Category: Horror

“Pitch Black” (2000) directed by David Twohy, starring Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Keith David & Cole Hauser / Z-View

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Pitch Black (2000)

Director: David Twohy

Screenplay:  Ken Wheat, Jim Wheat, David Twohy; story by Ken Wheat, Jim Wheat

Stars:  Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Claudia Black and Keith David.

Tagline: Don’t be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of what’s in the dark.

The Plot…

A transport spaceship crashlands on a remote planet.  Only a handful survive:

  • Carolyn Fry – ship’s pilot
  •  Imam Abu al-Walid – an Islamic holy man, escorting three students to a New Mecca
  • Ali, Hassan and Suleiman – students traveling with Imam Abu al-Walid
  • Jack – a young person traveling alone
  • Shazza and Zeke – a couple
  • Paris – a wealthy man
  • William J. Johns – a bounty hunter/cop traveling with his prisoner
  • Riddick – a dangerous killer in the custody of Johns

The survivors come together in an attempt to assess their situation and chances of survival.  Their ship is beyond help.  When they discover a deserted outpost, their hopes rise…

But they soon discover that the planet is about to enter a prolonged eclipse.  The planet will be in complete darkness the entire time.  On this planet when the sunlight fades, dangerous creatures return to the surface.

Don’t be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of what’s in the dark.  It’s about to get very dark.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The ship’s crash landing is amazing — especially seen on a theater screen.

Pitch Black is the film that made Vin Diesel a star.

In the original Pitch Black screenplay Riddick dies at the end.  Diesel and Twohy liked the character and thought they could make more films about him.  So far we’ve gotten The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (an animated video) which bridges Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick film. Another feature film, Riddick, was released in 2013.

Pitch Black (2000) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Hope” – The Behind-the-Scenes Teaser is Here!

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I am so psyched for Hope.  Here is a short behind-the-scenes teaser.

Deal me in.

In the remote South Korea village of Hope Harbor, police chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung- min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to find a mysterious creature that has wreaked havoc on the village.

In the nearby forest, a coterie of hunters, including Sung- ki (Zo In-Sung) set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.

“Widow’s Bay” Season 1, starring Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root / Z-View

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Widow’s Bay: Season 1 (2026)

Created by: Katie Dippold 

Director:

  • Hiro Murai (eps. 1-3; 9-10)
  • Sam Donovan (eps. 4; 7)
  • Andrew DeYoung (eps. 5; 8)
  • Ti West (ep. 6)

Screenplay:

  • Katie Dippold (eps. 1; 10)
  • Kelly Galuska (ep. 2)
  • Neil Casey (ep. 3)
  • Mackenzie Dohr (ep. 4)
  • Colton Dunn (ep. 5)
  • Alberto Roldán (ep. 6)
  • Dave Harris (ep. 7)
  • Emma Ketchum (ep. 8)
  • Bobak Esfarjani (ep. 9)

Stars:  Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll, Dale Dickey, Kingston Rumi Southwick and Stephen Root.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Tom Loftis is Mayor of the small island town called Widow’s Bay.  Tom, now a widower and single parent, moved to the island to marry his wife.  As mayor, Tom’s major goal is to turn Widow’s Bay into a tourist town.  Some of the residents are all for the idea.  There are others who feel the island is cursed and bringing more folks to the island will create major problems.

Tom sees the naysayers as silly and superstitious.  But when strange things begin to happen, Tom tries to find rational reasons for them.  Soon enough Tom and the islanders are dealing with ghosts, a killer clown, time warps, a Sea Hag, a serial killer and more.

Welcome to Widow’s Bay!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Widow’s Bay received 19 Prime-Time Emmy award nominations.  Results will be announced September 4th.

  • Nominee for Outstanding Comedy Series
  • Nominee for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series – Matthew Rhys
  • Nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Stephen Root
  • Nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Kate O’Flynn
  • Nominee for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series – Hiro Murai, For episode “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series – Katie Dippold, For episode “Welcome to Widow’s Bay!”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – Dale Dickey
  • Nominee for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) – David Fleming (composer), For episode “Our History”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Music Supervision – Toko Nagata (music supervisor), For episode “Beach Reads”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation – Matt Yocum (co-supervising sound editor), Sang Jun Kim (co-supervising sound editor), Goeun Everett (sound effects editor), Ryan A. Sullivan (sound effects editor), Nate Underkuffler (music editor), Leslie Bloome (foley artist). Shaun Brennan (foley artist), For episode “What to Expect on Your Trip”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation – Tim Hoogenakker (re-recording mixer),  Larry Benjamin (re-recording mixer),  Kevin S. Parker (production mixer),  Scott Michael Smith (scoring mixer), Judah Getz (ADR mixer),  Leslie Bloome (foley mixer), For episode “What to Expect on Your Trip”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series – Hamish Linklater (as Richard Warren), For episode “Seasickness”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Betty Gilpin (as Sarah Westcott Warren), For episode “Our History”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single Camera Comedy Series – Isaac Hagy (editor), For episode “Our History”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single Camera Comedy Series – Kyle Reiter (editor), For episode “Welcome To Widow’s Bay!”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single Camera Comedy Series – Jen Bryson (editor), For episode “What To Expect On Your Trip”
  • Nominee for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series – Allison Jones (casting by), Emily Buntyn (casting by), Lisa Lobel (location casting), Angela Peri (location casting)
  • Nominee for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour) – Christian Sprenger (director of photography)
  • Nominee for Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour) – Steve Arnold (production designer), Peter Borck (supervising art director),  Jennifer Engel (set decorator), For episode “Lodging”

As you can tell from the award nominations above, critics and viewers overwhelming like Widow’s Bay.  I enjoy it, but not as much as most folks.  I feel a bit of inconsistency due to the monster of the week format.  There are overarching storylines, but they take a back seat to dealing with each week’s ghost/sea hag/serial killer, etc.

Congrats to Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root for their well deserved Prime-Time Emmy acting nominations.

As always your mileage may vary, but for me Widow’s Bay rates a three.

Widow’s Bay: Season 1 (2026) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Carrie” from Mike Flanagan – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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A poster and teaser for Mike Flanagan’s series adaption of Stephen King’s Carrie have arrived.

I like King’s novel and am a huge fan of Brian DePalma’s movie adaptation.  Since I’m also a Flanagan fan, and the trailer works, I’m looking forward to this.  The fact that the entire series drops on October 7th is a plus.

Deal me in.

She just wanted a friend. They gave her a fight.

All episodes of Carrie, a new series from Mike Flanagan, premiere October 7 on Prime Video.

“Wolf” (1994) starring Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer / Z-View

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Wolf  (1994)

Director:  Mike Nichols

Screenplay: Jim Harrison, Wesley Strick

Stars:  Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Plummer, Allison Janey, David Schwimmer, and David Hyde Pierce.

Tagline: The Animal Is Out

The Plot…

Will Randall, Editor-in-Chief of a large New York publishing company, is driving a country road late one night when he hits something.  It appears to be a large dog. Will gets out to check on the animal. It turns out to be an injured wolf.  The beast bites Will before running into the woods.

Not long after Will learns that the publishing house has been bought out by Raymond Alden.  Alden doesn’t know anything about book publishing. But he knows how to make money.  So Will isn’t surprised to learn he’s been demoted. Stuart Swinton, his young former protégé, is now his boss.  Swinton’s attitude changes overnight from smarmy to condesending.

As Will’s wolf bite heals, he feels reinergized.  Colors seem more vivid.  Smells stronger.  As Will’s body improves so does his confidence.  Will visits Raymond Alden at his home.  There Will meets Alden’s adult daughter.  Will is much older than she can’t deny the attraction.

Will knows the wolf bite is causing the changes.  Each day he’s becoming more aggressive and animalistic.  He worries the changes won’t stop.  What then?

The animal is out.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Wolf features Allison Janney’s feature film debut.

David Schwimmer appears as a cop in a very small role.  Just a few months later he would become a breakout star thanks to his role on Friends.

When werewolf movies are discussed, Wolf almost never is brought up.  Interesting to note that the word werewolf is never used in the film either.

I found Wolf to be better than most folks do. As always your mileage may vary.

Wolf presents an interesting take on becoming a werewolf.  Usually the person bitten feels changing is a curse.  Nicholson’s character enjoys the changes… at least at first.

Spader is so good at playing someone easy to dislike.

Wolf (1994) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Subtly Unsettling “Psycho” Alt Poster by Niccolò Fioriti!

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Niccolò Fioriti’s alt Psycho poster is so creepy.  The big looming figure of Norman Bates and the three figures huddling together works.  It’s unsettling.  Subtly unsettling. Well done, Mr. Fioriti.

“She needs *me*. It’s not as if is she were a maniac, a raving thing. She just goes – a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven’t you?“ – Norman Bates

“The Train to Busan” 10th Anniversary Poster (by Oliver Barrett) and Trailer are Here!

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The Train to Busan 10th Anniversary Poster (by Oliver Barrett) and Trailer are Here!

It’s hard to believe Train to Busan is ten years old.  It is the film that helped redefine the zombie genre and introduced Don Lee to a worldwide audience.  Train to Busan remains one of my favorite horror/zombie films.  Getting a chance to visit (or revisit) Train to Busan on the big screen is something that shouldn’t be missed.

Deal me in.

TRAIN TO BUSAN | 10th Anniversary Official Trailer | In Theaters August 14

Board the train. Face the nightmare.

The modern zombie masterpiece returns for its 10th Anniversary, only in theaters August 14. 🎟️ Tickets on sale now: https://bit.ly/TrainToBusan-Tickets

Yeon Sang-ho’s global phenomenon Train to Busan arrives back in theaters to celebrate its 10th Anniversary. What begins as a simple birthday trip for a father and daughter turns into a high-octane fight for survival when a zombie outbreak ravages South Korea. Trapped on a speeding train, they must navigate a landscape of terror to reach safety. Experience the relentless action and heart-wrenching drama on the big screen like never before.

Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho

Starring: Gong Yoo, ​​​​​​​Jung Yu-mi, Don Lee, Choi Woo-sik, An So-hee, Kim Eui-sung, Kim Su-an

Synopsis: The film that redefined the zombie genre celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Experience Yeon Sang-ho’s Train to Busan on the big screen as a father and daughter fight to survive a nightmarish outbreak trapped on a speeding train.

“The Whisper Man” starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Adam Scott – The Poster & Trailer are Here!

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Here are the poster and trailer for The Whisper Man starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Adam Scott.

Deal me in.

The deadliest killers can’t be silenced.

Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Alex North. When his eight-year-old son is abducted, a widowed crime writer looks to his estranged father, a retired former police detective, for help, only to discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as “The Whisper Man.”

Nick Levy Presents The Universal Monsters and the Absolute Truth!

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Nick Levy has not only created a kick ass Universal Monsters poster, but he speaks the absolute truth when he says…

Hollywood has been chasing this universe for 90 years and still hasn’t caught it.

Before shared universes were a billion dollar strategy, Universal built one in black and white. No CGI. No post credit scenes. Just pure monster mythology that rewired the entire language of horror.

Dracula. Frankenstein. The Wolf Man. Creature from the Black Lagoon. The Mummy. Bride of Frankenstein. Phantom of the Opera. Nosferatu. The Invisible Man.

Nine icons. One legacy. Untouchable.