Movies
‘Crush’ – 20th Century Studios Victorious in Bidding War Over Python Survival Thriller
Move over, Anaconda, there’s a new snake movie on the way. Deadline reports that 20th Century Studios has emerged victorious in a heated bidding war over the python survival thriller Crush.
The snake-themed spec, penned by current Temple Hill executive John Fischer, that sparked the bidding war is described as a propulsive page-turner attracting major talent already.
True to its title, the premise is about “a woman hiking alone in the Everglades who wakes to find herself trapped in the crushing coils of a massive python, fighting to stay alive as every breath brings her closer to death.” It’s said to be inspired by true events and told primarily in real time.
20th Century Studios is reportedly fast-tracking the project for production, with searches underway for a director and cast. Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will produce for Temple Hill, with Scott Glassgold’s 12:01 Films also attached to produce.
Deadline also notes that Fischer initially took his spec script to the Blacklist, where instant interest and demand prompted him to take it to bosses. “Needless to say, it was quite a surprise when John walked into our office and told us he had written a script on the weekends in Spain while working on one of our movies,“ Bowen and Godfrey said in a statement. “We went from being terrified about how to come up with nice things to say when he asked us to read it to elated that it was a thrill ride of a movie that we wanted to produce. We can’t wait to abuse him with pages and pages of notes as we move this into production.”
Fischer previously produced We Have a Ghost and Clown in a Cornfield for Temple Hill, an outfit that’s also behind recent hit Smile 2 and upcoming horror film Monitor.
Stay tuned for more on Crush as it arrives.
Nicolas Winding Refn. Michael Mann. Pinocchio. Today’s lineup of new horror movie releases is eclectic, to say the least, and we’ve got the full rundown for you as we head into the weekend.
Here are the new horror movies that released on Friday, July 24, 2026!
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell is now playing in theaters from NEON.
In the film, when a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity, a troubled young woman searches for her father. Her quest collides with an American GI on a harrowing odyssey to rescue his daughter from Hell.
Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”), Charles Melton (“Riverdale”), Kristine Froseth (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Havana Rose Liu (No Exit), and Diego Calva (Babylon) star.
The ensemble also includes Dougray Scott (Hitman), Aoi Yamada (Perfect Days), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine), and Hidetoshi Nishijima (Shin Ultraman).
Nicolas Winding Refn directs Her Private Hell from a script he co-wrote with Esti Giordani (“Vida”). Pino Donaggio (Carrie, Don’t Look Now) composed the score.
Refn produces under his byNWR Originals banner. Executive producers include Takuma Takasaki, Kimberly Willming, Christina Erritzøe, and Lene Børglum.
Her Private Hell is rated ‘R’ for “some strong/bloody violence, sexual content, and language.”
Michael Mann‘s adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon has received a new 4K restoration in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary this year, and it’s been dubbed Michael Mann’s Manhunter: The Final Cut. The film is now playing in select U.S. theaters.
In Manhunter, “FBI criminal profiler Will Graham (William L. Petersen) is called out of early retirement to assist on a serial murder case involving a killer known as the “Tooth Fairy” (Tom Noonan). Graham enlists the help of imprisoned serial killer — and cannibal — Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox), who is the reason Graham took an early retirement.
“Soon, Graham and the FBI are entangled in a deadly cat-and-mouse game between the Tooth Fairy, Lecter, and an interfering journalist (Stephen Lang).“
Michael Mann guided this 4K scan of the original 35mm negative, with a few shots from an interpositive, that was conformed and digitally restored at L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna.
This new 4K Final Cut, overseen by Michael Mann, “enhances the film’s depth, visual clarity and sound, offering audiences the ultimate immersive version,” per the press release.
Part of the cinematic universe known as the “Poohniverse,” Pinocchio Unstrung puts a horror movie spin on the classic tale, and the film is now playing only in theaters.
The chilling reimagining of the familiar fable unfolds inside an elite London prep school. Created by Geppetto and influenced by a sinister Cricket, Pinocchio launches a violent crusade to carve himself into a real boy like his brother, one piece at a time…
Richard Brake (Barbarian) stars in Pinocchio Unstrung as the obsessive Geppetto, with horror icon Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) as the voice of Cricket.
Pinocchio is voiced by Jude Evan Lloyd and brought to life via a practical animatronic created by Todd Masters (“Tales from the Crypt,” Slither). Cameron Bell, Jessica Balmer, Jack Art Gray, and Peter De Souza-Feighoney round out the horror movie’s cast.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey) writes and directs the British slasher, in addition to producing alongside Scott Jeffrey via their Jagged Edge Productions.
This is fifth entry in the Twisted Childhood Universe, following Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and its sequel, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, and Bambi: The Reckoning.
The Poohniverse continues with Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 3, currently in production, and the crossover film Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, slated to shoot this summer.
Danny Trejo stars in indie horror movie Accursed, released on Digital today.
Here’s the official synopsis: “When a nun’s cursed secret resurfaces on Emma’s 21st birthday, a lake-house reunion turns deadly. A masked cult and dark prophecy force Emma and her friends to face possession, betrayal, and a midnight ritual that could raise ancient evil.”
Humberto Rosa and Brian Frank Visciglia directed. Gabriel Sousa, Paris Dylan, Philippe A. Haddad, Kira Cahill, Lulu Bailey, Rafael Amadeu, and Vivien Soraya also star.
And finally, Dark Sky Films released Cruel Hands on Digital today.
“A mother and her young son escape from an abusive husband to an isolated farmhouse, only to find themselves trapped between him and a raging bushfire that surrounds them.”
Cruel Hands is directed by Al Kalyk.
Mavournee Hazel, Iolanthe, Max Cattana, Charlotte Friels, Harry Greenwood, Diesel La Torraca, Josh McConville, Jack Sacks, and Jesse Turner star in the film.
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