Darren Lynn Bousman, the mastermind behind a massive chunk of the Saw franchise (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, and 2021’s Spiral) as well as the beloved, blood-soaked cult classic Repo! The Genetic Opera is stepping back behind the camera for Serpentine, an upcoming psychological thriller from Dream State Studios and Brand in Entertainment.

Corruption Meets Ice Skating in New England

According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, the project “is set in a seemingly quiet New England town where organized crime, crooked cops, buried secrets, and the intensely competitive world of figure skating begin to collide. At the center of the film is a woman who believes she has found a way out of a dangerous life, only to discover that escape comes with consequences. What begins as an attempt to disappear quickly pulls her into a strange web of criminals, local power players, and people with their own reasons for keeping the past buried.”

While discussing the new venture, Bousman described Serpentine as an ideal playground to stretch his creative muscles as a storyteller. Though forever etched into horror royalty, he sees this film as an opportunity to mesh distinct genres and moods into something unexpected and raw.

Blending Horror Roots with Small-Town Crime

“Serpentine gives me that opportunity without completely abandoning the things I love,” Bousman told Deadline. “There’s still dread, fear and a real sense of intensity running through it, but it exists in this strange, darkly funny, FARGO-esque world that feels very different from anything I’ve directed before. That combination is what really excites me.”

The Tools in Bousman’s Creative Arsenal

Looking at Bousman’s filmography outside of Jigsaw’s traps, Serpentine feels like a natural evolution for the filmmaker. His work on the mean-spirited 2010 home-invasion thriller Mother’s Day showed he can execute grounded, high-tension crime thrillers where desperate antiheroes clash with corrupt authority. Combine that grit with the theatrical camp and dark eccentricity of The Devil’s Carnival, and Bousman already has the exact blueprint needed to balance small-town corruption with the eccentric, high-stakes drama of competitive figure skating.

The post Serpentine: Saw Franchise and Repo! The Genetic Opera Director Darren Lynn Bousman to Helm a New Psychological Thriller appeared first on JoBlo.

After years of uncertainty, Michael Giacchino’s planned remake of Them! is showing signs of life. The Oscar-winning composer has confirmed that he and Warner Bros. are still working to get the sci-fi horror film off the ground. Matt Reeves (The Batman) previously joined the project as a producer.

In an interview with ScreenRant on the AFI Fest red carpet, Giacchino was asked for an update on the remake. He confirmed that he and the studio are “still pushing it forward,” while explaining that the Warner Bros. merger with Paramount and scheduling conflicts have contributed to the delay.

Giacchino offered the following update:

“Now that the dust is sort of settling, we’re re-getting into it and my hope is that, yes, this is a movie that will get made and we’re doing the best we can.”

What Is Michael Giacchino’s Them! Remake About?

Directed by Gordon Douglas, the original Them! arrived in 1954 and became one of the most popular entries in the giant monster movies inspired by the atomic age. The story follows people in New Mexico who come under attack from giant, man-eating ants mutated by nuclear testing.

The film starred James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon, and James Arness. It also featured Leonard Nimoy before his rise to fame as Spock in Star Trek.

Giacchino’s remake was announced in January 2023, with the filmmaker revealing that he wanted to approach the material through a contemporary social lens. He explained:

“There’s always a movie in your mind that never leaves your head. For me, that’s Them! It wasn’t until much later in life until I learned what it was about, the nuclear age. What I love about Them! is exactly what it’s called: Them!. It’s about the other, the unknown which one refuses or can’t understand. The current version of Them! is about immigration, and to tell a story about the subject through a lens of this insane science fiction monster movie.”

It’s unclear whether that concept has changed during the project’s lengthy development.

Matt Reeves Joined Them! as a Producer

Another significant development came in early 2025, when Matt Reeves joined the project as a producer. Reeves has a long creative history with Giacchino, who has composed the scores for several of his films, including Cloverfield, Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and The Batman. The two are reuniting on The Batman Part II.

Giacchino has continued composing music for major releases, including The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, while also working on the upcoming neo-noir adventure Ray Gunn. He previously helmed the short film Monster Challenge, an episode of Star Trek: Short Treks, and Marvel’s Werewolf by Night special presentation.

Would you like to see Michael Giacchino bring the giant ants of Them! back to the big screen? Let us know in the comments.

The post Michael Giacchino gives an update on Them! remake with Matt Reeves appeared first on JoBlo.

UPDATE: Just two weeks after her Sleepover casting was announced, Parker Posey said on the Today show that she has dropped out of the film, as “something came up.”

The original article, published on October 13, follows:

Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s latest movie, Other Mommy, topped the box office this weekend despite some of the worst reviews of the year. Audiences didn’t seem to like it much either, giving it an abysmal D+ CinemaScore rating. But it will make the studio some solid coin, and no doubt they’re hoping for lightning to strike twice, with them choosing the same weekend in 2027, October 8th, to launch their next movie, Sleepover.

The film comes from some Blumhouse regulars, with it directed by Insidious: Out of the Further’s Jacob Chase, who co-wrote the script with Night Swim’s Bryce McGuire. So far, the premise is under wraps, but Variety is revealing that it will star none other than indie darling Parker Posey. Recently seen in Beau Is Afraid and the most recent season of The White Lotus, and also having a role in the upcoming Wild Horse Nine, Posey is a great choice to lead a movie like this. Hopefully, it will deliver higher-caliber scares than Other Mommy did, which relied on a lot of cheap jump scares.

Blumhouse has a packed twelve months ahead of them. Before the end of the year, they’ll release Violent Night 2, starring David Harbour, which is a rare action flick for the studio. They’ll go back to horror on January 15th with River, which we saw and enjoyed at TIFF. Other highlights include The Exorcist: Martyrs, which is out March 12th, and their reteam with Obsession’s Curry Barker, Anything But Ghosts. They also have reboots of Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project in the works for 2027, in addition to more non-franchise titles. Will Sleepover be a highlight? We’ll have to wait and see, but either way, it will likely make them plenty of dough!

The post Sleepover: Parker Posey drops out of Blumhouse and Atomic Monster’s latest appeared first on JoBlo.

The secrets of Verity are heading home. Amazon MGM Studios’ adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling psychological thriller will be available to rent or buy on Prime Video in the United States starting tomorrow, October 27. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, with director Michael Showalter bringing Hoover’s twisted tale of ambition, attraction, and disturbing secrets to the screen.

The digital release follows the film’s theatrical debut on October 2. Viewers will be able to rent Verity for $19.99 or purchase it digitally for $24.99. A Prime membership is not required to rent or buy the movie, although regional availability and pricing may vary. According to Amazon, viewers who rent the film have 30 days to start watching and 48 hours to finish once playback begins.

What Is Verity About?

Based on Hoover’s bestselling novel, Verity follows Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson), a struggling writer who receives an unusual career opportunity from Jeremy Crawford (Hartnett). Jeremy’s wife, Verity Crawford (Hathaway), is a celebrated author left incapacitated after an accident, and he hires Lowen to finish the remaining books in Verity’s successful series.

Lowen moves into the Crawford family’s remote estate to research Verity’s work. But when she discovers a disturbing manuscript that appears to contain the author’s personal confessions, her assignment takes a sinister turn. As she reads further, Lowen begins questioning the truth about Verity, her family, and the events described in the manuscript.

Directed by Showalter (The Idea of You), the film features a screenplay by Nick Antosca and Hoover. The cast also includes Ismael Cruz Cordova and Brady Wagner. The movie is rated R for sexual content, some nudity, language, violence, and bloody images.

What Did We Think of Verity?

The film brings together three popular stars for a story packed with secrets and psychological games, but the result didn’t win over JoBlo’s reviewer. In his Verity review, Tyler Nichols gave the adaptation a Below Average rating, criticizing its performances, pacing, and handling of its twists. Tyler praised Hathaway for bringing more dimension to the mysterious title character, but found Johnson’s performance underwhelming and felt the film struggled to generate suspense. He also questioned whether Showalter’s direction gave the material enough energy to make its revelations land properly.

For viewers who missed Verity in theaters, the digital release offers a chance to decide for themselves whether this dark adaptation of Hoover’s novel delivers the psychological thrills its premise promises. Will you be checking it out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Verity digital release: Colleen Hoover adaptation is coming to Prime Video this week appeared first on JoBlo.

Robert Eggers’ Werwulf is bringing its medieval nightmare to theatres this Christmas, and Focus Features has revealed that tickets are now on sale for select 35mm screenings!

Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson, Werwulf is the latest period horror film from the filmmaker behind The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and Nosferatu. The film is scheduled to open exclusively in theatres on December 25, 2026.

Werwulf 35mm Screening Tickets Are Now on Sale

Fans who want to experience Eggers’ latest film on 35mm film can now purchase tickets for special screenings at participating theatres across the United States. The announced venues include:

• Alamo Drafthouse Downtown LA — Los Angeles, California
• Alamo Drafthouse Cedars — Dallas, Texas
• Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn — Brooklyn, New York
• Alamo Drafthouse New Mission — San Francisco, California
• Angelika Film Center at Mosaic — Fairfax, Virginia
• Angelika Film Center — Dallas, Texas
• Belcourt Theatre — Nashville, Tennessee
• Enzian Theater — Maitland, Florida
• Harkins Tempe Marketplace — Tempe, Arizona
• Heights Theater — Columbia Heights, Minnesota
• Hollywood Theatre — Portland, Oregon
• Jacob Burns Film Center — Pleasantville, New York
• Philadelphia Film Society East Theater — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Plaza Theatre — Atlanta, Georgia
• Screenland Armour — North Kansas City, Missouri
• Somerville Theatre — Somerville, Massachusetts
• Village East by Angelika — New York, New York

Screening schedules and availability may vary by location. Fans can find ticket information through the official Werwulf website.

What Is Robert Eggers’ Werwulf About?

Focus Features is keeping the plot details close to the vest, describing the movie as a tale of devotion, damnation, and the devil within. The story takes place in 13th-century England, where a mysterious creature stalks the fog-covered countryside and local folklore begins turning into a terrifying reality.

Taylor-Johnson plays a cursed farmer struggling to find salvation through love, while Depp plays his wife. Dafoe also stars as a hunter. The cast reunites Eggers collaborators from Nosferatu, alongside Hamnet performer Bodhi Rae Breathnach.

Eggers co-wrote the screenplay with Sjón, his writing partner on The Northman. The production has emphasized period authenticity, including historically informed dialogue and a visual approach designed to make its medieval setting feel harsh, grimy, and unforgiving. The director has described Werwulf as the darkest thing he has written.

Werwulf reaches theatres on December 25, 2026. Will you be buying tickets for a 35mm screening? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Robert Eggers’ Werwulf announces 35mm screenings appeared first on JoBlo.

Halloween is about to get a fresh dose of undead mayhem. Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath is scheduled to launch exclusively on DragonFlix on October 31, 2026, with a digital release package that promises more than just another zombie movie. According to the platform’s announcement, fans can preorder the film and receive three different versions of the feature, along with a collection of bonus material celebrating the legacy of the original 1985 horror classic.

The release is being presented as a direct sequel to the 1985 classic The Return of the Living Dead.

Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath Arrives Amid Franchise Confusion

The arrival of Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath comes as multiple projects connected to the cult zombie franchise have been announced. DragonFlix is promoting Aftermath as a direct sequel to the 1985 original, while Trash’s Revenge, from ROTLD Originals LLC and DragonSTUDIOS, has also been developed as part of a new Return of the Living Dead universe. Meanwhile, director Steve Wolsh’s separate Return of the Living Dead project has been caught up in a public legal dispute involving franchise veterans and the companies behind Trash’s Revenge.

The competing projects have made the franchise’s future complicated, but DragonFlix says Aftermath and its accompanying bonus material will be available on Halloween for $19.

Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath Offers Three Versions of the Movie

One of the more unusual features of the Aftermath release is the inclusion of three separate feature-length formats in the same preorder package. Alongside the standard 2D version, buyers will receive a full side-by-side 3D version designed for compatible virtual reality headsets and a traditional red-and-cyan anaglyph 3D edition.

Preorders are available through the platform’s official website.

Original Return of the Living Dead Veterans Featured in Bonus Material

The preorder package also includes several documentaries and retrospectives exploring the history of the franchise. Among the highlights is a segment featuring John Russo, the horror writer and co-creator associated with the Living Dead legacy, discussing the series and its impact. Linnea Quigley and Beverly Randolph, both associated with the original 1985 film, are also featured in a retrospective looking back at the making of the cult classic.

The package includes a documentary titled Juan Lord Music ID, which explores the music and punk influences associated with the franchise. A release trailer and a downloadable PDF screenplay are also part of the announced collection.

When Does Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath Come Out?

Here are the key details:

• Title: Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath
• Release date: October 31, 2026
• Platform: DragonFlix
• Preorder price: $19
• Feature formats: Standard 2D, full side-by-side 3D for compatible headsets, and red-and-cyan anaglyph 3D
• Bonus features: Release trailer, Juan Lord music documentary, John Russo retrospective, Linnea Quigley and Beverly Randolph featurette, and downloadable PDF screenplay

Fans can find preorder information at DragonFlix.

With its Halloween launch, multiple viewing formats, and a collection of franchise retrospectives, Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath is positioning itself as a special release for fans of the original cult classic. Whether viewers are most interested in the new film, the returning franchise veterans, or the archival extras, DragonFlix is bringing the package to its platform just in time for the year’s biggest night for horror. Will you be checking it out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath sets Halloween release on DragonFlix appeared first on JoBlo.

Chris

WB/Legendary’s MonsterVerse saga has attempted to somewhat reinvent the traditional Kaiju film for Western audiences, with our mighty monster heroes Godzilla and Kong now being called Titans. While the franchise arguably stumbled out of the gate with director Gareth Edwards’ coolly received Godzilla, the saga has steadily grown in popularity, and the most recent release, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was a big hit. But how do the films stack up against each other? Let’s take a look with our MonsterVerse Movies Ranked List!

• 1. Kong: Skull Island (2017) — Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Biggest strength: Style, heart, and ensemble cast. Biggest weakness: Thin lead protagonists.
• 2. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) — Directed by Adam Wingard. Biggest strength: Action spectacle and pacing. Biggest weakness: Uneven human subplot.
• 3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) — Directed by Adam Wingard. Biggest strength: Titan-focused storytelling. Biggest weakness: Minimal emotional depth.
• 4. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) — Directed by Michael Dougherty. Biggest strength: Massive kaiju battles. Biggest weakness: Overstuffed universe-building.
• 5. Godzilla (2014) — Directed by Gareth Edwards. Biggest strength: Atmosphere and scale. Biggest weakness: Too little Godzilla.

5. Godzilla (2014)

• Director: Gareth Edwards
• Main Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Juliette Binoche, Ken Watanabe
• Tone: Serious disaster thriller
• Best Monster Moment: HALO jump into San Francisco
• Most Common Criticism: Godzilla appears too little
• Most Praised Element: Atmosphere and scale
• Legacy: Established the Western version of the MonsterVerse and introduced the grounded “Titan” approach.

Audiences were pretty hyped for Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla reboot, with awesome early trailers that used Ligeti’s Requiem II from 2001: A Space Odyssey, promising the most intense Kaiju movie to date. It didn’t really work out that way, with many complaining about how dull the film was, with Godzilla himself off-screen for endless patches of time. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who’s since proved himself a solid leading man, made for a bland hero, and the fact that two of the best actors in the film, Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche, were killed off early on, didn’t endear it to anyone. At least we got a great line from Ken Watanabe.

4. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

• Director: Michael Dougherty
• Main Cast: Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga
• Tone: Mythic sci-fi epic
• Featured Titans: Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah
• Best Monster Moment: Godzilla’s burning form finale
• Most Common Criticism: Complicated shared-universe setup
• Most Praised Element: Fan-service monster battles
• Legacy: Initially divisive but increasingly appreciated by kaiju fans.

Luckily, the sequel (which was actually the third film in the franchise), which replaced Edwards with director Michael Dougherty (Trick or Treat), was more entertaining, with it packed with more monster action, putting Godzilla up against Mothra, Rodan , and King Ghidorah. However, it proved to be a costly box office disappointment, earning initially poor reviews because Legendary was trying to set up a complicated shared universe no one seemed all that interested in – yet. The box office results were disasterous, and had they not already started shooting the next film in the franchise, the MonsterVerse might have ended right here. Still, the movie is a bit underrated, with Kyle Chandler cast against type as our family man hero.

3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

• Director: Adam Wingard
• Main Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens
• Tone: Fast-paced monster adventure
• Best Monster Moment: Kong’s extended Hollow Earth sequences
• Most Common Criticism: Thin human storylines
• Most Praised Element: Focus on Titan action
• Legacy: Cemented the franchise’s evolution toward pure monster spectacle.

The newest addition to the MonsterVerse saga is stripped down as far as its human characters go. Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell was initially supposed to be the franchise’s anchor, but she sits out this entry. Instead, Rebecca Hall’s Dr. Ilene Andrews and her adopted daughter, Kaylee Hottle Jia, seem to be the new anchors, with Brian Tyree Henry also carrying over from 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong for comic relief. One thing this movie does is double down on the monsters, especially Kong, with many extended sequences focusing only on the Titans themselves rather than the humans. Meanwhile, Dan Stevens brings some welcome energy to the film as a cool new character named Trapper, who’s basically a veterinarian for Kaiju.

2. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

• Director: Adam Wingard
• Main Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall
• Tone: Action-heavy crossover event
• Best Monster Moment: Aircraft carrier battle
• Most Common Criticism: Simplistic plot
• Most Praised Element: Crowd-pleasing action and pacing
• Legacy: Became a pandemic-era box office success and revived excitement for theatrical blockbusters.

One of the smartest things Legendary and WB did for this installment was bring in genre director Adam Wingard to take over the franchise. Reinventing the saga from the perspective of an action director, he made Kong our underdog hero protagonist and doubled down on the carnage as the Titan went on an adventure into the Hollow Earth. Audiences loved it, and this fun flick was a bright spot for all during the early dark days of the pandemic.

1. Kong: Skull Island (2017)

• Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
• Main Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly
• Tone: Vietnam War adventure fantasy
• Best Monster Moment: Kong vs. the Skullcrawler finale
• Most Common Criticism: Generic lead heroes
• Most Praised Element: Personality, style, and supporting cast
• Legacy: Widely considered the most emotionally engaging MonsterVerse film.

As good as Adam Wingard’s additions to the franchise are, I have a soft spot for the Vietnam War-set prequel, Kong: Skull Island. For one thing, it has the best cast, even if the two heroes, played by Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston, are dull. There’s Samuel L. Jackson, Shea Wigham, John Goodman, and best of all, John C. Reilly, who delivers an acclaimed performance as a long-lost soldier from WW2 still fighting the war twenty-nine years later. Of all the movies in the franchise, this is the one with the most heart and style (from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts) and the one I judge all MonsterVerse movies against.

FAQ

What is the MonsterVerse?

The MonsterVerse is a shared cinematic universe created by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, featuring iconic Titans like Godzilla and Kong.

What is the best MonsterVerse movie?

Based on this ranking, Kong: Skull Island is considered the best due to its strong visual style, memorable supporting cast, emotional core, and adventurous tone.

Why is Godzilla ranked last?

While praised for atmosphere and realism, many viewers felt the movie spent too little time showing Godzilla and focused too heavily on less compelling human characters.

Which MonsterVerse movie has the most monster action?

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire probably contains the heaviest emphasis on Titan-focused action, with long stretches centered almost entirely on Kong and the creatures themselves.

Did Godzilla: King of the Monsters flop?

It underperformed financially relative to expectations and received mixed reviews upon release, though fan appreciation has grown over time.

What order should you watch the MonsterVerse movies in?

1. Godzilla
2. Kong: Skull Island
3. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
4. Godzilla vs. Kong
5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Which MonsterVerse movie is the most critically acclaimed?

Kong: Skull Island is often regarded as the most consistently praised by both critics and audiences due to its balance of action, humor, and character work.

Do you agree with my rankings? Let us know how your list of MonsterVerse movies ranked would look in the comments!

The post MonsterVerse Movies Ranked: From Worst to Best appeared first on JoBlo.

Kevin

When most of her friends have been brutally slaughtered, the final girl is the last woman standing, leaving her to face off against whatever masked maniac, supernatural monster, or chainsaw-wielding lunatic has been making her life a living hell. The term was popularized by film scholar Carol J. Clover in her 1992 book Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film, but the archetype had been kicking ass and taking names long before then.

The 1980s were a golden age for horror, with the slasher boom introducing audiences to some of the most iconic killers in movie history. But for every unstoppable psychopath carving his way through a group of horny teenagers, there was usually one woman who refused to go down without a fight. Whether they survived through brains, bravery, or just plain luck, these heroines proved that even the nastiest monsters could meet their match. So, while Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface tend to get all the glory, it’s time to show some love to the ladies who gave them hell. Here are five of the greatest final girls introduced in the ’80s!

Nancy Thompson — A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Played by Heather Langenkamp

When it comes to the greatest final girls in horror history, Nancy Thompson definitely deserves a spot near the very top. While most slasher victims have the luxury of potentially running away from their killers, Freddy Krueger is waiting for Nancy in her dreams. So the longer she stays awake, the more vulnerable she becomes. 

Like many young folks living through a horror movie, the adults around Nancy dismiss her warnings despite knowing damn well who Freddy is. She’s forced to take matters into her own hands, learning everything she can about Freddy and how she can fight back. Despite being frightened, exhausted, and increasingly isolated as her friends are picked off one by one, she never gives up.

Heather Langenkamp is fantastic in the role, giving Nancy the perfect blend of vulnerability, intelligence, and toughness. She’s someone you can’t help but root for from beginning to end, and Langenkamp brings such a natural charm and likability to the character that it’s easy to see why she became a fan favourite. And let’s be honest, I doubt I was the only one who had a pretty big crush on her.

How She Won: Nancy realizes she can pull Freddy out of the dream world and into reality, where he can actually be hurt. She prepares a series of booby traps throughout her house and drags Freddy into the waking world. She eventually realizes that Freddy draws his power from fear, so she turns her back on him and refuses to give him any more. Freddy seemingly disappears, although the film’s final twist suggests he isn’t quite finished with Nancy. Still, she managed to beat the dream demon at his own game, which is more than most of his victims can say.

Ginny Field — Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

Played by Amy Steel

Jason Voorhees has faced plenty of final girls over the years, but few have outsmarted him quite like Ginny Field. Introduced in Friday the 13th Part 2, Ginny is a counsellor-in-training who quickly establishes herself as more than just another potential victim. She’s intelligent, confident, and genuinely likable, with Amy Steel delivering one of the best performances in the franchise. Unlike some of the more forgettable characters who populate the Friday the 13th movies, Ginny actually feels like a real person.

As a child psychology student, Ginny is fascinated by the legend of Jason Voorhees and even speculates about what his traumatic childhood and relationship with his mother might have done to him. That curiosity becomes her greatest weapon, as she’s able to get inside Jason’s head.

How She Won: After being chased through the woods, Ginny stumbles into Jason’s shack and discovers a shrine dedicated to his dead mother, complete with Pamela Voorhees’ severed head. Thinking quickly, Ginny puts on Pamela’s sweater and impersonates her, convincing Jason that his mother has returned. The trick works long enough to throw him off guard, although he eventually sees through the deception and attacks, but Ginny grabs a machete and buries it deep in his shoulder.

Kirsty Cotton — Hellraiser (1987)

Played by Ashley Laurence

Not only does Kirsty Cotton have to contend with Pinhead and the Cenobites, but she also has her own murderous family members to worry about. That’s a lot to deal with at once, but she proves to be a remarkably capable survivor.

She may not be prepared for the horrors that await her—and really, who would be?—but she adapts quickly. Ashley Laurence brings a grounded, believable quality to the role, allowing Kirsty to be absolutely terrified without ever seeming helpless. Rather than simply running from the Cenobites, she actually finds a way to negotiate with them, using their own twisted rules to her advantage.

How She Won: After accidentally opening the Lament Configuration puzzle box and summoning the Cenobites, Kirsty bargains for her life by offering them Frank, her murderous uncle, who escaped their dimension. She eventually exposes Frank, who has killed her father and stolen his skin, allowing the Cenobites to reclaim him in spectacularly gruesome fashion. Unfortunately, Pinhead and his companions have no intention of letting Kirsty walk away. She manages to get her hands on the puzzle box and manipulate it to send the Cenobites back to their realm, escaping with her life.

Tina Shepard — Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Played by Lar Park Lincoln

Most of Jason Voorhees’ victims don’t stand much of a chance once he gets his hands on them, but Tina Shepard is a different story. She possesses powerful telekinetic abilities, making her one of the few people capable of going toe-to-toe with Crystal Lake’s killing machine. It’s basically Jason versus Carrie.

As a child, Tina accidentally caused the death of her father when her dormant telekinetic abilities emerged, leaving her deeply traumatized. She’s spent years struggling with guilt and fear, and her psychiatrist is more interested in exploiting her powers than helping her.

Lar Park Lincoln gives Tina an emotional vulnerability that makes her easy to sympathize with, but once Jason starts slaughtering everyone around her, she finally gets the chance to unleash everything she’s been holding back. There’s something immensely satisfying about watching Jason, who usually has the upper hand in every encounter, suddenly find himself on the receiving end of a serious ass-kicking.

How She Won: Using her telekinetic powers, Tina electrocutes Jason, hurls objects at him, collapses part of a building on top of him, and even crushes his hockey mask. She eventually sets him on fire and escapes a massive explosion, but naturally, Jason keeps coming. In a final desperate effort, Tina uses her powers to summon her dead father from the depths of Crystal Lake. He emerges from the water, wraps a chain around Jason, and drags him back beneath the surface.

Vanita “Stretch” Brock — The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

Played by Caroline Williams

Vanita “Stretch” Brock is a small-town radio DJ who finds herself targeted by Leatherface and his cannibalistic family after recording one of their murders. 

Caroline Williams delivers an incredibly physical performance, throwing herself into the film’s madness with great enthusiasm. As unseemly as it might be, Stretch even manages to exploit Leatherface’s strange attraction to her and convinces him to spare her. For anyone else, that’s the time to start running in the opposite direction and not look back, but Stretch follows the cannibalistic family back to their lair, an abandoned amusement park, to give them a taste of their own medicine.

How She Won: After surviving the Sawyer family’s grotesque dinner festivities, Stretch escapes into the abandoned amusement park and is cornered at the top of a tower by the deranged Chop Top. She discovers a chainsaw clutched in the hands of the family’s mummified grandmother. Despite being slashed repeatedly with a straight razor, Stretch manages to start the saw and drive it into Chop Top, sending him tumbling to his apparent death. With her tormentor defeated, she triumphantly swings the chainsaw above her head, recreating Leatherface’s famous dance from the original film.

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The end of an era is upon us, as Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl return to Shudder tonight for Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party, the final Halloween special of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs to air on the streaming service. The special premieres live at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, October 23, with an on-demand release scheduled for Sunday, October 25.

Briggs has made it clear that this isn’t a night for mourning, though. In a message to fans, he encouraged everyone to gather on their favorite social media platforms and watch together, adding, “It’s not a wake, it’s a launch into 2027.” He also emphasized the significance of tonight’s event, declaring, “It’s the last Halloween special we’ll ever do on Shudder.”

ATTENTION MUTANTS! Let's make this last Halloween special mirror the first one 8 years ago. Everybody gather tonight at 9 EDT/6 PDT on your favorite app–X, Insta, Facebook, Discord, but MOST of you are on X–and remember, it's not a wake, it's a launch into 2027! @kinky_horror pic.twitter.com/qorzXeluoy

— Joe Bob Briggs (@therealjoebob) October 23, 2026

That’s a sad milestone for fans who have spent the last eight years celebrating Halloween with the world’s foremost drive-in movie critic. But while The Last Drive-In is coming to an end on Shudder, Briggs has no intention of hanging up his cowboy hat. In fact, he has a growing list of projects that will keep him busy well beyond tonight’s festivities.

This Friday! It's final! It's the last Halloween special we'll ever do on Shudder! It's called JOE BOB'S HALLOWEEN HOUSE PARTY but it should have been called THE CANCELLATION THAT WOULDN'T DIE! 9pm Eastern/6 Pacific. Also on @AMCPlus. @kinky_horror pic.twitter.com/fotscOV0CW

— Joe Bob Briggs (@therealjoebob) October 19, 2026

Joe Bob Briggs Says Goodbye to Halloween on Shudder

It was announced earlier this year that Shudder was ending The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs as a regular series. The show’s series finale aired in March, bringing an end to its run after seven seasons, although Shudder commissioned four additional specials to give Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl a chance to return throughout the remainder of the year.

Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party is one of those final specials, and the second-to-last chapter of Briggs’ Shudder era. Only the Christmas special remains.

When The Last Drive-In debuted on July 13, 2018, with a 13-movie marathon, Briggs thought the event might be his last opportunity to host a movie marathon. Instead, the overwhelming response from viewers crashed Shudder’s servers and helped convince the streaming service to give him an ongoing series. Across seven seasons and numerous specials, Briggs and Darcy, played by Diana Prince, hosted more than 200 movies, sharing their knowledge of horror history, exploitation cinema, cult favorites, and the many strange stories behind the movies they presented. The show was directed by Austin Jennings and produced by Matt Manjourides and Justin Martell of Not the Funeral Home.

Joe Bob Conquers Christmas Will Be the Final Shudder Special

The final special in Briggs’ Shudder run will be Joe Bob Conquers Christmas, a Shudder Original that promises to send the show out with two holiday horror classics. The official description reads: “Deck the halls with bones and bodies for Joe Bob Conquers Christmas! Horror legends Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl ring in the festive season with two Christmas classics that ‘ruined’ the holiday upon release – all while raising money through their annual charity fundraiser.” The special will air live on Shudder TV on Friday, December 4, at 9 p.m. ET, followed by an on-demand release on Sunday, December 6.

The annual Christmas charity fundraiser has been a meaningful part of The Last Drive-In, with auctions held during previous holiday specials helping the show raise $1 million for charity over the years. It’s fitting that Briggs and Darcy will have one final opportunity to bring their devoted audience together for a good cause before their Shudder obligations are complete.

Joe Bob Briggs Has a New Television Show in the Works

Although the end of The Last Drive-In initially left fans wondering where they would see Briggs next, the host has already been exploring his options for a new television series. After the cancellation was announced, Briggs told Variety that offers for another show had started coming in. He was interested in hearing what fans wanted from his next project, whether that meant continuing his familiar movie-hosting format or trying something different. He also revealed that his next series could focus on forgotten films from decades past rather than the horror classics that frequently appeared on The Last Drive-In.

Briggs described his interest in overlooked movies as a desire to find films that haven’t been worn out through repeated screenings and familiar discussion. As he explained to Fangoria, the sweet spot for forgotten cult movies is 1969 to 1977, and he wants the new series to be “all about forgotten stuff, rather than beloved horror classics.”

That could mean a wider variety of genres than viewers have come to expect from The Last Drive-In. Briggs previously hosted Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater on The Movie Channel from 1986 to 1996 and TNT’s MonsterVision from 1996 to 2000, presenting an assortment of movies before disappearing from television for 18 years. His return with The Last Drive-In introduced a new generation to his approach to movie hosting.

Briggs has also discussed plans to launch a genre-film production company with his longtime friend Bob Bernie of Picturehouse. The project was already moving forward when he spoke to Variety earlier this year, with a production slate and projects in development.

A MonsterVision Comic, an Audiobook, and a GWAR Album

Briggs’ post-Shudder plans extend beyond television. He and Darcy are also returning to MonsterVision in comic book form. Dynamite Entertainment is publishing MonsterVision Featuring Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy #1, written by David Avallone and illustrated by Edu Menna. The comic finds the familiar duo embarking on a monster-hunting adventure, bringing their television partnership into a new medium. The first issue is scheduled to arrive in comic shops on December 23.

Briggs is also preparing an audiobook edition of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In. Narrated by Briggs himself, the expanded collection features his original drive-in columns, movie reviews, fan letters, and famously unfiltered responses. The DRM-free digital audiobook is scheduled for release on December 15, with pre-orders available through his official website.

And then there is the matter of GWAR. The shock-rock legends have teamed up with Briggs for GWAR and the Last Drive-In-Stein, an album celebrating GWAR’s more than four decades of musical mayhem and Briggs’ 40 years of television history. The vinyl release is scheduled for November 13 through Pit Records.

Briggs has another screen appearance on the way, too. He has an acting role in the creature feature The Eye from Beyond, which stars Fright Night‘s William Ragsdale and Sleepaway Camp‘s Felissa Rose.

Taken together, these projects show that Briggs has plenty to occupy his time after Shudder. Between a possible new television series, a production company, a comic book, an audiobook, a feature-film role, and a record with GWAR, the drive-in spirit is hardly disappearing.

The Drive-In Lives On

Tonight’s Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party marks the end of a particular tradition, but it doesn’t mark the end of Briggs’ career as a movie host or his relationship with the fans who have followed him for decades. The final Christmas special will bring his Shudder era to a close in December. After that, the big question is where Briggs will take his movie-hosting talents next, and what form his planned series about forgotten films will ultimately take.

For now, horror fans can gather for one last Halloween celebration on Shudder, with Briggs and Darcy leading the festivities as they have for the past eight years.

Joe Bob’s Halloween House Party premieres live tonight, Friday, October 23, at 9 p.m. ET on Shudder, with an on-demand release on Sunday, October 25. The final Shudder special, Joe Bob Conquers Christmas, follows on December 4, with streaming on demand beginning December 6. Will you be watching? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Joe Bob Briggs’ final Halloween special on Shudder airs tonight appeared first on JoBlo.

What if Michael Myers was connected to the Silver Shamrock Corporation all along? That’s the idea behind Project Shamrock: The Secret Origins of Michael Myers Exposed, a new Halloween franchise fan film from Hobo with a Shotgun, Dark Side of the Ring, and Kids vs. Aliens director Jason Eisener. The short imagines a secret chapter in the Halloween mythology, bringing Michael Myers and Halloween III: Season of the Witch together in a way fans have been speculating about for years. Check it out in the embed above!

Project Shamrock Reimagines the Origins of Michael Myers

Written, directed, and edited by Eisener, Project Shamrock is set in the 1960s, before the events of John Carpenter’s Halloween. The story is presented as a recently uncovered industrial film reel containing disturbing evidence of a secret program run by the Silver Shamrock Corporation. That’s the company behind those seemingly innocent Halloween masks that play a horrifying role in the story of Halloween III. Eisener takes that premise in a new direction, imagining that the corporation’s experiments go back further than we ever knew.

The short follows a janitor, played by Dave Brunt, who is questioned about his time working at the Silver Shamrock factory. As his testimony unfolds, we learn about a top secret initiative called Project Shamrock and experiments involving children. One of the subjects was a young boy named Michael Myers.

Eisener doesn’t stop at connecting the two corners of the franchise, either. The short also incorporates references to Halloween 5 and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, bringing the Cult of Thorn into the mix.

Jason Eisener Gives Halloween a Vintage Horror Makeover

Fangoria reports that Eisener and his collaborators shot the short over two days in Dartmouth and Halifax, Nova Scotia, using 8mm and 16mm film to create the look of a vintage industrial production. Andy Appelle handled cinematography, while Andrew Gordon Macpherson provided the music and sound. Katie McQueston oversaw production design, props, wardrobe, and special effects supervision, and practical effects artist Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, Deathstalker) contributed a prosthetic head.

Brunt, who plays the janitor in Project Shamrock, also has a connection to Eisener’s early work: he starred in the original Hobo with a Shotgun trailer that became part of the promotional campaign for Grindhouse. The film also features Mark Palermo, Johnny Purcell, Cher Hann, Ziggy Bell, Jovie Bell, Connor King, and Paul Doucette, among others.

Could Halloween III and Michael Myers Share a Universe?

The idea behind Project Shamrock is fun because Halloween III: Season of the Witch has always occupied an unusual place in the franchise. Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace, the 1982 film tells a standalone story involving Silver Shamrock’s deadly Halloween masks, without featuring Michael Myers as its antagonist. That separation was intentional. The original plan for the Halloween series was to explore different Halloween-related horror stories as an anthology rather than return to Michael Myers in every installment. But after Season of the Witch failed to find the audience the studio wanted, Michael returned in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, and the franchise continued down the slasher path.

Over the decades, fans have come up with all sorts of theories about how the movies might fit together. Eisener’s short takes one of those possibilities and runs with it. What if Silver Shamrock’s experiments weren’t limited to the events of Season of the Witch? The short’s connections to the Cult of Thorn add another layer, nodding to the mythology introduced in the later Michael Myers sequels. Whether you find that mythology fascinating or convoluted, the idea of bringing it into Silver Shamrock’s world is an entertaining one.

Project Shamrock: The Secret Origins of Michael Myers Exposed is a not-for-profit fan film produced by Jen Yamato and Ian Matheson, with Appelle also serving as co-producer. You can watch it for free on YouTube and in the embed above.

Have you watched Jason Eisener’s Project Shamrock? What do you think of the idea of connecting Michael Myers to Silver Shamrock? Let us know in the comments!

The post Jason Eisener’s Project Shamrock fan film connects Michael Myers to Halloween III appeared first on JoBlo.

Mike

It has never not been strange to me that, to this very day, in some critics’ circles, while wearing fedoras and way too tight for their body type pants, they consider Ghostbusters II a “bad movie”. Was it all the fighting and struggles behind the scenes to get the film made that unfairly had it painted as a corporate cash grab before it ever graced the screen? Was it the fact that it released during a golden age of film that featured classic after classic releasing on a seemingly weekly basis that made the movie world overlook and throw it away so quickly? What was with the joke about the fedoras and the critics’ tight pants? It was oddly specific.

We’ll try to answer all those questions and more in today’s deep dive love letter to Ghostbusters II. The struggle to get the movie made in the first place, the dinner that brought everyone back together and breathed life into a dead sequel, and finally…..why what was will be and what is will be no more. Why Ghostbusters II is actually a kick-ass sequel. And dare I say….in some ways even better than the original.

The Contentious Making of Ghostbusters II

The Ghostbusters symbol is one of the most recognizable entities in the history of movies for good reason. When it hit theaters in ‘84, it not only made a sh*t ton of money, but it also hit the hat trick with fans and critics both falling in love.There’s always a Walter Peck out there or two, as it is with any franchise. But it’s not a controversial statement to say that everyone loved Ghostbusters and wanted more. The plan at Columbia Pictures was to make that happen as soon as possible, despite the fact that the franchise creators in Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman never intended to make it a franchise.

It all starts with the suits….not those suits. The boring ones. Columbia back then was run by a man named David Puttnam, who was known for having more of an affinity for smaller pictures and foreign language films than he had for Ghostbusters type productions. Puttnam seemed to be the type of person who the Ghostbusters would butt heads with in the movies: the fancy pants hotel manager who tries to stiff them on the bill or the band guy who had Sigourney Weaver stolen from him by the game show host. Perhaps that explains why Puttnam at one point considered making the sequel with a brand new, cheaper cast (though he later denied this). Puttnam would eventually be reportedly “ushered out” of his job in part because he ruffled the wrong feathers surrounding Ghostbusters, including those of Bill Murray and his agent.

But Murray wasn’t chomping at the bit to make Ghostbusters II, either. The actor disappeared from Hollywood for four years after his film The Razor’s Edge tanked at the box office. And by the time he came back, he wanted to make Scrooged before Ghostbusters II. The key actors and the production schedules continued to cross beams. And whether as a grown man at a bar trough or carrying unlicensed nuclear accelerators….you never want to cross the beams.

Some unresolved grievances between the cast members and production had grown into festering issues over the years,which likely included money, as multiple cast members were requesting $10 million dollars as their price tag to return.Things looked bleak for a future sequel until the talent agent who represented several of the main actors, and Reitman,Michael Ovitz, got involved and planned a sit-down. Where? I’m talking about someplace warm. A place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I’m talking about a little place called Jimmy’s Restaurant in Beverly Hills.

According to Murray himself, with all the air that needed to be cleared, none of them sat down for that lunch thinking they were going to end up making Ghostbusters II by the time the check came. But they laughed, drank, and ate for four hours and had so much fun they finally hit f*** it and decided to work together again. To make the financials work,Reitman, Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis negotiated for a salary that would give them a percentage of the box office profits on the back end in an attempt to keep the budget profitable.

You might wonder, “Well, what about Ernie Hudson?”. And you’d be right. The star was once again barely involved in the marketing of the film, nor was he paid nearly as much as the others. Which is horse sh*t indeed, but the actor has a good perspective on the situation when it involves anything nefarious, saying, “It’s very tempting, sometimes, to blame anything that doesn’t work in your life on racism. I think if Eddie Murphy had played the role I played…. he would have been paid very well. I think studios are in the business of making money, and they pay what they feel they have to”. Bill Murray at least was on his side, even refusing to do the movie himself if Hudson wasn’t given a bigger role than was being promised at the time.

The first draft of the script went way off the map, with Aykroyd writing a story that takes place in Scotland and features a fairy ring and an underground civilization. Eventually, they found their way home, and the script we now know as Ghostbusters II was complete by March of 1988, just under four years after the first film released. Quite the opposite of “Two in the box, ready to go, we be fast and they be slow”. But hey, it was happening. And the popularity of the Ghostbusters had only grown in the years that passed with the hit animated series The Real Ghostbusters becoming huge among kids (and toy sales) at the time. So much so that it influenced the return of Slimer to the film, and the movie script actually went out of its way not to contradict the storylines in the show too much.

The studio was on a bit of a losing streak at the time and had high hopes for the sequel, which they budgeted between $30 and $40 million dollars for. Then the test screenings happened, exposing some major issues. Reitman said the last twenty-five minutes had “died a horrible death,” and they replaced it with a new ending using reshoots focusing less on Ray’s possession and more on Viggo challenging the Ghostbusters, along with some other additions.

Release

When Ghostbusters II finally released in June of 1989, it more than doubled the original film’s opening weekend box office, pulling in $29 million as the number one movie of the weekend, breaking multiple box office opening day records.Likely in part because the first film was huge and created a massive fanbase going into this next step in what was looked to be a juggernaut of a franchise. It was hard to imagine what was going to happen next was going to Gone Girl-ing the franchise until it resurfaces decades later as a Melissa McCarthy project, am I right? Answer the call! No, f*** that call.That call goes to the machine with the bill collectors I’m pretending don’t exist.

Ghostbusters II contributed to the (at the time) highest-grossing box office weekend ever, back when movies were made proper. But this led to a LOT of box office competition and eventually to the film never regaining the top slot again after that fun first weekend. Unlike its predecessor, which had enjoyed a seven-week run on top of that mountain. By the end of September, the film left theaters after achieving less than half of the original film’s box office gross domestically, while it DID nearly double the original Ghostbusters haul internationally. In the end, the sequel came nearly $70 million short of its predecessor. It still made over $200 million dollars at the box office on the previously mentioned budget of between $30 and $40 million dollars. But with all these cast members to feed and all the effort put in…..it was still a disappointment depending on your disposition. Not to mention the fact that this was a sequel to, at that time, the highest-grossing comedy of all time. We didn’t know it yet, but the Ghostbusters we knew and loved were dead.

While being a kid at the time, I simply remembered it being awesome and more of something I really liked now featuring shinier things and new outfits and gadgets…..a lot of adults apparently didn’t and still don’t feel that way. The majority of the critical response was negative. Critics complained that Ghostbusters II was a carbon copy of the original’s structure and story, that the film felt corporate, un-energized, and even depressing (which I sure as sht don’t understand). Between the darker edges of Tim Burton’s Batman that released that year and rightfully captivated everyone, the letdown of this sequel being widely seen as, at the very least, not as good as the original, and the letdown at the box office….something strange happened. Ghostbusters II became locked in the memory of the movie world as some shtty and forgettable movie.And here’s where we get to the fun part: that assumption couldn’t BE more wrong.

The Case for Ghostbusters II

From top to bottom, Ghostbusters II matches the amazing first film in more ways than one. Starting with the story, one of my favorite parts of the original film was seeing our favorite parapsychology professors go through the perils of setting out on their own after being kicked out of their cushy positions at Columbia University. Getting the loan, finding the firehouse, hiring some help, and dealing with bureaucratical parasites like Walter Peck. We watched them struggle through all these things before hitting it big and going full-on Rocky IV montage style with the many ghosts they were busting before coming up against the biggest of all, saving the city, and becoming true heroes.

It would have been SO EASY for Ghostbusters II to pick up from there. Instead, we find our Ghostbusters five years later at their lowest, with a whole new hole to climb out of. After the events of the first film, the guys were sued by every state,county, and agency in New York, which is probably exactly what would happen in real life. People suck.

And so, we find Ray and Winston having to do one of the most degrading jobs for men of their stature just to keep the lights on: kids’ birthday parties. They show up and, in a nice meta touch, throw on the Ghostbusters theme song and dance in their proton packs while the kids boo them and ask for He-Man. Ray’s broken “come on, let’s go grab a beer” is a line you can feel deep down in your “holy sh*t today sucked” plums. They’re a joke to the kids and the entire city who are either too embarrassed to admit what they saw with their own eyes that day or just angry at everyone. And they did their jobs so well, there’s no longer any ghosts to wrangle anyway, feeding into the selective history that the Ghostbusters were the jerks in all this.

Speaking of everyone’s anger towards their fellow man….that leads us to another interesting plot point that the original Ghostbusters can’t even claim to have: the slime situation.

Arguments can and have been made that Ghostbusters II is a rebuilt copycat of the first film (which I have to be honest,would be fine with me….we just want to see the guys doing their thing…..you don’t have to reinvent the wheel here). But the best argument AGAINST that comes from the storyline surrounding the slime. Nowhere in Ghostbusters does anything even come close to resembling the thread throughout its sequel of the negativity of humankind having a powerful effect on its environment, supernatural or otherwise. Here, there is the discovery of the slime that grants us a scene in which we get to see the fellas pretend to be New York City Construction Workers. Things then get actually kinda freaky when you see that well-crafted and put-together river of pink slime permeating beneath the city. It’s a transfixing visual. I just wanted to play with it. I still do. Which is probably why it made for such great toy sales.

THEN, there is the process in which we discover and learn about the slime that offers us the chance to see the guys (mainly Egon and Ray) be the scientific research nerds they are. While a few of these scenes were cut for brevity,Ghostbusters II leans on that side of our leads, and it should be celebrated in the same way Batman fans celebrate when a movie shines a light on his detective skills. And who can forget the amazing toaster scene? Probably the first thing that pops in my head when I think of Ghostbusters II isn’t the Statue of Liberty scene….but a scene of the Ghostbusters hanging out and yelling at a toaster. Because A) It’s hilarious, and B) the camaraderie, at least in my opinion, is still just as alive and well here as it was in the first film. And that matters more to me than anything else.

It’s also nice to know we weren’t so far into corporate sequel territory that they couldn’t throw in a subtle disturbing possibility that, in all likelihood, Egon did sex stuff with the slime. You know, for science. All in all, Egon was such a weirdo in this one. Taking puppies away from kids and holding smiles for way too long. Whatever he’s doing, he seems happy. Good for him. Good for that big-haired weirdo and his large epididymis.

While this story focuses a bit too much on Peter and Dana finding their way back to each other……the same argument could be made for their romance in the first film. At least here we have the added addition of Oscar and both Peter and Dana realizing that he’d actually be a great dad after all. I wouldn’t call it necessary, but it’s touching. The greatest character arc of all, however, might just be Janine. In many, (cough) many ways.

Meanwhile, there is a subtle (and I can’t stretch the importance of that word enough here) SUBTLE theme of the way we treat one another, especially in big cities. Someone could easily use this plot line for a social media horror movie if they wanted. Imagine Egon pointing his emotional reading device at the X app. Thing will blow your head off, man. It didn’t take over the film in some finger-wagging or ham-fisted kumbaya sort of way (think Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure). It was an interesting thought left for the viewer to ponder while they were being entertained, if they felt like it. Well done.No notes. Long live the ‘80s.

Speaking of which….on the visual side of things, Ghostbusters II again kicks ass. Are the physics of the whole Statue of Liberty scene ridiculous, bordering on stupid? Sure. But there is just no way to top the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. By the way, that’s a ridiculous idea too. But who cares. Shut up and dance. And I appreciate the sentiment of using a meaningful symbol to bring a good emotion to people while “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher” blasts.

NOT TO MENTION, may I just say that the two soundtracks aren’t close. Ghostbusters II features not only an amped-up Run-DMC version of the Ray Parker Jr. classic, but nothing quite possibly in soundtrack history can top Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own”. Back when movies and artists weren’t afraid to make songs specifically for movies. I’m not here to push hard that Ghostbusters II is a better movie than the original. Just that it deserves to be called a good movie. But that is one point where I’d argue this film is better. Shout out to “Savin’ The Day” by the Alessi Brothers regardless. But Ghostbusters II has the best soundtrack.

Back to the visuals, the pink goo which required 100,000 gallons of slime for the film was yet another cool-as-f*** layer to Ghostbusters lore. From it raging under the streets to the way it oozed out of Dana’s bathtub. This also leads to the invention of the new proton packs. I don’t give a darn if they only did it to sell toys (because I was happy to ask for the toys for Christmas). These Slime Blower proton packs in all fairness don’t compare to the originals, but they integrated them nicely instead of replacing the classics.

The Ecto-1 gets a nice upgrade with the Ecto-1A, in which the now very shiny and waxed-up vehicle features more colorful branding, hazard stripes, and a sweet LED ticker board on the roof rack. Mixing nicely with the Christmas theme of Ghostbusters II that also goes overlooked. I mean, it was a choice to release a Christmas-themed movie in June, but whatever.

The new charcoal grey suits are pretty sweet as well. It’s a sequel after all, and it may be the consumer in me, but I thought it was cool how they added to the arsenal and updated a few things. Even if one of the new tools is quite literally an NES Advantage Controller used to pilot the Statue of Liberty throughout the city. Can confirm that us kids thought that was bad-ass, and many of us still do as adults. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that a scientist would do that in a movie about ghosts taking over the city on a wide scale for the second time. This is science make-believe, man. And it made science look awesome.

The Horror and the Villain

One area I proudly stand before you and argue that Ghostbusters II actually supersedes the original is in its horror and its villain. While still maintaining the gateway and “fun” side of horror with the ghost Titanic bits, Slimer’s reappearance,and the many Industrial Light & Magic ghosts and goblins taking over the city…..there are a few moments in Ghostbusters II that walk the line of full-on horror movie.

Starting with a sequence where Winston, Egon, and Ray venture into an old subway tunnel and are met with creepy sounds, a ghost train, and severed heads on pikes. Some real Game of Thrones sh*t, man. It’s a scene added in with the intention to really show the stakes they were up against (no pun intended) as well as the dark power of the villain: Vigo the Carpathian. Master of evil. The Scourge of Carpathia. The Sorrow of Moldavia. The Carpathians had more names for this guy than the kids in The Sandlot had for Babe Ruth. And rightfully so. As the film goes on, we learn that the man in this most-fed-up painting was actually a genocidal maniac who died at 105 years old after his own people had him poisoned, stabbed, shot, hung, stretched, disemboweled, drawn, and quartered. Somehow during all the stretching, his last words were “death is but a door, time is but a window, I’ll be back”. Like Vin Diesel and the Fast & Furious franchise. Haunting.

There’s a lore here that goes particularly well with that scary-ass face. Vigo was originally intended to be much more monster-oriented before Die Hard villain Wilhelm von Homburg was cast and they realized his face had so much personality that it was deemed unnecessary. And it’s true. There’s something about this guy that makes you think he’s probably actually the nicest individual on earth. Look at the way he’s smiling at that baby! But here, for this movie, and particularly that painting? He’s a goddamn fright. Vigo’s dread permeates through the movie as he sends his wacky henchman Janosz out to find him a baby to possess, which of course happens to be adorable baby Oscar. Meanwhile, as we learn more about his history from the occult records, Vigo inches closer and closer to our reality.

Including one particular moment that feels as if it could have been pulled from a classic R-rated ‘80s horror movie. As Ray and Egon develop some pictures and shoot the sh*t over what to eat for dinner that night, they realize the pictures they took of the painting of Vigo are transforming into some real freaky stuff. Right as an invisible entity locks the door,the demonic-looking pictures catch fire and leave them trapped inside to burn to death before Winston saves the day.

Vigo has the look, the lore, and the ability to make him a Class A kick-ass villain. And he’s legitimately scary when he goes full-on deadite and is able to possess Ray. Sure, at the end of the day he’s bested by a few insults and some happy songs, which is loose at best. I’ll give you that. But as much as I love the myriad of ghosts and goblins throughout this franchise, as far as interesting backstory and scares go? Vigo is the best villain of the franchise easily. Next to Paul Feig.

The Mentality Never Changed

While the music, the bad guys, and the horror elements of Ghostbusters II are the ones I truly believe surpass the original,other things simply needed to remain the same. The most important element of the Ghostbusters is about the friendship between the guys. And it remains as strong as ever in Ghostbusters II. There’s the previously mentioned slime gags,constant banter while in the middle of insane circumstances, and the feeling that even though they can separate both in life and in the chapters of the film…..they always come back together and it’s like nothing ever changed. Though Venkman was found hosting his TV show and fulfilling Dana’s prophecy for him, Egon was happy in his weird science experiments, and Ray had the occult bookstore when he wasn’t trying to keep Ghostbusters alive at kids’ parties alongside Winston…..they came back together like nothing ever happened. Just a bunch of weird dudes who compliment one another for better and worse. It’s a rare thing to find that in the movies and in real life. It’s to be appreciated.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is after Ray and Winston get in an almost fistfight as the slime’s negative energy takes hold of them and they crash Dana and Peter’s fancy dinner. There’s something about the energy of this group of guys covered in slime yelling and carrying on in the middle of New York’s dining upper class that reminds me of being a teenager and having your friends show up when you’re hanging out with a girl and thinking “oh sh*t, this is going to go poorly”. It’s hard to tell, but there’s a good possibility Venkman was actually jealous about having missed out on the cockroaches, rats, and slime trip underneath the city. But the exact thing that the real-life cast had noticed during that dinner in California was on full display in Ghostbusters II. They had fun together, and it made for a lot of laughs.

I truly think that if you don’t let the box office or the reviews during a time when we were all truly spoiled infect your opinions about Ghostbusters II, you’ll realize that camaraderie had been the exact point of the movie. Who cares if some story points feel restructured from the first film or the Statue of Liberty scene is more insane than Kevin Spacey in Se7en?

You can even argue that the courtroom scene with the Scoleri Brothers is just a rehash of the hotel scene with Slimer from the original. I’m fine with that! That scene was awesome. This gave us a chance to watch the guys try and completely fail to defend themselves against a court of law—because deep down they are a bunch of hopeful weirdos who thought Louis Tully would have a chance at defending them in court because he got his degree at night school. The guys were all still just as funny in a room together, taking on not only ghosts, but the establishment of politicians across New York City.And that, my friends, is why I think Ghostbusters II is every bit as good as the first film. Or at the VERY least…..something that should have never been labeled a “bad movie” in any sense of the word.

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