Movies
‘The Prank’ Review – Rita Moreno Dazzles, But This Dark Comedy Plays It Too Safe
23 years ago, Kevin Williamson wrote and directed Teaching Mrs. Tingle, a film that saw a good student (Katie Holmes) hold a vindictive teacher (Helen Mirren) hostage in her own home after she is caught cheating. It was a dark comedy, but due to its proximity to the Columbine High School massacre it was a watered-down version of what could have been a wickedly fun time. Because of this, the film was a critical and commercial failure. History may be doomed to repeat itself as Maureen Bharoocha‘s The Prank, a film with a similar premise to Teaching Mrs. Tingle, suffers from many of the same issues as Williamson’s film. It’s not a total misfire, but aside from a devilishly fun performance from Rita Moreno, The Prank is a 95-minute sample of missed opportunities and broad, satirical comedy that lacks bite.
Overachieving Ben (Connor Kalopsis) and his slacker friend Tanner (Ramona Young, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) run into some trouble when their cruel physics teacher Mrs. Wheeler (Moreno) learns that someone is a cheater and decides to fail their entire class unless the cheater confesses. When no one does, Tanner and Ben hatch a plan to ruin Wheeler’s life and frame her for the murder of a student who has recently gone missing. This causes a media frenzy, sending Tanner and Ben on an investigation for the potentially literal skeletons in Mrs. Wheeler’s closet.
Working from a script by Rebecca Flinn-White and Zak White, Bharoocha keeps the film light and bubbly, her eye for bright colors filling many of the film’s frames. The Prank is being described as a horror-comedy, which is slightly misleading. While there are a few horror movie elements thrown into the final real, The Prank is a comedy first and foremost. That’s not an issue in and of itself, but most of the jokes just don’t land, and that is a problem. Outside of some memorable one-liners from Moreno and, in the film’s most successful use of satire, some scathing critiques of objectivity in the media (“I’m not going to make accusations, but I can say that she’s an evil ghoul who murders children and haunts dreams,” announces one radio DJ), there’s not anything of substance here.
As Mrs. Wheeler, Moreno steals the show. The 90-year-old EGOT-winner is clearly having a blast playing against-type as the cantankerous (and possibly murderous) teacher. It’s a rare role for Moreno, and one wishes that the film had gone even further into the depths of Wheeler’s demented mind to allow the actress to really cut loose. It’s a delight to watch, but it’s not enough to save the film. Ben and Tanner occupy most of The Prank‘s screen time, and while they prove to be compelling co-leads during the first act, the script is content doling out the same routine for the two in each consecutive scene (Ben is uptight and scared about whatever Tanner is planning, but Tanner helps him loosen up and agree to comply, leading to bad consequences for the both of them. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.). Frankly, it gets boring after a while, and that’s not something you want to say about any film, much less a comedy.
Pacing is an issue as well, with the film caring more about the “is-she-or-isn’t-she-a-murderer?” aspect of the plot, holding on to the big reveal about what’s really going on until long after the audience’s patience has expired. It’s a shame because there is a devilishly promising horror-comedy buried in the third act that shows what The Prank could have been, but alas, this current iteration isn’t it. Even when it does get dark, the film is still playing in a PG-13 playground*, and while a film’s rating is never a measure of quality, it does limit the extent of the humor the film can employ. This, unfortunately, leaves The Prank content being a toothless satire that plays things far too safe.
The Prank is an amusing watch, but one can’t help but wish the film refrained from playing things so safely, especially in a film revolving around a teacher who may or may not be murdering her students. This is dark stuff, but the Whites’ script opts for broad, light-hearted comedy instead of a biting satire. It’s an odd choice, but at least allows the film to operate as a harmless form of gateway horror for younger viewers. As for anyone else, they’ve seen this done before and done better. Still, Moreno is having a ball here, so much so that it almost makes The Prank worth recommending. Almost.
The Prank had its world premiere at SXSW and is currently seeking distribution.
*The Prank has not yet been rated by the MPAA and may very well earn an R-rating for 2-3 f-bombs, but this is still preteen-friendly fare.
This week’s new releases offer everything from giant monsters to Spielberg aliens to ass-kicking martial artists and even an ash-eating medical student. Do we have your interest?
Here’s all the new genre movies that released on Friday, June 12, 2026!
These aren’t all HORROR movies, but we want you to be aware of them all the same…
Norwegian creature feature Kraken is now available on Digital.
The film was also unleashed in select theaters. Check your local listings.
In the monster movie Kraken, “unnatural behavior in wild salmon, followed by inexplicable deaths in Norway’s deepest fjord, points to the mythical Kraken. The ancient, multi-armed monster has awakened, ready to crush everything that moves or makes a sound.”
Pål Øie (The Tunnel) directs Samuel Goldwyn Films’ Kraken from a script by Vilde Eide, Kjersti Jelen Rasmussen, and Natasha Arthur. Sara Khorami, Mikkel Bratt Silset, Øyvind Brandtzæg, Jenny Evensen, Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes, Jon Erik Myre, Hans Morten Hansen, Steinar Klouman Hallert, and Filip Bargee Ramberg star.
An all girls trip into the desert for escapism fun instead implodes in violence in the revenge thriller Find Your Friends, now streaming only on Shudder.
In the film, “Amber and her four best friends flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet hostility. As isolation sets in and encounters with aggressive locals grow more threatening, festering resentments within the group begin to surface.
“What begins as fun and reckless escape spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival, as past wounds and present dangers collide in a night that turns their trip into a nightmare.”
Bella Thorne (The Babysitter), Chloe Cherry (“Euphoria”), Helena Howard (I Saw the TV Glow), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Zion Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), and Chris Bauer (“True Blood”) star in the feature debut by writer/director Izabel Pakzad.
Steven Spielberg is more sure today than he was when he made Close Encounters and ET that aliens are very real, and with Disclosure Day, he aims to make you a believer too.
Okay so it’s not a horror movie, but the sci-fi blockbuster is now playing in theaters.
The vague synopsis for Disclosure Day reads: “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to Disclosure Day.”
The film stars SAG winner and Oscar® nominee Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place), Emmy and Golden Globe winner Josh O’Connor (Challengers, The Crown), Oscar® winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsman franchise), Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters, The Perfect Couple) and two-time Oscar® nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin).
Based on a story by Spielberg, the screenplay is by David Koepp, whose previous work with Spielberg includes the scripts for Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Combined, those films earned more than $3 billion worldwide. Koepp also wrote the script for Jurassic World Rebirth.
Steven Spielberg is of course no stranger to extraterrestrial encounters, directing two of the greatest alien movies of all time: Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 and E.T. in 1982. It’s an arena he returned to in 2005, directing an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.
Here in 2026, Steven Spielberg sees hope in the existence of aliens. He notes in the final trailer for Disclosure Day, “How will disclosure change us? I believe for the better.”
Another movie that’s not a horror movie but worth mentioning here is the violent martial arts revenge thriller The Furious, which is now playing in theaters from Lionsgate.
Xie Miao (The New Legend of Shaolin) and Joe Taslim (Mortal Kombat) star.
After his daughter is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wang Wei sets out on a rampage to find her himself.
His only ally is Navin, a relentless journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. Fueled by a furious vengeance, the unlikely duo ruthlessly fights against the kidnappers.
Kenji Tanigaki (Enter the Fat Dragon) directs from a script by Mak Tin Shu (Kung Fu Jungle), Lei Zhilong, Shum Kwan Sin (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In), and Frank Hui.
A disturbing weight loss craze involving human ashes opens up a haunting world of hurt for a young woman in Saccharine, which is now available on Digital outlets at home.
From writer/director Natalie Erika James (Relic, Apartment 7A), the Australian supernatural body horror film follows lovelorn medical student Hana, who becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes.
Midori Francis (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$), and Madeleine Madden (“The Wheel of Time”) star in Natalie Erika James’ latest nightmare.
From directors Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz, I Am Frankelda is billed as the first ever full length stop motion movie from Mexico, and it’s now streaming on Netflix.
The history-making stop-motion film is a dark fantasy set in a world of monsters.
Here’s the synopsis: “In 19th-century Mexico, Frankelda is a gifted writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed. Forced to suppress her voice, she refuses to give up, even as many try to silence her. But when she is thrust into her subconscious, the very monsters she created come to life.
“Guided by Herneval, a tormented prince trapped between dreams and nightmares, she must restore balance between fiction and reality before both realms collapse. Meanwhile, the sinister writer Procustes and his conspirators plot to seize control. As Frankelda and Herneval grow closer, their bond becomes both a strength and a curse.
“To rewrite their fate, she must confront a love that defies existence and reclaim her power as a storyteller—before dark forces consume her imagination and reveal horrors beyond her creation.”
The directors said in a joint statement, “As brothers, we grew up inventing worlds together, drawing, playing, imagining. Over time we understood that fictional characters were not only companions but guides. Sometimes they felt closer than the people around us. They provided us courage, wisdom, and solace. We believe fiction is not an escape from reality but a way of understanding it. A way of converting truth into palatable chunks. I Am Frankelda comes from a lifelong love of storytelling.”
Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr., and Luis Leonardo Suarez lead the voice cast.
Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Mexico’s first stop-motion animated feature is a macabre beauty.” Meagan also notes in her review, “I Am Frankelda is a gothic fantasy feature whose boundless creativity is matched by its ambition.”
The lines of reality and delusion blur in Time of Death, now available on Digital.
Michael Kelly (“The Penguin,” Dawn of the Dead 2004) stars with Kevin Pollak (End of Days), Mena Suvari (Vampires of the Velvet Lounge), and Dennis Haysbert (Send Help).
In the horror-thriller, “When a prisoner vanishes without a trace, Detective Frank Morley (Michael Kelly) is sent to a decaying prison on the verge of shutdown. What begins as a routine investigation quickly spirals into a dangerous search for answers.”
Will Wernick (Escape Room 2017, Follow Me) directs from a script by Jason Rosen. They also produce alongside Kelly Delson, Jeff Delson, and Kyle David Crosby.
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