Alam Nyo Ba?

Crystal Lake is almost ready to welcome Friday the 13th fans back to Camp Crystal Lake. With Peacock’s long-awaited prequel series premiering later this month, the streamer has announced a special Camp Crystal Lake experience for New York Comic Con, while star Linda Cardellini has shared a sneak peek at the show’s opening scene.

The Peacock and A24 series will take over Booth 1359 at the Javits Center during New York Comic Con, giving attendees the chance to step into a 1970s version of Camp Crystal Lake. The free experience will run throughout the convention from October 8 through October 11.

And if you can’t make it to New York, Cardellini has provided another way to get a taste of what’s coming. The actress, who plays Pamela Voorhees in Crystal Lake, shared a sneak peek at the opening scene on Instagram ahead of the show’s October 15 premiere.

Crystal Lake is bringing Camp Crystal Lake to NYCC

Peacock’s New York Comic Con experience will transport fans back to the 1970s and put them in the middle of Camp Crystal Lake. The free interactive experience is designed around the fictional summer camp, complete with in-world thrills, photo opportunities, and Crystal Lake giveaways. Attendees will apparently even have the chance to find out whether they can survive their camp counselor orientation.

The experience will be available at Booth 1359 at the Javits Center during the following hours:

• Thursday, October 8: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Friday, October 9: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, October 10: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sunday, October 11: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Linda Cardellini shares a sneak peek at Crystal Lake

Linda Cardellini stars as Pamela Voorhees, the mother of Jason Voorhees and the central character in this new prequel. The series takes place years before the events of the original Friday the 13th, with Pamela dealing with the aftermath of Jason’s drowning at Camp Crystal Lake.

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Peacock’s official trailer has already made it clear that Crystal Lake isn’t simply going to retell the original movie. The series is expanding the mythology around Pamela, Jason, and the town of Crystal Lake while setting the story in the early 1970s. Peacock describes it as an expanded prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise.

And we now know from creator Brad Caleb Kane that the series will also address some of the biggest questions surrounding Jason’s origins, although he has promised that the explanations are grounded in reality.

If you want to know what the show is actually like, Chris Bumbray has already seen the first two episodes. In his Crystal Lake review, he praised Cardellini’s performance as Pamela.

Callum Vinson plays young Jason. The series also features William Catlett, Devin Kessler, Cameron Scoggins, and Gwendolyn Sundstrom.

Brad Caleb Kane, who previously worked on It: Welcome to Derry, serves as creator, writer, and showrunner. The eight-episode first season is directed by Michael Lennox, Celine Held and Logan George, and Quyen Tran.

The series is also leaning into its connection to the original movies, with original composer Harry Manfredini contributing new music for the title sequence and the production returning to Blairstown, New Jersey, a location used for the original Friday the 13th.

When does Crystal Lake premiere?

All eight episodes of Crystal Lake season 1 will premiere on Peacock on October 15, 2026. That means Friday the 13th fans are now less than two weeks away from finally seeing what Brad Caleb Kane and A24 have done with the Voorhees family.

Between the new Camp Crystal Lake experience at New York Comic Con, Cardellini’s opening scene sneak peek, and the first reviews coming out of TIFF, we’re getting a pretty good idea of what to expect. Are you looking forward to Crystal Lake? Let us know in the comments.

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The long-developing horror movie Every House Is Haunted has finally found a new home. According to Deadline, 20th Century Studios has acquired the Sam Raimi-produced project from Netflix, which had previously been developing the movie.

The movie is based on Ian Rogers’ short story The House on Ashley Avenue and already has Don’t Move directors Adam Schindler and Brian Netto attached to direct. The duo will now do their own pass on the existing screenplay by Jason Pagan and Andrew Deutschman.

Schindler and Netto’s involvement was first reported earlier this year, when they replaced The Nun and The Hallow director Corin Hardy. The latest development is that the project has moved to 20th Century Studios.

20th Century Studios has acquired Every House Is Haunted

Netflix acquired Pagan and Deutschman’s Every House Is Haunted script in 2021, but the project never made it into production there. Now Netflix has sold the movie to 20th Century Studios, giving the horror project another chance to finally make it to the screen.

Raimi and Zainab Azizi are producing Every House Is Haunted for Raimi Productions, alongside Roy Lee and Andrew Childs for Vertigo Entertainment. Ian Rogers and Starlight Media, which helped kickstart development by optioning the source material, are executive producing.

Schindler and Netto previously worked with Raimi on 50 States of Fright before directing Don’t Move, the 2024 Netflix thriller starring Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock. That movie reached No. 1 on Netflix’s global film chart during its first two weeks on the service.

The duo is also in post-production on Nightwatching, a survival thriller starring Mila Kunis and Corey Hawkins and produced by Ridley Scott.

What is Every House Is Haunted about?

Every House Is Haunted follows an insurance investigator who tries to debunk claims that a couple’s deaths were caused by a haunted house. His skepticism begins to fade when he encounters a psychic and witnesses mysterious occurrences that are much harder to explain away.

There is currently no release date for Every House Is Haunted, and no cast has been announced.

I’ve been waiting for this one for a while, so I’m glad to see it hasn’t disappeared into the haunted house of development hell. What do you think of Every House Is Haunted moving to 20th Century Studios? Let us know in the comments.

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How scary was that haunted house? Was that new horror movie actually terrifying, or were you just pretending to be scared because your friends were watching? There’s now an app for that. Scream Score, a free app created by zoologist and immersive experience designer Heather Doggett, uses a smartphone and compatible smartwatch or wearable to track your body’s biometric response during scary experiences and turn it into a personalized fear score. The newest version is now available on iOS and Android, just in time for Halloween.

So instead of arguing about which friend screamed the loudest, you can actually compare your scores and find out who got the most freaked out.

How does Scream Score work?

Scream Score pairs your phone with a compatible wearable device and tracks biometric responses while you’re experiencing something scary. The app can be used at haunted attractions and while watching horror movies, allowing users to see how their bodies reacted throughout the experience. The app also has a competitive element. Friends can compare their scores, create challenges, and see who handled the scares the best or, more importantly, who turned out to be the easiest person in the group to terrify.

Scream Score has been designed as entertainment rather than a medical device or diagnostic tool.

Why was Scream Score invented?

The idea for Scream Score came from a conversation Doggett had with her then-15-year-old, who wanted to visit an especially intense haunted attraction. That led to a difficult question: How scary is too scary? Doggett decided to see whether the body’s response to fear could actually be measured and turned into something people could have fun with.

“I wanted to give people a way to settle the argument,” Doggett said. “Not ‘Was that scary?’ but ‘How scared did you actually get?’ and ‘How scared are my friends?’”

Scream Score launched in 2024 with a focus on the haunted attraction industry. It has since been tested at haunted attractions around the country and used with audiences watching 28 films at the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival. The technology has also been demonstrated at events including MidSummer Scream and TransWorld’s Halloween & Attractions Show.

Now you can use Scream Score with horror movies

The latest version expands Scream Score beyond haunted attractions and makes it possible to use the app with horror movies as well. That opens up an entertaining possibility for horror fans. You could watch the same movie with a group of friends, let Scream Score track everyone’s reactions, and then find out who was actually the most scared.

Of course, there’s a potential problem with that plan. If you spend the entire movie watching your smartwatch instead of the screen, you might miss the part that was supposed to scare you. Still, being able to compare your reaction to the same movie with someone else’s could make for a fun experiment. And if you think you’re impossible to scare, Halloween is a pretty good time to put that theory to the test.

What about your heart rate data?

Because Scream Score uses biometric information, privacy is naturally part of the conversation. According to the company, scores are anonymous, and Scream Score does not sell users’ heart rate data. Participating haunted attractions receive anonymous, aggregated information rather than identifying information about individual guests.

The app’s current store listings also provide privacy information for the respective platforms. Google Play currently states that the developer does not share data with third parties, while Apple’s listing says the developer reports that the app does not collect data.

Where can you try Scream Score?

Scream Score is currently available as a free app for iOS and Android, with compatibility depending on the phone and wearable being used. Apple devices require iOS 17 or later and a compatible Apple Watch, while Android users can pair the app with compatible Wear OS smartwatches and wearables.

The company is also offering demonstrations throughout the Halloween season, including live and on-camera “measure YOUR fear” demonstrations, appearances at haunted attractions and horror events, and podcast and livestream appearances.

So the next time somebody insists that that haunted house wasn’t scary, or that that horror movie barely made them flinch, there’s a new way to settle the argument. Just strap on your smartwatch and let the fear score decide.

Will you be using the Scream Score app? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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What do you get when the people behind Aliens Expanded and The Thing Expanded decide to tackle James Cameron’s The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day? Apparently, the answer is Terminator Expanded, a new documentary that aims to take a deep dive into Cameron’s first two Terminator movies, and CREATORVC wants fans to help shape it.

CREATORVC has officially entered development on Terminator Expanded, with Ian Nathan, the writer and director of Aliens Expanded and The Thing Expanded, returning to lead the project. Before production gets underway, however, the documentary team is asking Terminator fans to read the proposed synopsis and provide feedback.

You can check out the Terminator Expanded proposal and submit your feedback through the project’s official website.

What will Terminator Expanded cover?

The documentary will focus specifically on The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, exploring how Cameron and his collaborators brought the two movies to life and examining their lasting impact.

The project plans to feature brand-new interviews with cast and crew members who were involved in the making of the movies. But CREATORVC isn’t stopping there. Terminator Expanded will also seek out Hollywood filmmakers and experts in artificial intelligence and computer technology to discuss the ways Cameron’s movies anticipated technological developments that have become increasingly relevant in the real world.

That’s an interesting direction for a Terminator documentary in 2026. The idea of artificial intelligence becoming an existential threat was science fiction when Cameron made The Terminator in 1984. Today, conversations about AI are everywhere, making the franchise’s relationship with technology and its warnings about the future worth another look.

Producer Josh Weiss pointed to the growing presence of AI as one of the reasons the timing feels right for Terminator Expanded.

“The time has never been riper for a trip down the Skynet rabbit hole,” Weiss said in the announcement.

CREATORVC wants Terminator fans involved

One of the more interesting things about Terminator Expanded is that CREATORVC isn’t simply announcing the documentary and moving on to production. The company is asking the Terminator fan community what it should cover. That’s become part of the CREATORVC approach. The company describes its documentaries as community-powered projects, with fans able to contribute feedback on concepts and early cuts during production.

Executive producer Robin Block says the goal with Terminator Expanded is to explore Cameron’s movies in unprecedented detail while looking at their impact on pop culture from a new perspective.

“We’re doing it hand in hand with the fandom, because no one knows this franchise better than they do,” Block said. “Our goal is simple: to make the greatest Terminator documentary ever made.”

Ian Nathan, meanwhile, describes Terminator Expanded as his “boldest, biggest, most challenging documentary yet.”

The Terminator and T2 get the Expanded treatment

There’s no shortage of documentaries about The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but CREATORVC’s projects tend to take the “leave no stone unturned” approach to their subjects.

The Terminator introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger’s seemingly unstoppable T-800 in 1984, with Michael Biehn’s Kyle Reese traveling back through time to protect Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton. Cameron followed it seven years later with Terminator 2, turning Schwarzenegger’s machine into an unlikely protector while introducing Robert Patrick’s liquid-metal T-1000. Terminator Expanded will have the opportunity to examine not only how the films were made, but why they have continued to resonate more than three decades later.

And given the subject matter, it seems inevitable that the documentary will have plenty to say about Cameron’s vision of a future where artificial intelligence develops beyond humanity’s control.

No release date has been announced for Terminator Expanded yet, but CREATORVC has invited fans to become part of the process. So if you’ve ever wanted to tell a Terminator documentary exactly what it should cover, this is your chance.

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Kier

Hellboy is an anomaly. He was born in Hell, raised to serve the greater good on Earth, and in some ways is more human than… humans.

But what you may not know is just how meaningful the creation and continued publication of this big red spawn of Satan has been to comic books and comic book cinema.

From the pages of Dark Horse to the big screen, and many failed franchise attempts in between, Hellboy remains one of the greatest characters in comic book history. The character’s first cinematic outing is still one of the most enjoyable and beloved superhero movies out there, and the fight to get it made (and made the way it was) was the stuff of legend. And unlike the characters of Marvel and DC, the successes (and failures) of this character rest on the shoulders of just one man. Mike Mignola.

Today we’re exploring the complete story of Hellboy, from Mike Mignola’s earliest sketches, to the comic book that changed independent publishing, to the failed movie attempts that nearly killed the character’s chances of reaching Hollywood, and finally to the Guillermo del Toro films that introduced Hellboy to millions of viewers around the world. And spoiler alert, it was one HELL of a journey. Let’s get into it.

The Creation of Hellboy

Years before the first appearance of Hellboy, his eventual creator, Mike Mignola, was already breaking into comics with a reputation for being talented beyond his years. In 1982, Mignola was working at Marvel Comics and making his living by drawing Hulk and even doing some early work on Rocket Raccoon. He was respected for being unique and ignoring what was popular in comics at the time. Instead of rendering characters with subtle thin lines and excessive detail, he made oblong shapes and shrouded them in black shadows, which created a cinematic and rich visual style. Where most artists focused on anatomy and muscle definition for their heroes, Mignola was more interested in what was hiding in the shadows. And in the ’80s, this became his trademark.

The idea for Hellboy reportedly emerged in the early 1990s when Mignola sketched a demon character for a convention promotional image. The drawing featured a large red demon carrying a belt full of skulls. The character had a simple label underneath…

“Hell Boy.”

After drawing it up, Mignola would find himself constantly thinking about the sketch and mentally making notes on who the character was. Mignola is famously obsessed with horror, specifically Victorian-era folklore and monster stories. He would spend hours at a time thinking about a comic book world where all the gothic creepy-crawlers and mysterious ghouls existed in the same place and time.

Instead of creating another superhero, Mignola envisioned the hero of his world as a paranormal investigator who traveled the world battling monsters, ghosts, witches, vampires, and ancient gods. The twist was that the hero himself was a demon. Being that Mignola was already in the industry, it wouldn’t take long for this concept to find its way into print. In 1993, Dime Press published a book that featured a promotional image of Hellboy tucked away inside the back pages. No information about the character was given, but readers would notice the character. Later that same year, San Diego Comic-Con Comics issue #2 was released at the event. In that issue was a 4-page mini-story that introduced readers to the character with a proper panel-to-panel story.

Seed of Destruction

And by 1994, Hellboy would go from an underground indie character in other comics to being the star of the show in his very own dedicated series when Dark Horse Comics came to Mignola with an offer. They wanted to publish a series called Hellboy: Seed of Destruction and would give Mignola full creative control. He’d retain his rights to the character and lore, and he’d be able to get paid to draw monsters all day while writing the stories his way… which, by the way, included having scripting assistance from the legendary John Byrne. This was a dream come true for comic artists in those days. Other than Image Comics, Dark Horse was the only other credible independent publisher in those days. Mignola signed the deal and readers loved the comics.

Hellboy: Seed of Destruction was a smash hit. In the span of just 2 years, Mignola went from being a freelance artist at the Big 2 publishers to being one of the most respected breakout creators in the industry. All he ever wanted to do was draw monsters and make a living with his imagination, and he was overwhelmed by the success. And then… he did something risky.

Instead of immediately resuming with a new series of Hellboy books, Mignola did a bunch of spinoff and miscellaneous one-shots to flesh out the world Hellboy lives in, rather than strictly focusing on the character himself. But that didn’t matter. Readers were eating it up as Mignola and Byrne dominated the indie comics game. Hellboy’s comic book popularity would continue to grow, attracting readers more and more as the comics came out. And when something is making waves in one industry, it doesn’t take long for other industries to start capitalizing on it.

Hollywood Comes Calling

Hollywood got word of this indie comic phenomenon, and talks of adapting it to film began as early as the late ’90s. Producers began gauging studio interest, letters and meeting requests began showing up at Mignola’s office, and all the while the fans were clamoring for more Hellboy. But there was a problem…

In the ’90s, comic book movies weren’t seen as gigantic blockbuster events that raked in stupid amounts of money. They were risky, niche, and usually pretty bad, with the only comic book movies at the time being things like Superman in the ’70s and ’80s, Howard the Duck, Dolph Lundgren’s Punisher, and Tim Burton’s Batman movies. Simply put, this was unknown territory in terms of predicting its success. Hellboy was popular, but he wasn’t Batman. He wasn’t Superman or Spider-Man or the X-Men; he was the strange demonic Victorian hero who investigates monsters. And for some reason… studios found that “too hard to market.”

This makes sense, as looking at the source material leaves a lot of questions on the table when adapting it to film. The character looked unusual, the mythology was dense, the tone blended horror, fantasy, comedy, and action, and the makeup and VFX alone would likely cost a fortune. This was NOT an easy sell. And while this is all going on, one die-hard Hellboy fan was making his own waves in the movie industry… mister Guillermo del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro Enters the Picture

Long before directing the film, Guillermo del Toro fell in love with Mignola’s comics. And this wasn’t surprising at all. I mean, del Toro’s creative interests overlapped perfectly with Mignola’s. Both creators were obsessed with monsters, they both loved gothic folklore, they both embraced shadowy, haunting imagery, and most importantly, both men viewed monsters as tragic, sympathetic figures rather than simple villains. When del Toro read Hellboy, he immediately recognized something special. He began pursuing the rights and advocating for a film adaptation. Of course… the challenge was convincing studios that audiences would actually watch it.

So, del Toro gets in touch with Mignola and starts expressing his immense interest in the property. His good friend Ron Perlman was also interested and seemed to relate to Hellboy in a way which made him feel protective of the character. And obviously, looking at Ron Perlman, you can clearly see that he was getting involved because he was born to play the character. Del Toro would pitch his ideas to Mignola and just about every studio in town between movies for years, while other indie characters like Todd McFarlane’s Spawn would see massive success with its HBO animated series and then flop hard with the theatrical film. In some ways, the failure of Spawn in live action only lowered del Toro’s chances of convincing a studio to greenlight his Hellboy movie. But then the new millennium came.

Bryan Singer’s X-Men, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, del Toro’s Blade II, and the soon-to-be Nolan Batman trilogy were proving to be financially viable movies in Hollywood. The age of black leather and dark heroism was upon us, and that gave Hellboy some traction. At least enough to attract Lionsgate, who greenlit Hellboy in 2005 for a theatrical release in 2007. But there was another problem… as is the case with so many adaptations in Hollywood, the studio had their own ideas about how to adapt the comic. They wanted a tried-and-true leading man for the titular character. Someone with star power who could get this thing off the ground and bring in audiences. The problem was that del Toro had spent so much time developing ideas with Ron Perlman that he wrote the script with his specific sensibilities in mind, even going as far as writing in his contract that he wouldn’t make the movie unless Perlman was cast as Hellboy. This wasn’t ideal for studios, and it caused a lot of back-and-forth negotiations before del Toro was actually ready to walk away. Only then did Lionsgate come to their senses and offer Perlman the role.

Next, Lionsgate wanted something commercially appealing like Spider-Man. Again, this makes sense because those movies were making huge money at the box office. But del Toro wasn’t interested in dumbing down the lore or watering down the character. He wanted to make HIS Hellboy movie, not A Hellboy movie. Another thing Mignola respected about the filmmaker.

Del Toro got his way, though, and he delivered what many fans (including myself) consider to be the definitive film version of the character.

Hellboy Hits the Big Screen

In the film, which borrows heavily from Seed of Destruction, we open in 1944 when the villain, Grigori Rasputin, and his group of Nazi soldiers build an interdimensional portal to Hell in hopes of releasing an army of demons to recruit them to the war. Thanks to a scientist called “Broom” and his team of patriotic mercenaries, they stop the Nazis before the ritual is complete. With their interference, one soul is able to escape. A tiny red creature with a giant stone fist, a tail, and a set of horns. While the creature is clearly a demon, its behavior elicits sympathy from Broom and his squad, and they adopt the baby demon with intentions to raise him as a member of their task force, but also as a son to Broom. He lovingly calls this adorable little hellion Hellboy.

Years later, the task force has evolved into a government organization called BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense), and Hellboy is their most trusted (and reckless) agent. Joining him are his new human handler, Officer John (that schmuck—and played by Rupert Evans), Abe Sapien, the human fishboy (Doug Jones), and the apple of Hellboy’s eye, Liz Sherman (Selma Blair).

Together the crew must battle demons, monsters, and all forms of evil in their ultimate goal to stop Rasputin once and for all. And this movie kicks so much butt. It didn’t feel like your run-of-the-mill superhero movie. Instead of diluting it for mass consumption, del Toro fully leaned into Mignola’s visual style and created a living comic book. But not JUST a living comic book, a living MIKE MIGNOLA comic book.

Bringing Mignola’s World to Life

Many of Mignola’s visual ideas were translated directly to the screen. Del Toro wasn’t interested in making Hellboy look realistic. He wanted the movie to feel like a dark fairy tale. Something that the director has made his trademark in the years since. And the practical makeup effects became one of the film’s greatest strengths. If this movie had been made by a mega studio like Disney or WB, this character would be CGI and would probably just look like the red Hulk with stumps for horns, but not here. Ron Perlman disappeared beneath hours of prosthetic work, yet his performance remained warm, funny, and deeply human. This character wasn’t beyond taking a beating, cracking a joke, or shamelessly failing to keep a low profile while stalking Liz on her date with John. His personality was developed with care. Audiences connected with the character because Perlman captured the central contradiction at Hellboy’s core. He looked like a monster, but he behaved like a regular blue-collar guy. This demon was (dare I say) charming.

Much of this distinctive look comes from del Toro’s lifelong fascination with monsters. Unlike many superhero films of the era, where monsters were typically portrayed as villains to be defeated, Hellboy treats its creatures as characters with personality and emotion. Practical makeup, elaborate prosthetics, animatronics, and detailed costumes give the film’s creatures a tangible physical presence that computer-generated imagery simply couldn’t replicate at the time. Abe Sapien is a perfect example. Nearly every detail of the character, from the translucent fins to the expressive eyes, was achieved through practical craftsmanship, making him feel like a real being sharing the screen with the actors rather than a digital creation.

The Production Design

The film’s production design is equally important. The headquarters of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense isn’t a futuristic high-tech base like the X-Mansion or the Batcave. Instead, it’s an aging underground labyrinth filled with pipes, rusted machinery, ancient stonework, and dim industrial lighting. It feels less like a superhero headquarters and more like an abandoned castle hidden beneath modern civilization. This combination of gothic architecture and industrial machinery creates a visual identity that perfectly reflects Hellboy himself, a supernatural creature living in the modern world.

Color also plays a major role in distinguishing the film. Many superhero movies of the early 2000s either leaned into bright comic-book colors or adopted the desaturated blue-and-gray palettes that would become popular throughout the decade. Hellboy instead embraces rich earth tones, warm ambers, deep reds, and muted greens. Firelight, candlelight, and golden practical lighting dominate many scenes, giving the movie a warm, storybook atmosphere. Hellboy’s bright red skin becomes an intentional focal point against these darker environments, ensuring the character always commands attention without relying on exaggerated digital enhancement.

The film’s costume also does the movie a lot of favors. Hellboy doesn’t wear a sleek superhero costume or armored suit made of CG. His outfit is remarkably ordinary, actually, with a worn leather trench coat, cargo pants, combat boots, and his oversized stone Right Hand of Doom, which looks so good in this movie. The clothing looks used rather than pristine, reinforcing the idea that Hellboy is a working-class paranormal investigator rather than a glamorous superhero. Every scratch, stain, and wrinkle contributes to the lived-in realism that defines the film’s visual style.

Action and Atmosphere

Even the action sequences prioritize atmosphere over spectacle. Rather than relying on rapid editing and excessive CGI destruction, del Toro stages many confrontations inside elaborate practical environments such as nasty abandoned subway tunnels, crumbling mausoleums, and shadow-filled cathedrals. These locations become characters in their own right, enhancing the sense of mystery and history surrounding the story. The monsters don’t just randomly appear in generic city streets; they emerge from places steeped in myth and forgotten history.

Why Hellboy Works

But what this singular film really accomplished was understanding the source material. Many comic characters become trapped by continuity. Their stories grow increasingly complicated. Hellboy avoided that problem. At its core, the premise remains incredibly simple—a demon chooses to be a good person. Everything else builds from that idea. The stories can be funny, they can be tragic, they can even be horrifying.

But the emotional center never changes. Hellboy constantly faces expectations about who he should become. His greatest act of heroism is refusing to accept those expectations. That’s what made readers connect with the comics, and that’s what made audiences connect with the film.

A man obsessed with drawing monsters got a film adaptation from a man obsessed with filming monsters, and they delivered us a VERY GOOD movie about monsters. But also, a very good movie about choosing your own path and deciding your own identity.

The Legacy of Hellboy

The del Toro films became cult classics and introduced millions of people to a character who might otherwise have remained a comic book secret. Even decades later, Hellboy continues to stand apart from other comic heroes. He’s not the strongest. He’s not the smartest. He’s not the most famous. But few characters feel as personal to their creator. Most comic worlds don’t feel as rich and distinctive, and few heroes have spent so much time proving that destiny doesn’t define who you are. For a demon summoned to bring about the end of the world, that’s a pretty remarkable legacy.

The movie received a sequel titled Hellboy: The Golden Army, which some say is better than the original and some say is not as good. If you’d like to hear me talk about that one, or the very disappointing David Harbour reboot, or the low, LOW-budget Hellboy: The Crooked Man installment, let me know in the comments because I’ve got plenty to say.

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Netflix is officially putting the final nail in the coffin of production for Wednesday Season 3, celebrating the wrap with a striking new photo of Jenna Ortega clacking away on a vintage 1934 Juwel Model 3 portable mechanical typewriter.

The hit show’s sophomore run saw Netflix release the season in two distinct batches. The strategy paid off massively, with the first four episodes racking up a staggering 50 million views in their initial five days alone. That explosive start tied the launch of Season 1, which firmly retains its crown as Netflix’s most-watched English-language series of all time. While the Tim Burton-directed phenomenon focuses heavily on Wednesday Addams’ macabre individual exploits, it also seamlessly integrates the rest of her famously peculiar family directly into the overarching mystery.

New Blood and Family Secrets: Expanding the Cast

Season 3 promises to expand that eccentric family tree even further. After subtly teasing her arrival in the sophomore chapter, the new season officially welcomes Eva Green as Ophelia Frump, Morticia’s unhinged sister and Wednesday’s newly arrived aunt. Beyond setting up a buzzworthy reunion between Winona Ryder, her Beetlejuice Beetlejuice co-star Ortega, and visionary director Burton, the third installment throws open its doors to an impressive array of series newcomers. Fans can expect to see Lena Headey, James Lance, Oscar Morgan, Chris Sarandon, Noah Taylor, and Kennedy Moyer stepping into Nevermore’s shadows.

Hunting Alpha Werewolves: Where Season 3 Takes Off

Guard-rail plot details for Season 3 remain notoriously scarce, but the Season 2 cliffhangers leave plenty of room for speculation. The previous finale saw Wednesday reluctantly teaming up with her chaotic Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) on an urgent rescue mission to track down Enid (Emma Myers), who completely gave in to her inner beast, transformed into a full alpha werewolf, and fled deep into the wild northern wilderness toward the Canadian border. With camera operations wrapped and post-production underway, the countdown begins for Wednesday’s next morbid adventure.

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So it turns out that the summer of the shark should have actually been the summer of the snake all along. Because there’s one creature feature that stands above the rest, providing plenty of thrills, scares, and chaos, Beware Boiúna. After last year’s Anaconda, it really felt like any kind of serious take would be relegated to streaming. Thankfully, this is everything I want from a creature feature, avoiding campiness and giving us some actual characters that you care about. And it has to be experienced in a theater. You can check out my glowing review HERE.

I spoke with stars Jessica Rothe and Kiana Madiera, as well as co-writer/director Mike P Nelson, about the film. It was cool to be able to tell them that I legitimately think that Beware Boiúna is the greatest killer snake movie ever made. The competition isn’t tough, but hell, the same could be said for Jaws. Rothe discusses how much fun it is for her to play with audience expectation and Madiera tells us what phrase she recited to get back into her character’s South American accent. This was also well before the news of Nelson directing a new Saw, because as a massive fan, there’s no way I would have not picked his brain about that one. You can check out the full interview in the embedded video above.

Beware Boiúna plot:

A team of doctors embarks on a local mission in the Amazon rain forest, but it soon becomes clear that not everybody – or everything – is happy to see them. Their sudden appearance draws the attention of a predatory animal, the “Boiúna.”

Beware Boiúna is playing in theaters on October 2nd, 2026.

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Beware Boiúna final trailer promises a killer snake movie JoBlo calls “the Greatest of All Time”

The post Jessica Rothe, Kiana Madiera, and Mike P Nelson were all about avoiding campiness for their killer snake movie, Beware Boiúna appeared first on JoBlo.