Batman: Arkham Shadow is a new entry in the beloved comic book metroidvania beat ‘em up series, though it’s not what many players were probably hoping for. It’s being made in VR and will be exclusive to the Meta Quest 3 headset. It’s scheduled to release in late 2024.
Batman: Arkham Shadow is a new entry in the beloved comic book metroidvania beat ‘em up series, though it’s not what many players were probably hoping for. It’s being made in VR and will be exclusive to the Meta Quest 3 headset. It’s scheduled to release in late 2024.
Production on MaXXXine, the sequel to director Ti West‘s films Pearl (watch it HERE) and X (watch that one at THIS LINK), wrapped way back in May of 2023, and just last month we heard that it has earned an R rating for strong violence, gore, sexual content, graphic nudity, language and drug use as it heads toward its July 5th theatrical release date. With that date just two months away, USA Today has unveiled a new image from the film that drops Mia Goth into an ’80s party scene, and you can check that out at the bottom of this article.
MaXXXine is written and directed by West. Mia Goth reprises the role of X survivor Maxine Minx, a burlesque performer and adult film actress with the goal of being a star. The film has the following synopsis: In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past. As you can see in the recently released trailer, the Hollywood setting even allows for a visit to the Bates Motel.
The horror magazine Scream learned that the film is described as being “a good old whodunit slasher,” while Goth described it as “a superhero movie.” She said that because, “Maxine, as a character, has come a long way. She’s a survivor, she’s gone through a lot. When we meet her again, in this new world that she’s in, she’s really fought for everything that she has, and she’s not about to give that up. She’s going to fight for what she has. She’s a badass. There’s a strength to her. And she’s a really proactive, determined, focused woman. She goes after what she wants, and she’s not really going to take no for an answer.“
Goth and singer Halsey (who can be seen with Goth in the first look image at the top of this article) are joined in the cast by Kevin Bacon (Tremors), Elizabeth Debicki (Tenet), singer Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Bobby Cannavale (Netflix’s The Watcher), Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Esposito is playing an agent for adult film and Z-list movie actors, Debicki’s character is a film director, Monaghan and Canavale play LAPD detectives, and Bacon plays a private detective.
MaXXXine is being produced by A24, Ti West, Jacob Jaffke, Kevin Turen, and Harrison Kreiss. Mia Goth serves as executive producer.
Are you looking forward to MaXXXine? Check out the image below, then let us know by leaving a comment.
The post MaXXXine image drops Mia Goth into an ’80s party scene appeared first on JoBlo.
Two weeks ago, we learned that production had wrapped on writer/director Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3, which started filming back in February and was, at the time, aiming for an October 25th release date. Now Deadline reports that fans will have the chance to see this supernatural slasher sequel two weeks earlier than expected, as the North American theatrical release date has moved forward to October 11th! Along with the new release date announcement comes the unveiling of an image from the film, and you can check that out at the bottom of this article.
Leone had a budget of around $55,000 to work with on his breakout horror film Terrifier, and a budget of “a little over” $250,000 for Terrifier 2, which was a massive hit when it was released last year, earning $15.1 million at the box office. Since the second film did so well, Terrifier 3 has a substantially higher budget. A “couple million” is going into this one. It has the following synopsis: Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.
David Howard Thornton reprises the role of Art the Clown, a character who was first introduced in Leone’s 2013 anthology All Hallows’ Eve (although Thornton didn’t start playing him until Terrifier). Also in the cast are Lauren LaVera, who’s back as Terrifier 2 heroine Sienna; Elliot Fullam returns as Sienna’s brother Jonathan, Samantha Scaffidi is returning as Terrifier and Terrifier 2 character Victoria Heyes, and Daniel Roebuck has been cast in the role of Santa Claus. Chris Jericho, who had a cameo in Terrifier 2, is also back in Terrifier 3 – but he has let everyone know that his appearance in the film won’t last very long.
Leone has said that this new sequel will be going back to the tone of the first movie, as he’s aiming to make the third film the scariest, goriest, and most depraved of the bunch. He’ll be pulling back on the mystical/fantasy element that was so prevalent in the second film, and is also aiming to make sure this one will be less than two hours long, since the second one surpassed the two hour mark. If you’re worried that Terrifier 3 might wrap the franchise up as a trilogy, have no fear. Leone knows that horror franchises always continue, and anything’s possible once the supernatural gets involved. So even if he brings a sequel to a satisfying conclusion for himself as the creator of the franchise, the door can always be opened to more sequels.
Are you looking forward to Terrifier 3, and are you glad to hear that it has a new release date that brings it two weeks closer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post Terrifier 3 release date has moved forward two weeks appeared first on JoBlo.
Threequels can often be a daunting undertaking for even the most accomplished of directors, and even for franchises with decent first two installments. Candyman 3: Day of the Dead takes a fairly offensive stab at the Mexican holiday, while Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III doesn’t live up to the pre-release marketing hype about it being ‘banned’ and ‘the most controversial movie ever made’. It was neither. Even Scream 3, despite not necessarily being bad per se, is a low point considering how strong the first two movies are. On the flip side though, George Romero’s Day of the Dead is a solid follow-up to both Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, while Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead threequel Army of Darkness is a total blast. So, after Hostel: Part II grossed significantly less than the hit opening chapter, did that put any notions of a third part in serious doubt? Well, to put it simply, no. However, that didn’t mean that significant changes wouldn’t be made, mainly with the absence of Eli Roth as director, and it also going straight to what used to be the death knell for movies – directly to home entertainment. Also gone was the Slovakian setting of the first two movies, which the local tourist board must have been delighted with. Also, instead of horndog fellas or unfortunate college girls, this time we’re heading to Sin City to attend the bachelor party from hell. However, could the movie buck the recurring trend of threequel-itis and deliver a killer final chapter, for now at least? Let’s find out here on WTF Happened to Hostel: Part III!
Of course, the major shift from parts one and two was the absence of director Eli Roth, who does have a writing credit and was unofficially one of the movie’s producers. He must have been delighted with the success of the first two entries, especially part one, but as he described when Hostel: Part III (watch it HERE) was announced, he was ready to move onto other projects, saying, “That’s another one like ‘Cabin Fever 2’. The studio had made a lot of money with it so they want to keep going, and the fans, there’s demand for it. If I started something and other people want to continue it, go for it. I’m just not involved in any way (with Hostel III). There’s no negativity about it. I just said, ‘I put everything in my life for three years into these movies. I’ve said everything I have to say with it. I feel very lucky I got to make them and the fans responded the way they did, and if you guys want to continue it, great, go ahead.’” Credit to the guy for calling it quits while he was ahead, but was it the right move?
Taking the directing reins on the movie was American screenwriter, director, producer and actor, Scott Spiegel, who was one of the executive producers on both Hostel and Hostel: Part II. Before he helped envision the brutal maiming of poor unsuspecting victims of the Elite Hunting Club, he was best known for small roles in The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II for which he co-wrote the screenplay with longtime friend Sam Raimi. Spiegel already had some experience of helming direct-to-video movies with 1999’s sequel From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money. It had nowhere near the riotous (titty) twisting narrative of the first movie, but it was fun if nothing else. It had vampires. It had people killing said vampire. Plus, it probably filled a gap on those Blockbuster shelves back in the day, so it served a purpose I suppose.
With the movie taking a direct route to home entertainment platforms, and its limited budget, the producers had to rely upon relatively unknown names to bolster the cast. Nowadays the DTV route is flourishing, and regarded as a successful playground for bigger names. Just ask Nic Cage! However, back in the early noughties this wasn’t necessarily the case. So, the main cast is led by Brian Hallisay as Scott, Kip Pardue as Carter, Skyler Stone as Mike and John Hensley as Justin, who play the four pals who head off to Vegas for the usual hedonism. They’re joined by Sarah Habel and Zulay Henao as Kendra and Nikki, two escorts Carter paid to have sex with Scott, the bachelor boy.
The movie’s narrative kicks off in Las Vegas where a guy called Travis, played by Chris Coy, enters a hotel room where a Ukrainian couple, Victor and Anke are staying. However, it transpires that Travis is part of the nefarious Elite Hunting Club and after drugging the couple with a spiked beer, they find themselves taken hostage by the evil organization. Victor wakes up in a cell in an abandoned building, and watches on helplessly as Anke is dragged out of her cell by two guards. What follows isn’t the usual Vegas throwdown you’d expect from a visit to Sin City as, apart from a couple of exterior shots, we never really get to see much of the place. I guess it doesn’t matter where you shoot grisly torture scenes, but it would have been good to have seen some some of the action go down in Vegas itself.
This is basically a nastier variation of the Hangover movies, just without any of the invention and clever wit that some of those films had in spades. On the face of it, Hostel: Part III sticks to the well trodden formula of the first two movies, at least as far as the narrative is concerned. The cliches of the first two parts are at least switched to a certain degree, such as the aforementioned opening scene, and while the kills are a lot less disturbing than Roth’s entries, there’s still a relatively pleasing amount of gore on display.
Unfortunately, however, what lets part the film is that it does feel like a direct-to-video sequel. Roth’s visual style is conspicuous by its absence here and it’s not just the cast that they hired on the cheap. Scott Spiegel is a very capable director, that much is clear, but he doesn’t display any sort of visual flourish or invention with the tools at his grisly disposal. There’s very little use of his camera here, with static shots the order of the day it would seem. This probably wouldn’t bother most horror fans but along with some flat lighting and cinematography, the lack of a director with a distinct visual style is very apparent. Also, while the kills are sometimes pretty gnarly, I’m looking at you face sliced-off scene, some of the other deaths are a bit tame, like being suffocated by cockroaches. Overall, Hostel: Part III is an interesting, if not largely inventive trilogy closer for the torture porn franchise.
Hostel: Part III was released on DVD and VOD on December 27th, 2011 in the US and on January 18th, 2012 in Europe. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, if you like to peruse the stats on that particular site, the movie has an approval rating of 67% based upon only six reviews, most of which are actually quite positive. Being a direct-to-video title there’s little in the way of reviews from the more traditional sources, however, the UK edition of the Independent had some positive words for the movie, saying, “think of an extremely gruesome version of the Hangover. It’s not going to win any Oscars but if you like gore, it’s certainly worth a watch”. The general consensus is that the film, for obvious reasons, didn’t revolutionize horror, or the way you see the torture porn genre. However, it proved that there was just enough left in the franchise to squeeze a part three out that is admittedly low budget and somewhat uninspired, but at least has some fairly decent gore splattered over parts of it.
Overall, the Hostel franchise is a fun, grisly departure from the other sub genres of horror when they were first released. Eli Roth proved that he had a good eye for horror and, for better or worse, depending on your perspective, he led the way for torture porn to become a significant outlet for creators at the time and also for the studios to make a quick buck. Also, Eli Roth has recently confirmed that he intends to return to the world of Hostel, as he believes there’s still much to be discovered in the fucked up shenanigans of the Elite Hunting Club, saying in an interview that, “there’s a lot more to do. I’d love to go back to Hostel at some point. “They’re a part of me,” he continues, “They’re like my children. I feel like I’ve ignored them for too long. And I’d love to go back to them in some way. I have ideas.” When asked if he would direct the movies himself, Roth confirmed, “I would direct it. I don’t want it in anyone else’s hands.”
However, the most important aspect of these retrospectives is what YOUR opinion of the movies we cover is. So, did Hostel: Part III manage to be a fun ride into Sin City for a stag do from hell, or should it have gone straight to the bargain basement bin to rot with other DTV titles? As usual let us know in the comments, and we’ll see you beautiful gore-hounds next time. Thanks for watching!
A couple of the previous episodes of WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? can be seen below. To see more, head over to our JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!
The post Hostel: Part III (2011) – WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? appeared first on JoBlo.
I do not envy anyone working on the previously announced Legend of Zelda movie. Whereas, with Mario, they needed only make cute cartoons and load the film with jokes and easter eggs, Zelda feels so much more nuanced, and any angle is likely to displease many. Filmmaker Wes Ball has recently made it clear that his…
I do not envy anyone working on the previously announced Legend of Zelda movie. Whereas, with Mario, they needed only make cute cartoons and load the film with jokes and easter eggs, Zelda feels so much more nuanced, and any angle is likely to displease many. Filmmaker Wes Ball has recently made it clear that his…
Director Fede Álvarez’s contribution to the Alien franchise, Alien: Romulus, is set to reach theatres on August 16th (you can watch the teaser HERE), and we have previously seen a picture of a Xenomorph from the film – in fact, that’s the image featured above this paragraph. Now USA Today has shared another image of an Alien: Romulus Xenomorph, and you can check that one out at the bottom of this article. It has been said that Álvarez was dedicated to using practical effects on this film (we’ve even seen him playing with a remote controlled Facehugger), so it’s nice to see glimpses of these creatures that actually existed on the set.
When this project was announced near the start of 2022, it was said that Álvarez pitched the idea to Ridley Scott years ago and it stuck with Scott. So in late 2021, he called Álvarez and asked if he still wanted to make an Alien movie. Clearly, the answer was yes. 20th Century Studios division president Steve Asbell told The Hollywood Reporter that they picked up the project “purely off the strength of Fede’s pitch. It was just a really good story with a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before.“
It has also been said that the story Álvarez and his frequent collaborator Rodo Sayagues crafted for Alien: Romulus is not connected to the other films in the Alien franchise – but it’s not ignoring any of the other entries, either. Álvarez has been clear about the fact that his story takes place within the established franchise continuity. In fact, it slots in between the events of Alien and Aliens. It has the following official logline: The sci-fi/horror-thriller takes the phenomenally successful “Alien” franchise back to its roots: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
The film stars Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), David Jonsson (Industry), Isabela Merced (Madame Web), Archie Renaux (Shadow and Bone), Spike Fearn (The Batman), and Aileen Wu (Away from Home). Merced has said there’s a scene in the film that’s so disgusting that a lot of viewers will have to look away, so that goes along with the “graphic and gruesome” description. “Graphic and gruesome” is what we expected from this movie as soon as it was announced that it was being made by the director of Evil Dead 2013 and Don’t Breathe.
This new Alien movie is coming to us from Momentum and 20th Century Studios, with Ridley Scott producing through his Scott Free banner.
Are you looking forward to Alien: Romulus? Take a look at the new Xenomorph image, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
The post Alien: Romulus shares a new image of a Xenomorph appeared first on JoBlo.
Kevin Costner’s passion project will be a summer release this year. The actor has returned to the director’s seat in over twenty years for Horizon: An American Saga, which is set to be told in two chapters. Costner began work on this story in 1988 and he has more movies planned. The main character that he invented for this film in 1988 was so important to him that he even named his son, Hayes, after him. He hopes the movies can be a big franchise and that years from now, people can binge-watch hours of Horizon in theaters.
Costner, who is not known to be a franchise actor, would plan to do what most Hollywood tentpole movies aim for — go for that summer movie release date. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 will be riding into theaters this June, and as Deadline runs down the list of movies being set to release this year (which is unusually thin due to the Hollywood strikes from last fall), it is revealed that Costner’s western will be clocking in at three hours long. The Yellowstone star is no stranger to long films. His famous Oscar-winning period film Dances With Wolves, a movie he also directed, also sported a length of just over three hours. Costner would also return to the Western epic in 1994’s Wyatt Earp, which ran a three-hour and eleven-minute runtime. He also directed and starred in The Postman in 1997. That film is a post-apocalyptic film that has a Western-like tone and nearly crossed the three-hour mark.
Horizon‘s commercial appeal makes it a dark horse contender of the summer. The trailer was an old-fashioned presentation that is played straight-forward without any modern flash or visual flair. It almost seemed out of time with a “they don’t make ’em like this anymore” vibe. After the news of its runtime, it could possibly have an uphill battle sustaining the patience of summer moviegoers. However, the argument could have been made for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which was also a three-hour, character-driven historical drama, but it would be a pure dialogue-driven film, whereas Horizon has the benefit of action sequences that can ease the pacing for an audience. Additionally, Costner has chosen to release Chapter 2 only a couple months later in August, which is a move that’s unheard of these days.
The post Horizon: An American Saga – Part 1 will clock in at three hours appeared first on JoBlo.
Baby Reindeer has been a major success for Netflix, which should be no surprise considering the topics that modern viewers latch onto such as mental health and stalking. And while creator Richard Gadd did intend to shed a light on both without exploiting either, this may be backfiring, as the supposed real-life inspiration is considering legal action, claiming, “I’m the victim. He’s written a bloody show about me.”
As per The Daily Mail, the unnamed woman stated, “He’s using Baby Reindeer to stalk me now,” adding that Gadd had turned to “bullying an older woman on television for fame and fortune.”
As for just who the woman is, Gadd has been adamant that he wants fans to stop trying to work out the identities of the Baby Reindeer subjects, saying they are only doing a disservice to the miniseries. Yet, that certainly hasn’t stopped people from doing the research. While they did not reveal the woman’s name, The Daily Mail did note that “both women are Scottish, both studied law at university, both are around 20 years older than Gadd and both use highly sexualised language in their speech and writing.” Added to this, the woman says that “[Martha Scott] sort of looks like me after I put on four stone during lockdown but I’m not actually unattractive,” a bit of an unnecessary slight towards portrayer Jessica Gunning, who has earned praise for her pivotal performance.
The woman in question says that Gadd suffers from “main character syndrome”, adding, “He always thinks he’s at the centre of things. I’m not writing shows about him or promoting them in the media, am I? If he wanted me to be properly anonymous, he could have done so. Gadd should leave me alone.”
The potential lawsuit over Baby Reindeer only adds to the drama surrounding the story – heck, you can practically imagine Netflix greenlighting a docuseries on the making of the show – which itself is filled with it. As has been publicized throughout the leadup to and airing of Baby Reindeer, Gadd used real-life situations to mold the story, which was actually a one-man show prior to turning into this series.
Do you think the real-life Martha – if she is who she says she is – has a chance at a successful lawsuit? Chime in with your thoughts below.
The post Purported Baby Reindeer subject threatens legal action appeared first on JoBlo.