Editorials
Hear Us Out, We’ve Got a Pretty Insane Theory for ‘The Predator’
If fan theories annoy you, this one probably will too. You’ve been warned.
When alleged script details leaked onto the net last year, it was revealed that co-writers Shane Black and Fred Dekker had written a new “genetically enhanced” and super-sized beast into The Predator, which was met with mixed reactions from fans. That “Ultimate Predator” wasn’t present in the initial teaser trailer, but was soon glimpsed in a TV spot and, just today, a brand new, full length trailer for Shane Black’s film. Going by what that trailer is presenting to us, the “Ultimate Predator” will either be the film’s main hero or its villain, either working alongside the humans to kill off the Predators that have arrived on Earth and/or posing an even bigger threat to all of humanity. We won’t know until this coming September, in all likelihood.
So what exactly is this “Ultimate Predator”? Who made it, how did they make it, and why? Well, according to the official plot details, the Predators in The Predator are “stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species.” Presumably, that excerpt from the plot is referring to the film’s “regular” Predators, which have seemingly been using DNA procured on planets they’ve conquered in order to make themselves bigger and badder than before. One planet they haven’t (yet) conquered, however, is Earth. But have the humans of Earth perhaps taken it upon themselves to meld their DNA with that of the Predators? And is that where the “Ultimate Predator” came from?
At the 1:08 mark in this week’s new trailer, we see a “regular” Predator strapped to a table, clearly being experimented on by a team of human scientists. Now what’s interesting here is that (alleged) plot details from that aforementioned script leak indicated that the big bad of the film, the “Ultimate Predator,” was part Predator, part human. Mind you, that could’ve all been misinformation or, even if true, subsequently re-written or tweaked in re-shoots, but I couldn’t help but think back to that idea upon seeing the above image of a Predator strapped to a table, surrounded by scientists. Could this be the moment where the Predator DNA was extracted in order to create the massive “Ultimate Predator”?
And if so, where did the human DNA come from? That’s where my theory comes into play. What if, I publicly ponder today at the risk of being called an obsessive fan with way too much time on his hands, the new “Ultimate Predator” is actually a hybrid of a normal Predator and the first human being badass enough to defeat one… Dutch Schaefer.
Yes, I’m aware that we’ve been repeatedly told that Arnold Schwarzenegger won’t actually make an appearance in The Predator, but it’s worth noting that his involvement in the film had been initially rumored. And even if Arnold didn’t take part, is it so hard to believe that his character could play into the events of Shane Black’s film? After all, Dutch is the most iconic (human) character from the entire Predator franchise, and Black is clearly a fan of the series; Black, in case you need a reminder, both starred in and even helped write the original Predator! So how cool would it be if his new “Ultimate Predator” was, in a wild twist, part Dutch?!
As crazy as it sounds, it makes sense. If a team of mad scientists was cooking up an “Ultimate Predator” in a lab, why not combine Predator DNA with that of an alpha-warrior like Dutch? Hell, maybe even the Predators scooped up Dutch after the events of Predator and *they* used his DNA to upgrade their own kind. As glimpsed in the trailers, the “Ultimate Predator” has bulging muscles not unlike Arnold’s in the original classic, I must point out.
Sure, this is all pretty out there, but I’d also like to turn your attention to the official, verified Twitter account for the Predator franchise (and the new film), which re-tweeted this very theory from yours truly earlier today…
Wait. What. The official, verified PREDATOR Twitter account just re-tweeted this. Which is… interesting. Hmm! pic.twitter.com/ggvEQmRQlr
— John Squires (@FreddyInSpace) June 26, 2018
Interesting, if nothing more.
What we do know about The Predator, officially, is that it is linked to at least the first two films in the franchise, with Jake Busey played the son of his father’s character from Predator 2. Thus far, we’ve heard of no tangible connections to the events of the original Predator that’ll be present in Black’s film, which perhaps lends credence to the theory that the connection is being kept secret… for now. After all, would Shane Black really make a sequel to the original Predator films and *not* directly tie back into the classic that started it all?
Maybe he would. Or maybe the link comes in a different form entirely. Again, we won’t know until September 14. For now, this is just a wacky fan theory from a wacky fan.
What do YOU think the story is behind the Ultimate Predator?
Some movies are just so beloved that you can experience them through cultural osmosis without ever sitting down to actually watch them. From loving parodies to meticulous recreations of iconic scenes, memorable filmmaking lives on even after the curtains close on the silver screen. And when it comes to horror, few films can compete with the massive impact that Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining had on popular culture as a whole.
Whether or not you think the flick is a good adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal novel, 1980’s The Shining slowly but surely grew into one of the most influential genre movies ever made, inspiring everything from surprisingly heartfelt sequels to classic episodes of The Simpsons. However, not all The Shining references are created equal, and today I’d like to shine a light on six unexpected homages to Kubrick’s iconic film.
In this list, we’ll be focusing on references and Easter eggs that either came out of the blue or came from creators that you wouldn’t expect to be fans of this classic ghost story. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite references to the Torrance family and the Overlook Hotel if you think we missed a particularly memorable one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
5. A Nightmare on FaceTime – South Park (2012)
Regardless of the brand’s iffy reputation among former employees, the death of Blockbuster Video was a serious blow to fans of physical media. Of course, some folks were more affected by this than others, and South Park’s Randy Marsh definitely took things a little too far in the twelfth episode of the show’s sixteenth season.
Titled A Nightmare on FaceTime, the main plot of this 2012 story is a surprisingly faithful recreation of The Shining where Randy purchases an empty Blockbuster store and begins to go mad once he realizes that his investment may not have been a very good idea due to the rise of streaming and the now-defunct RedBox storefronts.
4. The Overlook Hotel Level – Ready Player One (2018)
I was never really a fan of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, so I viewed Stephen Spielberg’s divisive adaptation of the novel as an improvement over the source material despite having its own narrative issues. In fact, I actually prefer how Spielberg changed the story by removing several references to his own work and replacing a lengthy Blade Runner detour with an over-the-top homage to The Shining.
A CGI-heavy recreation of the film’s most iconic moments that feels like a big-budget ghost train ride set within the Overlook Hotel, this intense sequence is more of a recreation of the freaky aesthetics of The Shining rather than its mind-bending narrative. However, it’s still fun to see Spielberg make a heartfelt tribute to a filmmaker that was once his close personal friend.
3. IKEA Singapore Halloween Ad (2014)
It makes sense that commercials don’t typically borrow from the horror genre, as it might be a bad idea to scare away potential customers, but some references are just too much fun to pass up.
That’s probably why the publicists behind this Ikea ad from Singapore were allowed to turn their commercial into a genuinely unsettling recreation of Danny’s tricycle scene from The Shining. After all, nobody cares if your store is haunted so long as it offers late-night shopping hours and a large selection of merchandise that you can become lost in forever and ever…
2. The End of ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’ – Community (2014)
Community is no stranger to recreating iconic movie moments within the show, and the series had previously tackled horror tropes in episodes like the fan-favorite Epidemiology. However, the most laugh-out-loud moment on this particular list comes from a brief gag towards the end of the season five episode ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’.
The majority of this episode has nothing to do with scary movies, but there’s a brief subplot involving supporting character Chang and a possible encounter with ghosts that leads him to question his own existence. This subplot culminates in the episode’s hilarious ending where the camera zooms in on a black-and-white photograph of Chang in period clothing at some kind of celebration, just like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining.
However, the picture’s subtitle eventually reveals that it’s merely a conveniently placed keepsake from the ‘Old Timey Photo Club’.
1. The Overlook Hedge Maze Sequence – Zootopia 2 (2025)
Disney movies are pretty far removed from both the gruesome horror of Stephen King and the heady filmmaking of Stanley Kubrick, so I don’t think anyone was expecting the climax of last year’s Zootopia sequel to take place in an animated version of the snowy hedge maze from The Shining.
In this unexpectedly intense sequence, friend-turned-villain Pawbert Lynxley (an unhinged lynx cat played by Andy Samberg) chases our protagonists through a creepy labyrinth in a loving recreation of Jack Nicholson’s icy demise outside the Overlook Hotel. The actual ending here might be a little more child-friendly than what’s being referenced, but it’s amazing that the filmmakers were able to push the horror elements as far as they did – especially since the scene doesn’t really have anything to do with the rest of the movie.
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