Alam Nyo Ba?

Are possession thrillers the new hotness? After Blumhouse-Atomic Monster announced it’s developing an adaptation of Hannah Rose May’s The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, a starry supernatural thriller titled Blasphemous is on the way. The new project, which marks Luke Piotrowski’s directorial debut, finds Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Jumanji: The Next Level, Gunpowder Milkshake), Josh Hutcherson (Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Beekeeper, The Hunger Games franchise), and Clive Owen (Cleaner, Children of Men, Gosford Park) leading the cast.

Blasphemous will head to the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin, courtesy of North.Five.Six., the finance, sales, and distribution group behind upcoming films like Regretting You, and Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die.

What’s Blasphemous about?

In addition to helming the project as his feature directorial debut, Piotrowski wrote the script, which is characterized as a mix of The Exorcist and Training, centering on two clerics – a rookie priest (Hutcherson) and his devout mentor (Owen) who must transport a possessed young woman (Gillan) to a secure location for an exorcism. All hell breaks loose when she unexpectedly escapes, putting their lives on the line and their faith to the ultimate test. Piotrowski wants to start filming Blasphemous in New York in August.

“Blasphemous is one of the best scripts the collective producer group has ever read,” Sony executive Scott Strauss said in a statement. “It’s a one-of-a-kind genre ride that features sharp dialogue, compelling characters, and powerful ideas.”

More possession-related thrillers are on the way

As I’d mentioned, another possession-related project is in the works at Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, thanks to the forthcoming adaptation of Hannah Rose May’s The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, a supernatural thriller created and written by Hannah May Rose, with atmospheric, chilling art by Vanesa Del Rey.

Here’s the official synopsis for May’s graphic novel, courtesy of IDW Publishing:

“Kelly Doyle has just been elected the first female president of the United States of America, and boiling political tension could spill over at any second. Having to balance being a mother to two teenagers and navigating the shifting media landscape, all while preventing World War III, has Kelly spread thin, but she could never predict that the nation’s hallowed halls would soon become a demonic battleground for good versus evil.

From the pen of rising comics writer Hannah Rose May (Rogues’ Gallery) and acclaimed artist Vanesa Del Rey (Scarlet Witch) comes this psychological tale perfect for fans of Nice House on the Lake and The Haunting of Hill House.”

Jason Blum will produce the feature take for Blumhouse, with the studio’s Ryan Turek exec producing alongside May and IDW Publishing CEO Davidi Jonas.

While possession thrillers aren’t always my cup of tea, I am genuinely excited for The Exorcism at 1600 Penn and intrigued by the concept for Luke Piotrowski’s Blasphemous. I’ve loved Karen Gillan since her role as Amy Pond on the BBC’s Doctor Who, and I could see her giving a hell of a performance as a woman overcome by evil. It’ll be a while, but I’m down to check out a trailer for this when one finally drops.

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John Carpenter has been very open about the fact that is a gamer – and now he has put his name on the upcoming first-person shooter horror game John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, which we actually expected to see way back in 2024, but is now, finally, ready to be released for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S on March 12th. With that date just one month away, a gameplay trailer has dropped online and can be seen in the embed above.

This game is coming our way from Focus Home Entertainment and Saber Interactive, and it’s powered by Swarm Engine.

Sludge God and Zombies

The game has the following set-up: A science experiment to extract power from Earth’s core goes horribly wrong, waking the so-called Sludge God, an entity capable of transforming people into zombies. Players will be able to play solo or cooperatively, choosing from a variety of deadly equipment (such as grenades, katanas, and regular weapons) and special abilities to create the perfect loadout against the undead nightmare.

Carpenter provided WCCFTech with the following statement a couple of years ago: “It’s exciting to be collaborating on a new video game with Focus and Saber. Look, I really like shooting zombies. They keep telling me that they’re called ’the infected.’ Please. They’re ghouls, dude. They blow up real good and there are a ton of them. People are going to love this game.“

Saber’s Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits added: “We’re excited to partner with our friends at Focus again and thrilled to collaborate with the legendary John Carpenter on this project. His unique vision, unparalleled expertise in storytelling, and ability to create immersive atmospheres have helped us to elevate this all-new, 80s-inspired experience to the next level. His works have been an inspiration for years and it’s an honor to work alongside him to deliver a truly unforgettable adventure.“

And Focus’s Managing Director John Bert had this to say: “We’re happy to team up once again with our historical partner Saber. After World War Z, Space Marine 2, Insurgency, SnowRunner, and many others, Toxic Commando is a new entry into the successful long-term relationship between Focus and Saber. We cannot wait to unveil more about this new amazing IP created by the talented teams at Saber, and leverage Focus’ expertise in turning new franchises into worldwide hits.“

According to a PlayStation article, “The whole thing started with a pitch from Saber Interactive’s CEO, Matt Karch: ‘World War Z meets Mudrunner. Picture enormous hordes of enemies swarming players who need to use a variety of vehicles to survive.’“

What do you think of the John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando gameplay trailer? Will you be playing this game next month? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Actress Thomasin McKenzie, whose previous credits include Old and Last Night in Soho, just recently wrapped production on the psychological horror thriller Victorian Psycho, and now it has been announced that she has already reported to work on the set of a horror film called Rule of Three, which is intended to launch a trilogy. McKenzie is joined in the cast of this one by Chloe East (Heretic), Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Sutton Foster (Younger), Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do!), and Bilal Hasna (Layla).

Synopsis

James Roday Rodriguez (Gravy) is directing Rule of Three from a screenplay he wrote with Todd Harthan, based on a novel by Sam Ripley. Here’s the synopsis: Beware, Beware, the Rule of Three, it’s coming for you, like it came for me… Are Amy (East) and her family plagued by a deadly curse? Every three years, death strikes under mysterious circumstances, horrifically killing family members. It’s almost three years to the day since Amy’s parents’ death, and Amy realises the curse must strike her next. With the help of her best friend Lizzy (McKenzie), the two friends try to cheat Amy’s death and find a way to reverse the curse. But is Amy’s fate already sealed? Bad things always happen in threes, so they say…

This one is coming our way from Temple Hill Entertainment, the company behind Smile, Smile 2, The Twilight Saga, and the Maze Runner trilogy, and Nostromo Pictures, which was behind Red Lights and Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End. Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, and Isaac Klausner are producing for Temple Hill, with Hal Sadoff and Ben Levine executive producing. Adrián Guerra and Núria Valls are producing for Nostromo Pictures. Dave Bishop, James Pugh, and George Hamilton serve as executive producers for sales, finance, and production company Protagonist, in collaboration with Rodriguez and Harthan’s Taft Tennis.

Statements

Protagonist CCO George Hamilton shared the following statement: “As we kick off production on our fourth feature together, we’re incredibly fortunate to be joining forces once again with Temple Hill on this daring and bold psychological horror. We’re thrilled to have world-class international partners on board to champion the film and introduce the first chapter of what will be a fun, smart but unsettling story for audiences worldwide.“

The producers added, “We could not be more excited to invite audiences everywhere to experience James’ incredible filmmaking vision. Rule of Three is a terrifying and heart-wrenching exploration of the baggage we carry from our pasts and the power of friendship to help us try and overcome it. Led by two incredible actresses and a terrific ensemble cast, Rule of Three is a horrifying cinematic thrill ride bound to pack an emotional punch.“

Does Rule of Three sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this potential horror trilogy by leaving a comment below.

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The fourth season of the MGM+ sci-fi horror series From is scheduled to premiere on Sunday, April 19th – and the season 4 hype starts building today with the unveiling of a teaser trailer, which you can watch in the embed above!

Refresher

Written and created by John Griffin, From is described as a “contemporary sci-fi horror series”. The show aims to unravel the mystery of a nightmarish town in middle America that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out, they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest – including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down.

The cast of From includes Catalina Sandino Moreno and Eion Bailey as married couple Jim and Tabitha Matthews, who are “struggling in the aftermath of a personal tragedy and suddenly find their family trapped in the town. Together they must find a way to keep their children safe, struggling to come to terms with this new reality even as they desperately search for a way back home”; Harold Perrineau as Boyd Stevens, “the sheriff whose Draconian rules have held the fragile town together, even as he searches for a way to escape this seemingly inescapable nightmare”; David Alpay as Jade, “a brash, entitled tech hot shot”; Elizabeth Saunders as Donna, “the earthy, strong leader of Colony House -the town’s separatist faction”; Corteon Moore as Ellis, “the estranged son of Sheriff Boyd and a resident of Colony House”; Hannah Cheramy as Jim and Tabitha’s adolescent daughter Julie”; Shaun Majumder as Father Khatri, “who cares for the spirits of the townsfolk”; Simon Webster as Jim and Tabitha’s son Ethan, who is gravely injured during the story; Ricky He as Sheriff Boyd’s deputy Kenny; Elizabeth Moy as Tain-Chen, Kenny’s mother and operator of the town diner and supply depot; Chloe Van Landschoot as town medic Kristi; and Pegah Ghafoori as Fatima, who considers Ellis to be the love of her life.

From season 4 will be adding another series regular character into the mix: she is Sophia, a sheltered and vulnerable pastor’s daughter, and she’s played by Julia Doyle, whose credits include Hell of a Summer and Astrid and Lilly Save the World.

From comes to us from Midnight Radio and AGBO. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Mike Larocca, and showrunner Jeff Pinkner serve as executive producers alongside Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo, plus John Griffin and Jack Bender, who directed the first four episodes. Adrienne Erickson is co-executive producer.

I caught up on the first three seasons of From during a binge-watching spree back in September / October, so I’m looking forward to season 4. Do you watch From, and will you be tuning in for season 4 when it premieres in April? Take a look at the teaser trailer, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Last April, just days before season 2 of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us started airing, HBO officially announced that the show has been renewed for a third season. Now, The Last of Us season 3 is gearing up for production – but last month, we heard that it had lost a cast member, as Danny Ramirez, who played the character Manny in the second season of the show, had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Deadline reports that the vacancy has been filled, with Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Spider-Man: No Way Home) signing on to play Manny in the new season.

Clea DuVall (Poker Face) has also joined the cast and will be playing a seraphite. The Seraphites, or Scars, are “a primitivist religious cult” that was introduced in the second season. Manny is “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.” He’s a former member of the Fireflies who, the second season, assists Abby (Kaityln Dever) with seeking revenge on Joel (Pedro Pascal) for the massacre he committed at the Firefly hospital while rescuing Ellie (Bella Ramsay) in the first season.

Set-Up

The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess, who operates in the black market of this community. Together, they’ve become known by the local criminal underworld for their ruthlessness. On a mission to reclaim their stolen guns, they run into the leader of the Fireflies, a resistance group, who tasks them with smuggling a young girl named Ellie out of the zone. This mission soon becomes much more than they were prepared for. Here’s the season 2 logline: Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.

Behind the Scenes

Craig Mazin is the sole showrunner of The Last of Us season 3. Neil Druckmann, who co-created the Naughty Dog video games the series is inspired by, was also a creator, executive producer, writer, and director on the show for the first two seasons, but he is stepping away from his creative involvement so he can focus on his video game work.

2027

Last year, HBO and HBO Max content chairman/CEO Casey Bloys said we shouldn’t expect to see the new episodes until 2027. He also wasn’t certain if The Last of Us season 3 will be the end of the show or not. He told Variety, “The series is definitely planned for 2027. Craig is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season. It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that.“

Are you looking forward to watching The Last of Us season 3 next year? What do you think of Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Clea DuVall joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Last year, it was revealed that Legendary Pictures, the company behind the 2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre film that was released through the Netflix streaming service, had let their rights to make new films in the franchise lapse, so Verve, which currently represents the rights, are looking to “build out a multimedia strategy” for the franchise, with filmmakers, producers, and buyers looking to get involved. It was said that writer/director JT Mollner (Strange Darling) and producer Roy Lee (It) were among the interested parties, teaming up with A24 for a TV series pitch that had actor Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) hoping to read the script. Five months ago, A24 came out the winner of that bidding war.

Now, it’s official. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that there’s a Texas Chainsaw Massacre TV series in the works at A24, with Glen Powell serving as an executive producer alongside Roy Lee and Steven Schneider of Spooky Pictures, Stuart Manashil, Image Nation’s Ben Ross, Powell’s producing partner Dan Cohen of Barnstorm, and Exurbia Films’ Kim Henkel, who co-wrote the original film and produced several of follow-ups, in addition to writing and directing Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Exurbia’s Ian Henkel and Pat Cassidy are producing. JT Mollner is attached to direct.

Statements

Mollner told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’ve said publicly that I’m not interested in remaking perfect films, and the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a perfect film. I have so much reverence for [director and co-writer] Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel because they created something bold, transgressive, and truly seminal that holds up even today as the gold standard for horror. When the idea for a long form exploration into this world came to me, I saw it as a fresh way in, as well to honor and build on the existing folklore. It’s the only way I wanted to do it — and I can’t imagine better partners for this concept than A24. This is truly an honor.“

Powell added, “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of my favorite films. It defined a generation of horror films and over half a century after its release, it remains one of the definitive movies of my home state. I’m honored to have Barnstorm help bring in a new chapter for such an iconic title and franchise. With a marquee home in A24 and visionary filmmaker with JT Mollner, alongside our top shelf producing partners, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better team for such a dream property.” Powell is not expected to have an acting role in the series. He’s staying behind the scenes on this one.

Kim Henkel had this to say about the deal: “It was a difficult decision, but A24’s embrace of boundary-testing genre film, and its record of working with artists who are inclined to test boundaries made them a compelling choice. Plus, we believe having a great creative and producing team — JT Mollner, Roy Lee, Dan Cohen and Glen Powell — in place gives us the best shot at a series that could be genuinely eye-opening and unexpected. There’s an epic tale lurking in the Chainsaw backstory.“

This is the second major horror franchise to get the TV treatment from A24, as the company is also behind the Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake, which recently wrapped production on its first season. The Hollywood Reporter notes that the TV series isn’t the only Chainsaw project in the works, as Exurbia and ImageNation are also in early development on a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre film.

Are you glad to hear that A24, Glen Powell, and JT Mollner are moving forward with a Texas Chainsaw Massacre TV series? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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Chris

Parker Finn Is a Good Director — But This Is the Wrong Movie

First thing’s first: I think Parker Finn is a good director. Smile was a lot of fun, and Smile 2 was even better. He’s shown real flair behind the camera and feels like a filmmaker at the start of a genuinely strong career.

But—he’s wasting his time remaking Possession.

Why Possession Took So Long to Be Recognized as a Classic

An obscure but hugely influential cult film, Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession was barely released in North America during its initial run. The distributor butchered it down to a virtually incomprehensible 77 minutes, hacked from its original 124-minute cut. Don’t believe me? You can actually see the cut version on the recent 4K reissue.

It wasn’t until the 1990s—thanks largely to early specialty DVD label Anchor Bay Entertainment—that the full version finally became accessible. Horror fans slowly discovered it, and its cult following grew.

Here at JoBlo, we’ve long championed it (check out the embedded videos at the bottom of this article – and our own Cody Hamman has written at length about it), but it’s really only in recent years that Possession has come to be widely regarded as a genuine classic.

Why Possession Hits Harder Now Than Ever

The reason is simple: arthouse cinemas across North America now program it regularly, and The Criterion Channel (and Shudder) frequently make it available.

I only saw Possession for the first time a few years ago at a packed screening at Montreal’s legendary Cinema du Parc, and the young audience ate it up. Oddly enough, it fits perfectly within the modern arthouse horror movement.

Instead of feeling dated, it feels ahead of its time.

The Scene That Changed Modern Horror Performances

If you’ve seen Possession, you remember its centerpiece:
Isabelle Adjani’s subway miscarriage scene—a feral, physically exhausting performance that ranks among the greatest ever captured on film.

That moment has echoed loudly through modern horror:

• Rosamund Pike paid tribute in Massive Attack’s Voodoo in My Blood
• Sydney Sweeney nearly recreated it in Immaculate
• Nell Tiger Free referenced it in The First Omen

Its influence is already baked into contemporary horror cinema.

Why I Understand the Temptation to Remake It

With that in mind, I understand why Finn might want to remake Possession. It’s a showcase role for an actress, with rumors suggesting Margaret Qualley (opposite Callum Turner, filling the Sam Neill role).

On paper, that’s strong casting.

Why a Possession Remake Will Never Work

There’s just one problem: it will never be as good.

The original Possession is inseparable from its context. It was shot in Cold War-era West Germany, on location near Berlin Wall. That setting isn’t background texture—it’s the film’s soul.

It’s a cinematic time capsule.

And then there’s the ending. Possession is so provocative, so confrontational in its final act, that there’s no realistic way a modern studio-backed remake wouldn’t sand off its sharpest edges. If Finn gets to make it, you can be sure it’ll be forced into something more palatable—and more mainstream.

That alone defeats the point.

Some Horror Classics Should Never Be Remade

Possession doesn’t need fixing. Its resurgence proves it has aged better than most films of its era precisely because it was doing something no one else dared to do.

History backs this up. Horror remakes usually turn out terribly—need I remind anyone of the atrocious The Omen?

Sure, people cite The Thing as a successful remake, but that film has virtually nothing to do with **Howard Hawks’ version beyond sharing loose source material from John W. Campbell’s novella.

A Possession remake won’t have that luxury.

Final Verdict: Why Bother?

A Possession remake will never outdo the original—so why bother trying?

Finn and his potential cast are all rising talents capable of incredible work. Spending that energy on a movie with no realistic chance of surpassing its inspiration feels like a waste.

Some films aren’t meant to be reinterpreted. They’re meant to be rediscovered.

Do you think I’m right about a Possession remake being a bad idea? Let us know in the comments.

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