Ghosts is a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC One for a total of five seasons and 34 episodes, running from April 2019 to December 2023. The story centered on a group of ghosts from different historical periods that haunted a country house they shared with its new living occupants. Years after the show came to an end, it’s getting a feature film follow-up called Ghosts: The Possession of Button House – and today, a trailer has dropped online! You can watch it in the embed above.

What is Ghosts: The Possession of Button House about?

Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the trailer reveals that the film has something to do with a group of teenagers who break into the abandoned Button House and attempt a séance, accidentally triggering a spooky encounter with the manor’s resident spirits.

The sitcom was created by Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, and Ben Willbond, all of whom also played ghosts on the show. They have all returned to write the screenplay for Ghosts: The Possession of Button House and reprise their roles alongside fellow returning cast members Charlotte Ritchie, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, and Lolly Adefope.

When this project was first announced, the series’ creators provided the following statement: “We thought we had said goodbye to Button House at the end of the final series. We never planned to come back. But when we had the idea for this story, we all got so excited that we couldn’t resist returning to our haunted home for one more adventure. We can’t wait to be together and to welcome some brilliant new faces, to tell this soul-stirring tale of life and death.“

The film has been directed by Simon Hynd (who was a regular director on the sitcom) and produced by Alison Carpenter and Andy Brunskill.

Ghosts: The Possession of Button House is set to receive a theatrical release in the UK on October 23, just in time for Halloween!

Are you a fan of the sitcom Ghosts, and are you looking forward to the feature film follow-up Ghosts: The Possession of Button House? Take a look at the trailer, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Back in 2022, Amazon closed an $8.5 billion acquisition of the film studio MGM, giving them ownership of the studio’s thousands of films and TV shows. In 2023, we heard that the six MGM properties Amazon was most interested in doing something with were Poltergeist, Stargate, The Thomas Crown Affair, Legally Blonde, Rocky, and RoboCop… and it appears that was accurate, because we’ve heard updates on all of those projects since then. In 2024, it was announced that a new RoboCop TV series would be moving forward with James Wan, the director of such films as Saw, The Conjuring, and Aquaman, on board as executive producer. Now, World of Reel reports that a six-month shoot is being planned for the series, starting next January in Vancouver. According to the site, Wan will even be directing key episodes.

What do we know about the new RoboCop TV series?

Peter Ocko (Lodge 49) has been hired to write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner on the series. Wan, Michael Clear, and Rob Hackett are executive producing through their company Atomic Monster, while Danielle Bozzone is overseeing the project for Atomic Monster. The series is being produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven from a screenplay by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, the 1987 film RoboCop has the following synopsis: In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company’s nefarious plans, he turns on his masters. 

The movie was followed by sequels RoboCop 2 (1990) and RoboCop 3 (1993), an animated series that ran for one season in 1988, a live-action TV series that ran for one season in 1994, a 2001 mini-series called RoboCop: Prime Directives, and a 2014 remake, as well as video games, comic books, toys, clothing, and other merchandise.

The new TV series has the following official logline: A giant tech conglomerate collaborates with the local police department to introduce a technologically advanced enforcer to combat rising crime — a police officer who’s part man, part machine.

Rumor: A New RoboCop?

World of Reel adds, “the series will debut a new cybernetic lawman named Marc Kyle. Unlike Peter Weller’s Alex Murphy in Verhoeven’s ’87 original, Kyle will start off as a soldier rather than a police officer. Just as Murphy does in the first RoboCop, Marc Kyle will die—in a war rather than at the hands of crooks—before being remade as a cyborg and beginning his new life under Murphy’s tutelage.“

It’s worth noting that a Production List page that was last updated in early May also has this Marc Kyle information on it. They only disagree about the shooting location, as their site says the RoboCop TV series will be filming in Toronto rather than Vancouver.

Are you interested in seeing a RoboCop TV series from James Wan? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.

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Mike

What if the groundbreaking technology behind companies like 23andMe or Ancestry.com evolved to the point where it could predict every genetic defect you would ever have on the day you were born? And what if that information determined your entire life? A dystopian world emerges from that question, one where people born with genetic “defects” are pushed into a lower class, living under constant judgment and limitation.

Today’s film explores that idea through an elegant, unsettling, and deeply human science fiction story. A script so ahead of its time that it is still studied and discussed in academic circles more than twenty years later.

But the real question is this: How does a film with incredible performances, a brilliant concept, and genre-blending ambition, from futuristic thriller to murder mystery to romance, completely bomb at the box office? This is the story of what happened to Gattaca.

Andrew Niccol’s Vision: From Commercials to Cinema

After a decade directing television commercials, Andrew Niccol was ready for something bigger. He wanted to make films longer than sixty seconds. He would eventually become known for thought-provoking works like Lord of War, but his breakthrough moment came early with The Truman Show and Gattaca.

Niccol moved from London to Los Angeles chasing Hollywood opportunity and managed to land his The Truman Show script with producer Scott Rudin. Rudin was impressed, but not enough to hand a first-time director a $60 million Jim Carrey project. That job went to Dead Poets Society director Peter Weir. That left Gattaca as Niccol’s chance to make his official feature directorial debut.

The Birth of a “Parallel Future”

Niccol’s fascination with dystopian futures that are clean, bright, and terrifyingly controlled comes through clearly in Gattaca. The title itself (a change from the original The Eighth Day) carries meaning, referencing the four nucleobases of DNA:

• Guanine
• Adenine
• Thymine
• Cytosine

Niccol was inspired by the Human Genome Project, an international effort in the 1990s to map human DNA. At the time, scientists and ethicists were already warning about genetic privacy, discrimination, and class division based on biology. Those fears would eventually become law-level concerns, leading to protections like the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act in the United States.

But Gattaca imagines what happens if those protections fail.

Genetics as Destiny: The World of Gattaca

In Niccol’s world, children are no longer simply born, they are designed. “Valid” children are genetically engineered to eliminate defects like heart conditions, addiction, or aggression. “Invalids” are naturally born and immediately marked as inferior. The system is ruthless.

Vincent Freeman, the film’s protagonist, is born with a predicted 99% chance of heart failure and a life expectancy of just 30 years. His parents respond by having a second, genetically enhanced child: Anton.

Vincent grows up watching his brother surpass him in every measurable way: strength, intelligence, and parental approval. But instead of giving up, Vincent turns limitation into fuel.

Vincent’s Impossible Dream

Vincent’s goal is simple and absurd in his world: become an astronaut at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. But Invalids are not allowed anything beyond menial labor. Even applying for such a job is pointless. So Vincent takes a radical step: he becomes a “borrowed ladder.”

He assumes the identity of a genetically superior man, Jerome Morrow, a former elite swimmer whose life ended after a crippling accident. This identity swap becomes the backbone of the film, a psychological and physical transformation built on deception.

The Body Horror of Identity

To maintain Jerome’s identity, Vincent must constantly replace every biological trace of himself:

• Blood stored in hidden containers
• Synthetic urine samples
• Skin and hair removal daily
• Constant surveillance avoidance

Even his height becomes an issue, requiring surgical alteration. It is part espionage thriller, part body horror, and entirely obsessive.

Meanwhile, Jerome, played by Jude Law, spirals into alcoholism and despair while financially benefiting from the arrangement. This uneasy partnership sits at the emotional core of the film.

Crime, Romance, and Pressure

The film also opens with a murder investigation involving a powerful figure within Gattaca. This puts immediate pressure on Vincent, who is weeks away from achieving his dream. Law enforcement begins closing in, led by Inspector Hugo and Vincent’s own genetically “valid” brother Anton.

At the same time, Vincent begins a relationship with co-worker Irene, adding emotional risk to his already impossible deception. Everything tightens and threatens collapse.

The Cast That Carried the Future

The casting of Gattaca is one of its strongest elements:

• Ethan Hawke as Vincent
• Jude Law as Jerome
• Uma Thurman as Irene
• Alan Arkin as Detective Hugo
• Loren Dean as Anton
• Xander Berkeley as Lamar

The performances balance restraint, tension, and emotional vulnerability, grounding the film’s high-concept science fiction in human reality.

Style, Design, and the Look of Tomorrow

The production design avoids flashy sci-fi clichés. There are no flying cars or neon megacities. Instead, the future is clean, retro, and eerily familiar.

Key contributors include:

• Cinematography: Slawomir Idziak
• Production Design: Jan Roelfs
• Score: Michael Nyman

A standout filming location is the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Marin County Civic Center, which serves as Gattaca Aerospace headquarters. The result is a “future that feels like it already happened.”

A Box Office Disaster

Gattaca was released on October 24, 1997. Despite a $36 million budget, it earned only $4.3 million in its opening weekend and finished with roughly $12.5 million domestically. It was a box office failure.

The reasons were straightforward:

• Difficult-to-market premise
• Lack of traditional blockbuster spectacle
• No major box office stars at the time
• Misaligned marketing strategy

In the blockbuster-heavy landscape of the late 1990s, Gattaca simply didn’t fit.

Critical Success and Cultural Longevity

While financially unsuccessful, the film was critically respected.

• Rotten Tomatoes: ~82% critics / ~87% audience
• Roger Ebert called it “a thriller with ideas”

Over time, its reputation grew significantly. NASA once ranked it among the most scientifically compelling science fiction films ever made.

The “Gattaca Effect”

Today, Gattaca is widely used in academic discussions about genetics and ethics. Universities such as Berkeley, Toronto, and Sydney have used the film as a teaching tool.

The “Gattaca Effect” refers to how the film anticipates real ethical debates in genetic science, especially concerns about class division and biological determinism.

A 2022 Oxford Academic study described it as:

• “Ahead of its time”
• “More relevant now than ever”

Conclusion: A Film Ahead of Its Time

At its core, Gattaca is not just about genetics or the future. It is about limitation, identity, and resistance. It asks whether human potential is defined by biology or by determination.

Despite its box office failure, it remains one of the most enduring science fiction films of its era. And that is what happened to Gattaca.

FAQ: Gattaca Explained

What is Gattaca about?

Gattaca is a science fiction film set in a future where society is divided based on genetic engineering. People born naturally are considered “Invalids,” while genetically designed humans are “Valids.” The story follows Vincent Freeman, an “Invalid,” who assumes another man’s identity to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut.

Why is Gattaca considered ahead of its time?

The film explores genetic discrimination, a topic that became increasingly relevant with real-world advances like the Human Genome Project and modern DNA testing companies. It predicted ethical debates about privacy, class division, and biological determinism before they became mainstream scientific concerns.

Is Gattaca based on real science?

Not directly. While the science of DNA and genetic screening is real, the film’s deterministic interpretation of genetics is speculative. Real-world genetics cannot predict life outcomes with the precision shown in the film, but the ethical concerns it raises are grounded in actual scientific debate.

Why did Gattaca fail at the box office?

The film struggled commercially due to limited marketing appeal, a lack of traditional blockbuster elements, and relatively unknown lead actors at the time. Its intellectual tone also made it harder to position in the action-heavy 1990s box office landscape.

Who directed Gattaca?

Gattaca was written and directed by Andrew Niccol, who is also known for films such as The Truman Show and Lord of War. It marked his feature directorial debut.

What does the title Gattaca mean?

The title comes from the four nucleotide bases of DNA:

• Guanine
• Adenine
• Thymine
• Cytosine

The film uses this structure as a symbolic foundation for its world-building.

Why is Gattaca still popular today?

The film has gained long-term recognition for its philosophical themes, visual style, and relevance to ongoing debates about genetic engineering. It is frequently used in academic discussions about bioethics and class inequality.

What is the “Gattaca Effect”?

The “Gattaca Effect” refers to the film’s influence on real-world discussions about genetics and ethics, particularly the fear that genetic profiling could lead to social stratification or discrimination based on biology.

Did scientists actually reference Gattaca?

Yes. The film has been referenced in academic and educational settings, including universities and bioethics programs, as a framework for discussing the social implications of genetic technology.

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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After terrorizing horror fans with his reimagining of the classic vampire tale Nosferatu, filmmaker Robert Eggers returns later this year with Werwulf, a mysterious feature set in 13th-century England. Werwulf sees a cryptic creature stalking the land as local folklore becomes a terrifying reality. Today, the NBC Store (of all places) debuted the first image for Werwulf, depicting a snow-blanketed forest bathed in moonlight. Oddly, I’ve been staring at the image for the past 5 minutes, and I don’t see a creature anywhere. It’s either been hanging out with Where’s Waldo for too long, or I’m really bad at this.

“It’s the darkest thing I’ve ever written. By far,” Eggers recently commented while talking about the Werwulf script he co-wrote with The Northman’s Sjón. The upcoming horror film stars several Eggers alums, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nosferatu), Lily-Rose Depp (Nosferatu), Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse), Ralph Ineson (The Witch), and Bodhi Rae Breathnach (Hamnet).

Eggers promises something special

Details are being kept under wraps about Werwulf, but two months ago, The Hollywood Reporter‘s sources told them “the story is set in 13th century England. The script also features dialogue that was true to the time period and has translations and annotations for those uninitiated to Old English. Initially, Eggers was planning on shooting the feature in black and white, but that is no longer the case. Suffice to say that considering the setting and the dialect, Eggers is promising another deep dive into a muddy, costumed, and violent time period consistent with his oeuvre which has earned him a loyal film following.” Screen Daily adds that the story centers on a mysterious creature who stalks a foggy countryside as local folklore becomes a terrifying reality for the villagers.

A master of atmospheric horror

While I need to give The VVitch: A New-England Folktale another watch before rendering an opinion, I did enjoy Eggers’ The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Nosferatu a great deal. Eggers inspires great performances in the actors he works with, and he’s a master of creating an intoxicating atmosphere. It’s been ages since I’ve seen an honest-to-goodness werewolf movie, if that’s what this is. Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past Eggers to hit us with something different from out of left field.

Anyway, what do you think of the new image from Werwulf? Let us know in the comments section below. Werwulf arrives in theaters on December 25, 2026.

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According to a report from Daniel Richtman, Brian Duffield (Whalefall) is writing a new Alien movie for 20th Century Studios. Jeff Sneider also heard the same rumour while speaking on The Hot Mic recently, so this one seems to be a good bet.

New Alien Movie

At the moment, Duffield is just rumoured to be writing the project, but it’s possible he could direct as well, though that’s unclear. 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell even responded to the rumour on social media, simply saying, “Who?” He’s clearly joking, as he’s worked with Duffield on the upcoming Whalefall as well as No One Will Save You and tagged him in a post a week ago.

What About the Alien: Romulus Sequel?

Alien: Romulus was a big success upon its release in 2024, and a sequel was quickly put into development. It was expected that Fede Álvarez would return to direct the sequel, but he announced last year that he would be passing the torch.

“We just finished the script, actually, for a sequel for Romulus. But I’m gonna pass the torch on this one as director,” Álvarez said. “I’m going to produce it, with Ridley Scott, we’re gonna produce it together, and we’re right now trying to find a new filmmaker to come in.” Although Álvarez won’t be helming the sequel, he did co-write the script with Rodo Sayagues and remains onboard as a producer.

The studio is still searching for a new director, with Michael Sarnoski (The Death of Robin Hood) rumoured to be on the short-list.

Whalefall

Duffield’s next film is Whalefall, a survival thriller starring Austin Abrams (Weapons) as a young scuba diver searching for his father’s remains in the ocean, who is swallowed by a sperm whale and must escape within the hour. The teaser trailer looked quite intense.

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

Whalefall will hit theaters on October 16.

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Fred Olen Ray is known as one of the great B-movie makers, a reputation he has earned over a career that stretches back to the end of the 1970s and includes more than 165 directing credits. Ray has also produced over 100 movies, including the 1995 “killer pumpkinhead scarecrow” movie Jack-O, which was directed by Steve Latshaw from a script by Patrick Moran (based on a story crafted by Ray and Brad Linaweaver). Jack-O has gained a cult following over the decades – and now, it has a sequel! Although a release date for the new film hasn’t been announced, a trailer for Jack-O 2 has just dropped online to give us an early look at the Halloween horror sequel. You can watch it in the embed above.

Jack-O Returns

If you need a refresher, Jack-O had the following synopsis: On Halloween night the spirit of Mister Jack, The Pumpkin Man rises from its long forgotten grave to once again terrorize the citizens of Oakmoor Crossing. Summoned by warlock, Walter Machen, the resurrected monster soon sets its sites on killing young Sean Kelly, the descendant of Machen’s enemies. Sean’s babysitter, Carolyn, tries to save the day, but is there really a chance in Hell?

Ray wrote, directed, and is producing Jack-O 2, with Latshaw serving as executive producer. Sean Donohue is also producing, with legendary exploitation director William Grefé also on board as an executive producer. Why Jack-O 2 now? Ray explains, “For the last decade I have focused on dozens of Made for TV network movies… Christmas films and Lifetime Women’s thrillers and it’s been great, opening an entirely new page in my long career… but my early Drive-in movie roots are begging me to take another walk on the wild side, a walk back to my beginnings and I want to do it in Florida with you. I’m going to produce a 1970s styled Drive-in movie… the kind fans want but no big company wants to finance anymore.”

Now that the film is complete, Ray added, “Jack‑O 2 pushes our characters—and our audience—to the edge while honoring the outrageous spirit of the original. It’s a return to practical, in‑your‑face horror filmmaking.“

Genre icons Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, John Carradine, and Cameron Mitchell had roles in the original Jack-O. For the sequel, Ray has cast Sybil Danning (Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf), Richard Gabai (Nightmare Sisters), Sushii Xhyvette Holder (Swamp Woman), Martin Nicholas (Beach Blanket Bloodbath), and rising new actress Annah Arias

A press release notes that Jack-O 2, “shot against a Halloween Eve backdrop, showcases the atmospheric cinematography of Thomas L. Callaway (Deep Blue Sea 2, Critters 3 & 4), whose visual style heightens the film’s blend of psychological tension and visceral horror. … Designed as a multi‑media event, Jack‑O 2 aims to satisfy both hardcore horror fans and mainstream viewers alike.”

Are you looking forward to Jack-O 2? Check out the trailer, then let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema are planning to give the next installment in the Evil Dead franchise, Evil Dead Burn, a theatrical release on July 10th. With that date right around the corner, a clip has dropped online to tell us not to worry about monsters under the bed when there might already be a monster on the bed. You can check it out in the embed above – but before you do, be warned: the image is so dark, seeing anything might be a struggle.

What do we know about Evil Dead Burn?

In the build-up to the release of Evil Dead Rise (read our review right HERE) in 2023, Evil Dead franchise rights holders Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert let it be known that they were already looking forward to producing more entries in the series, with Campbell revealing they were hoping to make a new sequel / spin-off every two or three years. Last year, they proved their commitment to this idea by hiring Sébastien Vaniček, who made his feature directorial debut on the French horror film Vermin, a.k.a. Infested, to write and direct a new installment in the franchise.

New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures are co-financing the film, which Vaniček is directing from a screenplay he wrote with Florent Bernard. Sony will distribute internationally, with Canal Plus distributing in the UK and Metropolitan distributing in France.

Vaniček has said that he has complete creative control on his Evil Dead movie, and has given it a French twist. Here’s the synopsis: Evil Dead Burn unleashes the franchise’s most savage and terrifying ride to date, blazing onto big screens with an all-new chapter of carnage and demonic mayhem. After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life… live on even in death.

Sam Raimi made his feature directorial debut with the original The Evil Dead, which introduced Campbell as iconic hero Ash Williams. Ash returned for Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, and the Ash vs. Evil Dead TV series, with Raimi directing the films and the first episode of the show. After seeing a short film directed by Fede Alvarez, the Evil Dead rights holders gave him the chance to make his feature directorial debut with the Ash-less 2013 Evil Dead. Then Lee Cronin was hired to make the Ash-less Evil Dead Rise based on the strength of his own feature debut, the 2019 film The Hole in the Ground. So Sébastien Vaniček being hired to make the next Evil Dead movie right after entering the feature world with Vermin / Infested is very on brand for this franchise.

Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn isn’t the only Evil Dead movie on the way. Two months after he was hired to make his movie, the rights holders also hired Francis Galluppi, who just made his feature directorial debut with the crime thriller The Last Stop in Yuma County, to write and direct his own Evil Dead flick, which is called Evil Dead Wrath. An animated series follow-up to Ash vs. Evil Dead is also in the works.

Who’s in the Evil Dead Burn cast?

Dune: Part Two‘s Souheila Yacoub, a Swiss former rhythmic gymnast who won the Miss Suisse Romande beauty pageant before getting her acting career started, plays heroine Alice and is joined in the cast by Hunter Doohan (Your Honor), Luciane Buchanan (The Night Agent), and Tandi Wright (Pearl).

Will you be watching Evil Dead Burn next month? Take a look at the “monsters under the bed” clip, then let us know by leaving a comment below. Myself, I don’t think I would pay theatre ticket prices to see a movie with imagery as dark as this. I miss the days when horror movies could be creepy and visible at the same time.

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