Alam Nyo Ba?

Plenty of films successfully blend horror and comedy, but during test screenings for the new Resident Evil movie, writer/director Zach Cregger learned that he had leaned too hard into the funny and needed to make some cuts. But it turns out that it was all for the best.

Resident Evil Test Screenings

“I learned that people really liked the movie, but they thought it was too funny,” Cregger told THR after being asked if he learned anything from test screenings. “So over the course of my testing, I stripped out as much of the jokes as possible. I then found that not only did the audience enjoy the movie more, but I also liked the movie a lot more. A little bit of humor goes a long way in a horror movie, and there’s not a single joke I took out of this movie that I miss.“

No More Franchises

After scoring original-concept hits with Barbarian and Weapons, some fans were surprised when Cregger signed on to tackle Resident Evil. But don’t expect this to mark the beginning of a franchise-hopping phase for the filmmaker, as he’s made it clear that Resident Evil is a one-and-done exception.

“I have never been approached by another franchise,” Cregger said. “Maybe I have, but it would never get to me because I have been very clear that I’m not doing that. I’m doing this, and that’s it for me.“

Resident Evil Receives Glowing Early Reactions

The film stars Austin Abrams as Bryan, “a medical courier who finds himself caught in the middle of a biohazard outbreak. What begins as a routine night quickly turns into a desperate fight for survival as he encounters the horrors unleashed by the outbreak.“

The film has received some very enthusiastic early reactions, or at least, the first thirty minutes have. Our own JimmyO was among a handful of critics to view the footage, and it’s safe to say he loved it.

“Just caught the first 30 minutes of Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil—and it’s absolutely fantastic. Moody, creepy, atmospheric, and genuinely funny,” he said. “Austin Abrams is incredible—funny, grounded, and makes you root for him instantly. His performance handles both the terror and the laughs with total perfection. Incredible casting choice.“ He added that this could finally be the movie that proves you can make a truly great horror video game movie.

Resident Evil will hit theaters on September 18.

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If you spent the 1990s staying up late with USA Up All Night, Rhonda Shear has some good news for you. The actress and comedian is bringing the spirit of her iconic late-night cult show back with The Up All Night Network, a new 24-hour entertainment channel launching exclusively on Roku today!

The network combines the spirit of USA Up All Night with a huge selection of cult movies, horror, comedy, action, independent films, podcasts, and music videos. It will offer both 24-hour programming and on-demand collections, with Shear serving as the face of the network. And yes, Up All Night itself is coming back.

Rhonda Shear’s Up All Night returns on Roku

Today also marks the premiere of the first episode of a new season of Rhonda Shear’s Up All Night. The reboot will feature full, uncensored movies from the network’s growing collection of cult films and franchises. The first new episode spotlights the 2025 film OnlyFangs, starring Kansas Bowling, Nina Lanee Kent, and Jessa Jupiter Flux and directed by Paul Ragsdale and Angelica De Alba.

New episodes of Rhonda Shear’s Up All Night are scheduled to premiere twice a month, giving fans a regular dose of the campy, irreverent programming that made Shear’s original show a cult favorite.

The new network will also feature episodes of the original 1990s USA Up All Night, allowing longtime fans to revisit the show while introducing its unique late-night personality to a new generation.

What can you watch on The Up All Night Network?

The network’s movie lineup will include cult favorites and franchises such as Rick Sloane’s Vice Academy series, Chris Seaver’s Warlock Home Video catalog, and films from legendary cult filmmaker Jim Wynorski.

For horror fans, the network is also launching the Scream Queens Collection, a dedicated hub celebrating women who have made their mark on the genre. The inaugural lineup includes Linnea Quigley, Michelle Bauer, Brinke Stevens, Jessa Jupiter Flux, Felissa Rose, Jennifer Nagle, and Mel Heflin. Each Scream Queen will have her own mini-hub featuring movies, appearances, and interviews.

Jennifer Nagle will also bring her fan-favorite character Malvolia to the network in an all-new weekly series.

More original shows are coming to the network

The lineup extends beyond movies and classic Up All Night programming.

Midnight at Refinery, starring Miss Jenna, will premiere as a weekly series featuring independent short films and giving emerging filmmakers an opportunity to reach a national streaming audience.

Other shows coming to The Up All Night Network include the multi-award-winning comedy Smothered, starring Jason Stuart; The Clown House, starring Belle Éclair; Danger! Health Films, starring former Village People frontman Randy Jones; and the cult adventure series Astro Space Hero, starring Jerry Williams.

The network will also feature podcasts including The ABA Podcast, Alma Langlois, Video Tasties, The Flux Film Society, Zombiepalooza Radio, and Between the Sheets with Rhonda Shear.

Comedy and music are also part of the Up All Night lineup

Comedy fans will find a growing stand-up library featuring both rising performers and established names such as Lewis Black and Kevin Hart. Music videos will have their own programming block as well. Up All Night Hot Hits will spotlight music videos from emerging and established artists, with musicians able to submit their work for consideration.

Rhonda Shear wants to bring 90s TV to a new generation

For Shear, The Up All Night Network is intended to be more than a simple revival of a beloved television show. The goal is to recreate the anything-goes spirit of 1990s late-night television while taking advantage of modern streaming. That makes the network particularly appealing to fans who miss the kind of late-night programming that could introduce viewers to a bizarre cult movie, a strange comedy, or an unknown filmmaker without requiring them to know what they were looking for first.

And with 24-hour programming plus on-demand collections, viewers don’t actually have to stay up all night to watch.

How much does The Up All Night Network cost?

The Up All Night Network launches exclusively on Roku today – Friday, September 11, 2026. The service is available on Roku devices for $3.99 per month.

So if you’re nostalgic for USA Up All Night, curious about the new Rhonda Shear’s Up All Night, or just looking for a streaming home for cult movies, horror, and other offbeat entertainment, Shear’s new network is officially open for business.

Are you planning to check out The Up All Night Network? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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I’ve never actually thought about what my chances are of getting swallowed by a whale, but after watching this new trailer for Whalefall, it’s now my #1 fear. No ocean for me.

60 Minutes of Air…

Whalefall follows a young scuba diver searching for his father’s remains in the ocean, but wouldn’t you know it, he’s swallowed by a sperm whale, leaving him only an hour to escape. Oh, there’s also a pissed-off squid in there as well. The trailer looks suitably intense and has all the makings of a fun survival thriller. Sign me up.

The film is based on the novel by Daniel Kraus, who co-wrote the script with Duffield. The film stars Austin Abrams (Resident Evil), Elisabeth Shue (The Karate Kid), Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men), John Ortiz (The Madness), Jane Levy (Evil Dead), and Emily Rudd (Fear Street Part Two: 1978).

Whalefall will hit theaters on October 16.

A Real Fake Whale

As much of the film takes place inside the whale, the production team built various parts of the giant creature. “Half of the whale’s head, including its bottom jaw and mouth, was a big animatronic in a tank,” Duffield told Empire. “There was a tongue puppet of sorts, though it wasn’t necessarily puppeteered, because as you can see, there’s not a lot of space in there. Every trick in the book, we had at some point. Austin is physically in a whale mouth, there’s no green screen in the water. He’s really down there in a scuba suit, breathing real air, screaming, struggling, with jets of current shooting at him.“

Abrams did nearly all the stunts himself, which Duffield said definitely added to the genuine terror his character is experiencing. “Almost all the stunts in the movie are done by Austin,” he said. “It’s always nerve-wracking when your actor is scuba diving and doing stunts. There was never a moment where he was remotely phoned-in. He could not have given more to this movie.“

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Sarah Catherine Hook is going from the luxurious world of The White Lotus to the Florida Everglades for Crush, a survival thriller about a woman trapped in the crushing coils of a massive python. Deadline reports that Hook has landed the lead role in the 20th Century Studios thriller, which is set to be directed by Overlord filmmaker Julius Avery. The movie is expected to enter production in Australia this fall.

This will be Hook’s first major starring role in a feature film. She is best known for playing Piper Ratliff in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus. She also recently appeared in Netflix’s People We Meet on Vacation. Now, she is taking on a very different kind of vacation.

In Crush, Hook will play a woman hiking alone in the Florida Everglades who wakes up to discover that she has become trapped inside the coils of a gigantic python. With every breath becoming more difficult, she has to figure out how to survive.

According to Deadline, the movie is inspired by true events and will unfold primarily in real time.

Julius Avery is directing Crush

Avery has built a filmography that makes him a fitting choice for a movie like Crush. He made his feature directing debut with the crime thriller Son of a Gun before moving into World War II action-horror with Overlord. He subsequently directed the Sylvester Stallone superhero thriller Samaritan and the supernatural horror movie The Pope’s Exorcist, starring Russell Crowe. Crush will reunite Avery with the kind of action, suspense, and horror material that has become a recurring part of his work.

The screenplay was written by John Fischer, an executive at Temple Hill Entertainment who originally wrote the script under the pseudonym J.W. Archer.

Crush started with a mysterious Black List script

The movie has had an unusual journey to the screen. As we previously reported, Fischer wrote Crush on his own time while working as Temple Hill Entertainment’s Executive Vice President of Development and Production. Rather than immediately telling his bosses that he had written the script, he submitted it to the Black List under the J.W. Archer pseudonym. The screenplay quickly attracted attention, eventually leading to a heated bidding war among studios.

20th Century Studios ultimately won the project, reportedly paying a mid-to-high six-figure amount for the script.

Temple Hill is producing the movie alongside Scott Glassgold’s 12:01 Films, with J.R. Young overseeing the project for 20th Century Studios.

Does Crush sound like a movie you’d want to see? Are you a fan of Sarah Catherine Hook or Julius Avery? Let us know in the comments.

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After 2016’s The Wailing, I was surprised to see writer/director Na Hong-jin shift his focus towards a sci-fi action film. But given his more grounded action roots, it’s more in line with his work than at first glance. Hope is filled with intense action set pieces and moves forward with such momentum that you can hardly catch your breath. Chris Bumbray reviewed the film at Cannes, and I can’t help but agree that this features some of the best action since Mad Max: Fury Road. Which is certainly no easy feat. And with the likes of Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell joining the Korean cast of Hoyeon, Hwang Jung-min, and Zo In-sung, this is quite the unique ensemble.

As a massive fan of Squid Game, it was an absolute pleasure to speak with Hoyeon about her role in Hope. If you’ve seen the movie, you know she has one of the greatest character introductions ever, so we get into her reaction to getting a round of applause at Cannes. She discusses how much training she had for the film, whether it was for driving, gunplay, or even conditioning. She also tells a funny story about how she accidentally broke one of the cameras during one of the stunts. Hoyeon is very charming, and you can check out the full conversation in the embedded video above!

Hope plot:

In the remote South Korean village of Hope Harbor, police outpost chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) and officer Sung-ae (Hoyeon) are called to find a mysterious creature that has wreaked havoc on the village. In the nearby forest, a coterie of local hunters, including Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) set out to track the beast and find themselves hunted instead. But all is not as it seems, and perceptions can be misleading. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions.

Hope is now playing in theaters.

Related

Can TIFF Midnight Madness deliver another Obsession? 2026 lineup includes Rogue Trooper, River, Hope, and more

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A new lawsuit filed by Horror, Inc. against Gun Interactive has put the financial and legal history of Friday the 13th: The Game back in the spotlight, with Horror, Inc. alleging that Gun failed to pay millions of dollars in royalties. Gun Interactive has strongly denied the allegations and says it intends to fight the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, the dispute centers on royalty payments connected to the 2017 video game, which was developed by Gun Interactive and IllFonic under a licensing agreement involving Friday the 13th rights holders. Horror, Inc. alleges that Gun owes approximately $4 million to $4.5 million in additional royalties. Gun, however, says it paid more than $18 million in royalties over the life of the game and that its records show the rights holders were paid everything they were owed.

What Horror, Inc. Alleges in the Lawsuit

The dispute stems from a 2015 agreement under which Horror, Inc. and Crystal Lake Entertainment licensed elements of the Friday the 13th franchise to Gun for the development and distribution of Friday the 13th: The Game. Under the agreement described in the lawsuit, Gun was responsible for collecting revenue from third-party distributors and providing royalty statements to the rights holders. The agreement initially called for a 5% royalty and later increased the royalty rate to 17.5% of applicable net proceeds.

The lawsuit alleges that distributors including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Steam provided sales and distribution information to Gun, which Gun was then supposed to use when preparing its royalty statements. Horror, Inc. says the game generated more than $175 million through the end of 2024.

The rights holder subsequently exercised its contractual right to audit Gun’s records. According to the lawsuit, the audit uncovered what Horror, Inc. characterizes as significant gaps in the sales information provided by distributors. The filing specifically points to missing records involving Sony, which Horror, Inc. describes as the game’s largest distributor.

According to the lawsuit, the auditors expected Gun to possess documentation connected to Sony’s sales, including purchase orders and invoices. Horror, Inc. alleges that these records were no longer available and argues that Gun must have either lost or destroyed them. The lawsuit further alleges that the missing documentation interfered with the audit and resulted in an underpayment of royalties.

Those allegations have not been established as facts by a court.

Gun Interactive Denies the Royalty Allegations

Gun Interactive responded to the lawsuit on August 28 with a strongly worded statement disputing Horror, Inc.’s allegations. Gun says the central accusation is that it failed to pay all of the royalties owed under the agreement. The company denies that claim.

According to Gun, it paid Horror, Inc. more than $18 million in royalties throughout the game’s lifespan and maintains that its records show the company was paid every dollar it was owed. Gun also claims that representatives for Horror, Inc. reviewed and approved the accountings provided by Gun during the game’s operation.

The company characterizes the approximately $4 million currently being sought as the result of disputed accounting methodologies rather than unpaid royalties that Gun acknowledges owing. Gun has therefore rejected Horror, Inc.’s demand and says it will contest the lawsuit.

The Lawsuit Also Revisits the Friday the 13th Copyright Dispute

Gun’s statement also brings the lawsuit back to the separate legal battle involving Victor Miller, the screenwriter of the original Friday the 13th film. Miller sought to terminate his copyright interest in material from the original screenplay under U.S. copyright law. His legal dispute with Horror, Inc. ultimately resulted in a ruling in his favor in 2018, followed by an unsuccessful appeal by Horror, Inc. in 2021.

Gun says the rights dispute affected Friday the 13th: The Game because the legal uncertainty prevented the development of additional content for the game. In its statement, Gun argues that Miller did not intend to shut down the game and instead sought credit and compensation for his work.

Gun Says It Wanted to Remaster Friday the 13th: The Game

One of the more significant claims in Gun’s response concerns an attempted remaster of Friday the 13th: The Game. Gun says that even after the 2021 appeal in the Miller copyright dispute, it wanted to work with Horror, Inc. on a remastered version of the game. According to Gun, the company wanted to give the game “a real second life” through a remaster. Gun’s statement claims that this proposed partnership did not happen and that Horror, Inc. subsequently allowed the game’s license to lapse.

As a result, according to Gun, Friday the 13th: The Game was removed from digital storefronts and its servers eventually went offline. Gun also claims that it offered to continue paying for the game’s servers in an effort to keep them operational. These statements are part of Gun Interactive’s response to the lawsuit and represent the company’s account of the events.

What Happens Next in the Friday the 13th Lawsuit?

The issue now is whether Horror, Inc. can establish that Gun Interactive failed to pay the royalties required under their agreement and whether Gun can substantiate its position that all required royalties were already paid. The parties also appear to disagree over the accounting records used to determine the amount of royalties owed, including the significance of records allegedly missing from Gun’s files.

Horror, Inc. is seeking additional money that Gun disputes owing, while Gun has said it intends to fight the lawsuit rather than make an additional payment. At this stage, the allegations contained in the lawsuit are claims by Horror, Inc., while Gun Interactive’s published statement represents its defense and position regarding the dispute. The court proceedings will determine which claims, if any, are supported.

What do you think of Horror, Inc. and Gun Interactive going to court over Friday the 13th: The Game royalties, and Gun’s claim that they wanted to remaster and revive the game, but Horror, Inc. passed on the opportunity? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Sarah Michelle Gellar is getting another call from Ghostface, more than 25 years after her memorable appearance in Scream 2. The actress has reunited with the iconic Scream killer for a new 60-second Halloween commercial from Angry Orchard, which has teamed with the horror franchise for its 2026 Thriller Pack. You can watch the new Scream and Angry Orchard Halloween ad in the video above.

In the ad, Gellar receives a phone call from her old pal Ghostface, bringing the actress back into the world of Scream for a playful Halloween spot. Gellar appeared in Wes Craven’s Scream 2 as sorority sister Cici Cooper, who unfortunately became one of Ghostface’s victims. This time, however, she’s playing herself.

The commercial is part of Angry Orchard’s 2026 Halloween collaboration with Scream. The company has also released a limited-edition Thriller Pack featuring four different hard cider flavors with horror-themed names: Caramel Apple Curse, Headless Pumpkin, Blood Orange, and Mystery Caller.

For Scream fans, the Mystery Caller flavor is the standout. Its can features the iconic Ghostface mask, while the Thriller Pack itself has glow-in-the-dark packaging that makes the mask stand out even more. Angry Orchard is also offering limited-edition 19.2-ounce cans of Crisp Apple and Imperial featuring Ghostface.

The new commercial marks another horror franchise collaboration for Angry Orchard. Last year, the company teamed with the Friday the 13th franchise and Horror, Inc. on Sweet Revenge, a short film written and directed by Mike P. Nelson that brought Jason Voorhees back to live-action. That 15-minute Friday the 13th vignette was part of the launch of the Jason Universe, which encompasses new Friday the 13th activations that span a wide range of platforms from entertainment, games, immersive experiences, merchandise, and more.

This year’s Scream campaign takes a shorter approach (which is probably a great relief to JoBlo’s own Tyler Nichols, who gave Sweet Revenge a 4/10 review), but it has one particularly fun selling point: Sarah Michelle Gellar getting a call from Ghostface again.

What do you think of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s reunion with Ghostface? Share your thoughts on this Angry Orchard ad in the comments below.

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