The year is coming to a close and while there are few notable movie releases left in December, some outlets are reflecting on the 2024 year in cinema. Per Deadline, the American Film Institute has just awarded ten movies in their list for the best of the year. There are a number of movies that have already garnered a lot of positive reception and some that you may not have heard much from. The AFI would highlight very few big studio releases in favor of smaller, more independent productions.
The AFI MOTION PICTURES OF THE YEAR are:
ANORA
THE BRUTALIST
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
CONCLAVE
DUNE: PART TWO
EMILIA PÉREZ
NICKEL BOYS
A REAL PAIN
SING SING
WICKED
Dune: Part Two and Wicked are the only major big-budget releases to come away with awards. Meanwhile, some of the titles are films that have been critical darlings all year, like Anora, The Brutalist and A Real Pain. A Complete Unknown has yet to be released, but the James Mangold film is already getting good buzz, especially from its subject Bob Dylan. Dylan took to social media to praise the biopic, “There’s a movie about me opening soon called A Complete Unknown (what a title!). Timothee Chalamet is starring in the lead role. Timmy’s a brilliant actor so I’m sure he’s going to be completely believable as me. Or a younger me. Or some other me. The film’s taken from Elijah Wald’s Dylan Goes Electric – a book that came out in 2015. It’s a fantastic retelling of events from the early ‘60s that led up to the fiasco at Newport. After you’ve seen the movie read the book.”
Our own Chris Bumbray would glow about Anora as a possible Oscar contender, saying, “Despite running close to 140 minutes, it’s fast-paced, breezy, and furiously entertaining. Even if the premise doesn’t immediately make this a must-see for you, give it a shot, as Baker’s turning into a modern master. This is his best movie to date, and the performances are too good to miss.”
And Wicked‘s inclusion may surprise many, but the Wizard of Oz universe musical may even win over those who may not seem like the audience for it. In his review, our EIC put it bluntly, “Here’s the thing – Wicked is made with a specific audience in mind, and I wager many of us JoBlo folks aren’t among them. Even still, readers who find themselves watching the movie at behest of someone in their lives may find Wicked goes down a lot easier than they’re expecting. I had a surprisingly good time watching it, and I’m totally on-board to watch Part II when it hits theaters next year.”
When actor Jonathan Majors was found guilty of assault in the third degree and harassment, Marvel Studios immediately fired him from the role of Kang the Conqueror, even though that character (who Majors played in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and variants of in both seasons of the Loki TV series) was supposed to be the new “big bad” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the role of Kang vacated, one of the most popular fan casting suggestions was that Fear the Walking Dead‘s Colman Domingo could replace Majors as the Conqueror. And while it looks like the introduction of Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom in the upcoming films Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars might wipe out the need for any more Kang stories, there’s still talk of Domingo joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, during an interview with Screen Geek, Domingo has confirmed that he has had meetings with Marvel about entering the MCU.
Domingo said, “I have had a meeting with Marvel, yes. But it wasn’t specifically about anything. They literally sat down and said, ‘What do you want to do?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know. What do you got for me?’ So we’re having engagement, of course. Who would not want to be a part of the MCU? I just would want it to be right. And something that is created for me and something where I feel like I can give something of myself to. So we’ll find out what that is. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’m patient.“
Not only is he patient, he’s also quite busy. He’s already working with Marvel to provide the voice of Norman Osborn for the upcoming animated Disney+ series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man; he starred in the recently released Netflix series The Madness; he has a role in director Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson’s biopic, Michael; he has been cast in Steven Spielberg’s next movie; and he’s going to write and direct a Nat King Cole biopic. He had this to say about voicing Norman Osborn: “I got some big shoes to fill. I remember I watched Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, who’s phenomenal. And I thought, I get to actually really just play his intelligence and looking at his mind and how he builds, especially with his industries and then how that also becomes narcissistic. It also becomes a detriment as well. I’ve always looked at the Norman Osborn character as being a symbol of mental health when it’s unchecked.“
Would you like to see Colman Domingo join the Marvel Cinematic Universe? If so, who would you like to see him play? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Exorcist and Omen-inspired religious fare weren’t uncommon in the horror genre in the 70s and 80s. Hell, they still aren’t. But not many of them were derived of scripts written before either film ever saw the light of day. Nor do they carry the sexual deviance and shower immediately after watching feeling of a Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. Today’s film just might. Perhaps that’s why it’s so rarely spoken of. Or why it is, to this very day, difficult to acquire or even view online. This is the story of what happened to The Unholy. (The 1988 version. Not to be confused with the 2021 Jeffrey Dean Morgan film which has no affiliation.)
The story of The Unholy begins with writer Philip Yordan. Yordan, born in 1914, had been writing for so long, he once housed blacklisted writers in his basement during the McCarthy era. The script sat dormant for years before director Camilo Vila stumbled across it wasting away in Yordan’s office while the two were working on another project. Presumably because of its contents, which were extremely dark for the time period in which they were written. Having been an altar boy in the Catholic church himself, Vila was taken by the scripts religious themes. According to the director, the script originally had much more in common with The Exorcist before he made his mark on it. Which again, didn’t exist at the time of its conception but was a staple of the horror zeitgeist by the time Vila unearthed this script. Vila confessed, “I changed it. I created a myth about a demon that tempts priests during the 40 days of Lent and then, on the night of the Resurrection, does his final temptation”.
Vila wasn’t the last person tempted to change the script (nor was he given a writing credit for it), for that honor belonged to all-around handyman and production designer Fernando Fonseca. Fonseca would take the script and flesh out the characters and details, including the fact our leading temptress had a third nipple. Which, The More You Know, is an apparent sign of witchcraft. Details. Fonseca even crafted the unique and memorable score for the film. From scripts, to soundtracks, Fernando Fonseca was a production weapon.
Once the script was finalized and on the screen, we saw an opening that featured a bumbling priest with an intoxicating, 99.9% naked woman with a supernatural essence seducing him at a church altar. In a pretty rad special FX moment letting us know what kind of ride we’re about to embark upon, the priest caves in her to carnal offerings. And is immediately rewarded with his throat being ripped out of where his neck used to be. We’re then introduced to our lead character: Roman Catholic priest Father Michael. Played by the late Ben Cross (who would ironically play a Cardinal for the Church in a similar recent movie, Robert Zappia’s Prey for the Devil). Cross played the role with a steadfast no-nonsense attitude that was so tangible, that it managed to anchor some of the film’s egregiously wild moments. His stoic responses to the insane happenings around him were almost comedic, and exactly what the film needed in its lead character surrounded by the unbelievable.
Father Michael is called in to attempt to talk a man out of jumping off a building when (in one of the best jump scares I’ve ever seen), he himself ends up falling to his certain death. Only to M Night Shyamalan/Unbreakable style-walk away from the incident without a scratch. This is a disconcerting surprise to him, but not to his Archbishop (cast with Creepshow’s Hal Holbrook), who sends him in to replace the slayed priest. This while secretly hoping Father Michael is the chosen one who can stop the evil entity who had killed two priests before him. Alongside Archbishop Mosely is another priest with haunting white eyes, blind from his own battles with a demonic force. This character, Father Silva, is played quite convincingly by actor Trevor Howard in one of his final roles.
Here’s where the horny Hellraiser stuff kicks in. Investigating the murder of the priest he replaced, Father Michael begins to correspond with a Police Lieutenant played by none other than Ned Beatty of the Superman franchise and Deliverance. The investigation leads him to a local club where some nice folks are displaying performance art in a communal setting. And not the kind you see at your local coffee shop during open mic night. These folks appear to be erotically cutting each other’s private parts on stage like it’s some kind of goddamn magic show for Satan’s Fall Festival. It’s here that we meet the club owner, Luke, played by a scenery-chewing William Russ. Luke resembles almost an exact cross between Joaquin Phoenix’s porn shop clerk in 8MM and Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys with just a pinch of the Tiger King. It’s fun stuff. Weird. But fun.
Despite experiencing some pretty freaky paranormal moments together, Father Michael and Luke are too far on opposite sides of the spiritual aisle and end up enemies. In part, because the practical Father Michael is having a Hell of a time believing that a satanic force could roam the earth using sex to tempt the holy into their own demise. At one point even Luke questions why he’s having such a hard time believing such a thing could exist when he devoted his life to its counterpart.
Finally, after a plethora of blasphemies, sex offerings, red herrings, and a whole lot of dry ice….we reach our finale. Which naturally takes place at a church altar underneath a dead body crucified to an upside down cross, split from groin to sternum. Just like Stu said in Scream. Here, after watching a guy bleed out of his face in a way that would make Art the Clown question his lunch choices, we have the final showdown between good and evil. A scene that would be the source of the majority of controversy surrounding the production of the film.
In the final product and theatrical cut of The Unholy, it ends with an insanely intense myriad of twisted moments. Our gorgeous sex demon (played by Nicole Fortier, whose only other credit is for 1987’s Scared Stiff) reveals her true nature to us as she licks the inner thighs of a restrained Father Michael. The editing then pans back and forth quickly between the audience witnessing either Fortier or a gigantic, slimy, demon doing the aforementioned licking. And it’s traumatizing. A lot. We’re treated to a battle between Father Michael and multiple disgusting creations before being taken on a trip into Hell itself. In these moments, strobe-like shots of the depraved flash before us. Everything from random throat slashing to flesh-eating, to someone taking a sharp object to an exposed bottom appears on screen in glimpses. Read that last part back to yourselves slowly. It’s like a Faces of Death cutting room floor in there. All this before Father Michael asks God for his strength and fulfills his prophecy as the chosen one, banishing the demon and saving the day. No more cutting folks buns for you, demon.
The controversy doesn’t come from these bold and offensive horrors that take place here but rather from the fact that this hadn’t been the original ending of The Unholy at all. In fact, it had all been recreated from scratch. With a brand new director. When Vestron Pictures picked up The Unholy for distribution they believed in the film deeply. But they were unhappy with both the ending and overall lack of horror in its original form. The director himself had even told Fangoria before the changes to his film were made, “I don’t consider this a horror film.” Vestron had other plans.
Impressed with the work that had been done on a previous film called Waxwork, the company gathered up a roster of folks from the film and had them give The Unholy a demonic makeover. Led by of all people, Hellraiser Special FX guru, Bob Keen. Keen had worked also on the aforementioned Waxwork as a second unit director and was given the directorial position for the gore fueled Unholy re-shoots. Keen made some sort of an attempt to put a diplomatic face on the situation, saying, “The film is not that bad. It stands up by itself. The ending just needed a little polish. It’s still the original director’s and the original team’s film. I’m just doing the ending. I’ll probably get back-end credit as ‘Additional sequences directed’ and I’m happy with that. I’m here to help people out.” The production had to ship the entire church set in pieces from Florida to Hollywood to be resurrected for the re-shoots.
Also from Waxwork, new producer Gary Bettman explained some of the moments that weren’t in the initial cut, saying, “The ending is bigger now, we expanded its scope”, and that “There’s also more action. We’ve added two other little demons, and there’s more happening with the monster. Visually it’s a fantastic creature.”
If you don’t own the rare Vestron Productions Blu-Ray which features the original ending, you’d have to go back to Fangoria’s initial coverage of the film in Fangoria #68 to get a glimpse of the original demon design. It stood at nine and a half feet tall and featured large, drooping breasts that will remind you of a recent horror creature found in a basement (I won’t name it in case you haven’t seen it because it’s rather a big and gross surprise). It’s hard to see the problem from a still framed image, as the demon actually looks pretty cool. But the Producer didn’t feel that way, saying, “The original creature didn’t have any teeth and had very little personality”. The new demon seen in the main cut of the film would be crafted in two different pieces. One with an articulated look for close ups, and another for far away shots. Eventually, they would end up grafting the two together for the shots in between. Practical Special FX are a gift, folks. But they aren’t one that comes easy.
The crew also wanted more interaction between Father Michael and the demon. This meant Ben Cross being called back to the set for reshoots. He didn’t seem to be having the best of times when Fangoria caught up with him there, saying, “When I studied at drama school, I received a classical actor’s training. I was prepared for all sorts of things, (but) no one ever trains you to scream and shriek while you’re crucified to an altar, and the thing that’s coming toward you is a prop man lighting up a cigarette behind the camera. These things are so embarrassing and undignified that you just try to get it in one or two takes. After that, you start to analyze, and that’s not good.” To be fair, I can only imagine how awkward some of these scenes were to film. My God.
Multiple dream sequences were also added throughout. Including the haunting trip through Hell, hoping to add to the horrors of Father Michael’s plight. And oh, did they. Despite these mass changes, there was a lot of belief in The Unholy from those involved. A belief that unfortunately wouldn’t be rewarded financially. The film, said to have had a budget of $7 Million, would recoup less than $6.5 million on its theatrical run. You would think like so many other morally challenging horror films of its time, The Unholy would find new life on home video. But it only received a North American release on DVD packaged with seven other films from Vestron (ironically including Waxwork). Finally, in 2017 the film was released on Blu-Ray featuring the aforementioned original ending as well as several other featurettes.
To this day, however, it doesn’t feel like The Unholy ever received its dark flowers. Especially for a film that feels so shockingly well made in so many areas. Specifically, the FX department. For example, one scene in particular features a German Shepard that’s had its throat ripped open. Rather than go the Halloween 5 route with a stuffed animal Doberman hanging in the attic, the production actually gave the dog anesthetic and applied the prosthetic as it slept. Just for a simple shot of a dead dog. And it looked amazing. Despite how you may feel about that tactic (the dog apparently enjoyed licking the Karo syrup off himself afterwards), it’s clear a lot of care went into the production.
To be honest, in the realm of religious horror movies, The Unholy is more frightening than many far-more-talked-about films. So, why is it that you can’t currently stream or even rent this twisted film online anywhere? Chalk up another win for you avid physical media collectors out there. The rest of us will just have to get creative. And that, my friends, is… as far as the time of this video at least… what happened to The Unholy. And hopefully that changes soon.
A couple of the previous episodes of What 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!
In an ever-growing platform agnostic world, crossplay in games like Marvel Rivals is more of an expectation than a feature. Even if your gaming friends branch paths from console to PC, or go to a different console, there’s usually a way to play together.
In an ever-growing platform agnostic world, crossplay in games like Marvel Rivals is more of an expectation than a feature. Even if your gaming friends branch paths from console to PC, or go to a different console, there’s usually a way to play together.
PLOT: Two high school nobodies make the decision to crash the last major celebration before the new millennium on New Year’s Eve 1999. The night becomes even crazier than they could have ever dreamed when the clock strikes midnight.
REVIEW: As a millennial, I’ve always gotten a kick out of the hysteria surrounding Y2K. The idea of all the computers going haywire simply because of the passing of a date always felt pretty wacky. But the event has never really gotten a proper cinematic telling. Until now. SNL’s Kyle Mooney makes his directorial debut with a film that feels like Small Soldiers on steroids. But if you’re not into nostalgia, then you may have to look elsewhere. Thankfully, nostalgia may as well be my middle name.
Mooney and co-writer Evan Winter provide a pretty fun story about an unexpected group of misfits banded together to take on the machines that want to end humanity after the clock strikes midnight. There are times when the film pokes fun at the silliness of the premise but still does a good job of keeping certain elements grounded. There’s always going to be some suspension of disbelief that’s required for any film like this. If you’re able to have fun with it, you’ll be rewarded with some genuinely great characters and touching moments between all the chaos.
I was really impressed by the cast of Y2K. I’d consider Jaeden Martell to be one of the most talented young actors working today, always bringing a sense of vulnerability and realism to his roles. The moments of levity can be a little tonally off, yet Martell is always there to remind you of the dire consequences of what is going on around them. And I loved the dynamic between him and Julian Dennison. There was clear Superbad energy between the two. Rachel Zegler is perfectly cast as Laura, a popular girl who doesn’t quite understand her mean-girl reputation. She and Martell work really well together, even if their storyline is a bit on the nose.
I’ve been a fan of Lachlan Watson since Chucky and she gives dimension to a character that could have easily just been one note. She and Daniel Zolghadri really nail the cringe element of being a teenager. And I was honestly shocked at how large of a role Fred Durst had as himself. He does a great job, getting his very own “campfire tale” that he absolutely nails. He’s able to poke fun at himself while still keeping up appearances. Tim Heidecker, Kid Laroi, Alicia Silverstone, Mason Gooding, and Kyle Mooney all show up in fun side roles. However, some could have been utilized better.
One of Y2K‘s greatest strengths is how it plays with heavy moments. There are some major character deaths that come out of nowhere and the film does a great job of making them count. They aren’t just forgotten about the next scene and this is one of many examples of where Mooney shows a lot of promise as a director. All the great comedy directors balance comedy and drama. While his humor still rests on the more juvenile side, I was really impressed with the more human moments. I just wish some of the gore was more practical and impactful. There are several times when people are simply stumbling into their deaths and it feels a bit lazy. Enough with the CGI!
The hacking feels straight out of Jurassic Park, with absurd visuals meant to represent the act itself. It works for the world set up, and only gets better once the Lawnmower Man effects come into play. I really got a kick out of the very 1999 visuals of the computer graphics. I do wonder how much the humor of Y2K may go over the heads of those who don’t have a decent familiarity with the time. There’s a Tipper Gore joke that got a massive laugh in my theater and I’m not even sure younger generations know who that is nor her significance. And that can be said for many of the smaller jokes and even some major ones. The film is very reliant on nostalgia for both its story and its jokes.
While the film relies on convenience a little more than I’d like, and follows a very basic story structure, there are still enough curveballs to keep things interesting. I’m a character guy and I really enjoyed this group of loveable losers. Though, given the R rating, I could have gone for a bit more blood. But at least they give us some unexpected stakes. Like most comedies, I’m sure this will be a divisive film but I had a great time with it. It’s certainly not perfect but I enjoyed stepping back in time to witness an over-the-top world where robots come together to take out humanity. Hey, I have to live out my Terminator fantasies somehow!
Y2K RELEASES EXCLUSIVELY TO THEATERS ON DECEMBER 6TH, 2024.
Disney Dreamlight Valley has plenty of stuff to forage for without ever dipping your toes into its expansions. But if you do decide to jump in and take a look around The Storybook Vale expansion, you might feel slightly overwhelmed by just how much more there is to uncover in this one expansion alone. And if you’ve…
Disney Dreamlight Valley has plenty of stuff to forage for without ever dipping your toes into its expansions. But if you do decide to jump in and take a look around The Storybook Vale expansion, you might feel slightly overwhelmed by just how much more there is to uncover in this one expansion alone. And if you’ve…
There’s a new sequel to the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer (watch it HERE) and its 1998 follow-up I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (watch that one HERE) coming our way from director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Do Revenge) – and even though filming is already underway, Jennifer Love Hewitt has revealed that she has still not officially signed on to reprise the role of heroine Julie James!
Robinson is directing the film from a screenplay by Leah McKendrick (M.F.A.), which has received some rewrites from Robinson and journalist Sam Lansky. McKendrick told Collider a while back that the new sequel will reckon with “some big ideas about hero and villain, right and wrong, how your skeletons come back to haunt you. And in the age of the internet and the age where fame is such a revered concept, the creation of TikTok and social media, who is Julie James in a world where there are no secrets anymore?“ McKendrick also said that when she went in to pitch her take to Sony, the most important things they wanted to hear about were “the accident, the event that kicks it off, and who the killer is.“
The new I Know What You Did Last Summer stars Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), Sarah Pidgeon (Tiny Beautiful Things), Tyriq Withers (Atlanta), Jonah Hauer-King (The Little Mermaid), Billy Campbell (The Rocketeer), Lola Tung (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Nicholas Alexander Chavez (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menéndez Story), Austin Nichols (The Day After Tomorrow), and model / musician Gabbriette, who will be making her feature film acting debut. Robinson’s Do Revenge star Camila Mendes (Riverdale) was attached at one time, but had to drop out due to scheduling issues. It appears that she has been replaced by Chase Sui Wonders (Bodies Bodies Bodies). I Know What You Did Last Summer and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer cast member Freddie Prinze Jr. recently signed on to reprise the role of Ray Bronson, while Jennifer Love Hewitt has been in negotiations to appear in the film… and those negotiations have been going on for quite a while.
In a new interview with Coming Soon, Hewitt said, “So, the interesting thing is I’m not officially signed on yet, but we’re close. We’ve been trying to figure out a lot with the (TV series) 9-1-1 schedule. It’s been a little tricky. But the idea of returning to Julie James is really exciting for me. It’s scary. I think on the personal level of being like, ‘what are people gonna think of the 45-year-old version of Julie James?’ I think ’cause I’m a woman and human, that part of it makes me a little nervous. But playing her again would be an honor. I think I feel excited to show or see what she’s been up to and how she has changed, and what she still holds onto from that infamous night on the road.“
Hewitt also revealed that her kids recently watched I Know What You Did Last Summer. “My kids just watched it for the first time and that was wild. My big kids sitting with them and their friends watching a movie and seeing myself at 18 and looking just like my daughter, which is crazy. They loved it. I loved that fan base. I love that people still root for that movie. It was a big moment for me in my life. It was my first time really starring in a movie I was 18. It just has a special place in my heart for sure.“
Are you looking forward to the new I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel, and are you hoping to see Jennifer Love Hewitt return as Julie James in the film? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
28 Days Later director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland have finally reunited to make a sequel to their zombie (or, if you prefer, infected people) movie classic. As we reporter earlier this year, this sequel is set up at Sony, is going to be called 28 Years Later – and it’s meant to launch a whole trilogy of 28 Days Later sequels. They say that time heals all wounds, but this morning Sony has unveiled the first poster for 28 Years Later, which lets us know that time didn’t heal anything. You can check it out at the bottom of this article.
The cast of 28 Years Later includes Jodie Comer (The Bikeriders), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (The Fall Guy), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), and Erin Kellyman (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). It has also been said that 28 Days Later star Cillian Murphy returns “in a surprising way.”
In the original film, Murphy played bicycle courier Jim, who wakes up from a coma to find himself in an apocalyptic England that’s overrun by people who have been infected by a rage virus. Boyle and Garland went through several endings for 28 Days Later before landing on the one movie-goers saw in theatres – and that ending was the only one where Jim survived. So he’s still out there, ready to live through another rage virus nightmare 28 years later. As The Hollywood Reporter previously noted, “The 2002 film grossed $82.7 million globally and spawned a sequel, 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, though Boyle and Garland were only nominally involved as executive producers.”
Garland also wrote the screenplay for the sequel that will come after 28 Years Later. Of the two 28 Years Later projects currently in the works, Boyle only planned to direct the first one. For the second film, he has passed the helm over to Candyman and The Marvels director Nia DaCosta – and that sequel, titled 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple, has already wrapped production.
When 28 Years Later came up during an interview with IndieWire, Fiennes decided to go ahead and tell us all about it: “Britain is 28 years into this terrible plague of infected people who are violent, rabid humans with a few pockets of uninfected communities. And it centers on a young boy who wants to find a doctor to help his dying mother. He leads his mother through this beautiful northern English terrain. But of course, around them hiding in forests and hills and woods are the infected. But he finds a doctor who is a man we might think is going to be weird and odd, but actually is a force for good.“
Thanks to their deal with Sony, each of these new films will be receiving a theatrical release and will have budgets in the $60 million range. 28 Years Later has a budget of $75 million.
Boyle and Garland are producing 28 Years Later with Bernie Bellew, original producer Andrew Macdonald, and Peter Rice, who was the head of Fox Searchlight Pictures when that company backed 28 Days Later. Murphy is executive producing. The film is scheduled to reach theatres on June 20th, 2025.
Are you looking forward to 28 Years Later? Check out the poster, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
