Amicus Productions Wraps IN THE GRIP OF TERROR

Amicus Productions, the iconic British horror brand synonymous with classic anthology films and reborn with the approval of co-creator Milton Subotsky’s estate, has wrapped the production of the first new film in almost 50 years, In the Grip of Terror.

Recently added to the superb cast list is famed actress and Golden Globe nominee Jane Merrow (The Lion in Winter and Hammer’s Hands of the Ripper) in its highly anticipated return to the genre. She stars as Matron Margaret, a commanding figure in the chilling hospital-set segment The One-Way Ward, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s horror short story Cool Air.

Adding further gravitas to the cast is veteran character actor Jonathan Hansler (Axed, The Devil’s Machine), who takes on the role of Professor Walker, bringing his wealth of pathos and trademark intensity to this gripping tale of terror. STARBURST favourite and all-round good egg Laurence R. Harvey (The Human Centipede 2, The Editor) will appear as Dr Graves.

Megan Tremethick (Ghost Crew, The Slave and the Sorcerer) had already been announced for the project. Tremethick’s work has been described as ‘standout’ for its nuance and emotional depth, earning her recognition as an emerging talent in the genre.

The film also features Chris Capaldi, known as the former face of Scotch Beef, who plays Doctor Richard Maitland. Reviving the Amicus tradition of characters named Maitland, Capaldi’s portrayal brings a subtle nod to the studio’s storied history while adding a fresh, compelling presence to The One-Way Ward.

The One-Way Ward relocates Lovecraft’s atmospheric tale to an ominous hospital that harbours a deadly secret. This segment is part of In the Grip of Terror, the first Amicus Productions horror anthology since From Beyond the Grave (1974). It marks a triumphant return to the studio’s celebrated anthology format and its legacy of chilling interconnected tales.

Directed by Lawrie Brewster of Hex Studios (Automata, The Black Gloves), the film is co-produced by Brewster and Sarah Daly, with Sergei Subotsky serving as Executive Producer. The film is a co-production between Amicus Productions, the British Horror Studio, and Hex Studios, uniting forces to deliver a chilling cinematic experience.

The studio has revealed a collection of character photographs, offering a glimpse into the Gothic elegance and eerie atmosphere of In the Grip of Terror.

The film is set for release in 2025. Watch this space for more details.

THE ELECTRIC STATE Trailer Unites Chris Pratt And Millie Bobby Brown

a giant robot carrying a vw bus in the electric state trailer

Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt are on a dangerous mission in the new trailer for Netflix‘s sci-fi feature The Electric State. Directed by MCU helmers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, the story centres on teenager Michelle (Brown) and her robot friend joining an eccentric wanderer (Pratt, with a horrendous wig and handlebar moustache) to track down the girl’s missing younger brother in an alternate 1994, following a war between humans and machines that’s seen robots exiled from humans.

The star-studded cast includes Everything Everywhere All At Once star Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Norman, Giancarlo Esposito, and Stanley Tucci. Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Hank Azaria, Colman Domingo and Alan Tudyk also lend their voices to a host of characters.

The Russo brothers helmed the film from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely that is based on author Simon Stalenhag’s 2018 novel of the same name. Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, Chris Castaldi and Patrick Newall serve as producers.

The Netflix production appears to take a much more colourful, pop actioner approach to the source material, where the novel was described as melancholic and reflective.

The Electric State is set for release on the Netflix platform on March 14th, 2025. Watch the trailer below:

DEATH OF A UNICORN Trailer Invites You To Poke Around & Find Out

jenna ortega in trailer for death of a unicorn

Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd could make a killing in the first trailer for Death of a Unicorn. Alex Scharfman writes and directs the A24 horror-comedy feature, which also stars Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant, Anthony Carrigan, Sunita Mani and Jessica Hynes.

Death of a Unicorn centres on a father (Rudd) and daughter (Ortega) who are headed to a weekend getaway with his billionaire boss (Grant) when the pair strike a unicorn with their car. Complications ensue when the boss realises that the unicorn gives miraculous benefits, including curing cancer.

Excitingly, though, the unicorn has pals who don’t seem to take kindly to their friend’s body being experimented on. A mythical creature-on-human killing spree ensues.

Death of a Unicorn marks Alex Scharfman’s directorial debut, from a screenplay he wrote. Prior to this, he’s produced such notable indies as Blow the Man Down and Resurrection, among other titles. 

Producers include Scharfman, Tyler Campellone, Tim Headington, Drew Houpt, Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen and Theresa Steele Page. Among the executive producers are Ortega, Rudd and horror auteur Ari Aster.

The exact release date has not yet been specified, but Death of a Unicorn will be shoehorning its way into screens in Spring 2025. Watch the trailer below:

Bidding War Surrounds HOMEWRECKERS, The Glen Powell-Starring Erotic Thriller

glen powell in top gun: maverick . to star in homewreckers

Glen Powell is attached to star in and produce Homewreckers, an erotic thriller with a sci-fi twist. Legendary, Lionsgate, New Regency, Sony and Warner Bros. are among the companies bidding on the project, reports THR, which was unveiled early this week.

The unpublished three-chapter short story is by Neil M. Paik, who will also write the script. Details are being kept under lock and key. Still, sources state that the tones are reminiscent of Adrian Lyne, who made the steamy thriller Fatal Attraction and is known for sexually charged narratives about conflicting passions, seduction, moral ambiguity, betrayal, and infidelity, and Alex Garland, known for films exploring contemporary anxieties and whose works include Ex Machina and Civil War.

News of the project caps a banner year for Glen Powell, who headlined the comedy Anyone But You with Sydney Sweeney, the romantic comedy/actioner Hit Man, and the tornado flick Twisters. For upcoming projects, Powell is in very high demand and will soon be seen in the thriller Huntington opposite Margaret Qualley, in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man opposite Josh Brolin, in J.J. Abrams’ mystery Warner Bros film with Jenna Ortega, and many more.

Expect more news on this Homewreckers feature film soon.

DC Studios Sets Release For Mike Flanagan-Written Feature CLAYFACE

clayface consuming cat woman in dc comics

DC Studios has set Clayface for a theatrical release on September 11th, 2026, with renowned horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan writing the script. A director has not yet, however, been announced.

The Batman helmer Matt Reeves and Lynn Harris serve as producers for Clayface, with the movie centring on the DC character that originated as a Batman villain in 1940. Clayface is made of clay and has the ability to shapeshift. With it being a DC project, James Gunna and Peter Safran are of course, also producing.

The character has been voiced by Alan Tudyk in the animated series Harley Quinn and Creature Commandos, and by Ron Perlman in Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. Other appearances for the character have included Brian McManamon’s portrayal on Gotham and Lorraine Burroughs’ gender-switched version on Pennyworth.

We don’t yet know much about this adaptation, except for the fact that back in 2021, Flanagan had tweeted his hope to someday work on a Clayface stand-alone feature, which he envisioned as incorporating elements of the horror, thriller and tragedy genres.

Flanagan pitched the film to DC in 2023, but due to already being committed to writing and directing a new take on The Exorcist for Universal, DC is on the hunt for another director to take the reins on Clayface.

Filming on the project is expected to begin early next year.

Tarman Is Back In New RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD Film

tarman in return of the living dead

Living Dead media has revealed that Tarman will return in a new Return of the Living Dead film, which will be released on Christmas 2025, in time for the 40th anniversary of the 1985 horror cult classic.

Part of the announcement included a holiday-themed teaser trailer, which features the franchise’s Tarman emerging from a snow-covered cemetery and dragging a Christmas tree.

Living Dead Media states that the project won’t be a reboot of the original but a new instalment in the beloved horror-comedy franchise. This one will be set in a small Pennsylvania town on Christmas 1985, 18 months after the events of the original film, which Dan O’Bannon directed. The original film followed the unfortunate events that sparked after two bumbling employees at the Uneeda Medical Supply warehouse accidentally released a deadly gas into the air which led the dead to rise as zombies, infecting the entire town.

 Living Dead Media CEO Steve Wolsh will direct from his own screenplay. The franchise already includes five films: the 1985 instalment was followed by 1988’s Return of the Living Dead II, 1993’s Return of the Living Dead III, 2005’s Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis and 2005’s Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave.

Watch the teaser trailer below:

GODZILLA VS MARVEL Crossover Event Confirmed!

godzilla vs marvel comics crossover event announcement

The classic kaiju will take on Marvel’s superheroes in Godzilla vs. Marvel, a series of comic one-shots that will include the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and Thor.

As THR reports, this marks Marvel’s first Godzilla crossover event in almost 50 years, after the character starred in the series Godzilla, King of the Monsters, which ran from 1977 to 1979 and was set in the main Marvel Comics universe.

The six comics will reportedly take place over different time periods. The first Godzilla vs. Marvel, which bows in March, is Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four. It will centre on the Marvel team battling classic Godzilla antagonist King Ghidorah, who has been imbued with cosmic power as the new herald for Galactus, the devourer of worlds. In this issue, written by Ryan North and with art from John Romita Jr., Godzilla teams up with the Silver Surfer to save the Earth.

“We approached them [rights holder Toho] initially for our reprints, but a while after those conversations, it was clear that both of our teams were excited to do more together,” says Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski. “These crossovers started coming together over that time, in direct collaboration with Toho, and we felt the perfect time for them was for Godzilla’s 70th anniversary next year. We’ve been thrilled to work with them on these, and we hope this will be a sign for more exciting projects to come.”

“For us, kaiju—and specifically Godzilla—are important parts of Marvel’s comic history, so we knew we wanted to explore something with their teams,” says Dan Buckley, president, Marvel Comics & Franchises. “We’ve always been fans of Godzilla, but with the steady rise in Godzilla’s popularity over the years, it’s part of our current cultural zeitgeist and a perfect example of the fun that the comics industry can bring. We’re focused on the storytelling first and foremost, but fun opportunities for crossovers like this give both of our fans an entertaining escape that they won’t want to miss.”

Austin Butler Is Patrick Bateman In New AMERICAN PSYCHO

austin butler in the bikeriders

Suspiria and Bones and All‘s Luca Guadagnino is directing a new interpretation of the 1991 book American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis for Lionsgate, and news now comes that Austin Butler will star as serial killer Patrick Bateman.

Scott Z. Burns pens the script, which is said to be a new adaptation of the novel and not a remake of the 2000 film by Mary Harron that starred Christian Bale. In the story, “a wealthy New York City investment banking executive, Patrick Bateman, hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he delves deeper into his violent, hedonistic fantasies.”

“We are thrilled to add another elite filmmaker to our upcoming slate,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson in a past statement. “Luca is a brilliant artist, and the perfect visionary to create a whole new interpretation of this potent and classic IP.”

Rumours previously were that Jacob Elordi would play Bateman in the upcoming adaptation, which makes The Bikeriders and Dune: Part Two star Austin Butler a somewhat unexpected choice. However, Elordi will play the Monster in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, replacing Andrew Garfield.

Butler is also known for his roles in Elvis, Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood, The Dead Don’t Die, and Masters of the Air.

TANGLED To Receive Live-Action Remake

still from tangled animated movie

To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, “This is the way cinema ends/Not with falling box office attendance, but with live-action remakes”. That is to say, Disney is remaking Tangled as a live-action feature, with The Greatest Showman‘s Michael Gracey in negotiations to helm the new version of the 2010 animated film.

Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who is helming Sony’s reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, wrote the latest draft of the screenplay for this new film. Producers include Kristin Burr for Burr! Productions, along with Lucy Kitada (The Baby-Sitters Club).

Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about Rapunzel, the original Tangled centres on a long-haired girl who has spent her life trapped in a tower until she hatches a plan to see the world with a would-be thief.

This is just the latest in Disney’s endless conveyor belt of live-action remakes, with Mufasa: The Lion King releasing this month, the Rachel Zegler-led Snow White set for March of next year, and Lilo & Stitch soon after that. That’s to say nothing of the frame-for-frame remake of How To Train Your Dragon at Universal or the other Disney confirmed projects in the works that include a live-action Moana, Robin Hood, Aristocats, Hercules, and Bambi.

Teyonah Parris Joins John Cena In MATCHBOX

teyonah parris as yo-yo in they cloned tyrone

Teyonah Parris, best known for playing Monica Rambeau in WandaVision and the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large, has joined John Cena in Matchbox, Apple Original Films’ live-action spin on the Mattel car toy line. Sam Hargrave, the director behind the Extraction movies, will helm the feature from a screenplay by David Coggeshall and The Adam Project‘s Jonathan Tropper. Parris also joins Jessica Biel and Sam Richardson on the call sheet.

Plot details are still being kept under the hood. Still, The Hollywood Reporter relays that the project is described as an action-packed, globetrotting adventure and centres on a group of childhood friends who must work together to stop an impending worldwide disaster and rediscover their friendship along the way.

Matchbox is the toy brand created in 1953 that was acquired by Mattel in 1997. Mattel competed with Matchbox with its own line of miniature car toys, Hot Wheels. Plot details of the film adaptation are, of course, behind kept top secret. This project is different from the Hot Wheels adaptation, which Mattel Films is also developing but will be produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot.

A Matchbox project is far from the only Mattel toy-inspired feature in the works. As we reported last year, the toy company has confirmed a Polly Pocket film starring Lily Collins, from which director Lena Dunham departed this summer. There are fourteen projects in active development, including Barney, starring Daniel Kaluuya (as Mattel Films producer Robbie Brenner previously explained, “more like a Being John Malkovich… [it’ll] be more adult and have adult themes — and sort of be a little bit off-kilter”), a Magic 8-Ball film (“a PG-13 thriller”), the Vin Diesel Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, J.J. Abrams’ Hot Wheels (which has “real emotion and real stakes to it”), and a UNO movie.

Beyond Marvel, Teyonah Parris has also starred in genre blockbusters, including Candyman and They Cloned Tyrone.