film is held together by Trujillo’s performance, and his fantastic ability to convey a wide range of emotions through silence and subtle expressions, which adds depth to the character and makes his suffering palpable.

Stars: Cassiel Eatock-Winnik, Bjorn Steinbach, Alex McGregor, Savana Tardieu | Written by Jessica Landry | Directed by Danishka Esterhazy

Killer Body Count is the latest film from, Danishka Esterhazy who has made a name for herself in the genre with Level 16, The Banana Splits Movie, The Slumber Party Massacre and several episodes of SurrealEstate. This time out, working from a script by Jessica Landry she’s returning to the slasher genre with a tale of sex, religion and dead teenagers.

The film begins on a familiar enough note as a couple having sex in a tent find themselves on the receiving end of some unplanned penetration from a figure wearing a monk’s robes and a devil mask. Is it the seminarian who went mad and slaughtered the priests, nuns and their fellow students twenty years ago, or someone cashing in on the legend? That remains to be seen.

From there, Killer...

Horror fans tend to treat their favorite movies — no matter how schlocky or cheaply-made — as sacred cows, which puts an immeasurable amount of pressure on anyone who dares to remake, reboot, or legacyquel a beloved title. And yet, director Danishka Esterhazy handled that pressure with ease for her fantastic meta-remake of "Slumber Party Massacre," and quickly solidified herself as one of the most exciting new voices in horror.

Esterhazy had already earned a great deal of goodwill with her twisted take on "The Banana Splits Movie," and well-versed aficionados likely first learned of her work with the gripping sci-fi dystopian flick "Level 16," about a prison-like boarding school for girls harboring a demented secret. And luckily for fans of all things scary and slasher, Esterhazy has a new film coming to the Tubi streaming service on May 17, 2024, called "Killer Body Count." That's right, in less than three days from the time this article goes live,...

If you’ve been sleeping on Tubi, you should give the free, ad-supported streaming service a try. They have quite an extensive library of horror movies, ranging from old-school classics like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to unknown gems. They’ve also got their own line of Tubi Originals, and the latest will hit the service in just a few days: Killer Body Count, a slasher from director Daniskha Esterhazy set at a rehab center for sex addicts. Check out the new trailer for Killer Body Count above!

“Mistaken for a sex addict by her devout father, Cami is sent to an isolated rehab center,” reads the official synopsis for Killer Body Count. “But when a killer begins to hunt the teens, Cami realizes that her survival and her independence are intertwined in ways she could never imagine.” The film stars Cassiell Eatock-Winnik as Cami George, Savana Tardieu as Wyatt,...

The free streaming service Tubi has been impressing us with some of their Tubi Original horror movies this year, with the From Dusk Till Dawn-inspired horror-comedy Slay and the twisty Lowlifes both worth your time here in early 2024. And the brand new Tubi Original horrors are only just beginning this year, with another fresh one arriving this coming weekend.

From director Danishka Esterhazy, Killer Body Count slashes into Tubi on Friday, May 17.

In the Tubi slasher, “Mistaken for a sex addict by her devout father, Cami is sent to an isolated rehab center. But when a killer begins to hunt the teens, Cami realizes that her survival and her independence are intertwined in ways she could never imagine.”

The cast for Killer Body Count includes Cassiel Eatock-Winnik as Cami George, Savana Tardieu as Wyatt, Khosi Ngema as Ali, N’kone Mametja as Mia, Alex McGregor as Tawny, Bjorn Steinbach as Eugene,...

Whether you love or hate them, remakes have been around for a long time, and they’re not slowing down anytime soon. An update on The Crow is set to arrive this summer, with Hollywood’s version of Speak No Evil not far behind, just as two upcoming examples.

While not all remakes can hold a candle to the original, there’s been no shortage of fantastic movies that reworked genre favorites in thrilling new ways. Some of which even managed to eclipse the original classics, like 1986’s The Fly or 1982’s The Thing.

This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to horror remakes that set themselves apart from the source material, either through expanded storytelling or heightened, visceral horror.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

The Blob – Tubi

Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont’s remake of...

SurrealEstate Season 1 ended with the major reveals about Luke’s (Tim Rozon) family — the spirit he thought was his mother was his stillborn twin sister — and the loss of his powers. He’s dealing with the fallout of that now. So, when TV Insider spoke with executive producer and director Danishka Esterhazy, we had to find out if we should expect a similar ending to Season 2 when it comes to a cliffhanger. “It’s a different kind of ending, and it sets up the return of other older characters, and it sets up the opportunity for our team to go on new adventures, but the agency is still there,” the EP said. “It is stronger than ever.” That’s good to hear, considering things have been a bit rocky at work since Luke returned after dealing with the aforementioned events of the end of Season 1. Most notably, there’s been...

The Roman Agency is once again open for business, but things are different. SurrealEstate is back for its second season on Syfy on October 4, though it almost didn’t get one. (The series was canceled in October 2021 before being renewed in May 2022.) Now, Luke (Tim Rozon) is without his ability to talk to the dead, leaving Susan (Sarah Levy) to step up at the real estate agency as the team of specialists — also including Phil (Adam Korson), August (Maurice Dean Wint), and Zooey (Savannah Basley) — continue to handle the haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Watch an exclusive first look above at the new scares, with some insight from Rozon and Levy. Then, read on for Season 2 scoop from executive producer and director Danishka Esterhazy. Talk about finding out SurrealEstate was renewed after the cancellation. Danishka Esterhazy: We were so happy with Season 1, and we were...

Rhys Frake-Waterfield's new horror film "Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey" takes the toddler-like characters from A.A. Milne's beloved 1926 children's novel, and transforms them into lumbering, human-hating, bloodthirsty serial killers. If you ever wanted to see Christopher Robin's little yellow Pooh bear as Leatherface from "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," then "Blood and Honey" is for you.

The central gag of Frake-Waterfield's film is, of course, the juxtaposition of Milne's childlike innocence with the violent crassness of your average slasher movie. One might ostensibly get a certain lascivious thrill from seeing well-known childhood imagery blended with adult material. A similar approach was used in Danishka Esterhazy's 2019 film "The Banana Splits Movie" which saw the stars of the 1968 children's TV show turned into murderous robots, as well as any number of horror fairy tales.

Because most of the above stories are now in the public domain ("The Banana Splits...

"The Banana Splits" horror movie, re-imagines 'Bingo', 'Fleegle', 'Snorky' and 'Drooper' from "The Banana Splits Adventure Hour" TV series (1968), directed by Danishka Esterhazy for Warner Bros Television Group's digital studio Blue Ribbon Content:

"...a boy named 'Harley' and his family, including brother 'Austin', mother 'Beth' and father 'Mitch', attend a taping of the 'Banana Splits' TV show, featuring a humanoid lion, beagle, elephant and orange gorilla.

"It is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley and business as usual for 'Rebecca', producer of the series. But things take an unexpected turn. Can Harley, his mom and their new pals safely escape ?..."

Cast includes Dani Kind, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, Romeo Carere, Steve Lund and Sara Canning.

Click the images to enlarge ...

Market roster includes Fantastic Fest paranoia thriller Alone With You.

In the run-up to Cannes Toronto genre specialist Raven Banner has landed sales rights to the upcoming Shudder original sequel Scare Package II: Rad Chad’s Revenge produced and directed by creator Aaron B. Koontz with Paper Street Pictures.

Raven Banner will present select clips to buyers at the market on the project, which is in post and is also being produced by Cameron Burns, Ashleigh Snead, Alex Euting and Shawn Talley for Paper Street. Alexandra Barreto, Jed Shepherd, Rachele Wiggins and Anthony Cousins have stepped into the anticipated sequel as segment directors.

Festival

Seven of the nine features selected for the Korean competition at the Jeonju International Film Festival (Apr. 28-May 7) are directed by women. The selected films are “Mother And Daughter” by Kim Jung-eun; “When I Sleep” (Choi Jungmoon); “The Hill of Secrets” (Lee Ji-eun); “Archaeology of Love” (Lee Wanmin); “Missing Yoon” (Kim Jinhwa); “Saving a Dragonfly” (Hong Daye); “Jeong-sun” (Jeong Ji-hye); “Drown” (Lim Sangsu); and “Havana” (Hong Yongho).

Programmer Moon Seok said: “This year’s submissions were diverse in subject matter, and there were many new attempts in genres. Seven of the nine selected works are by female directors, and they continue to be strong players in the industry. I hope this trend will continue, and to have female directors make strides in the commercial film industry too.”

Meanwhile, the festival, which is led by director Lee Joondong, is planning an in-person event under strict Covid-19 regulations and will hold...

Welp, 2021 was certainly a year. There was a lot of good (Movies! TV! Books! Random Horror Awesomeness!) and a lot of bad (pretty much everything else), but we made it to 2022, and I am excited for all that’s to come in the next 12 months (at least when it comes to stuff going on in horror). Over the course of last year, I think formally reviewed over 60 films, did interviews for at least 20 other projects beyond those reviewed films, relaunched Indie Horror Month in April, and even did a ton of other features and articles on Daily Dead as well.

Suffice to say, 2021 was pretty darned busy for me on the writing front and because there was so much content that I absolutely adored, I decided that for my favorites list this time around, I wanted to do things a bit differently because if I dive into every single thing...

Rebooting the 1982 slasher horror, director Danishka Esterhazy tweaks the genre’s shocks in a movie that’s mostly decent fun

The 1982 video-nasty classic The Slumber Party Massacre – a confection of polyester sleepwear, orangey fake blood and phallic construction equipment with remarkable battery longevity, directed by Amy Jones – gets a reboot for a new generation with this, along with a more euphonious title, shorn of the definitive article. This time the director is Danishka Esterhazy, whose previous feature, The Banana Splits Movie, similarly retweaked a near-forgotten property from the pop-culture landfill. After an 80s-set prologue that establishes driller killer Russ Thorn’s (Rob van Vuuren) stalk-and-skewer modus operandi, we catch up with lone survivor Trish Deveraux (Schelaine Bennett) in the present day. Trish is now a paranoid parent, worriedly sending off her only daughter Dana off for a rustic overnighter with her friends. Will history repeat itself?

Not quite. Esterhazy and...

"The Banana Splits" horror movie, re-imagines 'Bingo', 'Fleegle', 'Snorky' and 'Drooper' from "The Banana Splits Adventure Hour" TV series (1968), directed by Danishka Esterhazy for Warner Bros Television Group's digital studio Blue Ribbon Content:

"...a boy named 'Harley' and his family, including brother 'Austin', mother 'Beth' and father 'Mitch', attend a taping of the 'Banana Splits' TV show, featuring a humanoid lion, beagle, elephant and orange gorilla.

"It is supposed to be a fun-filled birthday for young Harley and business as usual for 'Rebecca', producer of the series. But things take an unexpected turn. Can Harley, his mom and their new pals safely escape ?..."

Cast includes Dani Kind, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong, Romeo Carere, Steve Lund and Sara Canning.

Click the images to enlarge ...

Stars: Annie Tuma, Ariana Marquis, Jane Siberry, Jamar Adams Thompson | Written by Jennifer Mancini | Directed by Alexandra Senza

Flee the Light, the first film from both writer Jennifer Mancini and director Alexandra Senza, is a tale of two sisters, Andra (Annie Tuma) and Delfi (Ariana Marquis; Nuptials). Andra is a psychology student focused on Ericksonian therapy and has just been accepted to a prestigious grad school. Delfi is constantly run down and sufferers from persistent visions of a woman vanishing in a burst of coloured light and smoke.

After a therapy session that seems to indicate the problems aren’t all in her mind, Delfi is referred to spiritualist. This causes a rift between the two, Delfi wants to see them, Andra insists her sister needs to see a real doctor and get medication. From here Flee the Light delivers an incredibly cryptic phone call that leads to a witch’s brew of suppressed memories,...

Danishka Esterhazy is helping to usher in another era of horror.

First, she took a beloved '70s children's program and turned it into a tongue-in-cheek nightmare with The Banana Splits Movie. Now she's at it again, taking what is widely known as the first feminist horror movie, Slumber Party Massacre, giving it the 21st-century treatment.

Why she did it is simple. "I am a fan of '80s horror and I am a fan of slasher movies. They were definitely the kind of movie I'd watch at sleepovers with my friends as a teen girl."

In 1982, Rita Mae Brown wrote Slumber Party Massacre, which Amy Holden Jones (The Resident) directed. Both were working with some of the industry's top behind-the-screen talent, and their intent was to shine a light on the misogynistic qualities of horror.

Danishka says it was a little later in life that she watched the original franchise,...

We say it every week, but it must be said again.

Premieres are still rolling out, and movies are dropping all of the time. There are also season finales upon us as the viewing patterns are consistently changing.

Here's what we recommend to watch this week.

Saturday, October 16

8/7c Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story (Lifetime)

Meghan McCain executive produces and Heather Locklear stars in this heartfelt movie based on Kristine Carlson’s book Heartbroken.

When Dr. Richard Carlson, the man behind the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” brand tragically passes away, his wife struggles to adapt to single motherhood as a widower and coming out of her husband’s shadow to carry on his legacy and make it her own..

Grab your tissues for this tear-jerker based on real events.

9/8c Slumber Party Massacre (Syfy)

Can Danishka Esterhazy remake the feminist horror movie while adding...

Danishka Esterhazy’s new remake/reimagining/whatever of “Slumber Party Massacre” begins with an idea so ingenious, it’s surprising no one’s done it before: packing a full feature’s worth of action into the pre-title sequence. It amounts to a remake in miniature; in those opening minutes, Esterhazy introduces final girl Trish Devereaux (Masali Baduza) and all of her friends, who are plucked off one by one by driller killer Russ Thorne (Rob van Vuuren), before she kills him, and then the credits roll.

Continue reading ‘Slumber Party Massacre’: A Witless & Unnecessary Remake Of A Slasher Classic [Fantastic Fest Review] at The Playlist.

Syfy is bringing us an updated classic, and we couldn't be more excited!

The '80s were all about cheesy horror, and The Slumber Party Massacre is about as cheesy as it gets.

Thankfully, some things never get old -- horror, cheese, and coeds among them.

This movie has deep roots that appeal to the best TV Fanatics around, as the original was directed by Amy Holden Jones, who you know as The Resident showrunner.

This time out, hot on the heels of SurrealEstate, Danishka Esterhazy directs, so we know the remake is in good hands.

Airing on Saturday, October 16 at 9/8c, this new contemporary twist-filled reimagining of the 1982 slasher cult classic arrives just in time for Halloween.

Don't you just hate when a slumber party turns into a bloodbath, and a psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill disrupts the fun??

The hour and a half horror film with cast members Hannah Gonera,...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios, the film and entertainment production and distribution arm of Shout! Factory, along with producers Sean Fernald and Cass Paley, TwentyOne 14 Media and Doc McGhee’s McGhee Entertainment, have obtained exclusive film rights to the story of Johnny Bragg, the prisoner and doo-wap singer from the 1950s.

Bragg rose to fame within the Tennessee State Penitentiary while serving six consecutive 99-year sentences at 17 for crimes he did not commit.

As part of Shout!’s deal with the Bragg estate, the film will follow Bragg in prison and how his unique singing style catches the attention of the prison staff, specifically the warden, who came up with the idea to have Bragg and his singing group tour the prison circuit under armed guard. This eventually led to the group recording demos with Sam Philips’ Sun Records, the iconic Memphis label that launched Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

Considering Fantastic Fest 2021 is this writer’s first time back at an in-person festival since Sundance 2020, I’m very excited (and a teeny bit nervous) about getting to spend a whole week indulging in movies from all over the world once again. Later this week, Fantastic Fest will be kicking off on Thursday, and will continue running in-person through September 30th (and the Ff Virtual Fest will begin the very same day).

And even though I’m always pumped for Fantastic Fest’s entire genre-spanning programming slate, there are a handful of films that have already caught my eye, and I thought I’d go ahead and preview 13 titles that I’m incredibly psyched to see as a horror and sci-fi fan. Also, I just wanted to make a note: I didn’t include films that Daily Dead has already covered at previous festivals. Not that they’re not worthy,...

Fantastic Fest returns this September (September 23 - September 30) and had already announced a killer first wave of programming, including screenings of Titane, Lamb, and Gigi Saul Guerrero's Bingo Hell! Today, they announced their final wave of programming, which includes the world premiere of The Black Phone, and much, much more!

The entire press release is included below and you can learn more at: http://fantasticfest.com/

Austin, TX — September 9, 2021 — Fantastic Fest is proud to announce the final wave of programming for the festival’s 16th edition, featuring the widest selection of weird and wonderful films gathered from across the globe to screen in Austin, TX, from September 23rd - 30th.

“Working on this second wave has been a pure joy for the programming team,” says Fantastic Fest Director of Programming Annick Mahnert. “With films coming from as far as Senegal, Latvia, Iran and Kazakhstan, and topics ranging from teenage assassins,...

Watch the Trailer for No Man Of God: "In 1980, Ted Bundy was sentenced to death by electrocution. In the years that followed, he agreed to disclose the details of his crimes, but only to one man. No Man Of God is based on the true story of the strange and complicated relationship that developed between FBI agent Bill Hagmaier and an incarcerated Ted Bundy in the years leading to Bundy's execution."

Starring:

Elijah Wood, Luke Kirby, Aleksa Palladino, Robert Patrick

Directed by:

Amber Sealey

Written by:

Kit Lesser

In Theaters, On Demand and Digital - August 27, 2021

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Stabby Saturdays on Shudder: "On July 10th and July 17th, author Grady Hendrix is celebrating slasher cinema in honor of the launch of his new novel, "The Final Girl Support Group." The two-week event, called Stabby Saturdays, sees the novelist team up with collaborator Ted Geoghegan to screen slasher double features...

Horror cult classic The Slumber Party Massacre was released in 1982. And while it was not exactly lining up the Oscar nominations, it fit in perfectly with the slasher craze at the time. Which also included other bloodbath movie staples such as Friday 13th, Black Christmas, Halloween and more. Now SyFy and Shout! Studios are preparing their own reimagined interpretation of the Amy Holden-Jones gorefest, and we have your first look.

The horror redo will be debuting at the Cannes Film Market and has therefore had its first look released in advance in the form of a photo of the assumed participants of this particular slumber party looking through a window. We can only assume that this is going to see some shadowy figure lurking outside waiting to bring the massacre part of the title to light.

Just like the original, the new iteration of the movie is written and directed by women,...

Cool beans. A couple of our favorite groups, Shout! Studios and Raven Banner Entertainment, are joining forces for the good of horror. Raven Banner will handle the international sales of Shout! Studios' new horror flick Slumber Party Massacre. Shout! still retains the rights for North America but everything else is up for grabs this weeks at Cannes Marche du Film starting tomorrow. This is an updated version of Roger Corman's 1982 cult film. The new Slumber Party Massacre was directed by Canadian filmmaker, Danishka Esterhazy and written by Suzanne Keilly. Shout! Studios, the multi-platform entertainment distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, has tapped Raven Banner Entertainment as its international sales partner for Shout! Studios’ new horror feature, Slumber Party Massacre. Raven...

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

Danishka Esterhazy directs reimagining of 1982 Roger Corman slasher film.

Shout! Studios has brought on Toronto genre specialist Raven Banner to handle international sales at Cannes Marché on Slumber Party Massacre, a reimagining of Roger Corman’s 1982 slasher film.

The Shout! Studios and Blue Ice Pictures film takes place at a sleepover where the arrival of a power drill-wielding psychopath turns the gathering into a bloodbath.

Danishka Esterhazy directed the completed film from a screenplay by Suzanne Keilly. Hannah Gonera, Frances Sholto-Douglas, Mila Rayne, Alex McGregor, and Reze-Tiana Wessels star.

Bob Emmer, Garson Foos, Jordan Fields, and Brent Haynes are executive producers.

A 1980s cult horror classic is getting the remake treatment, and we'll be seeing it sooner rather than later. Shout! Studios is set to release its remake of The Slumber Party Massacre on Syfy later this year. No specific release date has been set at this time. However, the movie has already wrapped filming.

According to a new report, the Slumber Party Massacre Remake was directed by Danishka Esterhazy (The Banana Splits Movie), with a script by Suzanne Keilly (Ash vs. Evil Dead). Plot details largely remain under wraps but it is described as a contemporary reimagining of the original 1982 slasher flick. Brent Haynes, Shout's Head of Original Content Development, had this to say about it.

"Remaking one of the seminal films of Roger Corman and Amy Holden Jones' early work is exciting and audacious. But there are no better hands in which to place this challenge to Danishka Esterhazy,...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios has found a sleepover home for Slumber Party Massacre, a contemporary reimagining of the cult 1982 feature film from Roger Corman and Amy Holden Jones. The new pic, directed by The Banana Splits Movie and Vagrant Queen helmer Danishka Esterhazy from a screenplay by Ash Vs. Evil Dead‘s Suzanne Keilly, will debut later this year on Syfy.

Hannah Gonera, Frances Sholto-Douglas, Mila Rayne, Alex McGregor and Reze-Tiana Wessels star in the update, which wrapped last month in South Africa. Shout! Studios, which developed and executive produced will handle the movie’s worldwide sales and distribution across multiple platforms after bringing in Blue Ice Pictures to serve as producers.

The news comes after Shout! acquired the New Horizon Picture library, which encompasses 270 Roger Corman films.

“Remaking one of the seminal films of Roger Corman and Amy Holden Jones’ early work is exciting and audacious.

Ahead of its VOD release next month, the official trailer for the wild horror movie Willy's Wonderland Trailer has finally arrived. Starring Nicolas Cage, the story follows a night-shift janitor battling violent animatronic mascots in an abandoned family entertainment center. Cage also produced the movie alongside Killer Klowns from Outer Space star Grant Cramer and Mike Nilon, Jeremy Davis, David Ozer, and Bryan Lord. You can check out the trailer below.

Directed by Kevin Lewis and written by G. O. Parsons, Willy's Wonderland begins with a drifter (Nicolas Cage) winding up stranded in the remote town of Hayesville, Nevada. He agrees to work as a janitor at a Chuck E. Cheese-style family fun center called Willy's Wonderland, only to discover that the animatronics have come to life and are trying to kill him. To survive the night, the janitor must work together with a group of teenagers to protect themselves from the murderous robots.

Having recently wrapped Wynonna Earp Season 4, Melanie Scrofano is already set to reunite with leading man Tim Rozon via a “dual role” of sorts on his new Syfy drama, The Surrealtor.

The Surrealtor follows realtor Luke Roman (Earp‘s Rozon aka Doc Holliday) and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Researching, investigating and “fixing” the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create closure — and closings — even as they struggle with demons of their own.

More from TVLineWynonna Earp's...

While the concept of new scripted shows may already feel like a bygone idea in this era of pandemic-frozen productions, Syfy is actually moving forward with one such offering in The Surrealtor. Moreover, the main cast of the series has been officially announced, with a headliner familiar to viewers of the channel in Wynonna Earp’s Tim Rozon.

The Surrealtor, which landed a 10-episode series order back in February—alongside its touted Day of the Dead series—signals momentum with the announcement of its main cast players. The series puts a fixer-upper spin on the Ghostbusters paranormal exterminator dynamic, showcasing the exploits of realtor Nick Roman (Rozon), who leads an elite team who specialize in dealing with property-polluting poltergeists, fixing the things that go bump in the night so that deals can be closed, all while struggling with personal demons of their own.

The Syfy series, a production of Blue Ice Pictures,...

In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix unveiled the trailer for “Julie and the Phantoms,” and Syfy announced six cast members set to star in the upcoming drama series, “The Surrealtor.”

Casting

Syfy‘s upcoming drama “The Surrealtor” is set to include Tim Rozon, Sarah Levy, Adam Korson, Maurice Dean Wint, Savannah Basley and Tennille Read as series regulars. Production for the 10 episodes will begin Sept. 15, and the plot will follow a realtor named Nick Roman (Rozon) and his team that takes on haunted homes. The characters range from realists who do not believe in ghosts to a technology specialist skilled at creating tech that detects spectral guests. George Olson, Lance Samuels, Daniel Iron, Armand Leo and Danishka Esterhazy are all executive producers for the show. Olson is also the showrunner.

Dates

Meredith Corporation announced that People Magazine‘s new series “People (The TV Show!)” will premiere Sept. 14 on the...

Schitt's Creek may be over, but two of its stars are reuniting for new TV projects.

Tim Rozon and Sarah Levy, who played Mutt and Twyla, respectively on the Pop/CBC comedy, are among a wave of castings for Syfy drama The Surrealtor.

They have been set as series regulars alongside Adam Korson, Maurice Dean Wint, Savannah Basley, and Tennille Read.

From Blue Ice Pictures, the 10-episode series starts production on September 15 in Newfoundland, Canada.

George Olson developed the series for television and serves as showrunner and executive producer.

Lance Samuels, Daniel Iron, Armand Leo and Danishka Esterhazy also serve as executive producers.

The series follows realtor Nick Roman and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away.

Researching, investigating and “fixing” the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create...

Schitt’s Creek alums Tim Rozon and Sarah Levy, along with Adam Korson (Seed), Maurice Dean Wint (The Kid Detective), Savannah Basley (Wynonna Earp) and Tennille Read (Workin’ Moms) are set as series regulars in The Surrealtor, Syfy’s upcoming drama series from Blue Ice Pictures. The 10-episode series begins production September 15 in Newfoundland, Canada.

Developed for television by George Olson, The Surrealtor follows realtor Nick Roman (Rozon) and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Researching, investigating and “fixing” the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create closure—and closings — even as they struggle with demons of their own.

Rozon’s Roman is the owner of The Roman Agency, his eponymous real estate firm specializing in “metaphysically engaged” properties. He has gained a whispered reputation as someone who could...

Exclusive: Canadian director Danishka Esterhazy, whose recent projects include helming Lifetime’s TV pic I Was Lorena Bobbitt and horror comedy The Banana Splits Movie, has signed with Paradigm.

The move comes as has come aboard as producer-director on the new Syfy series The Surrealtor, which is set to begin shooting in Newfoundland in the fall. The project reunites Esterhazy with the network after Banana Splits Movie, a dark reboot of the Hanna-Barbera children’s series. It bowed at San Diego Comic-Con last year before premiering on Syfy in October.

Esterhazy also recently directed episodes of Syfy’s action adventure Vagrant Queen starring Adriyan Rae, which bowed in March.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the team at Paradigm,” said said. “I look forward to working with them, developing and expanding my work in both television and feature films in Canada, the USA, and internationally.”

The Surrealtor,...

It’s the end of the trek for Vagrant Queen. Syfy has canceled the space drama, a live-action adaptation of the Vault Comics series from Blue Ice Pictures, after one season, Deadline has confirmed.

The series struggled ratings-wise, averaging 417,000 total viewers and just 131,000 among the P18-49 demo in Live+7.

Created by Jem Garrard, who also served as showrunner, Vagrant Queen followed Elida from child queen to orphaned outcast, as she scavenged the treacherous corners of the galaxy. Adriyan Rae played the lead role of Elida, along with Tim Rozon as Isaac, and Paul du Toit as the menacing Commander Lazaro.

2019-20 TV Renewals And Cancellations

Lance Samuels & Daniel Iron (Goalie) executive produced with F.J. DeSanto & Damian Wassel of Vault Comics. Mika Collins (Deep Six) and Mariko Tamaki (Skim) served as writers, Garrard (Mech X4) and Danishka Esterhazy (Banana Splits) were among the directors.

The Hollywood Reporter was first to report the cancellation.

Exclusive: Dani Montalvo (Dispatches from Elsewhere) and Luke Humphrey (Tiny Pretty Things) are set to star as controversial couple Lorena and John Bobbitt in the Lifetime feature I Was Lorena Bobbitt. Currently in production in Toronto, the film will premiere this summer as part of the network’s Ripped from the Headlines slate.

Lorena Bobbitt became a household name and made tabloid headlines when after years of abuse by her husband, she cut off his penis with a knife in 1993. Now nearly 30 years later, the fully authorized film in which Bobbitt serves as an executive producer, follows her journey from a wide-eyed, immigrant bride to a battered wife into an unlikely media sensation. I Was Lorena Bobbitt also documents her ultimately emerging as a strong, thoughtful woman who has devoted her life to advocating for other abused women.

Following the premiere of the movie, Lifetime will run a PSA for...

From TorontoFilm.Net here is the Toronto Film Production Update for March 2020, including "Fatman", "Flint Strong", "Nightmare Alley" and a whole lot more:

Blood And Water Season 4

Episodic Series – TV

4Breakthrough Entertainment Inc.

Prod.: Paula J. Smith

Dir.: Felipe Rodriguez

Mar 2 - Mar 31/20

Fatman

Feature Films – Theatrical

Fatman Prods. Services Inc.

Prod.: Robert Menzies, Michelle Lang, Lisa Wolofsky, Brandon James

Dir.: Ian Nelms, Eshom Nelms

Jan 29 - Mar 12/20

Flint Strong

Feature Films – Theatrical

NBC Universal

Prod. Michael DeLuca, Elishia Holmes, Barry Jenkins

Dir.: Rachel Morrison

Mar 16 - May 6/20

I Was Lorena Bobbitt

Movies for Television

Cineflix Media Inc.

Prod.: Peter Schneider, Sherri Rufh

Dir.: Danishka Esterhazy

Feb 24 - Mar 16/20

Nightmare Alley

Feature – Theatrical

Prod.: Miles Dale

Dir.: Guillermo del Toro

Jan 13 - May 5/20

Nurses Season 2

Episodic Series – TV

Nurses Season Two Inc.

Prod.: Ilana Frank, Linda Pope, Brian Gibson

Dir.