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Each of the first four episodes of Vampire Academy, the new YA series from creators Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre, opens with a quick sequence outlining the three principal roles that characters occupy. The first are the Moroi, vampires who have magical Elemental powers, but are basically powerless to defend themselves. Then there’s the Strigoi, who are Moroi that have turned evil and adhere to characteristics that audiences traditionally associate with vampires such as bloodlust and aggression. Finally, there are Dhampir guardians – half Moroi/half Dhampir who have sworn to protect the Moroi from the Strigoi.

If that primer is confusing, Vampire Academy only gets more convoluted from here. The 10-episode Peacock adaptation of Richelle Mead’s bestselling fantasy romance series is overstuffed, overcomplicated and often nonsensical, especially in its first half.

We open at a party that introduces Lissa Dragomir (Daniela Nieves), a Royal Moroi, and her best friend Rose Hathaway,...

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes release details for Inbred, Blood, and 4 Dead Girls, a trailer for The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue, featuring Robert Englund, details on a Jason Voorhees-inspired charity, an interview with Nick Basile, the director of Dark, and much more:

The Mole Man of Belmont Avenue Trailer and Release Details: “Two years ago, the Mugg Brothers, who have never worked a day in their lives, inherited a brownstone apartment building. In that short time, their slacker ways have run the building into the ground. Tenants are moving out, no one drinks at the bar downstairs, and the building’s pets are going missing. If all that isn’t enough to make them sit up and take notice, they soon discover a mysterious creature is hiding in the basement and trying to...