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Squid Game is a South Korean survival horror thriller series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The Netflix series follows Seong Gi-hun, a single father in a huge amount of debt, who is invited to compete in a series of children’s games to win huge sums of money. The only caveat is that if anyone loses the game, they are killed then and there. Squid Game stars Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, and Lee Byung-hun. So, if you loved the social commentary, thrilling story, and compelling characters in Squid Game, here are some similar shows you should check out next.

The 8 Show (Netflix) Credit – Netflix

The 8 Show is a South Korean dark comedy torture thriller series created by Han Jae-rim. Based on the Naver webtoons Money Game and Pie Game by Bae Jin-soo, the Netflix series revolves around...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

28 Days Later Apparel from Alternate Ending

In honor of the 28 Years Later trailer drop, Alternate Ending has been infected by 28 Days Later apparel.

The end is nigh with two promo-style T-shirts ($28), a hat ($27), four 12×18 posters ($10), and three stickers ($4).

Pre-orders run through December 22 and will ship 4-8 weeks later.

Jack Frost Figure from Distinctive Dummies

‘Tis the season for holiday horror, so Distinctive Dummies has crafted a 1:9 scale Jack Frost figure.

The 9″ collectible comes with two swappable heads (regular and melted), four swappable arms, axe, stop sign, and display base are included.

Limited to 50, the killer snowman costs $129.99 at Monsters in Motion. Shipping is slated for early January.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Vinyl from...

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Netflix’s Japanese survival thriller series Alice in Borderland is one of the best thriller shows on the streamer right now. Alice in Borderland is similar to The Hunger Games, but it is more brutal and gory. Directed by Shinsuke Sato, the Netflix series is based on a Japanese manga series of the same name by Haro Aso, and it is set in a dystopian Tokyo and it follows a group of friends who get caught up in a nightmarish game where you have to complete some tasks given by the controllers of the game and if they are not completed the players are executed on-site. So, if you loved the thrilling story, deadly stakes, and compelling characters in Alice in Borderland here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Panic (Prime Video) Credit – Prime Video...

Yellowjackets is the latest mystery must-watch series that is driving fans wild with all of its exciting revelations. Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the Showtime series is a mix of horror and drama and it follows a group of highly talented girls high-school soccer team, whose plane crashes deep into the Ontario wilderness, and it quickly becomes a question of life and death for them. Yellowjackets stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Ella Purnell, Sophie Nélisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Samantha Hanratty, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis. So, if you loved the survival thriller, horror drama, and mystery aspects of Yellowjackets here are some similar shows you should check out next.

Lost Credit – ABC

Lost is a sci-fi mystery adventure and survival thriller drama series created by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelöf. The ABC series revolves around a group of survivors of...

Stars: Nikko Austen Smith, Manny Liotta, George Baron, Olivia Scott Welch, Ray Wise, Danielle Bisutti, Evee Bui, Glume Harlow, Jordyn Denning, Logan Miller | Written and Directed by George Baron

Writer/director/star George Baron was sixteen when he started filming The Blue Rose, two years later he had a finished feature film playing on the festival circuit and getting picked up for release. And not just any film, but, as you might guess from the title, a tribute to David Lynch that’s as bizarre as any of his own films.

It opens with a woman on stage planting a seed and watering it with what appears to be blood. A blue rose sprouts. Cut to three blue roses growing in a window box of a 1950s suburban home. Inside, Sophie dances around her immaculate kitchen making pies. The dance becomes a deadly one when her husband Harold enraged about something unknown punches her,...

Three years have gone by since we heard that Olivia Scott Welch of Shudder’s The Sacrifice Game and Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy would be starring in writer/director George Baron’s feature debut The Blue Rose, which is described as a surreal, genre-bending noir film… and now we finally know when we’re going to have a chance to see The Blue Rose. Dark Sky Films has announced that they will be giving the film a digital/VOD and limited theatrical release on July 12th! Along with that announcement comes the unveiling of a trailer, which you can check out in the embed above.

Set in the 1950s, The Blue Rose follows the one-night journey of two rookie detectives as they set out to solve a seemingly clear-cut homicide, only to find themselves in an alternate reality of their worst nightmares.

Welch takes on the role of Detective Lilly,...

Powertool Cheerleaders Vs The Boyband Of The Screeching Dead: "The sensational musical horror comedy feature film has been a smash hit on the festival circuit since its Leicester Square premiere on the closing night of Frightfest.

Now Powertool Cheerleaders Vs The Boyband of The Screeching Dead is available for streaming on Tubi and other platforms.

On the eve of a televised talent show, an enthusiastic but dysfunctional cheerleading troupe is on the brink of falling apart. But when a cursed necklace turns their rival act into a screeching gang of zombies, the girls must learn to use their wits, friendship and assorted powertools before the TV finale takes a turn for the apocalyptic...

Clips from Powertool Cheerleaders Vs The Boyband of The Screeching Dead have been featured on BBC News at 6 (and at 10!) and the film was at one stage the most popular film Kickstarter project on the planet.

Written...

"Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time."

2021's Fear Street trilogy proved to be a major success for Netflix, and amid persistent rumors that the streamer might be planning to develop more adaptations of R.L. Stine's work, we got confirmation that a Fear Street movie was in the works last November.

Netflix recently announced the full cast and a synopsis for Fear Street: Prom Queen (or Fear Street '88: Prom Queen as it's titled in this video), and the streamer has now revealed that filming is officially underway.

We also have a brief behind-the-scenes teaser featuring several members of the cast chatting about the show as they prepare to shoot their scenes. Something tells us their characters won't be having quite as much fun as Prom Night progresses.

Directed by Matt Palmer (Calibre), the ensemble cast includes India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, David Iacono,...

Netflix's shadiest horror franchise is targeting its next set of victims. The slasher series "Fear Street" debuted back in 2021 as three full-length movies set in the fictional but aptly-named town of Shadyside, based on author R.L. Stine's popular "Cheerleaders" sub-trilogy within the "Fear Street" novels. The mega-sized special event was released over the course of three consecutive weeks on the streaming service (check out /Film's spoiler review of the movies here), pulled in a ton of viewers, earned consistently high praise among critics, and served up all sorts of gory kills and supernatural chills -- along with one heck of a memorable kill by a particularly deadly bread slicer. Fans have been clamoring for more sequels ever since and rumors of new movies have swirled since at least 2022, but now we've heard straight from the studio that another release has officially been greenlit.

After all three previous movies...

Demi Moore poses with two of her daughters – Rumer and Scout – while stepping out for the opening celebration of the The Frankie Shop x Crosby Studios LA pop-up installation on Friday (February 23) in Los Angeles.

The 61-year-old actress was also seen posing with Crosby Studios founder Harry Nuriev at the event, which features the installation “The Meeting Room.”

Also in attendance at the opening were Gabrielle Union, Alexandra Shipp, Dree Hemingway, Zelda Williams, Rainey Qualley, Josephine Skriver, Olivia Thirlby, Andrew Matarazzo, Marta Pozzan, Olivia Welch, Langley Fox and Kim Gordon.

The exhibit draws “inspiration from the powerful women of the post office age,” and “envisions a space that pays tribute to this bygone era. Capturing the moment before movers take away old office items, the installation features stacks of binders, monitors, office chairs, and a broken printer set against water coolers and fragmented walls.”

It also features The Frankie Shop...

Embark on a comedic journey with the upcoming episode of “Lucky Hank” titled “A First Look at Monsieur Spade,” set to air on AMC at 5:20 Am on Wednesday, 10 January 2024. The episode takes a humorous turn as English professor William Henry Devereaux Jr. receives news of his absent father’s impending retirement.

Watch as Professor Devereaux Jr. is catapulted into a childlike state, throwing tantrums, alienating his peers, and defying administrators in a series of comical escapades. The narrative promises laughter and absurdity as the professor navigates the complexities of family dynamics and career uncertainties.

“Lucky Hank” continues to captivate audiences with its witty humor and quirky characters, and this episode is no exception. Don’t miss this early-morning dose of comedy, where the antics of Professor Devereaux Jr. take center stage. Tune in for a lighthearted and entertaining episode that promises to kickstart your day with laughter.

Release Date...

Han's life is unraveling in the first season of the Lucky Hank TV show on AMC. As we all know, Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like Lucky Hank is cancelled or renewed for season two. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustrated when their viewing habits and opinions aren't considered, we invite you to rate all of the first season episodes of Lucky Hank here. *Status Update Below.

An AMC comedy-drama series, the Lucky Hank TV show stars Bob Odenkirk, Mireille Enos, Cedric Yarbrough, Diedrich Bader, Olivia Scott Welch, Sara Amini, and Suzanne Cryer. The story revolves around William Henry "Hank" Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk), the unlikely chairman of the English department at Railton College, a badly underfunded college in a working-class town in Pennsylvania. Hank's going through...

AMC hit paydirt with Bob Odenkirk's last two shows on the cable channel. While Lucky Hank is unlikely to be nearly as successful as Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul, will it be popular enough to see a second season? Will Lucky Hank be cancelled or renewed? Stay tuned. *Status Update Below.

A comedy-drama series, the Lucky Hank TV show stars Odenkirk, Mireille Enos, Cedric Yarbrough, Diedrich Bader, Olivia Scott Welch, Sara Amini, and Suzanne Cryer. The story revolves around William Henry "Hank" Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk), the unlikely chairman of the English department at Railton College, a badly underfunded college in a working-class town in Pennsylvania. Hank's going through a mid-life crisis and his discontent is rooted in unresolved issues with his father, a mediocre and entitled student body, and in the fact that his department is more savagely...

Hank's journey is over. AMC has cancelled the low-rated Lucky Hank TV series so it won't return for a second season.

A comedy-drama series, the Lucky Hank TV show stars Bob Odenkirk, Mireille Enos, Cedric Yarbrough, Diedrich Bader, Olivia Scott Welch, Sara Amini, and Suzanne Cryer. The story revolves around William Henry "Hank" Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk), the unlikely chairman of the English department at Railton College, a badly underfunded college in a working-class town in Pennsylvania. Hank's going through a mid-life crisis and his discontent is rooted in unresolved issues with his father, a mediocre and entitled student body, and in the fact that his department is more savagely divided than the Balkans. He’s married to Lily Devereaux (Enos), the emotionally grounded and unflappable Vice Principal of the local high school in their town. As Hank's life unravels,...

AMC has canceled “Lucky Hank” after one season, Variety has confirmed.

Based on Richard Russo’s “Straight Man” novel, the eight-episode dramedy follows William Henry “Hank” Devereaux Jr. (Bob Odenkirk), an unlikely chairman in a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt. Just as Hank’s career and home life begins to unravel, his wife Lily (Mirielle Enos) also decides to take a look at some of her past choices that led to her current reality. The series is told in first person from Hank’s point of view.

“We’re proud of ‘Lucky Hank’ and thankful for the work of everyone who brought this unique, playful and deeply human show to viewers, from the talented creative team to our partners at Sony and, of course, Bob, Mireille and the entire cast and crew,” said AMC in a statement. “Unfortunately, we are not able to proceed with a second season,...

It's Christmas of 1971, and students Clara (Georgia Acken) and Samantha (Madison Baines) are stuck at the Blackvale School for Girls with their empathetic teacher (Chloë Levine) and the school's resourceful chef (Gus Kenworthy). But while the quartet does their best to embrace the spirit of the season, a sacrificial cult led by Maisie (Olivia Scott Welch) and Jude (Mena Massoud) soon arrives on their front step with sinister intentions that are far more scary than any door-to-door Christmas carolers... although by the end of the night it just might be the cult members who wish they had never crashed the festivities at the Blackvale School for Girls.

Such is the intriguing seasonal setup for The Sacrifice Game, the new movie from director/co-writer Jenn Wexler. If, like me, you loved the subversive scares of Wexler's 2018 film The Ranger, you'll find plenty of macabre moments to enjoy in The Sacrifice Game,...

‘Tis the season of abundance! Celebrate more being more with director Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game,” a campy new Shudder release that imagines what would happen if the cast of “The Holdovers” got a Christmas visit from the Manson Family at an all-girls boarding school with a witchy secret.

Co-written by Wexler and Sean Redlitz, this grab-bag seasonal period flick — shot in snowy Canada and set in 1971 — is more gruesome than scary and takes a handful of decidedly silly turns. Be it fruit cake, stuffed stocking, whatever your holiday metaphor, the fantasy horror adventure of students Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) gifts audiences steadily stranger fun almost all the way through. It’s a genre blend that’s delightful, baffling, and surprisingly ruthless in its decisive direction with a holiday twist that isn’t necessary for the plot but certainly ties the zany concept together.

What begins...

Watching Christmas horror movies is a proud tradition for spooky fiends looking to escape their post-Halloween blues and the agonizing two months of forced consumerism and awful music blasting in every department store. The films in this very specific category are known for subverting the cheer and innocence associated with the holiday, and often focus on characters experiencing isolation because their family situation is far from those depicted in generic Hallmark Christmas movies. Every year, we are treated to new ideas on how to make Christmas creepy, and this year fans should be snuggling up on the couch to view is The Sacrifice Game.

Co-written with her husband Sean Redlitz, The Sacrifice Game is the sophomore feature for director Jenn Wexler, produced by Heather Buckley (who previously worked with Wexler on The Ranger), as well as Philip Kalin-Hajdu and Albert Melamed. The story is set in the 1970s, pulling inspiration...

Director/Producer Jenn Wexler’s sophomore feature, The Sacrifice Game, arrives on Shudder on December 8, just in time to spread holiday fear for the season.

With co-writer Sean Redlitz, Wexler’s latest infuses Yuletide horror with a maniacal Satanic cult set at a boarding school in the ’70s.

Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, Chloë Levine, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre and Georgia Acken star.

Bloody Disgusting spoke with Wexler about her devilishly fun Christmas horror feature, where she discussed her influences and ensured a movie titled The Sacrifice Game delivers on the bloodletting.

At the gooey center of a violent, bloody holiday horror tale lies the charming friendship between two teen girls held hostage by a deranged cult. Not only does friendship become the emotional backbone, but Wexler reveals that her horror movies ultimately speak to her childhood.

The filmmaker tells us, “The stories I want to tell,...

Plot: Murderers seeking to summon a demon raid a boarding school on Christmas Eve, holding the few people there captive… then they get more than they bargained for when the demon is revealed.

Review: Five years ago, Jenn Wexler made her feature directorial debut with the very entertaining throwback slasher The Ranger, which put a group of punk-style criminals up against a psychotic forest ranger – and came off like the closest we’ll probably ever get to seeing a Psycho Cop 3. For her follow-up, Wexler has made a ‘70s throwback supernatural horror film. And while The Ranger wasn’t directly said to be set in the ‘80s or early ‘90s, The Sacrifice Game is very clear about when it’s set: December 1971, in the days leading up to Christmas.

Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Derek Johns, and Laurent Pitre play a quartet of murderers who have been racking up a substantial body count this December,...

"Christmas Killers strike again." Streaming horror network Shudder has revealed a trailer for indie horror film The Sacrifice Game, made by filmmaker Jenn Wexler. This premiered at the 2023 Fantasia Festival & FrightFest London, along with appearances at Fantastic Fest and the Telluride Horror Show. Available to stream on Shudder this December. Set in the 1970s at the ominously named The Blackvale School for Girls. It's bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can't go home for the holidays (so The Holdovers as horror?), but things take a deadly turn when a murderous gang arrives on their doorstep - just in time for Christmas. The horror film stars Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre, Chloë Levine, and Georgia Acken. Looks like your standard group of demented killers thriller with all the usual tropes and lots of yelling and everything else. // Continue Reading ›...

I've been eagerly awaiting Jenn Wexler's next film since seeing The Ranger, and thankfully that wait is nearly over, as her next movie, The Sacrifice Game (co-written by Wexler and Sean Redlitz), will begin streaming December 8th on Shudder, and we have a look at the film's official trailer that pits boarding school students against murderous cult members during a bloody Christmas of 1971!

You can watch the official trailer below, and in case you missed it, read Emily von Seele's 5-star Fantastic Fest review of The Sacrifice Game!

Synopsis: "The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It's bad enough that students Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) can't go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at their doorstep—just in time for Christmas."

Director: Jenn Wexler

Screenwriters: Jenn Wexler, Sean Redlitz

Starring: Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy,...

The 1970s-set supernatural horror film The Sacrifice Game, the new film from The Ranger (you can read my 8/10 review Here) director Jenn Wexler, is scheduled to start spreading holiday fear on the Shudder streaming service on December 8th – and with that date just weeks away, a trailer for the film has arrived online! You can check it out in the embed above.

Olivia Scott Welch of the Fear Street trilogy stars in the film alongside Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Gus Kenworthy (American Horror Story: 1984), Chloë Levine (The Oa), Derek Johns (The Wolf and the Lion), Laurent Pitre (Under the Banner of Heaven), Madison Baines (1Up), and newcomer Georgia Acken.

Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story that’s set at The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take...

From director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), The Sacrifice Game is headed to Shudder for the holiday season, and the official trailer has come down the chimney this afternoon.

The Sacrifice Game spreads holiday fear on Shudder beginning December 8, 2023.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bd, “What begins as something all too familiar eventually gives way to something more satisfying and charming. The Sacrifice Game may be a holiday ruiner for many of its characters, but for audiences, it’s a holiday horror treat.”

Fantasia described The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”

In the upcoming horror movie…

“The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives at...

AMC and AMC+ have more than 650 hours of holiday programming planned for this year’s “Best Christmas Ever” lineup kicking off on November 26 and running through December 26, 2023. The lineup includes classic Christmas films, including Miracle on 34th Street, White Christmas, Elf, and Christmas Vacation. For those who like to celebrate their winter holidays with a serving of horror, Shudder’s offering a new Joe Bob’s Creepy Christmas Special and the original film The Sacrifice Game.

This year’s “Best Christmas Ever” schedule also features Christmas with the Campbells, The Apology, and marathons of John Candy, Reese Witherspoon, and Bill Murray films.

Best Christmas Ever 2023:

The Sacrifice Game – Debuts December 8 on Shudder and AMC+

It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a murderous gang arrives at their doorstep – just in time for Christmas.

The 1970s-set supernatural horror film The Sacrifice Game, the new film from The Ranger (you can read my 8/10 review Here) director Jenn Wexler, won the gold in the Best Canadian Feature category at the Fantasia International Film Festival back in August. More genre fans are going to have their chance to see the movie in just a couple months, as it has been announced that The Sacrifice Game is going to be released through the Shudder streaming service on December 8th!

Olivia Scott Welch of the Fear Street trilogy stars in the film alongside Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Gus Kenworthy (American Horror Story: 1984), Chloë Levine (The Oa), Derek Johns (The Wolf and the Lion), Laurent Pitre (Under the Banner of Heaven), Madison Baines (1Up), and newcomer Georgia Acken.

Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story that’s set at The Blackvale School for Girls,...

From director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), The Sacrifice Game is headed to Shudder for the upcoming holiday season, and we’ve been provided with a release date this week.

The Sacrifice Game spreads holiday fear on Shudder beginning December 8, 2023.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review out of Fantasia, “What begins as something all too familiar eventually gives way to something more satisfying and charming. The Sacrifice Game may be a holiday ruiner for many of its characters, but for audiences, it’s a holiday horror treat.”

Fantasia described The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”

In the upcoming horror movie…

“The Blackvale School for Girls, 1971. It’s bad enough that students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers...

Exclusive: U.S. and UK-based production, sales and financing company Alliance Media Partners (Amp) has signed a non-exclusive genre co-production deal with Quebec-based producer Philip Kalin-Hajdu.

The parties are coming off Tribeca thriller Suitable Flesh, and Fantasia debut The Sacrifice Game, respectively.

The deal is due to see the duo produce three new mid-budget pictures a year, utilizing Quebec and/or Canadian talent and incentives, and to include international co-productions. Their first project, action-thriller Skate Or Die, is in the works for early 2024.

Amp is part of Dubai-based Alliance Capital Partners group, a private asset management and finance company. Genre film releases include Suitable Flesh, starring Heather Graham, Judah Lewis and Barbara Crampton; Glorious, starring J.K. Simmons and Ryan Kwanten, and The Endless, Blue Iguana starring Sam Rockwell.

Kalin-Hajdu is a two-time Canadian Screen Award nominated producer. He is producer and executive producer of The Sacrifice Game, starring Mena Massoud and Olivia Scott Welch,...

Stars: Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Gus Kenworthy, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre, Chloë Levine, Georgia Acken | Written by Jenn Wexler, Sean Redlitz | Directed by Jenn Wexler

Directed by Jenn Wexler (who co-wrote with Sean Redlitz), The Sacrifice Game is a mash-up of two reliable horror sub-genres: the home invasion thriller and the summoning-a-demon supernatural chiller. As such, it’s an entertaining and frequently rather nasty slice of horror hokum, with an inventive and fun central twist.

Set over Christmas, 1971 (meaning it qualifies as a Christmas movie), the film opens by establishing that four members of a Manson Family-like demonic cult – sadistic charmer Jude (Mena Massoud), hulking Vietnam vet Grant (Derek Johns), driver Doug (Laurent Pitre) and sexy ringleader Maisie (Olivia Scott Welch) – have been performing blood sacrifices on people after invading their homes. Their next target is Blackvale Academy, an elite boarding school where Maisie first encountered the...

George Baron in The Blue Rose Photo: courtesy of Frightfest

One of the more unusual films about this year’s Frightfest is that it features two films made by teenagers. Alice Maio Mackay was unfortunately not available to talk about her spiky satire T Blockers, but we will doubtless be seeing more of her work in years to come. George Baron, however, was happy to meet up for a chat about his surrealist detective tale The Blue Rose. He wrote, directed and stars in it, but it’s no amateur effort, being handsomely produced and more than capable of standing alongside the big hitters at the festival.

As the name might suggest, the film is inspired by the work of David Lynch, though there’s a lot more going on than that and Baron is no mere imitator, acquitting himself well. He plays a young detective who, along with colleague...

Jenn Wexler's sophomore feature "The Sacrifice Game" bursts with behind-the-camera confidence as a creepy, culty, Christmassy midnighter romp. It's one of those horror movies that aims to make horror fun again, feeling at home on VHS shelves or snuck behind parents' backs for an unapproved after-bedtime watch. Wexler's seasonal genre package is tightly wrapped, keeping the audience in a giddy state of suspense as twists and turns unfold. Shades of cinematic parallels to everything from "The Blackcoat's Daughter" or "The Babysitter" make "The Sacrifice Game" this playfully disturbing road-trip killing spree with a dangerous bite, appealing to the devils inside us hungry for bad-vibes horror served with a crooked smile.

The film takes place over Christmas 1971, at and around Blackvale School for Girls, where students Samantha (Madison Baines) and outcast Clara (Georgia Acken) will spend their holiday break with supervising teacher Rose (Chloë Levine). Bad fortune brings greasy-haired Jude...

Director/Producer Jenn Wexler’s sophomore feature, The Sacrifice Game, continues her streak for unpredictable narratives centered around teen girls. Unlike the anarchic ’80s punk rock spirit of her feature directorial debut, The Ranger, The Sacrifice Game shifts gears in tone and era to examine friendship amidst a demonically charged home invasion over Christmas break. Its narrative turns, characters that challenge perceptions, and slasher-like bloodletting yield a devilishly fun new entry in holiday horror.

Three days before Christmas in 1971, the remaining students of Blackvale, a Catholic boarding school for girls, depart for the holidays. Well, almost all. Circumstances leave teens Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) stuck on the premises under the care of chaperone Rose (The Ranger‘s Chloë Levine) and Rose’s boyfriend Jimmy (Gus Kenworthy). But Rose’s attempts to create a wholesome holiday for her wayward wards get thwarted when murderous cult members Maisie (Fear...

The Ranger director Jenn Wexler will be raising hell this Christmas with ’70s set supernatural horror movie The Sacrifice Game, and Shudder’s unveiled a stunning new poster by Chris Barnes to prove it.

The Sacrifice Game will world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 28 and will launch later this year on Shudder.

Fantasia describes The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”

Between the description and the new poster below, we’re in for more holiday horror with a supernatural twist.

In the upcoming horror movie…

“It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.”

Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch,...

A few years ago, I had a lot of fun watching Jenn Wexler’s feature directorial debut The Ranger (you can read my 8/10 review Here), so I’m looking forward to checking out Wexler’s second feature, the 1970s-set supernatural horror film The Sacrifice Game. Attendees of the Fantasia International Film Festival will have the chance to watch the movie this Friday (at 9:30pm) – and in anticipation of the film’s festival premiere, a poster has been unveiled! You can check it out at the bottom of this article.

Wexler wrote the screenplay for The Sacrifice Game with Sean Redlitz, crafting a story with the following synopsis: It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.

Olivia Scott Welch...

The horror festival runs August 24-28 in London

Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll starring Eddie Izzard will have its world premiere at the UK’s horror and fantasy film festival FrightFest (August 24-28) as the full line-up is unveiled.

Izzard will play Nina Jekyll, the infamous scientist with a dark alter-ego, in a modern adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book by placing a woman in the titular role.

Doctor Jekyll is one of 25 world premieres screening at the festival, which takes place at Cineworld Leicester Square in London.

Opening FrightFest will be the European premiere of Joe Lynch’s...

FrightFest, the UK’s biggest, best and most beloved community-driven horror & fantasy film festival, returns in a blaze of gory glory to the Cineworld Leicester Square, London, for its 24th edition, a press release announced this morning.

“Running from Thursday August 24 – Monday 28 August, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is a joyful big screen celebration of genre cinema, offering a carnival of carnage, a smorgasbord of shock and a tableau of terror. This year, over five days, audiences can explore the magic of menace, mayhem and mischief with seventy films programmed across four screens. There are twenty-five world, twenty-three International / European and twelve UK premieres, with fourteen countries represented, spanning five continents.

The festival opens with the European premiere of Suitable Flesh, the latest shocker from FrightFest favourite Joe Lynch, who has created an outlandish love letter to the late, great Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon; a new body horror take on H.P Lovecraft...

From director Jenn Wexler (The Ranger), The Sacrifice Game will world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival and will launch later this year on Shudder.

While you wait, Bloody Disgusting has been provided with two exclusive first-look images from The Sacrifice Game this week, which you can check out above and below.

Fantasia describes The Sacrifice Game as “a gripping and stylish ‘70s-set chiller involving school girls, power-mad killers and occult prophecy,” filled with both “gore and lore.”

In the upcoming horror movie…

“It’s bad enough that boarding school students Samantha and Clara can’t go home for the holidays, but things take a deadly turn when a gang of cult killers arrives on their doorstep—just in time for Christmas.”

Mena Massoud, Olivia Scott Welch, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, Chloë Levine, Madison Baines, Derek Johns, Laurent Pitre and Georgia Acken star.

Shot in Oka, Quebec, the film is...

Olivia Scott Welch, who plays Julie Devereaux in the hit TV show Lucky Hank, discussed working with the cast and series star, Bob Odenkirk, in her new exclusive uInterview.

“Ten years from now I think I’ll remember working on the show as a whole. It’s like one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life and I think will be forever and it was the best like group of people I’ve ever been around,” she told uInterview exclusively at the SXSW premiere of the series.

The actress specifically remembers how almost every night she and the whole cast would get dinner.

“Everybody loved each other so much and we would go to dinner after work all the time and I think I’ll remember working because everybody was like genuinely magical on the show but I think I’ll remember eating dinner with everybody...

Hank is going to Hank.

If you didn't learn that from the series premiere of Lucky Hank, you'll know it after Lucky Hank Season 1 Episode 2, premiering Sunday on AMC and AMC+.

TV Fanatic scored an exclusive clip from the new episode, and it features Bob Odenkirk delivering another masterclass in acting.

He was excellent on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but he's playing a very different role in Lucky Hank, showcasing his impressive acting range to perfection.

In the clip, Hank is given the opportunity to speak with Booker Prize winner George Saunders.

While anyone would be ecstatic about speaking with such a prestigious figure, Hank has other ideas.

It doesn't help matters that Hank learns just how much the college is paying for the privilege of having George at the campus.

It's a fun scene that showcases why the show has been such a resounding success with critics.

Vulture Watch

Hank's a man in crisis. Has the Lucky Hank TV show been cancelled or renewed for a second season on AMC? The television vulture is watching all the latest cancellation and renewal news, so this page is the place to track the status of Lucky Hank, season two. Bookmark it, or subscribe for the latest updates. Remember, the television vulture is watching your shows. Are you?  

What's This TV Show About?

A comedy-drama series airing on the AMC cable channel, the Lucky Hank TV show stars Bob Odenkirk, Mireille Enos, Cedric Yarbrough, Diedrich Bader, Olivia Scott Welch, Sara Amini, and Suzanne Cryer. The story revolves around William Henry "Hank" Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk), the unlikely chairman of the English department at Railton College, a badly underfunded college in a working-class town in Pennsylvania. Hank's going through a mid-life crisis and...

Network: AMC

Episodes: Ongoing (hour)

Seasons: Ongoing

TV show dates: March 19, 2023 -- present

Series status: Has not been cancelled

Performers include: Bob Odenkirk, Mireille Enos, Cedric Yarbrough, Diedrich Bader, Olivia Scott Welch, Sara Amini, and Suzanne Cryer.

TV show description:

A comedy-drama series, the Lucky Hank TV show is based on the book by Richard Russo.

The story revolves around William Henry "Hank" Devereaux, Jr. (Odenkirk), the unlikely chairman of the English department at Railton College, a badly underfunded college in a working-class town in Pennsylvania.

Read More…...

Some of the best television shows are about whip-smart operators and the political nuances of their professional worlds. So why then is it so challenging to make a satisfying series about academia? It’s not only difficult to think of a television show that has succeeded in lifting the veil of a university, it’s tough to think of shows that have even tried. The most recent swipe at it was Netflix’s “The Chair,” a thin but charming dramedy starring Sandra Oh that ended after a single season. Even as college campuses remain a go-to battleground for American culture wars, the inner lives of the professors caught in the crossfire are usually reserved for novels.

The latest such attempt to animate the tenured life is AMC’s “Lucky Hank,” which is built from just such a novel. It’s an adaptation of “Straight Man,” the Richard Russo novel that...

Plot: Lucky Hank is an eight-episode mid-life crisis tale set at Railton College. Told in the first person by William Henry Devereaux, Jr., the unlikely chairman of the English department in a badly underfunded college in the Pennsylvania rust belt.

Review: Bob Odenkirk is one hell of an actor. The accomplished comedian joined Breaking Bad as Saul Goodman in what many of us assumed was a comic relief role before turning in a bravura performance as the lawyer in his spin-off, Better Call Saul. While earning acclaim in that role, Odenkirk became an unexpected action hero in Nobody, proving his versatility across genres. Now, Odenkirk blends his dramatic and comedic chops for a new AMC series, Lucky Hank. Based on the Richard Russo novel Straight Man, Lucky Hank is a biting and satirical comedy that is equally serious and funny, with a substantial leading role for Odenkirk as the title character.

Television is a relatively new indulgence for South by Southwest. What started as a music conference and market for the exchange of pop cultural ideas in 1986 quickly grew into a full-blown film festival by 1994. It wasn’t until 2014, however, that TV fully got its due with the addition of “Episodic” programming to the SXSW Film Festival.

Now, nearly 10 years after television first arrived to the Austin, Texas get-together, the People’s Medium is well and truly having its moment at SXSW 2023. No fewer than 20 TV shows will have their premieres at SXSW this time around, running the gamut from tentpole streaming sci-fi to little-known pilots in search of a forever home

With that in mind, here is everything that SXSW attendees and TV fans in general can look forward to from SXSW 2023’s Episodic output.

A Small Light

March 17 – 7 pm at Stateside Theatre

Holocaust survivor, political activist, and renowned author...

"Tenure doesn't mean you can't get smacked in the face." AMC has revealed an official trailer for their new upcoming Bob Odenkirk series titled Lucky Hank, created by Aaron Zelman Paul Lieberstein, directed by Peter Farrelly. It will be out for streaming in March next month. The series follows the unlikely chairman of the English department, William Henry Devereaux, Jr. - a born anarchist - partly because his department is savagely divided. Over the course of a single convoluted week, he threatens to execute a duck, has his nose slashed by a feminist poet, discovers that his secretary writes better fiction than he does, suspects his wife of having an affair with his dean, and finally confronts his philandering elderly father, the one-time king of American Literary Theory. Bob Odenkirk stars with Mireille Enos & Olivia Scott Welch as his family. Additional series regulars include Sara Amini, Diedrich Bader, Suzanne Cryer,...

Bob Odenkirk is going through a midlife crisis in the AMC series, “Lucky Hank”.

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Straight Man, by Richard Russo, the “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” alum plays Hank Devereaux Jr., head of the English department at the underfunded Railton College, whose life begins to fall apart. Hank’s unhappiness is rooted in unresolved issues with his father, a mediocre and entitled student body and the fact that his department is more divided than ever. ‘The Killing”s Mireille Enos co-stars as Lily Devereaux, Hank’s wife and vice principal of a local high school, who starts to question the path she’s on and the choices she’s made amid his downward spiral.

The newly released trailer reveals the extent of Hank’s discontentment as he publicly declares to a class of students that they’re swimming in mediocrity and because they’re...

Bob Odenkirk as Hank – Straight Man _ Season 1, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Sergei Bachlakov/AMC AMC Networks announced today that Emmy(R)-nominees Bob Odenkirk and Mireille Enos’ highly anticipated next series Lucky Hank will debut across four of its linear networks with BBC America, IFC and SundanceTV joining AMC and AMC+ for a multi-network premiere event on Sunday, March 19 at 9:00 p.m. Et/Pt. The news coincides with the release of the series’ first full-length trailer; linked here. The linear debut of Lucky Hank follows the series’ recently announced world premiere at South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin on Saturday, March 11. Lucky Hank is a mid-life crisis tale set at Railton College, told in the first person by William Henry “Hank” Devereaux, Jr., the unlikely chairman of the English department in a badly underfunded college in a working-class American town. Hank’s discontent is rooted in unresolved issues with his father,...

Prime Video has released its latest trailer for at its highly anticipated limited series “Daisy Jones & the Six.” The 10-episode series will premiere on March 3, with new episodes released every Friday through March 24.

“Daisy Jones & the Six” follows the story of an iconic (and fictional) 1970s band, led by two clashing singers, Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne. Daisy and Billy’s complicated musical partnership catapulted the struggling band into a world of unfathomable fame. Decades later, the band members are recruited to tell their story and finally reveal the truth behind their fallout.

Based on Taylor Jenkins Reid novel of the same name, “Daisy Jones & the Six” was created by Michael H. Weber and co-showrunner, Scott Neustadter, who executive produced alongside Reid. The series stars Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Camila Morrone, Will Harrison, Suki Waterhouse, Josh Whitehouse, Sebastian Chacon, Nabiyah Be, Tom Wright and Timothy Olyphant.

Alongside Neustadter,...

Being English department head doesn’t seem to have any special perks on the surface, but in the first official trailer for the AMC series Lucky Hank, Bob Odenkirk proves that it serves as great source material for maximum melodrama.

“The fact that you’re here means you show very little promise,” Professor Hank Devereau (Odenkirk) spits at a student before immediately asking: “Did that sound harsh?” Soon, a headline in the school newspaper reads: “Prof. Devereaux Calls All Railton Students Mediocre.”

The series, set to premiere on March 19, seems...

Bob Odenkirk is the face of angry middle-aged white guy mediocrity in the trailer for “Lucky Hank,” a dark comedy coming to AMC and AMC+ on Sunday, March 19. If it’s going to be anyone, it should be him.

In “Lucky Hank” – formerly known as “Straight Man” – Odenkirk stars as William Henry “Hank” Devereaux, Jr., the chair of the English department at Railton College, an underfunded, underachieving college in small-town Pennsylvania. Hank is an unhappy man who resents his father, his students, and his co-workers, which he manages by checking out from his life. But one day, he’s pushed to his breaking point and snaps at his students during class, which sets his life into a mid-life crisis tailspin. Meanwhile, Hank’s wife Lily (Mireille Enos), the even-keeled vice principal of the local high school, has had enough of Hank’s nonsense and is questioning her own path in life.