Movies
Fear Itself Review: Episode 1.4 ‘In Sickness & in Health’
This morning Tex sent in his review of the latest episode of Fear Itself (all reviews), “In Sickness & In Health,” which was directed by John Landis (“An American Werewolf in London”) from a screenplay by Victor Salva (“Jeepers Creepers”). Airing this Thursday, the film takes place on the protagonists wedding day, where a beautiful bride receives a mysterious note that reads: “The person you are marrying is a serial killer.” Read on for Tex’s negative review and drop back tomorrow to let everyone know what you thought.
I’m going to come right out and say it. This week’s episode of FEAR ITSELF wastes what was inarguably the series most promising logline. What if, on your wedding day, you received an anonymous note that simply read, “The person you are marrying is a serial killer”? The realm of psychological possibilities are endless and the conclusions that can be drawn, both accurate and inaccurate, both benign and brutal could make for a compelling piece of entertainment. Sadly, Director John Landis and Writer Victor Salva are not up for the task of delivering such profound plot conclusions. Instead what they convey is an ending that only shocks because it has no justification in the whole of the film that preceded it.
Sam (Maggie Lawson) is about to marry Carlos (James Roday)–a man that we are told, by a pair of overprotective bridesmaids–she has known only for an indeterminate, but short, amount of time. The question they needle on about, is whether or not, she really knows the man she’s about to commit the rest of her life to. When the ominous note arrives, Sam is torn between her obvious feelings for Carlos and her terror of the unknown. Before and after the ceremony, Sam tries desperately to quell her fears and uncover the truth. But, every action raises more suspicion than the last and every twist reveals that Carlos is clearly hiding something from his new bride. But who is Carlos? What is he hiding? Is he a killer, and who delivered the note?
As I said before, the possibilities are endless and under that vast umbrella it’s certainly conceivable that Salva and Landis accurately reached their climax–but without giving the ending of the film away–it’s difficult to describe why the film ultimately fails without once again reiterating that you would actively need to be already considering the conclusion to recognize any signs in the film that lead to it’s reveal. It feels like a cheat, a way to end a production when the filmmakers didn’t know how to end it.
Truthfully, the ending is not the only problem with the episode either. It doesn’t seem to know where it’s going. It’s missing a traditional act structure and the mystery that Sam is trying to solve is not really proving any monumental clues that would cause the suspense to ratchet up. Lawson’s performance, as well as that of her bridesmaids, is a bit to sing-song and stilted in the beginning, lending a kind of hyperrealism to the story, in much the same manner that Landis employed in his twin entries for MASTERS OF HORROR. However, both those films (FAMILY and DEER WOMAN) bent to more of a fairy tale setting and thusly the characterizations flowed much better in the whimsical environments Landis created. Here everyone feels cardboard and plastic. Even minor appearances by some noted genre vets like William B. Davis (The Cigarette Smoking man of X-FILES fame) and Marshall Bell (TOTAL RECALL) are cast-offs with Bell suffering through some odd exposition that is supposed to increase the cloud of doubt on Carlos, but ultimately makes little waves in the grand scheme of things.
I’ve always been a fan of Landis, even when he’s been saddled with more minor fluff pieces. Since he doesn’t write as much as he used to, he’s had to conform his comic-horror stylings to suit other people’s material and he’s nearly perfected making a gun-for-hire film feel like it’s from the mind of “John Landis”. This time around Salva’s screenplay is killing him and what we wind up with is a film that has none of the absurd Landis flourishes and frankly could have been directed by any unknown television series regular. It’s a waste of talent in front of and behind the lens. Let’s hope it’s the last time we see such a fiasco on this season of FEAR ITSELF.
3/10 or 1
Ghostface is back on the big screen this weekend… well, sort of… with the release of Scary Movie, which marks the Wayans brothers’ return to the horror spoof franchise for the first time since Scary Movie 2 back in the day. It’s likely to be the talk of the horror community for the weekend, but don’t overlook the other six genre movies that were freshly unleashed today.
Here’s all the new horror that released on Friday, June 5, 2026.
The horror spoof franchise is back with Scary Movie now playing in theaters!
Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite for the new Scary Movie, with the cast also including Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, Jon Abrahams, Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, and Felissa Rose.
Twenty-six years after outrunning a suspiciously familiar masked killer (“Ghostface”), the Core Four are back in the killer’s crosshairs and no horror movie IP is safe…
Scary Movie will slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, anything with the word legacy in it, and every “final chapter” that absolutely isn’t. A whole lot has changed in the horror genre since the Wayans Brothers were in charge of the franchise; their involvement ended with Scary Movie 2 back in 2001!
Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs Scary Movie 6 from a script written by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).
From IFC, shark attack movie Chum is now available on Digital.
Alice Eve (Haunting of Queen Mary) stars in shark attack movie alongside Eric Michael Cole, Jim Klock, Elle Haymond, Lisa Yaro, Johnny Gaffney, and Sarah Siadat.
This one sounds very similar to last year’s Dangerous Animals…
Here’s the plot: “A newlywed couple joins friends on a Mediterranean yacht excursion, only to find themselves caught between a predatory shark and a psychopathic killer in their midst-transforming a sun-drenched escape into a fight for survival.”
Jonathan Zuck directs Chum, from a script by Jonathan Zuck and Joe Leone.
Samara Weaving (Ready or Not 2: Here I Come) and Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling) come together in Carolina Caroline, a sexy crime thriller now playing in theaters.
It’s not a horror movie, mind you, but it’s worth a mention here all the same.
Kyra Sedgwick (Family Movie) and Jon Gries also star in the romantic crime thriller.
Director Adam Carter Rehmeier’s film stars Samara Weaving as Caroline Daniels, whose desire to leave her small Texas town brings her into the orbit of a charismatic con man (Kyle Gallner), and together they weave a path of crime and passion across the American Southeast.
Adam Rehmeier previously directed the films Dinner in America and Snack Shack.
Tom Dean wrote the screenplay for Carolina Caroline.
Similar to Steven Spielberg’s upcoming big screen blockbuster Disclosure Day, Signal One explores humankind’s enduring question: what if we aren’t alone in the universe?
The sci-fi thriller is now available on Digital.
Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Josh Hutcherson (Five Nights at Freddy’s), David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Raoul Bhaneja (Possessor), Emma Ho (“The Expanse”), and Dennis Quaid (The Substance) star in Signal One from director Jonathan Sobol (The Art of the Steal).
When tech billionaire Sam Houston (Quaid) hires the brilliant computer scientist Annika (Fuhrman), she ventures to an isolated facility run by the brilliant, nihilistic creator of LITTLEMOUTH, a machine which can communicate with alien intelligence.
Annika soon learns some humanity-altering facts: that we are not alone in the universe, that alien intelligences are communicating around us at every moment, and that we are likely too primitive to even remotely understand what they are trying to tell us.
When the goal of the endeavor shifts from listening to talking back, the project rapidly devolves into chaos. With contact comes consequences, and soon Annika and the team must work to ensure the very survival of our species.
A schoolyard dare becomes an urban legend in the creepypasta-inspired horror anthology The Summoning. The indie film is now available on Digital from Brainstorm Media.
“A babysitting gig becomes a nightmare of urban legend when three teens summon Baby Blue. Survival depends on uncovering the past to escape a mother’s wrath from beyond the grave.”
Felipe Vargas (Rosario, Hive), Sergio Gonzalez, Brandon Piskorik, Corey Benson Powers, and Brian Sepanzyk direct the segments. Valeria San Martín, Justina Ceballos, Daniela Flombaum, Nannu Spannauss, Agustín Olcese, and Giovanni Onetti star.
The Summoning is written by Camilo Zaffora.
Happy Death Day actress Jessica Rothe stars as a mom struggling to keep her grip on her sanity and memory in the mind-bending Affection, now available on Digital at home.
In Affection, “Afflicted by a mysterious condition that resets her memory, Ellie becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man who claims to be her husband. She soon must uncover the horrifying truth of her existence—before she forgets it all again.“
Joseph Cross (“Big Little Lies”) and Julianna Layne (“Chicago P.D.”) also star in the sci-fi horror thriller. Affection marks the feature debut by writer/director BT Meza.
Daniel Kurland wrote in his review out of the film’s premiere, “Affection is steeped in existential questions and fears that plague modern society, while it embraces the ethos of the ’80s through bold body horror. Add to that Rothe’s revelatory performance, and Affection is a hidden gem that will connect with your mind, body, and soul.”
Lucile Hadžihalilović’s latest dark fairy tale, The Ice Tower, loosely reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s fable “The Snow Queen,” and it’s now streaming on Shudder.
In the ’70s set film, “Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot of a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star Cristina (Marion Cotillard), an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.“
Clara Pacini stars as Jeanne. August Diehl and Marine Gesbert also star in The Ice Tower, and look for a cameo from director Gaspar Noé (Climax, Irréversible).
“For me, The Ice Tower solidified Lucile Hadžihalilović’s place amongst the most fascinating creators of fairy tales today,” said distributor Yellow Veil Pictures co-founder Joe Yanick.
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