Joel McHale, the actor and comedian best known for Community,joins Scream 7 to play the husband to Neve Campbell‘s Sidney Prescott.
The casting came as a surprise to some, who believed Patrick Dempsey was the ‘Mark’ who Sidney Prescott alluded to having married, and thought Dempsey would be reprising his Scream 3 role as Detective Mark Kinkaid. However, reports state Joel McHale will play a character named Mark Evans.
He joins fellow stars Isabel May, who will play Prescott’s daughter, as well as Mason Gooding, Celeste O’Connor, Asa Germann, Mckenna Grace and Sam Rechner. It was also confirmed that Jasmin Savoy Brown would be returning.
Despite being part of the Core Four who revitalised the Scream franchise in 2022 (alongside Savoy Brown and Gooding), Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega will not be returning in Scream 7. Barrera was fired from the franchise following social media posts addressing the Israel-Hamas war, and Ortega exited due to pursuing other projects. Christopher Landon, who was due to direct the instalment, also stepped away following news of these exits.
Kevin Williamson — the creator of the franchise who penned the script to the Wes Craven-directed original, as well as Scream 2 and Scream 4 — is directing this instalment. Guy Busick, who wrote 2022‘s Scream and Scream VI, wrote the script.
Paramount is set to release Scream 7 in cinemas on February 27th, 2026.
Developed by Supermassive Games, Until Dawn follows a group of eight unsuspecting teenagers who get together in a remote cabin a year after two of their friends go missing. Through the use of a high-stakes “butterfly effect” mechanic, players make choices that impact later gameplay as they try to dodge masked killers, cannibalistic creatures, and figure out who among them can be trusted.
The trailer shows the butterfly effect in action as characters get killed off by different monsters, only to come back to life and repeat the same events with different outcomes each time.
Directed by David F. Sandberg from a script by Gary Daubmerman, with a previous draft by Blair Butler, the live-action film follows a slightly different path to the game. “One year after her sister Melanie (Maia Mitchell) mysteriously disappeared, Clover (Ella Rubin) and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. Trapped in the valley, they’re forced to relive the nightmare again and again – only each time the killer threat is different, each more terrifying than the last. Hope dwindling, the group soon realizes they have a limited number of deaths left, and the only way to escape is to survive until dawn.”
Michael Cimino will play Clover’s ex-boyfriend Max, Ji-young Yoo will play Max’s step-sister Megan, Odessa A’zion will play Clover’s friend Nina, and Belmont Cameli will play Nina’s boyfriend Abel. Peter Stormare will reprise his role from the video game as Dr. Alan J Hill.
Until Dawn releases into cinemas from April 25th, 2025. Watch the trailer below:
The first trailer for the hotly-anticipated Daredevil: Born Again is deliciously bloody, and very much in the spirit of its excellent Netflix predecessor. Matt Murdock, an attorney by day and vigilante by night played by Charlie Cox, and Kingpin, played by the fantastic Vincent D’Onofrio, reunite years later when Daredevil has hung up his mask, and Wilson Fisk has become mayor.
“I will admit, it’s not entirely unpleasant seeing you again,” Fisk tells Murdock. “I can’t shake the feeling you’re gaming the system,” Murdock tells Fisk in return.
In September 2023, Daredevil: Born Again overhauled its planned 18-episode series after early footage failed to wow Marvel Studios. The Punisher writer Dario Scardapane was then brought on as the new showrunner, and it was confirmed that the Marvel universe that once resided on Netflix – and which included Jessica Jones, The Punisher, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Defenders – would be folded into the MCU canon.
The series also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Wilson Bethel, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki M. James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal.
Daredevil: Born Again will release on March 4th, 2025, on Disney+. Watch the trailer below:
If you enjoyed our feature on the classic 1970s children’s adventure series Ace of Wands – it may have brought back some dusty memories or you may have been intrigued by a show you’ve never previously been aware of – then we’ve news of an exciting new event in March which may be of interest. The Quad in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter will play host on March 29th to a special event – the first ever to celebrate and commemorate Ace of Wands – which will feature screenings of classic episodes from the third series followed by a Q&A and autograph-signing opportunity with Tarot himself – actor Michael Mackenzie (and watch out for our interview with him in our next issue). The full and final line-up for the event, which is due to run from midday to 5pm, is yet to be announced but it’s confirmed that the 1972 serials ‘The Meddlers’ and the highly-acclaimed ‘Peacock Pie’ will be screened.
Tickets can be obtained by phone at 01332 290606 or online at www.derbyquad.co.uk. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be part of a unique and, quite possibly, magical occasion – with the chance to meet Tarot, the diamond man, face-to-face!
Stephen King is hard at work on a third novel in his The Talisman saga, he revealed via Threads. Published in 1984, The Talisman was co-written by King and Peter Straub, and the pair reunited in 2001 to collaborate on the sequel, Black House.
Peter Straub passed away in 2022, but not before conceiving of a concept for this third instalment of the horror fantasy epic. “Peter Straub had a terrific idea before passing away,” King wrote. “Dual credit, as on The Talisman and Black House. But as always, I can never be sure a book will be done until it is. This one has a long way to go.”
The Talisman follows 12-year-old Jack Sawyer on a quest into a parallel world known as the Territories in search of a powerful talisman that would save his mother from certain death. Black House, picks up with an adult Jack as a retired Los Angeles homicide detective trying to solve a series of murders in the small town of French Landing, Wisconsin.
Steven Spielberg has owned the film rights to The Talisman since it was published, with a number of adaptations failing to get off the ground. In 2021 however, it was announced Spielberg would team up with the Duffer Brothers, of Stranger Things fame, to develop it as a Netflix series.
Pigeon Shrine FrightFest descends on the Glasgow Film Festival once more for three days of terror this March.
This year’s event – the 20th in Glasgow – will feature a fantastic line-up of movies from all over the world and a short film selection highlighting filmmakers from the UK and Ireland.
Psyche
Kicking things off on Thursday is a special screening of Stephon Stewart’s Psyche, a sci-fi thriller starring Sarah Ritter. Stewart – who also directed Bigfoot Country – will be attending. This screening is not included in the festival pass.
On Friday March 7th, pass holders can enjoy the UK premiere of House of Ashes, the feature debut of STARBURST favourite Izzy Lee, which also stars Joe Lynch! Izzy, actor Fayna Sanchez, and writer/producer Steve Johanson will be on hand to host the screening.
Next up is the UK premiere of The Last Sacrifice, a documentary by Rupert Russell (who will be attending), which looks at the ‘70s folk horror genre through the lens of a true crime investigation.
This is followed by the world premiere of By the Throat, directed by David Luke Rees and starring Patricia Allison and Rupert Young.
After the success of Here Comes Hell – screened at the 2019 FrightFest Glasgow – director Jack McHenry returns with The Doom Busters, which is billed as ‘Dad’s Army meets Predator’. Count us in!
Friday closes with the UK premiere of Pedro Kos’ feature debut In Our Blood, which blends psychological mystery with horror, weaving a twisted tale of reconciling with the ghosts of our past and confronting the complicity we share in creating a world preying on the most vulnerable.
House of Ashes
Saturday kicks off with the UK premiere of A Mother’s Embrace, directed by Cristian Ponce, it’s set in 1996 during on the biggest storms ever to hit Rio de Janerio.
The ever-popular Short Film Showcase highlights homegrown talent, with seven up-and-coming directors introducing their films.
That is followed by the world premiere of the documentary Hearts of Darkness: The Making of the Final Friday, which looks behind the scenes of the classic ninth entry into the Friday the 13th series. Director Michael Felsher and writer Adam Marcus (who helmed Jason Goes to Hell) will be attending.
Italian legend Pupi Avati (The House with Laughing Windows) returns behind the camera with the UK premiere of The American Backyard, starring Rita Tushinham.
Horror comedy Scared to Death follows, directed by Paul Boyd and starring genre royalty Lin Shaye and Bill Moseley.
Closing the event is the latest from FrightFest regular Andy Edwards, Rumpelstiltskin. Andy and cast members Hannah Baxter-Eve and Joss Carter (who plays the titular character) will be there for the screening.
Rumplestiltskin
FrightFest co-director Alan Jones said: “There has never been a better time to be a fan of the horror, fantasy and science fiction genre and FrightFest, the UK’s biggest and most influential event, plays its vital part in spreading the communal message. This includes our residency at the Glasgow Film Festival, where the FrightFest audience is vibrant, welcoming, and eager to embrace the dark unknown, and we absolutely love being a strand of such a truly interactive experience with the art of film”.
FrightFest Passes are £88 and available from 10am on Friday January 17th. Passes will be exchanged for admission wristbands, which must be worn at all times to access all FrightFest films on Friday, March 7th and Saturday, March 8th. Tickets for Psyche, plus individual tickets for the Friday and Saturday films, are on sale to GFT Cinecard holders on Thursday, January 23rd, from 10am. The general sale starts on Monday, January 27th, at 10am. Prices: £12.00 / £9.50 (concessions).
Netflix has dropped a final trailer just days ahead of the season 2 premiere of Castlevania: Nocturne.
In 1792, during the height of the French Revolution and set in a remote part of western France, the counter-revolutionary aristocracy has forged an alliance with a terrifying Vampire Messiah, who promises to ‘eat the sun’ and unleash an army of vampires and nightcreatures to crush the revolution and enslave humanity. Annette, a sorceress from the Caribbean, seeks out Richter Belmont, last descendant of the long-fabled family of vampire hunters, to lead the resistance.
In season 2, set 300 years after the end of the original Castlevania series, Alucard, the son of Dracula, has joined forces with Richter Belmont, and his band of vampire hunters, who are in a desperate race against time. Erzsebet Báthory, the Vampire Messiah, who already seems invincible, seeks the full power of the goddess Sekhmet so she can plunge the world into endless darkness and terror.
The voice cast for “Castlevania: Nocturne” Season 2 includes Edward Bluemel, Pixie Davies, Thuso Mbedu, Sydney James Harcourt, Nastassja Kinski, Zahn McClarnon, Franka Potente, James Callis, Richard Dormer, Iain Glen, Elarica Johnson, and Aaron Neil.
The series is showrun by Kevin Kolde and Clive Bradley.
Castlevania: Nocturne season 2 debuts on January 16th, 2025. Watch the trailer below:
Netflix returns viewers to the fantastical universe of The Witcher with the official trailer for a new animated film, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.
In this new feature, “Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster hunter, is hired to investigate a series of attacks in a seaside village and finds himself drawn into a centuries-old conflict between humans and merpeople. He must count on friends — old and new — to solve the mystery before the hostilities between the two kingdoms escalate into all-out war.”
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep takes place between episodes 5 and 6 of The Witcher season 1. Dough Cockle voices Geralt in a film directed by Kang Hei Chul and written by Mike Ostrowski and Rae Benjamin.
The Witcher live-action stars Anya Chalotra and Joey Batey will also reprise their roles as Yennefer of Vengerberg and Jaskier, respectively, in the upcoming animated movie. Christina Wren also voices a new character.
The film hails from the South Korean animated studio Studio MIR, who also worked on Netflix’s The Legend of Korra, Voltron: Legendary Defender, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, X-Men ’97, and the upcoming Devil May Cry series.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep releases to Netflix on February 11th, 2025. Watch the trailer below:
Following its long awaiting (in the UK, anyway!) cinema release, The Last Voyage of the Demeter lands on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD in February.
A terrifying new addition to the Dracula legend, based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel, The Last Voyage of the Demeter chronicles the doomed journey of a merchant ship ferrying 50 mysterious wooden crates from Carpathia to London. As they set sail, the crew soon discover they are not alone. At night, a hidden passenger whose monstrous thirst for blood turns the trip into a harrowing nightmare of tension, terror, and unfathomable evil stalks them.
A first look image was shared by USA Today for the upcoming A24 horror Opus, which stars Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich.
In Opus, “A young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan.”
Hailing from writer and director Mark Anthony Green, the film will release in cinemas on March 14th, 2025. This is his feature directorial debut. The film has been described as “flashy pop horror” and a “tense, psychosocial game of cat and mouse”.
Edebiri, who rose to prominence with roles in The Bear and Bottoms, will play the “meek yet hungry journalist Ariel — her unique charm radiating alongside a distinct final-girl prescience. John Malkovich is effervescent and hypnotic as Moretti, a deified global phenomenon making a dramatically malevolent reintroduction.” Reports out of Sundance suggest the flick includes musical numbers. Opus will have its world premiere at the film festival later this month.
The film stars Amber Midthunder, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Stephanie Suganami, Young Mazino, and Tatanka Means.
See the first-look image of Opus below, and stay tuned for when A24 releases the trailer.
