Movies
[Review] ‘Dead Rising: Watchtower’ Sticks to its Source, For Good and Bad
As a horror and videogame fan, Dead Rising was a godsend for me. The dream of re-enacting Dawn Of The Dead-like moments in a modern shopping mall setting was finally here (if you could get past the fact that your health constantly drained in Infinity Mode). Mowing down mobs of zombies with practically anything that wasn’t nailed down was a blast. With the game’s success, it seemed like another videogame-to-film adaptation was a no-brainer. While Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun was released in 2010 and was set in the Dead Rising universe, it wasn’t until four years later that a film more closely based on the actual game series, Dead Rising: Watchtower, got underway. So, just how close is the film to the actual games (and what/how many liberties are taken)? Stock up on Jill’s Sandwiches, we’re going in.
Taking place between Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2, a zombie outbreak that started in the fictional city of East Mission, Oregon is threatening to spread. In response, FEZA (Federal Emergency Zombie Authority) has created Zombrex, a daily vaccine that delays the effects of the infection. As expected, there’s a shortage. Investigating in the middle of East Mission’s quarantine zone is reporter Chase Carter (Jesse Metcalfe). Unfortunately for Chase, his investigation leads him to becoming trapped in the city. Making matters worse is the fact that the army is doing a seek-and-destroy mission to clean out the city. Chase must team up with a group of other survivors to not only avoid the military and the zombies to escape, but also avoid a roving motorcycle gang that are dishing out their own terror on human and zombie alike.
Being that this is the first Crackle Original Movie, it’s nice that they didn’t skimp on the production values. The film certainly doesn’t look like your cheesy B-movie fare like you’d see on SyFy. While we don’t get to see the massive horde of zombies that swarmed the mall as in the first game, and some of the blood and gore are obvious CGI, the sets and props all look authentic. There are, of course, shout-outs to the games in a variety of forms, most notably Frank West, the weapon combining, the cheesy rock music and Chase’s bloody Servbot t-shirt. Also, props to director Zach Lipovsky for including some interesting shots like weapon and zombie POVs. Obviously, there’s a bit of shakycam involved, but it’s understandable.
Speaking of Frank West, Rob Riggle plays the hero of the first game much like what Frank West became after Dead Rising: a pompous asshole. While relegated to showing up sporatically in an ongoing interview segment for a local news channel, Riggle plays it up by casually swearing and ridiculing his interviewer, while at the same time shamelessly plugging his book. He also stops to give his honest advice to the viewers if they were being attacked by zombies. As for our main protagonists, Metcalfe does a nice job as Chase, as does Keegan Connor Tracy as Chase’s partner, Jordan. Meghan Ory kicks zombie ass as Crystal O’Rourke with Virginia Madsen, though Madsen does play into the oblivious mom cliche a little as Maggie. She vindicates herself somewhat by swinging a mean machete and maglite. Aleks Paunovic is a hoot as the main biker protagonist, Logan. Dude looked like he was sincerely having fun with the role. Harley Morenstein. Epic Meal Time. ‘Nuff said.
Ultimately however, as the film progresses, things go sour for Dead Rising: Watchtower. For one, this film has no business clocking in at two hours. With Dawn Of The Dead‘s various cuts, I can understand since you have character development, social commentary and the like. In Dead Rising, not so much. Despite the performances, the characters are largely one-note and don’t have much in the development department. What really burns is that the one character that does have a bit of development (and interest) to it, Frank West, is largely kept on the sidelines. Even then, you’d have to be a fan of the videogame series to have that established development, since casual viewers won’t have that. Shoehorning in dramatic scenes into a film that’s already juggling the lopsided goofiness and over-the-top horror of the games doesn’t help, either. Ultimately, the film follows the videogames too closely, in that elements of the videogame just don’t translate as well to film. The one-note characters aside, the weapon crafting here comes off as goofy, the government cover-up subplot is tired, and ultimately, you’d just rather be playing the games rather than watching a live-action playthrough.
If it sounds like I was disappointed by Dead Rising: Watchtower, you’d be mostly correct. Going into this, I knew that the film would already have people pointing out how certain elements have been done before in zombie films, and that I get. The games were based on George A. Romero’s classic, after all. And I did enjoy some of the camerawork and Riggle as Frank West. But Dead Rising is another case of an adaptation adhering so closely to the source material that diehard fans of the videogames would be the only real audience. Even then, there’s a feeling of being cheated. Would it have been a blast to have seen Frank West being a jerk while saving the city? Definitely. Did the film ultimately serve as a consolation? Somewhat. Bottom line, this film is for the fans, but like those who aren’t clued into the videogames, the overall “been there, done that” feeling will have everyone wanting something more.
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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