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Cody

Somehow, I managed to miss Dexter when it originally aired. Despite having Showtime and despite the premise of a serial killer who hunts other serial killers sounding like exactly the sort of thing I would enjoy, I never watched a single episode during its original eight-season run. It wasn’t until years later, after binge-watching Six Feet Under and becoming more familiar with Michael C. Hall, that I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. Now, having made my way through the original series, Dexter: New Blood, Dexter: Original Sin, and Dexter: Resurrection, I can finally understand why this character has remained so popular for two decades.

Created by James Manos Jr. and based on Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter novels, the series follows Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst who secretly happens to be a serial killer. Guided by the Code taught to him by his adoptive father Harry, Dexter directs his homicidal urges toward murderers who have escaped justice. Over the years, the franchise has put Dexter up against some memorable killers, introduced complicated relationships that repeatedly challenged his carefully constructed identity, and put his secret life in jeopardy more times than he probably deserved to survive.

Of course, Dexter has also had its share of controversy. Some seasons are much stronger than others, some creative decisions have been questionable, and the original series finale became infamous for disappointing fans. Even the revival Dexter: New Blood failed to provide the ending viewers were hoping for. But rather than disappearing, the franchise kept evolving, first by going back to Dexter’s early years in Original Sin and then by bringing Michael C. Hall back for Resurrection. And, at least from my perspective, some of the newer chapters have proven that there is still plenty of life left in this troubled character.

What makes a great season of Dexter? For me, it’s not necessarily the biggest villain or the most shocking twist. The best seasons are the ones that put Dexter’s carefully constructed world under pressure, force him to confront his own humanity, and give Michael C. Hall great characters to play against.

So, after finally catching up with Dexter Morgan’s entire television saga, here is my ranking of every Dexter season and series installment, from worst to best.

#11. DEXTER SEASON 6

• Release Year: 2011
  Showrunner: Scott Buck
  Primary Antagonist: Travis Marshall / The Doomsday Killer
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Debra Morgan, Travis Marshall, Professor Gellar, Brother Sam
  Why It Ranks #11: An inconsistent tone, questionable creative decisions, and increasingly out-of-character behavior from Dexter make this the weakest season of the series.

New showrunner Scott Buck took over as of this season (and would remain at the head of the writers room for the next two seasons), and something is off about it from the start. The tone is strangely inconsistent, with goofy scenes appearing alongside some very dark material, and there are multiple occasions when Dexter behaves in ways that feel completely out of character. Some of these choices are so strange that it’s surprising Michael C. Hall was willing to go along with them.

Dexter’s latest target is the Doomsday Killer, a murderer who stages elaborate crime scenes inspired by the Book of Revelation as part of an apocalyptic plan. The investigation centers on Travis Marshall (Colin Hanks), a seemingly ordinary man manipulated by Professor Gellar (Edward James Olmos) into carrying out disturbing acts. Meanwhile, Dexter develops an unexpected friendship with Brother Sam (Yasiin Bey), a reformed killer whose faith and search for redemption challenge Dexter’s worldview. Dexter’s adoptive sister Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) also takes a major step in her career as a homicide detective, though her personal struggles lead her into therapy sessions that complicate her relationship with Dexter.

While the Doomsday Killer storyline has some effective moments and the exploration of faith provides interesting ideas, this doesn’t even come close to working as well as some of the other serial killer scenarios the show has given us. The most problematic moments don’t involve the Doomsday Killer, but some of the scenarios Dexter finds himself in and, as mentioned, the way Dexter behaves in some moments. Dexter season 6 is a fine watch overall, but there are enough missteps that it ends up paling in comparison to the other seasons.

#10. DEXTER SEASON 7

• Release Year: 2012
  Showrunner: Scott Buck
  Primary Antagonists: Isaak Sirko and María LaGuerta
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Debra Morgan, Hannah McKay, Isaak Sirko, María LaGuerta
  Why It Ranks #10: Debra discovering Dexter’s secret creates powerful character drama, but uneven storytelling, questionable decisions, and the Hannah storyline keep Season 7 from reaching the show’s best.

After the controversial events of Season 6, this one finally brings Dexter’s biggest secret into the open. Season 7 changes the dynamic of the entire series when the person closest to Dexter, his sister Debra Morgan, discovers the truth about who he really is. She finds Dexter standing over the body of his latest victim and learns that her brother is not only a serial killer, but the infamous Bay Harbor Butcher who was once investigated by Miami Metro. Instead of turning him in, Debra struggles with the impossible choice of accepting Dexter’s actions while confronting the fact that the man she loves as a brother (or possibly more) is capable of murder.

Meanwhile, Dexter becomes involved with Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski), a woman with her own violent past who challenges his beliefs about his code, while Ukrainian crime boss Isaak Sirko (Ray Stevenson) targets Dexter after a murder connects him to the organization. At the same time, Captain LaGuerta (Lauren Vélez) continues investigating the Bay Harbor Butcher case, bringing Dexter’s secret closer than ever to being exposed to the public.

Season 7 was a mixed but often compelling return after the disappointing sixth season. Jennifer Carpenter delivers some of the strongest work of the entire series as Debra deals with the emotional fallout of learning Dexter’s secret, and she deserved far more awards recognition for the complexity she brought to the role. While some of Dexter’s decisions feel inconsistent with the character established in earlier seasons and the Hannah storyline was not particularly engaging, the season still delivers several powerful moments, especially through the conflict between Dexter and Debra and the growing threat of LaGuerta’s investigation. It may not reach the heights of the show’s best years, but Season 7 showed that Dexter still had strong stories left to tell.

#9. DEXTER SEASON 8

• Release Year: 2013
  Showrunner: Scott Buck
  Primary Antagonist: Oliver Saxon / Daniel Vogel
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Debra Morgan, Dr. Evelyn Vogel, Hannah McKay, Zach Hamilton
  Why It Ranks #9: A surprisingly strong season for much of its run is dragged down by an infamously disappointing series finale.

The eighth and final season of Dexter‘s original run brings the story of Dexter Morgan to what was meant to be its conclusion, while revisiting the origins of Dexter’s code by introducing the psychiatrist who helped shape his path and forcing him to confront the consequences of the life he has chosen.

Dexter forms a connection with Dr. Evelyn Vogel (Charlotte Rampling), a psychiatrist who reveals that she helped his late adoptive father, Harry Morgan (James Remar), develop Dexter’s code years earlier. Their relationship becomes complicated when a new serial killer known as the Brain Surgeon begins targeting victims connected to Vogel. Meanwhile, Dexter attempts to repair his damaged relationship with Debra, who has abandoned her career in law enforcement after helping protect Dexter’s secret at a devastating personal cost. Dexter’s former love Hannah McKay returns to his life, while he also becomes interested in the future of young potential killer Zach Hamilton (Sam Underwood), creating another opportunity to question whether his violent nature can be controlled or redirected.

Season 8 was a frustrating end to the original Dexter run. For much of its twelve episodes, the season is surprisingly strong, with interesting ideas surrounding Dexter’s origins, his relationship with Vogel, and his attempt to reconnect with Debra. However, the series finale delivers an extremely disappointing conclusion that fails to provide the satisfying resolution the character deserved. After years of hearing fans were unhappy with the ending, watching it firsthand made the criticism completely understandable. Thankfully, the later continuation projects allowed the Dexter story to continue beyond this finale rather than leaving this as the definitive ending. This was showrunner Scott Buck’s best season, but he was just saving his worst decisions for the series finale. I won’t mince words: that finale sucks.

#8: DEXTER: NEW BLOOD

• Release Year: 2021–2022
  Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
  Primary Antagonist: Kurt Caldwell
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Harrison Morgan, Debra Morgan, Angela Bishop, Kurt Caldwell
  Why It Ranks #8: A successful reinvention of the series with a new setting and strong character drama that ultimately stumbles when it tries to give Dexter another definitive ending.

After the controversial ending of Dexter‘s original eight-season run, Showtime revived the character with Dexter: New Blood, a limited series designed to revisit Dexter Morgan’s story and provide a more satisfying conclusion. Michael C. Hall returns as Dexter, with Clyde Phillips, the showrunner of the first four seasons of the original run, coming back to craft a story that’s set years after Dexter faked his death and disappeared. The revival explores what happens when he attempts to leave his violent past behind, only for his old instincts and unresolved family issues to resurface.

Nearly a decade after the original series finale, Dexter is living under the name Jim Lindsay in the small town of Iron Lake, New York, where he works at a sporting goods store and has avoided killing for years. His quiet existence begins to collapse when his teenage son Harrison (Jack Alcott) arrives, revealing that Dexter’s former partner Hannah has died and leaving Dexter to confront the possibility that his son may have inherited his own violent tendencies. When Dexter returns to killing after encountering someone who fits his code, he draws attention from local law enforcement, true crime podcaster Molly Park (Jamie Chung), and Police Chief Angela Bishop (Julia Jones), who begins investigating the town’s missing women. Meanwhile, Dexter crosses paths with Kurt Caldwell (Clancy Brown), a respected local businessman hiding disturbing secrets of his own.

Dexter: New Blood was an impressive return for much of its run, successfully creating a different atmosphere through its small-town setting while still capturing the appeal of the original series. Hall remains excellent in the role, and the addition of Harrison adds an interesting emotional conflict as Dexter is forced to examine the impact his choices have had on his family. The return of Jennifer Carpenter as Dexter’s imagined conscience in the form of Debra is also a welcome addition. However, despite building toward what seemed like a more satisfying conclusion, the finale once again left many viewers disappointed. It was a strong continuation of Dexter’s story that struggled to deliver the ending fans were hoping for… which is a good thing in the long run, because it allowed for more continuations.

#7. DEXTER SEASON 2

• Release Year: 2007
  Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
  Primary Antagonists: James Doakes and Lila West
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, James Doakes, Rita Morgan, Frank Lundy, Lila West
  Why It Ranks #7: Turning Dexter’s own murders into the central investigation creates tremendous suspense and deepens the show’s exploration of its morally complicated protagonist.

Rather than repeating the formula that made its debut season such a success, Dexter immediately raises the stakes by turning its central premise against its protagonist, with his crimes attracting the attention of law enforcement.

When the bodies Dexter has dumped in the ocean are discovered, Miami Metro launches an investigation into the elusive Bay Harbor Butcher, unaware they’re searching for one of their own. As suspicion mounts, Sgt. Doakes (Erik King) relentlessly closes in on Dexter while FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine) joins the case. At the same time, Dexter’s personal life becomes even more chaotic when his relationship with his girlfriend Rita (Julie Benz) is strained by his suspicious behavior, leading him to Narcotics Anonymous, where he meets the dangerously obsessive Lila (Jaime Murray), whose unpredictable actions threaten everyone close to him.

I was impressed that Dexter tackled such a high-stakes storyline this early in its run instead of saving it for later seasons. The constant pressure of Dexter trying to stay ahead of both the police investigation and Lila’s increasingly reckless behavior makes for an intensely suspenseful season filled with satisfying twists. I especially enjoyed how the season further explores Dexter’s emotional contradictions, making him an even more fascinating character. I also liked that the season occasionally embraced the idea that Dexter is essentially a twisted version of a comic book vigilante, with Dexter himself even starting to see himself as a messed-up hero.

#6. DEXTER: ORIGINAL SIN

• Release Year: 2024–2025
  Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
  Primary Antagonists: Brian Moser and the mysterious killer targeting children
  Key Characters: Young Dexter Morgan, Harry Morgan, Debra Morgan, María LaGuerta, Angel Batista, Vince Masuka
  Why It Ranks #6: Patrick Gibson and the supporting cast successfully recreate the spirit of the original series while expanding Dexter’s backstory with an entertaining new mystery.

After the success of Dexter: New Blood, original Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips returned to expand the franchise with Dexter: Original Sin, a prequel series exploring the early years of Dexter Morgan’s transformation into a serial killer. Set before the events of the original series, the show introduces younger versions of familiar characters while examining how Dexter developed his code under the influence of his adoptive father Harry Morgan. With the challenge of recasting iconic roles previously played by beloved actors, the series had to prove that a younger version of Dexter could still capture the spirit of the original.

Set in 1991, Dexter: Original Sin follows a young Dexter (Patrick Gibson) as he begins an internship at Miami Metro while learning to control his homicidal urges. After Harry (Christian Slater) suffers a heart attack, Dexter saves his life by killing a nurse who has been abusing her power by deciding which patients live and die, marking his first kill under the beginnings of Harry’s guidance. As Dexter works alongside younger versions of familiar characters like Debra Morgan (Molly Brown), María LaGuerta (Christina Milian), Angel Batista (James Martinez), and Vince Masuka (Alex Shimizu), he investigates a series of crimes involving abducted children while also suspecting another emerging serial killer is operating in Miami. The series also explores Harry’s early involvement in Dexter’s life and revisits key events involving Dexter’s biological family.

Dexter: Original Sin succeeds where many prequels struggle by creating a story that feels like more than just an excuse to revisit familiar characters. Patrick Gibson does an impressive job capturing Michael C. Hall’s mannerisms and the unsettling charm that made Dexter such an appealing character, while the supporting cast largely succeeds in bringing younger versions of these familiar faces to life. Although there are some continuity issues and moments where Dexter’s early actions don’t completely align with the careful killer he eventually becomes, the season delivers an entertaining expansion of the franchise. It’s a shame that Showtime decided to cancel this show after one season (backtracking from a season 2 announcement to do so), because I was all-in on following the continuing adventures of young Dexter and wanted to see more of this cast as these characters.

#5. DEXTER SEASON 1

• Release Year: 2006
  Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
  Primary Antagonist: The Ice Truck Killer / Brian Moser
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Debra Morgan, Harry Morgan, Rita Morgan, Brian Moser
  Why It Ranks #5: An outstanding introduction to Dexter’s world, anchored by Michael C. Hall’s performance and an engrossing mystery that makes the series immediately addictive.

Premiering on Showtime in 2006, Dexter introduced one of television’s most unusual antiheroes… and audiences loved him.

While Dexter dispatches multiple killers over the course of the season, the central storyline revolves around the hunt for the mysterious Ice Truck Killer, a methodical murderer who drains victims of their blood before dismembering and freezing their bodies. As Miami Metro investigates the case, the killer begins taunting Dexter directly, leaving clues in his apartment and demonstrating an unsettling knowledge of Dexter’s secret life and forgotten childhood. The investigation gradually evolves into a deeply personal game of cat and mouse that forces Dexter to confront long-buried truths about his past.

Despite arriving nearly two decades late to the phenomenon, I was immediately hooked by Dexter‘s premise, strong writing, and Michael C. Hall’s charismatic performance. The show strikes an impressive balance between its procedural elements, dark humor, and psychological drama, while the Ice Truck Killer storyline provides an engrossing season-long mystery that continually raises the stakes. By the finale, I completely understood why Dexter became such a television sensation and was eager to dive into the next season. Season 1 ranking at #5 on this list isn’t a strike against its quality, but a testament to how great some of the follow-up seasons were.

#4. DEXTER SEASON 5

• Release Year: 2010
  Showrunner: Chip Johannessen
  Primary Antagonists: Jordan Chase and his accomplices
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Lumen Pierce, Debra Morgan, Jordan Chase, Joey Quinn
  Why It Ranks #4: Dexter’s partnership with Lumen creates one of the show’s best explorations of his humanity while delivering a gripping revenge story.

Following the departure of original showrunner Clyde Phillips, Dexter entered its fifth season under new leadership with Chip Johannessen taking over top creative duties. After years of exploring Dexter’s struggle to control his urges and maintain a normal existence, Season 5 pushes further into the question of whether Dexter is capable of genuine human connection.

Still dealing with the aftermath of the previous season’s devastating events, Dexter finds himself drawn into the life of Lumen Pierce (Julia Stiles), a woman who survived a brutal series of murders and torture carried out by a group of powerful men. After discovering the extent of what happened to Lumen and realizing the full network of killers involved, Dexter helps her seek revenge by targeting those responsible. As the two work together, Dexter begins experiencing emotions and attachments he once believed he was incapable of, while other storylines involve Debra’s relationship with Dexter’s suspicious co-worker Quinn (Desmond Harrington), tensions between co-workers Batista (David Zayas) and LaGuerta, and several people getting dangerously close to uncovering Dexter’s secret.

Despite the change in showrunners, Dexter remained a strong series in Season 5, and I found the story of Dexter and Lumen to be one of the show’s most interesting arcs. Julia Stiles brings a strong emotional presence to her role, and watching Dexter move from using Lumen as part of his vigilante mission to developing a genuine bond with her adds another layer to his character. The season successfully continues the show’s exploration of Dexter’s humanity while delivering another suspenseful revenge story. Johannessen should have stuck around instead of passing the showrunner baton to Buck.

#3. DEXTER: RESURRECTION SEASON 1

• Release Year: 2025
  Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
  Primary Antagonist: Leon Prater and his circle of serial killers
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Harrison Morgan, Angel Batista, Leon Prater, Charley
  Why It Ranks #3: A wildly entertaining continuation that embraces what makes Dexter interesting while expanding his world with a bizarre and memorable collection of serial killers.

Following the controversial endings of both the original Dexter series and Dexter: New Blood, Dexter: Resurrection serves as an ongoing continuation of the franchise. Michael C. Hall returns as Dexter, and the series explores what happens when he survives his supposed final fate and is forced to confront unfinished business with his past, his son, and the consequences of the life he has lived.

After being shot by his son Harrison at the end of New Blood, Dexter survives after spending ten weeks in a coma. When he learns Harrison has followed in his footsteps by killing a dangerous predator, Dexter heads to New York City to reconnect with his son and prevent him from making the same mistakes. Meanwhile, former Miami homicide detective Angel Batista continues pursuing the truth about Dexter’s identity as the Bay Harbor Butcher. In New York, Dexter encounters a new generation of potential victims, including a rideshare murderer known as the Dark Passenger and wealthy serial killer enthusiast Leon Prater (Peter Dinklage), who collects murder memorabilia and secretly gathers active killers together. Dexter infiltrates their world while attempting to eliminate these dangerous criminals, all while protecting Harrison and avoiding detection.

Dexter: Resurrection is a surprisingly strong continuation and ranks among the best seasons of the franchise. After years of disappointing attempts to end Dexter’s story, this season embraces what made the character engaging in the first place while expanding the world in new directions. Hall is clearly enjoying returning to the role, and the combination of Dexter’s relationship with Harrison, Batista’s pursuit, and the bizarre collection of serial killers creates an entertaining and suspenseful season. While some emotional moments are softened by the fact that Dexter’s imagination frequently brings back characters from his past, the overall result is a thrilling return. More Dexter is a glorious thing to have, especially when the quality level is this high.

#2. DEXTER SEASON 3

• Release Year: 2008
  Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
  Primary Antagonist: Miguel Prado
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Miguel Prado, Rita Morgan, Debra Morgan, The Skinner
  Why It Ranks #2: Dexter’s relationship with Miguel Prado provides exceptional character drama as Dexter discovers what happens when someone else embraces his twisted form of vigilante justice.

After two seasons built around Dexter Morgan’s secret nearly being exposed, Dexter Season 3 explores what happens when someone doesn’t condemn his vigilante lifestyle and embraces it instead. This time, Dexter is forced to consider whether his deadly mission can actually be shared with someone else.

Dexter’s latest hunt takes an unexpected turn when he accidentally kills a man in self-defense, drawing the attention of the man’s brother, Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits). Once Miguel discovers Dexter’s true nature, he becomes fascinated by his brand of vigilante justice and proposes they work together to eliminate criminals. As their unlikely partnership deepens, conflicting moral boundaries gradually drive the two men toward an inevitable collision, while Dexter also faces major personal changes with Rita’s pregnancy and a season-long hunt for the serial killer known as the Skinner.

Season 3 became one of my favorite installments of the series thanks to the relationship between Dexter and Miguel Prado. Hall and Smits have terrific chemistry, and Smits delivers a captivating performance as a man whose enthusiasm for vigilantism slowly spirals into something far more dangerous. Although the Skinner storyline feels secondary, the season excels because of its character drama, memorable confrontations, and emotional stakes, making it one of the most engrossing chapters of Dexter.

#1. DEXTER SEASON 4

• Release Year: 2009
  Showrunner: Clyde Phillips
  Primary Antagonist: Arthur Mitchell / The Trinity Killer
  Key Characters: Dexter Morgan, Arthur Mitchell, Rita Morgan, Debra Morgan, Frank Lundy
  Why It Ranks #1: John Lithgow’s unforgettable Trinity Killer pushes Dexter to his limits, making Season 4 the most powerful combination of suspense, character development, and emotional stakes in the franchise.

By its fourth season, Dexter had established itself as a unique crime thriller built around a morally complicated protagonist, with Dexter working as a vigilante serial killer while trying to maintain the appearance of a normal life with his girlfriend Rita and their family. Season 4 explores what happens when Dexter encounters someone who appears to have mastered the same impossible balance he struggles with.

Dexter’s latest target is Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow), better known as the Trinity Killer, a decades-long serial murderer whose ability to hide behind the image of a devoted family man makes him one of Dexter’s most dangerous opponents. When former FBI agent Frank Lundy returns to investigate Trinity’s crimes, Dexter quickly discovers Arthur’s identity but hesitates to kill him, fascinated by how he manages to maintain a seemingly ordinary life. Dexter secretly studies Arthur, hoping to learn how to better balance his own violent urges with his responsibilities as a husband and father. As Dexter’s obsession grows, his decision to keep Trinity alive creates increasingly dangerous consequences.

Season 4 is the strongest installment of Dexter, thanks largely to John Lithgow’s unforgettable performance as Arthur Mitchell. Lithgow creates a villain who is both terrifying and disturbingly human. The season works because Dexter’s own flaws and curiosity repeatedly put him in danger, and watching him struggle with the consequences of his choices creates suspense. While the series had already been impressive, Season 4 demonstrated just how powerful Dexter could be when it pushed its central character to his limits.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The franchise has certainly had its ups and downs, and some of its attempts to wrap up Dexter’s story have been considerably less successful than others. But even after the original series finale, New Blood, and everything that followed, I still don’t think we’ve seen the last of what makes Dexter Morgan such a fascinating character.

What surprised me most about putting this ranking together was how much I enjoyed the newer chapters. Dexter: Original Sin showed that there was still something worthwhile to explore in Dexter’s early years, while Dexter: Resurrection demonstrated that the best way to please the fans may be to stop trying so hard to end the story and just embrace the fact that we want this to keep going for as long as possible. Meanwhile, the original series still contains some of the franchise’s strongest material, particularly the Dexter/Miguel relationship in Season 3 and the unforgettable showdown between Dexter and the Trinity Killer in Season 4.

So while Season 4 remains my favorite, I’m glad I didn’t stop with the original series. I came to Dexter nearly twenty years late, but after making it through all eleven seasons and series installments, I can finally say I understand what everyone was so excited about. And if the first season of Resurrection is any indication of what’s still ahead, I’m more than happy to keep following Dexter Morgan wherever this strange, bloody story takes him next.

The post Every Season of Dexter Ranked From Worst to Best appeared first on JoBlo.

Tyler

It really feels as though filmmakers are testing the waters with what they can get away with, with Artificial Intelligence. We’ve seen in pop up in various films, with the shark movie Chum from earlier this year using AI for nearly every moment involving a shark. Yet I’m always impressed with how much shame is thrust upon these filmmakers whenever they even speak somewhat positively about the technology. Because people online absolutely hate it. As soon as there’s even a hint of its usage, they’re like sharks smelling blood in the water, and it’s all the conversation around the film becomes.

And it’s understandable, for a variety of reasons. There’s the moral argument of supporting real human beings versus the AI data centers that are bad for the environment. But the simple fact that cannot be ignored is that AI-generated footage does not look good.

Eli Roth is getting destroyed online for his AI usage

When I first saw Ice Cream Man, I had my suspicions about there being some AI being used in the film. But, at the time, it was just speculation, so I gave Roth the benefit of the doubt. So to then see it confirmed is very disappointing. The biggest issue with Roth’s usage of AI is that it’s absurdly lazy. It was used to create shots that could have been easily filmed with a crew for very minimal money during the initial shoot. Instead, he opts for AI, and it immediately stands out. There was an audible groan from the crowd during one particularly egregious moment. Because as much as they try to convince us otherwise, AI footage simply looks bad.

It’s a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon. Every AI shot is immediately recognizable and looks like crap. The lighting is off and there’s a weird wiggle to everything in the frame. Even the good ones: it’s there. It’s the “Uncanny Valley” problem that video games had for so long. Will it eventually get to a place where it’s indistinguishable from practically shot footage? Absolutely. But it’s not there yet, and highlights how sterile that entire creation process ends up being.

Neil Blomkamp is taking a mixed approach

Neill Blomkamp has fully joined the dark side, releasing a 13-minute proof-of-concept titled Nightborne. He used Seedance 2.0 to create his AI short. Where Neill differs from your average person putting prompts into a program, he did still incorporate concept art and performances from 32 real people. It feels like a bit more of a bridging of the gap, but it still draws into question the ethical nature of it all. But at least he’s still hiring real artists and then tweaking it from there. It’s not much better, but I acknowledge that it is more moral.

The short itself feels awkward, with flat lighting and inhuman performances. I had to scrub through it because everything was so unnatural and soulless. I could not imagine trying to watch an entire film from something like this. But that’s exactly what Blomkamp is doing, and I’m sure others who can’t get traditional movies made are sure to follow.

Is there ANY positive to AI for filmmakers?

I’m not going to pretend that there’s not some usage for AI on a film. Rotoscoping is a very tedious process that can be drastically reduced by utilizing it. Logging footage can also be a massive pain in the ass. But that’s all it should ever be: a tool used by a human to help them do their job better. Instead, it’s being used to eliminate work from actual artists. There is without a doubt that there is AI being used on everyday films and television that we don’t even realize. From storyboarding to development, it’s around somewhere. But it’s up to us to say when enough is enough.

An argument can be made that AI is the future, and those who don’t embrace it are cursed to be stuck in the past. I find any use of Generative AI in a movie absolutely abhorrent.

I really hope that other filmmakers are taking notice of the reaction to legitimate filmmakers using AI. Because sure, they’ll laugh at it when some amateur is using it to make two celebs fight that you can watch for free on your phone. But when you’re paying for a product made by professionals, you expect it to be handcrafted by professionals, not written down into a prompt and then regurgitated.

Is AI a dealbreaker for you? Will more filmmakers use generative AI to complete the vision for their films? Let us know in the comments!

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The post Big Directors Are Embracing AI — But Is It Backfiring? appeared first on JoBlo.

The Leprechaun is coming back!

A new Leprechaun horror movie is in the works at Lionsgate, with horror veterans Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan writing the screenplay. The new movie’s plot is being kept under wraps. Oren Koules and Miles Koules will produce through their Koulest Productions banner, with Dan Heffner and Ketura Kestin executive producing.

The project gives the long-running horror franchise another chance at a comeback after Lionsgate previously attempted to develop a new Leprechaun movie a couple of years ago.

Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan Are Writing the New Leprechaun

Melton and Dunstan are no strangers to horror franchises. The pair previously teamed up on The Collector, The Collection, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Unhuman, with Dunstan directing several of their collaborations. They also have extensive experience with the Saw franchise. Melton and Dunstan co-wrote Saw IV, Saw V, Saw VI, and Saw 3D.

That makes their involvement particularly interesting for a Leprechaun movie, considering the franchise has always mixed horror with dark comedy and outrageous kills.

Oren Koules is also closely connected to Saw. He produced all 10 movies in the original Saw film series, which collectively earned more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

“After producing all the Saw films, and twenty-three wonderful years at Lionsgate, I’m thrilled to be working again with the Lionsgate team, Patrick and Marcus, and my son, Miles, on a terrifying new way into the rich world of Leprechaun,” Koules told Deadline.

Lionsgate Previously Tried to Reboot Leprechaun

This isn’t Lionsgate’s first attempt to bring the Leprechaun franchise back. In 2023, Lionsgate announced that filmmaker Felipe Vargas was attached to direct a new Leprechaun movie from a screenplay by Mike Van Waes. Roy Lee and Miri Yoon were set to produce.

That version did not make it into production.

Now Lionsgate is taking another swing at the franchise with Melton and Dunstan.

The Leprechaun Franchise Explained

The Leprechaun franchise began in 1993 with writer-director Mark Jones’ original Leprechaun, starring Warwick Davis as the murderous, wisecracking creature. Davis would go on to play the Leprechaun in six of the franchise’s eight movies. The original film also featured Jennifer Aniston in one of her earliest movie roles, years before she became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

The basic premise of the series is wonderfully simple: The Leprechaun is a murderous creature who will do just about anything to recover his pot of gold. From there, the movies have taken the character to a variety of locations, including Las Vegas, outer space, and the hood.

The franchise currently consists of eight movies released between 1993 and 2018.

Lionsgate became the owner of the Leprechaun franchise after acquiring Trimark Pictures in 2000. The most recent entry was 2018’s Leprechaun Returns, which brought the series back to its original setting and featured Linden Porco taking over the role of the Leprechaun from Warwick Davis.

The franchise has remained a cult favorite over the years, with the movies regularly receiving marathon treatment on the Syfy network around St. Patrick’s Day.

When Will the New Leprechaun Movie Be Released?

There is currently no release date for the new Leprechaun movie. The project is still in development, and details about the story, cast, director, and production schedule have not been announced.

It also remains unclear whether the new movie will continue the existing Leprechaun continuity or serve as another reboot of the franchise.

For now, all we know is that Lionsgate is developing the movie with Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan writing and Oren and Miles Koules producing. Are you glad to hear that there’s still life in this franchise? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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PLOT: A young arthouse director, Kris (Hannah Einbinder), seeks to reboot her favorite horror franchise, Camp Miasma, by tracking down the reclusive final girl from the first film, Billy (Gillian Anderson).

REVIEW: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is director Jane Schoenbrun’s follow-up to I Saw the TV Glow. That movie was a solid arthouse hit following its acclaimed run at Sundance, and Camp Miasma is clearly designed to scratch a similar itch, with the two thematically similar in some ways. I Saw the TV Glow was an allegory for the transformative effect of the content we watch at an early age, and Miasma is similar in that way. Yet, where I Saw the TV Glow had a more complicated mythology, with the leads obsessing over a TV show (and expanded universe) called “The Pink Opaque,” Miasma is more universal. Who among us wasn’t obsessed with teen slashers while coming of age?

The Camp Miasma franchise, which we learn spanned the nineties and 2000s across multiple entries, is presented very much in the mold of Friday the 13th, with the original classic giving way to a whole variety of installments, including the inevitable sci-fi entry, Miasma 3000 — a riff on Jason X. But it’s also heavily influenced by Sleepaway Camp (although both franchises actually exist in the world of this film), particularly the shock ending.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, for the first half, anyway, is Schoenbrun’s most accessible film to date, functioning as a fairly knowing satire of the current state of horror franchises and how studios handle them. Kris, whose first feature was a Sundance hit but bombed (it’s described as Psycho from the POV of the shower curtain), has been hired to reboot Camp Miasma because the original has been deemed transphobic, but because she’s queer, the studio believes she will deliver a woke reboot that will relaunch what she dubs “zombie IP.”

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma largely splits the narrative into two. Half of the movie focuses on Kris as she visits Gillian Anderson’s Billy, who has become a recluse but now actually lives on the set from the first film. The two have a unique dynamic, with Billy not quite understanding Kris’s high-minded ideas for a reboot, even if there’s something else at play, with the vibe between the two immediately turning flirtatious. A KFC fried chicken-eating scene is this movie’s riff on the famous chess sequence from The Thomas Crown Affair.

Einbinder plays Kris with the right amount of pretentiousness and likability, making her easy to invest in—a good thing, as, through the film’s surreal twists and turns, she effectively becomes a kind of final girl, even if it’s not quite as simple as that. Anderson plays Billy to the hilt as a kind of sexy Norma Desmond type (she even wears a similar hat with a diamond), but the film is knowing enough to basically name-check the character outright.

But a big chunk of the movie is Schoenbrun’s recreation of the original Camp Miasma, which plays out as a nostalgic, nearly pitch-perfect recreation of these kinds of slasher movies (I say “nearly” because too much CGI blood is used, which lessens the impact of the gore and makes it cartoonish). We get our slasher, Little Death (Jack Haven — star of I Saw the TV Glow), his origin story, and a group of teens ready to be slaughtered. The casting is a hoot, with deliberately too-old actors, including the great Zach Cherry from Severance and Sorry, Baby’s Eva Victor sporting a mohawk.

Where the film will prove divisive is in the highly meta final third, in which it becomes more of an allegory for Kris’s sexual awakening, with both her and Billy presented as being in a sort of erotic thrall to Little Death and his murders. They become excited at the prospect of being one of his victims — but he’s not real, right? Or is he?

What’s real and what isn’t doesn’t matter all that much in Schoenbrun’s film, which is highly surreal and not open to easy interpretation. This isn’t that different from I Saw the TV Glow, but I found Camp Miasma to be more openly entertaining, with a great sense of humor that Schoenbrun’s last film only showed in brief flashes. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is amusing from start to finish, and it’s gorgeously assembled.

With backing from Mubi and Brad Pitt’s Plan B, it seems to have been made on a healthy budget, and it boasts beautiful cinematography by Eric Yue, with cigarette burns and print damage worked into the Camp Miasma scenes, as though we’re watching a battered 16mm print. The soundtrack is also well assembled, with Alex G’s score and the needle drops carefully curated.

It will be interesting to see how hardcore horror fans take to Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. While it’s probably too meta to actually be scary, it does have a strong love for the genre running through it, as well as nostalgia for the movies it riffs on. It’s lovingly made and certainly a unique experience that should become a cult hit — particularly for younger viewers, who it could serve as a gateway to some of the classics it references.

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Cody

For more than fifty years, filmmakers have turned to the works of Stephen King for some of Hollywood’s most memorable adaptations. From Carrie and The Shining to It and Pet Sematary, they have repeatedly found ways to bring King’s worlds to life. But there was always one story that seemed almost impossible to adapt: The Dark Tower.

King’s epic saga was unlike anything else in his bibliography: a strange blend of horror, fantasy, science fiction, westerns, and metafiction. At the center was Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, crossing a dying world in search of the mysterious Dark Tower that holds reality itself together.

For years, Hollywood tried to figure out how to bring that story to the screen. But the project struggled because The Dark Tower wasn’t just a story. It was an entire universe.

In 2017, director Nikolaj Arcel finally brought Roland’s journey to theaters, with Idris Elba playing the gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey playing his mysterious enemy, the Man in Black. It seemed like a great combination. Elba had the intensity and presence needed for Roland, while McConaughey brought a smooth, playful evil to one of Stephen King’s most iconic villains. But when The Dark Tower arrived, critics were disappointed, longtime readers questioned the changes to King’s mythology, and audiences were left underwhelmed.

It was a failure, but an intriguing one. Because behind the troubled development process, shortened runtime, and changes to the source material was a fascinating challenge: How do you adapt one of Stephen King’s most personal and ambitious creations for a mainstream audience?

Was The Dark Tower truly impossible to adapt, or did Hollywood simply make the wrong choices? And after years of failed attempts, production problems, and disappointed fans, does The Dark Tower still have a chance to rise again?

Today, we’re going to find out what happened to The Dark Tower.

The Story of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower

The Dark Tower began as a challenge Stephen King set for himself in the late 1960s and early 1970s. King loved J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. He was in awe of Tolkien’s imagination and storytelling, but he had little interest in writing a traditional fantasy filled with elves and medieval kingdoms. After watching Sergio Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, King envisioned something different: a sweeping, Tolkien-style quest set against the landscapes of the American West.

Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” provided the basic setup. It told the story of a fallen knight named Roland journeying through a nightmarish wasteland toward a mysterious Dark Tower. King’s Roland would be a gunslinger rather than a knight: the last in a line of gunslingers stretching back to Arthur Eld, essentially King’s version of King Arthur.

King began writing the story by hand while he was still a student at the University of Maine. He wanted to create an epic, even imagining that it might become the longest book ever written. He fell short of that particular record, but he certainly succeeded at creating an epic.

It took King more than forty years to complete the story. By the time he was finished, The Dark Tower had become an eight-volume saga blending fantasy, horror, science fiction, westerns, and metafiction. At the center of everything was the Dark Tower, a structure standing at the crossroads of all realities. Protecting the Tower meant protecting existence itself. Roland’s search became a story about obsession, sacrifice, destiny, and the cost of chasing an impossible goal.

Roland wasn’t just a cowboy with a pair of revolvers. He was a tragic figure whose obsession with reaching the Tower repeatedly cost him the people he loved. Throughout the saga, he is forced to choose between his quest and his humanity. That makes him one of King’s greatest characters.

The Dark Tower Is an Entire Stephen King Universe

The saga is unlike anything else King has written, and yet it’s connected, in various ways and to various degrees, to many of his other books. The Stand, The Talisman, The Eyes of the Dragon, Insomnia, ’Salem’s Lot, Hearts in Atlantis, and others all connect to The Dark Tower.

The story’s world is also unlike a conventional fantasy setting. Roland’s Mid-World resembles the American Old West, but it clearly isn’t the Old West. There are strange creatures and magical beings. Areas have been poisoned by nuclear radiation. Remnants of a technologically advanced civilization destroyed by war remain scattered throughout the landscape. There are robots, monorails, demonic spirits, and songs that, in our world, were recorded by artists like ZZ Top and The Beatles.

And this isn’t simply some twisted, post-apocalyptic version of our world. King reveals that our reality can be accessed through special doorways: portals to other dimensions. Through those doorways, Roland eventually gathers three companions from 20th-century New York City, including a young boy named Jake Chambers.

The Dark Tower wasn’t just a series of novels. It was an entire universe. That universe would be almost impossible to fit into a traditional blockbuster. But that didn’t stop Hollywood from trying.

J.J. Abrams and the First Dark Tower Movie Plans

The seventh Dark Tower novel was published in 2004, seemingly bringing Roland’s story to an end. King later returned to the world with The Wind Through the Keyhole, which was published in 2012 and became the eighth book in the series. Hollywood’s attempts to bring the saga to the screen started soon after the seventh book went out into the world.

In 2007, J.J. Abrams, Carlton Cuse, and Damon Lindelof, the creators of Lost, optioned the rights to The Dark Tower for just $19. The number was a deliberate reference to the significance of the number 19 throughout King’s saga.

Abrams hoped to make The Dark Tower a seven-film series, with each book receiving its own cinematic adaptation. The problem was that Abrams, Cuse, and Lindelof had just made six seasons of Lost. They weren’t ready to immediately take on another enormous project.

Their plans sputtered out, and their option eventually lapsed. Hollywood, however, wasn’t finished with Roland.

Ron Howard and the Planned Dark Tower Trilogy

Just a few months later, Universal Pictures optioned the rights with an even more ambitious plan: a trilogy of films with two seasons of a television series airing between the movies. That was what the studio believed would be required to faithfully bring King’s story to the screen.

Ron Howard was set to direct the first film, with Akiva Goldsman writing the screenplay. Mark Verheiden was attached to executive produce the television side and write the pilot with Goldsman.

Universal had reportedly paid $15 million for the rights, but concerns quickly emerged about the cost of the proposed three-movie-and-TV-series plan.

In July 2011, Universal canceled development of the entire project. But Howard wasn’t ready to give up. He moved the television series to HBO, while the movies were pitched to Warner Bros. Warner passed. Finally, in 2015, Sony Pictures and Media Rights Capital put an adaptation on the fast track to production.

But the plan had changed. There would no longer be a trilogy, and the television series was pushed to the back burner. Howard stepped aside as director but remained attached as a producer. Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner wrote a new screenplay. When Nikolaj Arcel was hired to direct, he rewrote the script with Anders Thomas Jensen.

After years of development, The Dark Tower was finally going to become a movie. But the version that reached theaters would be very different from King’s books.

The 2017 Movie Wasn’t Really an Adaptation

The writers had more than 4,000 pages of source material to pull from. In the end, they chose not to directly adapt any of the books. Instead, they cherry-picked elements from the saga: a little from the first book, some from the third, more from the sixth and seventh, and other pieces from elsewhere.

Faithfulness was no longer the priority. If they had polled fans and asked what they thought about this approach, those fans probably would have told them not to bother. But nobody asked. Sony wanted the movie in theaters in 2017, and the filmmakers pushed forward.

There was a clever way to explain the changes, though. In the final book, Roland reaches the Dark Tower only to discover that he has been there many times before. He is caught in a loop. Every time he reaches the Tower, he is sent back to the beginning of his quest. The book ends with Roland beginning that quest again.

The filmmakers decided their movie would take place during Roland’s next cycle. That meant The Dark Tower wasn’t replacing King’s story. It was a sequel to it. The filmmakers weren’t saying, “This is our version of the books.” They were saying, “This happened after the books.”

King supported that idea. Unfortunately, the concept was much more interesting than the movie itself.

Idris Elba Becomes Roland

Now that a Dark Tower movie was actually happening, the filmmakers needed an actor to play Roland. This was the most important piece of the puzzle because the actor would be at the center of the franchise Sony hoped to build. Javier Bardem had previously been attached to play the gunslinger during the Universal era. Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson were later rumored to be contenders.

Ultimately, Idris Elba brought Roland to life. Elba was already one of the most respected actors in the world. He had demonstrated his range across numerous genres and had the physical presence needed to play a legendary warrior. More importantly, he could communicate the emotions beneath Roland’s hard exterior. Roland isn’t interesting simply because he can fire a gun faster than anyone else. He’s interesting because of what those skills have cost him. He has lost almost everything while pursuing his mission.

But the casting announcement immediately created controversy among some fans. In King’s books, Roland is described as a white gunslinger inspired by western stars like Clint Eastwood, with light blue eyes. Some fans questioned whether changing his appearance would alter the character.

King quickly came to Elba’s defense. “To me, the color of the gunslinger doesn’t matter,” King said. “What I care about is how fast he can draw, and that he takes care of the ka-tet.” He also praised Elba as one of the best actors working.

For his performance, Elba spoke with Arcel about soldiers with PTSD and veterans of traumatic experiences. He wanted to bring that emotional exhaustion to Roland. His Roland would be driven by grief and duty.

Matthew McConaughey Plays the Man in Black

The other major piece of the puzzle was Roland’s greatest enemy: Walter, the Man in Black. The character is essentially the same person as Randall Flagg from The Stand, making him one of the most important villains in King’s larger mythology.

While Elba had to bring emotional depth to Roland, Matthew McConaughey was able to have a little more fun with the Man in Black. He was happy to play such a character. As Arcel explained, McConaughey immediately saw the character as essentially the Devil.

“He was really happy to just be able to play evil,” Arcel said, explaining that many villains are given complicated reasons for their actions. “I thought it was refreshing that the Man in Black is just evil.”

In the movie, the Man in Black abducts children with psychic abilities, or the “shine,” and uses their mental energy to attack the Tower. He wants the Tower to fall because demons living in the darkness outside the universe will then be able to enter and rule everything. This brings him to Jake Chambers, an 11-year-old living in New York City. Jake has a particularly powerful shine and has been plagued by nightmares that are actually psychic visions of the Man in Black and Roland’s world, Mid-World.

The Man in Black believes Jake’s abilities are powerful enough to destroy the Tower. But Jake discovers a portal to Mid-World and comes under Roland’s protection.

Tom Taylor Plays Jake Chambers

Tom Taylor was cast as Jake Chambers, another crucial character in the Dark Tower saga. Despite his psychic abilities, Jake serves as the audience surrogate. We experience this strange world through his eyes. He is a newcomer, just like the audience, and we learn about Mid-World as he does.

The supporting cast included Katheryn Winnick as Jake’s mother, Dennis Haysbert as Roland’s father, Claudia Kim as a seer, and Jackie Earle Haley, Fran Kranz, and Abbey Lee as some of the Man in Black’s followers.

Casting wasn’t one of the movie’s problems. The supporting cast was solid, and Elba and McConaughey had more than enough talent to carry the lead characters. Unfortunately, the movie didn’t give them enough time.

The Dark Tower Was Only 95 Minutes Long

The Dark Tower had the nearly impossible task of introducing an entire mythology while telling a complete story. It tried to do both in a shockingly short running time.

For budgetary reasons, Arcel made the movie as short as he could. The Dark Tower runs just 95 minutes, with the end credits beginning before the 88-minute mark. That isn’t enough time to properly tell a story about a universe this complicated. It’s enough time to give viewers the basic idea.

For a typical action movie, a 95-minute runtime might not be a problem. But this was supposed to be the beginning of an epic franchise.

Why The Dark Tower Failed

When The Dark Tower arrived in theaters in 2017, it carried an enormous amount of history with it. This was the result of years of development, decades of fan anticipation, and the pressure of adapting one of Stephen King’s most ambitious creations. It had a talented cast, a filmmaker passionate about the material, and the potential to launch an entire franchise.

But audiences noticed the problem immediately. The Dark Tower felt smaller than the story it was trying to tell.

King’s books are filled with mythology, character relationships, strange details, and world-building that make Mid-World feel alive. The movie simplified almost all of it.

Concepts such as the Dark Tower, the Beams protecting reality, and Roland’s battle against the forces of darkness are introduced, but the movie moves through them so quickly that they never have time to develop.

For longtime fans, the mythology that made the books fascinating was reduced to short explanations. The mysterious, hard-edged nature of King’s universe was replaced with a straightforward hero-versus-villain story with a soft PG-13 rating.

The result was a movie that was arguably too different and simple for established fans and too rushed for newcomers. It was trying to build a franchise and tell a complete story at the same time. It didn’t succeed at either.

There are some fun moments, particularly when Roland gets to unleash his gunslinger skills, but The Dark Tower should have been much more than this. The scenes involving the Man in Black and his assistants have the style and atmosphere of a low-rent TV movie.

The movie was made for a reported $66 million and earned approximately $113 million worldwide. It was a box office disappointment. Critics tore it apart. Fans were let down. Even Ron Howard was dissatisfied with how the movie turned out. He said the filmmakers had done “too much listening to what [we thought] the marketplace was calling for instead of the essence of what Stephen King was giving us.”

King also believed the PG-13 rating played a role in the movie’s failure. He said the concept had “lost a lot of toughness” and became something audiences could look at and say they had seen before.

The Dark Tower experiment was over. Or at least it seemed that way.

The Dark Tower TV Series That Never Happened

Media Rights Capital hoped to repair the damage with a television series developed for Amazon Prime Video. The Walking Dead‘s Glen Mazzara was chosen as showrunner, while Sam Strike and Jasper Pääkkönen were cast as Roland and the Man in Black.

Unlike the movie, this series was intended to be independent of the film and provide a more faithful adaptation of King’s books. A pilot episode was filmed, but Amazon ultimately passed on the project.

And that was it for The Dark Tower. For a while.

Mike Flanagan Wants to Bring The Dark Tower Back

In December 2022, filmmaker Mike Flanagan revealed that he had acquired the rights to The Dark Tower. Flanagan already has experience adapting Stephen King, having made Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck, and an adaptation of Carrie. He has said that the ideal way to bring The Dark Tower to the screen would be a television series running for five seasons, followed by two movies.

The project has not yet gone into production, but it is set up at Prime Video. And Flanagan understands the biggest problem with the 2017 movie. He believes another adaptation needs to happen because, as he put it: “We can’t let [the 2017 movie] be the final word. We really can’t.”

Can The Dark Tower Still Be Adapted?

Hopefully, there will eventually be a more faithful Dark Tower adaptation to watch. A series, movies, or a combination of both could finally capture the epic feeling and emotional weight of King’s novels. Because the problem wasn’t necessarily that The Dark Tower couldn’t be adapted. The problem may have been that Hollywood tried to turn an enormous, strange, deeply personal saga into a conventional 95-minute blockbuster.

King’s story needed room to breathe. It needed its mythology. It needed Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, Oy, Walter, Mid-World, the Beams, the Tower, and all the strange connections that make the books so fascinating. The 2017 movie didn’t have the time or the willingness to fully embrace all of that.

Instead, it was compromised by budgetary limitations, marketplace concerns, a soft rating, and a script that scrambled elements of an enormous saga into a story that simply didn’t work very well.

And that’s what happened to The Dark Tower. For now, the 2017 movie is all we have. But Roland has been to the Tower before. Maybe he’ll get another chance to make the journey.

A couple of previous episodes of this show can be seen below. For more, check out the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel—and don’t forget to subscribe!

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The first official images have arrived for Beware Boiúna, the upcoming creature feature from Wrong Turn (2021) and Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025) director Mike P. Nelson. Previously announced under the title Boiúna: Legend of the Amazon, the horror thriller is now set to reach theatres on October 2, 2026.

The film stars Kiana Madeira (Fear Street), Jessica Rothe (Happy Death Day), and Logan Marshall-Green (The Invitation), with a screenplay by Alan McElroy, whose genre credits include Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and both versions of Wrong Turn. The story comes from Tony Giglio and McElroy.

You can check out the newly released first-look images below.

The official synopsis reads:

Deep in the Amazon, a medical mission spirals into a fight for survival when Boiúna, a colossal ancient predator, awakens to reclaim her domain. In the jungle where nature holds absolute power, she decides who lives and who dies.

Earlier story details described the film as following a team of young doctors traveling into Brazil’s Amazon rainforest on a humanitarian mission along the Curuçá River. Their arrival awakens the legendary Boiúna, an ancient predator equally deadly on land and in water, turning the mission into a desperate battle for survival.

The title refers to a creature from Brazilian folklore. Also known as the Cobra Grande, the Boiúna is a gigantic mythical serpent said to inhabit the rivers of the Amazon. The legend has inspired stories throughout Brazil, making it an intriguing foundation for a creature feature.

Behind the camera, Nelson continues his run of horror projects following the Wrong Turn reboot, The Domestics, the Silent Night, Deadly Night remake, the Friday the 13th short film Sweet Revenge, and his segment of V/H/S/85.

After making his feature debut with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, McElroy went on to write films including Rapid Fire, Spawn, The Marine, Tekken, the original Wrong Turn, and Nelson’s reboot.

Beware Boiúna is produced by Constantin Film and JB Pictures, with Robert Kulzer and Jeremy Bolt producing.

What do you think of the first-look images? Will you be checking out Beware Boiúna in theaters this October? Let us know in the comments.

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Zach Cregger has already earned a reputation for delivering shocking horror with Barbarian and Weapons, but according to the filmmaker, his upcoming Resident Evil reboot pushes the violence further than anything he’s done before.

Speaking with Empire, Cregger described the upcoming video game adaptation as “definitely the most violent thing I’ve done,” promising fans a relentless, blood-soaked survival horror experience that embraces the franchise’s monster-filled roots.

“You gotta go grotesque!” Cregger said. “I wanted to go all the way. So it’s gnarly. It’s brutal. A very bloody affair.”

Rather than spending time explaining the mythology behind the Umbrella Corporation or the T-virus, Cregger says his focus is on delivering a fast-paced survival story.

“Fleshing out what [the Umbrella Corporation is] up to and how the T-virus works, that’s not what this movie is,” he explained. “This movie is about one dude’s journey on foot, fighting monsters. I don’t give a f*ck about checking boxes.”

He added that the movie wastes little time getting started.

“All I cared about was just telling a fun story. We step on the gas at about eight minutes in and never take our foot off the floor.”

Rather than adapting one specific game, the film tells an original story set within the Resident Evil universe while remaining faithful to the established lore.

Austin Abrams stars as Bryan, a medical courier who unknowingly becomes trapped in the middle of a devastating biohazard outbreak. According to the official synopsis, Bryan’s routine delivery turns into a desperate fight for survival as one horrifying night spirals completely out of control.

An earlier leaked logline revealed that Bryan is sent to Raccoon City General Hospital during a snowstorm, where a chance encounter with a mysterious woman leads him into an outbreak filled with grotesque mutations and bio-engineered monsters.

Cregger has previously described Bryan as an intentionally unconventional protagonist.

“The concept here is that we’re following an idiot. Not that he’s stupid, but he’s not your typical game character, with no combat skills whatsoever and completely inept at survival. Bryan is very much an everyman… It’s kind of like Frodo going into Mordor.”

The filmmaker has also compared the movie’s structure to the games themselves, saying audiences will move rapidly from one dangerous set piece to another without much opportunity to catch their breath.

Despite all the bloodshed, Cregger says the film also explores deeply personal themes. Like Weapons, which drew from his own grief, Resident Evil reflects questions he has been wrestling with in his own life through Bryan’s story.

Bryan begins the film after learning that his girlfriend is pregnant, and Cregger says that emotional dilemma becomes central to the narrative.

“People will be able to tell what I’ve been dealing with. It’s still autobiographical. [We’re asking] is it right to bring a child into a world that just seems to be getting worse and worse? We’re wrestling with that question. Only for this character to find out it’s even worse than he’d imagined.”

The film also stars Paul Walter Hauser, Zach Cherry, Johnno Wilson, and Kali Reis. The screenplay was written by Cregger and Army of the Dead writer Shay Hatten, with Constantin Film producing alongside Vertigo Entertainment and PlayStation Productions.

Resident Evil is set to hit theaters on September 18, 2026.

Do Cregger’s comments make you even more excited for the reboot, or are you hoping for something closer to the games? Let us know in the comments.

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