“The Woman”, directed by Lucky McKee, is an adaptation of Jack Ketchum and Mckee’s book of the same name. It follows a cannibal named the Woman (Pollyanna McIntosh) from “Offspring” (2009), who finds herself captured by a dysfunctional Cleek family who make extreme attempts to make her civilized. Though, the intentions of patriarch Chris (Sean Bridgers) and his son, Brian (Zach Rand), are rooted in extreme misogyny. Leading the film to have you questioning who the real villain is in this story.

“The Woman” might be triggering or disturbing due to various forms of domestic abuse, sexual violence, extreme misogyny, and more. Check the trigger warnings and proceed with caution, as there will be spoilers ahead. Enjoy reading this if you can, and stay safe.

The film begins by introducing or reintroducing (depending on whether you watched the first film in the trilogy) the Woman and briefly shows her trying to survive without her clan. Little does she realize that Chris Cleek saw her bathing in a creek, and he captures her to “tame her” in the family’s cellar. The misogyny from Chris and Brian is evident, especially in how they treat the women and girls in their family: eldest daughter Peggy (Lauren Ashley Carter), youngest daughter Darlin’ (Shyla Molhusen), and mother Belle (Angela Bettis). But it increases throughout the film’s runtime, which only turns up the dial of discomfort.

There are levels to misogyny in this world, including how misogyny manifests within different communities and how it affects all sorts of individuals. Misogyny isn’t just an issue for cis white women or girls, who often are centered in conversations surrounding misogyny. There are different types of misogyny such as, but not limited to: transmisogyny, misogynoir, socioeconomic misogyny, internalized misogyny, and the list unfortunately goes on. Ultimately, the manosphere at large and red pill ideology thrive on promoting various forms of misogyny and despise feminism as they view it as a threat to their positions within society. 

To put it plainly, the manosphere is a collection of online sites, forums, blogs, and other social media that promote misogyny, antifeminism, and (toxic) masculinity. The manosphere communities include: incels (involuntary celibates), men’s rights activists (MRAs), Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), father’s rights, and pick-up artists (PUA). All of which are increasingly scary, and there’s overlap with alt-right and far-right communities within the manosphere.

“The Woman” mostly focuses on Chris and Brian as examples of these ideas from two separate generations, and both of them being cishet and white serves as an example of how that might look within white upper-middle-class culture. Neither Chris nor Brian is visibly shown to be participating in online manosphere forums or browsing red pill creators’ TikTok accounts (as TikTok wasn’t a thing internationally until 2017). However, their dialogue and actions are certainly enough to make you think of how they’d thrive within those heinous parts of the internet. It demonstrates that these ideas are inherent to culture, rather than a symptom explicitly of social media.

While the growth of the internet and social media has been helpful in some ways, it’s also been incredibly harmful because of how easy it is to connect with the wrong types of people. The influence that the manosphere has had on men and boys is astronomical and difficult to ignore. In September (2026), a reporter named Amber Schultz wrote about her experiment that involved posing as a 17-year-old boy on social media to see what content is being aimed at boys of that age. Unsurprisingly enough, the results are quite disturbing, and the encouragement of gender-based violence should be more alarming to people. And it’s not even just cis men promoting manosphere and red pill talking points: it’s also women, which leans into the topic of internalized misogyny.

Of course not everyone who exists within these communities is hiding a feral woman in their basement or committing various forms of violence against said woman. However, the ideas and thoughts that are being promoted throughout these communities are still brewing inside or being spread from person to person. Whether that be passing things down from generation to generation or even fostering these behaviors within other personal circles. 

There are ample examples of influencers who help promote the manosphere in this current timeline we’re living in.  One of them is Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, who are vile human beings and are currently under investigation and have many charges against them. Other examples include, but aren’t limited to: a podcaster named Myron Gaines, a content creator named Hannah Pearl Davis, and Rollo Tomassi. If all of these types of people could be deplatformed and exiled from social media altogether, it would be a glorious day. 

Throughout “The Woman,” we’re forced to watch as Chris abuses his wife, tortures and rapes the Woman, and is revealed to be sexually abusing Peggy, who is pregnant because of the abuse. Meanwhile, Brian is following in his father’s footsteps and shows no conflict about that. Belle’s complicity in Chris’ actions and how he’s raising their son is something to take into consideration. Her character is very layered and raises a lot of questions regarding complicity, the effects of abuse, and how breaking free from men like Chris is seldom an easy or possible road. It’s something her character attempts to do, but Chris prevents that from happening.

Every woman and girl in “The Woman” suffers greatly because of Chris and Brian’s extreme misogyny. This includes a kind teacher who tries to help Peggy, who winds up brutally murdered and eaten by “Socket” (Alexa Marcigliano), the secret eyeless daughter of Belle and Chris. The only individual who gets revenge in this film is the Woman, who is set free by Peggy and kills Chris, Brian, and Belle. In other films that deal in this subject matter, we’d likely see all of the women getting some form of revenge. But it takes a feral woman, someone who could be viewed as a villain outside of her situation in the film, who rejects the idea of a “tamed woman” to help the girls of the Cleeks escape their household.

The idea of a “tamed woman” is what the manosphere wants people to believe in, promote, and push. These people want women and girls to have no agency, to be complicit in the violence and encourage it if they are internally misogynistic, and for toxic masculinity not to be unlearned. It ultimately doesn’t matter that the Woman was part of a cannibalistic tribe; what she suffers throughout the film is still a reflection of what people like Chris and Brian are capable of if they’re given the chance. 

There’s no arguing who the villains are in this film, and what said villains represent within society. The longer people pretend it’s not that bad or remain uneducated about the manosphere, the worse things will continue to get across social media and in person. Especially as we’re living in a timeline where far-right movements aren’t bothering to stick to the shadows.

Mckee and Jack Ketchum tackle the monstrous nature of misogyny and the violent ways it can manifest within the family unit. It’s a complicated tale that involves a woman who subverts everything a protagonist usually is in an extreme horror film like this. But that’s the point, and if you can stomach the events of “The Woman”, then you should check it out even if it’s for analytical purposes. 

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Four Melbourne youths want to keep partying after getting booted from the club one night, so they decide to buy drugs from the crazy son of an even crazier mobster.  What could go wrong?  Director Nick Kozakis shows, in viscerally entertaining detail, just how bad things get with his pulse-pounding festival hit “Kick On.”  It was one of my favorite films from this year’s Fantastic Fest, and after running into Kozakis after the premiere, I invited him to sit down for an interview.  He was so apt; he put a Macabre Daily sticker on his luggage.  We’re worldwide, baby!

Kozakis discussed the film’s fight scenes, killer special effects, casting, and how he collaborated with the Australian film community to bring screenwriter Philip Kilmek’s script to chaotic, bloody life.  After playing Fantastic Fest, Sitges, and TIFF, “Kick On” is now the closing-night film at this year’s Brooklyn Horror Film Fest, and when it comes out, you should see it with the biggest crowd possible.

P.S. CONGRATS to Nick and “Kick On” for winning Best Director AND Feature in the Head Trip category at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival!

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Christmas may be “the most magical time of the year”, but that’s certainly not going to stop horror fans and creators from mining it for new nightmare fuel. In fact, the reputation that Christmas enjoys as a time of laughter, fun, and merriment makes it an irresistible target for our favorite genre that relishes in subverting expectations.

In his debut novel, “‘Twas The Night” (2026), author Kevin Johnson has answered the call to turn Christmas into a source of terror for the upcoming holiday season. His book explores the dark history of Santa Claus and the dangers that arise when fans of Christmas become just a bit too devout in their worship of this popular cultural figure.

We were so pleased that Kevin Johnson found some time in the lead-up to his book’s publication by William Morrow Paperback to talk to us about his own Christmas memories, and why he is drawn to the darker side of such holiday festivities.

Macabre Daily: It’s a bit early in the year, but I suppose we should start by saying, Merry Christmas, Kevin! Thank you for joining us at Macabre Daily to talk about your debut holiday horror novel, “‘Twas The Night”. We usually start by asking our authors about their earliest horror memories. But given your book’s themes, let’s do it differently. Can you share some of your earliest Christmas memories? 

Kevin Johnson: Scary Christmas to you, as well! Thank you for having me. 

I remember my parents going all-out for Christmas when I was growing up, so much so that our house was featured on the local news for the elaborate Christmas lights display, which led to my relatives affectionately referring to us as the “Griswolds.” 

It’s a bit strange to think about, because we weren’t religious or anything, and we didn’t pay the other holidays nearly as much attention, but I think my parents viewed Christmas as an opportunity to get our (rather large) family together and really make it fun and festive. 

My parents also hosted (and continue to host) a big party on Christmas Eve every year. Growing up in Florida meant that most of my relatives came to visit us during the holidays, not the other way around. Christmas Eve was when I usually opened presents from family and did all the fun stuff, then Christmas morning was solely reserved for Santa Claus, until I learned he was secretly evil, of course. 

I should note that my parents now have a house in Downeast Maine where they live the majority of the year. I say that because ‘Twas the Night is set in Maine, and it’s a state I’ve since fallen in love with. And it’s a much better Christmas setting!

MD: Switching back to horror for a moment, we hear you cut your teeth on R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series. My son, who is six, has recently discovered them himself. His favorites so far are “The Haunted Mask”, “Night Of The Living Dummy”, and “Monster Blood”. What’s your favorite, and what drew you to the horror genre when you were younger? 

KJ: Your son has excellent taste, and you are parenting him right. Bravo. “The Haunted Mask” and “Night Of The Living Dummy” are both near the top of my list. I would also add “Welcome To Camp Nightmare” and “One Day At Horrorland” to the Goosebumps Mount Rushmore. 

Honestly, I have no idea what drew me to the horror genre as a kid. I know that, at some point, I got my hands on a Goosebumps book for the first time; it might’ve been “Night Of The Living Dummy,” actually, and I devoured it in a day or two. Then I learned there were more, so I read all of those, and pretty soon I had a whole bookcase in my room of nothing but Goosebumps books. My parents were probably slightly disturbed, but also thrilled that I was reading so much. 

I remember bringing those books to dinners and events and reading them in the car because I couldn’t put them down. They were basically my smartphone before I got a smartphone, something I couldn’t stop staring at no matter what I was doing. 

MD: Holiday horror is a favorite mash-up genre for many readers and fans of scary movies. Classics like “Gremlins”, “Silent Night, Deadly Night”, and “Krampus” come to mind. Why do you think we enjoy seeing these two very disparate holiday seasons come together on screen and on the page? 

KJ: There is just so much fun to be had when smashing horror and Christmas together. Something about the juxtaposition of bright twinkly lights and carols and cute cuddly critters and baked sweets with violence and blood and gore and death- it’s just, *chef’s kiss.*

Also, if you start to think critically about Santa Claus for a second - a large man who breaks into your home in the middle of the night, drinks your milk, and is always watching/judging you - it’s pretty freaking creepy. And for a lot of us here in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas means snowy weather and blizzards and nights that get dark early, so it’s the perfect setting for all things mysterious and unsettling. 

As horror fans, we crave it year-round, and our appetite is insatiable, so the Christmas season is no exception. 

MD: “‘Twas The Night” is an action-packed novel. But in between the gore and fun, it’s clear you did a lot of research- not just on Christmas and Santa Claus, but on mythology and folklore in general. What surprised you the most in your research? Do you think it's important for us to understand the often dark origins behind our favorite traditions?    

KJ: I fell down an embarrassing number of YouTube rabbit holes while doing research for this book. The algorithm definitely had me figured out. I was pleasantly surprised to learn how easy it was to draw parallels between our current understanding of Santa Claus and some pretty gnarly deities of previous civilizations. 

Here I thought I was going to have to wildly stretch the truth or just make stuff up, but that wasn’t the case! Sure, I make some leaps here and there, but if you go looking under the surface of jolly old Saint Nick, it’s not long before you stumble on something that makes you go, “hang on a second… what?!”

I don’t think it’s necessarily important for us to understand the (often) dark origins of our favorite myths/legends. Hey, ignorance is bliss! I get it. But I do find it personally fascinating, and in the information age in which we’re all living, there’s no shortage of rabbit holes out there, if you dare go looking, mwahahahahaha.  

MD: We won’t spoil anything here, but the direction that your book takes, and even the tone, surprised us several times. It’s a story that continually unfolds in unexpected ways. Are you the type of writer to plot everything out ahead of time, or did your story surprise you as well as it unfolded? 

KJ: I’m a pantser all the way. #TeamPantser. While writing isn’t an exact science and each writer has to do what’s best for them, for me, writing an outline is just an excuse to not write the actual book itself. Outline, shmoutline, I always say!

I typically will have the kernel of an idea, a scene or two that I want to include, and a general sense of how I’m going to end things, and then I’m off to the races. I’ll jot down a couple of bullet points here and there, but that’s about it. 

Soooooooo yes, this story surprised me on multiple occasions, and a lot of things unfolded differently than I had planned in my mind, but I went with it. My hope is that the reader is just as surprised reading it as I was while writing it. 

But to all you plotters out there - go write that outline and do your thing!

MD: Has writing this book changed how you or your family plan to celebrate the holidays this year? 

KJ: We have all since joined a Santa cult and will be celebrating accordingly. 

Just kidding. 

No, this book hasn’t really changed anything for us. We still enjoy our big family gatherings and putting up the tree and decorating and all that fun stuff. 

Although I’m typing this before the book has come out and before most of my family has read it. So maybe check back with me next year. My family still thinks I’m all nice and innocent. Suckers. 

MD: If a book club were to read your novel and wanted to explore stories in a similar vein, what are some books (or movies) that you might suggest that pair well with “‘Twas The Night?”

KJ: I cannot express my love for “Victorian Psycho” by Virginia Feito enough. 

It doesn’t necessarily sound like a Christmas horror novel, but the whole thing takes place during the Christmas season! It’s an amazing book that is as shocking as it is funny. I’ve read it three times and every time I find myself saying, “I can’t believe someone actually wrote this.” And I mean that as the ultimate compliment. The film adaptation comes out in November this year, and I cannot wait to see it. 

Speaking of film… “Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale” is an absolute must-watch for Christmas horror enthusiasts. This is the movie that planted the idea in my head for what became ‘Twas The Night, which was, “What if Santa Claus was actually evil?” 

Another bonus film I’ll throw out there, since virtually nobody thinks of it as Christmas horror, but it totally is, and it may very well shock you…

“Eyes Wide Shut”

…I’ll see myself out. 

“‘Twas The Night” is available on October 13th from William Morrow Paperbacks. It can be purchased here. 

Learn more about Kevin Johnson and his work here.             

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October has arrived in New York City, which means the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is taking over Williamsburg! It’s terror time again, as the spookiest, scariest, and wildest come to the screens of the Nitehawk Cinema! Macabre Daily is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s festival, and we were also on hand to review the latest frights! We had the pleasure of viewing a bright new crop of Queer filmmakers’ work with “SLAYED: LGBTQ SHORTS”, and you can read our thoughts on these short films below!

“BY YOURSELF” 

Directed by Elaine Frost

“By Yourself” is a melancholy story of isolation, and thus is very aptly titled. Frost’s film follows a woman struggling with her distant girlfriend and left to discover herself on a solitary camping trip. The sense of peace and discovery she’s looking for proves elusive, as she’s not alone in the woods. “By Yourself” is one of the more genuinely creepy shorts in the block, with excellent editing, camerawork, and a very effective buildup of suspense. The climax is quite freaky, and while the ending is a little out of left field, it’s all very slickly directed. Director Elaine Frost knows how to structure a scene, and “By Yourself” features some expertly crafted camera moves and very tight editing. The shorts block started off with a real bang!

“CRASH SEASON”

Directed by Audrey Rosenberg 

I’ll admit to being somewhat mystified by “Crash Season.” I’m not the biggest appreciator of truly esoteric horror, and this relationship drama where something is vaguely off didn’t quite suck me in. The sense of dread doesn’t quite coalesce; it’s clear that something is off between the two lovers at the center of the story, but I couldn’t even come close to grasping what it is. The short has style and solid cinematography; the acting is good too, but I was ultimately just baffled. There’s a lot of angst and anxiety, but I just couldn’t figure out what it was all about. It’s probably a metaphor for something, but I couldn’t guess what. My fellow festival attendees gave me some theories, but I was not getting it.

“FOUR ITCHY BOYS”

Directed by Andrew Herbert

Oh wow, are those boys itchy! They’re so itchy they’re scratching the skin off, shirts off, and everything! They’re really going for it, look at them! “Four Itchy Boys” is classically horny body horror, with an ample dose of media satire thrown in. David Cronenberg would be proud of the way Andrew Herbert mixes gnarly self-mutilation and sexuality, with ample shots being taken at homophobic media. The boys’ defiant press conference scares up ghosts of the AIDS crisis, and the cruel newscasters bring to mind the Anita Bryants and Sean Hannitys of the world. “Four Itchy Boys” is kind of gross, kind of hot, and very slickly produced. Herbert has a wild and scraping vision; the short is a nasty delight from start to finish. 

“CAMP OLEANDER”

Directed by Alyssa Aldaz

“Camp Oleander” tackles similar themes to “Four Itchy Boys”, but is even lustier and more explicitly political. Set in a strange and unconventional conversion therapy camp, the body horror is milder, and instead Alyssa Aldaz places a strong emphasis on the frightening nature of brainwashing. “Camp Oleander” is a surrealist take on conversion camps; the brainwashing scene is wild and brings to mind “1984” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” in the best possible way. There’s a bubbling fury under the surface of this short, brought to a head only at the end with a disturbing title card. Horror is political, and conversion therapy should be criminalized. Hats off to how strongly Aldaz makes her point with such a short runtime. 

“EMBRACE”

Directed by Matthew Rush

I suppose “Embrace,” and the next film in the block, could be described as horror, but honestly, “Embrace” is just very sweet. Kind of how “Black Mirror” decided to just do something sweet and gay and fun with “San Junipero”, “Embrace” drops into the middle of the shorts block and brings a warm love story right out of the pages of modern “X-Men”. A club bathroom hookup between two guys goes awry when one man turns out to have some very unconventional body issues. “Embrace” isn’t particularly elaborate or deep, but it’s cute, compassionate, and doesn’t drag out its premise. Matthew Rush put a big smile on my face, and I appreciated the brief break from the darker material. 

“TOOTH”

Directed by Max Wren

“Tooth” could also be described as sweet and cute, but on the other hand, it would be accurate to say it puts the “torture” in torture porn. I don’t consider myself a prude, but 100% I was taken aback by the fetishism in “Tooth”. The bedroom activities on display in “Tooth” are a little beyond my understanding, and I once watched Clive Barker’s home videos at a previous year’s Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Screening. I supposed dental pain is a bridge too far for me, but it’s a credit to Max Wren’s script and Colin Stansky’s acting that I understood why such an extreme fetish could be not just hot, but a very strong way to express love. Lots of kinky horror does a good job of making the extreme stuff look sexy, but it’s seriously impressive the way that Wren made me feel genuinely fuzzy inside after showing me something pretty nasty.

“MINE” 

Directed by Jaclyn Moore

“Mine” is definitely the darkest and most intense short of the block; it’s also the most polished. Most of these shorts are acting-heavy and have great casts, but “Mine” has serious Hollywood talent in Mark Duplass and Eve Lindley, whose work is nothing short of astonishing. “Mine” visits some very dark territory, exploring sexual assault, kink, trauma, and just how terrifyingly dangerous it is to be a trans woman. Lindley delivers a breathtaking monologue; I hope this short gets her in front of some casting directors because she deserves it. Jaclyn Moore’s script is provocative, aggressive, and real; it’s piercing and deeply uncomfortable in the best possible way. Moore is an established TV writer, but the intensity and power of “Mine” display major directing talent too. I expect great things to come from everyone involved here. 

“SCISSORS”

Directed by Hannah Aline

The “Slayed” shorts block ended with its most unequivocally fun short, action-thriller “Scissors.” Hannah Aline’s short carries that pure “You’re Next” energy, as a divorced misogynist dipshit on the hunt for a woman to kill stumbles into a lesbian bachelorette party and finds the tables rapidly turned. “Scissors” is a rapid-fire comedy mixed with a decent air of danger and some solid violence. Hannah Aline and her cast are firing on all cylinders from start to finish, and the short is an absolute riot. The audience was never louder than during this one. “Scissors” is viciously entertaining, and watching a right-wing, woman-hating, homophobic douchebag get his sh*t rocked was the perfect way to end the shorts block.

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The increasing rise in interest in the horror genre has broken containment, and it’s fair to say that it’s finally getting both the critical and financial success it deserves. Hell, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just recently opened “The Horror Show,” an interactive museum hosting legendary props and materials from the genre’s history. The same Academy that has refused to recognize horror in previous years now has a museum dedicated entirely to it- wild times. As something becomes more popular, it also must adapt to this newfound responsibility by ensuring that everyone who wants to enjoy can, and Access: Horror has made it a mission to make horror so inclusive, it’s scary!

Celebrating another year of this amazing festival, we are once again joined by filmmaker, festival founder, and accessibility advocate, Ariel Baska, who shares the reasons behind this year’s move to make films available throughout the entire month of October and some of November. Baska also talks about what has changed in the world of genre and accessibility since we spoke last year, and we get an amazing update on Ariel’s short film, “Monstrous Me.”

As a bonus, Ariel was generous enough to provide a 50% off discount code for all Macabre Daily readers to enjoy the back half of the fest at a discount!

Use MACABRE50 at checkout to get 50% off!

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Bad things are going on in Badwater, Idaho. Bodies are turning up, mangled to a bloody pulp. Kids are dying, and something, or maybe someone, is ripping them to pieces. Monster Erica Slaughter is the only one with a prayer of stopping it. You guessed it, something is killing the children. A spin-off prose novel of the immensely popular comic series of the same name, “Something is Killing the Children: Hope is a Knife” is a vicious and unrelenting small-town nightmare from Kiersten White and James Tynion IV. 

SYNOPSIS

As a Black Mask, Erica Slaughter has a very straightforward job: find the monster, kill the monster, then do it all again. But when she arrives in Badwater, Idaho, nothing is simple. She can’t determine whether the horrific killer of a twelve-year-old was a bear, a person, or something much worse. Complicating matters is the charismatic doomsday preacher who is quickly leading the small town to the verge of hysteria. If Erica wants to save the surviving children, she has to figure out which kid’s fears might have summoned a monster—and fast. Erica must get to the truth before the Order, and the town, come to the same conclusion: to stop the monster, you have to kill the girl.”

A BLEAK EVISCERATION OF SMALL TOWN AMERICAN LIFE

This is a real grim situation Erica’s got herself into this time. It’s not just a monster run amok in Badwater; the people are as vile as the creature. Badwater is a small, white mining town, and the mining part is barely clinging on. It’s a town full of drunks, abusers, xenophobes, misogynists, and fundamentalists, a place consumed by so much hate and fear that it’s brought something even darker into the world. Erica is an expert monster hunter, but Kiersten White is also pitting her against the worst that humanity has to offer. 

“Hope is a Knife” is a grim, miserable book at times, but it’s aggressively compelling. The depiction of the viper’s nest that is Badwater cuts deep into the rot at the heart of American society; for a fantastical story about a secret order of monster hunters, it’s painfully real. Monster hunting may be the inciting incident in the story, but the focus of the novel is mostly on the human horrors that get exposed. Most of these horrors are being done to children, so if you can’t stand to read about kids suffering, this book is not going to be for you. Although probably the title signalled that. 

White is terrific at getting inside the head of kids; her considerably lighter but equally insightful book “Mister Magic” also deals with abusive adults, and the impact of religious fundamentalism and small-town prejudice. “Hope is a Knife” juggles a bunch of different viewpoints, and White does an excellent job of making you feel the pain that each and every character goes through. There’s something exquisitely awful about so vividly feeling a child’s fear as he “learns what it’s like to die”. This kind of material could come off very easily as shock value, but White writes it so delicately and gracefully, it’s very impactful. 

HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE

White and Tynion IV aren’t shy about the point that they’re making with “Hope Is a Knife”: the villains of the story are unquestionably xenophobic, prejudiced, religious fundamentalists, and misogynists. As Erica peels back the layers of the small town, every new revelation brings a depressingly mundane larger picture into play. The horrors in Badwater are being experienced across the country and across the world every day; take out the supernatural, and it’s a painfully normal town with depressively average people. It’s not necessarily monsters from beyond that are committing the most horrific crimes; sometimes it’s the drunk father down the street or the sexist local physician. 

This is heavy stuff: dead kids and generational abuse and genuine cruelty. If you are the kind of person who finds yourself hooked on some bleak Stephen King works like “It” or “The Long Walk”, the material here will definitely be of interest to you. “Hope is a Knife”  isn’t sunshine and rainbows, but neither is real life. “Something Is Killing The Children” has always been dark by nature, but Kiersten White has found a way to make it even more heartbreaking than normal. There were passages in this book that absolutely crushed me, but I always had to read on. I had to have hope. 

“Something Is Killing The Children: Hope Is a Knife” put me through the wringer, but when I came out the other side, I knew I’d experienced something deep that cut me hard. The themes of this book require some wrestling with, but I’m all the richer for it. Even though White is playing in James Tynion IV’s sandbox, the writing feels very much in her voice, and she’s speaking to pretty deep trauma in our society. All the strengths of “Something Is Killing The Children”’s world have been put on display here. While the deeper lore aspects of the narrative will be more familiar and interesting to those who have kept up with the comics, this viciously dark book is an excellent place for new readers and non-comic fans to hop into Tynion’s wildly popular universe. 

“SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN: HOPE IS A KNIFE” is on sale now from PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

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Severin Films continues to delight fans of physical media and obscure international films with their diverse box set releases. One of the most fascinating, especially for fans of Gothic Horror, has been the “Danza Macabra” sets, which began as a celebration of lesser-known Italian Gothic Horror films and have now entered another region with the inclusion of Spain. The 5th volume of this set, aptly titled “Danza Macabra Vol.5,” features a fascinating array of interpretations of what Gothic Horror can look like. While they may not all be equally successful, they all carry their own charm and appeal that make them worth a look for the curious connoisseur of international genre films. Let’s take a look at what’s inside!

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

For Volume Five of this “essential series of Euro-Gothic tastiness” (Mondo Digital), Severin Films returns to the cemeteries, catacombs, and cobwebbed castles of Spanish cinema for an all-new exploration of Gothic Horror excellence: In the North American Disc Premiere of 1964’s “STRANGE VOYAGE,” director Fernando Fernán Gómez crafts a macabre true-crime shocker featuring a poignant performance by none other than Jess Franco. The disturbing 1971 drama “EXORCISM’S DAUGHTER” is presented in its complete U.S. Version – now featuring the infamous orgy sequence – as well as the original Spanish Version “LAS MELANCÓLICAS,” both on disc for the first time ever. “THE DRACULA SAGA” is 1973’s grisly reinvention of vampiric damnation from the legendary León Klimovsky, uncut in North America for the first time ever. And in 1985’s acclaimed “THE TURN OF THE SCREW,” controversial director Eloy de la Iglesia adapts Henry James’ classic novella with a startling psychosexual twist. Each film in this collection has been scanned from original camera negatives or archival 35mm prints, with 10+ combined hours of new audio commentaries, video essays, interview featurettes and more.

HOW IS IT?

“Strange Voyage” (1964)

The first film in the set is perhaps the closest to a traditional Gothic story that this box set gets, and it’s one that feels familiar, but also unique in its own way. The story is supposedly based on a true crime and follows a trio of siblings who are heirs to quite a large fortune. One of the siblings is intent to screw the other two, whom she sees as undeserving and childish, out of their rightful money to escape the town with a local singer who’s swooning more than one lady. When the siblings find out about the plan, the seams begin to unravel, and all the players begin to show themselves. It’s “Blood & Black Lace” for the rural Spanish crowd, and it’s quite enjoyable despite feeling quite standard.

Despite the story not doing anything novel, at least in a modern context, it is engaging to watch this dark comedy of errors unfold, and in particular the ways in which small towns are a hotbed for gossip. Time in the film is split between the main conceit and the denizens of the town living their daily lives, which includes a young single woman who wants nothing to do with the men in the town, and the seamstress whose jealousy causes her to wrongfully assume theft. The town beats are somewhat more interesting than the main story, but that’s because the town is as strange as the people who inhabit it. The ending is a bit of a letdown as it’s largely an exposition dump, but that wasn’t uncommon for the time or this kind of story, and certainly doesn’t detract from the overall positives that “Strange Voyage” has going for it.

“Exorcism’s Daughter” (1971)

In the world of misleading titles, “Exorcism’s Daughter” is king, or queen, rather. More of a psychological drama and period piece, the film follows a doctor who is trying to foster a new kind of mental health therapy for a particularly unique patient, Tania. Tania watched as her mother died in the midst of what is presumed to be an Exorcism to rid her of possession, but the film isn’t as interested in that as it is in the aftermath. The doctor is keen on introducing a new way of treating patients like Tania, and the film doesn’t hold back in terms of showing how vulnerable and exploitative treating mentally unwell folks has been in the past, as this is firmly a period piece taking place in prior centuries.

While the idea of reforming mental health is interesting, the title here makes a promise that the film simply doesn’t deliver on. The result is a film that keeps you constantly waiting for something to happen, despite there being the occasional salacious scene of prisoner abuse and/or degradation of their status as subhuman. There’s also some interesting politics in place where the doctor takes Tania out of the asylum and treats her almost as a significant other to continue his experiments. It’s a fascinating piece of irony considering the good doctor was supposed to be introducing more humane measures, but he himself is dabbling in unethical practices to meet his end goals. This could’ve been an interesting idea to develop further, but the melodrama becomes more the point, and that sadly just isn’t as compelling as some of the other ideas at play.

“The Dracula Saga” (1974)

This is perhaps the strangest of the films in this collection, but that’s not really a bad thing. It takes the Dracula lore and sprinkles in a bit of pregnancy drama as the count’s granddaughter is visiting the family castle, with her non-vampire hubby in tow, to meet her infamous grandfather and “cousins” for the first time. Upon their arrival, it becomes clear that the Dracula clan is more than marginally interested in the granddaughter’s progeny, as he will be the heir to the Dracula name and then some. It’s a rather slow-going affair until a bloody finale, and mixes elements of “Rosemary’s Baby” with vampire tropes mostly with success, but not always.

Tonally, the film waffles between a horror melodrama and a sort of satirical comedy. It’s hard to tell if the comedy is intentional or just a reflection of certain parts of the film not aging as expected, but it makes for an interesting viewing experience as it’s hard to take some things seriously that may be meant to be. This is no more apparent than in the ending shot where Dracula essentially winks at the camera, breaking the fourth wall. Still, it’s a gorgeous-looking film that features some outstanding production design for the interiors of the castle. It’s quite entertaining if you can get past a rather slow-to-start first act, and certainly one of the more curious inclusions in this set!

“The Turn Of The Screw” (1985)

Eloy de la Iglesia is a filmmaker on my radar thanks to Severin. After they released “The Creature” and the inclusion of “The Priest” in their Exorcismo box set, it was clear that this was a filmmaker who wasn’t afraid of contesting the powers that be. In “The Turn of the Screw,” Iglesia departs slightly from his origins of focusing on disaffected youth under fascist rule, and doubles down on his ire for religion as he adapts a well-known Gothic story in his own unique way. The idea is that a former priest is hired by a wealthy benefactor to take care of and teach the orphaned children he looks after. As the priest becomes more familiar with the residence and the children, he begins to unearth dark secrets about previous associates of the mansion who looked after the children, as well as deviancy with the children themselves. It departs from Henry James’ novella by making the main character a male priest rather than a female governess, but that seems intentional to further the uncomfortable sexual tension that exists in the subtext of the film.

Thematically, “The Turn of the Screw” has a lot to say, and not a lot of it is positive, about the impact that religion and wealth can have on people. We are never told why the Priest leaves the seminary, but we are led to believe it has to do with some sort of attraction to either the same sex or possibly younger boys. Part of the mystery of the film is that we are never really sure what is and isn’t true, or what happened and what didn’t, because everyone is an unreliable narrator. The result is something that is fascinating, but certainly not for everyone. There’s a level of discomfort persistent throughout the film because of how little it explains the intention of the characters, but it makes for a great film to discuss the finer points around. Specifically, how wealthy people often shirk their responsibility to care for children onto others, and expect miracles without investing any sort of emotion into relationship building.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

As is standard for Severin, the restoration work on these films is nothing short of incredible. While some fare better than others, all of these films look far better than some of the DVD copies that have been released prior by the likes of Something Weird Films. All of the films retain their original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, except for “Exorcism’s Daughter,” which is shown in 1.85:1. “Strange Voyage” and “The Dracula Saga” are the most impressive of the bunch, particularly the former for how crisp and clean the monochromatic look is. “The Dracula Saga” looks almost unrecognizable given how good it looks in its restored fashion, even if the introduction seems inserted from a print with Spanish subtitles attached to the print used. Wisely, Severin doesn’t overcorrect some of the natural grain of these films, and while they do carry a softer tone, in particular “Exorcism’s Daughter” and “The Turn of the Screw,” the colors are still as vibrant and clear as ever!

Images from this release are used throughout this review.

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

Audio options are somewhat standard and expected given this kind of release. Each film has a mono audio track in Spanish with the option for English subtitles. The US Version of “Exorcism’s Daughter” and “The Dracula Saga” contain an option for either Spanish or English spoken audio, and overall the mono audio tracks are more than sufficient for these films, which don’t feature lots of action to engage the use of surround sound. There are seldom, if any, issues with the audio quality as the dialogue comes through strong and clear, while never competing too much with the music or action on screen for your attention. The classical music and use of an orchestral arrangement in these films adds some gravitas to them that is equally enjoyable.

ANYTHING SPECIAL?

Given the breadth and depth of special features included in Severin’s box sets, it always feels like an embarrassment of riches that we hope to eventually be able to make our way through in their entirety. For this review, we selected to start with Inheritance As Horror: Blood, Tradition And The Gothic In “THE DRACULA SAGA” – Video Essay By Kat Ellinger, Author Of “Daughters Of Darkness.” This 12-minute essay explores how Klimosky broke away from his frequent collaborator, Paul Naschy, to etch out a legacy all his own. Ellinger takes the approach that “The Dracula Saga” is as much about class struggle as it is about vampires. It reflects on how lineage must be protected, in this case that of Dracula, and how the vampires in the film tend to look down upon humans, much like the affluent do for the impoverished. Ellinger also makes connections to Stoker’s original novel, but makes it clear that this film isn’t that, but does leverage it to inform some of the story and character beats. Ellinger points out, rightfully so, that “The Dracula Saga” is more endeared to “Rosemary’s Baby” than it is to Stoker’s novel, given how prominent the pregnancy aspect of the story is. There’s also a great connection made between how the baby in both films feeds off the mother, and how that rings especially true in a vampiric context such as this.

The next feature we screened was Repression And Tragedy – An Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival regarding “The Turn of the Screw.” Sala is a known commodity in the Severin world, and always brings insights that are steeped in expertise and history. Sala comments on the cultural context at the time, and some of the controversy surrounding Iglesia’s earlier films. Sala also comments on the change of gender for the governess and how that lends itself better to the film’s subtext about religion and oppression. Sala does mention “The Innocents,” which is the most popular and well-regarded version of this story, and how this deviates from that formula to create something novel. There’s also the matter of artistic and budgetary freedom, which Sala informs was largely due to Iglesia being given a “blank check” to do what he wants with this film, and how much it still retains the main beats of James’ novella, especially the fantastical elements. 

A full list of special features is listed below.

Special Features

Special Features for “Strange Voyage”:

• Audio Commentary With Dr. Adrian Smith, Co-Author Of Norman J. Warren: Gentleman Of Terror

• A 'Rara Avis' Duo – Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival, On Fernando Fernán Gómez & Jess Franco

• The Multifaceted Mind Of Fernando Fernán Gómez – Filmmaker Helena de Llanos On The Work And Legacy Of Her Grandfather

• Facing The Sun: STRANGE VOYAGE's Promise Of Broken Dreams – Video Essay By Andy Marshall-Roberts, Host Of The Nasty Pasty Podcast

• Trailer

Special Features for “Exorcism’s Daughter”:

• Audio Commentary With Matt Rogerson, Author Of The Vatican Versus Horror Movies And Fulci’s Inferno: Faith In The Films Of A Horror And Giallo Auteur

• A Film That Stands Apart – An Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival

• Madwoman In The Attic: EXORCISM'S DAUGHTER And The Female Gothic – Video Essay By Kat Ellinger, Author Of Daughters Of Darkness

Special Features for “The Dracula Saga”:

• Audio Commentary With Rod Barnett And Troy Guinn, Film Historians/Co-Hosts Of NaschyCast

• Klimovsky's Vampires – An Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival

• The Spanish Hammer: The Rise And Fall Of Profilmes – Interview With Profilmes Production And Sales Executive Lluís Ferrando

• Inheritance As Horror: Blood, Tradition And The Gothic In THE DRACULA SAGA – Video Essay By Kat Ellinger, Author Of Daughters Of Darkness

• Trailer

Special Features for “Turn of the Screw”:

• Audio Commentary With Matt Rogerson, Author Of The Vatican Versus Horror Movies And Fulci’s Inferno: Faith In The Films Of A Horror And Giallo Auteur

• Repression And Tragedy – An Appreciation By Ángel Sala, Head Of Programming At The Sitges Film Festival

• One In Four Hundred – Interview With Actor Asier Hernández

• The Role Of My Dreams – Interview With Actress Cristina Goyanes

• Head Full Of Phantoms – Video Essay By Xavier Aldana Reyes, Author Of Spanish Gothic: National Identity, Collaboration And Cultural Adaptation

• Trailer

LAST RITES

“Danza Macabra Vol. 5” is one of the more consistent volumes of these gothic box sets and displays a wide range of diverse interpretations of what gothic horror can look like. The restoration work done by Severin is, as expected, top-notch, and the special features add additional depth and understanding to films that otherwise may not have received this kind of critical attention and exploration. Fans of Spanish cinema and interesting takes on Gothic storytelling will find a lot ot love here!

THE GORY DETAILS

Thank you to the fine fiends at Severin Films for providing a review copy for the crypt! “Danza Macabra Vol. 5” is available now and can be purchased via Severin's Webstore!

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When my now-wife and I were engaged, we planned to have both a bachelor and bachelorette party. My friends and groomsmen had planned an amazing trip to Spain for my festivities, and things were looking good in 2019 for us to hit the Balearic region in 2020. As you can imagine, those plans never came to fruition, and while we barely were able to celebrate our wedding, it luckily fell in June 2021, when things seemed to be improving (but not really). It was a slightly smaller ceremony, but not by much, and precautions were taken, but neither of us ever had our bachelor or bachelorette party. Thankfully, neither of us felt like we were missing out, given we have a pretty good time regularly, and it also avoided the potential worst-case scenario, as we find in Thaddeus Armstrong’s new feature, “Liv’s Last Ride.”

“Liv’s Last Ride” is the love child of “Very Bad Things,” “Bridesmaids,” and just a hint of “Heathers” thrown into the slurry. The result is a film that is chaos manifest, with twists and turns abound and a cast of characters that defy their assumed expectations. Armstrong spent some time talking with us about how he infused that sense of internet disorder into the narrative, and some of the lessons he’s learned from working in front of and behind the camera.

“Liv’s Last Ride” will premiere at the Nightmares Film Festival today in Columbus, OH

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Many of us have moved this movie higher up our must-watch lists because horror’s new reluctant man of the moment is Austin Abrams. Whether he made it onto your radar in “Euphoria,” or impressed the hell out of you in “Weapons” or "Resident Evil,” it’s safe to say you’re familiar with Abrams. More importantly, you’re familiar with his streak of playing characters having the worst day of their unprecedented lifetimes. So it’s unsurprising when “Whalefall” introduces us to Jay Gardiner (Abrams), who is having a rough patch even before getting swallowed whole.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A scuba diver’s quest to find his father's remains is derailed when he gets swallowed by a giant sperm whale. Now he must fight his way out of the belly of the beast before his oxygen runs out.

HOW IS IT?

Jay is the youngest of three kids and the only boy. So, while his sisters Eva (Jane Levy) and Nan (Emily Rudd) and mother Zara (Elisabeth Shue) are ready to mourn their patriarch, Jay is on a completely different journey. He had a very strained relationship with his dad, Mitt (Josh Brolin), and fences were not mended when his old man’s mesothelioma diagnosis became another added layer to this rocky situation. Because life loves curveballs, the clock abruptly stopped for Jay when his dad decided to end his life on his own terms and threw the entire family into a loop. Mitt decided to die in the ocean he loved, leaving his family to bury an empty casket and adding another ember to this depressing fire. “Whalefall” captures messy family dynamics and makes you sit with your own relationship to your parents. It’s not the great white shark we might have wanted, but I’ll be damned if it’s not effective.

I’m one of the heathens who never got around to reading Daniel Kraus’ book “Whalefall”. So, I cannot speak to what got cut (or changed) when he and Brian Duffield adapted it for the screen. Yet, watching Jay and Mitt’s relationship told entirely via flashbacks, because Mitt dies at the top of the movie, was surprisingly effective. They remind you this movie is built on the novel’s foundation, as they give peeks into deeper waters the movie doesn’t have time to fully explore. Don’t get me wrong, some of the dialogue caused giggles. I will also be yelling “soft lungs” at my friend for years to come. However, at its core, the things we leave unsaid and the scars that will never fully heal are the actual horrors of this film. While it’s a fun (and occasionally gross) time watching Abrams try to get out of the giant whale, it’s his character’s surprise enrollment in the Dead Dad’s Club that drives this beast.

I didn’t particularly care for my dad. Had he not died when I was a tween, I would probably have an even more strained relationship with my family today. I remember his death feeling like I could breathe for the first time. Meanwhile, my large family was seemingly grieving a different man, which left me outside of what they were going through. I also had to cut off my alcoholic grandmother, who died a few years later. That was another case of my not being able to let go of my justified feelings and get in line with those able to forgive and move on. “Whalefall” brought all of this up as I was on Jay’s side in these arguments. He’s a man of the people who can’t flip the switch because someone is dying/dead. Nor should any of us have to. He’s right to point out he had a different relationship with his dad than his sisters did. Grief isn’t one-size-fits-all, and it looks different on each of us.

That said, I also understand the complicated anger and wishing for the ability to forgive a parent who never quite got it right. Only because my mother had a health scare a few years ago and is still dealing with the fallout. Jay isn’t just Abrams playing another character being beat up by a scary entity. It’s him tackling the terrors of immortality as the relentless ticking of the clock of life reminds us it doesn’t care what’s fair. Death doesn’t wait for us to make amends, and life doesn’t force people to apologize so we can have clear paths to healing journeys. This movie is a lot to chew on, and too many posts will quip that Abrams is a snack again. Yet, the horrors of being human are the most memorable thing Jay encounters in the belly of the beast.

Fans of Duffield’s “No One Will Save You” will be happy the director still knows how to throw a one-person party. “Whalefall” has a ton of gross encounters with the sea life kind in this movie. He wastes no time getting Jay eaten and getting goopy with a couple of moments that make it feel like the movie is handling body horror on too many levels at once. There are quite a few beautiful moments as Jay repeatedly tries to escape his whale-sized prison. Again, some of the dialogue was a bit fishy, but I am also dead on the inside, and I could be the problem. All in all, I left this movie with the feeling I wanted to leave “Project Hail Mary” with. I read that novel right before seeing the film and was glad I did because I wouldn’t have read it after. Meanwhile, I want to know more about the people “Whalefall” introduced me to, and I feel invested in them and their dilemmas.

LAST RITES

“Whalefall” is an emotional rollercoaster that sucker punches you in the feelings. It’s also another reminder that we’ve barely scratched the surface of Austin Abrams’ depths as a performer or leading actor. It’s not the popcorn flick or indie drama that we expected, but it’s a great film to lead us into the holiday season. It’s definitely the movie to put on with the family to start the conversations about the monsters in our own homes being the ones that leave the hardest scars to heal.

THE GORY DETAILS

“Whalefall” releases in theaters Friday, October 16, 2026.

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Be it by way of direct interpretations of folklore made popular through word-of-mouth recollections from our real world or original narratives introducing chaotic characters, urban legends have served as a horror film template for decades. Latest in this line of fear-inspiring tall tales is "You Can't Leave" (2026), an action-thriller hybrid distributed by Guilder Cinema Group, which trades the current trend of extreme carnage for a contemporary mystery about ancient evil. Blurring fantasy and reality among a batch of young adults, it introduces a spatial paradox, with added allure in the form of black, sentient smoke. Does this supernatural effort meet modern expectations for cabin-set genre fare?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A young man searches for answers behind his sister’s mysterious disappearance. His journey leads him and a group of friends, including Olivia, deep into a remote forest where they become trapped in a supernatural prison. Hunted by shadowy entities, the group is forced to confront both physical and psychological terror as they struggle to escape.

HOW IS IT?

"You Can't Leave" is the most recent feature directed by Scott Windhauser, whose action and horror work previously merged at the helm of "Dead Trigger" (2017). It's a mysterious thriller executive produced for Brand Story Media and Forza Partners, and within the first two minutes, the audience is introduced to Gabby (Cameron Inman), the focal point of its offbeat survival premise, and the unnerving, isolated cabin in the woods, which is sure to keep any seasoned genre fan attentive to a myriad of tropes at play. While this cold open is deliberately kept extremely brief, with little context provided for what the spectator is actually seeing, it immediately immerses the individual viewer in a central woodland environment and familiar, frightening imagery before her sudden vanishing. Between the singular chair on the front porch, rocking and creaking on its own, and the invisible entity dragging our thought-to-be leading character out into a void of rural darkness, this plays swiftly enough with backwoods chiller iconography to feel as though it were a contemporary independent spin on "The Evil Dead" (1981).

Though it clearly commits to its status as a straight horror feature, and the narrative pushes forward in a relatively linear fashion as Gabby's group of friends investigate her inexplicable move off the grid, "You Can't Leave" is also quite humorous. Written by Windhauser as a true auteurist effort, the film feels aware of its place within the genre's modern self-reflective scope. Ignoring blatant warning signs of imminent danger, such as police car graveyards, wild animals going silent, and trails endlessly looping back to the scene of the inciting disappearance, these characters blindly pursue Gabby, bickering with deliciously catty dialogue and a clear lack of survival instinct, save for Will (Thomas Bauer) and his generous bag of snacks. In many ways, at least structurally, this piece plays as a tribute to works like "The Blair Witch Project" (1999) by presenting the open wilderness as a spatial paradox and a location of distorted direction in which our core ensemble has no exit; regardless of where they turn, we are brought again to the front of that eerie cabin, as if locked into a video game campaign that most wouldn't willingly participate in.

Anyone familiar with the trends of the time should realize that supernatural and psychological terror often go hand in hand, and as such, each member of the group that "You Can't Leave" follows is naturally terrorized from within. Early on in the film, our final boy stand-in, James (executive producer Spencer Boldman), is established as the heart of the piece, hearing his name being whispered when nobody else is around, whereas Sophia (Taylor Murphy) suffers through nightmares of their lost friend drenched in blood in the middle of the night. A large amount of the action happens in the confines of the mind and feels sacrificial due to its repetitive nature; a great sequence later on introduces elements of rubber reality once James' girlfriend, Olivia (Paola Andino), is held in place and teased by Aiden (Kristos Andrews), who the audience had previously seen dragged in the dirt and bloodied by the villainous, smoky forces at play. By using audio cues and off-screen voices to prey on these characters before jarring the viewer with disorienting visuals we know can't be real, the project creates a generally satisfying tense atmosphere.

Perhaps the only glaring issue with "You Can't Leave" is its confusing exploration of the ancient evil backstory and its loose handling of the lack of lore that seems more interesting on paper. Much of the first act focuses on the volatile nature of both personal and platonic relationships among young adults in the digital age; without a signal or a charge to distract them from their demons, this group is forced to confront their woes through modern hookup culture and generational strains, which is a charming method to construct their character archetypes. It isn't until the one-hour mark that Joe Nemmers is introduced as Henry Chase, a teacher and apparent local survivor residing in the space loop, who provides a necessary expository dump regarding the creepy cabin, looming shadows, and the manner in which the environment acts as a metaphysical cage for anybody who crosses a certain boundary in the woods. It is in this regard that the project finally treads on the grounds of Gen Z eco-horror and the longevity of urban legends, naming religious ministers tethered to disappearances within the community; so late in the game, however, it all feels quite random, and you're probably best just sticking around to gaze at the cast for how pretty they are!

THE VERDICT!

"You Can't Leave" feels indeed like a supernatural horror redux in line with the output of the golden age in the early '80s, but more closely, I'd argue it exists as a parallel picture, companion piece, and love letter to "Evil Dead" (2013). Not only does this revolve around a brother and sister finding their way back to one another amidst demonic forces in the middle of the woods, but in their attempts to mend, the viewer is treated to dark, brooding imagery, strange occult writing on the wall, and a breathing, burning cabin that acts both as a spatial prison and hellscape. It has all the makings of a cult classic for this generation of moviegoers, if they can forgive the overabundant, melodramatic dialogue that weighs down most other dynamics.

“You Can’t Leave” is now playing in theaters!

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Nothing’s scarier than being stuck in an unfamiliar place with people who you aren’t sure you can trust, even if they’re supposed to be your friends. Woodland areas have served as the backdrop for many horror films, and it makes sense as to why. The woods often isolate people from others, and usually require a good sense of direction to hopefully find your way if you get lost. Not to mention, when the sun goes down, visibility drops to zero, making things even more tense and unnerving. Then there’s the cabin itself. Often smaller than an average house, the sense of claustrophobia mounts easily when things get uncomfortable, but you can’t go outside. This is part of the horror in the forthcoming film, “You Can’t Leave.”

Macabre Daily spent some time speaking with the cast of the film, including Spencer Boldman. Cameron Inman, Kristos Andrews, Taylor Murphy, Paola Andino, and Thomas Bauer. Hear them talk about how they decompress after filming intense scenes and what songs their characters would have on a playlist.

“You Can’t Leave” will be released in theaters on Friday, October 16, 2026!

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Internet lore is slowly becoming the new folklore, and creepypastas are the well from which many seem to be drawing inspiration. It makes sense why these would become so common in horror today, as they are truly the manifestation of how an internet-enabled culture tells its scariest stories, even if the internet is filled with real-life horrors!

Based on the viral “creepypasta” series of internet-based stories from writer Elias Witherow, “The Third Parent” takes place amidst a Fourth of July celebration when a disturbing figure named Tommy Taffy emerges, disguising himself as a human to infiltrate a suburban neighborhood and impose authoritarian rule over an unsuspecting family. Starring Rob Lowe, Crispin Glover, and Roselyn Sánchez.  Written and directed by David Micahels.

Check out the teaser trailer below, and stay tuned for more information soon!

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WARNING: This essay spoils the endings of the 1978 and 2018 “Halloween” films, as well as “Halloween Ends.” It also hints at a few other endings, but you’ll be fine.

The boogeyman.  A knife.  Laurie Strode and the younger generation she’s trying to protect.  All ingredients that led to the legendary ending of 1978’s “Halloween.”  Who could forget the film’s final moments where Dr. Loomis shoots Michael Myers several times (okay, SIX, nerds), before he falls off a balcony and disappears.  Is he still alive?  Where did he go?  The answer, according to director John Carpenter, is “everywhere,” essentially a brilliant bit of ambiguity meant to deny the audience catharsis. If Carpenter had his way, the ending would haunt the audience on the way back to their cars and beyond.  This incredible storytelling flex also led to a sea of imitators, who mistakenly thought he was setting up a sequel.  It’s one of the best final scenes in horror history that no other film has been able to match.  When director David Gordon Green made his legacy sequel 40 years later, he crafted an incredible bookend to Carpenter’s, which I believe was meant to be the true end of Michael Myers. 

The Shape will never die.  Not when there’s money to be made by rights holders Trancas International and CEO Malek Akkad (son of producer Moustapha Akkad), but don’t tell that to Green.  Even though his controversial trilogy-capper “Halloween Ends” saw Myers literally pulverized, one could argue the ending of his “Halloween” (the 2018 sequel, and I STILL hate that title decision all these years later) was the perfect thematic stopping point if you want to come up with your own personal franchise timeline.

Let’s refer to Carpenter’s original as “H78” and Green’s as “H18” to avoid confusion, because the continuity of the “Halloween” films is fractured, to say the least. Since the creative teams of these films don’t hesitate to ignore previous entries or retcon the crowd-pleasing moments of their predecessors, I consider the films to be modular.  Every October, I alternate between my own version of the franchise. These include:

1. “H78”, since Carpenter never intended to make a sequel.

2. “H78” and its direct sequel “Halloween 2,” since it picks up right where the original left off, feels similar thanks to DP Dean Cundey and ends with a great finale.

3.  “H78,” “Halloween 2,” and “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.” No, really, if you stop right here, the franchise ends in a perfect circle.

4. “H78,” “Halloween 2,” and “Halloween: H20.”  Ignore the cult plotline and go right to one of the most crowd-pleasing moments in slasher history.  Paramedic, shmaramedic, that was Michael’s one last trick that his sister didn’t fall for.  The END.

5. “H78” followed by the Green trilogy of “H18,” “Halloween Kills,” and “Halloween Ends” to get an epic slasher story with a happy ending for the tortured Laurie Strode.

Of course, this is without mentioning the Rob Zombie duology or “Halloween 3: Season of the Witch,” which is so far removed from continuity I wish we could just call it “Season of the Witch,” but I digress.  This isn’t to denigrate the films in the series, but I’ve personally found complete thematic catharsis in the only two films with Jamie Lee Curtis and Carpenter’s involvement titled “Halloween.” I’m talking about:

6.  “H78” and “H18.”

Why stop after these two films?  The end of “H18” shows Laurie Strode, her daughter, and granddaughter trapping Michael and burning Laurie’s house down with him trapped inside.  The Shape is a certified goner, though Green has a shot of the burning basement with Myers nowhere in sight, hinting at a sequel that wasn’t planned at the time.  In fact, this wasn’t even the original ending, though thank Samhain for reshoots, because it’s the best denouement in any “Halloween” sequel by being a total inversion of Carpenter and Debra Hill’s original.

The finale of “H78” takes place on the second floor of a cozy, suburban home, whereas “H18” ends in the basement of a secluded cabin outside Haddonfield. In “H78,” Loomis checks to see if Michael is dead on the ground, only to realize he’s vanished.  It’s a simple shot sequence that curdles the blood to this day, which Green repurposes by showing Laurie’s seemingly dead body disappear when Michael throws her out of a window.  Green also has a shot in the kitchen where Laurie emerges from the darkness to push Michael down the basement stairs.  This intentionally mirrors the slow fade from “H78” where Michael emerges from the shadows to stab Laurie’s shoulder.  Green is deliberately using Carpenter’s cinematic language to turn expectations on their heads, and it works well, but the final fate of Michael Myers is what ties it all together.

As Loomis and the audience wonder where Michael went in “H78,” we see where he’s already been throughout the film.  The iconic theme kicks in as we see a montage of vacant suburban spaces where we previously saw the Shape stalking and killing his prey, his muffled breaths getting louder and louder until we cut to black.  The implication, as Carpenter said, is that you’ll never know where he is, because he can be anywhere.

The last time we see Michael in “H18,” Laurie Strode, her daughter Karen, and granddaughter Allyson stand triumphantly above him as Laurie sets her home on fire.  All three of them have overcome their fear and trauma to literally stand above their boogeyman and seal his fate. As the trio escapes the burning house, Michael is nowhere to be seen (echoing back to “H78”) but there are no indications that he’s alive.  He’s not “anywhere.” He’s nowhere.  Laurie’s plan worked; her relationship with her family healed, as she grips the knife, once the weapon of her stalker, now the tool of her survival. 

…except it’s not.  Green and Trancas unfortunately retcon yet another great ending to make room for the rest of their trilogy, which I enjoy!.  I like “Halloween Kills” and insist “Halloween Ends” will be many people’s favorite “Halloween” sequel years from now, but Green got it in one. Even if the planned “Halloween” tv show shows you can never kill the Boogeyman, but if the creators are going to establish multiple paths for the story to take, I’d say it’s fair to say David Gordon Green’s 2018 “Halloween” gives you the most satisfying ending.

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One of the things that younger generations will likely miss out on is the joy of making someone, or yourself, a mixtape. While playlist curation is certainly an alternative, it doesn’t match the sentiment of someone handing you a physical copy made just for you. It’s a bonding experience in many ways, and it’s part of the reason Sean Keller makes Halloween music with his family and friends.

Keller is the musician and composer of the Killer Sounds of Halloween compilation, but when you ask him, he’ll tell you it’s “Sean Keller & Friends,” with his son, Folsom Keller, as his production partner and confidant. Keller just released the 5th edition of this compilation, and it’s got an absolutely stellar lineup of talent alongside some of the most fun Halloween bops you’re likely to hear this season. Part of the magic is that Sean treats these songs as homages rather than parodies, and in doing so, he constantly challenges himself to make songs in genres he otherwise wouldn’t. The result is infectious grooves that are perfect for the scary season, but you can hear more in our interview with Sean below!

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Longtime horror fans know that what others believe to be “the most magical time of the year” can be anything but. Some of us learned this from Kate’s infamous retelling of losing her father in “Gremlins” (1984). For others, it was grandpa’s frightening warning about Santa, which traumatized audiences as much as young Billy in “Silent Night, Deadly Night” (1984). However we were educated, we learned long ago to view this holiday with some trepidation. 

In his debut novel, “‘Twas The Night” (2026), author Kevin Johnson sets out to remind us why Christmas can be as much a source of horror as it is of joy. His story combines elements of dark mythology, folk horror, and even a dash of “Die Hard” (1988) and “Elf” (2003). Scheduled for release by William Morrow Paperbacks on October 13th, it offers an ultra-violent new perspective on the day devoted to Kris Kringle.  

What’s It About? 

In the village of Yule, Maine, it is always Christmas. Here, Santa Claus is no storybook figure—he is an icon, a god, worshipped by a community that credits him with keeping their world bright and safe. When a string of child disappearances across Maine seems to spare only Yule, Halley—a sharp, skeptical reporter who has never had much use for Christmas—follows the story to its unsettling source.

What she finds is a town that guards its secrets behind gingerbread smiles and relentless yuletide warmth. Outsiders are not welcome. Questions are not encouraged. And something sinister is keeping the Christmas spirit alive. As Halley digs deeper, she begins to uncover the horrifying truth behind Yule’s eternal cheer: Christmas comes at a grisly cost, and Santa Claus is no saint.

What’s It About? 

It is clear that “‘Twas The Night” is Johnson’s debut novel. It is bursting at the seams with exciting (and bloody) ideas. His passion for the characters and universe he has created leaps off the page with the enthusiasm of a child finally getting to play with the toys they’ve found waiting for them under the Christmas tree. From the moment Halley Belanger arrives in Yule, Maine, Johnson hits the gas. He doesn’t ease up on the pedal until the last drop of blood is drained and the final Christmas tree is burned to cinders. 

“‘Twas The Night” jumps from set-piece to set-piece in a way that often feels more like an eighties action romp than a traditional horror story. It is action-packed with numerous showdowns, brutal brawls, improvised weaponry, and a body count that would unnerve even the most hardened final girls. Halley embodies a final girl in nearly every way we would expect (though we won’t spoil who lives and dies to see the light of dawn on December 26th). What keeps her fresh and interesting is that she would also fit in alongside all our favorite action heroes. Her ingenuity and ability to fight back transcend the usual survival instincts of a traditional final girl. Halley arrives on the scene prepared to fight, and she punches back hard.   

Along with a strong, modern heroine, Johnson puts admirable effort into his world-building. The town of Yule is not what we expect when Halley arrives, and Johnson continually surprises both his characters and the readers as he peels back the layers of this mysterious town devoted to Christmas. The relationship between the residents of Yule and their favorite holiday is fascinating, but we wish as much care had been given to helping us understand the outside world. The twists and turns of Halley’s adventure could have hit much harder if we better understood the implications her actions would have on the outside world.    

It is clear that Johnson researched the lore, not just of Christmas, but of the broader worlds of mythology and deities, modern and ancient. His story is not content to be a high-octane thriller involving Santa Claus. It is eager to unearth the dark and frightening history behind this most popular of cultural figures. The history lessons he sprinkles throughout the story are captivating. We would eagerly read a non-fiction history of horror and the holidays should he ever be inspired to write it.  

Johnson’s skill at weaving together myriad tones, themes, and plot devices is evident and entertaining. But this strength is also a limitation at times. His eagerness to dive into so many facets of holiday horror can make it difficult for some of his more inspired ideas to take hold and breathe. Halley’s surprising backstory, her dynamics with certain townsfolk, and the frightening rituals Yule employs in service to their God could all be more fleshed out with a bit more editing. On several occasions, we longed to settle into certain moments, only to be jerked away as the plot churned ever onward. This serves the narrative, keeping both Halley and readers off-balance. It also suggests an author with too many good ideas to be done justice in just one book.   

Final Thoughts: 

Fans of holiday horror will enjoy this thrilling ride through the shadows that accompany the festival of lights. Johnson has crafted a fun, thoughtful blend of horror, action, and folklore. The impeccable set pieces and bloody fight to the death between Halley and Santa are a highly entertaining entry to the holiday frights subgenre. At times, the story buckles under the weight of its author’s imagination, which clearly has ideas to spare. But this is a good problem to have in a genre that thrives on new takes on old concepts. “‘Twas The Night” is arriving just in time for readers looking to curl up on a cold winter night with a scary story. Just be sure the fireplace is stacked high with wood, and your matches are on hand. You never know who might come crawling down the chimney.

“‘Twas The Night” is available on October 13th from William Morrow Paperbacks. It can be purchased here. 

Learn more about Kevin Johnson and his work here.             

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Tapeesa Filipović has plenty of reasons to be angry. 

To start, white miners are pouring into her village. They aren’t cut out for Alaska’s Kobuk Valley, where the sun sets in winter and barely peeks above the horizon for most of the day. In fact, they’re barely fit for human company, the way they bully, boast, and ogle local girls. 

Then there’s Pana, Tapeesa’s oldest friend, and her Aana, the family’s matriarch. They love Tapeesa so immensely that her heart protests. She loves them, too, but their hopes for her future sometimes feel too big to grasp. 

And that’s before Tapeesa’s younger sister, Esther, abruptly goes missing. As the village brushes off Tapeesa’s growing concerns, her helpless fury grows. 

Tapeesa’s rage has a very important benefit: It keeps her fear at bay. Because out on the tundra, in the darkness where flashlight beams can’t reach, Tapeesa is certain a creature is stalking her village. Worst of all, the creature wears her own face.

This is the story that unfolds in “It Looks Like You in the Dark,” author Mathilda Zeller’s debut horror novel. It’s an Arctic nightmare defined by doppelgängers, environmental racism, and the relentless creep of modern colonialism, out on October 13, 2026, from Tor Nightfire.

Synopsis

“It Looks Like You in the Dark” is a propulsive Indigenous horror debut, expertly blending Alaskan Native folklore and supernatural thrills, from Mathilda Zeller, author of the acclaimed short story "Kushtuka" featured in the bestselling horror anthology, “Never Whistle at Night.”

The only people who know are the people who have gone. Those people no longer have throats to tell us.

Tapeesa is newly out of high school and working in a fish processing plant in the Inupiat village, Chukchi, where she’s lived her whole life. Maybe that’s why people tend to assume she isn’t that bright—or maybe her mama is right and she does have bad blood. Either way, she knows the legend, and she knows the history. Her Ahna told her that the hungry creature—the kushtuka—appears to us in the form of someone we love. It will try to get us to follow it. Follow it where? Those who have gone no longer have throats to tell us.

The Kobuk River Valley of remote Alaska draws greedy white men time and time again. But whenever they come, death comes too. This time the white men are here for the long term, to create an open pit, a rare earths mine just north of the village. When her sister Esther goes missing, Tapeesa will do anything to get her back. Seeking justice, Tapeesa must track down the kidnapper in the darkening Arctic. What awaits beyond the warmth of her village is more horrible than she could imagine and closer to her than she knows.

“It Looks Like You in the Dark” is a fast-paced, grab-you-by-the-throat story about love, loyalty, and all the fearsome monsters that emerge when we turn our backs on the land and each other.

Cycle-Breaking That Coexists With Tradition

Despite their young age, Tapeesa, her sister Esther, and their friends Pana and Eddie have faced more hard truths than many adults. Through the friend group, Zeller paints a vivid picture of what it’s like to grow up in a remote Alaskan village. 

 Life in the village is unforgiving, with few job opportunities and even fewer examples of what a different path could look like. The Arctic is defined by harsh conditions: freezing winds, long hours of darkness, and the manual labor required to melt snow and haul firewood. Behind the closed doors of their houses and trailers, the friends have all learned to cope with their parents’ bouts of domestic violence, anger, and alcohol addiction. A bruise or a broken bone is as common as a fox or a raven. 

Yet Tapeesa fiercely loves her village. She’s proud of her culture, tied to the land for more than 6,000 years. She and her friends tell and retell time-worn folklore, stories that explain how the region’s wildlife was first created and how the underworld formed. She is nourished by her village’s unique diet, which includes everything from slices of salted muktuk and walrus stew to powdered Tang shipped up from the lower forty-eight.

Tapeesa might not have stellar grades, but she’s smart, resourceful, and a natural leader. As her childhood friend-turned-lover Pana and her grandmother urge her to pursue a college education, she’s torn between the life she knows and the one she hardly dares to imagine. 

While many coming-of-age stories feature characters who long to escape their hometowns, Zeller offers a hopeful story of characters who dream of remaking their village—preserving its best qualities while imagining something new.  

A Creature Feature With Horrors Galore

Readers familiar with Zeller’s short story in “Don’t Whistle at Night” will have already met the kushtuka: a doppelgänger with black eyes and a predator’s teeth, capable of ripping a man to shreds in seconds. 

But the kushtuka is just one of the horrors Tapeesa must confront. Her village was once a magnet for gold prospectors, and later a lead mine that gradually poisoned the local population. Her cousin Eddie, a talented college student passionate about geology, discovered rare earth elements in the area, drawing the outside world’s attention once again. 

As wealthy miners arrive in the village, Tapeesa tries to ignore the horrible gut feeling she has about them—particularly boorish Hank Ferryman, the mine’s boss. But when Tapeesa learns more about the mining project and the risks it carries, she can’t ignore her growing conviction that she’s witnessing modern colonialism and environmental racism first-hand. 

These threats collide and entangle in interesting, surprising ways as the plot races forward. How long can Tapeesa manage to stay one step ahead?

It’s the kind of knotty storytelling that would be perfect for an HBO miniseries, calling to mind the layered, community-based mystery of “Mare of Easttown” with an added punch of supernatural horror.

An Arctic Horror Novel With a Warm Heart

Amid an action-packed plot, my favorite moments capture the tender intimacy that develops among close-knit friends who have spent decades relying on each other. Tapeesa and Pana’s romance is a slow-burn transition from friendship into a mature love. They’re distinct in their beliefs and instincts, but they never falter in their love for one another. 

If I had to choose a scene that captures the heart of the novel, it would be the impromptu sleepover at Tapeesa and Esther’s house after a terrifying attack on a village elder. The four friends stoke the fire and build a nest of blankets on the floor, huddling together for warmth and comfort. As they trade stories and reminisce, the day’s traumas grow hazy and sink into the background. 

The kushtuka might be nearby, exhaling the sharp odor of rotten fish and tapping a razor-sharp claw against the window—but inside, there’s so much love. Sometimes that’s just enough to save us.

You can purchase “It Looks Like You in the Dark” here.

You can follow Mathilda Zeller on Instagram.

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One of the lesser-discussed topics in post-apocalyptic films is what happens to traditions when societies crumble. Take Halloween as an example. It’s not a religious holiday; it’s not celebrated in all parts of the world, and its meaning is more meant for joy than for some higher purpose. This isn’t to suggest it doesn’t hold importance to some of us, but when you’re literally fighting to survive in a hostile world that is low on resources, it’s easy to see how this kind of holiday could fall by the wayside to make room for just getting by. It’s an idea that filmmaker Ben Sottak brilliantly picks apart in his latest feature, “Hallowarrior.”

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Desperate for companionship on a post-apocalyptic Halloween night, the Last Girl on Earth gets more than she bargained for when something far more sinister arrives on her doorstep.

HOW IS IT?

There’s something deeply terrifying about being the last person left alive. Not only is it the most lonely experience one could ever have, it offers very little in terms of hope to latch onto. Perhaps that’s why it’s easier to imagine a younger person in the role of last human alive, because their ignorance of the brutality of the world hasn’t fully taken over yet, and hope can shine through in the most peculiar of ways. Ben Sottak crafts a somber and wildly entertaining film about Pumpkin (Milly Shapiro), the last person alive who also happens to be celebrating Halloween. “Hallowarrior” takes a well-worn idea of surviving the apocalypse and infuses it with grit and charm by adding in elements of home invasion and a wacky cast of undesirable antagonists who are as weird as they are convincing.

For the first half of “Hallowarrior,” things remain quite silent. While Pumpkin plods around what’s left of her local town on Halloween, the silence is reflective of just how alone she truly is. The occasional singing to oneself breaks up the long stretches of solitude, so much so that one may wonder if there’s supposed to be any dialogue in the film. Thankfully, there is once the couple, Thalia (Shannyn Sossamon) and Royce (AJ Bowen), show up at Pumpkin’s house searching for scraps of food. Pumpkin’s hesitation to greet them is tempered by the fact that she’s a young woman seeking the comfort of others, and these are the first human interactions she’s had in 4 years. One could understand her letting her guard down, despite knowing better, because as human beings we thrive and seek connection. It’s why prolonged isolation can lead to mental distress, and at the same time, acknowledging that Pumpkin is still technically a child thrust into a world without anyone to look up to or learn from. It’s dire straits, and that often makes for great genre fare.

Pumpkin isn’t the only disaffected youth we see, though, as Thalia and Royce bring Wendy (Ajani Russell) with them, who is just slightly older than Pumpkin, but exponentially more deadly. Wendy wears a mask, which she admits to Pumpkin is to help her make peace with the awfulness she has succumbed to, and it’s in this moment that we realize how similar these two are despite having very different dispositions. They both seek a sense of community that was robbed from them, but when pickings are slim, people are often relegated to making difficult choices. Wendy’s was to follow a group that represents the worst of us, and Pumpkin’s was to hold the fort down and try to bring people to her. Growing up is hard, but it’s even harder when society is diminished, and meaning is purely survival. “Hallowarrior” certainly has something to say about growing up disaffected, but it never makes the subtext so pronounced that it’s rubbing itself in the viewers' faces, a smart choice by Sottak. Instead, he lets the performances of Shapiro and Russell demonstrate how broken the world has become, and the cunning of Sossamon and Bowen to take advantage of goodwill and ignorance.

Once the proverbial shit hits the fan in the third act, hell breaks loose. The “family” that Thalia referred to is far from anything you’ll ever see at your holiday dinner table, and the designs of this post-apocalyptic clan are the stuff of nightmares. The action is fast, furious, and unrelenting as a siege upon the house occurs, giving vibes akin to “Home Alone,” but make it horror. Sottak and Cinematographer Steven Russell capture the desolate landscape, but splash it with vibes of fall colors that are heightened ever so gently to appear somewhat otherworldly. It gives “Hallowarrior” the feeling of a graphic novel come to life (complimentary), and perhaps that’s where the story could go should we see a continuation.

LAST RITES

“Hallowarrior” is a sneaky piece of genre filmmaking that delivers the gory goods, but also offers some meatier, philosophical ideas to chew on. These are never the focus of the movie, and rightfully so, but they add nuance to something that could’ve been a rather basic copy/pase of what has come before, and instead blazes a new trail that we hope continues beyond this film!

THE GORY DETAILS

“Hallowarrior” debuts on Shudder Friday, October 16, 2026!

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With October fully underway and September behind us, it’s time to reflect on just how awesome this year’s Fantastic Fest truly was. Every year, it feels like the fest can’t top itself, and then somehow it does. While we aren’t surprised as much as delighted, we covered a lot of ground this year both in-person and virtually, and it’s time that we talk about some of the films that really made this year special.

It’s common (and awesome) that a large swath of the films shown each year are relatively unknown, but this year felt like almost every film was either having its world premiere or following a rather minor showing at another film festival. Lots of North American premieres and, of course, some older films getting a new lease on life via restoration; this year’s programming was simply chef’s kiss. Shoutout to the amazing programmers for their curations, and the Fons PR group for stellar coordination and organization.

Enjoy the episode below, and stay tuned for the rest of the year as we have some amazing episodes on the horizon! And if you haven’t already, please leave a review on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to the podcast. It really helps us out and gives us something to rub in the face of our families during the holidays!

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There’s a common refrain with prequels that they are stories no one asked for, and while that’s partially true, it also undermines the impact that a great story and its characters can have. That’s not to say that prequels deserve the benefit of the doubt always, especially since they often don’t have great track records, but it does mean that sometimes something is so compelling it warrants a revisitation and expansion. However, when it comes to slasher films, there are surprisingly few prequels out there, and mostly because the first film is often the origin of the character. And when news broke that A24 and NBCUniversal were going to join forces and make a “Friday the 13th” prequel series titled “Crystal Lake,” we had some reservations. Now that the series is about to debut, does it stake a claim for itself as the rare example of an effective and interesting slasher prequel?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise, the series follows single mother Pam Voorhees, who has been unable to shake her grief after her young, sickly son Jason tragically drowned in the town lake almost a year before. When two strangers arrive at Pam’s door and dig into her past, a disturbing chain of events sets in motion, leaving the townspeople of Crystal Lake wondering: who is Pam Voorhees?

HOW IS IT?

I’m gonna cut right to the chase here: “Crystal Lake” is better than it should be and at the same time a complete mess. While this may sound like damning it with faint praise, and it is, it should be made clear that the fact that this series got made in and of itself is a sort of miracle. After changing hands from Bryan Fuller to Brad Kane, and a lot of radio silence after a slew of announcements, we have arrived at the premiere date for a series that many have asked for, bucking the trend of many prequels. The thing is, while it’s technically well-made and features some great gore gags, it needlessly applies meaning to the senseless and tries to establish sympathy with a character that is already sympathetic. In trying to explain so much, it robs us of what makes slashers effective: the mystery.

You basically already know the story of Pamela Voorhees (Linda Cardellini) and her son, Jason (Callum Vinson), but you don’t know it like this. That’s because this isn’t as much a prequel as it is a reboot/retcon of the first “Friday the 13th” film. You may be wondering, “But isn’t this supposed to be a prequel?” And the answer is yes, kind of. See, the first film was its own prequel. The only thing we didn’t know was what happened to Pamela after Jason drowned, and we come to find that out across the next 90 minutes. In “Crystal Lake,” we are given an 8-episode arc to accomplish what the first film did in an hour and 30 minutes. What’s added provides context and explanation about where Pamela and Jason come from and the shady business that brought them to the remote town in New Jersey.

The core issue with “Crystal Lake” is that it asks us to feel more for a character who we already empathize with. Pamela Voorhees is easily the most sympathetic slasher out there, because she’s doing what any rabid mother who loves their son would do by avenging his death at the hands of the people who caused it. The same can be said of Jason, at least at the start. He’s a kid who, because of his appearance, was bullied, and that led to him drowning. Jason’s retribution is inherent, as is Pamela’s rage, but by adding even more reasons to feel for them into the mix, it begins to feel a bit like pandering. Corporate espionage and experiments may help bolster an uninteresting character’s story, but here it feels like a pile-on of the worst order. The same can be said of Cardellini’s take on Pamela. Waffling between helpless and completely psychotic, it’s hard to buy this version of the character because it normalizes someone who, for all intents and purposes, isn’t normal. A normal mother doesn’t kill a bunch of innocent people because they are similar to the counselors that let her son drown, so why does there have to be a moral conflict for Pamela? Why can’t she just be unhinged? Something that Betsy Palmer did splendidly, but also something Cardellini is presenting the polar opposite of. It’s not a knock on her performance, because she nails the sweet but scary vibe, but rather how she’s been characterized in the series. 

Then there’s the matter of Grace Snell (Gwendolyn Sundstrom), the only kid who would befriend Jason and the most overly tragic character in the entire series. Grace is presented as a young girl who sees Jason as a person, not someone to point at, but further characterization of her suggests that she’s not what she seems, and likely the product of some form of abuse, until the series tells you it’s something more weird and ill-fitting. Sundstrom is great in the role, make no mistake, but she’s a totally unnecessary addition to the canon who only serves the purpose of presenting a few shocking moments that don’t really lend themselves to much aside from filler. Grace is placed into a truly bizarre situation with a group of hippies that veers into a level of absurdity that is almost comical. It’s a reenactment of all the worst, most fake D.A.R.E. stories you were told in school, except it exists only to shock you and nothing more. Grace’s character is played as both tragic and trifling in the grand scheme of the narrative, and further begs the question of “why,” which this series seems to be mired in.

This leads into another pitfall: continuity. There are some jarring time jumps here that don’t math when you start to add things up. For example, the majority of the series takes place 9 months after Jason drowns, at which point he is 12 years old, but in 9 months he experiences a full growth spurt to almost adult size. Statistically speaking, the average teen will grow about 3-4 inches annually during puberty, but Jason doubles in size in less than 12 months. There’s also a question about what year this takes place, and in doing so it also retcons the series to taking place in the early 1970s rather than in the early 1980s. These are minor issues that wouldn’t matter if they added up, because changing the time period isn’t really a core part of what makes the series work, but here they just don’t make a lot of sense. It suggests that this may have been rushed to production after Fuller departed and the production was left to assemble something new in short order.

It’s not all bad though, and in fact, when “Crystal Lake” is hitting the slasher beats it absolutely sings. The gore is plentiful and pays homage to some of the kills seen in the films, and while there is some liberal use of CG augmentation, it’s seldom distracting. Cardellini has a solid supporting cast, including Chief Levon Brooks (William Catlett), who also becomes a love interest for Pamela, to help carry some of the weight. The latter episodes also bring in some fun cameos, but it all feels like filler intent on delaying the inevitable end we all see coming. It’s a shame that this squanders what could’ve been a fun introspection of maternal rage and turns it into a very basic and by-the-numbers procedural mystery. And one shudders to think what a potential “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” prequel series would look like after this…

LAST RITES

“Crystal Lake” overcomes initial doubts with solid casting and slick kills, but it’s artificially extending a rather simple story by tacking on heaps of melodrama and unnecessary plotting. And in an attempt to retcon and rewrite the franchise’s history, it stumbles by condensing timelines and mixing up the what and the when.

THE GORY DETAILS

“Crystal Lake” debuts on Peacock Thursday, October 15, 2026!

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Queer people are strong people. We’ve had to be, not just survive, but thrive in a world that has historically been anything but hospitable. We have lived through the closet, bigotry, disease, and attacks of all manner. So how hard could it be to survive the end of the world? This is the question writer-director Brendan Haley poses in his debut feature film “Scorch Marks.” It premiered on Dekkoo on October 1st and has since received plenty of attention as a unique and powerful exploration of the end of days (read our review of the film here). 

“Scorch Marks” tells the story of Beckett (Brandon Shypkowski). He survives an apocalypse, only to find that his nightmare is far from over when he is haunted by visions of his abusive ex, Joel (Chris Salvatore). We were so excited to talk with Haley about his ambitious, refreshing vision of a man grappling with his demons (literal and figurative) during the end of days. We talked about his personal and professional journey as an artist and filmmaker, why it was so important to tell an apocalyptic story through the lens of queer horror, and the people he collaborated with to create this unique story.

Enjoy our full interview below. You can watch “Scorch Marks” now on Dekkoo here. 

Click here to learn more about Brendan Haley and his work.  

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