Described as “Ted meets ET,” David Mikalson’s raunchy comedy Goblin is being brought to life over at A24, and Will Forte (“The Four Seasons”) is now in talks to star.

Deadline first reported the news this afternoon.

Kenneth Branagh has been cast to voice the titular Goblin in the upcoming A24 movie, with the character said to be “green-colored” as well as “anatomically correct.”

Skyler Gisondo (Superman) is reportedly playing the Goblin’s human best friend.

The mysterious project sounds a bit like films including A Gnome Named Gnorm and more recently, Frankie Freako, though it’s important to note that it’s not billed as a horror movie.

Deadline details, “After [Mikalson] hatched the idea to make an outrageous buddy comedy about a goblin, using a practical puppet and operating outside the Hollywood system, his script quickly got him a rep team. While others might have eyed the raunchy comedy as a writing sample or planned to wait to see the micro-budget version Mikalson has been directing in Kentucky, A24 jumped all over it. The hot indie essentially has agreed to finance a full feature.”

“There was a lot of interest, but A24 came with what Mikalson really wanted, after spending all his money crafting the puppet title character: they acquired the movie and agreed to let him make it with a significantly increased budget than what he had left after creating the anatomically correct title character,” Deadline’s report goes on to explain.

What does the titular Goblin actually look like? Well, a cake that Mikalson had whipped up for his reps might give us our first look at what to expect. Deadline explains the photo you’ll see down below, “Take a look at the cake he commissioned with Marc Gravelle at Cake Art in West Hollywood, to present to his reps as thanks for making his dream come true.”

The post ‘Goblin’ – Will Forte Joins A24’s Raunchy Little Monster Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Horror sequels are a peculiar thing. In most cases, follow-ups to scary movies tend to retread the same formula with different victims and more over-the-top scares. This is because audiences tend to be more interested in the antagonists of these pictures than anything else, with even main characters becoming disposable when the time comes to produce a sequel.

That’s why some of the most memorable horror sequels are the ones that actually manage to hold onto interesting survivors from previous films while also pushing the story forward instead of having the same thing happen again to a different group of people. From Scream 2 to Dream Warriors (and arguably even The Exorcist III: Legion), there are quite a few of these innovative sequels to go around.

However, if there’s one franchise that deserves more attention when discussing bigger and better continuations that make the most of episodic filmmaking, it has to be Ted Nicolaou’s Subspecies.

The Full Moon classic spawned an indie horror icon, but bizarre sequel Bloodstone: Subspecies II is even more beloved than its predecessor.

Building a Bigger Vampire Saga

While the film itself takes place almost immediately after the events of the first movie, Bloodstone only entered production a couple of years after the release of the original as both Charles Band and Nicolaou weighed the pros and cons of returning to Romania to continue the series. In an effort to maximize efficiency, the team decided to invest in a trilogy where parts II and III, now fully written by Nicolaou, would be filmed simultaneously over the course of a single grueling shoot.

Much like the first Subspecies, Bloodstone’s low budget meant that the filmmakers once again had to cut corners and re-use as many of their resources as possible. Thankfully, the process was much easier this time around as Nicolaou, with the help of Romanian cinematographer Vlad Paunescu and his wife Oana, became more acquainted with local customs and made new friends. Shooting abroad still came with its own unique set of challenges due to a lack of translators and the occasional safety concerns, but the crew managed to make things work by filming things guerrilla-style and setting up shop in abandoned caves and real medieval ruins.

The director’s newfound contacts, coupled with the relative success of the first movie, meant that he was basically given free rein over an assortment of shooting locations usually considered off-limits for indie horror. That’s why Bloodstone features insanely ambitious lighting and effects work even during scenes shot in the middle of a bustling Bucharest. The filmmakers went so far as to project Radu’s Nosferatu-like shadows over local monuments as if he were a Romanian boogeyman, an idea that was actually encouraged by local cinephiles.

In fact, many of the more elaborate scenes here had originally been planned for the first movie before being discarded due to the lack of available resources. It was only with the support of Romanian fans and filmmakers that Bloodstone was able to give Radu a chance to be even more menacing the second time around.

Michelle’s Transformation Takes Center Stage

However, when it came to the American part of the crew, not everyone was able or willing to return for another round of Romanian adventuring. That’s why Radu’s human-loving half-brother Stefan (Michael Watson) is unceremoniously killed off at the beginning of the film while the role of Michelle had to be recast. Denice Duff took over for Laura Mae Tate, with the character now being joined by her sister, Rebecca, played by Melanie Shatner (yes, that Shatner).

In the finished film, we follow Michelle as she awakens to her new life as a vampire and discovers that Radu has murdered her lover. Struggling with grief and her newfound bloodlust, Michelle contacts her sister overseas, with Rebecca soon travelling to Romania on an ill-advised rescue mission. Meanwhile, Radu (Anders Hove) reaches out to his undead Mummy (Pamela Gordon, underneath heavy layers of impressive makeup effects) and promises to deliver her the coveted Bloodstone artifact while also making Michelle his eternal consort.

Revisiting the movie, I was impressed with how introspective this story is when compared to the original. The sequel assumes that you’re already familiar with the previously established characters, so the story wastes no time in exploring the immediate aftermath of the previous film’s events. From Michelle’s reluctant transformation into a creature of the night to Radu’s obvious mommy issues, Nicolaou is way more interested in pushing these characters into new and uncharted territory rather than recycling existing plot points.

Practical Effects and Gothic Atmosphere Still Impress

Yet, much like the first film, it’s Romania itself that makes the movie worth watching. The ruins of Castle Vladislav are even more majestic now, and visiting the moody streets of Bucharest with its surprisingly punk-rock nightlife made for a nice change of pace when compared to the original film’s quiet village setting. Once again, the abundance of interesting locations makes the movie feel much more expensive than it really is, with the filmmakers surrounding our characters with a living, breathing environment that would be impossible to recreate in a studio.

The increased freedom also allowed Nicolaou to flex his filmmaking muscles and tackle more ambitious blocking/composition in the sequel. The low budget and tropey script mean that the visuals don’t always work, but it’s consistently clear that this neo-expressionist style could only come from a passionate team attempting to pay homage to the shadowy horror classics of yesteryear. If the retro atmosphere isn’t enough for you, there’s enough practical gore here to satisfy even the most demanding of horror hounds!

Radu himself is also far more interesting now that Hove is more comfortable working alongside an international crew, with the actor having gone on record explaining that, while he spent more time drinking vodka than working while shooting the first movie, the sequel was a much more creatively satisfying experience for everyone involved. The character’s relationship with his abusive Mummy is also a highlight of the expanded mythology, especially since the practical effects that bring her to life are just as freaky now as they were back in ’93.

My only real gripe with the horror elements of the picture comes from the glaring absence of the diminutive stop-motion minions from the first film, though I guess the surprisingly entertaining addition of Professor Popescu (Michael Denish) and his archeological antics mostly make up for that.

Bloodstone: Subspecies II is obviously the middle chapter of a trilogy, with the ending feeling a lot less definitive than its predecessor as several plot threads are left to dangle in the wind, but I appreciate how the flick explores new ground while remaining faithful to nearly all the ideas that made the original such a good time. While I don’t think it’s as big of an improvement over the first movie as some fans make it out to be, Bloodstone is definitely worth revisiting if you’re a fan of old-fashioned vampire yarns.

Tune in next time for the thrilling conclusion to this initial trilogy, Bloodlust: Subspecies III!

The post ‘Bloodstone: Subspecies II’ Revisited: A Bigger, Bolder Follow-Up to Full Moon’s Vampire Cult Classic appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The box office collapse of Supergirl has put a whole lot of pressure on the shoulders of Clayface, the next installment in the James Gunn-led DC movie universe. The budget is much lower than the Supermans and Supergirls of the world, which should set the film up for success, and Clayface has another huge thing working in its favor: it’s a horror movie, coming along at a time when horror is on fire at the box office. All of this is touched upon in a new sneak peek at the film over on Entertainment Weekly, which is loaded with new images.

One thing you won’t see a sneak peek of in these new Clayface images? The full reveal of the fully transformed title character. That’s being smartly saved for October 23, 2026.

Entertainment Weekly explains, “Matt’s full transformation into Clayface — the true towering form with gaping mouth and deep, cavernous eyes — will be saved as a surprise for theaters. You won’t see it officially in any marketing materials, we’re told.”

“You don’t want to show the shark,” director James Watkins (Speak No Evil) tells the outlet. “I think people give away too much. I believe in the power of mystery and the power of suggestion and the power of people putting two and two together. I think it’s more fun.”

Check out the new images below and head over to Entertainment Weekly to learn more about the “terrifying body horror” movie that’s coming to theaters this Halloween season.

Tom Rhys Harries stars as Clayface in the upcoming DC horror movie.

Described as DC Studios’ first-ever foray into the genre, Clayface unravels one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition.

James Watkins (The Woman in Black, Speak No Evil) directs from a script by Mike Flanagan (“The Haunting of Hill House,” Doctor Sleep) and Hossein Amini (Drive).

The post ‘Clayface’ – Gallery of New Images Preview DC’s Terrifying Body Horror Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Franchise reboot Scary Movie is now available on Digital, and in addition to the Theatrical Cut we’ve all seen, a brand new Extended Cut is also included with the Digital release.

Scary Movie: Extended Cut has a runtime of 1 hour, 44 minutes, which is about 8 minutes longer than the runtime for the version of the movie we got in theaters.

This new cut promises “Extended scenes and alternate cuts.”

“The jokes just got even more unhinged — the Extended Cut throws more laughs, more madness, and all-new scenes for a franchise that has never met a line it wouldn’t cross.”

One of the notable scenes featured in the Extended Cut is a parody of Smile featuring smiling Ghost Face killers, and you can watch that previously unseen scene down below.

Scary Movie: Extended Cut also features a never-before-seen alternate ending!

Scary Movie is listed for DVD and Blu-ray release on September 22, 2026.

Twenty-six years after the original massacre, Cindy, Brenda, Shorty, and Ray get dragged back into the chaos by a brand-new masked killer who clearly never learned when to quit.

Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, and Regina Hall reunite for an outrageous return to the franchise’s original roots, where every target is fair game.

Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directed the new Scary Movie.

The post ‘Scary Movie’ Extended Cut Now Available on Digital With Nearly 10 Minutes of Brand New Footage appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Dark Sky Films and Fathom Entertainment are keeping their annual Texas Chain Saw Day tradition alive with the return of Tobe Hooper‘s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 4K restoration in theaters for one-night-only on August 18, and this week they’ve announced that the screenings will include a sneak peek at a brand new version of the horror classic. 

For starters, tickets are now on sale for Texas Chain Saw Day, as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre returns to theatres nationwide on August 18 from Dark Sky Films and Fathom Entertainment, the leading specialty distributor of content to theatrical partners worldwide

In addition to experiencing Tobe Hooper’s groundbreaking 1974 classic on the big screen, audiences will also enjoy an exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette exploring the painstaking art of rotoscoping, the century-old animation technique.

The featurette includes an exclusive preview of newly created rotoscoped footage from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, giving fans a first look at the striking visual style while highlighting the craftsmanship behind the process, created entirely by artists without the use of AI.

Animation Director & Art Director Paul Beck (A Scanner Darkly, Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood) is the man behind the hand-animated version of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The press release previews, “every frame will be illustrated by hand using the labor-intensive animation technique in which artists meticulously trace live-action footage frame by frame. Employing no artificial intelligence, the production relies exclusively on the craftsmanship and decades of experience of veteran artists to preserve the performances, atmosphere, and intensity of the original film while presenting audiences with a striking new visual experience.”

Beck said in a statement, “The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a masterpiece that changed cinema forever. Our goal is to honor its legacy by reimagining it through the timeless art of hand-drawn rotoscoping, giving audiences a completely new way to experience a film they thought they already knew.”

Get your first look at the new visual experience only in theaters on August 18.

Expect the animated Chain Saw reimagining at some point in 2027.

In the 1974 classic from director Tobe Hooper, five youths traveling through rural Texas fall prey to a butcher in a mask made of human skin and his cannibalistic family.

Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal, and Jim Siedow star in the classic horror movie.

The post Original ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ Being Reimagined With Hand-Drawn Animated Version appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.