In his audio commentary that accompanies the sequel on home video, Derrickson opens up about how a reveal that recontextualizes the original film drew him to the sequel.

“The first film was very successful, and people immediately wanted me to make a sequel. The studio called, I think, the Monday after the box office weekend. The opening numbers came in, and it was a hit, and they wanted to know if I’d make a second one,” Derrickson recalls.

“I was not terribly interested in the idea at first, and Joe Hill sent me an email with an idea about The Grabber calling Finn and a backstory that involved him being the killer of Gwen and Finn’s mother. That latter part was something I had never thought about,” he explains.

“I had thought about making a sequel where The Grabber’s the ghost. That was interesting but not enough to make me want to do the movie,” Derrickson continues. “But the backstory about the mother was really fascinating to me and I thought could really allow for the creation of some interesting emotional arcs for these two kids.”

He adds, “Once I glommed onto that idea, then what hit me and really made me ultimately decide to make a sequel to The Black Phone was the realization that if I didn’t make a sequel right away the way the studio wanted me to and instead waited for three years, Madeleine McGraw and Mason Thames would be in high school. They would be old enough to play high school kids, and that makes it a very different kind of movie.”

When the scene with the mother comes up, Derrickson expands on its impact.

“I thought [Hill’s idea] could be very powerful as a reveal for audiences who loved the first one — to find out that this traumatic event that wrecked the life of Terrance and disrupted the household of Finn and Gwen, to find out that that was actually not true. She didn’t kill herself. I thought that had some staying power.”

Black Phone 2 is available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.

The post How ‘The Black Phone’ Author Joe Hill Inspired Scott Derrickson to Make ‘Black Phone 2’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

These 20 books are must-haves for the horror fan.

Another by Paul Tremblay

Acclaimed author Paul Tremblay makes his middle school debut with Another, a perfect read for the budding horror fan. It’s a tale of unusual friendship set during COVID, when lonely young Casey finds his world upended by the arrival of a mysterious new friend, Morel. The longer Morel sticks around, the more Casey’s parents seem to favor the strange kid with clay-like skin. Tremblay has a way with creating unease and a chilling atmosphere that creeps up on you, which means that Another‘s style of unsettling eeriness won’t be for easily scared or very young readers. But for brave middle schoolers and horror fans alike, Tremblay’s latest captures the isolation of remote learning with affecting precision without sacrificing the scares.

Athanasia by Daniel Kraus

Whalefall author Daniel Kraus is back with a supernatural graphic novel described as “Watchmen meets Unbreakable.” Written by Kraus, edited by Adrian F. Wassel, illustrated by Dani, colored by Brad Simpson, and lettered by Jim Campbell, Athanasia introduces a popular new drug that’s bubbled up from the rotting corpses of superheroes in a cemetery. A drug that sends the cemetery’s new assistant groundskeeper on an addictive path toward supervillainy. Kraus’s melancholic look at heroism is gritty, brutal, and wholly unique.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Mexican Gothic author is back with another macabre tale, this one centered around witches. The Gothic novel follows three perspectives, all hailing from different time periods and each with a distinct connection to witchcraft. It is a multigenerational horror saga that binds its three women to a dark presence, one that unfurls with steady precision and Moreno-Garcia’s detailed prose and worldbuilding. That means The Bewitching dabbles in a few different subgenres in a beguiling vision of Mexican folklore.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Prolific horror author Stephen Graham Jones follows up his slasher trilogy with a sprawling epic based on the Marias Massacre. Horror and history collide in Jones’ reinvention of vampire lore, with the author putting a Western, American spin on Bram Stoker’s Dracula and its epistolary format. It’s a simmering examination of identity, heritage, guilt, and beyond, though it’s a heady journey paved with blood. Jones once again introduces richly layered characters and fearlessly takes his historical fiction to wild places.

Cold Storage by David Koepp

This 2019 novel is officially the oldest on this list filled with 2025 releases, but a gut-busting adaptation on the way serves as a solid reminder that great novels never go out of style. Two unwitting security guards and a bioterror operative team up to stop a specimen that’s broken out of its containment, threatening a grotesque world-ending event. While that sounds ultra-serious and apocalyptic, Koepp brings mordant humor and breakneck pacing to this propulsive thriller that’s sure to get you stoked for the upcoming feature film.

Elvira’s Cookbook from Hell: Sexy, Spooky Soirées and Celebrations for Every Occasion by Cassandra Peterson

Elvira is bringing the afterlife to the party with a new cookbook that doubles as a party-planning guide. The Mistress of the Dark is divulging her secrets for the ultimate in goth gatherings, gruesome gourmet meals, killer cocktails, terrifying tablescapes, and funereal floral arrangements. It’s as fun as it sounds, with stunning presentation and images, making it a no-brainer gift option for recipe collectors, party hosts, or fans of Elvira.

Event Horizon: Dark Descent by Christian Ward 

IDW Publishing’s new comic series from author Christian Ward, artist Tristan Jones, and colorist Pip Martin serves as a prequel to the 1997 sci-fi horror movie. Taking place prior to the film’s 2047 setting, the comic uncovers what really happened to Captain Kilpack and the first Event Horizon crew. Considering the glimpses revealed in the film, expect a grim journey ahead for this ill-fated crew. One that brings new nightmarish denizens with sequel potential.

King Sorrow by Joe Hill

The Black Phone scribe delivers one Faustian urban fantasy epic this year. The premise follows a group of friends as they summon a dragon to do their bidding. The only catch is that it locks them into a pact with the beast, one that demands regular sacrifice lest they become the dragon’s next meal. Despite its hefty page count, King Sorrow is a fast page-turner that shifts perspectives and explores themes of friendship, addiction, and loss as it combines fantasy, horror, and action in thrilling ways. An adaptation of Hill’s contemporary fairy tale may already be in development.

The Lamb by Lucy Rose

A tender, cannibalistic coming-of-age fairy tale about a mother and daughter. Lucy Rose pens a modern Grimm’s fairytale, complete with lush prose and graphic depictions of cannibalism as a newcomer shifts protagonist Margot’s views of Mama’s eating habits. That Rose is unafraid to really drive home the grotesqueries of this twisted family’s diet means that The Lamb and its stomach-churning visions can get repetitive for the squeamish. But for those that like their horror as beautiful as it is gory, The Lamb is a must.

Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses: The Making of a Cult Classic by Rob Zombie

Zombie’s making-of book chronicles the early notes and sketches behind the filmmaker’s feature directorial debut through its premiere, making it a comprehensive must-have for any fan. More than just pairing interviews with personal insights on the film’s creation, Zombie also includes the full shooting script, handwritten notes, rare artwork, concept sketches, and stills. In other words, it’s a stunner of a book that doubles as a gorgeous collectible and a fascinating deep-dive into an early aughts favorite.

Screaming and Conjuring: The Resurrection and Unstoppable Rise of the Modern Horror Movie by Clark Collis

Entertainment journalist and author Clark Collis traces the evolution of modern horror in this definitive 504-page hardcover, featuring behind-the-scenes accounts, untold stories, and in-depth interviews with horror stalwarts. Expect details, anecdotes, and production deep-dives into horror favorites like Scream, 28 Days Later, and  The Conjuring, with insights from luminaries like Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell) and SFX artist Greg Nicotero (The Mist, “The Walking Dead”). In other words, it’s a highly detailed and researched love letter to modern horror and its rise in popularity.

Terrifier 3: The Offical Novelization by Tim Waggoner

Available on Kindle now and in paperback and hardcover on December 2, the official novelization for Terrifier 3 arrives just in time to bring the horror to the holidays. The author of the Terrifier 2 novelization is back to unleash another splatterpunk battle between Art the Clown and Sienna as the horror icon gets festive for Christmas. The Terrifier 3 book will follow the franchise storyline that the film’s writer and director Damien Leone brought to audiences last year, a perfectly gruesome complement to the film.

That Very Witch: Fear, Feminism, and the American Witch Film by Payton McCarty-Simas

Witches are in vogue this holiday season, largely thanks to Wicked: For Good. Through historical analysis and dozens of case studies, author Payton McCarty-Simas’ book analyzes how the witch became the ultimate cultural bogeywoman, tracing cinematic portrayals throughout the decades and their cultural impact. McCarty-Simas tracks the cinematic witch across time, with extensive academic research as it engages with the political and societal landscapes that influenced the witch’s representation on screen throughout the decades. It’s not a light read, but it is a comprehensive text that’ll fill your watchlists with more witch horror.

The Toxic Avenger: The Art And Making Of The Movie by Dan Jolin

Curious how Macon Blair’s raucous update on The Toxic Avenger came to be? This hardcover book highlights concept designs and production art, alongside insight from the cast, crew, and producers of the new take on Troma’s 1984 cult classic. As if that’s not enough to entice the horror-loving collector, the 160-page tome features an appropriately toxic glow-in-the-dark cover. If that’s still not enough Toxie for you, also look for the film’s official novelization from author Adam Cesare.

The Unworthy: A Novel by Agustina Bazterrica

The author of Tender is the Flesh is back with a dystopian horror story set at a convent inhabited by a cult. It follows an unnamed female protagonist who hopes to rise in the cult’s ranks, until she meets and falls in love with the newest member. It’s a short read that favors ambiguous storytelling and an emphasis on grotesque imagery, which means this disturbing little read aims to get under your skin rather than offer easy answers. The Unworthy may be light on plotting, but Bazterrica’s prose and the horror it evokes linger.

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito

Author Virginia Feito gives a murderous twist to the classic Victorian Christmas horror story. It’s not ghosts that haunt the remote gothic Ensor House when quirky governess Winifred Notty arrives to take up her new position, but Winifred herself. As the young governess assimilates into life at Ensor House, staff members begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners of the estate begin to wonder if there is something amiss about their new hire. Think American Psycho, but set in 1858. This brisk read doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises, but it’s a fun bloody romp perfect for the holidays. And it has an adaptation starring Maika Monroe on the way.

When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy

Nat Cassidy’s ode to ’80s horror brings pulpy, bonkers entertainment. A struggling actress discovers a young runaway hiding outside her apartment. A violent confrontation with the boy’s father sets in motion a harrowing bid for survival. It’s a prolonged chase novel in the vein of Dean Koontz, one with plenty of horror surprises to keep you on your toes. At the center of this grim tale is an examination of father figures and our complicated, shape-shifting relationships with our parents, rendered through an extraordinarily compelling and gory horror story.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Hendrix’s latest offers the author’s take on witches, but with a far meatier and more mature story grounding it. Here, witchcraft is rarely as scary as the historically based horrors tormenting a handful of terrified teens shunned by society. The 1970-set novel introduces 15-year-old Neva Craven, left scared and confused as her irate father coldly drives her across state lines and unceremoniously deposits her in Florida’s Wellwood House, a strict and controlling place for people like Neva: unwed pregnant teens. Friendship creates a formidable power of its own in this rebellious and bewitching story.

Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman

Clay McLeod Chapman’s latest captures the horrors of being terminally online. Reminiscent of The Purge and The Signal, a strange broadcast is driving viewers mad with homicidal rage. Chapman takes it further, experimenting with form and perspectives, including a found footage section. It’s a viscerally violent and bleak vision of a demonic possession epidemic that spreads through the media. It’s as subtle as a sledgehammer with its social commentary, offset by a breakneck, intense pace.

Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins

The definitive gift for the die-hard Scream fan in your life. The 352-page book examines the making and impact of the Scream films, with behind-the-scenes insight from cast and crew; nearly everyone associated with this franchise is interviewed, and Cullins leaves no stone unturned in her exploration of these films. Beyond interviews, the comprehensive book is filled with production details, anecdotes, and scrapped sequel plan reveals. As if that’s not enough, Cullins also injects teases for the upcoming installment with quotes from Neve Campbell and Kevin Williamson. For the non-reader, Ghostface himself, actor Roger L. Jackson, narrates the audiobook.

The post Holiday Gift Guide: 20 Must-Have Books for the Horror Fan appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Speaking to Mashable, Hill explained that he’s been quietly writing scripts to maintain his Writers Guild of America healthcare in order to help pay for his wife’s cancer treatment.

“The script I’m working on now is an adaptation of an unpublished novella that I’d written that will be published eventually,” Hill said.

The Black Phone filmmaker Scott Derrickson helped Hill secure the job.

“I sent him this novella I had written that hadn’t been published and a pitch for how I’d adapt it, and he got psyched. And he’s like, ‘We gotta do this.’ And so he got me the gig to write the script. Now I’m revising it for Sony Screen Gems.”

Hill plans to continue writing a new screenplay every year in addition to a new novel each year in his 50s.

“The next two things I’ve got lined up are adaptations of other people’s words,” Hill noted, “which I’m really excited about.”

Meanwhile, Hill revealed to Mashable that an adaptation of his latest novel, King Sorrow, is being developed for TV.

No other details are available at this time, but the horror fantasy epic is described as a chilling tale of modern-world dangers, dark academia, and the unexpected consequences of revenge as six friends summon a dragon that demands human sacrifice.

Here’s the full synopsis for King Sorrow, which was published last month via William Morrow:

“Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer, and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library, and beautiful buildings. But his idyll—and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot—is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.

“Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others—brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen—don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.

“But there’s nothing simple about dealing with dragons, and their pact to save Arthur becomes a terrifying bargain in which the six must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow every year—or become his next meal.”

Much like his father Stephen King, Hill’s work has been fertile ground for film and TV adaptations, including “Locke & Key,” “NOS4A2,” In the Tall Grass, and Horns.

The post ‘Black Phone’ Author Joe Hill Adapting Unpublished Novella for Film; ‘King Sorrow’ TV Series in Development appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

That’s not all: Hill also opens up about his dad’s influence on his work, how he approaches incorporating King Easter eggs, and the writing tips bestowed on him as a youngster. Finally, he teases a new novel, Hunger, due out (hopefully) in 2026, and the upcoming sequel to Scott Derrickson’s Black Phone, which was adapted from his short story, and arrives in theaters next Friday, October 17th.

Stream the conversation below and return next week when the Losers head to Hollywood King to catch up on all the King news. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).

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The post Joe Hill on ‘King Sorrow’, ‘Black Phone 2′, and the Influence of His Father Stephen King [The Losers’ Club Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But not everyone views this Dutch nobleman as an unwavering protagonist. Joe Hill’s 2005 short story “Abraham’s Boys” takes a different approach, positioning the scientific crusader as equally nefarious to his bloodsucking foe. Director Natasha Kermani expands this disturbing exposé in an unusual sequel to Stoker’s classic tale. Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story challenges our belief in supernatural creatures while complicating one of the genre’s most celebrated heroes. 

Eighteen years after Count Dracula’s death, Abraham Van Helsing (Titus Welliver) lives a quiet life in California’s central valley. Widowed and in need of protection, Mina (Jocelin Donahue) has married the European doctor and given him two sons named Max (Brady Hepner) and Rudy (Judah Mackey). But a shadow hangs over their isolated home.

Mina has never fully recovered from her vampiric encounter and remains mentally connected to creatures of the night. She and Abraham are certain their old enemy still lives and will one day return to exact his revenge. When strange noises go bump in the night, the Van Helsing boys begin to fear that a sinister force has entered the house. But is this the monster from his parents’ past or a human threat much closer to home? 

Kermani finds power in ambiguity, presenting just enough information to jolt us out of our complacent beliefs. Viewed through his sons’ horrified eyes, Abraham’s methods are shocking and cruel, much more akin to sadistic murder than the heroic actions of a vampire slayer. We linger on gruesome imagery and a recreation of the literary Lucy’s gruesome death presented in cold and unflinching detail. Narrative tendrils reach back to Stoker’s iconic novel as characters are forced to reckon with the horrors they endured.

As Max struggles with his father’s ominous instructions, Arthur Holmwood (Jonathan Howard) returns begging for absolution. The wealthy widower no longer fears the vampiric threat he encountered in London, but the price his immortal soul will pay for heeding Van Helsing’s violent advice. However, we wonder if his indignation stems from the remnants of extreme PTSD or the genuine regret of a secondary victim. Kermani seems to delight in this unknowability, challenging us to choose a champion for ourselves.

Though the film questions traditional vampire lore, Kermani does not dismiss these creatures out of hand. A familiar figure does manage to infiltrate the Van Helsing home, though we’re never sure if the spectre is real or the manifestation of Mina’s own trauma. We’re tempted to side with the film’s weary parents as they do everything in their power to protect their boys. It’s equally possible that having grown up in a relatively happy home, Max and Rudy have the privilege to deny the harrowing battle their parents fought. A generation removed from Dracula’s assault, they could alternately be viewed as enlightened descendants righting terrible wrongs or delusional children convinced they know better than their seasoned elders. 

Welliver finds the perfect balance between altruistic hero and sadistic villain. At times he feels like a compassionate protector merely trying to empower his sons, but his piercing blue eyes do not waver as he guides Max and Rudy through unthinkable acts. He’s equally believable as a beleaguered avenger staring down the end of his life and a sadistic serial killer trapping and dehumanizing female victims. Genre darling Donahue adds relatability to one of horror’s greatest heroines as she struggles to overcome Mina’s horrific past, but it’s Hepner and Mackey who anchor the film. We’re horrified on Rudy’s behalf as he’s ordered to dismember a corpse and we long for Max to assert his own power, breaking both sons away from their father’s control. 

Though the story unfolds at a leisurely pace, a tense dread hangs over every scene and familiar creatures lurk in shadowy corners. Even the bleak sun and picturesque countryside provide no illusions of warmth and safety. We catch frightening glimpses of vampiric figures and are left to decide if they’re real there. And that’s not to mention the depraved nightmares hidden away in Van Helsing’s secret chamber under the house. But are Abraham’s boys threatened by an eternal creature of the night or have they been raised by a human monster intent on teaching them the tricks of his trade? Kermani plants a variety of seeds and leaves us to find answers for ourselves while complicating one of horror’s greatest heroes. 

The post ‘Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story’ Casts a Sinister Shadow Over One of Horror’s Greatest Heroes [Review] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Abraham’s Boys reimagines vampire lore through the eyes of Van Helsing’s sons as they unravel their father’s haunted legacy, blending gothic horror with a modern exploration of generational trauma. It’s coming to theaters from RLJE Films and Shudder on July 11, 2025.

Watch the official trailer below.

In Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story, “Max and Rudy Van Helsing have spent their lives under the strict and overprotective rule of their father, Abraham. Unaware of his dark past, they struggle to understand his paranoia and increasingly erratic behavior. But when they begin to uncover the violent truths behind their father’s history with Dracula, their world unravels, forcing them to confront the terrifying legacy they were never meant to inherit.”

Titus Welliver, Jocelin Donahue, Aurora Perrineau, Judah Mackey, and Brady Hepner star.

“It was a joy to bring Joe Hill’s dark, gothic story to the screen on location in California, with a fantastic Los Angeles cast and crew,” Kermani said in a statement. “I’m so excited to now be able to share the film with audiences all over the world alongside my friends at RLJE Films and Shudder.”

“We can’t wait to bring Abraham’s Boys to audiences and expand the Dracula legacy with a fresh and compelling perspective,” added RLJE Films’ Chief Acquisitions Officer Mark Ward. “Natasha Kermani has woven a gripping, character-driven horror story that drags Van Helsing’s past into the light — whether his sons are ready for it or not.”

Hill’s short story originally appeared in 2004 anthology The Many Faces of Van Helsing before being published in the author’s 2005 short story collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

The post ‘Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story’ Trailer – Van Helsing’s Sons Take Center Stage in Joe Hill Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The gorgeous deluxe edition from Suntup features a new exclusive afterword by C. Robert Cargill and four color illustrations by award-winning artist Reiko Murakami.

All copies are printed letterpress from metal type, and are signed by Joe Hill and Reiko Murakami. The Numbered and Lettered editions are also signed by C. Robert Cargill, who co-adapted Hill’s short story The Black Phone into the hit 2021 movie.

Suntup Edition previews, “A haunting tale of isolation and resilience, Joe Hill’s The Black Phone is a masterclass in short-form horror and the inspiration for one of the most critically acclaimed horror films of the past five years.” It was originally published in Hill’s acclaimed debut collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

Thirteen-year-old Finney Blake is abducted by a sadistic killer. Held captive in a locked basement, Finney discovers a disconnected black rotary phone mounted to the wall. At first glance, it seems useless. But then the phone begins to ring. One by one, Finney begins receiving calls from the killer’s previous victims—boys who were once in his place and who didn’t survive. Their whispers echo through the line, offering fragments of advice, warnings and a chance at escape that may be Finney’s only hope.

In 2021, the story was adapted into a screenplay by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill. The film received rave reviews from critics and became one of the top ten highest-grossing films in the United States for seven consecutive weeks. Cargill has written a new afterword exclusive to the Suntup edition.

Limited to only 750 copies available to purchase, the Classic edition signed by Joe Hill and Reiko Murakami is now available to pre-order here.

For more information on the Lettered and Numbered editions, visit: https://suntup.press.

The post Joe Hill’s ‘The Black Phone’ Gets a Signed Limited Edition Release from Suntup Editions appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Written and directed by Natasha Kermani (V/H/S/85, Lucky), the film premieres this weekend at the Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans.

Max and Rudy Van Helsing have spent their lives under the strict and overprotective rule of their father, Abraham. Unaware of his dark past, they struggle to understand his paranoia and increasingly erratic behavior. But when they begin to uncover their father’s history with Dracula, their world unravels, forcing them to confront the terrifying legacy they were never meant to inherit.

Titus Welliver (“Bosch”), Jocelin Donahue (The House of the Devil), Judah Mackey (“The Young And The Restless”), Aurora Perrineau (“Westworld”), Brady Hepner (The Black Phone) star.

The film is produced by Tim Wu and James Howard Herron of Illium Pictures and James Harris and Leonora Darby of Tea Shop Productions.

“It was a joy to bring Joe Hill’s dark, gothic story to the screen on location in California, with a fantastic Los Angeles cast and crew,” Kermani said in a statement. “I’m so excited to now be able to share the film with audiences all over the world alongside my friends at RLJE Films and Shudder.”

“We can’t wait to bring Abraham’s Boys to audiences and expand the Dracula legacy with a fresh and compelling perspective,” added RLJE Films’ Chief Acquisitions Officer Mark Ward. “Natasha Kermani has woven a gripping, character-driven horror story that drags Van Helsing’s past into the light — whether his sons are ready for it or not.”

Hill’s short story originally appeared in the 2004 anthology The Many Faces of Van Helsing before being published in the author’s 2005 short story collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

Hill will publish his fifth novel, King Sorrow, on October 21. Previous adaptations of his work include The Black Phone, “Locke & Key,” “NOS4A2,” In the Tall Grass, Horns, and the forthcoming Basketful of Heads.

The post ‘Abraham’s Boys’ – Joe Hill’s ‘Dracula’ Sequel Acquired by RLJE & Shudder appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In Jackknife by Joe Hill, Dennis Lange is hoping for a comeback after being ruined by scandal. Selling the story of a cursed tree could make his future… if it doesn’t kill him.

“Dennis awakens something evil when he removes a decades-old jackknife from the trunk of a gnarled old sycamore. Once pinned in place—now thoughtlessly freed—the tree returns to its roots. An act of vigilante justice took place under its boughs long ago. But its taste for blood has only grown stronger…”

In The Blanks by Grady Hendrix, residents have an unspoken pact with the island’s unnatural inhabitants: ignore them, live happily. But one boy can’t look away—and pays the price.

“Jeckle Island offers Rachel’s children the chance to spend summers roaming wild and free, as long as they follow the rules. But when her son comes face to face with a terror they dare not speak of, she must prepare for their perfect world to change. Forever.”

In The Indigo Room by Stephen Graham Jones, the horrors of the modern workplace meet actual horror. Don’t lose your head over office politics…

“When the lights go out and the slideshow begins, middle manager Jennifer has a disturbing vision: a headless colleague right across the boardroom table. Is it a trick of the light, or a vision of the future? She tries to brush it off and salvage the afternoon—but when her ex unexpectedly drops off her son at the office after school, suddenly her whole world takes an alarming turn.”

In Night and Day in Misery by Catriona Ward, feverish nightmares meet the chilling light of day as a mother readies to rejoin her past in the gloom of her hotel.

“Room 17 was the last stop on her husband and son’s journey. Eight years after their deaths, Stella books the same room, hoping to commune with their memories. But as she tries to sleep, disturbing and urgent visions blur the lines between reality and the supernatural, and the other side sends a terrifying message.”

In Letter Slot by Owen King, the cost of living keeps rising—and it collects payment from the soul. A helping hand, a fateful cost.

“Sensing his mother’s failing health, a struggling teenager pours out his worries in a letter and drops it through the mail slot of an abandoned show house. He’s surprised when a response arrives, promising good fortune for the price of just one name: someone he hates. He’d give anything for his mother. But the true cost may be more than he’s willing to pay.”

All five stories will be available exclusively on Kindle for $1.99 each on April 15.

The post Amazon to Publish Exclusive Short Stories from Joe Hill, Grady Hendrix, Stephen Graham Jones, More appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Deadline reports that Bluestone Entertainment has secured the rights, enlisting Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face,” “Orange Is the New Black”) to star.

Launched in 2017 from DC’s Hill House, the seven-issue series follows June Branch, who discovers that every bad guy she decapitates leaves a talking head behind. With every kill, June adds a new voice to her twisted Greek chorus — and another eight pounds of literal baggage.

Bluestone will finance the action horror comedy, with Akiva Goldsman and Greg Lessans producing for Weed Road alongside Director of Development Shiva Nassab, who brought the project to the company and will be overseeing.

Lyonne will produce for Animal Pictures, with Dannah Shinder executive producing and Max Ferguson overseeing. Richard Saperstein, Brooke Saperstein, and Annie Saperstein will produce for Bluestone Entertainment, with Beau Turpin executive producing.

Lyonne shared that she’s “thrilled to work with the ingenious auteur Ana Lily Amirpour on such beloved IP and so grateful that Akiva and Bluestone brought it to us at Animal to develop. This one’s gonna be a knockout!”

Amirpour added, “I’m very excited to team up with the wickedly funny and brilliant Natasha Lyonne to adapt this comic into a film. We’re going to bring to life a new type of antihero who gets pulled into a bizarre adventure that unleashes something inside her and turns her life inside out. It’s gonna be darkly funny, surreal and bloody as hell.”

Hill will publish his fifth novel, King Sorrow, October 21. Previous adaptations of his work include The Black Phone, “Locke & Key,” “NOS4A2,” In the Tall Grass, and Horns.

The post Natasha Lyonne to Star in Joe Hill’s ‘Basketful of Heads’ for Ana Lily Amirpour appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The 896-page horror fantasy epic is a chilling tale of modern-world dangers, dark academia, and the unexpected consequences of revenge as six friends dabble in the occult and are horrifyingly successful — calling forth an evil entity that demands human sacrifice.

King Sorrow marks the New York Times bestselling author’s first novel in nine years and fifth overall.

The official synopsis reads:

“Arthur Oakes is a reader, a dreamer, and a student at Rackham College, Maine, renowned for its frosty winters, exceptional library, and beautiful buildings. But his idyll—and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot—is shattered when a local drug dealer and her partner corner him into one of the worst crimes he can imagine: stealing rare books from the college library.

“Trapped and desperate, Arthur turns to his closest friends for comfort and help. Together they dream up a wild, fantastical scheme to free Arthur from the cruel trap in which he finds himself. Wealthy, irrepressible Colin Wren suggests using the unnerving Crane journal (bound in the skin of its author) to summon a dragon to do their bidding. The others—brave, beautiful Alison Shiner; the battling twins Donna and Donovan McBride; and brainy, bold Gwen—don’t hesitate to join Colin in an effort to smash reality and bring a creature of the impossible into our world.

“But there’s nothing simple about dealing with dragons, and their pact to save Arthur becomes a terrifying bargain in which the six must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow every year—or become his next meal.”

Much like his father Stephen King, Hill’s work has been fertile ground for film and TV adaptations, including The Black Phone, “Locke & Key,” “NOS4A2,” In the Tall Grass, and Horns.

The post ‘The Black Phone’ Author Joe Hill to Publish Horror Fantasy Epic ‘King Sorrow’ in October appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Deadline reports that Gary Dauberman (Salem’s Lot) will produce the film.

The website reports, “Under his first look deal with the studio, Gary Dauberman and his team at Coin Operated will develop and produce with Zak Olkewicz set to write the script. Coin Operated’s President, Mia Maniscalco, will also be a producer.”

Zak Olkewicz recently wrote Fear Street: Part Two and The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

At this time, the plot is being kept under wraps. Does Joe Hill’s Ushers have something to do with the Edgar Allan Poe tale The Fall of the House of Usher, which served as the backbone for Mike Flanagan’s same-titled Netflix horror series? Is it even a horror story at all?

Stay tuned for more…

Joe Hill is of course the son of prolific (and still very much active) horror legend Stephen King.

The post Mysterious Unpublished Joe Hill Short Story ‘Ushers’ Getting a Film Adaptation from Screen Gems appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Brian Witten is overseeing on behalf of Nicotero’s Monster Agency Productions.

“Joe Hill continues to astound me!” said Greg Nicotero. “From Horns to Fireman and now this latest story, he’s created fantastic scenarios and places his beautifully crafted characters smack in the middle of them! I love everything he writes and am honored to continue our fruitful collaboration.”

In this feature-length issue, Creepshow alum and New York Times Bestseller Joe Hill (Heart-Shaped Box, Locke & Key) is joined by Jason Ciaramella (C is for Cthulu) and Michael Walsh (The Silver Coin) to adapt his acclaimed short story in an expanded format with new twists and turns…including a special appearance by The Creep! They tell the terrifying tale of a businessman whose commute is about to get a lot hairier when his train makes an unexpected stop at “Wolverton Station”!

The one shot will arrive in comic book shops on March 27, 2024.

“I’m always glad to renew my acquaintance with The Creep and reconnect with the gleeful gross-outs that are the hallmark of Creepshow in all its manifestations, from film to TV to comics,” said Joe Hill. “I wrote ‘Wolverton Station’ over a decade ago, working longhand while I traveled the UK by train for a book tour, and right from the start I knew I was writing a Creepshow kind of thing. It’s the story of a cut-throat dealmaker, someone who thinks of himself as quite a wolf, running afoul of creatures whose fangs are in no way metaphorical. At its dark heart, it’s a fairy tale — not one of the modern fairy tales, the sort safely sanitized by Disney for mass consumption, but the older kind of fable, the sort with teeth. That kind of story is The Creep’s stock-and-trade and so it feels exactly right that the story should be adapted for Creepshow‘s pestilent pages.”

“If I had to pick a favorite genre, the mashup of horror and comedy (Is there a name for this? Horromedy? Comorror?) would almost certainly be at the top of my list. So, obviously, Creepshow has been something I’ve loved for basically my entire life,” said Jason Ciaramella. “Wolverton Station marks my third contribution to the Creepshow legacy, and my second with both Joe and Michael.”

“I’ve been a fan of Joe and Jason’s work for a long time, so to say I was excited to collaborate would be an understatement,” said Michael Walsh. “Drawing a terrifying tale tinged with black comedy is right up my alley, and getting to work with editor Alex Antone again has been a dream. I can’t wait for all the horror fans out there to get a bloody taste of what we’ve been brewing up.”

In addition to the main cover by Michael Walsh, Creepshow: Joe Hill’s Wolverton Station comes with an incredible lineup of variant covers, including an open to order cover by Gabriel Rodriguez (Locke & Key) and a 1:10 incentive cover by powerhouse illustrator Maria Wolf.

The post ‘Wolverton Station’ – Joe Hill Turning His Short Story into an Official ‘Creepshow’ Comic Book! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In Summer of 84, a similar unease shrouds the town of Cape May, Oregon. Fifteen young boys had been abducted over the last decade, yet the idyllic neighborhood attempts a happy existence despite the newsroom static. Directors François Simard, Anouk Whissell, and Yoann-Karl Whissell coat the screen with bright colors and hues, a creative decision to counterbalance the anxieties bubbling below the surface. While everyone appears content with their lives, one kid named Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere) can’t seem to shake sinking suspicions that his next door neighbor harbors some skeletons in his closet. 

“You never know what might be coming around the corner,” says Davey in an introductory voiceover. He is seen pedaling furiously on his bicycle, delivering papers to everyone in town, when he rides up to Mr. Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer). Mackey is revered for his work as a police officer and known as quite the charmer. He’s unafraid to get his fingernails dirty, both in his luscious gardens and in real life. In his spare time, he’s quite the amateur photographer, or so he claims. He is the very definition of a standup citizen, but the twinkle in his eyes masks psychotic tendencies.

When the local newspaper receives an anonymous tip via letter, in which the author claims to be the killer, Davey hatches a theory that Mackey is responsible. His friends don’t appear as freaked out, however. “Guys, why are you not freaking out that something is finally happening here?” he asks, before pointing out that Mackey’s profession as a cop is “the perfect cover,” allowing him to know tactics about killing and his ability to plant evidence. It’s been said Mackey makes weekly trips down to the hardware store to buy pounds and pounds of dirt; he couldn’t possibly be using all that dirt to replenish his own gardens.

Circling the drain, my friends and I often obsessed over rumors about the Rainbow Murders and how the Greenbrier River Trail leads directly from the border between Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties and down into the heart of our town. We imagined a killer taking the trek on foot, wearing a grungy backpack and muddy, gnarled boots, and sweeping through our neighborhood. My friend Sam frequently insisted we once had a known serial killer pass through the woods surrounding the area. I always believed it, even though she always told tall tales. I always thought about the children’s film Dennis the Menace, another obsession of mine. In that story, Switchblade Sam (Christopher Lloyd) hops on a train and makes his way into an otherwise normal, serene suburban town. Different film, but the fear was the same.

The fear of the unknown permeates every frame in Summer of 84. The townsfolk go about their daily lives as though nothing has happened. There’s divorce, sexual blossoming, and a late-evening game called Manhunt with walkie-talkies. It’s by all accounts a perfect, sleepy town 一 but they’re in for the rudest awakening of their lives. It’s smack dab in the middle of the milk carton era; in fact, Davey recognizes a plastered headshot as being the same kid he once saw inside Mackey’s home. The emergence of serial killers and child abductors in the ‘70s and ‘80s gave rise to increasing paranoia and overprotection.

Summer of 84, written by Matt Leslie and Stephen J. Smith, excels as a masterclass of tension because it relies so much on the power of imagination. There’s only one clear scene of a young teen being abducted on screen, and we don’t even know it’s Mackey. It’s just a shapeless boogeyman popping out of a dark alley. Even the audience begins questioning if Davey has just lost it. When he gets caught digging up Mackey’s garden, believing there to be bodies hidden in the dirt, his parents don’t believe him, of course, and he’s handed a severe punishment of being indefinitely grounded.

The pieces soon fall into place, though. First, Mackey is caught in a lie when he claims the missing child to be his nephew and calls his own home number. Despite the police supposedly apprehending the murderer, and Mackey as the arresting officer, something still feels off. Second, Davey schemes to break into Mackey’s house during the annual festival. Along with Woody (Caleb Emery) and Nikki (Tiera Skovbye), the group unearths unimaginable horrors, including a decomposing body and another very-much-alive teen tied up, and they film their discoveries. The photos hung around the home are not Mackey’s own family, as Davey first learned. They’re actually snapshots of his victims. Davey’s eyes soon gaze upon his own family portrait staring gleefully back at him. Chills dance across his spine, as well as the viewer’s.

Summer of 84 builds and builds before the frightening climax. With Mackey being sought by police, Woody spends the night with Davey so they can comfort one another and process what they’ve witnessed. But it’s not over yet. Mackey has managed to hide out in Davey’s attic, and once everyone falls asleep, he creeps from the shadows and abducts Woody and Davey, tossing them in the back of his police car and setting out into the woods. It’s a blood-curdling twist, and it keeps unfurling. After Mackey slits Woody’s throat, he attacks Davey and threatens him with one of the most terrifying monologues I’ve ever heard.

“All I wanna do is kill you,” he begins. “That’s not enough for you. You have spent so much time thinking about me… I want you to keep thinking about me. I want you to imagine what I’m going to do when I come back for you. And I am going to come back for you. After you have spent your life looking over your shoulder… after you have wondered every single day if that is the day that I’m gonna come for you… one day… you’ll be right.”

Even thinking about that speech produces another run of goosebumps. Rich Sommer’s performance is appropriately petrifying. Each word is like a bomb exploding in mid-air. Mackey’s well aware of Davey’s tendency to obsess, so he plants an even greater paranoia in the back of the young boy’s skull. The fear that one day Mackey will return is the kind of terror that seeps into everyday life. It could be next Friday, or the following Monday, or it could be four years, six months, two weeks, and three days from now. All that time spent glancing over your shoulder, believing the guy just trying to walk his dog is out to get you. That’s what real nightmares are made of.

When I was 13, I underwent my own period of paranoia that still haunts me even now. A few months after my then-step-father Frank nearly killed my mother, he came after me. It was a day like any other. I returned home from helping my 4-H club plant flowers for spring when I spotted him down the street. I could recognize his silhouette anywhere. My heart shot up into my throat, and I almost choked. My mind reeled. I had just enough awareness to grab my cordless home phone and hunker down in the hall closet. I dialed up my step-mother and tripped over my words. Then, there came a knock on the door. Stillness. Me in the closet nearly in tears. I didn’t answer. I slunk further into the back of the closet. Darkness somehow comforted me in that moment.

He eventually left, but his presence hung over my life in the weeks and months afterward. I grew increasingly paranoid that he would return一and he did at least one more time. I spotted his beat-up four-door sedan slink through the evening haze. Its cracked siding and bug-splattered windshield is ingrained in my mind. I didn’t even wait to see if he was driving. I knew he’d come back. My heart in my throat again, I darted inside my best friend’s house and yanked the curtains closed. In a hushed whisper, I told her that it was him and I needed to call my father immediately. As before, he disappeared from my life, and I never saw him again. I did hear that six years later, he killed a woman and is now serving time.

Summer of 84 is my childhood bottled up in 106 minutes. The night terrors I had about being abducted by Frank, or the killer behind the Rainbow Murders, or another homicidal maniac are things you just don’t forget. The fear courses in my veins as I’m writing this. And it probably says a lot about who I am now as an adult.

While Summer of 84 leans into suggestion, The Black Phone fully realizes those horrors with striking contrast. The Scott Derrickson-directed feature is coated in far more dreary, realistic tones. It’s a slice of middle America straight out of 1978. Set in Denver, the film cues up the audience straight away with the dangers awaiting around every corner, pulling from major headlines in real life abduction cases. After flexing his skills during a baseball game, Bruce (Tristan Pravong) is abducted while riding his bicycle by a man known as The Grabber in a black van. He’s never seen again 一 or at least, “not how they want to,” Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) tells her older brother Finney (Mason Thames). Her words linger. Not how they want to. That’s some Unsolved Mysteries level spookiness.

Similar to Summer of 84, The Black Phone prominently focuses on everyday life. Finney and Gwen contend with their abusive, alcoholic father while dodging bullies at school. From tip-toeing around on eggshells to outright bursts of violence, they never get a moment’s peace. And that makes Finney’s abduction all the more heart-wrenching. He is Gwen’s only life preserver, and without him, she turns to her dreams as a saving grace. You see, her dreams are often visions of what’s happened in real life. She dreamt Bruce was abducted by “a man with black balloons,” which leads the cops to question how she knows that unreleased detail in the case. “Sometimes my dreams are right,” she tells the detectives.

On his way home from school, Finney stumbles upon The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), a so-called magician who lures kids with the promise of magic tricks. He pretends to trip, scattering his cool gadgets across the pavement. “Could you hand me my hat?” he chuckles. Finney obliges. And The Grabber already has him hook, line, and sinker. “Would you like to see a magic trick?!” “Yeah!” beams Finney, who then notices black balloons in the back of the van. But it’s too late. The Grabber uses the balloon string to strangle and wrangle him into the back, quickly spraying an unknown substance in his eyes. The Grabber slams the door shut with a grimace on his lower face. 

It takes place in broad daylight, and that’s the most frightening part of all. No one hears or sees a thing. And it’s not out of the realm of possibility, especially given that 350 people under the age of 21 have been abducted every single year since 2010. Finney is just another number.

Imprisoned inside a soundproof basement, Finney believes he’ll “never [get] out of here.” His desperation and fear seeps through the screen. He’s a surrogate for the audience, experiencing every ounce of pain in real time, even if you’ve never known the dread and paranoia of potentially being abducted. “Nothing bad is going to happen here,” says The Grabber, suggesting that his intentions are pediphilic. Later, he confirms when responding to Finney, “I just wanted to look at you.” Tears well up behind his eyes. It’s every kid’s worst nightmare. He says in another bone-chilling moment, “I will never make you do anything that you won’t … like.”

The Grabber’s words crawl under his skin and almost deflate him entirely from fighting back. Fortunately, Finney has similar visions as Gwen, mostly auditory in nature. The black phone hanging on the wall connects the real world to the other side. Through a series of phone calls with Bruce, Robin, and several other lost kids, Finney learns what it means to stick up for himself. 

In the vein of Gerald’s Game and Hush, the hallucinations guide him through a plan of action, including digging up dirt beneath a tile and clogging the phone receiver with dirt to give it “some heft,” as Robin tells him. Bit by bit, he collects up all the strength he can and is ultimately successful in killing The Grabber with a couple good swings to the head and choking him with the phone cord. He then makes a triumphant escape. The victims’ stories are finally seen and heard.

The Black Phone ends on a victorious note. The Grabber is dead, perfect justice for all those kids buried beneath his second house. For just a moment, the terror can subside. Whereas, Summer of 84 does a full 180, swerving from a bright horror/comedy to a dark, disturbing, and altogether grim finale. Mackey disappears into the night, and Davey is faced with a future riddled with paranoia and (probably, hopefully) therapy. These films utilize wildly different tones to tell the same story. One bottles up the growing fear amidst a serial killing spree, leaving the abductions as secondary, and the other nose dives explicitly into the abductions themselves. Both are equally, effectively horrifying, and depict child abduction that feels way too close to real life.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll be sleeping with all the lights on tonight.

Double Trouble is a recurring column that pairs up two horror films, past or present, based on theme, style, or story.

The post ‘The Black Phone’, ‘Summer of 84’ and a Deep Fear of Abduction [Double Trouble] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The series follows the Locke siblings and their mother who move into their ancestral home, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death.

In Season 3, “The Locke family uncovers more magic within Keyhouse, while a new threat — the most dangerous one yet — looms in Matheson with plans of his own for the keys. ”

Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) stars as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (“American Crime”) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (“Horrible Histories”) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (“American Vandal”) as Gabe.

“Locke & Key” is based on the comic book series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez.

The post “Locke & Key” Season 3 Trailer Plays With Time Travel as the Netflix Series Comes to an End appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Finney (Mason Thames) is a 13-year old boy struggling to dodge the bullies at school and an alcoholic father at home. His only ally is his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) who may or may not have inherited a psychic talent from her late mother. When Finney is dragged into a sinister van by a part-time magician and full-time child murderer known as The Grabber (Hawke), he winds up in a basement cell containing only a dirty mattress and a mysterious black phone. Finney begins receiving calls on the broken device from the Grabber’s previous victims giving him encouragement and clues to survive his awful predicament. 

At just nineteen pages, Hill’s original tale is lean and mean, beginning with Finney’s abduction and otherwise taking place entirely within the Grabber’s basement. The reader stays with the frightened boy through the duration of the story, creating a terrifying feeling of claustrophobia and helplessness. In an interview with /Film, Hill said, “When I wrote it, I could feel it struggling to become a novel.” Hill envisioned additional layers of the story, including more victims and calls, but says he “lacked the confidence to write it as a novel.” Hill’s entire story is present in the film adaptation including some exchanges pulled word for word from the original text. But as the author told Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting, “that’s only about 40 minutes of the film,” presenting Derrickson and Cargill with the challenge of creating the longer story Hill originally intended to write. 

The film begins with these additions, what Hill describes as a “deeply autobiographical thread about life in the 1970s in the Midwest.” Finney meets future victim Bruce (Tristan Pravong) as the two boys square off on the baseball field. Another future victim named Robin (Miguel Cazarez Mora) defends Finney from school bullies. But the majority of Derrickson’s additions involve Finney’s troubled home life, his spunky sister Gwen and his abusive father Terrance (Jeremy Davies). The first scene in Hill’s story, the Grabber dropping his groceries in order to lure Finney to his van, does not occur until at least 30 minutes into the film. Rather than stay with Finney in the basement, Derrickson continually cuts back and forth between his attempts to escape and Gwen’s efforts to find him. These additions significantly alter the tone of the original story for better or worse depending on what kind of horror movie you’re looking for. 

The Grabber and The Mask

In a rare villainous turn, Hawke portrays the infamous child murderer with an eerie flare and diabolical glee. Both versions of the story reveal little about this terrifying man, but what we do learn veers in opposite directions. Hill’s villain is named Al, an extremely overweight part-time clown who often reads as more pathetic than terrifying. Tousling Finney’s hair and sneaking down to the basement just to look at him, Al seems as much driven by a need for companionship as his urge to kill. It’s easier to believe him when he says he is not the killer, giving Finney and the reader a tiny shred of hope in the dark basement cell. Hill’s description contains shades of fatphobia, making the character less malevolent and more pitiable, and adding darker nuance to the story. 

Hawke’s Grabber is fully evil, perhaps due to the shock of seeing the well-known actor victimize children. At first seen only in glimpses, he dresses the part of an amateur magician with white face paint and a black cloak and top hat. Once Finney is in his lair, he dons a sinister mask inspired by depression era magicians who would first perform devilish sorcery then reappear for a heroic second act. Created by special effects legend Tom Savini, the mask appears in several different variations, perhaps alluding to the mood of the Grabber or more likely the current stage of his killing ritual. Derrickson also introduces an element of his murders called the “Naughty Boy” Game which seems to involve laying a trap for his victims then viciously beating them as punishment for their contrived transgression. 

One of the film’s most chilling sequences is another addition in which Finney nearly escapes from the basement. After refusing to take the bait of an unlocked door, Finney creeps upstairs past the masked killer who has fallen asleep waiting for him. Armed with information gleaned from a call with a previous victim, Finney silently struggles with the combination lock on the kitchen door. He finally opens it, but wakes the sleeping Grabber who charges out into the night after him. It’s one of the few moments in the film where we see Hawke’s face while he drags Finney to the ground and threatens to kill him if he makes a sound. His voice drops to a gravelly whisper as he threatens to gut Finney and strangle him with his own intestines, creating a haunting juxtaposition between Hawke’s movie star persona and the Grabber’s horrific crimes. 

Finney’s Family

Another major addition to the source material revolves around Finney’s home life. Only mentioned in Hill’s story, Finney recalls his parents arguing about the Grabber and imagines their responses to his disappearance. He has an older sister named Susannah who flirts with the occult, reading Tarot and once using a stethoscope held to Finney’s forehead to accurately guess a series of playing cards. But Hill’s Finney is not overly concerned with his family, simply trying to escape the Grabber’s basement. He imagines his sister biking down street after street in search of him, an image Derrickson and Cargill use to spark a significant portion of their adaptation.

Derrickson’s Gwen is roughly the same age as Finney and the two share a close bond likely due to the the recent death of their mother and abuse suffered at the hands of their alcoholic father.  Rather than Tarot cards and mysticism, Gwen receives her visions from God in the form of dreams that sometimes come true. Her father fears these abilities and tells Gwen that her mother couldn’t handle the weight of a similar gift and died by suicide to escape it, but it’s unclear what she was afraid of. This part of the story feels vague and thinly conceived, aligning much more closely to the world of occult spirituality than Christianity. Though scenes where Gwen questions her faith are charming, the entire plot line feels muddled and confusing. 

Gwen is a fun character and McGraw’s high-pitched voice spitting out creative curse words to grown-ups infuses the dark story with humor. She is also scrappy and proactive, jumping into the fray to defend Finney from the bullies who are attacking him. But her most memorable scene sees her receive a brutal beating from her father for telling detectives about her visions. McGraw’s pleading cries as she tries to escape are heartbreaking and perhaps scarier than any of Finney’s scenes in the basement. Davies plays Terrance as a cruel and unstable drunk adding a darker element to the already pitch black story. It’s unclear when he started drinking or what their life was like before their mother died, but Finney and Gwen live a tense home life dominated by their father’s hangovers and beatings. Derrickson makes an uncomfortable comparison between the Grabber and Terrance as both men use belts to beat children. But this is another plot point that feels poorly fleshed out. Is this connection intentional? Are we meant to believe that Finney has escaped one monster only to wind up in the clutches of another? 

These additions to the story are intriguing on their own, but feel tonally jarring in comparison to Finney’s abduction. Every time we leave the basement, we lose a little bit of tension. Gwen gives us another character to identify with, allowing us the safety of following her story rather than waiting in terror with Finney. Her storyline also undercuts the empowerment of Finney’s escape. Derrickson tries to have it both ways and allows Finney to kill the Grabber and save himself as Gwen uses her psychic gift to find the house he’s being kept in. The benefit of staying with him the entire time is that we’re able to completely focus on his own accomplishment, but Gwen’s plotline, charming as it is, steals focus away from his victory. Equally frustrating is Terrance’s abrupt turn once Finney has been found. The abusive father approaches his two children in tears as they huddle together in the back of an ambulance. While his apology is welcome in theory, Terrance’s plea for forgiveness feels unearned and disingenuous given the extent of the abuse we’ve already seen. 

Robin and the Other Victims

The film’s central relationship follows Finney and his contact with the Grabber’s previous victims and each call brings a bit of helpful information or a tool he can use to escape. Bruce is the first to call, delivering a heartbreaking line about not remembering his name because “it’s the first thing you lose” in death. This ominous statement packs a heartbreaking punch in Derrickson’s film, especially combined with home video footage of Bruce’s childhood. In addition to warnings about the “Naughty Boy” Game, one of the callers alerts Finney to a rope hidden within the room. Another helps him locate a hole he dug in the flooring under the tiles. An angry bully named Vance (Brady Hepner) tells him how to break through one of the walls into a freezer on the other side. None of these clues delivers Finney’s salvation on its own, but each tidbit allows him to construct a plan in which he is able to trap and kill the Grabber. As the calls progress, we begin to see the victims in the room, adding insight into their grisly deaths and foreshadowing Finney’s own impending doom. 

Hill’s Finney receives several vague calls from Bruce who instructs him to pack the receiver with sand. As Finney chokes the Grabber with the cord, the phone begins to ring again. In a fist-pumping closer, Finney tells the Grabber, “It’s for you” and puts the receiver to his ear. This is where Hill’s story ends, leaving the reader to assume that Finney makes it out of the basement safely. Derrickson ups the emotional ante and allows the Grabber’s victims to speak to their murder, hurling his own ominous phrases back at him. He also includes an emotional scene in which Robin consoles Finney and encourages him once again to stand up for himself. Earlier scenes between Robin and Finney are touching, but this final conversation veers into the saccharine, creating an odd tonal shift from Vance’s previous anger that he has to help save Finney but could not save himself. 

While Hill’s story ends with a knockout punch, Derrickson’s film concludes with an unnecessary coda where police explain the Grabber’s two homes and Finney returns to school with newfound confidence. While nice to see a character we’ve emotionally invested in succeed, the adapted ending transforms the terrifying tale into a horrific coming of age drama. Hill’s father Stephen King reportedly described Derrickson’s film as “”Stand By Me” in hell,” and it’s hard to disagree. Derrickson’s Finney learns a valuable life lesson and soldiers on, stronger for what he’s been through. Hill’s original story is much harsher, an unrelenting trip to hell with no comfort to be found. 

While both versions have their merits, the film’s adaptation only succeeds for viewers wanting a feel good ending to a story about a child murderer. Others may wish additions to the story had given more information about the Grabber’s previous crimes. Derrickson hints at the “Naughty Boy” Game, but never expands on his motives or modus operandi. The sheer number of additions to the source material begs the question, is the film version of “the Black Phone” an improvement on the source material or does it lessen the stakes of a cold and terrifying story? With such a dramatic tonal shift, the answer depends entirely on what type of horror you’re looking for. 

The post ‘The Black Phone’ Fleshes Out a Lean and Mean Tale: Comparing the Short Story and the Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The film’s screenplay is by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange, Sinister franchise), based on the award-winning short story by Joe Hill from his New York Times bestseller 20th Century Ghosts. 

Ahead of the film’s release, Bloody Disgusting chatted with the bestselling author about the adaptation and how Derrickson and Cargill transformed his short story into a visual novel with heart. Hill also revealed a surprising personal rule of Tom Savini‘s that The Black Phone deftly bypassed, enticing him to create Ethan Hawke‘s The Grabber’s mask.

Fans of Hill’s work and those familiar with the original short story might find themselves surprised at how faithfully The Black Phone adheres to the essence of the source material while altering and expanding some of its brief details for a feature-length film. 

Hill explains how he, Derrickson, and Cargill each contributed crucial yet different components to this crowd-pleasing adaptation. The first component, of course, is his source material. Hill detailed how Derrickson and Cargill shaped his story further.

“There were three main creative threads that were braided together into the film,” Hill begins our conversation. “Scott and Cargill used everything in the story, every line of dialogue, every scene. It’s all there on the screen, but that’s only about 40 minutes of the film. They needed more, and they found more. There’s this very autobiographical story about growing up in the violent 1970s out in the Midwest. It’s a story that reflects on Scott’s childhood memories, and it moves with a kind of pinpoint emotional precision. It uncovers the time with forensic accuracy.”

He continues, “There have been a lot of throwback movies that are set in the 1980s, and it’s bubblegum colored and Spielbergian. Scott wasn’t interested in a nostalgia trip. That’s not really what he does with The Black Phone. He insists that the times looked a little bit different to people who lived through them, and I think he got it right. I think, in part, he gets it right because he shows such emotional restraint, understands what every scene is supposed to do emotionally, and makes sure it delivers that. So, that’s what Scott brought to it; it comes uniquely from his heart.

“Then Cargill looked at the short story and said, ‘It’s the ultimate horror movie escape room.’ It’s a puzzle box. How does he get out?“

Hill adds, “The plot of the story, of course, is there is this man who’s been kidnapping and murdering children. Our hero Finney is taken by him and finds himself locked in a basement stained by the blood of all The Grabber’s former victims. But also in the basement is a disconnected phone, an antique phone that’s been there for most of a century. For Finney, it begins to ring with calls from the other dead kids. Cargill saw that each kid could provide another clue as to how Finney might fight back or escape.”

“I think he saw that he could use that as a way to make these kids real, vivid, give them their lives,” Hill continues. “Their lives mattered; their experiences mattered. Who were they? What did they live through? There’s one incredibly powerful line where one of the ghosts says, ‘You’re getting out of here, Finney. I’m going to make sure of it because I don’t want to have died for nothing.’

“I mean, I get goosebumps just thinking about it. That’s not in the story. That’s Cargill or Scott. Those are the threads that were braided together, and I think that is what makes the movie work. It does have this real emotional power in the sense that it’s not exploitive. It is about looking at victims and giving them back some agency, their strength, and power.“

That emphasis on the children’s stories and their emotional power is responsible for persuading Tom Savini to lend his expertise, along with Jason Baker, to create The Grabber’s mask. 

Hill, who has a connection to Savini from childhood, revealed that the SFX legend has a personal rule regarding victimizing children in films. It’s one that The Black Phone never broached. 

The author explains, “The iconic mask was designed by Tom Savini, whom I met as a child and have renewed my friendship with as an adult. Tom told me it was a personal rule with him never to work on a film that exploited children as victims. When he read the script for The Black Phone, he said, ‘I’m in,’ because it isn’t exploitive, because it presents these kids as a tribe, a gang, like The Goonies, and it insists on the richness and value of their lives and gives them back their strength. If the movie works emotionally, that’s a big part of it as well.”

If the talk of tenderness and Goonies references gives pause, don’t worry. Hill promises the horror balances the heart.

“I don’t want Bloody Disgusting readers to get this wrong. The movie’s going to scare the pants off you. That’s absolutely the goal, but it has heart. That’s nice because there are a lot of horror films that I love, that probably you love that are, let’s face it, basically gory, slapstick. They’re a good time. You don’t really care about any of the people who the slasher is going after. Every time someone’s killed, you’re actually laughing because it’s so corny. There’s a place for horror movies like that, but it is nice when they can tap something richer.”

The post ‘The Black Phone’ – Joe Hill on the Movie’s Faithfulness and How They Got Tom Savini to Create the Mask appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Netflix debuted the “Locke & Key” Season 3 teaser trailer out of their ongoing “Geeked Week” celebration this afternoon, with the season conceived all along to be the final chapter.

In other words, don’t expect an unresolved cliffhanger!

“Once we began working on the series, we felt three seasons was the ideal length to bring the story of the Locke family and their Keyhouse adventures to a satisfying conclusion,” Carlton Cuse and Meredith Averill said in a statement. “As storytellers, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to tell our version of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s incredible story exactly the way we wanted. We’re keeping the magical keys, though, for our own personal use.”

The series follows the Locke siblings and their mother who move into their ancestral home, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death.

Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) stars as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (“American Crime”) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (“Horrible Histories”) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (“American Vandal”) as Gabe.

“Locke & Key” is based on the comic book series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez.

The post “Locke & Key” Season 3 Teaser – FINAL Season of the Netflix Series Premieres August 10th appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A brand new collection of stories in the graphic novel Locke & Key: The Golden Age arrives on April 26 in hardcover form. All of which unlock moments from the Locke family’s extensive history within the magical Keyhouse.

“For two hundred years, the Locke family has watched over Keyhouse, a New England mansion where reality has come unhinged, and shadows are known to walk on their own. Here they have guarded a collection of impossible keys, instruments capable of unlocking both unparalleled wonder and unimaginable evil. Take a glimpse into the lives of Chamberlin Locke and his family in the early 20th century as they use the keys to fight battles big and small. From a giant spider inside Keyhouse to the killing fields of Europe during WWI and the depths of Hell, the Lockes are in a constant struggle to keep the dark forces of their world at bay.”

The Golden Age collects four stories by writer Joe Hill and illustrator Gabriel Rodriguez. They include “Small World,” “Open the Moon,” the complete three-part miniseries “…In Pale Battalions Go…” and the 80-page, two-part crossover with The Sandman Universe, “Hell & Gone.”

The collection also features an exclusive with the previously unpublished “Face the Music” short story, created by Hill and Rodriguez as part of a vinyl record project that never materialized. “Face the Music” is a whimsical tale of the Locke family set in the early 1900s, introducing a brand-new key: the Orchestra Key.

Discover the Orchestra Key’s magic this Tuesday.

The post New ‘Locke & Key: The Golden Age’ Graphic Novel Unlocks the Past appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Originally set for theatrical release on February 4, 2022, Derrickson’s new horror movie has now been bumped all the way to June 24, 2022. It will remain a theatrical exclusive release.

You can watch the previously released trailer below.

In the film…

“Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.”

Out of the film’s premiere at Fantastic Fest, Meagan wrote in her review for BD, “Derrickson and Cargill revive the same traits and structure of Sinister to transform Hill’s short into a feature-length nightmare full of ghostly kids, violence, and a trio of unforgettable performances.” Ethan Hawke delivers one unforgettably creepy performance as “The Grabber.”

Ethan Hawke (Sinister) and James Ransone (Sinister, It: Chapter Two) lead the cast, which also includes Jeremy Davies (“Hannibal”), Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw.

The film’s screenplay is by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange, Sinister franchise), based on the award-winning short story by Joe Hill from his New York Times bestseller 20^th Century Ghosts. The film is produced by Derrickson & Cargill’s Crooked Highway and presented by Universal and Blumhouse.

Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill are producers on the film, which is executive produced by Ryan Turek and Christopher H. Warner.

The post Scott Derrickson’s Horror Movie ‘The Black Phone’ Moves from February to Summer appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The film’s screenplay is by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange, Sinister franchise), and it’s based on the award-winning short story by Joe Hill from his New York Times bestseller 20^th Century Ghosts. We’ve learned this week that the 20th Century Ghosts collection is getting a movie tie-in re-release, re-branded as The Black Phone Stories.

From William Morrow Paperbacks, it’s releasing on December 28, 2021.

Joe Hill’s award-winning story collection, originally published as 20^th Century Ghosts, featuring “The Black Phone,” soon to be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions

Jack Finney is thirteen, alone, and in desperate trouble. For two years now, someone has been stalking the boys of Galesberg, stealing them away, never to be seen again. And now, Finney finds himself in danger of joining them: locked in a psychopath’s basement, a place stained with the blood of half a dozen murdered children.

With him in his subterranean cell is an antique phone, long since disconnected . . . but it rings at night anyway, with calls from the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.

“The Black Phone” is one of fifteen stories in Joe Hill’s first story collection, originally published as 20th Century Ghosts–the inventive and chilling compendium that established this award-winning, critically acclaimed, and bestselling author as “a major player in 21st-century fantastic fiction” (Washington Post).

The post ‘The Black Phone’ – Joe Hill’s Short Stories Getting Movie Edition Re-Release Ahead of Next Year’s Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Tyler (Connor Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones), and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) feel comfortable resuming their everyday routines and playing around with the magic keys after believing they’ve stopped Dodge. They don’t realize that Kinsey’s boyfriend Gabe (Griffin Gluck) has been Dodge all along, that a demon infected Eden (Hallea Jones) during the confrontation, or that they sent the wrong person through the portal. As Dodge conspires with Eden to gain control once and for all, the Locke family contends with a whole new set of magical problems, including the realization that all memories of magic fade at legal adulthood.

Showrunners Carlton Cuse (Lost, The Strain) and Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House) cover a lot of ground this season and struggle to keep multiple plot lines spinning at once to uneven effect. Tyler, Kinsey, Bode, and mom Nina (Darby Stanchfield) have their personal woes to contend with, and Aaron Ashmore‘s upgrade to series regular status means that Uncle Duncan plays a more prominent and pivotal role in the overarching story. Then there’s the matter of loose ends, Dodge’s manipulations, and a slew of new characters brought into the fold. All while new keys create even more supernatural obstacles for the bunch.

With so much story to relay and only ten episodes to tell it, pacing becomes a massive struggle this season. Once again, the front half of the season feels like information overload as it sets up major character arcs and groundwork laying for the central battle against Dodge, redux. This time, the Lockes are a little savvier, which means they’re quick to spot the red flags. They’re also very prone to making monumental mistakes that take an exacting toll. It all converges in the back half, culminating in a rushed but action-heavy showdown.

The inability to let some of the most important emotional moments have time to breathe for impact is consistent across the board. The stakes are higher, and the tone much darker this round. It comes with a body count, yet “Locke & Key” doesn’t have the time to let grief take root or for some of the most shocking deaths to sink in. Just when it becomes too dizzying to keep up, the show occasionally screeches to a halt.

The overlying lesson this season wants to impart to Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode is that magic requires responsibility. Not just how it’s wielded, but in who to trust with the knowledge of it. By season’s end, it’s not entirely clear just how much of that lesson stuck. Despite season two’s unevenness, major chapters wrap up in satisfying ways and set up for season three intrigues. The Lockes’ playful embrace of the keys also makes for a season highlight, especially with episodes that feature more monstrous foes- like the giant spider that brings a suspenseful battle during dinner. “Locke & Key” has a way of drawing you in, even when it frustrates, and the messy growing pains of season two instill curiosity for a much darker season three.

Netflix premieres the new season on October 22, 2021.

The post [Review] “Locke & Key” Raises the Stakes in Darker But Uneven & Rushed Second Season appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Meagan wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Derrickson and Cargill revive the same traits and structure of Sinister to transform Hill’s short into a feature-length nightmare full of ghostly kids, violence, and a trio of unforgettable performances.”

The Black Phone will release in theaters on January 28, 2022, with Ethan Hawke starring as “The Grabber,” a sadistic killer. The character is front and center on the film’s official poster, which debuted over the weekend, and we’ve learned that the sinister mask Hawke wears in the movie was actually designed by Tom Savini and his partner, Jason Baker.

Savini and Baker designed the film’s mask(s), seen below, for Callosum Studios! It’s a big deal for Savini’s work to be featured in a big screen horror movie again, to say the least. Most recently, Savini and Baker have been designing masks for World Wrestling Entertainment, helping characters including The Fiend and Alexa Bliss bring a little terror to the squared circle.

Expect a trailer for this one soon.

In The Black Phone…

“After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s previous victims.”

Ethan Hawke (Sinister) and James Ransone (Sinister, It: Chapter Two) lead the cast, which also includes Jeremy Davies (“Hannibal”), Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw.

Derrickson, Cargill and Jason Blum, for Blumhouse, are producing the film. Universal and Blumhouse will present the Crooked Highway Productions. Joe Hill is an executive producer.

The post The Creepy Mask Ethan Hawke Wears in ‘The Black Phone’ Was Designed By Tom Savini and His Team! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The new season opens with Rusty Cundieff’s “Mums”, a comeuppance tale based on a short story of the same name by Joe Hill. Young Jack (Brayden Benson) anticipates his mother Bloom’s (Erin Beute) return after his father Hank (Ethan Embry) takes her away from him again. This is after Bloom tried to run away with Jack to his grandmother’s, but Hank stopped them in their tracks. As Jack awaits his mother, he plants the mysterious seeds she left behind. They immediately sprout in the garden, as well as reveal the truth about Bloom’s departure.

“Mums” plays out a lot like the episode “Model Kid” from the previous season. The story is predictable from start to finish, and everything here is far too lethargic and unpolished. There is a sidelined subplot about Embry’s character being an extremist who is planning a domestic attack with his friend. The episode would have been more compelling had it followed that route instead of delivering yet another “revenge from beyond” yarn. The adaptation also removes the whimsiness and ambiguity found in the source material.

The second half of the premiere is “Queen Bee”, an original story directed by showrunner Nicotero. This one satirizes the always disconcerting relationship between pop stars and their most fanatical of fans. Three teenagers, Debra (Hannah Kepple), Trenice (Olivia Hawthorne) and Carlos (Nico Gomez), are obsessed with a popular singer named Regina (Kaelyn Gobert-Harris). When they learn Regina is going into labor at a local hospital, they then sneak in to catch a glimpse of the delivery. Rather than seeing the miracle of life first hand, they witness something else altogether.

“Queen Bee” is a welcome palate cleanser after “Mums”. Not only do the teenage characters sound authentic, their infatuation with a Beyoncé-esque musician feels accurate. The story tackles serious topics — the dangers of celebrity worship and the lack of privacy these superstars have in their personal lives — while still maintaining some much needed levity when things go dark. On top of that is a splendid array of practical effects; these are some of the best in the series so far.

When approaching any anthology, always remember the golden rule of consistency; stories are rarely if ever as good as the next one. Creepshow has a longstanding history of being hit or miss, and based on these first two episodes, that pattern of quality disparity continues. At the very least, the second half of the premiere is unique and entertaining enough to offset the banality of the first part.

Season 3 of Creepshow starts streaming on Shudder on September 23.

The post [Review] “Creepshow” Season 3 Opens With Mixed Results appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As we learned late last year, Netflix’s “Locke & Key” has already been renewed for second and third seasons, and today we’ve been provided with a Season 2 premiere date.

The new season will premiere on October 22, 2021!

The series follows the Locke siblings and their mother who move into their ancestral home, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death.

In Season 2, “With danger lurking closer than they know, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode unlock more family secrets as they dig deeper into the power and mystery of the keys.”

Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) stars as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (“American Crime”) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (“Horrible Histories”) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (“American Vandal”) as Gabe.

“Locke & Key” is based on the comic book series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez.

The post “Locke & Key” Returns to Netflix for the Show’s Second Season on October 22 [Teaser] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“The plot follows Max and Rudy Van Helsing who know nothing of their father Abraham’s past, and cannot understand his overprotective attitude and strange behaviour.

“To make matters worse, Abraham Van Helsing is becoming increasingly more unhinged, paranoid, and violent.”

The site notes that “Kermani’s adaptation is set to explore the boys’ trauma through the eyes of a young Asian woman who is no stranger to death.”

“I’ve always loved Bram Stoker’s Dracula and was immediately drawn to Joe Hill’s unique and personal take on the legend of Van Helsing,” said Kermani. “Abraham’s Boys is an exciting opportunity to look at a familiar story through a new lens, and to explore classic characters and themes in a contemporary way.”

It hails from 47 Meters Down outfit Tea Shop Productions.

The post ‘Abraham’s Boys’: Natasha Kermani to Direct Joe Hill’s “Dracula” Spinoff! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Derrickson and frequent collaborator Robert Cargill (Bermuda, Doctor Strange, Sinister) adapted the script based on Joe Hill’s short story.

Cargill teases the plot, “A kidnapped kid. A creepy, soundproofed basement. An ancient, disconnected phone. Then, when night falls, the phone rings.”

Mason Thames (For All Mankind) and Madeleine McGraw (Toy Story 4) will star.

Derrickson, Cargill and Jason Blum, for Blumhouse, are producing the film. Universal and Blumhouse will present the Crooked Highway Productions. Joe Hill is an executive producer.

The post Scott Derrickson Directing Joe Hill Adaptation ‘Black Phone’ for Blumhouse and Universal appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The tale of sentient killer vehicles kinda-sorta got a remake in 1997, and if King’s son Joe Hill (NOS4A2, Locke & Key) has his way, he’ll be the one to bring the story back to the screen.

“I would only want to jump into directing if I had a chance to do the reboot of Maximum Overdrive,” Hill tells Mick Garris on October 28th’s season 5 premiere of Post Mortem With Mick Garris that Bloody Disgusting had a chance to listen to early. “If someone offered me the chance to write and direct a relaunch of Maximum Overdrive, I’d jump at that in a second.”

Hill continued, outlining his vision:

“The time is right, okay. So basically, they’re all the self-driving vehicles. So it’s no longer a comet that sets them off, it’s a virus in the electronics that sets them off. And so you’ve got these giant Tesla semi trucks, ya know, wiping everyone out. I think it could be great.”

You can listen to this very portion of the Post Mortem interview below. It’s interesting to note that Joe Hill hasn’t yet tried directing on for size, so if this fantasy project ever did come to fruition, it would see Hill making his directorial debut with a remake of the movie that marked his dad’s directorial debut. And something about that just feels so right, doesn’t it?

The new season of Post Mortem with Mick Garris premieres Wednesday, October 28.

The post Joe Hill Wants to Write and Direct a Remake of Stephen King’s ‘Maximum Overdrive’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Hines will play Josh Bennett, a charismatic and mysterious new history teacher at Matheson Academy with a secret agenda.”

“Ashmore portrays Duncan Locke. As a Locke family member with a history with the keys, Duncan helps guide the Lockes in their battle against Dodge.”

“Jones plays Eden Hawkins. Former high school mean girl, now a newly minted demon, Eden is a surprising new force of antagonism to reckon with.”

“Abere guest stars as Amie Bennett, a spirited 11-year-old who becomes fast friends with Bode and an ally against the evil forces threatening the Lockes.”

The series is an adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez‘s comic series.

From Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) and Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House), “Locke & Key” is a coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family.

“After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens — and will stop at nothing to steal them.”

The post Brendan Hines and Liyou Abere Join the Now-Filming Second Season of Netflix’s “Locke & Key” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The special will feature adaptations of two stories written by Stephen King and Joe Hill, Shudder announced over on Twitter this afternoon, and directed by Greg Nicotero!

Kiefer Sutherland and Joey King will star.

Shudder details. “Though Greg Nicotero and his team are hard at work shooting season 2 (coming in 2021), they’ve crafted a fully animated Creepshow special for us just in time for Halloween, featuring two tales to die for: “Survivor Type,” based on the short story by Stephen King and adapted by Nicotero, stars Kiefer Sutherland (24, Designated Survivor) as a man determined to stay alive alone on a deserted island no matter what the cost. “Twittering from the Circus of the Dead,” based on the short story by Joe Hill and adapted by Melanie Dale, stars Joey King (The Kissing Booth, The Act) as a teen whose family road trip includes a visit to the gravest show on earth. (Also available on Shudder Canada, Shudder UK and Shudder ANZ).”

The second season of Shudder’s “Creepshow,” meanwhile, recently kicked off production. And a brand new book, “Creepshow: The Taker,” was just released this month by Scholastic.

“Creepshow,” based on the 1982 film, has proven to be a huge success for Shudder, and it looks like the franchise’s expansion is showing no signs of slowing down.

The post “Creepshow” Animated Special Coming to Shudder in October; Based on Stephen King and Joe Hill Tales! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Showrunner Jami O’Brien tweeted out, “Well friends, I heard from AMC last week. We won’t be making a 3rd season of #NOS4A2. It’s a bummer, but I’m grateful we were at least able to finish adapting the storyline from Joe Hill’s terrific novel… CONGRATULATIONS to every single member of our phenomenal team on two seasons of weird and wonderful TV. I will miss seeing everyone back in Little Rhody this year, but I’m awfully proud of all we’ve done together.”

“Christmasland may live forever, but NOS4A2 will come to an end with the conclusion of season two,” AMC said in a statement. “We are so thankful to Jami O’Brien, Joe Hill and the entire cast and crew for two seasons of inspired, terrifying and thoroughly captivating and age-defying television. And thanks to the fans for climbing into the Wraith and coming along for the ride.”

As Deadline notes, the second season of “NOS4A2” pulled in about half as many viewers as the first season did. In other words, it was inevitable that it wouldn’t last much longer.

The series starred Ashleigh Cummings as Vic McQueen, a young woman with a supernatural ability who hunts down the evil vampire Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto).

The post Another Horror Series Gone: AMC Cancels “NOS4A2” After Two Seasons appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Leigh Dana Jackson (“Raising Dion”) is writing the screenplay.

“Throttle follows a father and son led biker gang who get terrorized by a big rig truck on an isolated stretch of the American desert.”

The novella was inspired by Richard Matheson’s Duel, and IDW turned the tale into a comic book back in 2012.

David S. Goyer and Keith Levine will produce through Phantom Four.

The post HBO Max Developing Feature Film Adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill’s Novella ‘Throttle’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the wake of several first-look images, check out the teaser trailer below.

The series stars Emmy®-nominated actor and producer Zachary Quinto and rising star Ashleigh Cummings, along with Jahkara Smith, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Virginia Kull, Jonathan Langdon, Ashley Romans, Jason David and Mattea Conforti.

The second season picks up eight years after the events of season one. Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) remains more determined than ever to destroy Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto). Charlie, having faced his own mortality, emerges desperate for revenge against Vic. This time, he sets his sights on the person who means most to Vic – her eight-year-old son Wayne. The race for Wayne’s soul sends Vic and Charlie on a high-speed collision course, forcing both to confront the mistakes of their pasts in order to secure a hold on Wayne’s future.

Based on Joe Hill’s best-selling novel of the same name, “NOS4A2” is executive produced by showrunner Jami O’Brien (Fear the Walking Dead, Hell on Wheels) and Hill.

Time to turn that frown upside down. #NOS4A2 returns June 1st on @AMC_TV and @BBCAMERICA. pic.twitter.com/GJs6TGiks3

— NOS4A2 (@NOS4A2) April 13, 2020

The post Head Back to Christmasland With the “NOS4A2” Season Two Teaser Trailer appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The series follows the Locke siblings and their mother who move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death.

Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) stars as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (“American Crime”) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (“Horrible Histories”) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (“American Vandal”) as Gabe.

Effects legend Tom Savini also made an appearance.

Watch the first 10 minutes of the first season, which is now streaming on Netflix.

more keys, more demons, more aloha Locke & Key is officially returning for season two!! pic.twitter.com/OYfHBKmik8

— Locke & Key (@lockekeynetflix) March 30, 2020

The post Netflix Unlocks Second Season of “Locke & Key” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The crossover comes courtesy of Locke & Key creators Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez.

Rodriguez tweeted, “The thing we like the most about the meeting of the #SandmanUniverse with the #LOCKEandKey mythology is that @joe_hill and I got to that because of a meaningful story idea, and not the other way round. We’re hoping to deliver something proper.”

Hill posted on Instagram, “We’ve been talking about this for a couple years now and I’m so glad it’s actually happening. Big thanks to @neilhimself for inviting us to play in his house of dreams. Look for it in October. @gr_comics, @chris_ryall, @jayfotosstudios and I are gonna work hard as we can to make it something special.”

More as we learn it. Check out official cover art below.

The post ‘Locke & Key’ is Entering the ‘Sandman’ Universe for Comic Book Crossover Event This October appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Middle Locke sibling Kinsey (Emilia Jones), upon starting class at her new high school, immediately bonds with fellow student Scot Cavendish (Petrice Jones). Scot is an aspiring filmmaker who has assembled a like-minded group of friends to help him make a horror film. Savini serves as inspiration for the group’s name, the “Savini Squad.” In Kinsey’s first introductory meeting with the squad, team members debate Savini’s most exceptional work while watching horror movies, dropping titles like Day of the Dead. When Kinsey accepts a role as the movie’s final girl, she’s covered head to toe in fake blood as the squad tries to emulate Savini’s gore work.

In episode two, while little Bode Locke (Jackson Robert Scott) tries to uncover the mysteries of Keyhouse’s magical keys, he shows one of them to a local hardware shop owner for possible answers on its origin. That shopkeeper is none other than Tom Savini. The cameo makes for a wry wink to the “Savini Squad,” but Savini’s inclusion in the series offers a deeper meaning.

Comic author and series executive producer Joe Hill has an extensive history with the special effects artist. Savini directed an adaptation of Hill’s “By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain” for Shudder’s Creepshow series last year, a fitting segment for Savini to helm considering the pair first met on the original Creepshow film.

George A. Romero’s classic anthology film featured a wraparound segment that saw a boy, Billy, get unjustly punished for his love of comics only to get offered a chance for gruesome retribution from the Creep. A very young Joe Hill played Billy. In interviews, Hill mentions being on set for a week as a kid, and that Savini acted as his babysitter. Hill, who likened Savini to a Rockstar, cited that experience as deeply formative to his creative career in horror. That short week on the set of one of horror’s seminal anthologies with one of horror’s most celebrated special effects artists set him down the path of a career in the genre space.

So, Savini’s appearance in Locke & Key is a cute nod to horror fans and, perhaps, even fans of the more brutal and bloody comic series on which the series is based. But on a deeper level, it’s one very successful horror author paying homage to an idol that unlocked a lifelong passion. It’s a touching token of appreciation for being such a vital influence during childhood. In this context, Savini’s inclusion makes for one of the most magical aspects of the season.

Found within a series full of magic, no less.

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After Rendell Locke’s murder, his wife and three children move across the country and into their ancestral New England home, Keyhouse. Tyler (Connor Jessup) and Kinsey (Emilia Jones) attempt to carve out new lives and friends for themselves at their new high school, while youngest sibling Bode (It and The Prodigy’s Jackson Robert Scott) finds himself enamored with the sprawling Keyhouse estate. Their mother, Nina (Darby Stanchfield), struggles to keep everything together after their devastating loss. However, she has at least a little help from Rendell’s brother Duncan (Aaron Ashmore) before he heads home to the Boston area. Before the family can settle in, Bode discovers that Keyhouse is full of hidden magical keys, each with unique powers. He also discovers that there’s an evil presence lurking in the estate’s well house that will stop at nothing to retrieve those keys for itself. As he brings his siblings into the fold, they discover that these keys might be connected to their father’s past.

Fans of the comic series will notice straight away that much of the violence and horror is toned down for a more family-friendly affair. The inciting event is mostly off-screen, and the surviving family members seem far too well adjusted by comparison. Bode is too young to grasp the situation, and Scott plays him with hyper mania. Tyler and Kinsey, at the other end of the spectrum, seem asleep at the wheel. The teens quickly fall into high school life, which comes with its own drama, and very rarely is it engaging. Neither is the central villain, the demonic Dodge (Layla De Oliveira). Of the 10-episode season, the front half is a slog dedicated to world-building and character setup. Milquetoast heroes that are forbidden from being as flawed or as messy as they should be in the wake of extreme loss, and a demonic antagonist devoid of genuine menace. Only Sherri Saum as the mysterious Ellie Whedon comes across as a fully realized character behaving with appropriate feelings and reactions.

The slow narrative is constructed not just as a means of getting viewers acclimated to the whimsical rules of the keys, but because the season only covers a small fraction of the comics. They’ve got a lot of filler to inject. Luckily, the production value is exceptional, as is the attention to detail and the unique magic of this universe. Think a smaller scaled coming-of-age fantasy in the vein of Harry Potter.

Once the introductions are out of the way, the story finally gets to stretch its legs in the latter half of the season. Dodge finally finds her fangs, the stakes feel daunting and revealed backstory gives an emotional complexity that was lacking in the front half. Showrunners Carlton Cuse (Lost, The Strain) and Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House) honor the essence of the comics while reconfiguring the story for a wholly different medium, for better and worse. It’s in the final episodes that they use Hill’s intricate mythology as a starting point to open up new, intriguing story possibilities. The precise nature of which makes you curious to see where season two will go.

As a whole, the inaugural season of Locke & Key feels best served for viewers unfamiliar with the source material, though many plot beats do adhere closely to the comics. Early episodes pay their respects to horror and fans in a surprising way, but the overall tone of the show feels more family-friendly fantasy than Lovecraftian horror. Many of the lead actors feel serviceable at best, without the emotional depth or experience to give us rooting interest during the slower introductory episodes. Still, as the narrative speeds up, they eventually find their stride. The real MVP, of course, is the production design, which gives not just Keyhouse but the entire New England setting an authentic quality that makes this world feel all the more tangible.

There are enough nods, plot points, and Easter eggs that pay respects to the comics, but Cuse and Averill aim to entice a wider audience with a series geared toward family binge viewing on Netflix. It likely won’t appease the diehard genre fans, but it does offer a solid entry point for the budding fan. One that hints at growing darker and more Lovecraftian as the series progresses. Locke & Key is a bit sluggish to start, but it’s at least headed in the right direction.

Locke & Key arrives on Netflix on February 7, 2020.

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Netflix‘s “Locke & Key” is headed to the streaming service next month, an adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez‘s comic series that’s set to unlock on February 7, 2020.

Today, Netflix invites you to step inside Keyhouse for a behind-the-scenes featurette that reveals the secrets of bringing “Locke & Key” to life – from comic to screen.

In the video, which you’ll find below, Joe Hill, Carlton Cuse, Gabriel Rodriguez and Meredith Averill detail the journey of this legendary comic’s television debut.

From Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) and Meredith Averill (The Haunting of Hill House), “Locke & Key” is a coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family.

“After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens — and will stop at nothing to steal them.”

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Before it landed at the most powerful platform, the adaptation would change hands several times, beginning with plans for feature film adaptation at Dimension Films.

Once its exit from the studio, the creepy and magical genre blender would make its way to FOX, who would give the series a commitment with DreamWorks TV and exec producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci pushing the project into the pilot phase.

The great Mark Romanek, who would turn back to directing music videos, would bring the graphic novel to life and tell the story of a family who lives in a mysterious New England mansion where a slew of magical keys are discovered.

Wiki recalls the casting, in which Miranda Otto played Nina Locke, Sarah Bolger was Kinsey Locke and Nick Stahl co-starred as Duncan Locke. Skylar Gaertner played 6-year old Bode, and Harrison Thomas played a teenager possessed by an evil spirit. Actor and singer Jesse McCartney appeared as Ty Locke, the series’ male lead, and Ksenia Solo was cast as Dodge.

FOX would eventually pass on the series with the pilot screening at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con in an attempt to drum up renewed interest. MTV nearly picked it up and Hulu would also eventually pass on the series. Thankfully, Netflix has a Scrooge McDuck-sized vault filled with money and is unlocking all of our dreams on Feb. 7.

However, to tide you over, the Holy Grail has made its way online – the long sought after 2011 Mark Romanek-directed FOX pilot for “Locke & Key”! (Thanks to Bloody reader ‘John Francis G.’ for sending the link on over.)

Click below to watch and drop your thoughts underneath…

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The first trailer was just released online this morning and it’s a stunner jam-packed with wonder, mystique, and very cool imagery.

“Locke & Key” is extraordinarily convoluted, which is probably one of the reasons it has taken so long for this adaptation to come to life. Impressively, the trailer does a phenomenal job of taking all of the complexities and gift wrapping them into an easy to follow straight line that will help viewers jump right into the mythology. Seriously, I implore all of you to watch this trailer and pay attention.

And with that, we welcome you to Keyhouse Manor…

In the series, “After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens — and will stop at nothing to steal them.”

From Carlton Cuse (“Lost”, “Bates Motel”) and Meredith Averill (“The Haunting of Hill House”), the series is a coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family.

Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) stars as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (“American Crime”) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (“Horrible Histories”) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (“American Vandal”) as Gabe.

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While you wait, check out a 10-second Twitter tease below!

Trailer unlocking tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/6KRVqaDQfF

— Locke & Key (@lockekeynetflix) January 7, 2020

In the series:

“After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens — and will stop at nothing to steal them.”

From Carlton Cuse (“Lost”, “Bates Motel”) and Meredith Averill (“The Haunting of Hill House”), the series is a coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family.

Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) stars as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (“American Crime”) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (“Horrible Histories”) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (“American Vandal”) as Gabe.

The post [Video] 10-Second Twitter Tease Promises the Trailer for Netflix’s “Locke & Key” Tomorrow! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While we wait, the show’s official Twitter account has shared a tiny little teaser clip to whet your appetite tonight, with the caption: “Sometimes the secrets have to burn.”

And that caption is quite literal…

Sometimes the secrets have to burn. pic.twitter.com/18rsEDSdLQ

— Locke & Key (@lockekeynetflix) December 20, 2019

In the series:

“After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens — and will stop at nothing to steal them.”

From Carlton Cuse (“Lost”, “Bates Motel”) and Meredith Averill (“The Haunting of Hill House”), the series is a coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family.

Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) stars as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (“American Crime”) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (“Horrible Histories”) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (“American Vandal”) as Gabe.

The post Secrets Burn in First Little Teaser Clip for Netflix’s “Locke & Key” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Announced last week, Netflix‘s adaptation of Joe Hill‘s “Locke & Key” graphic novels is finally headed our way on February 7, 2020, and we’ve got your first look today!

The very first image from the Netflix series gives us a good look at Keyhouse Manor, the primary location of the Hill-penned graphic novels. You can super-size the image above.

In the series…

“After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father’s death. As the Locke children explore the different keys and their unique powers, a mysterious demon awakens — and will stop at nothing to steal them.”

From Carlton Cuse (“Lost”, “Bates Motel”) and Meredith Averill (“The Haunting of Hill House”), the series is a coming-of-age mystery about love, loss, and the unshakable bonds that define family.

Darby Stanchfield (“Scandal”) stars as Nina Locke, Jackson Robert Scott (IT) as Bode Locke, Connor Jessup (“American Crime”) as Tyler Locke, Emilia Jones (“Horrible Histories”) as Kinsey Locke,  Bill Heck (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) as Rendell Locke, Laysla De Oliveira as Dodge, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Sam Lesser, and Griffin Gluck (“American Vandal”) as Gabe.

The post [Image] First Look at Netflix’s “Locke & Key” Invites You to Keyhouse Manor appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In addition to writing a number of acclaimed horror novels, inspiring movies and television series, and even appearing as the angry, funnybook-loving tyke Billy in the classic George Romero/Stephen King horror anthology film Creepshow, writer Joe Hill has gifted our favorite genre with a number of impressive horror comics for over a decade now. While he recently launched his own horror line with DC (dubbed “Hill House Comics”), Hill’s comic work has been published primarily through IDW, the publisher who gave us such Hill-penned works as The Cape, Thumbprint, Road Rage, and his acclaimed long-running tale Locke & Key. Now, Hill has teamed with IDW once more for the noirish, darkly humorous murder mystery Dying is Easy.

Opening with a lengthy standup bit that introduces us to ex-cop turned comedian Syd “Shit Talk” Homes (“The Insulting Detective”), the first issue of Dying is Easy quickly establishes itself as anything but a run-of-the-mill murder mystery comic. The initial pages are dominated by Syd’s routine, which plays out not only as a genuinely funny set, but also reveals loads of detail about our protagonist. It’s a ballsy way to open a tale of this sort, but Hill’s confident, razor-sharp and funny-as-hell writing makes it all work beautifully.

”People ask me the difference between TV cop work and real cop work. I always say you never meet any evil geniuses in real homicide. We had this one guy who shot two people so he could be intimate with their cocker spaniel. We told him we could prove what he did to the dog with DNA evidence. He said, ‘No way! I pulled out!’. Evil geniuses, man. I never met one.”

Hill’s character-heavy approach continues on in the following scene, which presents Homes alongside two fellow comedians as they discuss a young up-and-coming comic who’s been coasting on material stolen from his contemporaries. In allowing these characters to simply chat with one another rather than forcing in a plot device straight away, Hill deftly paints a detailed picture of this film noir-tinged world of standup comedy that he’s created. Professional jealousy, pointed racial commentary, period references (the story presumably takes place in the 90s, what with its nods to Leno and “Friends”), a very dark episode in Homes’ past, a potential femme fatale, and loads of red herrings for the murder that closes out this initial installment all fill out this setting, laying the groundwork for a unique take on tried-and-true tropes. I’ll refrain from noting any more about the comic’s plot (I realize that I’ve said very little already), for fear of ruining the book’s final moments.

Aiding Hill’s writing in this venture is artist Martin Simmonds, whose scratchy, beautifully imperfect linework recalls both Bill Sienkiewicz and Ben Templesmith. Simmonds’ art, aided by colorist Dee Cunniffe (who brings a noirish touch to the proceedings with an impressive mix of moody blacks and soft neons throughout), wonderfully conveys the world that Hill has crafted in his writing, fusing a near-contemporary setting with antiquated genre tropes to superb effect. It’s a perfect pairing of script to art, and makes one hope that the two will continue to collaborate with one another well into the future.

Ultimately, while Hill’s newest may not tread into horror territory, it’s nevertheless a marvelously dark, damned funny excursion into an urban hellscape that promises plenty of fascinating reading ahead. This writer, for one, cannot wait to take another trip into this world alongside Shit Talk and his pals. Here’s hoping that this initial tale, which will run for five issues, will lead to many more adventures for the Insulting Detective.

Be sure to pick up the first issue of Dying is Easy at your local comic book shop (find one here: www.comicshoplocator.com), or you can order direct from IDW Publishing here.

“I’ve always wondered what was the last thing to go through your sister’s mind when she stepped in front of that truck. Probably the hood ornament, huh?”

The post [Review] Issue #1 of Joe Hill’s ‘Dying is Easy’ Introduces a Marvelously Dark and Very Funny Noir Tale appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As is the case with almost any horror anthology, the offerings were uneven – some were terrific, others not as successful. While there wasn’t an out and out clunker in the bunch, there’s no getting around the fact that not all of Season One’s segments were created equally.

It’s time to look back at the highs and lows of the first six episodes.

12) “By the Silver Waters of Lake Champlain” (Episode 6) It brings me no joy to rank this one last, seeing as how it’s adapted from a story by Joe Hill and the only Season One installment directed by the great Tom Savini, who directs all too rarely. A young girl misses her father while coping with mom’s abusive boyfriend puts her faith in a lake monster her dad once claimed to have seen. Though it tries to say some things about abuse and childhood belief, the emotional beats come across a little too saccharine; the results feel dramatically limp. It takes too long to get where it’s going; by the time it finally arrives, the results are too little, too late.

11) “Grey Matter” (Episode 1) This new iteration of Creepshow got off to a somewhat shaky start with this segment, adapted from a Stephen King story and directed by makeup FX legend Greg Nicotero, who also serves as showrunner. It’s about a kid whose alcoholic father is slowly changing into…something else. Despite boasting one of the most impressive casts of the season – a lineup that includes Tobin Bell, Adrienne Barbeau, and Giancarlo Esposito – as well as some cool and goopy practical effects, “Grey Matter” never quite comes together in a satisfying way, making the segment a pretty mixed bag. Thankfully, the back half of Episode 1 was much more promising.

10) “The Companion” (Episode 4) Fairly standard revenge yarn, adapted from a short story by Joe Lansdale, about a bullied kid who discovers a killer scarecrow willing to do his bidding. David Bruckner (V/H/S “Amateur Night,” The Ritual) directs it well and even brings a bit of gothic flavor to this story, which is almost slow burn until it eventually rips. Everything about this segment is competently done, but its lack of any real surprises lands it on the lower half of the list.

9) “Times is Tough in Musky Hollar” (Episode 5) Gritty prison drama-slash-zombie story about a former mayor locked up in a prison with several of his co-conspirators (including David Arquette), all being held captive by angry townspeople with a score to settle. Director John Harrison was the composer for the original Creepshow and director of Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, so he knows his way around anthology horror and gets a good deal of mileage out of the show’s comic book approach. Though it takes a stab at political relevance, there’s almost too much story and too many ideas for this segment’s running time, so it never really comes together in a satisfying way despite displaying a great deal of promise. The same comic book shortcuts that work in something like “Bad Wolf Down” here prove to be a hindrance. At least the effects are cool.

8) “Lydia Layne’s Better Half” (Episode 4) Tricia Helfer brings some star power to this darkly comic morality play about an executive who murders her employee/lover but runs into trouble when trying to dispose of the body. Written by John Harrison and Greg Nicotero and directed by Roxanne Benjamin (XX, Body at Brighton Rock), “Lydia Layne” is more of a character piece than most of the other Creepshow segments – a distinction that’s to the short’s benefit. Reminiscent, in some ways, of the great Tales from the Crypt segment “And All Through the House” (in terms of the challenges of getting rid of a body), “Lydia Layne” tries for a bit of social commentary but is ultimately a little too thin to pull it off.

7) “All Hallows Eve” (Episode 3) The most emotional segment of the season centers on a group of kids trick-or-treating on Halloween night. This being Creepshow, there’s obviously more to it than first meets the eye. This one scores major points for its Halloween atmosphere – an entry set on the best holiday of the year is a must for any horror anthology series – and for some genuinely sad and moving developments in its story. It’s less “horror” than many of the season’s other offerings, but one of the things I really like about Creepshow’s inaugural season is that allows for so many different flavors inside the genre.

6) “Bad Wolf Down” (Episode 2) Sure, this WWII werewolf tale directed by Rob Schrab is basically Dog Soldiers, but it’s punchy and fun and features Jeffrey Combs playing a Nazi. Between the color palette and some of the editing, this is also the first segment of the season to really lean into the old Creepshow comic book style, cleverly using animated panel transitions to compensate for the lack of budget to do full werewolf transformations. It’s a fun one.

5) “Skincrawlers” (Episode 6) The more successful of director Roxanne Benjamin’s Season One contributions is also the goriest outing to date. Dana Gould plays a man looking into a radical weight loss treatment that has…explosive results. I’m a fan of gore that goes giddily, gleefully over the top – the kind where I feel like I can imagine the director cackling off camera at what she or he has orchestrated. That’s how I felt about the climax that Benjamin orchestrates here. Again, I love that Creepshow has made room for all kinds of horror in its first season, including gnarly splatstick comedy like “Skincrawlers.”

4) “The House of the Head” (Episode 1) An extremely creepy affair, once again directed by John Harrison, arguably the MVP of Creepshow’s first season. It features a ghoulish disembodied toy head that suddenly appears in a little girl’s dollhouse, causing her other dolls to begin behaving strangely. This might be the most psychologically unsettling segment of the first season. If only it had managed to stick the landing a little better.

3) “Night of the Paw” (Episode 5) Despite being the umpteenth retelling of W.W. Jacobs’ “The Monkey’s Paw,” this John Harrison-directed installment is one of Creepshow’s strongest offerings by virtue of its moody atmosphere and a terrific performance by Bruce Davison. He plays an undertaker who rescues a woman on the run and spins an elaborate tale of finding a paw that seemingly grants wishes, with dark and macabre results. The punchline of this one is in the grand E.C. comics tradition.

2) “The Man in the Suitcase” (Episode 3) One of the most offbeat segments of the first season – even by Creepshow standards – is also one of the best. A young man whose life is dangerously close to shambles accidentally picks up the wrong suitcase at the airport, only to discover that inside is a badly contorted man who, it turns out, dispenses money when caused pain. This bizarre riff on the standard genie-in-the-lamp tale is yet another morality play, though this one’s willing to reward the decent more than Creepshow usually is. Director David Bruckner takes such a straightforward approach to the material (written by Christopher Buehlman) that he totally sells the insanity, finding the perfect balance between humor and horror, camp and class. The whole segment is like a dazzling high wire act.

1) “The Finger” (Episode 2) My favorite segment of Season One comes from showrunner Greg Nicotero and author David J. Schow. It tells the story of a divorced man (DJ Qualls) who finds a finger that rapidly grows into a creature he nicknames Bob, brought to wonderful life through what looks like stop motion animation and practical puppetry. Bob begins acting on all of the man’s darkest desires and things get bloody pretty fast. Not only is Bob a great creation, but his bond with Qualls’ character and the actor’s direct-to-camera narration sets this one apart from every other segment in the season.

Part morality tale, part creature feature, “The Finger” is classic Creepshow.

The post Six Episodes, Twelve Tales of Terror: We Rank Every Segment of Shudder’s “Creepshow” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Deadline notes, “Romans’ Tabitha is a young and passionate detective who uses her instincts to try to unravel the mysterious and frightening happenings unfolding in the small town.”

“NOS4A2” centers on Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings), a gifted young woman who discovers she has a supernatural ability to find lost things.”

“This ability puts her on a collision course with Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto), a seductive immortal who feeds off the souls of children, then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland – an icy, twisted Christmas village of Manx’s imagination where every day is Christmas Day and unhappiness is against the law. Vic strives to defeat Manx and rescue his victims – without losing her mind or falling victim to him herself.”

The post Ashley Romans Promoted to Series Regular Role for the Second Season of “NOS4A2” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Based on the highly acclaimed best-selling novel by Joe Hill (Horns), the horror/thriller series premiered on AMC on June 6, 2019 as the second-best cable debut of the year. The show stars Zachary Quinto (“American Horror Story”), Ashleigh Cummings (“Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (“True Detective”), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“Girls”). 

In NOS4A2, Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) is a gifted young woman who discovers she has a supernatural ability to find lost things. Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) is a supernatural villain who feeds off the souls of children and then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland — a twisted place of Manx’s imagination where every day is Christmas Day and unhappiness is against the law. Vic strives to defeat Manx and rescue his victims — without losing her mind or falling victim to him herself.

The DVD and Blu-ray include the following bonus features:

• A Look at the Series
• Meet the Characters
• Becoming Charlie Manx
• The Making of NOS4A2
• Adapting the Book
• The Rules of NOS4A2
• Joe Hill on the Themes and Inspirations of NOS4A2
• Joe Hill’s Show and Tell

The post WIN the Entire First Season of “NOS4A2” on Blu-ray appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Based on the highly acclaimed best-selling novel by Joe Hill (Horns), the horror/thriller series premiered on AMC on June 6, 2019 as the second-best cable debut of the year. The show stars Zachary Quinto (“American Horror Story”), Ashleigh Cummings (“Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries”), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (“True Detective”), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (“Girls”). 

The DVD and Blu-ray include the following bonus features:

• A Look at the Series
• Meet the Characters
• Becoming Charlie Manx
• The Making of NOS4A2
• Adapting the Book
• The Rules of NOS4A2
• Joe Hill on the Themes and Inspirations of NOS4A2
• Joe Hill’s Show and Tell

In NOS4A2, Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) is a gifted young woman who discovers she has a supernatural ability to find lost things. Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) is a supernatural villain who feeds off the souls of children and then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland — a twisted place of Manx’s imagination where every day is Christmas Day and unhappiness is against the law. Vic strives to defeat Manx and rescue his victims — without losing her mind or falling victim to him herself.

The post The First Season of AMC’s “NOS4A2” Rides Onto Blu-ray in Time for Halloween appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Cal and Becky DeMuth (Avery Whitted and Laysla De Oliveira) are Irish twins traveling through America’s backroads to San Diego, where the six months pregnant Becky will meet the adoptive parents of her unborn baby. On a particularly deserted road surrounded by endless fields of tall, lush grass, the siblings hear a plea for help from a lost young boy, Tobin (Will Buie Jr.). The moment they step foot into the field, they quickly become lost themselves. Nothing is as it seems in this endless field, and there’s no apparent way out. It’s not just dehydration and the elements that pose a threat, but something evil as well.

This story may belong to the DeMuths, but the film’s strongest and best asset is actor Patrick Wilson. As Tobin’s father Ross Humboldt, Wilson brings his trademark charm. But there are many layers to Ross, and Wilson gets to stretch his acting limbs to the fullest, with reckless abandon and glee. Ross is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde type character that will make you laugh one moment and cower the next, and it’s riveting to watch Wilson’s portrayal.

Constant Readers will be disappointed to know that the grisly gore and taboo-breaking moments of the novella have been expunged. That doesn’t mean this adaptation is bereft of gore and brutality, it’s just repurposed and less explicit. Natali aimed to craft a narrative with a different brand of horror and more emotional heft, shifting the direction and outcome entirely. Becky’s relationship with her baby’s father, Travis (Harrison Gilbertson), is expanded to the point that it becomes the driving force. Beyond that, though, these characters are paper-thin.

Natali gives his own twist and interpretation to the mythology behind the bizarre set of circumstances these wayward travelers have entered. It’s through this mythology that Natali goes for full blown surrealism, both in narrative construct and aesthetic. It makes for a more visually engaging film, but taking this particular idiosyncratic approach to the story tends to confuse what’s actually happening on screen at points. It also creates gaps and loose ends for a lot of the characters; it’s the type of conceit that’s better enjoyed if you don’t stop and ask any questions along the way.

For this adaptation, Natali studied the novella extensively and created his own sumptuous yet sinister beast, but it often feels as if he wanted to make the viewer feel just as crazed and lost as the characters within the tall grass. Namely because while he nails the menacing tone, and it is fascinating to watch, the characters are massively underdeveloped. The mythology may have received an expansion, but he forgot about the human players. Only Wilson takes what little he has and spins it into gold.

In the Tall Grass premiered at Fantastic fest and releases on Netflix on October 4.

The post [Fantastic Fest Review] Netflix’s ‘In the Tall Grass’ is a Mean Voyage into the Bizarre appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

After hearing a young boy’s cry for help, a sister and brother venture into a vast field of tall grass in Kansas but soon discover there may be no way out…and that something evil lurks within in Cube and Splice director Vincenzo Natali‘s new horror film In the Tall Grass, an adaptation of the novella penned by father-son duo Stephen King and Joe Hill.

The film hits Netflix on October 4, and you can watch the trailer below!

“When siblings Becky and Cal hear the cries of a young boy lost within a field of tall grass, they venture in to rescue him, only to become ensnared themselves by a sinister force that quickly disorients and separates them. Cut off from the world and unable to escape the field’s tightening grip, they soon discover that the only thing worse than getting lost is being found.”

Harrison Gilbertson, Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Will Buie Jr., Rachel Wilson and Patrick Wilson star in the horror film, both written and directed by Natali.

The post [Trailer] Get Lost With Stephen King and Joe Hill’s ‘In the Tall Grass’ on Netflix in October appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.