Actors are hired for weird jobs all the time, but now we demand a private investigation series starring two beloved character actors based on their experience.
January 2025
Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez says the CGI resurrection of a dead actor in the movie has been fixed for the home video release.
The most controversial aspect of Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus last year was the use of late actor/original Alien star Ian Holm’s likeness in the film, with the digitally resurrected Holm playing an android named Rook, the same model as his character Ash from Ridley Scott’s original classic. The effects work for the uncanny cameo, well, it left much to be desired.
Turns out, even Fede Alvarez wasn’t happy with how the digital necromancy in Alien: Romulus turned out. As he explains to Empire, the effects were retooled for the home video release.
“We just ran out of time in post-production to get it right,” Alvarez tells Empire. “I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with some of the shots, where you could feel a bit more the CG intervention. So, for people that react negatively, I don’t blame them.”
“We fixed it,” he continues. “We made it better for the release right now. I convinced the studio we need to spend the money and make sure we give the companies that were involved in making it the proper time to finish it and do it right. It’s so much better.”
After hearing official confirmation (though, it’s obvious) that they tried fixing the Rook CGI in ALIEN: ROMULUS for the blu-ray release, I thought I’d compare the digital release and the blu-ray and… yeah. Quite a difference, but I’m not overly impressed either. pic.twitter.com/7HXPvzNjqi
— Luke Ryan (@RazorwireRyan) January 10, 2025
With approval from Ian Holm’s estate, the actor was brought back to the screen through a combination of animatronics and digital effects, with the digital effects ultimately being overused atop the animatronic puppet that had been built. As Alvarez explains to Empire, “What we did [for the new home entertainment release] was revert a lot more to the puppet.”
That animatronic was created by Shane Mahan, who used a life cast of Ian Holm from The Lord of the Rings back in 1999. “From that head cast,” Fede Alvarez explains in a featurette you can watch below, “we started building the animatronic, to make sure the likeness was uncanny.”
CGI was then used particularly for the eyes and mouth of the animatronic, the team augmenting the practical effects with digital effects. Now that the home video release of the movie reverts back more to the original practical effects, Alvarez says it looks “way better.”
Decide for yourself. Alien: Romulus is now available on Digital and physical media.
The post That Weird Ian Holm CGI in ‘Alien: Romulus’ Has Been Changed for Home Video Release appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
The real-life Los Angeles fires illustrate that the truly despicable villains in 2024’s disaster blockbuster Twisters aren’t the tornadoes.
A24 brings fresh horror back to the big screen here in early 2025 with Opus starring Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) and John Malkovich (Billions), and USA Today shares a first look image today as part of their 2025 Movie Preview. Check it out above and read on for more.
A24 will release Opus in theaters on March 14, 2025. From writer-director Mark Anthony Green, the upcoming film will be A24’s first new horror movie to release here in 2025.
The film has been described as “flashy pop horror” as well a “tense, psychosocial game of cat and mouse.”
In A24′s 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.”
Edebiri 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.” What’s even more intriguing is that Sundance had described the film as having musical numbers.
Amber Midthunder (Prey) and Juliette Lewis (“Yellowjackets”) also star, along with Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus”), Stephanie Suganami (Power Book II: Ghost), Young Mazino (Beef), and Tatanka Means (Killers of the Flower Moon).
The post A24 Horror Movie ‘Opus’ Stars John Malkovich as a Popstar Cult Leader [Image] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
A brand new year for the horror genre officially kicked off this week, and the first full week of 2025 has already provided us with six new releases plus the return of a popular TV series.
Here’s all the new horror that released January 6 – January 10, 2025!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
An investigative documentary that dives deep into one of Hollywood’s most intriguing “what could have been” stories, George A. Romero’s Resident Evil hit VOD this past Tuesday.
In 1998, Constantin Film set out to bring Resident Evil, the legendary horror video game, to the big screen. They enlisted George A. Romero, the visionary director who redefined the zombie genre, to adapt the project. But despite the perfect pairing of horror’s greatest minds, Romero’s vision for Resident Evil was never realized.
Now, for the first time, director Brandon Salisbury’s documentary uncovers the hidden story behind the project that captivated fans and the horror industry alike.
George A. Romero’s Resident Evil delivers an immersive, stylized experience, weaving together archival footage, newly uncovered documents, and fresh interviews with key personalities. Taking inspiration from documentaries like Jodorowsky’s Dune, Salisbury crafts a compelling narrative that revisits the people and the creative vision behind this unproduced adaptation.
Through candid interviews with industry insiders, the doc brings to light the enduring mystery and the ambitious spirit that could have redefined the franchise’s journey into Hollywood.
Director David Fincher supervised the new 4K restoration of Se7en, which was released onto Digital outlets as well as 4K Ultra HD physical media on Tuesday, January 7.
“We’re going back and doing it in 4K from the original negative, and we overscan it, oversample it, doing all of the due diligence, and there’s a lot of shit that needs to be fixed,” David Fincher said of this brand new Se7en restoration last year.
He continued, “Because there’s a lot of stuff that we now can add because of high dynamic range. You know, streaming media is a very different thing than 35mm motion picture negative in terms of what it can actually retain. So there are, you know, a lot of blown-out windows that we have to kind of go back and ghost in a little bit of cityscape out there.”
Written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Sleepy Hollow), the film follows a pair of detectives on the hunt for a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motive.
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman star in the 1995 serial killer thriller with Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey. Preview the 4K restoration with a new trailer for the film below.
A documentary that “delves into the UFO phenomenon like never before,” The Alien Perspective from award-winning filmmaker Dean Alioto is now available on VOD outlets.
With insights from NASA, CNES, Oxford, compelling firsthand witnesses, and even the possible viewpoint of extraterrestrial visitors, the film features exclusive interviews with Futurist Michio Kaku, Comedian & UFO Researcher Dave Foley, New York Times Investigative Reporter/Author Leslie Kean, NASA Deputy Scientist of TESS Program Elisa Quintana and more.
The team at Captured Pictures previews, “The UFO/UAP discussion has been hotter than ever with Congress hearing on UAP claims last month and now with the onslaught of mysterious drones over NY and NJ… could this be evidence that we are not alone?”
The Disney+ series “Goosebumps” is back for a brand new second season, and the new season is titled “Goosebumps: The Vanishing.” It’s now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
The series regular cast for Season 2 includes David Schwimmer (Anthony), Ana Ortiz (Jen), Sam McCarthy (Devin), Jayden Bartels (Cece), Elijah M. Cooper (CJ), Galilea La Salvia (Frankie) and Francesca Noel (Alex).
Additionally, Arjun Athalye (“Are You Afraid of the Dark?”) is Sameer, Eloise Payet (“The End of the Party”) is Hannah, Christopher Paul Richards (“The Kids Are Alright”) is Matty, and Kyra Tantao (“ZOMBIES 3”) is Nicole — four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994, becoming a central secret to the present-day characters.
The Disney+ series is of course based on R.L. Stine’s iconic series of books.
Here’s the official synopsis for the eight-episode “Goosebumps: The Vanishing”…
“The story begins with Devin and Cece, fraternal twins adjusting to life with their recently divorced dad, Anthony. When the duo discovers a threat stirring, they realize that dark secrets are among them, triggering a chain of events that unravel a profound mystery. As they delve into the unknown, Devin, Cece and their friends — Alex, CJ and Frankie — find themselves entangled in the chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994.”
Books that inspired Season 2 include Stay Out of the Basement, The Haunted Car, Monster Blood, The Girl Who Cried Monster, The Ghost Next Door and Welcome to Camp Nightmare.
Described as a comedic slasher movie, Get Away from director Steffen Haars (Krazy House) was released in theaters last month, and it’s now streaming only on Shudder.
Written by and starring Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), the film follows a family on their summer vacation to a remote island where they discover a serial killer is on the loose. Unfortunately for them the locals have no interest in helping the stranded family.
“I am super hyped that Get Away found its perfect partner in IFC Films and Shudder to bring the film to North American audiences. We can’t wait to invite everyone on this killer trip with the Smith family to the unwelcome island of Svälta,” said Haars.
“Get Away is a laugh out loud comedy that pours several buckets of blood onto a family’s sweet vacation in Sweden. This hilarious thrill ride will stir up laughs and scares in equal measure,” said Shudder’s Emily Gotto. “Nick Frost revs up his horror comedy expertise with the support of a strong ensemble cast and Steffen Haars’ playful directorial touch.”
Aisling Bea (This Way Up), Sebastian Croft (Heartstopper) and Maisie Ayres also star.
A bachelor party weekend transforms into an intense nightmare in Birdeater, and Dark Sky Films brings the Australian psychological thriller exclusively to select theaters today.
“A bride-to-be joins her fiance’s bachelor party in the remote Australian Outback. As the festivities spiral into beer-soaked chaos, uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, turning the celebration into a feral nightmare.”
Directed by Jack Clark and Jim Weir, their feature has been described as a “horror thriller that represents a visually striking and daring debut from this Australian duo.”
Shabana Azeez, Mackenzie Fearnley, Ben Hunter, Jack Bannister, Clementine Anderson, Alfie Gledhill, Harley Wilson, and Caroline McQuade star in Birdeater.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Birdeater is an audacious reckoning with identity told through a relatable scenario gone very wrong. Borrowing a page from Wake in Fright, Clark and Weir’s feature debut examines heady concepts through confident filmmaking and subversion of tropes through horror techniques.”
In an interesting and highly unusual move, the filmmakers behind found footage movie It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This have vowed that the movie will NEVER be released online. In other words, you’ll only ever be able to see it in theaters. But where? And when?
It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This will screen at select Alamo Drafthouse cinemas on January 10. The award-winning found footage horror movie will bring its intensity in these 10 locations:
- Austin, TX at Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
- Chicago, IL at Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville
- Dallas, TX at Alamo Drafthouse Richardson
- Denver, CO at Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake
- Los Angeles, CA at Alamo Drafthouse DTLA
- New York, NY at Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn
- Raleigh, NC at Alamo Drafthouse Raleigh
- San Antonio, TX at Alamo Drafthouse Park North
- San Francisco, CA at Alamo Drafthouse New Mission
- Twin Cities, MN at Alamo Drafthouse Woodbury
The one-night engagement marks the widest release thus far for the film, which has previously only been available to see at film festivals and one-off live events.
It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This is co-directed by Rachel Kempf and Nick Toti, who also star as a pair of filmmakers that buy a haunted duplex to shoot their indie horror movie. As strangers gather outside in a trance, their investigation escalates to obsession.
Alex DiVincenzo wrote in his review, “In a time when a never-ending deluge of content and screens are vying for attention, it’s increasingly difficult to get viewers invested in a movie. It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This‘ theatrical-only release strategy creates an intimate, immersive environment for audiences to feel as vulnerable as the characters on screen.”
The post Friday, January 10 – 6 New Horror Movies Released This Week Plus “Goosebumps” Returns appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
Den of Thieves 2: Pantera takes the scuzzy action vibes of the first movie and adds a buddy comedy angle for good measure, with fun results. Here’s our review.
Patrick Stewart and other Next Generation veterans readily agreed to appear in Star Trek: Picard, but Q actor John de Lancie required some convincing.
Demi Moore won a Golden Globe for her work in The Substance, but there are plenty of other performances that should have put her in the awards conversation.
According to a producer of 28 Years Later, Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy will not appear in the movie after all. But is this a bit of smoke and mirrors?
