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Exclusive: Debra Moore Muñoz is developing Silvia Moreno-Garcia ’s 2022 novel The Daughter of Doctor Moreau for television from UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, Atomic Monster and Telemundo Studios.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a retelling of the classic Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells from the perspective of his coming-of-age daughter, Carlota — a sheltered girl raised to believe her father is a genius. When the charming son of Moreau’s patron, Eduardo, arrives at their estate, he threatens to upend the long-simmering feelings between Carlota and the estate’s overseer, Montgomery Laughton, and causes Carlota to question everything she’s been told — forcing her to reckon with some dark truths about her father and his work.

“The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a mixture of science fiction, historical fiction and drama set in lush, 19th century Yucatan, and I’m excited...

Nobody was as important as Elena Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries. She stood for kindness, empathy, and goodness in the show, as her actions were largely very selfless, and she was the victim most times. However, Elena was not consistently good, and some of her actions on the show were seriously toxic and largely ignored.

Elena tried her best to be morally correct, but becoming a vampire in Season 3 and her conflicting feelings for both the Salvatores often made her commit sins that were out of character for her. Many fans even thought that she was self-centered and did not care for others because of the many questionable things she did throughout The Vampire Diaries. These were some of the worst of her actions.

Elena Erased Her Relationship With Damon From Her Memories

While Elena and Damon finally got into an official relationship in Season 5, a huge plot twist got...

Those who’ve seen his films know Ed Lachman as a key collaborator of (naming just some) Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, Steven Sodebergh, Paul Schrader, and Pablo Larraín, with whom his latest collaboration, Maria, is now in theaters and soon on Netflix amidst the studio’s awards blitz. Those who attend EnergaCAMERIMAGE know him as a figurehead, no less essential to the festival than any top brass and treated like royalty at any screening, seminar, or party. It was here nearly a decade ago that I spoke to Lachman on the occasion of Carol, and in 2024 he’s been bestowed a lifetime achievement award––equal-parts earned and obligatory. To paraphrase Leonard Cohen on Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize, granting Ed Lachman such honors at a cinematography festival is like pinning a medal on Mount Everest for being the highest mountain.

As Far from Heaven, his first of numerous Todd Haynes collaborations,...

With a greater diversity of films than many outsiders anticipate, Frightfest always makes sure to include a slice of Gothic, and for Halloween 2024 that meant The Bitter Taste. Scholars of the Gothic, however – and anyone who has ever seen Real Gothic play football – will note that it rarely overlaps with sporting prowess. This ambitious if somewhat scattershot creation by Germany’s Guido Tölke is a rare exception, structured around a pentathlon with a deadly difference.

“The competition isn’t over yet,” breathes the mysterious woman in fencing gear who runs in front of Marcia’s car as she drives through the woods. Marcia, herself a former athlete who is already having a bad day after losing her job as a hunt guide tries to help her, but they are immediately assailed by a monstrous creature which runs faster than the car can go. Marcia escapes and seeks help from the.

Two years ago, we heard that American Horror Story regular Sarah Paulson had signed on to star in a horror thriller called Dust, which would be released as a Hulu Original. That film has since made its way out into the world under the title Hold Your Breath, having been released through the Hulu streaming service on October 3rd – and not only do we have a review of the movie that can be read Here and press day interviews that can be found Here, but we also caught up with the cast and filmmakers when they were on the red carpet at the film’s premiere! JoBlo’s own Ryan Cultrera was able to speak with the film’s stars Sarah Paulson, Amiah Miller (War for the Planet of the Apes), and Alona Jane Robbins (Law & Order), directors William Joines and Karrie Crouse, plus Natasha Ofili of The Politician...

Two years ago, we heard that American Horror Story regular Sarah Paulson had signed on to star in a horror thriller called Dust, which would be released as a Hulu Original. That film has since made its way through production and post-production, and along the way it was retitled Hold Your Breath. It’s now set to be released through the Hulu streaming service on October 3rd – and with that date swiftly approaching, a batch of first look images have arrived online! You can check them out in this article.

Coming to us from Searchlight Pictures, Hold Your Breath marks the feature directorial debut of directors William Joines and Karrie Crouse. Crouse wrote the screenplay for the film, which has the following synopsis: In 1930s Oklahoma, amid the region’s horrific dust storms, a woman is convinced that a sinister presence is threatening her family. Another synopsis let us know...

Gothic, the 2001 action role-playing game developed by Piranha Bytes, is making a grand return after more than two decades.

Thq Nordic and Alkimia Interactive have teamed up to work on a full remake of this beloved role-playing game, as announced at the 2024 Thq Nordic showcase earlier this week. The trailer showcases some interesting aspects of the game that fans can’t wait to try out for themselves.

The Gothic Remake Gives the Game Another Fighting Chance

The original Gothic was well-received by critics for its story and complex interactions with characters that were revolutionary for its time.

Sure, it’s janky, but it’s the type of janky that’s got charm to it which you wouldn’t want to give up.

Related“They found a way to exploit the game, let them have it”: Baldur’s Gate 3 Devs Unique Reaction Proves They’ll Always Put Players First, Unlike Others

Now,...

Wreckfest 2 announced with destruction physics focus and robust sound system for immersive experience. The Eternal Life of Goldman revealed as platformer with hand-painted artwork and unique exploration format. Updates on returning IPs, such as Gothic remake and Titan Quest 2, focus on loyalty to original titles with modern tweaks.

From Wreckfest 2 to Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, there's a lot in the works from Thq Nordic right now, and the publisher has just provided some updates on what to expect from the upcoming roster. Originally formed in 2011 as Nordic Games, Thq Nordic later grabbed the trademark of defunct game company Thq and plenty of licenses alongside it. It's been publishing a mix of new titles and continuing IPs in the years since, with some of the most popular releases being remakes and remasters of memorable games.

The newest updates from Thq Nordic come courtesy of an August 2 digital showcase, held several weeks in...

A24 is teaming up with Chernin Entertainment and award-winning Russian director Egor Abramenko (Sputnik) to produce its next terrifying horror film, Altar. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but 1428 Elm has learned that the script, written by Will Soodik (Westworld), is based on a short story by Philip Fracassi.

Set during a momentous summer in a young boy's life, Altar sounds like a twisted coming-of-age story where he is "forced to grow up faster than he ever imagined." Actress Lily Collias (Good One) will star alongside newcomer Hudson Behling. They will be joined by stars like January Jones (Mad Men), David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer), and Kyle MacLachlan (Fallout).

Fracassi is a Bram Stoker-nominated author who has written many acclaimed stories and novels, including the award-winning collection Behold the Void and novels like Gothic, Boys in the Valley, and the upcoming The Third Rule of Time Travel.

In 2022, Deadline reported that his short story "Death,...

NCIS is one of the most popular long-running primetime television series still on the air amid constant series cancelations like NCIS: Hawaii and Station 19.

Fans instantly fell for the charisma of Mark Harmon's character, Gibbs, and his team of special agents over two decades ago. While Gibbs is gone, his legacy remains.

These days, fans have the face of Silver Fox Gary Cole as Supervisory Special Agent and a constant reminder of Gibbs in nearly every episode, from his rules to former cases.

As we prepare for an impressive 22nd season of NCIS, let's examine the cast and characters we can expect to see return.

Who Will Be Part of the NCIS Season 22 Cast?

Fans have said goodbye to several main characters over the years, including the infamous Gibbs, lab tech Abby Sciuio, deceased medical examiner and NCIS historian Ducky, and agents Tony Dinozzo and Ziva David.

Related:...

Right on time, developer Blinkmoon Games’ gothic bullet hell roguelite Necromantic is out now on PC via Steam in Early Access. The game will remain in the Early Access period for approximately five months, during which time Blinkmoon will be continually evaluating player feedback and implementing new features.

According to Blinkmoon, the current build of Necromantic in Early Access allows players access to the following:

3 Hero Characters 3 Playable Maps 8 Upgradeable Weapons 24 Upgradeable Abilities Over 50 Enemy types including Elites and Bosses

Furthermore, the devs will be publishing a roadmap that “details the characters, weapons, abilities, new hordes, maps, environments and many other additions” for Necromantic, including multiplayer additions, meta features, and other extra content on the road to full launch.

Necromantic places you as a first-year Valorborn Academy student. Kathedril, the territory that Valorborn Academy sits above, is home to a never-ending graveyard of fun. By “fun”, that means endless hordes...

Quick Links Grant Morrison Presents an Intentionally Different Batman Robin — and the initial Bat-Family — Is a Necessary Inclusion A Batman Incorporated Adaptation Would Cover a Broad Emotional Spectrum

A new era for DC films is on the horizon, and with it comes brand-new opportunities to explore while revisiting DC's most famous heroes. It's been revealed by James Gunn that the first new Batman film in his DC Universe will be called The Brave and the Bold. With the film reportedly taking a more comic book-inspired approach to the Caped Crusader than the likes of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy or Matt Reeves' The Batman, there are several options Gunn can capitalize on to adapt versions of Batman that otherwise wouldn’t mesh with the settings established in previous films.

Grant Morrison's now-iconic run of comics, Batman Incorporated, offered a look into the nature of Batman's character that film-goers have...

Small towns hide secrets. They’re typically really good at it too because the smaller the town it seems the darker the secret they are trying to hide. If you grew up in a tiny Midwest town like I did you would know this to be gospel. Southern noir or Southern Gothic is a special sort of genre that when done right shines a sinister light on those secrets. Add some good old good vs evil to the mix and the supernatural and you’ve got something special. In the case of todays series you had the best of all of these mixed into a twisted, beautiful, epic masterpiece that came happened to be co-launched by a master of horror named Sam Raimi and a gent more known for solving mysteries than writing them… a Hardy Boy himself Shaun Cassidy. The show is one of my favorite TV series of all time,...

Warning! Contains potential spoilers for Detective Comics #1084!

Batman returns to a Gotham that doesn't remember him and must reinvent himself to challenge the powerful Orgham family. The Orgham family employs supernatural beings to control Gotham, making them one of Batman's most dangerous foes. Batman's legacy and relationships are reset due to the Orgham family's influence, requiring him to start over and build a new reputation in Gotham.

Batman has been chased out of Gotham City and its citizens have fallen under the hypnotic sway of the Orgham family. Now, after putting his mind back together, Batman is returning to Gotham for the dark conclusion to this Gothic Opera story, which began years ago. While Batman is gone, the Orgham family has full control over the city, and now Batman is going to challenge them in a major way.

DC has revealed details about the beginning of the third and final...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson)

A film that feels uprooted from deep beneath the earth, Raven Jackson’s poetic, patient debut is a distillation of cinema to its purest form, a stunning patchwork of experience and memory. Tethered around the life of Mack, a Black woman from Mississippi, as we witness glimpses of her childhood, teenage years, and beyond, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt becomes a sensory experience unlike anything else this year. Shot in beautiful 35mm by Jomo Fray and edited by Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s collaborator Lee Chatametikool, there’s a reverence for nature and joy for human connection that seems all too rarified in today’s landscape of American filmmaking. – Jordan R.

Where to Stream: VOD...

Catering directly to my interests, the Criterion Channel’s January lineup boasts two of my favorite things: James Gray and cats. In the former case it’s his first five features (itself a terrible reminder he only released five movies in 20 years); the latter shows felines the respect they deserve, from Kuroneko to The Long Goodbye, Tourneur’s Cat People and Mick Garris’ Sleepwalkers. Meanwhile, Ava Gardner, Bertrand Tavernier, Isabel Sandoval, Ken Russell, Juleen Compton, George Harrison’s HandMade Films, and the Sundance Film Festival get retrospectives.

Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.

See the lineup below and learn more here.

Back By Popular Demand

The Graduate,...

If you’ve got a hankering for a new Metroidvania, Kumi Souls Games’ gothic Soulslike The Last Faith is out now for you to devour. The game is out now on PC via Steam (with a 10% launch discount until November 22), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch for $27.99 Usd. Often brutal, but always empowering, The Last Faith thrives on merciless and precise combat, with a huge range of melee weapons, arcane spells, and long-range firearms for you to carve out your own playstyle.

You play as Eryk, a man who awakens with no recollection of his immediate past. Eryk soon discovers that he’s in a race against time as his mind and conscience begins to deteriorate. His desire for salvation from this affliction sets him on a cursed mission that crosses paths with ancient religions and divinities. Use your extensive arsenal of weapons to bring your...

Warning: Spoilers for Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #4!

Batman Beyond undergoes a temporary cat transformation in an issue featuring magical nightmares. Terry McGinnis becomes a cat to fit into the nightmare world created by the Batman Beneath, where his sidekick, Kyle the Catboi, reveals his origin story. The transformation and Kyle's possible connection to Catwoman hint at a deeper connection between the two, potentially revealing a twist in future issues of the series.

For one night only, the Batman becomes a cat-man as Batman Beyond adopts a whole new animal form. Typically, a Batman in any form is a dog person, as both Terry and Bruce raised Ace the Bat-Hound while Bruce also had another dog named Titus. The closest thing to a "cat person" that the Bat-Family has is Damian Wayne — thanks to his cat, named Alfred, gifted to him by Mr. Pennyworth — but that just changed in a big way.

Welcome to The B-Side from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.

Happy Halloween! This year we discuss a legend: Roger Corman! As is tradition, our dear friend Gavin Mevius, talented editor and co-host of the incredible The Mixed Reviews Podcast. Be sure to listen to their podcast and support them on Patreon if you see fit!

Today we tackle three B-Sides: Not of This Earth, The Intruder, and Frankenstein Unbound.

We discuss Corman’s influence on New Hollywood and his enduring influence to this day, his indelible eye for talent both in front of (actors like Nicholson and De Niro got their starts in Corman films) and behind, and the directing career that could’ve been had The Intruder been a hit.

There’s talk of the other...

Developer Kumi Souls Games has given fans a definitive release date for their upcoming gothic Metroidvania, The Last Faith. Originally aiming for an October release, the team has now decided that The Last Faith will instead arrive on November 15 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. To offset the disappointment, a demo is now available on the game’s Steam page.

You play as Eryk, a man who awakens with no recollection of his immediate past. Eryk soon discovers that he’s in a race against time as his mind and conscience begins to deteriorate. His desire for salvation from this affliction sets him on a cursed mission that crosses paths with ancient religions and divinities.

Explore rich, gothic environments in order to piece together the fractured history of Mythringal, and survive intense encounters against swathes of blood-thirsty enemies who will stop at...

For the first time since beginning this editorial series, we’re discussing a documentary rather than a fiction film. That’s because Yellow Veil just released a supersized documentary about the history of the Erotic Thriller called We Kill For Love: The Lost World of the Erotic Thriller (2023).

Clocking in at 163 minutes, this is a thorough, occasionally indulgent documentary written and directed by Anthony Penta. The doc uses a framing device featuring an archivist character, played by Michael Reed, cataloguing countless VHS tapes and watching “Suspect Interviews” (aka talking head interviews) in his dimly lit office. These segments recur throughout We Kill For Love, and also feature voice-over narration from Penta that are partially purple prose, partially quotations from academic articles and books on the genre.

The vast majority of the documentary, however, is taken up by clips and talking head interviews. There’s a good variety of interviewees, including scholars such Linda Ruth Williams,...

Warning: Contains spoilers for Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #2!

Terry McGinnis confronts a starving, angry Killer Croc in Gotham Deep, only to discover that Bruce Wayne purposefully left him there to guard something worse. Bruce Wayne's decision to use Killer Croc as a guard dog and sacrifice shows his ruthless nature, even if he had reason to do so. Despite Batman's mistakes, Terry realizes that Batman represents hope and inspires him to continue fighting for what is right, even in the darkest of times.

Batman was never known for his friendly plans or feel-good solutions to problems, especially in the Batman Beyond universe. Neither foe nor friend was safe from a contingency plan to neutralize them if necessary. However, Terry McGinnis has come face-to-face with Bruce Wayne's cruelest plan yet as he confronts a starving, angry Killer Croc below Gotham Deep. As he attacks Batman, it became clear that Croc didn't...

The Flash has a new ongoing series coming soon, and with one sentence it has become one of the most exciting books of 2023. This fall, writer Si Spurrier will team with artist Mike Deodato to present readers with a bold new look at the Scarlet Speedster as well as the Speed Force. Anticipation for the book is running high, and now Spurrier has set the bar even higher, comparing his forthcoming run to some of the best runs in comic history.

Spurrier shared a promotional image, drawn by Deodato, to his X account. The image shows the Flash standing with arms outstretched with text that asks, “what is the strange attractor?” Spurrier then takes it a step further, saying that if fans enjoyed The Immortal Hulk or Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing, then they “will dig on our curious kool aid.” Finally, he assures readers that they...

Bethany Joy Lenz will reveal her experiences in a cult, detailing significant moments in her upcoming memoir, after spending ten years in recovery. Lenz suffered from "spiritual abuse" and underwent nearly a decade of therapy to address the residual trauma. While appearing on One Tree Hill, Lenz's castmates tried to rescue her from the cult, but she was committed to her beliefs and felt isolated due to the group's manipulative tactics.

One Tree Hill's Bethany Joy Lenz will share details about her time in a cult for an upcoming memoir. Last month, Lenz revealed that she had been a part of an unnamed cult for ten years on the Drama Queens podcast, which she co-hosts with fellow One Tree Hill alumni Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton. At the time, the actress and singer shared that she felt writing about her experience "would be really valuable" noting that she spent ten years in recovery.

Byrne worked with the late Sands on three films – Gothic, Siesta and All Things to All Men. He remembers a fierce, mysterious and much-loved man, fearless as both actor and adventurer

Over the last few months, images of Julian have been recurring in my mind.

A summer morning, so many years ago, filming Gothic in Berkshire. Julian, Natasha Richardson and myself lounging beneath a cedar tree.

British actor, 65, went missing on California mountain hike in January.

Authorities in California have confirmed the human remains discovered in the Mount Baldy mountainous region in the south of the state are those of the British actor Julian Sands.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued the following message on Tuesday (June 27): “The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood. The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results.”

Sands was reported missing on January 13 after he did...

Six months after going missing in the Mount Baldy wilderness outside Los Angeles, it has been confirmed today that veteran actor Julian Sands has passed away at the age of 65.

The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said in an official statement today, “The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood. The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results.

“We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands,” this afternoon’s statement continued.

Here in the horror world, Julian Sands is best known for playing the titular Warlock in the 1989 horror movie Warlock, reprising his role in 1993’s Warlock: The Armageddon.

Sands played Dr. James Atherton in 1990’s Arachnophobia, also starring in Gothic (1986), Naked Lunch (1991), The Turn of the Screw...

Julian Sands, the British actor who pivoted from the romantic lead in “A Room With a View” to playing sinister characters in films like “Warlock,” was confirmed dead Tuesday after being reported missing near Mt. Baldy in Southern California on Jan. 13. He was 65.

On Saturday morning, hikers found human remains in the Mt. Baldy wilderness and contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station.

“The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood. The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department wrote in a statement.

Sands had gone hiking in the snow-covered Baldy Bowl area, about 45 miles east of Los Angeles. He was an experienced mountaineer, but...

Devoted entertainment buffs enjoy spotting hidden messages and deciphering symbols in movies, series, and video clips. Whether it’s a director cameo, a reference to past work or a celebrity nemesis, a common object, or a background character, Easter eggs come in all forms and sizes: a shirt, an insinuation in a line, a poster slapped on a bedroom wall, a piece of jewelry… and sometimes a vehicle. Mega-star Taylor Swift comes to mind as a prime example; she is always dropping hints about her other songs, her loved ones, and those who have wronged her. It’s simply another way for any artist or creator to leave their distinctive mark, while perpetuating a tradition. And an American filmmaker as distinctive as Sam Raimi has made it a point to leave his decaying Oldsmobile, or its replica, in most of his movies.

The title that launched his career in 1981 was The Evil Dead,...

By the time American Gothic had come out, horror fans were familiar with the “don’t go in the woods” trope. Trouble was, and still is, expected for anyone who trades city comforts for the great outdoors. John Hough’s 1988 slasher admittedly follows the same path taken by others before it. However, where many of these kinds of movies continue to complete the same old routine, American Gothic takes a delightfully twisted turn that helps it stand out, even after all these years.

With a tagline like “The family that slays together, stays together,” it’s not hard to figure out where American Gothic is heading. The classic poster art, a dark parody of Grant Wood’s famous painting, even puts Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Steiger’s villainous characters front and center. Yet before they show up, viewers first meet Cynthia (Sarah Torgov), the movie’s ostensible Final Girl.

The Boys season 3 cast and character guide helps show how special the series is. More than a year and a half after the season 2 finale, The Boys returned to Prime Video for season 3, with season 4 now on the way. The series, created by Eric Kripke and adapted from the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, picked up a year after the explosive events of season 2 and its cast was better and bigger than ever. With the Deep cast back into The Seven, The Boys season 3 saw quite the upheaval in many regards and also showcased more supes than previously seen on the show.

The Boys season 2 left the characters in precarious situations, though it seemed like things were getting better. Stormfront was no longer a threat after Ryan dispatched her with his powers. Butcher joined Grace Mallory's task force, and Hughie teamed up with Congresswoman Victoria Neuman in...

Writer / Director / Actor Halina Reijn discusses some of her favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Rrr (2022)

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

Gothic (1986)

Warlock (1989)

Annie (1982)

Midsommar (2019) – Dennis Cozzalio’s 2019 year-end movie roundup

Bambi (1942) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary

Annie (2014)

A Woman Under The Influence (1974)

Husbands (1970) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Opening Night (1977)

The Piano Teacher (2001) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Black Book (2006)

Elle (2016) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review, Dennis Cozzalio’s 2016 year-end movie roundup

The Fourth Man (1983)

Basic Instinct (1992) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Showgirls (1995)

Indecent Proposal (1993)

Fatal Attraction (1987) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

9 ½ Weeks (1986)

Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)

365 Days (2020)

A History Of Violence (2005)

Last Tango In Paris (1972) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

Chinatown (1974) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary

Marathon Man (1976)

The Abyss (1989)

Apocalypse Now (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?...

Hot horror author Philip Fracassi’s short story, Death, My Old Friend, has been optioned by director Christopher Riggert for his feature directing debut. Terms were not disclosed.

In Fracassi’s short story, a boy sparks an unlikely relationship with the personification of Death. As they grow older, and Death begins taking those closest to him, he is forced to question the sinister nature of their friendship.

Fracassi is the author of the award-winning story collection, Behold the Void, and his latest collection, Beneath a Pale Sky, was recently nominated for a Bram Stroker award. His upcoming novels include A Child Alone with Strangers (Skyhorse) and Gothic (Cemetery Dance).

He recently closed a two-book, six-figure deal with Tor Nightfire, an imprint of Macmillan, the first release of which will be the novel Boys in the Valley (Summer 2023).

As a screenwriter, Fracassi’s films have been distributed by Lifetime Movie Network and Disney Entertainment.

Nominations for the 21st Americana Honors and Awards were announced during a special event at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville on Monday. The annual celebration of roots music will return to the Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 14.

Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, and Yola all picked up three nominations this time around, thanks to their strong 2021 albums and singles. All three performers are nominated the same categories: Album of the Year, Artist of the Year (which Carlile actually won in 2021), and Song of the Year. Other Artist of...

Red Arrow Studios Intl. has secured a raft of deals for two of its premium drama titles “Blackout – Tomorrow Is Too Late” and “Departure.”

The international thriller “Blackout – Tomorrow Is Too Late,” starring Moritz Bleibtreu (“The Baader Meinhof Complex”) and Marie Leuenberger (“The Divine Order”), has been picked up by Mediawan Rights for French-speaking Europe, Disney Plus in the U.K. and Ireland, and HBO Nordic for a whole host of territories, including the Nordics, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Netherlands. The series is produced by W&b Television for Joyn and Sat.1 in Germany.

Seasons one and two of the conspiracy thriller “Departure” have been acquired by Rai for RAI4 in Italy and The Walt Disney Company for Foxcrime in Turkey. Asiaplay has also picked up the show’s second season for Catchplay+ in Taiwan, Indonesia and Singapore, following its previous acquisition of season one.

“Departure” has already...

Content warning: The following story contains brief mention of sexual abuse and drug abuse.

Premiering Feb. 27 on the Spanish-language streaming service Pantaya, the new thriller "Señorita 89" dives deep into Mexican gender norms, using the 1989 Miss Mexico beauty pageant as its fictional setting. Filled with drugs, sex, and violence, the show has plenty of drama, with its main concern being feminine power, outdated beauty standards, and its love-hate relationships with beauty overall.

It starts as the year's 32 contestants sequester themselves in the pageant organizers' remote estate, "La Encantada." It's a mansion combining the vibes of the houses in "Mexican Gothic" and "The Bachelor." There, the power imbalance is immediately clear. The "girls," as everyone keeps calling them even though they're in their early twenties, have to sign super-intense contracts, giving away their legal rights as a precondition to participating. The pageant organizers, headed by Ilse Salas's Concepción in the part of the madame,...

By any standard, Gordon Parks (1912-2006) led an extraordinary life as a photographer, filmmaker, composer, author, eyewitness to several major events of the 20th century, and above all a storyteller. As a Black man born into poverty in an America not-so-far removed from slavery, as Jim Crow laws swept the south, his life is even more remarkable. In “A Choice of Weapons: Inspired By Gordon Parks,” the HBO documentary premiering November 15, director John Maggio attempts to capture the essence of Parks, by celebrating his motivating ideology of the artist as activist, through the reflections of the generation of artists he inspired. A welcomed effort, the film doesn’t fully commit, resulting in a rather uninspired portrait of one of America’s greatest artistic trailblazers.

“A Choice of Weapons” blends Parks’ striking photographs (spanning more than 40 years) with footage of the artist in conversation, supported by reflections from a starry cast of interviewees,...

Whenever Adia Victoria found herself struggling to write about the South while confined at home throughout 2020, she would turn to the soil. The one source of creative comfort she found was the imposing magnolia tree visible just outside her mother’s house in North Nashville.

“I got really close to that tree,” says the singer-songwriter and artist. “I’m from South Carolina, and like a lot of kids, I grew up in the shade of a magnolia, where I would create worlds with my little sisters and all the little girls in the neighborhood.

King Knight is the latest twisted yet brilliant movie from director Richard Bates Jr. I have been a big fan of his movies since his debut Excision almost ten years ago and thought there was no better time to remind people of his movies now that King Knight is doing the festival rounds.

First up is the aforementioned Excision. And what a debut it is, as we see ‘a disturbed high school student with aspirations of a career in medicine go to extremes to earn the approval of her controlling mother’. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. With a fantastically varied cast including AnnaLynne McCord, Ariel Winter, Malcom McDowell, Ray Wise, John Waters and Traci Lords it’s an expertly-crafted and grotesque story which you will not forget in a hurry.

The director’s second movie was completely different though. How you go from Excision to a...

A sequel that can’t be faulted for lack of ambition, Rodo Sayagues’ Don’t Breathe 2 attempts to turn the hero/boogeyman of Fede Alvarez’s 2016 original — “The Blind Man,” played by Stephen Lang — into a nigh-unstoppable thriller icon like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. In doing so, Sayagues and Alvarez (cowriters of both pics) say goodbye to the lean, self-contained format of the original in both setting and narrative, eventually taking a turn into campy menace that might be described as Detroit Gothic. Where the first film offered genuine scares, this one is suspenseful at best, snicker-worthy at worst, and ...

A sequel that can’t be faulted for lack of ambition, Rodo Sayagues’ Don’t Breathe 2 attempts to turn the hero/boogeyman of Fede Alvarez’s 2016 original — “The Blind Man,” played by Stephen Lang — into a nigh-unstoppable thriller icon like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. In doing so, Sayagues and Alvarez (cowriters of both pics) say goodbye to the lean, self-contained format of the original in both setting and narrative, eventually taking a turn into campy menace that might be described as Detroit Gothic. Where the first film offered genuine scares, this one is suspenseful at best, snicker-worthy at worst, and ...

Further prizes awarded to Isabel Sandoval and Marcelo Martinessi projects.

Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir has won the top prize at the Berlinale Co-Production Market to develop her upcoming feature The Oblivion Theory.

The Eurimages co-production development award of €20,000 went to the project, which was presented at the market by France’s Incognito Films and Germany’s One Two Films.

Adapted from José Eduardo Agualusa’ novel A General Theory Of Oblivion, the film relocates the drama to Gaza City in 1987, during the first Palestinian Intifada. Jacir is known for directing When I Saw You, which won the Netpac award when it...

Further prizes awarded to Isabel Sandoval and Marcelo Martinessi projects.

Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir has won the top prize at the Berlinale Co-Production Market to develop her upcoming feature The Oblivion Theory.

The Eurimages co-production development award of €20,000 went to the project, which was presented at the market by France’s Incognito Films and Germany’s One Two Films.

Adapted from José Eduardo Agualusa’ novel A General Theory Of Oblivion, the film relocates the drama to Gaza City in 1987, during the first Palestinian Intifada. Jacir is known for directing When I Saw You, which won the Netpac award when it...

The Berlin Film Festival’s European Film Market (Efm) is gearing up for its upcoming online edition, for which it has announced 35 promising feature film projects from 25 countries selected for its co-production market.

The Efm on Friday also unveiled details of the digital platform on which business will be done.

The Berlinale Co-Production Market selection comprises works in various stages from global helmers, most of whom are known on the fest circuit while several are Berlin regulars, such as Palestinian helmer Annemarie Jacir, who was on the Berlin jury last year.

The prolific Jacir will be presenting “The Oblivion Theory”; Turkish filmmaker Yeşim Ustaoğlu, who broke out in Berlin, will be pitching her new drama “Left Over”; Oscar-nominated Polish director Jan Komasa (“Corpus Christi”) will unveil “Shine of the Sun”; while New York-based Filipina filmmaker Isabel Sandoval, who made a splash with transgender drama “Lingua Franca,” will talk up her follow-up feature “Tropical Gothic.

After receiving nearly 400 nominations for the 2020 Popsugar Book Club Awards, it's finally time to reveal the shortlist. Take a peek at the full slate of Popsugar Book Club-approved nominees ahead, including Mexican Gothic by Silvia Garcia-Moreno, Jasmine Guillory's Party of Two, and more. Final voting takes place exclusively in our Popsugar Book Club Facebook group starting today, with polls closing on Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. Et. If you're not a member yet, it's not too late! Join right here and cast your vote in each category. Winners will be announced on Nov. 20.

Once you've voted in the Facebook group polls, stay tuned for our 2021 Popsugar Reading Challenge, launching Dec. 1. Cheers to all the wonderful books that made their debut in 2020 and to the nominees who gave us stories to cherish during a difficult year.

Related: 42 Books Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2021

Best Romance Book of 2020

Party of Two...

There are plenty of disturbing films in the world. One of them is a 1990 release, directed by Paul Schrader and written by Harold Pinter in an adaptation of the book by Ian McEwan. The film in question is The Comfort of Strangers, the latest disturbing film I'm trying to wrap my head around, and it's out this week on Blu-ray and DVD from the Criterion Collection. Mary and Colin are a well-bred couple that seemingly have no issues...

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

Exclusive: Hulu has put in development Mexican Gothic, a drama series based on Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s bestselling horror thriller novel, from Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ Milojo Productions and ABC Signature where the company has had a deal. Milojo acquired the rights to develop the fiction fantasy book for television in a competitive situation.

Published by Del Rey in June, Mexican Gothic follows Noemí Taboada, a young socialite who travels to the Mexican countryside and the mountains of Hidalgo in hopes of rescuing her cousin, who has recently married into a reclusive mining family, after receiving a frantic letter in the mail. Noemí seeks to unveil the family’s violent and menacing secrets, but her confidence is quickly threatened and there may be no escaping the walls of her strange, new home.

A week ago, Ripa recommended the book to her Instagram followers, calling it “Sublime horror for your summer reading.

Harry Clein, 82, co-founder of Hollywood PR agencies Clein + Feldman and Clein + White, died June 18 in Atlanta. He suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

I first met Clein in Manhattan in 1978 when I worked in the United Artists publicity bullpen at 729 Seventh Ave. He represented Alan J. Pakula on the western “Comes a Horseman,” starring James Caan and Jane Fonda. He admired my Annie Hall vests and fedoras; we bonded over his encyclopedic knowledge of film and Broadway musicals, and remained friends as he founded bicoastal press agency Clein + Feldman in 1981 with Bruce Feldman. Their first client, Pakula’s “Sophie’s Choice,” won Meryl Streep her second acting Oscar.

When I first moved to Los Angeles as the West Coast Editor of Film Comment, Clein + Feldman hired me to be the unit publicist on what would turn out to be Sam Peckinpah’s last movie, “The Osterman Weekend” (1983), starring Rutger Hauer, Dennis Hopper,...

Harry Clein, 82, co-founder of Hollywood PR agencies Clein + Feldman and Clein + White, died June 18 in Atlanta. He suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

I first met Clein in Manhattan in 1978 when I worked in the United Artists publicity bullpen at 729 Seventh Ave. He represented Alan J. Pakula on the western “Comes a Horseman,” starring James Caan and Jane Fonda. He admired my Annie Hall vests and fedoras; we bonded over his encyclopedic knowledge of film and Broadway musicals, and remained friends as he founded bicoastal press agency Clein + Feldman in 1981 with Bruce Feldman. Their first client, Pakula’s “Sophie’s Choice,” won Meryl Streep her second Best Actress Oscar.

When I first moved to Los Angeles as the West Coast Editor of Film Comment, Clein + Feldman hired me to be the unit publicist on what would turn out to be Sam Peckinpah’s last movie, “The Osterman Weekend” (1983), starring Rutger Hauer,...

Harry Clein, a veteran film publicist who wrote the original press notes for Star Wars and helped develop the innovative internet campaign for The Blair Witch Project, died June 18 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder in Atlanta. He was 82.

His death was announced by spokesperson Mark Pogachefsky.

Clein, along with Bruce Feldman, cofounded the Clein + Feldman agency in 1981. Their first client was director Alan J. Pakula and his film Sophie’s Choice.

With offices on both coasts and quickly developing a reputation as an innovative shop for independent distributors, producers and filmmakers, the agency became Clein + White in 1989, with the addition of Cara White as a partner and the departure of Feldman for a studio career. Clein + White closed in 2000, with Clein focusing on producing and marketing consultation. He also taught at the Los Angeles Film School.

Earlier in his career, Clein was a unit publicist on such films as All the President’s Men,...