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Back in 2008 -- when torture movies were still riding high -- VH1 had a brilliant idea. Well, they had a "brilliant" idea. Tapping into the successes of both the "Saw" movies and reality shows like "America's Next Top Model," the network produced "Scream Queens," a competition show that gathered together 10 hopeful actresses and had them undergo a series of auditions and acting challenges, arranged in an elimination tourney structure, with each getting help from professional acting coach John Homa. The grand prize would be a small role in "Saw VI."

It might come as a surprise to you that this series was directed by James Gunn, who also served as one of the show's main judges. He was joined on the judge's panel by Shawnee Smith, who played the role of Amanda Young in "Saw," "Saw II," "Saw III," "Saw VI," and "Saw X." This was at a time when...

Nathan Fillion knows the danger of being typecast, but The Rookie helped him dodge a career-killing stereotype. While some actors get stuck in one iconic role, Fillion made sure he didn’t become just that guy from Castle. Instead, he proved his range, keeping his career fresh and unpredictable.

Nathan Fillion on The Rookie | Credits: Lionsgate Television

But breaking free from a fan-favorite character isn’t easy — so how did The Rookie change the game for him?

Nathan Fillion defies sci-fi typecasting, proving his career is more than just one genre Nathan Fillion on the ABC series Castle | Credits: Lionsgate Television

Nathan Fillion may be a sci-fi fan favorite, but don’t box him in just yet. The Firefly and Slither star knows he’s often labeled as a sci-fi guy, but he’s got a message for fans: his career is way bigger than that. Fillion once told Games Radar,...

When describing Mike Flanagan’s screenplay pitch and potential director James Watkins’ vision for bringing Clayface to the screen, co-ceo of DC Studios James Gunn said that “their version of that movie, it is so real and true and psychological and body horror and gross.” Peter Safran used the words “indie style chiller” when explicitly describing the movie. But still, the question remains. Why? Out of all the Batman villains available, out of all the “obscure” DC characters you can choose for a spotlight movie, why choose this one in particular for the just-birthed Dcu? If you take a look at Gunn’s filmography, the man does have a creative affinity for the horror genre. 2006’s Slither, 2016’s The Belko Experiment, and 2019’s Brightburn prove this.

But when it comes to Clayface, why is the newly announced solo movie moving so fast? Can it be that “one of the best...

Our chronic need for self-care can sometimes feel like its own illness. Whether you’re slapping on your daily deodorant or attending a weekly therapy session, “taking care” of yourself means managing the symptoms of being a living-breathing person… forever. It’s annoying, time-consuming, and, in the world of wellness marketing, a lucrative and consumable constant. In “The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick,” filmmaker Pete Ohs examines snake oil culture as a means for exploiting both anxiety and fear.

Co-written by the director/editor/producer and the movie’s four lead actors, this sunny-yet-claustrophobic nightmare asks if the faux “healing” mentality — seen here as a stranger-danger version of a weekend getaway you only think you know — is really what’s making modern people sick. Foregoing the influencer-inspired sheen of something like the beauty thriller “Skincare,” this decidedly strange SXSW premiere follows the grieving Yvonne (Zoë Chao) into...

After a lengthy hiatus, Netflix’s spy series “The Recruit” is back for season 2, and it’s bringing a few new faces with it.

Don’t worry, we’re still with the characters that fans have come to know and love. It’s just that, this season, Owen Hendricks’ (Noah Centineo) antics take us to South Korea, after he was kidnapped at the end of last season. And that means a whole new set of spies (and potentially enemies).

Here’s who you need to know and remember in “The Recruit’s” Season 2 cast.

Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in “Yhe Recruit” (Photo Credit: Netflix) Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo)

Owen was recruited to the CIA as a lawyer, and has since found himself in just so many sticky situations. He’s played by Noah Centineo, who shot to fame with “The Fosters” and Netflix’s “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” franchise.

Filmmaker James Gunn was one of the freshest voices to come out of the indie scene when he helmed the runaway MCU hit Guardians of the Galaxy. With his signature humor and unique vision for films, Gunn delivered blockbusters not just in the Marvel universe but also with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.

His work on the two films got him the job of co-chief of DC Studios with his producing partner Peter Safran. As the head of the Dcu, Gunn has been crafting the direction of the rebooted franchise, beginning with the Max animated show Creature Commandos, which he wrote, and the upcoming film Superman.

What is James Gunn’s net worth? James Gunn | Credits: YouTube/Screen Rant Plus

James Gunn’s tenure as a filmmaker reportedly began when he was 12 when he began making homemade films with his brother. Since then, Gunn has grown to be one of...

James Gunn is best known for his contributions to some of the most popular films and television series. He has a vast career graph, from being a successful screenwriter and producer to becoming a prolific director and the Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DC Studios. He shares the DC position with Peter Safran.

Gunn’s name comes in today’s few notable pop-culture movies like The Suicide Squad, The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and more. Now, his upcoming directorial project, Superman, is garnering a lot of attention from the audience.

James Gunn | Credits: Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum YouTube

A teaser trailer has been released, and DC fans are too excited to see how the new movie unfolds further along the lines of the superhero stories. Before this Superman movie became the talk of the town, let’s look at Gunn’s filmography. He has directed a...

Since DC Comics has millions of fans, there are lots of people who care a lot about the movies and TV shows based on the company's characters. Those fans are interested in David Corenswet's Superman workout routine, in why The Batman II is being delayed, and about who almost played Harley Quinn instead of Margot Robbie. Those same fans have been following every detail James Gunn has revealed about his upcoming Superman movie and the other shows and movies he is in control of.

Since James has so much control over a beloved franchise, it seems like fans should know a lot about him. After all, James has never been shy about his past or about his opinions on things like reality TV. Despite that, most fans don't know that James is like other celebrities who have reality TV pasts since he starred in a disturbing show from the genre in the past.

The first trailer for Superman gave audiences their first look at the new DC Universe, and this included a brief appearance by Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, who looks extremely strange. While more dedicated fans are well aware of the Green Lanterns and their stories, casual audiences have only seen one Green Lantern in the film starring Ryan Reynolds. This has led to confusion about why Fillion looks the way that he does in the 2025 Superman movie. Notably, there are comic book, and other precedents, to examine here.

Green Lantern has been one of the most underserved heroes in recent superhero media. The character has had many canceled appearances, including one in Zack Snyder's Justice League, where he was replaced with Martian Manhunter due to studio plans for the character that never came together. Fortunately, the Green Lantern Corps will enter the new Dcu in a big way with...

James Gunn has unveiled the first Superman trailer and, uh… is it just us or is there a lot going on here? Some thoughts on the trailer for DC’s next blockbuster.

After what seems like forever, we finally have our first proper teaser trailer for Superman. Ever since James Gunn, the current co-ceo of DC Studios, announced he was making a Superman film, we’ve been waiting more or less patiently for the first moving images.

That day is finally here. It’s clearly a big deal for DC Studios; the studio posted a teaser trailer for today’s teaser trailer yesterday and there was a countdown and everything to get audiences hyped. When did trailers become this big?

Regardless, take a look at the teaser below.

For this iteration of the classic DC Comics hero, David Corenswet is putting on the red pants and he certainly looks the part.

Details of James Gunn’s reboot of the DC icon Superman are now coming thick and fast in anticipation of tomorrow’s trailer, with the director now revealing that his latest comic book movie effort will ditch several of his usual, and most recognizable, traits. In an interview with Gizmodo, Gunn first assuaged any worries that the kind of humor audiences have grown accustomed to in the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad will be carried over into Superman, calling the Dcu opener “incredibly serious” while leaving space for humor.

“I start with a place that’s very hopeful, fun… but incredibly grounded [and] incredibly serious all at the same time. It’s humorous, but it certainly is not as [comedic] as either Suicide Squad or Guardians. There’s plenty of humor in it. People like Rachel [Brosnahan, who plays Lois Lane] are so funny and David [Corenswet, who plays Superman] is very [funny as well], so there’s humor in it,...

Before he became the head of DC Studios, James Gunn made low-budget horror comedies for Troma Entertainment, the company behind disreputable splatterfests like "The Toxic Avenger" and "Class of Nuke 'Em High." After that, he directed "Slither," a gross-out treat about alien slugs invading a small town and turning the residents into monsters. These days, Gunn is mostly known for superhero flicks, but his horror credentials are undeniable. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to put his own stamp on two bona fide genre classics, leaving us to wonder what could have been.

There are several unrealized Gunn projects out there, but his planned remakes of "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "It's Alive" would have allowed him to lean into the macabre sensibilities that brought him to the dance in the first place. The former is a good, old-fashioned monster movie that paints humans as the real villains. "It's Alive,...

DC Studios co-ceo and co-chairman James Gunn has a lot on his shoulders. The writer, director, and producer is in charge of the new cinematic DC Universe (along with fellow co-ceo and co-chairman Peter Safran), and his upcoming "Superman" film is going to be the catalyst to kick it all off. Gunn's "Superman," starring David Corenswet as the titular Kryptonian, has to work for audiences and get people hooked on this new cinematic universe fast, as many of the DC characters (including Superman) will be entering the public domain in the next decade or two. Gunn previously wrote and directed "The Suicide Squad" in 2021, showing audiences what his unique voice could look like using DC Comics characters, and without many of the constraints of working within the other major comics super-franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" films are a lot of colorful fun, but with...

James Gunn is a curious figure in popular culture. As a young man, just rising in the film business, Gunn co-wrote the witty and disgusting Troma epic "Tromeo & Juliet" with Lloyd Kaufman, and it featured kinky sex, a bisexual Juliet, cow monsters, mutant penis creatures, and an opening narration by Lemmy from Motörhead. After that, Gunn took the piss out of the superhero genre with "The Specials," a low-low budget film about what superheroes — petty jerks, mostly — do on their day off. He stayed aloft in Hollywood writing the screenplays for two surreal "Scooby-Doo" movies, and Zack Snyder's remake of "Dawn of the Dead" before making his directorial debut in 2006 with "Slither," another gross movie about body-invading worm monsters and wacko mutants.

Gunn then deconstructed superheroes even further with "Super" in 2010, a film that hypothesizes that superheroes are mentally ill and addicted to extreme violence. "Super" is bleak,...

Pinocchio is one of the most popular childhood characters but the horror genre is taking over with a gruesome parody. Set for release in 2025, Pinocchio: Unstrung is ready to change everyone's memories of the wooden boy.

The team behind the Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey films have an ambitious project to turn the film series into a franchise called the Poohniverse or The Twisted Childhood Universe based on characters from the public domain. The first two Winnie-the-Pooh films had mixed reactions, but they were profitable, which led to another sequel and a bigger franchise. Now, the team has just unveiled the first look at Pinocchio on X, and it's exciting for one practical reason.

Meet Pinocchio. pic.twitter.com/Klly3yIdlS Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 (@poohbandh) November 1, 2024

Related An Acclaimed 11-Year-Old Horror Game Is Getting a Film Adaptation From Saw Studio

The studio behind the Saw franchise is bringing...

The filmmakers behind Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (and its sequel) are expanding their “Poohniverse” with multiple upcoming films including Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, but today we’re here to talk about Pinocchio: Unstrung.

Variety has shared a first look image from the next movie in the twisted public domain horror universe this morning, while also revealing that Robert Englund has joined the cast.

The horror legend is reportedly playing the role of iconic character Cricket!

Additionally, Richard Brake (3 from Hell) will be starring as puppet master Geppetto.

Rhys Frake-Waterfield is directing the upcoming Pinocchio horror movie for Jagged Edge Productions, with makeup FX legend Todd Masters (Child’s Play, Underworld Awakening, Slither) tasked with creating the film’s sinister Pinocchio doll. The fully practical puppet can be glimpsed in the shot up above, which was again first shared by Variety this morning.

Frake-Waterfield tells Bd,...

Dcu head James Gunn asserted he's not a big fan of Asian movie remakes. However, 2002's The Ring, a U.S. horror adaptation of 1998's Ringu, is one exception he's willing to make.

James Gunn shared his favorite remake films in a lively conversation on Threads. His list is dominated by Western horror films like The Thing, The Fly, It, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers; it also included 2006's The Departed, a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs. One Threads user commented that film is better than Martin Scorsese's take; Gunn chimed in and named The Ring as his all-time favorite Asian film remake. "I'd actually say the best remake of an Asian film (they're almost never good) is The Ring," he wrote. Gunn is now known for his string of Marvel and DC superhero movies, but his breakout feature was 2006's Slither, a body...

James Gunn has two horror films to his credit, both unapologetically gruesome and violent. The new DC Studios head now wants to see his 2006 flick Slither as a Muppets remake, which could look like a squeamish combination of Gremlins and The Happytime Murders.

James Gunn's filmography proves his knack for subverting audience expectations. Tromeo and Juliet is a black comedy adaptation of the tragedy, The Suicide Squad killed off half of its ensemble in the first act, and Guardians of the Galaxy turned misfit characters into one of the McU's most endearing ensembles. Given his track record for developing dark horse stories, his latest pitch just might be his next hit. When a Threads user asked the Dcu head which films don't deserve a remake, he flipped the question and said someone should take a crack at a Slither film featuring the Muppets.

Related 'We Talked About It': James Gunn...

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...

As we’re well into October, I’m sure plenty of you have already watched more than a few horror movies (as if you need an excuse), but it’s always fun to see what other folks recommend for the spooky season. Kevin Bacon, who I believe has appeared in a few horror movies, took to Instagram to share a list of twenty of his personal favourites.

Audition Don’t Look Now One Cut of the Dead Dawn of the Dead (1978) Shaun of the Dead 28 Days Later Get Out A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night Let The Right One In X Pearl MaXXXine The Witch The Love Witch The Blair Witch Project The Descent Slither Midsommar Martyrs Hereditary Smile Stir of Echoes

A quality list, and as you can see, Bacon appears in a few of them. Bacon’s most recent horror movie was MaXXXine, which appears on the list alongside X and Pearl.

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,...

Having received mixed to negative reviews upon their initial releases, a few horror films from the 2000s are worth taking another look at. The 2000s prompted some memorable horror protagonists and horror sequels, but a few films took a bit longer to find their audience. Films like Cloverfield and Drag Me to Hell are widely discussed entries from the 2000s that have only continued to grow in popularity, while films like Thirteen Ghosts and Slither took longer to earn respect.

In a genre with rich, inventive storytelling and special effects, it's only understandable that certain films were widely dismissed when they first hit theaters. A few of the films have earned massive cult followings, while others are on their way to achieving a similar status. With enough time having passed since they were first released, there's something to enjoy in each of these horror films initially marked as a failure.

Nathan Fillion and James Gunn share a fruitful collaboration that spans over a decade, through a couple of films, including DC’s The Suicide Squad. Thus, reflecting on their partnership built on mutual respect and risk-taking, Fillion noted how things changed and evolved. During the conversation, the actor highlighted Gunn’s honest feelings toward his uber-successful Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.

Filmmaker James Gunn | image: Erik Drost, licensed under Cc By 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Working on films dating back to 2006’s Slither and 2010’s Super, Nathan Fillion recalled how their working relationship reached new heights following their involvement in the MCU. During the conversation, Fillion surprisingly noted his initial hesitation about the Guardians of the Galaxy movie and revealed how James Gunn shared similar sentiments.

James Gunn Echoed Nathan Fillion’s Skepticism About the Guardians of the Galaxy

After collaborating with James Gunn in multiple projects, Nathan Fillion was asked to venture into the MCU,...

Matt Smith recently spoke to The Times of London about his concerns over trigger warnings, saying he worries “everything’s being dialed and dumbed down” when audiences are being tipped off in advance and being told what to feel. The “House of the Dragon” star said “the fucking point” of his acting choices as of late is that “we should be telling morally difficult stories, nowadays in particular.”

“It’s ok to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play, but I worry everything’s being dialed and dumbed down. We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something,” he added. “Isn’t being shocked, surprised, stirred the point? Too much policing of stories and being afraid to bring them out because a climate is a certain way is a shame. I’m not sure I’m on board with trigger warnings.

Matt Smith, star of House of the Dragon and The Crown, has doubled down on his criticism of trigger warnings.

In an interview with The Times of London, the actor, who shot to fame in Doctor Who, said that flagging potentially upsetting content was dumbing down storytelling for audiences.

“Too much policing of stories and being afraid to bring them out because a climate is a certain way is a shame. I’m not sure I’m on board with trigger warnings,” Smith said.

“It’s Ok to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play, but I worry everything’s being dialed and dumbed down. We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something.”

Smith, who is starring in British horror film Starve Acre, recalled renting Slither, Basic Instinct, Disclosure, and Friday the 13th when he was “too young.

Stars: Steven Ogg, Daniel Doheny, Chelsea Clark, Marty Adams | Written by Brandon Cohen | Directed by Vivenio Caldinelli

Directed by Vivenio Caldinelli, Canadian horror-comedy creature feature Scared Shitless is essentially a genetically engineered offshoot of 2006’s Slither, with a lot more toilet humour. It also provides character actor Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead) with a well-deserved lead role.

Ogg plays Don, an old-school plumber, whose 20-something son Sonny (Daniel Doheny) has become a couch-bound germophobe, following the death of his mother. In a last-ditch attempt to snap Sonny out of his depression, Don persuades him to tag along on his latest job, unblocking the toilets in an apartment complex. Admittedly, that’s not a great prospect for a germophobe, but Don is nothing if not optimistic.

However, neither Don nor Sonny are prepared for what awaits them at the apartment complex, as a genetically engineered creature has escaped into the plumbling...

Nowadays, people pretty much universally recognize John Carpenter for his genius as a writer, director, and composer, but back in 1982, things were a little bit different. The director had already truly impressed people with the 1978 slasher masterpiece "Halloween," along with the terrific but less-beloved "Assault on Precinct 13" and "The Fog," but unfortunately his big movie after the moderately successful "Escape From New York" was ultimately a massive flop.

That movie was "The Thing," which has at least come to be appreciated for its brilliance with time, going on to spawn a sort of confounding prequel/remake in 2011 and inspiring countless spoofs and references in everything from "The X-Files" to James Gunn's "Slither." It's truly difficult to imagine a time in which "The Thing" wasn't celebrated as a fantastic work of horror and science-fiction, forcing viewers to contend with Cold War paranoia about the danger of anyone being your enemy...

From the filmmakers behind Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (and its sequel) and the upcoming Bambi: The Reckoning and Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare comes the latest movie in this twisted public domain horror universe, Pinocchio: Unstrung.

Rhys Frake-Waterfield is directing the Pinocchio horror movie for Jagged Edge Productions, and Bloody Disgusting has exclusively been provided with the poster art this week.

ITN Studios and Premiere Entertainment are selling Pinocchio: Unstrung at the Toronto International Film Festival, with a theatrical world wide release planned for sometime in 2025.

Filming begins this October. Stay tuned for more.

Frake-Waterfield tells Bd, “The film will embrace practical effects at every opportunity, ranging from the doll itself to the title card of the film. Having a budget significantly higher than my last film, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2, I’m aiming to make this the definitive Pinocchio horror film and my best movie to date.

James Gunn is on his way to revamp the Dcu and in under a year fans will know if he was able to succeed or not. On July 11, 2025, David Corenswet will replace Henry Cavill and take over the mantle of Superman. While there is still a long way to go before the film comes out, James Gunn has confirmed that they have already wrapped up the shoot.

David Corenswet as Superman | Credits: James Gunn’s Threads (@jamesgunn)

This comes as a pleasant surprise as not often do we get to see such a wide gap between the wrap-up and the release. However, James Gunn has a perfectly valid and honorable reason for this – the convenience of his VFX artists.

James Gunn is Looking Out for his VFX Artists

James Gunn | Credits: Photo by Erik Drost, licensed under Cc By 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Over the past couple of years, a ton...

David Cronenberg's influence has shaped the modern horror landscape, blending metaphysical and physical elements for provocative storytelling. Cronenberg's impact on body horror is evident in films like American Mary, Slither, and Kuso, pushing boundaries with grotesque transformations. Newer films like Censor and Possessor continue Cronenberg's legacy, exploring themes of anatomy, self-transformation, and the blurred lines between reality and fiction.

The modern horror landscape wouldnt look the same without the influence of body horror maestro David Cronenberg. Since his debut, Shivers, a sticky satire about an apartment complex infected with an erotic virus clearly meant to critique the sexual revolution, his work has provoked by combining metaphysical with the very-physical on screen, plumbing the depths of the human animals urges by testing its boundaries, usually proving them much too porous for comfort, from The Fly to The Brood, to Videodrome.

The once-polarizing Cronenberg has become an elder statesman in horror over the years.

This article is part of IndieWire’s 2000s Week celebration. Click here for a whole lot more.

To seriously paraphrase the cat from “Coraline,” you might think horror movies in the 2000s were all hokey, exploitative, and bad… but you’re wrong.

We’re rounding out 2000s Week with a consideration of the scariest cinema the decade had to offer. That’s a fitting exercise as our blast from the past becomes yesterday’s news, and IndieWire’s exhausted staff catches its collective breath.

Hindsight is a funny thing. What differentiates the memories we want to keep from the nightmares that won’t leave us alone? With dozens of hidden-gem horror titles tossed out to make room for a measly top 13, this list wishes it knew. But, trapped in a torture chamber of our own making, the following curation was made with a variety of baseline good horror films that are fun,...

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of September titles. The Tubi September 2024 slate features new Tubi Originals and numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library: over 200,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of Tubi Originals, and nearly 250 Fast channels.

You can watch the Tubi September 2024 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi site.

Tubi Originals

Action

Hazard – 9/6

Noah really loves his girlfriend,...

Plot: Famed aesthetician Hope Goldman’s skincare business faces sabotage when rival Angel Vergara opens a boutique across the street. Aided by friend Jordan, Hope seeks to uncover who’s trying to ruin her reputation.

Review: I’m not going to lie, a movie about the beauty/skincare industry doesn’t exactly appeal to me on the surface. But add Elizabeth Banks as the delusional lead at the center of the story and I’m intrigued. Then add in a very dark and twisted angle about the perception of one’s image and we’re off to the races! Plus, as much as it’s about beauty, it’s about so much more. The feeling of paranoia is universal, and everyone has that moment in their life where it seems like everything is working against them. Skincare posits the idea that maybe there’s someone behind that, purposely tearing your life apart.

[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in July 2022. It has since been updated with new entries to coincide with the release of “Alien: Romulus”]

Aliens are never far from the pop culture hive mind. It makes sense that audiences would turn to the skies in the 21st century: a time of existential ennui that’s left many screaming for escape and wondering “What else?” But where the enduring nostalgia of “E.T.” or the effortless charm of “Earth Girls Are Easy” might have made emotional contact in the past, a burning need to really feel something has festered.

The scariest alien movies terrify in many of the same ways the scariest earth-bound horror movies do: building (and sometimes killing) likable characters; producing otherworldly visual displays with seriously grim implications; getting the jump scares, if applicable, timed just right; and daring to put the unimaginably terrible on screen. Alien flicks further distinguish themselves through the subgenre’s unparalleled ability to explore the unknown, conjuring up heinous fates for humans so sweepingly sadistic few other films can attempt them.

Spoilers for "Deadpool & Wolverine" follow.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" is a road trip buddy comedy through the multiverse, where Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) meets many variants of himself. One especially weird member of the Deadpool Corps is Headpool, an undead head from the "Marvel Zombies" universe (he gets around by wearing an automated propeller head). Headpool's voice actor is none other than Nathan Fillion, beloved in geek circles for playing Captain Mal Reynolds on "Firefly" and known outside of them for "Castle."

During the 2000s, Fillion was one of nerds' favorite fancasts to star in a superhero movie -- particularly "Green Lantern," a role that instead went to a pre-"Deadpool" Reynolds. (Fillion settled for voicing Hal Jordan in some animated DC movies.)

While he's not the superhero star his fans wanted him to be, Fillion has popped up in the MCU — three times before playing Headpool, in fact. He...

IFC Films will be giving the vanity thriller Skincare, starring Cocaine Bear director Elizabeth Banks, a theatrical release on August 16th – and with that date just a couple of months away, they have decided to unveil a trailer for the film. You can check it out in the embed above.

Skincare marks the narrative feature directorial debut of Austin Peters, who previously directed the documentary Give Me Future, about the free Major Lazer concert in Havana, Cuba that drew half a million fans. Peters wrote the screenplay with Sam Freilich and Deering Regan, crafting the following story: Famed aesthetician Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) is about to take her career to the next level by launching her very own skincare line, but her personal and work lives are challenged when rival facialist Angel Vergara opens a new skincare boutique directly across from her store. She starts to suspect that someone is...

IFC Films has secured the North American distribution rights for “Skincare,” a highly anticipated thriller starring Elizabeth Banks, set to hit theaters on August 16, 2024. The film, directed by Austin Peters, promises to breathe new life into the whodunit genre with a unique twist on vanity and crime.

Banks, known for her roles in “The Hunger Games” and “Pitch Perfect” franchises, leads an all-star ensemble cast in this noir-inspired thriller. The story follows Hope Goldman (Banks), a renowned aesthetician on the brink of launching her own skincare line. Her plans are thrown into disarray when rival facialist Angel Vergara, played by Luis Gerardo Méndez, opens a competing boutique across from her studio. As mysterious events unfold, Hope suspects a deliberate attempt to sabotage her reputation and business.

The plot thickens as Hope enlists the help of her friend Jordan, portrayed by Lewis Pullman of “Top Gun: Maverick” fame, to unravel the...

Elizabeth Banks stars in the crime thriller Skincare opening August 16, 2024. The film features an all-star cast, including Luis Gerardo Mndez and Nathan Fillion. Banks plays Hope, an aesthetician who investigates the sabotaging of her career.

Skincare, a new thriller starring Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games films) and an all-star cast, is coming to theaters later this year, after IFC Films announced on Monday that it had acquired the picture's North American distribution rights. The film is directed by Austin Peters (Give Me Future) and written by Peters, Deering Regan and Sam Freilich, and is now due to open in theaters on August 16, 2024.

Emmy nominee Banks will be supported by an all-star cast, including Luis Gerardo Mndez (Netflix's Narcos: Mexico), Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick), Nathan Fillion and Emmy nominee Mj Rodriguez. The film also stars John Billingsley (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Medalion Rahimi (NCIS: Los Angeles).

Related Elizabeth Banks...

Explore Elizabeth Banks’ Top Movies Definitely, Maybe (2008) – 70% Invincible (2006) – 72% Lovely, Still (2008) – 73% Seabiscuit (2003) – 77% Role Models (2008) – 77% Pitch Perfect (2015) – 81% The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) – 85% Slither (2006) – 87% Love & Mercy (2014) – 89% The Hunger Games (2012-2015) – 90%

Elizabeth Banks was born on February 10, 1974, in Pittsfield, a small city in western Massachusetts. Her parents, Ann Wallace, a bank employee, and Mark P. Mitchell, a factory worker, have played significant roles in her life.

Her childhood was filled with horses, athletics, and even a nomination for the local Harvest Queen. While playing baseball as a child, Elizabeth broke her leg sliding into third base and was prevented from playing sports for a while.

During that time, she decided to try her hand at acting, and she auditioned for the school play. Even in college, she was often called a “goody-two-shoes,” even though she is quoted as saying, “… every goody-two-shoes has a bad side.”

Elizabeth Banks made her acting debut in the black and...

Stunning videos capturing a meteor flashing across Europe went viral over the weekend. Luckily, the European Space Agency concluded that the likelihood of any meteorites being found on Earth was low, which is great news considering that meteorites crash-landing on our planet spells massive trouble when it comes to horror.

The Blob, Creepshow, and Night of the Creeps all showcase the perils of meteorites unleashing an alien menace upon an unsuspecting population, and the niche subgenre gets perfectly encapsulated in filmmaker James Gunn’s Slither. One small, unassuming piece of space rock decimates a small South Carolina town through an evolving parasitic invader.

The Setup

Writer/Director James Gunn packs his feature debut with an almost dizzying amount of references in his love letter to horror, beginning with the Sam Raimi shaky cam that tracks the meteorites crashing in the opening sequence. The horror nods and cameos keep coming as...

As the Northern Lights make a rare appearance by illuminating the night sky across the world, with delighted sky watchers enjoying the view, James Gunn’s Green Lantern actor Nathan Fillion makes the best use of the moment. Clicking images with his side profile and the aurora borealis dancing in the background sky, Fillion shared the image on his Instagram with a cheeky caption.

Nathan Fillion in a still from The Rookie

After the strongest geomagnetic storms caused the aurora borealis to dazzle around different part of the world, Nathan Fillion, who is set to appear as Guy Gardner aka Green Lantern in James Gunn’s Superman reboot, shared his best response to the event. Making the best use of the vibrant lights in the sky to depict Green Lantern’s superpowers, Fillion stunned his fans with his hilarious dig.

Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern in James Gunn’s Superman...

Initial teasers of Alien: Romulus reveal a return to form for the series. In a recent behind-the-scenes tease, director Fede lvarez demonstrated the film's focus on practical effects by "playing" with a Xenomorph facehugger on set.

Horror fans agree that Alien's Xenomorphs are pure nightmare fuel. It has also taken on a life of its own outside the franchise, leaving its imprint on pop culture through film, TV, and (especially) video game references. Out of the Xenomorph's documented life cycle stages, the facehugger is probably the most hated (its appearance never fails to trigger arachnophobia in audiences). Director Fede lvarez likely preyed on this innate fear when he shared a behind-the-scenes tease of his facehugger prop on X; lvarez paraded the creature like it was a pet doing tricks for the amusement of everyone on set.

Playing with my favorite toy on set of #AlienRomulus last summer. Rc Facehugger...

Nathan Fillion, who will next be seen in James Gunn’s Superman movie, revealed how he found out about his casting as Green Lantern. This marks the actor's latest collaboration with Gunn, after first working together in 2006’s horror comedy Slither.

During a recent interview with Collider, Fillion confirmed that prior to the official announcement of the highly-anticipated Superman movie, DC Studios co-CEOs Gunn and Peter Safran had already chosen him to play Guy Gardner/ Green Lantern, following his fan-favorite performance as T.D.K in 2021’s The Suicide Squad. "We were actually at the premiere party after Suicide Squad and he [Gunn] was in a huge crowd of people," Fillion recalled. "We saw each other in the crowd and I congratulated him, 'Oh, my God, that was amazing. It’s so great.' He goes, 'Hey, did Peter [Safran] tell you what we’ve got for you next?’ I said, 'No,...

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of May titles. The May 2024 slate features new Tubi Originals as well as numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, Tubi engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library, which includes over 200,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of Tubi Originals, and nearly 250 Fast channels.

You can watch the Tubi May 2024 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi site.

Tubi Originals

Action...

Body horror films have declined in recent years, but Parasyte: The Grey reinvigorates the genre with grotesque alien parasites and intense action. The series features horrifying, unique parasites that tear victims apart, lacking emotions and showcasing stunning CGI transformations on screen. While body horror has struggled to enter the mainstream, Parasyte: The Grey's success hints at a potential resurgence in the subgenre's popularity.

Horror is a genre with limitless possibilities, with various sub-genres always finding ways to be incorporated within. However, over the decades, horror has primarily featured a few more popular concepts: paranormal, with ghosts and exorcisms, cults, serial killers, and true psychological horror. While there are, of course, many exceptions, the themes mentioned above are the most popular with audiences today.

However, an underrated subgenre, body horror, which deliberately depicts grotesque violations of the human body, has arguably not entirely entered the mainstream. In this genre, there...

What if Superman had turned out to be evil? That was the idea explored by director David Yarovesky’s super-powered horror film Brightburn, which was released back in 2019. Even though the movie made under $33 million at the global box office, the budget was low enough (somewhere in the range of 6 to 12 million) that producer James Gunn said they were talking about a sequel just a couple months after the film reached screens. Then we went a long time with no mentions of Brightburn 2 – until production company The H Collective, which was also behind Brightburn, confirmed that a sequel was in development last September. Things got confusing last month when Gunn took to Threads to say there are “no plans at all” for a Brightburn 2 right now… but Gunn has cleared up some of the confusion by revealing that a sequel is unlikely due to a complicated rights situation.

Gunn wrote...

James Gunn, who wrote the screenplays for both live-action theatrical Scooby-Doo movies, recently reflected on his history with the franchise while celebrating the 20th anniversary of Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

On Mar. 27, Gunn shared the following message on Threads, "20 Years ago today Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (I was never a big fan of the title - I had named it simply Scooby-Doo Unleashed) was released in theaters. A great group of people - I made quite a few life long friends working on this project." The message was accompanied by photos of Gunn with the Scooby-Doo 2 cast and crew, including lead stars Matthew Lillard (Shaggy), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Daphne), and Linda Cardellini (Velma).

Related Scooby-Doo Gave TV One Of Its Greatest Formulas Scooby-Doo is a legend of TV and the original animated series helped to create some of the most popular TV formulas of all time.

After a fan...

Actor and recent Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr. is known for his decade-long role as Iron Man in the MCU. The actor laid the foundations for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside director Jon Favreau and producer Kevin Feige. The film is largely credited with having changed how superhero films were perceived in Hollywood.

Downey Jr.’s off-screen persona often includes a self-aware yet inflated sense of ego. However, even he set it aside to name James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy as the best film in the franchise. The Oppenheimer star mentioned how he was surprised by how great the film was, with relatively unknown characters, and ended up being so important for the MCU.

Robert Downey Jr. Hails James Gunn’s Experimental Film As MCU’s Best Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. had a decade long-tenure in the MCU, starting with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man.

Paul Rudd has become an integral part of the MCU as Ant-Man. His debut MCU film in 2015 provided an entertaining and fresh look at an unexplored side of the MCU, including the quantum realm, along with the character’s size control powers. The character also became a significant factor in the fight against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang in 2015’s Ant-Man

Before Paul Rudd was cast, many other actors were rumored for the part, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Nathan Fillion. The latter was rumored years back, even before the first Avengers film. However, Fillion would never have chosen Ant-Man if he had been given the choice to play a Marvel superhero.

Nathan Fillion Was Not Interested to Play Ant-Man in the MCU Nathan Fillion had a fun cameo in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

In the late 2000s, Nathan Fillion was booked and busy with several TV and film projects.

James Gunn wrote 2004's Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, which was directed by Raja Gosnell. Gunn celebrates the movie's 20th anniversary with a social media post in which he reveals that his choice for the title was actually Scooby-Doo Unleashed. The live-action sequel earned mostly negative reviews from critics, and the franchise has since remained in the world of animation.

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed turns 20, and James Gunn celebrates the occasion with a new social media post sharing his honest thoughts about the movie's title. Released in 2004, the live-action Scooby-Doo sequel was directed by Raja Gosnell, with Gunn having written the screenplay. The film, which features Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, earned mostly negative reviews from critics, but was a success at the box office. Gunn would go on to write and direct movies like Slither, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Suicide Squad.

In a post on Instagram, Gunn celebrates Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed...