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Kevin Bacon is no stranger to horror, following roles in Friday the 13th, Tremors, Stir of Echoes and the television series The Following, to name a few. It's a genre that has served him well and that could be why he's returning to it with the new Prime Video limited series The Bondsman. The first trailer for the series has been released, and it finds Bacon playing a bounty hunter who has awakened from the dead to find his job has an added supernatural element.

Created by Grainger David, The Bondsman stars Bacon as Hub Halloran, a bounty hunter who was murdered and ends up getting a new shot at life with a demonic twist. His new job is to recapture escaped demons from Hell for the Devil after Lucifer resurrects him. Should Halloran fail in his new mission, he will be "terminated," as Jolene Purdy's Midge tells him...

Kevin Bacon is back on the small screen, and this time, he’s cutting footloose as… wait for it… an undead bounty hunter with a thirst for redemption. I don’t know about you, but this is one supernatural thriller I can’t wait to see. Prime Video recently announced that the eight-episode Blumhouse Television-produced series The Bondsman will premiere in April.

In the series, Bacon plays a bounty hunter named Hub Halloran. He lives on a farm with his mother Kitty (Beth Grant) after having separated from his wife (and musician) Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles). When he’s brutally killed, Hub’s shady past places him right in the sights of hell’s management team, who recruit him for sinister purposes. See, whereas the job of most bounty hunters is to chase criminals who are alive, Halloran’s job will be to hunt down the demons who’ve escaped...

Kevin Bacon seems to be channeling DC’s John Constantine in his new horror series, The Bondsman, which has received a new first-look ahead of its April 3 release on Prime Video. Bacon spoke with Vanity Fair about the Blumhouse Television-produced series, in which he plays a resurrected bounty hunter on the tail of escaped demons and his own redemption.

Bacon is certainly no stranger to horror, having starred in the originalFriday the 13th along with movies such as Hollow Man, Stir of Echoes, and Maxxxine, but this one is a little different as it brings with it a certain amount of humor with its excessive gore. As he explained:

“It is very violent and has a lot of blood and scares, but it also has some tongue-in-cheek aspects. It’s oftentimes funny, and it also has a lot of heart.”

In the series, Bacon plays Hub Halloran, who lives...

In this age of streaming entertainment, viewers' criteria for what qualifies as a multiplex-worthy movie has changed dramatically. Generally, a film has to be a four-quadrant tentpole or a family-friendly animated piffle (preferably with a toy or video game tie-in) to get people out of their houses. Comedies are no longer a safe play, nor are adult-skewing dramas. Small-scale films in general are typically viewed on the couch as a second-screen distraction. Horror movies, however, are typically an exception.

Whether they're big studio productions like "Nosferatu," "A Quiet Place: Day One," and "Alien: Romulus," or more modestly scaled indie efforts like "Longlegs," "Terrifier 3," and "Talk to Me," moviegoers (mostly of the younger variety) will show up on opening weekend provided the hook is well-baited. They don't need stars, and they certainly don't need ecstatic early word from critics (lamentably); all they desire are a few good scares, some creepy atmosphere,...

Spoiler Alert: This article discusses the plot and ending of “Presence,” now playing in theaters.

As with many ghost stories, the presence in “Presence” has a good reason to haunt its house.

After watching on as the Payne family turns against one another, the Presence that drifts around their newly purchased, bougie abode makes a grand gesture to save its tattered residents. Looming above as the drugged Chloe (Callina Liang) is about to be murdered by her new boyfriend Ryan (West Mulholland), the ghost swoops downstairs to awaken her brother Tyler (Eddy Maday) from his own roofie-induced slumber. In a possessed rush, Tyler storms up the stairwell, down the corridor and enters the bedroom to tackle Ryan, who has already killed one of Chloe’s friends and staged it as an overdose. In the scuffle, the two boys abruptly fly out of the second-floor window. The Presence then looks below...

Movies about haunted houses can vary greatly in terms of scares and the style of horror tactics used by the director. The Others successfully pulled off one of the biggest twists in the subgenre, departing from the usual tropes seen in the media like Poltergeist or The Haunting of Hill House. Now, director Steven Soderbergh (Full Circle) has created a new take on the classic haunted house situation in which a family moves into a new home and quickly begins to suspect they are not alone in the house. Written by David Koepp, the mastermind behind screenplays for movies like Jurassic Park, Stir of Echoes, Ghost Town, and more, Presence will give audiences an entirely new perspective on ghosts. More specifically, the perspective of the ghost in the story.

Updating the themes of The Conversation and Blow Out for the pandemic era, 2022’s Kimi, Steven Soderbergh’s thriller about the panoptic world of voice assistants, marked the director’s first realized collaboration with veteran screenwriter David Koepp, whose filmography is noteworthy for his many scripts written for legendary auteur directors, including Brian DePalma, Steven Spielberg, and David Fincher (Panic Room). And that’s in addition to his direction of his own scripts, including Stir of Echoes and Ghost Town. Now, with another fleet, multi-layered thriller, Presence, Koepp continues his collaboration with Soderbergh, […]

The post “The Boys in the Basement Were Very Active On This One”: Screenwriter David Koepp on Writing Steven Soderbergh’s Ghost Pov Thriller Presence first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Updating the themes of The Conversation and Blow Out for the pandemic era, 2022’s Kimi, Steven Soderbergh’s thriller about the panoptic world of voice assistants, marked the director’s first realized collaboration with veteran screenwriter David Koepp, whose filmography is noteworthy for his many scripts written for legendary auteur directors, including Brian DePalma, Steven Spielberg, and David Fincher (Panic Room). And that’s in addition to his direction of his own scripts, including Stir of Echoes and Ghost Town. Now, with another fleet, multi-layered thriller, Presence, Koepp continues his collaboration with Soderbergh, […]

The post “The Boys in the Basement Were Very Active On This One”: Screenwriter David Koepp on Writing Steven Soderbergh’s Ghost Pov Thriller Presence first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

We’re excited to announce today that Cineverse has saved director Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger remake and plans an unrated wide theatrical release later this year.

Bloody Disgusting’s parent company Cineverse acquired all U.S. and Canadian theatrical, home entertainment, and streaming rights through a deal with Legendary Entertainment.

The news was first reported by Variety this afternoon.

This fresh take on the beloved anti-hero known as “Toxie” was directed by Macon Blair (I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore) and stars Emmy and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”), Kevin Bacon, and Elijah Wood.

The Toxic Avenger is a daring and darkly comedic reimagining of the cult-classic franchise that first took the world by storm in the 1980s.

“In this bold new chapter of the classic midnight movie franchise created by Lloyd Kaufman and Troma Entertainment; a shocking accident transforms downtrodden janitor...

A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone in Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, a horror film that’s uniquely told from the perspective of the ghost.

Neon releases Presence in theaters on January 24, 2025.

Watch the official final trailer for Presence below.

In Presence, “A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they are not alone. A supernatural force has infiltrated the house, and taken a specific interest in the couple’s daughter.”

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Soderbergh reunites with writer David Koepp (Stir of Echoes) to give an innovative new spin on the quintessential ghost story. From the opening frame until the end credits, audiences see the thrilling story unfold through chilling narrative twists via an experimentation with form and technique. Using the camera’s gaze as the ghost’s observing eyes isn’t the only trick...

Steven Spielberg is set to return to the science fiction genre for the first time since 2018's Ready Player One with The Dish, a new movie written by David Koepp. The screenwriter recently opened up about The Dish and why fans should look forward to the new Spielberg feature.

Koepp briefly touched on collaborating with Spielberg on his new movie, The Dish, while speaking with TheWrap about the 25th anniversary of his movie Stir of Echoes (which he wrote and directed). "I am so not allowed to say anything," Koepp said, joking that "I think deep down, it bothers Steven that I’ve read the script." The screenwriter also confirmed a recent production report stating that The Dish, which is the movie's working title, would begin production in February 2025, with principal photography scheduled to take place in Atlanta, Georgia.

Related How Steven Spielberg Ensured the Saving Private Ryan Cast Would...

After stepping away from the series more than 25 years ago, David Koepp returned to pen the screenplay for Jurassic World Rebirth, the upcoming seventh installment in the dinosaur action franchise. In a recent interview, Koepp opened up about the conditions that convinced him to return to the Jurassic franchise.

While speaking with TheWrap about the 25th anniversary of his movie Stir of Echoes (which he wrote and directed), the conversation shifted to focus on Koepp's upcoming projects, one of which is the hotly-anticipated Jurassic World Rebirth. Koepp's involvement in the movie was one of the first details revealed about the movie and came as a surprise to the hardcore Jurassic fans considering that he departed the franchise after 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park. As for what drew him back to the franchise after so long away, Koepp shared, "The idea of starting afresh. You don’t often get that...

In 1999 “The Sixth Sense,” a spooky-ooky movie involving ghosts and a freaky little kid who sees them, opened theatrically and quickly became a cultural sensation and a box office juggernaut. It would end up earning $672 million at the global box office and garnering six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Its signature line of dialogue (“I see dead people”) would enter the lexicon, endlessly quoted, parodied and spoofed.

But there was another, very similar, equally wonderful movie that opened in 1999 that didn’t get nearly the attention that it deserved – or, indeed, the attention that was bestowed upon “The Sixth Sense.”

That movie was writer/director David Koepp’s “Stir of Echoes,” which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and as such has a brand-new 4K Uhd Blu-ray disc out (available exclusively through Amazon). And, incredibly, one of the new special features details how Koepp was...

Across his near-40-year career, David Koepp has delivered several iconic adaptations of genre properties, the most notable being that of the Jurassic Park franchise, co-writing the original with author Michael Crichton, writing the sequel and returning for the upcoming Jurassic World Rebirth. But situated among his more popular works in the '90s and early 2000s is what's still one of his most thrilling and underrated efforts with Stir of Echoes, which also marked his second time in the director's chair.

Stir of Echoes follows Tom Witzky, portrayed by Kevin Bacon, who begins experiencing unsettling visions after being hypnotized by his sister-in-law. As these spectral occurrences intensify, Tom finds himself drawn into unraveling the mystery surrounding a girl's ghost.

Release Date  September 10, 1999Rating  RRuntime  99 minutesGenres  Mystery, Thriller, HorrorCast  Rosario Varela, James Andelin, Chalon Williams, Conor O'Farrell, Zachary David Cope, Stephen Eugene Walker, Lisa Lewis, Larry Neumann Jr., Mary Kay Cook,...

It’s the holiday season which means tons of free time by the fire. If you’re looking to fill your time with horror, Vizio has left you a Pandora’s Box under the tree filled with all the most terrifying Free titles sure to keep your heart racing this December!

WatchFree+ will fill your season with shrieks of delight as you enjoy the chills of 13 horror classics, including Screambox’s #Amfad: All My Friends Are Dead and Santastein!

Also streaming for free are The Lake, Open Water, The Golem, The Crazies, Cube, Lake Placid, Stir of Echoes, An American Werewolf in London, Silent Hill: Revelation, and cult classic Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

WatchFree+ has thousands of free premium movies and shows that can be streamed on demand on Vizio TVs, or Anyone can enjoy titles like these and more using the Vizio mobile app! All you need is a free...

Stir of Echoes was an integral part of my childhood. My family owned a copy of the film on VHS and it aired frequently on cable television. It was a movie that I watched more times than I can count and never grew bored or tired of it. To this day, when I think of Kevin Bacon, Stir of Echoes is the first film that comes to mind and it’s the one that I most closely associate with him. I hadn’t seen the movie since I was a teenager and I was curious to see how it held up in present day. I’m happy to say, that even twenty-five years later, the movie is endlessly compelling, thrilling and entertaining.

Stir of Echoes plot

Following a spur-of-the-moment hypnoses session at a drunken party with friends, Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) begins to experience visions and events that he can’t explain.

In this week’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo returns to the past to investigate supernatural thrills while chatting with David Koepp about the 25th Anniversary 4K release of his cult-favorite film, “Stir of Echoes.” The 1999 psychological horror film stars Kevin Bacon as a man who, after being hypnotized at a party, begins experiencing disturbing visions that lead him to uncover the mystery of a missing neighborhood girl.

Continue reading ‘Stir Of Echoes’: David Koepp Discusses The 25th Anniversary 4K Release, His Friendship With Kevin Bacon, & Steve Soderbergh’s ‘Presence’ [The Discourse Podcast] at The Playlist.

Beyond Fest has announced something that should make fans of 1999’s tragically under-appreciated film Stir of Echoes very happy. There will be a special 25th anniversary screening of the film in Hollywood on Saturday, December 15.

Stir of Echoes was based on the book A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson, and if you think his book was a one-hit wonder, boy are you wrong! Matheson also wrote I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come and the short story Duel, all of which were made into films.

His book Hell House was adapted to film as The Legend of Hill House, Button, Button’s onscreen title is The Box, and Bid Time Return was adapted as Somewhere in Time (starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve).

David Koepp was a big fan of Matheson’s work, and he directed and wrote the screenplay for Stir of Echoes. Kevin Bacon...

Stir of Echoes, written and directed by David Koepp, is a perfect movie for November because it combines the cozy, communal nature of late autumn football games, parties with friends and family and the chills of an atmospheric horror movie. The movie follows Kevin Bacon as a husband and father who begins to experience supernatural occurrences after a hypnosis session during a party: hes haunted by the ghost of a young girl (Jennifer Morrison) who wont leave him alone until he does what she wants. Stir of Echoes rarely gets too intense, instead relying on an unnerving premise and the charisma of Kevin Bacon to provide a creepy mystery that will keep you guessing.

Golden Globe Award-winning actor Kevin Bacon has set his next horror movie after starring in the smash-hit A24 slasher MaXXXine, and it's about to be an entire family affair. Bacon, his Emmy Award-winning wife Kyra Sedgwick, and their two adult children, Travis and Sosie Bacon, will star together in a new horror-comedy titled Family Movie.

The talented family will produce this film for Mixed Breed Films in collaboration with Norman Golightly at Dark Castle Entertainment. Dark Castle is best known for being behind other horror movies such as House on Haunted Hill, House of Wax, Orphan and Orphan: First Kill. Besides Family Movie, Dark Castle is currently working on a third Orphan movie.

Neon International will handle the foreign rights and present the horror-comedy at the American Film Market this week, while CAA Media Finance will manage the U.S. rights. Besides producing and starring in the movie, Bacon and Sedgwick will also direct.

Steven Soderbergh’s Presence delivers a new spin on the haunted house movie, and Neon has unveiled the official trailer highlighting just how unconventional: it’s told from the perspective of the ghost.

Presence releases theatrically in select cities on January 17, 2025.

Check out the official trailer for Presence below.

I wrote in my review, “Soderbergh reunites with Kimi screenwriter David Koepp (Stir of Echoes) to give an innovative new spin on the quintessential ghost story. Presence frames its haunted events entirely from the perspective of its ghost. From the opening frame until the end credits, audiences see the thrilling story unfold through chilling narrative twists via Soderbergh’s experimentation with form and technique. Using the camera’s gaze as the ghost’s observing eyes isn’t the only trick up Soderbergh and Koepp’s sleeves, ensuring this exciting shakeup of the haunted house keeps you guessing.”

“Presence gives a contemporary,...

A year after premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, Steven Soderbergh’s haunted house experiment “Presence” will finally hit theaters — on January 24, 2025. Neon scooped the movie out of the Park City lineup at the top of this year, now adding “Presence” to its growing roster of horror movies (and isn’t that the growing roster of any Hollywood company right now?) after “Longlegs” and “Immaculate” did strong business this year. In a most unusual twist on the haunted house movie, this film about a suburban family who discovers they are not alone in their new home is shot entirely from the perspective of the ghost. Watch the full trailer for “Presence” below.

Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan play the heads of a family whose marriage is already fracturing when they move into a handsome, century-old home in a good school district (with Julia Fox briefly making a cameo as their...

Horror movies about ghosts are as classic as it gets for seasonal Halloween scares, and a few of them are even spooky enough to warrant an R-rating. Despite their ubiquity as horror movie villains, ghosts rarely break the boundaries of PG-13, relying more on tension, gore, and eerie sights than straight-up gore, as is the case with many other horror genres such as slasher movies. However, a select few are able to break the boundaries of spectral scares far enough to be branded as true R-rated horror movies, suitable only for the most fright-forward audiences.

Ghost movies can achieve an R-rating through a few different means. Sometimes, the subject matter or circumstances revolving around a specter's death can be drastic or macabre enough to warrant an R-rating on their own. In other cases, the best ghost movies are simply so frightening in their depiction of wraiths that they require the rating through sheer terror.

Academy Award® nominee Kevin Bacon stars in Stir of Echoes, a psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Tom Witzky (Bacon) is a blue-collar family man whose world is turned upside down after being hypnotized at a party. Opening a gateway to the supernatural, Tom begins experiencing terrifying visions and becomes obsessed with uncovering a long-buried secret in his Chicago neighborhood. As reality blurs with the paranormal, Tom’s descent into madness becomes inevitable. Stir of Echoes arrives on Steelbook® on Amazon from Lionsgate, available in 4K for the first time for its 25thanniversary, featuring exclusive artwork ... Read more...

Spoopy Season is upon us, dear readers, and any cineaste worth their weight in bone matter is likely scouring the world's many streaming services looking for the best fright flicks available. Most casual horror fans may be content to idly re-watch well-trodden classics like "Halloween," while more enterprising gorehounds will be studiously studying the carefully curated films on Shudder. The jaded, more experienced fright fans, however, will require stronger coffee to get their fear fix, and those brave souls may dive face-first into the overstuffed trough of Night Flight or Eternal Family, looking for oddities that the average soul cannot stand. Are you going to watch a gentle film like "Hocus Pocus" this October, or are you the type to try out "Bloody Muscle Bodybuilder in Hell?"

We can say for sure that actor Kevin Bacon, a great actor with impeccable taste, is an aficionado of the genre and likes...

The thriller genre has long walked the line between mystery and horror, with some of the genre's best movies covering serial killers, such as Silence of the Lambs. While many of these films strive to be more grounded stories, others embrace the supernatural, covering everything from ghosts to psychics as major plot devices. While some of these films can miss the mark, others make for brilliant experiences every bit as terrifying as a good horror movie, often balancing both genres at once.

Supernatural thrillers typically focus on themes of justice and revenge for the spirits of the dead, sometimes following a protagonist as they're guided towards the truth by a ghost. While these elements can make a good mystery movie feel far-fetched and fantastical, they also give viewers some of the best and most terrifying thrillers out there. The genre has always been at its best when it's unafraid of scaring audiences,...

Everyone’s got horror on the mind as we inch closer to Halloween, and that list of “everyone” most definitely includes Kevin Bacon, who has damn sure made his mark on the horror genre over the years. From appearing in the original Friday the 13th to starring in this year’s MaXXXine, Bacon’s horror pedigree is strong – and he’s a genre fan through and through.

Bacon notes in one of the bonus features for MaXXXine, “I’m a huge horror film fan.” And he’s building on that statement over on Twitter today, sharing some of his personal favorites.

“I love October because it’s all about apples and leaves changing and pumpkins, but it’s also about horror movies,” he begins the video. “So here are 20 of my favorite horror movies in no particular order.” The list naturally includes some films the Bacon family has appeared in,...

Steven Soderbergh’s Presence delivers a new spin on the haunted house movie, and a third mysterious teaser trailer has been released by distributor Neon this afternoon.

Presence releases theatrically in select cities on January 17, 2025.

Check out teaser trailer #3 for Presence below.

Meagan wrote in her review, “Soderbergh reunites with Kimi screenwriter David Koepp (Stir of Echoes) to give an innovative new spin on the quintessential ghost story. Presence frames its haunted events entirely from the perspective of its ghost. From the opening frame until the end credits, audiences see the thrilling story unfold through chilling narrative twists via Soderbergh’s experimentation with form and technique. Using the camera’s gaze as the ghost’s observing eyes isn’t the only trick up Soderbergh and Koepp’s sleeves, ensuring this exciting shakeup of the haunted house keeps you guessing.”

“Presence gives a contemporary, innovative new spin on the haunted house...

Quick Links Stir of Echoes and The Sixth Sense Share Ghostly Plot Narratives The Sixth Sense Was Still Dominating the Box Office When Stir of Echoes Opened

It has been said that 1999 is one of, if not the best years for movies, given the seminal films released that year. Across all genres, some game-changers from that year still resonate today, and horror was no exception. The summer of 1999 gave us both The Blair Witch Project and The Sixth Sense, both of which became huge critical and financial successes.

In the case of The Sixth Sense, word of mouth carried that film week after week, and this extended through the end of the summer and into September when Stir of Echoes opened on September 10, 1999. The movie received good reviews upon release, but many critics pointed out the film suffered from bad timing because it was released so soon after The Sixth Sense,...

Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence has been acquired by Neon, giving a new spin on the haunted house format. A new teaser unveiled this morning highlights the setting, further establishing the unconventional haunting ahead.

Presence releases theatrically in select cities on January 17, 2025.

Check out the official teaser trailer for Presence below.

I wrote in my review out of Sundance, “Soderbergh reunites with Kimi screenwriter David Koepp (Stir of Echoes) to give an innovative new spin on the quintessential ghost story. Presence frames its haunted events entirely from the perspective of its ghost. From the opening frame until the end credits, audiences see the thrilling story unfold through chilling narrative twists via Soderbergh’s experimentation with form and technique. Using the camera’s gaze as the ghost’s observing eyes isn’t the only trick up Soderbergh and Koepp’s sleeves, ensuring this exciting shakeup of the haunted house keeps you guessing.

Guillermo Del Toro believes Crimson Peak was doomed by being marketed solely as a horror film, rather than emphasizing its romance and mystery elements. The film received mixed reviews from audiences, criticizing its lack of spookiness, leading to a less-than-stellar box office performance. Despite the disappointing performance, the film director's career experienced a resurgence, with subsequent successful films and multiple Oscar nominations.

The poor box office performance of Crimson Peak is discussed by the film's director. Crimson Peak is a 2015 supernatural horror film directed by Guillermo del Toro, telling the story of what happens when an author is confronted by a mysterious outsider soon after a family tragedy. Crimson Peak features a leading cast including Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Burn Gorman, and Jim Beaver.

Speaking with Vulture, del Toro discusses Crimson Peak's initial response. According to the director, Crimson Peak's major issue was that...

Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence has been acquired by Neon, and the distributor has announced this week that they’ll be releasing the acclaimed film in January 2025.

Check out the official poster art and teaser trailer for Presence below.

Meagan Navarro raved in her review, “Soderbergh reunites with Kimi screenwriter David Koepp (Stir of Echoes) to give an innovative new spin on the quintessential ghost story. Presence frames its haunted events entirely from the perspective of its ghost. From the opening frame until the end credits, audiences see the thrilling story unfold through chilling narrative twists via Soderbergh’s experimentation with form and technique. Using the camera’s gaze as the ghost’s observing eyes isn’t the only trick up Soderbergh and Koepp’s sleeves, ensuring this exciting shakeup of the haunted house keeps you guessing.”

“Presence gives a contemporary, innovative new spin on the haunted house format...

Send a crazed, supernatural, unstoppable murderer my way and maybe I’ll escape them. Throw some ghosts or demons at me and hopefully a priest or one of those Paranormal TV show guys from the Travel Channel can help. Zombies or vampires? Sure, it’ll suck. But I know how to at least try and survive that. I have a fighting chance. These things are frightening but there are three things scarier than all of them: An unstoppable world ending weather event, losing my family, or losing my mind. Take Shelter deals with the entirety of this unholy triumvirate.

In the movie, Curtis (Michael Shannon) lives with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and their deaf daughter, Hannah (Tova Stewart) in the prettiest version of Ohio that I’ve ever seen. They live a simple life and love each other deeply. This is relayed in a single scene when writer/director...

Horror was in a bit of a funk in the late 90s. Then 25 years ago, in July 1999, The Blair Witch Project came along and changed everything.

In a 1996 article published in The Philadelphia Enquirer, film critic Desmond Ryan bemoaned the state of mainstream films. Citing such films as Independence Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Eraser, and that year’s hurricane thrillride Twister, Ryan argued that Hollywood had become more interested in special effects than logic or character.

“It all began,” Ryan wrote, “when Twister’s killer tornadoes sucked up everything in their path – tractors, cows, common sense, continuity, plausibility, and the quaint notion that movies should have characters you care about.”

By the end of the 1990s, the horror genre appeared to have descended into a creative funk of its own. Of the horror films released toward the end of the decade, many of the most high-profile examples were remakes or sequels in somewhat tired franchises.

Kevin Bacon has been in a good number of horror films over the decades, and he has admitted that he’s drawn to working in the genre because he’s a horror fan himself. Now it has been revealed that he and his wife Kyra Sedgwick are such big fans of the genre that they’re planning to co-direct and star in a horror film – and they’ve cast their daughter Sosie Bacon, who starred in the horror hit Smile, as a co-star!

Variety caught up with Sedgwick to interview her about her role in the Off Broadway play All of Me, and along the way they mentioned that she’s currently developing “a horror film she would star in with Bacon and their adult daughter, Sosie. The couple wants to co-direct the film, though the Directors Guild has other ideas.“

Sedgwick told them, “It’s very hard to get dual directing credit.

It takes a certain caliber of actors to move seamlessly through the entertainment industry and make just enough waves while avoiding the pitfalls.

That's what Jennifer Morrison has managed to do in almost 30 years of her career.

While the actress has primarily stayed in the television lane, she's been in her fair share of films.

However, after her unforgettable role as Emma Swan, Morrison has taken up a directorial hat and is now working behind the scenes.

Don't worry, though, because we have compiled a list of some of the actress's most prolific work.

Also, for those inclined to IMDb, be sure to check out the cast list of a specific slasher entry on the list.

It's technically the only slasher movie here, but you'll still see some big names.

The actor has rubbed elbows with some of Hollywood's biggest names, so don't be surprised if you recognize her from some big-budget films and franchises.

Kevin Bacon commemorated 44 years of Friday the 13th by recreating his iconic death scene in a hilarious video with his family. Bacon's role in the horror slasher was punctuated by a gruesome death while enjoying some pot, paving the way for his successful career. Despite the Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake facing setbacks, fans are eagerly awaiting more content set in the Jason Voorhees universe.

On May 9, 1980, the world was first introduced to a group of unwitting camp counselors getting picked off one-by-one by a mysterious killer in Friday the 13th, and the horror genre has never been the same since. One of those camp counselors just happened to be an up-and-coming young actor by the name of Kevin Bacon, who was fresh off the success of appearing in National Lampoons Animal House. His death in the horror slasher is still remembered to this day, and to celebrate 44 years of Friday the 13th,...

After 1999's Stir of Echoes, director David Koepp and actor Kevin Bacon teamed up again in 2020 to recreate a psychological horror novella, You Should Have Left. While the film's execution dulls the film down to a B grade, offering slightly eerie chills rather than haunting us, the premise is undeniably strong and intriguing. Bacon steps into the role of Theo, a wealthy man who is navigating his insecurities about being in an age-gap relationship while also tackling the guilt he feels over his past. He is eventually forced to confront the sins of his past through an enduring horror staple, the haunted house. However, as the supernatural aspect of the film is heightened, the house essentially turns into Theo's own psyche, offering an interesting take on the haunted house trope.

Spoilers are ahead for Fallout season 1.

Like in Fallout, Kyle MacLachlan's character in The Trigger Effect faces the chaos of an apocalyptic scenario. Both projects explore humanity's brutal efforts to survive when pushed to their limits in a post-apocalyptic world. Hank MacLean's choices in Fallout serve as a reflection of what individuals are willing to do for self-preservation.

While Twin Peaks: The Return might have prepared Kyle MacLachlan for his duplicitous Fallout character, another one of the actor's projects actually has more in common with Amazon Prime Video's post-apocalyptic drama. Known for playing the plucky-yet-skilled Special Agent Dale Cooper in David Lynch's Twin Peaks franchise, MacLachlan is no stranger to turning Americana on its head. Like Twin Peaks, Fallout hides a darkness beneath its wholesome facade. No character exemplifies this more than MacLachlan's Hank MacLean, the Overseer of Vault 33 and Lucy (Ella Purnell) and Norm's (Moiss Arias) father.

In the fading summer of 1999, Robert Zemeckis took a break from the filming of Cast Away to make What Lies Beneath, a ghostly thriller set against the banks of Lake Champlain in picturesque Burlington, Vermont. Taking cues from several Old Hollywood classics of the genre but adding a spectral twist to the proceedings, Zemeckis went on to craft one of the most underrated and effective offerings from that era (released at a time when there was a lot of competition in flicks like Stir of Echoes and The Sixth Sense). Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford were his first choices for the lead roles — Claire and Dr. Norman Spencer, an apparently happy couple with demons to spare — and swiftly made themselves available. Ford reportedly made sure to clear space in his schedule to accommodate What Lies Beneath, and for unsuspecting viewers predisposed to seeing a certain heroic brand of Ford, it...

Jennifer Nettles, lead vocalist of the country duo Sugarland and a successful solo artist, got into acting by playing Dolly Parton’s mother in the 2015 TV movie Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors. Since then she has appeared in the sequel to that movie, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, performed in Chicago and Waitress on Broadway, had roles in the film Harriet and the TV series Underground, and appeared on multiple episodes of the HBO show The Righteous Gemstones… which happens to be executive produced by David Gordon Green, so that paved the way for her to have a role in Green’s most recent film, The Exorcist: Believer. Now Deadline reports that Nettles is following her Exorcist role by being cast in another genre project: the horror action series The Bondsman!

Coming our way from Blumhouse Television and set up at Amazon’s Prime Video,...

The Exorcist: Believer actor Jennifer Nettles has been cast in Blumhouse TV’s “The Bondsman,” an action horror series for Amazon’s Prime Video. Deadline reported today that Nettles will star opposite Kevin Bacon as his character’s ex-wife.

The action horror series “centers on Hub Halloran (Kevin Bacon), a backwoods bounty hunter who comes back from the dead with an unexpected second chance at life, love, and a nearly-forgotten musical career — only to find that his old job now has a demonic new twist.”

Jennifer Nettles will play Hub Halloran’s ex-wife, Maryanne. The actor most recently appeared in Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer as Miranda West, the religious mother of possessed child Katherine (Olivia O’Neill).

“The Bondsman” was created by Grainger David (The Chair), who will also executive produce. Erik Oleson will serve as showrunner and executive producer via CrimeThink.

Oleson most recently worked as showrunner and...

Earlier this week, we caught word that Universal Pictures is moving forward with a new entry in the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World franchise – which is no surprise, since the Jurassics and Fast & Furious are the studio’s two big moneymakers. What’s interesting about this new sequel is the fact that the screenplay is being written by David Koepp, who previously wrote the original Jurassic Park and its follow-up The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Now paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Steve Brusatte has taken to social media to confirm that the project is moving forward – and he knows, because it’s so far along that he has already signed on to be the dinosaur expert consultant on it. That’s a job Brusatte also had on the previous movie, Jurassic World Dominion, where he was consultant alongside paleontologist Jack Horner, who has been a consultant on all six Jurassic movies to date.

A minor work from a major filmmaker, Presence is Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh’s first official foray into supernatural horror. Shot primarily in a single, standalone set over less than two weeks and a limited shooting schedule, Presence doesn’t reinvent or reimagine tropes associated with haunted house or supernatural ghost stories. Far from it. What Presence does do — in Soderbergh’s approach to formal experimentation within predetermined boundaries — it does far better and far more effectively than the vast majority of filmmakers currently writing and directing within the horror space could achieve within the same preset parameters. Working from a seemingly simple, straightforward script written by David Koepp, Soderbergh removes any...

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

In the wake of Netflix acquiring It’s What’s Inside out of Sundance 2024, another hot genre movie that world premiered at Sundance has found itself a distribution home this week.

Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence has been acquired by Neon, with Deadline first reporting the news. The site notes, “I haven’t got a deal number to share, but there were about 10 bidders so it’s a healthy sum for a thriller that has gotten uniformly strong reviews at the festival.”

One of those strong reviews came from Meagan Navarro right here on Bloody Disgusting, who awarded Presence 4 stars out of a possible 5 stars in her review published over the weekend.

Meagan raves, “Unsane director Steven Soderbergh reunites with Kimi screenwriter David Koepp (Stir of Echoes) to give an innovative new spin on the quintessential ghost story. Presence frames its haunted events entirely from the perspective of its ghost.

The writer of the original Jurassic Park is headed back to the world of dinosaurs, with THR reporting that David Koepp is writing the next installment of the Jurassic World franchise.

Koepp also wrote The Lost World: Jurassic Park II for Steven Spielberg, along with notable films including Carlito’s Way, Mission: Impossible, Stir of Echoes, and War of the Worlds.

THR notes, “The project, which has been flying under the radar, is far enough along, and the script in a well-liked shape, that the studio is whispering of a possible 2025 release date.”

The site also reveals that this next installment in the Jurassic World saga will take us into “a new Jurassic era,” with a brand new storyline and potentially all new characters.

It comes in the wake of Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World: Dominion, a trilogy of sequels to the original classic that concluded in...

Some gigantic news today for lovers of dinosaur-centric cinema, as one of the original creatives behind "Jurassic Park" is returning to the fold more than 30 years later. The "Jurassic World" trilogy may have ended in 2022 with the release of "Jurassic World Dominion," but Universal Pictures is evidently trying to keep the series alive with a new movie -- one that might be coming our way sooner rather than later. While details are scarce for the time being, it has come to light that none other than David Koepp is writing a new movie in the franchise.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Koepp is not only writing a new "Jurassic" movie, but it is pretty far along in the development process. So much so that a 2025 release date is said to be possible, which would be downright remarkable given that this is the first thing we've officially heard about the film.

The episode of Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? covering Ravenous was Written by Emilie Black, Narrated by Travis Hopson, Edited by Victoria Verduzco, Produced by Andrew Hatfield and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

1999, a year of hope, a year of high fashion, nooo, no… 1999, the year when people prepared for Y2K, the year of all the odd choices when it came to fashion, and the year of interesting cinematic options. We got The Mummy which gave us all the hot cast members we could ask for and still gives us memes, we got End of Days, Stigmata, Idle Hands, House on Haunted Hill, The Haunting, Stir of Echoes, and The Blair Witch Project. It was a year for surprising hits, shocking failures, and offbeat horror films. So many smaller budgets did so well. Also out in 1999 was this movie about cannibalism in the olden days of the United States,...

Kevin Bacon reveals that he once bought a plot of land with a haunted house and the stipulation that he would destroy the house within a month. The owner feared that Bacon would get possessed and cause damage if he didn't demolish the house. Bacon wanted to take some pine boards from the house, but his wife Kyra Sedgwick refused to allow it.

Kevin Bacon revealed that he once bought a plot of land that came with the stipulation that he destroy a haunted house. The Emmy-nominated actor is known for prominent movie roles, and in fact has held so many that the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is based around the idea that any actor can be connected to the star within six degrees of separation based on the co-stars they've worked with. Some of Bacon's most popular roles include playing Ren in Footloose, Sean Devine in Mystic River,...

Almost every 1999 horror movie represented a different approach to the genre, and the best horror films of the year were some of the greatest of the decade. Unlike previous decades that had a very clear direction in their horror films, the 1990s was a mixed bag of sub-genres that ran the gamut from supernatural thrillers to slasher movies, and even creature features. As such, the year 1999 capped off the scatter-shot decade of horror with another collection of frightful films for every type of taste. 1999 also set the tone for the horror films of the ensuing decade and had a far-reaching impact long after the '90s ended.

Unlike modern horror films which have earned flashy monikers like "elevated horror", every 1999 horror movie had to overcome the stigma of their genre, and some did it in style. Remarkably, horror also began to infuse genres like action into the mix, and the...