Alam Nyo Ba?

Growing up, I would always notice the Witchcraft movies sitting on the shelves of my local video stores. I was intrigued by them and the fact that this horror franchise was steadily pumping out sequels, but I never rented them. It wasn’t until 2011 that I spent thirteen weeks viewing my way through the entire series, one installment a week… and that was quite an experience, as this is one crazy series. In 2016, the franchise grew by three more sequels, with parts 14, 15, and 16 being filmed back-to-back-to-back. Last year, Witchcraft XVII: The Initiation made its way out into the world – and now, it has come to our attention that the eighteenth film in the franchise is already on the way! This one is called Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light, and the cast includes Lisa Wilcox of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and reality TV icon and media personality Kato Kaelin.

What is Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light about?

This is said to be a paranormal found-footage installment in the franchise, made with the intention of reintroducing Witchcraft with a more grounded, atmospheric approach. The story centers on a paranormal investigation team documenting the legend of The Children of the Hollow, a pagan cult rooted in North Carolina folklore, as their search for answers leads them into increasingly dangerous territory.

Wilcox takes on the role of Detective Garner, “a woman already scarred by years of horrifying investigations tied to disappearances, ritualistic murders, and secrets that were never meant to resurface. The deeper the crew digs, the more they realize Garner may know far more about the nightmare awaiting them than she’s willing to admit.“

Kaelin will be playing the host of “a live special edition of Murder in a Minute, a late-night true crime broadcast that airs the recovered footage connected to the mysterious disappearance of William Spanner, Keli Jordan, and the rest of the team from the television series Unmasking the Paranormal. Neither Kaelin nor the viewers watching the broadcast have ever seen the footage before, causing the terror and reactions unfolding throughout the film to happen completely in real time. As the broadcast continues, what begins as a sensationalized exposé quickly spirals into something far more disturbing. The recovered footage reveals the existence of The Children of the Hollow, a brutal cult tied to an ancient cursed lantern known as The Lanterne of Light. Strange interruptions and increasingly panicked reactions from viewers blur the line between entertainment and genuine supernatural terror.“

Also in the cast are

• Andrew Pierson (A Soldier’s Descent)
• Kristina Lafser (The Last Sleepover)
• Former Studio 54 DJ Rockin Ronnie
• Sandy Johnson, best known for playing Judith Myers in the original Halloween

The film is being directed by Carissa Pierson, who had this to say about some of the cast members: “Rockin Ronnie brings a presence you can’t manufacture. There’s a lived-in authenticity to him that immediately adds texture to the world we’re building. The Lanterne of Light is about atmosphere, about history bleeding into the present—and his energy fits right into that.

Lisa Wilcox is someone I grew up watching and admiring as a horror fan, so having her become part of Witchcraft: The Lanterne of Light is honestly surreal. She brings strength, emotion, and authenticity to Detective Garner in a way that elevates the entire film. Fans are going to see a darker, more psychological side of horror with this story, and Lisa fits perfectly into that world.

We wanted the audience to feel like they’re watching something they were never supposed to see. Kato’s role brings an unsettling realism to the film because the horror is unfolding live in front of everyone. It turns the audience into part of the experience.“

Have you seen the previous entries in this franchise, and are you interested in watching another Witchcraft sequel? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Lisa Wilcox and Kato Kaelin star in Witchcraft 18: The Lanterne of Light appeared first on JoBlo.

PLOT: After a young couple witnesses a gruesome highway accident, they soon realize they did not leave the crash scene alone, as a demonic presence called the Passenger won’t stop until it claims them both.

REVIEW: When I first saw the teaser for Passenger months ago, I thought it was one of the scariest trailers I’d seen in a while. It had that perfect “what the hell was that?” feeling that made me want to see the movie immediately. I was so in that I refused to watch any more trailers because I didn’t want any of the scares ruined for me.

Funny enough, the joke was on me. That teaser is basically a shortened version of the opening sequence, so when the big scare finally came, I saw it coming. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a pretty good preview of the movie itself.

Passenger may as well have been called Jump Scare: The Movie.

André Øvredal knows how to stage a horror sequence, and there are definitely moments where the movie works. But so many of the scares are telegraphed from a mile away. You can feel the movie winding itself up before every loud noise or sudden face in the frame. After a while, it stops being scary and starts feeling like you’re waiting for someone to clap behind your head.

The setup is solid. Maddie (Lou Llobell) and Tyler (Jacob Scipio) are a young couple who’ve given up their apartment to live the whole van-life dream. Tyler seems way more into it than Maddie, who already looks like she’s realizing that “freedom on the open road” may not be the life she envisioned.

After an effective opening involving two friends on the road and something very wrong lurking in the distance, Passenger shifts to Maddie and Tyler several weeks into their #vanlife. While looking for a place to park for the night, they come across a brutal car accident and realize way too late that they didn’t just witness something horrific. Soon, they realize something has latched onto them. A ghost hitchhiker, a demon, a curse, a road monster, or whatever the hell you want to call it. The idea is creepy because road horror should be easy to make scary. You’re trapped in a vehicle, stuck in unfamiliar places, and the whole point of driving away is that you’re supposed to be able to escape. So, what happens when you can’t?

That’s where Passenger should really cook. And sometimes, it really does.

The opening is easily one of the film’s strongest parts. The cinematography is gorgeous, and there’s an eerie control to the way it builds. Øvredal has already proved himself with films like Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and you can feel that experience here. If this movie were in the hands of a less-seasoned director, it could’ve been a road I’d never want to travel again, and not in the good horror movie way. Øvredal keeps it watchable even when the script starts running on fumes.

And that’s really where the film struggles. The script from Zachary Donohue and T.W. Burgess is the weakest part of the whole thing. There’s some eye-rolling dialogue, and the lead characters just aren’t memorable enough. I’m not even exaggerating when I say I forgot their names almost immediately after walking out of the theater and had to look them up for this review. Funny enough, even IMDb didn’t have Lou Llobell’s character name listed when I checked. It’s Maddie (thanks, Wikipedia), but honestly, I might as well have called her Scared Girl.

That’s not really on Llobell, either. She does a decent job with what she’s given, and so does Scipio. Melissa Leo also shows up and gives the movie some extra credibility, even if her character mostly exists to explain the mythology. The actors aren’t the problem. They’re trying to sell a script that never gives them enough personality to make us truly care about them beyond “please don’t die.”

The mythology is also a little silly. I like it when horror movies build rules around a creature or curse, and Passenger tries to do that with its road symbols, warnings, and creepy old folklore. But the more the movie explains, the less interesting it becomes. The Passenger itself works better when it’s a shape in the dark, something half-seen, something that feels like it could appear in the rearview mirror at any second. Once the movie shows more, especially in its final form, it loses much of its power. Sometimes the scariest thing a horror movie can do is not explain itself to death.

Still, there are some great set pieces here. There’s a one-take sequence in a parking lot that is easily one of the highlights, and there’s another scene involving an outdoor movie in the woods that I really dug. I don’t want to spoil how those play out, but those are the moments where you see the better version of Passenger. The movie has style. It has atmosphere. It has a few nasty gore effects that hit harder than expected because they’re used sparingly. When the violence lands, it lands.

That’s what makes Passenger frustrating. It’s not a bad movie. It’s just one of those horror films where you can see the better version of it hiding inside the one you’re watching. The premise is there. The director is there. The cinematography is there. Several set pieces absolutely work. But the characters are thin, the dialogue gets rough, the mythology gets goofy, and the scares are way too easy to predict.

It even has the “getting yanked away on the ground while screaming towards the camera” move. Future horror directors: STOP. DOING. THIS. SHIT.

I wanted this to be scarier. I wanted the movie to live up to the promise of that teaser. It doesn’t quite get there. But I also can’t say I had a terrible time with it. There’s enough craft here, enough atmosphere, and enough fun horror nonsense to make it worth watching with a crowd. I genuinely screamed a few times.

So instead of getting in the left lane and passing this film entirely, I’d say load the car up with your friends and enjoy the ride. Just don’t expect it to take you anywhere you haven’t been before.

Passenger (2026)

AVERAGE

6

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PLOT: In 1858, an eccentric young woman, Winifred Notty (Maika Monroe), is hired to be the live-in governess for the aristocratic Pound family. Yet, she’s hiding more than a few secrets, one of which is that she’s a full-blown psychopath.

REVIEW: Watching Victorian Psycho, I couldn’t help but wonder why we haven’t gotten more horror films set in this era. After all, it’s a natural setting for a ghoulish tale such as the one told here, which is based on the novel by Virginia Feito (who has returned to pen the screenplay).

Directed by Zachary Wigon (Sanctuary), it’s more of a satire than a full-on horror flick, but it’s extremely well done, with the Victorian setting and gonzo style making for a highly amusing ninety-minute ride. It’s anchored by a pitch-perfect performance from Maika Monroe, who once again demonstrates her versatility within the genre, being as comfortable playing both a final girl and an antagonist.

Yet, I’d wager she’s never played a role quite like this one before. Sporting a working-class accent and a gaze that suggests she has more than a few screws loose, Winifred Notty is a terrific creation. Despite the fact that all of her previous charges have “gone missing,” she’s somehow talked her way into a post at the sprawling Ensor House. The master of the house, Mr. Pound (Jason Isaacs), seems to be an ineffectual fop, only for a cruel streak to be revealed in a tense sequence where he makes his headstrong daughter hold out a book of illustrations as he attempts to shoot it from her hands. His wife (Ruth Wilson) is even worse, with her, at one point, cutting off a scullery maid’s ponytail because strands of hair occasionally get into her soup.

Yet, in Victorian Psycho, it’s not as if the cruelty of the Pound family has made Winifred someone whose rage can be justified. No — she’s a lunatic, with her victims including those who deserve it, but also those who don’t, including a baby at one point.

Yet, as the title playfully riffs, just as in American Psycho, you are compelled by Winifred’s madness. It helps that the dialogue by Feito is amusing from a modern perspective without being too on the nose, while the production design and score (by Ariel Marx) are as high quality as you’d find in a legit period epic. If Merchant/Ivory had made a serial killer movie, it might have looked something like this.

While it’s Monroe’s show throughout, the supporting cast is amazing, with Isaacs and Wilson, both of whom have played period parts like this in a straight-faced way, giving the film an authenticity as they delightedly chew some scenery. Thomasin McKenzie once again shows some of the comic chops she displayed in the underrated Fackham Hall as a none-too-bright, but sweet, maid Winifred befriends.

Running a lean ninety minutes, Victorian Psycho was one of the more purely amusing concoctions I caught at Cannes this year. Yet, the craft behind it goes toe-to-toe with anything else I’ve seen, and it has cult classic written all over it. This is one to keep an eye on when it comes out this summer.

Victorian Psycho

GREAT

8

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Last year, frequent collaborators Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan teamed up for the vampire period piece Sinners, which ended up racking up a record-breaking number of Academy Award nominations – and even took home Oscar gold in a few categories, including a Best Actor win for Jordan. This year, horror fans who attend Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights events will have the chance to step into the world of Sinners via a haunted house experience.

What is Sinners about?

Directed by Ryan Coogler with Michael B. Jordan playing dual roles, Sinners has the following official synopsis: Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. “You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.”

Jordan was joined in the cast by Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Wunmi Mosaku (Loki), singer Miles Caton, Delroy Lindo (Get Shorty), Jack O’Connell (Unbroken), Omar Benson Miller (CSI: Miami), Li Jun Li (The Exorcist TV series), Yao (The Last Bout), Jayme Lawson (The Batman), Lola Kirke (Mozart in the Jungle), and musician / cinematographer Peter Dreimanis.

Coogler (who is also working on a reboot of the TV series The X-Files) produced the film with Proximity Media partners Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian. Rebecca Cho served as executive producer alongside Will Greenfield and composer Ludwig Goransson.

Sinners haunted house

Halloween Horror Nights begins August 28 at Universal Studios Orlando Resort and September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Variety reports that the Sinners haunted house will transport guests back in time to the Juke Joint where they will quickly realize that nothing is as it seems when nefarious, red-eyed vampires Remmick, Bert and Joan appear with their insatiable hunger. As they attempt to evade the vampires at every turn, fans will encounter some of their favorite characters lifted straight from the film, including Sammie, Mary, Annie, Pearline and Cornbread. Caught in a deadly struggle between twins Smoke and Stack and the bloodthirsty vampires, guests must survive the night – because the terror will only relent once the sun rises.

Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler, and Sev Ohanian provided the following statement: “It’s been incredible to see audiences connect with Sinners in such a powerful way. Now, partnering with Halloween Horror Nights gives fans the chance to step even deeper into the world of the film — to feel the music, the atmosphere and the tension all around them. Watching it come to life on this scale has been really special for all of us.“

John Murdy, Executive Producer, Halloween Horror Nights, Universal Studios Hollywood added, “At Halloween Horror Nights, we push the boundaries of what a live horror experience can be. Just as Ryan Coogler’s Academy Award winning film Sinners re-invented the vampire movie, we are re-inventing the haunted house and creating new ways to scare our guests that we’ve never attempted and are thrilled to bring this amazing story to life in a truly terrifying and fully immersive way.“

Mike Aiello, Senior Director of Entertainment Creative Development at Universal Orlando Resort, had this to say: “The moment Sinners premiered, we knew it was an undeniable fit for Halloween Horror Nights and it’s an honor to bring this story to life. It’s rare for a film to fully satisfy hardcore horror fans while also inviting new audiences into the genre—and that’s exactly what Sinners does. Its world, characters and intensity will translate into a relentless haunted house. We can’t wait for our fans to step inside and experience the horror firsthand in a way that only Halloween Horror Nights can deliver.“

Are you a fan of Sinners, and will you be checking out the haunted house experience at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Zach Cregger, writer/director of Barbarian and Weapons, is directing a new Resident Evil movie for Sony, aiming for a September 18, 2026 theatrical release. Cregger has said that his movie will be “obedient to the lore” of the Resident Evil video games, but won’t be about the characters from the games, because their stories have already been told in game form. Filming got underway a couple of months ago, with the streets of Prague being transformed into the video game setting of Raccoon City. The project is now in post-production – and with its release date just a few months away, a pair of official posters have been unveiled. You can check them out at the bottom of this article.

What is this Resident Evil about?

Cregger wrote the screenplay with Shay Hatten (Army of the Dead) and the story apparently harkens back to the original Capcom game’s horror roots. Here’s the logline that leaked a while back: Bryan, a laid-back organ courier, is sent on a late-night delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital. En route through a snowy mountain road, he accidentally hits a strange woman with his car. She survives—but something is very wrong. As he tries to help, Bryan stumbles into a full-blown outbreak involving horrifying tentacle-based mutations and bio-engineered monstrosities. 

And here’s the official synopsis: From the mind of visionary filmmaker Zach Cregger (Weapons, Barbarian) comes a thrilling — and terrifying — reinvention of the Resident Evil franchise. In an all-new story, Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.

Who’s in the cast?

Weapons cast member Austin Abrams has the lead role and is joined in the cast by Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai), Zach Cherry (Severance), Johnno Wilson (I Love That for You), and the previously mentioned Kali Reis. Cherry is said to be playing a scientist at a hospital and Reis is set to play an ex-military character that was initially written for a male actor.

What has been said about Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil?

Cregger, a big fan of the Resident Evil video games who has never watched any of the previous movies, has said, “It’s gonna be not at all like Barbarian and Weapons. It’s going to be a rock ’em, sock ’em… it’s for me to play. And turn my brain off and just make an… Evil Dead II… get crazy with the camera. … It’s a weird, fun, wild story. This movie follows a person from point A to point B. It’s like a real time journey, where you just go deeper and deeper into the depths of Hell.“ The filmmaker was given carte blanche to do whatever he wanted with the property.

Constantin Film is producing and co-financing the film. Constantin, Vertigo Entertainment, and PlayStation Productions are also producing. Here’s the list of producers: Robert Kulzer, Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, Carter Swan, and Asad Qizilbash. Executive producers: Oliver Berben, Victor Hadida, Richard Wright, and Robert Bernacci. Nicole Brown is overseeing the project for Sony’s Columbia Pictures. Lee has said that Cregger is delivering “a roller coaster ride of nonstop action.“

Are you looking forward to Resident Evil? Let us know by leaving a comment below – and take a look at the posters while you’re scrolling down.

The post Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil gets a pair of official posters appeared first on JoBlo.

After spending a couple of decades in development hell, a live-action feature film adaptation of Masters of the Universe has finally made its way through production, with Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White and Royal Blue) in the role of Adam / He-Man. Coming our way from Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Studios, the film will be released theatrically in the U.S. on June 5, 2026 and worldwide the same month, by Sony Pictures International Releasing. With the release right around the corner, the final trailer has dropped online and can be seen in the embed above.

What is Masters of the Universe about?

Bumblebee director Travis Knight is at the helm of this new take on Masters of Universe, working from a screenplay by Chris Butler that’s based on earlier drafts by Dave Callaham and formerly attached directors Aaron and Adam Nee. Alex Litvak and Michael Finch also have story credit. The story follows ten-year-old Prince Adam who crashed to Earth in a spaceship and was separated from his magical Power Sword—the only link to his home on Eternia. After tracking it down almost two decades later, Prince Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam will first need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man: the most powerful man in the Universe.

Here’s the official synopsis: After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.

Who’s in the cast?

Galitzine is joined in the cast by

• Camila Mendes (Riverdale) as Teela
• Jared Leto (Morbius) as the villainous Skeletor
• Idris Elba (Luther) as Man-at-Arms (a.k.a. Duncan)
• GLOW‘s Alison Brie as Skeletor’s right hand woman Evil-Lyn
• Morena Baccarin (Deadpool & Wolverine) as The Sorceress
• Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Captain America: Brave New World) as Malcolm (a.k.a. Fisto)
• Sam C. Wilson (Dodger) as Trap Jaw
• Hafthor Bjornsson (Game of Thrones) as Goat Man
• Kojo Attah (The Beekeeper) as Tri-Klops
• Jon Xue Zhang (The Brothers Sun) as Ram-Man
• Stephen Adentan (Gladiator II) as Moss Man
• James Purefoy (A Knight’s Tale) as King Randor
• Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders) as Queen Marlena
• Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) provides the voice of Roboto

All of those names will be familiar to fans of the Masters of the Universe franchise – and then we have Sasheer Zamata (Agatha All Along) and Christian Vunipola (Wildflower) as a pair of new characters, Suzie and Hussein. There have also been rumblings that Dolph Lundgren – who played He-Man in the previous live-action Masters of the Universe film, released in 1987 – might show up for a cameo.

The new Masters of the Universe has been produced by Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Robbie Brenner, Steve Tisch, and DeVon Franklin, with Ynon Kreiz, Bill Bannerman, and David Bloomfield serving as executive producers.

Are you looking forward to Masters of the Universe? Take a look at the final trailer, then let us know by leaving a comment below.n

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As 2024 came to an end, we started hearing that Margaret Qualley would be working with Sanctuary director Zachary Wigon again on the psychological horror thriller Victorian Psycho, which was scheduled to start filming six months ago. In late January ’25, Qualley even confirmed that she was working on her British accent in preparation for the film… but then, just days before production was set to begin, Qualley had to drop out. It took a few months, but Wigon was able to find a replacement: Maika Monroe of Longlegs. The film has since been completed, and the Motion Picture Association ratings board has just announced its rating. Victorian Psycho has been rated R for strong bloody violence and brief sexual material.

What is Victorian Psycho about?

Victorian Psycho went into production in Ireland eight months ago. Wigon directs the film from a screenplay written by author Virginia Feito (Mrs. March), based on her novel of the same name. 

Victorian Psycho has the following synopsis: In 1858, a young, eccentric governess named Winifred Notty (Maika Monroe) arrives at the remote gothic manor known as Ensor House. Winifred’s responsibilities include teaching the children table manners and educating them about their family’s history, all whilst hiding her psychopathic tendencies. As Winifred 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 governess.

Who else is in the cast?

Thomasin McKenzie, whose previous credits include Old and Last Night in Soho, signed on when Qualley was involved and is still on board to play a nursemaid at Ensor House who befriends the eccentric new Governess.

Ruth Wilson (The Affair), Jacobi Jupe (Hamnet), and Jason Isaacs of the Harry Potter franchise are also in the cast.

Evie Templeton (Wednesday) takes on the role of Miss Drusilla Pounds, who is “the picture of a young lady-in-the-making, but inwardly, she carries an intensity and darkness beyond her years.”

The film is being produced by Dan Kagan under his Traffic. banner, along with Wigon and Sebastien Raybaud of Anton, in association with Anonymous Content. Nick Shumaker and Bard Dorros serve as executive producers for Anonymous Content, along with Feito, and Bleecker Street’s Kent Sanderson and Miranda King. Anton is providing the funding.

Bleecker Street has picked up the U.S. distribution rights and project is on track for a nationwide theatrical release by the end of 2026.

Are you interested in Victorian Psycho, and are you glad to hear that it has secured an R rating for strong bloody violence and brief sexual material? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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