Get to know Ben Barnes, Jessie Mei Li, Freddy Carter, Archie Renaux, Amita Suman, and Kit Young a bit more during this game of “Most Likely To,” where they reveal which one of them would be caught in various Shadow and Bone-like scenarios. Shadow and Bone drops on Netflix on April 23.
Month: April 2021
The Shadow and Bone Finale explained
Warning! Full spoilers for Shadow and Bone Season 1 below. Be sure to check out our spoiler-free review of Shadow and Bone right here.
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No Mourners. No Funerals. If those words mean something to you, then you’re probably already a huge fan of Shadow and Bone. The epic fantasy saga has finally made it to the screen in Netflix’s stunning fantasy epic. But after an action-packed eight episodes, you might have some questions about the fate of Mal, Alina, the Darkling, and the Crows. So we’re here to solve the mysteries, answer your queries, and break down that epic finale.
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What Was the Darkling’s Plan in Shadow and Bone?
Throughout the series, General Kirigan has been at the core of the struggles of Ravka. Though he was introduced as a potential savior, Baghra later revealed that rather than being a reluctant hero trying to fix the mistakes of his ancestor the Black Heretic, Kirigan and the Black Heretic are one and the same. Yep, Ben Barnes’ sexy Grisha leader is actually a centuries-old madman and probably the most powerful Grisha who has ever lived. And he was the one who created the Fold. So if that was the case, why would he want Alina to help him destroy it? Well, the show hints that under that fancy black kefta, Kirigan might have a little regret for what he created. And he does have an allegedly noble goal: to protect Grisha from the oppression they’ve faced at the hands of the human world. But as it’s revealed in the finale, even with all of that said, he doesn’t really want to destroy the Fold at all.
Instead, his plan was to use Morosova’s stag to control Alina’s powers. Thanks to the Durast David, he was able to meld the amplifier to Alina’s skin and use a strange device to connect it to him. Then, on the trip into the Fold where the pair were meant to destroy the dangerous wasteland, Kirigan instead expanded it, demolishing the shores of Novokribirsk and in turn his competition. It was a violent play to terrify the delegates aboard the skiff and to take total control of Ravka and the surrounding territories. But thanks to the agency and power of Alina Starkov, his plan only managed to destroy Novokribirsk before she put a stop to it.
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How Did Alina Gain Control of the Amplifier?
So how did she manage to break the Darkling’s control? Well, earlier in the series it was established that whoever killed an amplifier was the one able to wield its power, but the reality of the situation was actually different. While that does work in practice, there’s a deeper connection between the amplifier and Grisha, one of agency and choice. In the moment that Alina decided not to kill the Stag and to instead try to find another way, she was chosen by the creature. That choice allowed her to break the Darkling’s connection and control. It’s an interesting bit of lore that isn’t concretely introduced until the most recent novel in the series, Rule of Wolves, but it’s a powerful moment that redefines Alina and her powers.
With her connection to the amplifier far more powerful than the Darkling’s, Alina is able to beat back Kirigan and save the Skiff. But while it seems like a happy ending for those who survived, it might not be the end of the story for the Black Heretic.
Why Did the Crows Switch Sides?
One of the biggest changes from the original Shadow and Bone book was the inclusion of the group of young thieves from Ketterdam known as The Crows. Kaz, Jesper, and Inej were introduced on a mission to kidnap Alina, but during the finale, they became unexpected allies to Alina and Mal. While it’s hard to call Kaz Brekker “a good guy,” he is a character defined by survival. And, in the end, allying with Mal and Alina was a choice that would help him and his team live to see another day. With the Darkling on a shadow-making spree, the trio needed a way out and the best way was the Sun Summoner. Plus, the fact that Inej is a woman of faith and believes in Alina and her power to change the world also probably helped push Kaz in the right direction. Once the crew escaped off of the skiff, Alina paid Kaz off with a piece of jewelry given to her by the Darkling. It’s a smart nod to the fact that Kaz didn’t make a choice based on morals. And that while it might have helped Alina and Mal survive, the former is very aware of the fact that Kaz would have captured and sold her if it had been an option.
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What Happened to the Darkling?
With the combined might of the Crows, Alina, Mal, and the Squaller Zoya, it seemed like the Darkling might have been defeated. Thrown into the darkness of the Fold, the show wanted us to think he’d been consumed by his own creation and the terrifying creatures known as the Volcra. But as he walked out of the Fold in the final moments of the finale, it was clear that not only is the Darkling not dead but he has a new power. Ben Barnes’ regal villain was followed out of the Shadow Fold by creatures made of pure darkness. In the books, these horrifying beings are known as Nichevo’ya. The creatures are creations of the Darkling and can be manifested at will as a near-immortal army with an unending supply of soldiers.
Where Are Alina and Mal Going?
While the show doesn’t explicitly state this, we know they’re getting out of Ravka and are headed for freedom. While the show hasn’t gotten a second season yet, if it does then it’s likely it will take from the second book in the series, Siege and Storm. In that story, Mal and Alina escape Ravka and go on the run to Novyi Zem, but are being hunted by The Darkling and those who want to wield Alina’s power. So even if they do end up somewhere else in the (theoretical for now) next season, expect them to face down the Darkling sooner rather than later!
What did you think of Shadow and Bone Season 1? Let’s discuss in the comments. And then vote in the poll below too!
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Werewolves Within: Watch the New Trailer for the Ubisoft Movie
Resident Evil Village Newegg Deal Knocks Off $10 At Launch
Resident Evil Village is out in just a few weeks, and the Xbox version supports Smart Delivery for a free next-gen upgrade on Xbox Series X|S. If you want to save some cash on the digital version, Newegg has a deal for $10 off at launch, so you can get chased around by the very tall vampire lady for even less cash.
To take advantage of the Newegg deal, all you have to do is order the digital version of Resident Evil Village and enter the promo code EMCEUSU34 when given the option during checkout. This will automatically drop your total down to $50 before tax, and the game will be sent digitally so you can play at launch.
The Smart Delivery system means you don’t have to worry about picking the “right” Xbox edition. If you have the Xbox One, that version will be installed when you download it. If you have the Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, that version will be installed, instead.
Resident Evil Village stars Ethan Winters, who previously starred in Resident Evil 7. Series mainstay Chris Redfield will also play a major role, and antagonist Lady Dimitrescu has become quite the meme with her very tall frame and the internet’s tendency to get a little too excited.
In addition to the main Resident Evil Village game, your purchase also includes the multiplayer spin-off Resident Evil Re:Verse. It certainly looks quite a bit different from the main game, but for the price of free, it’s tough to beat.
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Firearms Expert Reacts To The Last Of Us Part 2’s Guns
Jonathan Ferguson, a weapons expert and Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries, breaks down the weaponry of The Last Of Us Part 2, including the Taurus Model 66 revolver, the Thompson Centre Arms Contender hunting pistol, and the SIG-Sauer MPX silenced submachine gun.
PlayStation Store’s Old Web Version Revived With Browser Plugin
Last month, it appeared that Sony had finally killed off the web version for its older PlayStation Store, which included games for legacy systems like the PS Vita and PS3. However, a browser plugin now allows you to access the store once again.
The plugin, available through Firefox, provides renewed access to the web version of the “Valkyrie” PlayStation Store, which is what was used until around the time the PS5 released. In addition to being arguably easier to navigate, it’s the only way you can buy and download Vita or PS3 games without using the systems’ own software. Try to search for a Vita exclusive on the current PlayStation Store and you’ll get a whole lot of nothing. The older version also provides a very easy-to-use download list for quickly choosing what to install.
Because Sony was planning to shutter the Vita and PS3 stores completely within the next few months, this plugin would seemingly serve little purpose. However, the company reversed that decision just days ago and now doesn’t have a timeline for when they’ll close. Though the PSP store will still be closing in July, it doesn’t have the same huge digital-only game selection as the other systems.
When the original closing dates were announced, some developers were caught off guard and weren’t sure they would be able to release their games in time. At the very least, they can now breathe a slight sigh of relief and have another option for players to easily buy them.
Despite the stores no longer closing, we made a list of games you should definitely try out from the PlayStation Store of yesteryear. They include a few games never released on newer systems, such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Nier Replicant Guide: How To Get All The Weapons For The Endings (Spoiler-Free)
There are a total of five endings in Nier Replicant and seeing all of them is important for getting the entire picture of the game’s incredible story. However, each ending leads to changes in subsequent playthroughs you need to do certain things in those playthroughs in order to unlock them all. We have a guide on how to get all the endings in Nier Replicant, which provides the specific steps necessary, but they’re inherently tied to collecting all the weapons in the game. That’s where this guide comes in.
A total of 33 weapons make up Nier Replicant’s roster of blades, which are divided up in three categories: one-handed swords, two-handed swords, and spears. Some can be purchased, and some must be earned in quests or found out in the wild. It’s not too complicated, though. Here, we tell you where and how to get them, because Endings C, D, and E can only be accessed if you have all of them in your inventory before you finish your third playthrough.
The details and explanations for how and where to get these weapons will be as spoiler-free as possible, so don’t worry about that. For more on this upgraded version of the game, be sure to read my Nier Replicant review, and if you’re already playing, refer to my spoiler-free endings guide to make sure you’re covered.
Weapons Acquired Through The Story
- Nameless Blade
- This is your first weapon. Congrats!
- Moonrise
- On your way to the Seafront for the first time, you’ll come across a man being attacked by Shades. Help him and you’ll receive this weapon.
- Rebirth
- You’ll receive this after a major story event in Facade in the story’s first act.
- Kusanagi
- Automatically in your inventory at the start of the second act.
- Transience
- Automatically in your inventory at the start of the second act.
- Ancient Overlord
- You’ll receive this after a major story event in Facade in the story’s second act.
- Iron Will
- Completing a main quest in the Junk Heap in the second act will reward you with this weapon.
- Iron Pipe
- You will automatically get the Iron Pipe in time for your third route, but it can be acquired earlier through the sidequest “The Magical Stone” if you want.
- If you want to do the sidequest, it’ll be available at the Forest of Myth just before heading to the final dungeon. You then need to go see Popola, then head to the Lost Shrine rooftops and fight a huge Shade there. Return to the Forest of Myth quest-giver. In this next scenario, be on the lookout for the Iron Pipe pickup in this area.
Purchasable Weapons
Money might be hard to come by in Nier Replicant, but doing sidequests (especially in the second act of the main story) will get you a good chunk of change. You can also sell materials you collect from enemies, as long as you don’t need them for upgrading a weapon you want to use. Plenty of valuable materials can be farmed in the Junk Heap, especially if you equip Words in your loadout that boost your item drop rate.
- Lily-Leaf Sword
- Available at the Village weapon shop in the first act.
- Beastbain
- Available at the Village weapon shop in the first act.
- Earth Wyrm’s Claw
- Available at the Facade weapon shop in the first act.
- Axe of Beheading
- Available at the Village weapon shop in the second act.
- Sunrise
- Available at the Village or The Aerie weapon shops in the second act.
- Phoenix Dagger
- Available at the Seafront weapon shop in the second act.
- Vile Axe
- Available at the Seafront weapon shop in the second act.
- Spear of the Usurper
- Available at the Seafront weapon shop in the second act.
- Captain’s Holy Spear
- Available at the Facade weapon shop in the second act.
- Phoenix Spear
- Available at the Facade weapon shop in the second act.
Weapons Found In Exploration
- Nirvana Dagger
- Found in a box on the upper levels of the Lost Shrine in the first act.
- Blade of Treachery
- Found in Emil’s Mansion near the save point before a boss fight in the first act.
- Fang of the Twins
- Found in a box in Emil’s Mansion (underground) in the second act.
- The Devil Queen
- Found in a box near a ladder along the rear entrance path of the Lost Shrine in the second act.
- Beastlord
- Found in a box at the rooftops of the Lost Shrine in the second act.
- Beastcurse
- Found in a box in the Junk Heap just before a boss fight in the second act.
- Phoenix Sword
- Found in a box in the first room of the game’s final dungeon.
- Dragoon Lance
- Found in a box just before a spiral staircase in the game’s final dungeon.
Weapons Obtained Through Sidequests
- Faith
- Complete all the text adventure sidequests in the Forest of Myth and talk to the mayor in the first act.
- Labyrinth’s Whisper
- Complete the sidequest “A Bridge in Peril” in your village during the second act.
- Labyrinth’s Song
- Complete the sidequests “A Shade Entombed” then “Disturbing the Sleep of Kings” in Facade during the second act.
- “A Shade Entombed” is available after you’ve completed your main quest in Facade for the second act. Completing this sidequest will unlock “Disturbing the Sleep of Kings,” which is the one that’ll grant you the weapon.
- Labyrinth’s Shout
- Complete the sidequest “The Damaged Map,” which starts in your village, by talking to the weapon shop owner later in the second act.
- “The Damaged Map” has you going on a wild goose-chase, but the main concern is obtaining Machine Oil, which is a required item for the quest.
- The best way to do this is to equip Words to your loadout that boost item drop rate. Then head to Junk Heap B2 and destroy the floating robot enemies–they are the ones that drop Machine Oil. You can continually do this by exiting and entering B2 and going back to a specific corridor that spawns them (see screenshot below).
“15 Nightmares” Weapons
The 15 Nightmares content (which was originally DLC) can be accessed during your Route B playthrough. You start it by inspecting the left-most shiny object in the protagonist’s house. It’s a series of combat arenas, which shouldn’t be too hard if you’re level 30 and up. There are three sets of five battles, and while the third set can be challenging, you don’t need to complete it all the way through.
- Fool’s Embrace
- Awarded for completing the third fight in the first set of battles in the 15 Nightmares side content.
- Fool’s Lament
- Awarded for completing the third fight in the second set of battles in the 15 Nightmares side content.
- Fool’s Accord
- Awarded for completing the third fight in the third set of battles in the 15 Nightmares side content.
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New To Peacock In May 2021: Hobbits, Heroes, And Girls5eva
April was a big month for Peacock, with the WWE joining the service and streaming Wrestlemania 37. This month, things are a bit more low-key, with a huge pile of movies coming to the service. Most of them hit right on May 1.
The list includes classic animation like An American Tail and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West; action films like the Bourne Identity, the Bourne Supremacy, and the Bourne Ultimatum; and superhero movies of debatable quality, including Catwoman, Green Lantern, Kick-Ass 2, and Hellboy (2019). On the other hand, we’ll also see stuff like Mystery Men, Crank, and Waterworld arriving on the service.
NBC has two Peacock Originals coming, as well. Girls5eva is a musical comedy arriving on May 6. A ’90s one-hit girl group gets a second chance when a rapper samples their song. Busy Phillips stars, and Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, who produced 30 Rock and the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt together, are executive producing the show. The other Peacock Original, Intergalactic, arrives May 13. NBCUniversal has provided no information about this property, and we literally can’t find any reliable information about it anywhere. Peacock doesn’t even have a trailer on its official YouTube channel.
Here’s the full list of what you can expect from Peacock in May, and when. Asterisked* items are exclusive to Peacock, at least for May.
May 1
- Along Came Polly, 2004*
- Alpha Dog, 2007*
- An American Tail, 1986*
- An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, 1991*
- The Bourne Identity, 2002*
- The Bourne Supremacy, 2004*
- The Bourne Ultimatum, 2007*
- Boy Erased, 2018*
- Casino, 1995*
- Catwoman, 2004*
- Crank, 2006*
- Crank 2 High Voltage, 2009*
- Dazed and Confused, 1993*
- EDTV, 1999*
- Elizabeth, 1998*
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age, 2007*
- Evan Almighty: 2007*
- Green Lantern (2011), 2011*
- Half Baked, 1998*
- Hellboy, 2019*
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2012*
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, 2014*
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 2013*
- Kick-Ass 2, 2013
- King Kong (’05), 2005*
- Leap Year, 2010*
- Lord of War, 2005*
- Miami Vice (’06), 2006*
- Mystery Men, 1999*
- National Lampoon’s European Vacation, 1985*
- National Lampoon’s Vacation, 1983*
- October Sky, 1999*
- Parenthood, 1989*
- Public Enemies, 2009*
- Tales from the Hood, 1995*
- Top Five, 2014*
- Vegas Vacation, 1997*
- Waterworld, 1995*
- White House Down, 2013*
- The Wood, 1999
- The World’s End, 2013
May 2
- WWE Untold: Two Dudes with Attitudes
May 3
- 300, 2007*
May 6
- Girls5eva, season 1 (Peacock Original)*
May 9
- WWE Chronicle: Damien Priest
May 10
- American Ninja Warrior Women’s Championship (NBC)
May 11
- The Best of WWE: WrestleMania Rematches
May 13
- Intergalactic (Peacock Original)*
May 14
- Dateline Collection: Courtroom Drama
May 16
- American Dreamz, 2006*
- The Chronicles of Riddick, 2004*
- WWE Icons: Rob Van Dam
May 17
- WWE Wrestling Challenge
May 18
- Best of WWE: Rob Van Dam
May 20
- Carmen Christopher: Street Special (Peacock Original Comedy Special)*
- Def Comedy Jam, season 7
May 23:
- Best of WWE: Andre the Giant
May 26
- Café Con Aroma (Telemundo)
May 27
- Madagascar: A Little Wild, season 3 (Peacock Exclusive)*
20 Best Horror Movies To Watch On Hulu
Hulu has a wealth of great scary horror movies available to stream right now, and we’ve picked out some of the best. The sheer number of streaming services available now means it’s sometimes hard to know what to watch, but it’s hard to deny that it’s a great time to be a movie fan. Whatever genre you like, there’s a huge number of movies available on both the big platforms and more niche services, and horror fans are perhaps the best served of all.
Hulu’s selection is heavier on modern horror than older classics, but that makes it a great place to catch up on some stand-out chillers from the past two decades. Monster movie fans can check out the hungry alligators of Crawl and subterranean creatures in The Descent, while those who prefer vampires and zombies have got favorites such as Let the Right One In and 28 Days Later to watch.
There’s movies from established filmmakers such as Danny Boyle, Lars Von Trier, and William Friedkin, and some from rising genre talents like Brandon Cronenberg and Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. It’s not all newer movies either–fans can get ready for the upcoming Chucky TV show with the original Child’s Play, while the classic ’70s sci-fi oddity Phase IV will terrify anyone who hates creepy-crawlies.
So here’s GameSpot’s look at the best horror movies to watch on Hulu. And once you’ve checked these out, read our guide to the biggest upcoming horror of 2021.
1. Let the Right One In
Tomas Alfredson, 2008
This modern vampire classic is based on John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel and focuses on the friendship between Oskar, a lonely 12-year-old boy, and Eli, his vampire neighbor. It’s a stylish mix of bloody horror and moving coming-of-age drama that struck a chord with audiences worldwide.
2. Child’s Play
Tom Holland, 1988
This ’80s classic introduced the world to killer doll Chucky. While subsequent Child’s Play movies would put Chucky front and center, director Tom Holland keeps him off-screen for much of the film, and the result is a tense and inventive slasher movie with a real emotional center.
3. Crawl
Alexandre Aja, 2018
Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner) stars as a girl who gets trapped in a Florida house with her dad after a hurricane hits, bringing not just devastating floods but hungry alligators too. Crawl is a highly entertaining, fast-paced shocker from The Hills Have Eyes and High Tension director Alexandre Aja.
4. The Cabin in the Woods
Drew Goddard, 2011
Written by producer JJ Abrams and director Drew Goddard, this ingenious meta-horror starts off as a standard backwoods slasher, as a group of friends head to the remote location of the title. But part of the way in, it takes a very different turn. To say any more would be to spoil the film’s many delights, and going in cold is absolutely the best way to watch it.
5. The Descent
Neil Marshall, 2008
Marshall’s acclaimed chiller focuses on an all-female team of cave explorers, who become trapped deep underground with something very scary down there hunting them. It’s a claustrophobic and intense movie that uses the darkness and sound design to truly scary effect.
6. Sputnik
Egor Abramenko, 2020
Sputnik is an impressive Russian horror about a cosmonaut who returns to Earth after a mysterious accident with what seems to be a symbiotic alien lifeform living inside him. While Sputnik takes ideas from numerous famous movies, most notably Alien and Arrival, it’s a scary, serious, and stylish creature feature in its own right.
7. Wounds
Babak Anvari, 2019
This unpredictable and sometimes nightmarish film takes influence from David Cronenberg, as well as Japanese horror classics such as Ring. It focuses on a bartender who finds strange messages on a phone left in his bar, from someone who claims something or someone is following him.
8. Little Monsters
Abe Forsythe, 2019
This undead comedy stars Lupita Nyong’o as a schoolteacher who must protect her class during the onset of a zombie apocalypse. It also features Josh Gad (Frozen) as a bungling kids entertainer and is a lighthearted undead romp for those looking for something a little less serious than many of the other movies on this list.
9. The House that Jack Built
Lars Von Trier, 2018
Von Trier’s 155-minute serial killer movie certainly isn’t for everyone, but fans of the Danish provocateur will know what to expect, especially if you’re seen his last horror movie, 2009’s equally controversial Antichrist. It’s a provocative, sometimes hilarious, sometimes shocking film that charts the life of a killer, chillingly played by Matt Dillon.
10. You’re Next
Adam Wingard, 2010
Many years before Godzilla vs. Kong, director Adam Wingard delivered this home invasion/slasher movie hybrid, in which a dysfunctional family gathering is brought to an abrupt close by animal-masked crazies. Lead character Erin (Sharni Vinson) takes matters into her own hands and starts to fight back against the attackers in a variety of crowd-pleasing and creative ways.
11. Anna and the Apocalypse
John McPhail, 2017
Holiday horror has long been a staple of the genre, but Anna and the Apocalypse might just be the first holiday comedy horror musical. It’s yet another zombie movie, but this time the undead action is punctuated by rousing song-and-dance numbers, as a young woman named Anna fights to save her loved ones.
12. Possessor
Brandon Cronenberg, 2020
The second movie from Brandon Cronenberg, son of body horror legend David, is a dark sci-fi horror thriller about an assassin who takes control of people’s bodies to commit acts of murder without being detected. The striking visuals, brooding atmosphere, and explicit gore makes this one of the most powerful horror movies of recent years.
13. Phase IV
Saul Bass 1974
Saul Bass is best known for creating legendary opening sequences for directors such as Hitchcock and Kubrick, but he also made this scary and hypnotic ’70s dystopian chiller. Scientists discover that the world’s ant population has undergone rapid evolution and set about trying to stop its progress before billions of tiny aggressive insects take over.
14. Spring
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, 2014
A young American man on an Italian holiday falls in love with a local woman–but soon finds she is hiding a strange and scary secret. Synchronic directors Benson and Moorhead’s second movie is an assured and unique blend of weird Lovecraftian horror, laugh-out-loud humor, and moving romantic drama that delivers superbly on all fronts.
15. Bug
William Friedkin, 2006
This adaptation of Tracy Letts’ intense play centers on a paranoid former soldier who is holed up in a motel with an equally disturbed woman and convinced that he is being watched. The one-room setting and powerful performances from Michael Shannon and Ashley Judd make this a late-career highlight from Exorcist director Friedkin.
16. Inside
Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, 2007
Part of the mid-2000s wave of boundary-pushing French horror movies, Inside is a gory and stylish home invasion shocker, in which a psychotic woman attempts to steal the baby from the woman who lives there–while she is still pregnant. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but directors Maury and Bustillo keep the tension high and the blood flowing throughout.
17. 28 Days Later
Danny Boyle, 2001
London is overtaken by insane and ravenous once-human monsters who have been infected by a virus in Boyle and writer Alex Garland ‘s nightmarish post-apocalyptic horror movie. 28 Days Later helped usher in the new wave of zombie movies that followed over the next decade and beyond, and remains a classic of the genre.
18. The Lodge
Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, 2019
A man heads to a remote cabin for the winter with his kids and new girlfriend. But when he is forced to leave for work on short notice and blizzard descends, the children find themselves trapped in the house with a woman they barely know–who, inevitably, is not all she seems. The Lodge is an oppressive and dread-filled horror from the directors of the equally disturbing Goodnight Mommy.
19. We Are What We Are
Jorge Michel Grau, 2010
This Mexican movie follows a family of secret cannibals living in a small town who are left with the problems of finding their next meal when the father dies. It’s an intense and strikingly directed film that lingers in the mind long after the end.
20. Sea Fever
Neasa Hardiman, 2019
A fishing trawler is ensnared by a mysterious lifeform which causes a parasitic infection to spread throughout the crew, leaving a marine-biology student to try to save the day. This eerie aquatic Irish horror might have been made before the COVID-19 pandemic, but its themes of isolation now feel extremely relevant.
Doom Patrol, The Best HBO Max Original, Picks Up New Cast For Season 3
Doom Patrol was easily the weirdest and most interesting show to come out of the short happy life of the DC Universe streaming service, and the show ended up getting a third season when it made the interdimensional jump to HBO Max. Now, Doom Patrol is gearing up for production on Season 3 and has added a bunch of cast members for two groups that promise to be more than weird enough for the Doom Patrol.
Doom Patrol Season 3 will introduce the Sisterhood of Dada and the Dead Boy Detective Agency. The Sisterhood of Dada is obsessed with all things absurd and bizarre, sort of an opposite of the show’s recurring villain, the Bureau of Normalcy, which weeks to contain and weaponize all things abnormal. Even so, the Sisterhood is historically regarded as being evil, even if the group itself doesn’t see things in such absolutes. The Dead Boy Detective Agency, meanwhile, is a three-person team consisting of a medium and two boy ghosts who read every book in their school’s library to learn how to become detectives.
Make sure to read every character description (unless you’re spoiler averse), because each one is wilder than the last. The cast members that make up the Sisterhood of Dada are all season regulars, meaning we’ll be seeing them throughout the show’s third season.
- Micah Joe Parker (Into The Dark – Blumhouse, The Flash, The Vampire Diaries) will play Malcolm, part of the Sisterhood of Dada. He is a quiet, sensitive and thoughtful soul who would often rather be invisible than face this unforgiving world.
- Wynn Everett (Palmer, Teenage Bounty Hunters, Agent Carter) will play Shelley Byron aka The Fog, part of the Sisterhood of Dada. Supposedly a deadly terrorist, Shelley is charming, seductive, poetic and a bit mad.
- Miles Mussenden (Swagger, Cloak & Dagger, The Good Lord Bird) will play Lloyd Jefferson aka Frenzy, part of the Sisterhood of Dada. A sculptor of strange life-like masks who is covered with tattoos and scars, the memories and injustices that immortalize his life, he is cryptic and stoic with a capacity for extreme devastation.
- Anita Kalathara (Room 104, MacGyver) will play Holly McKenzie aka Sleepwalk, part of the Sisterhood of Dada. A light-hearted ne’er do well, Holly knows where the best parties are. After a wild night of partying, she usually takes a nice long nap in the ice cream truck where she works, and if she is awoken mid-nap, there is hell to pay.
- Gina Hiraizumi (Dynasty, Hawaii Five-0) will play Sachiko aka The Quiz, part of the Sisterhood of Dada. She is an enigmatic germaphobe whose crippling phobias mask awe-inspiring powers.
The members of The Dead Boy Detective Agency, meanwhile, are listed as guest stars.
- Madalyn Horcher (Jack Reacher 2, Origin, Gracepoint) will play Crystal Palace, part of the Dead Boy Detective Agency. A cool, sarcastic teen who is also a psychic medium, her only friends are Charles and Edwin, the two dead boys who freed her from demonic possession.
- Ty Tennant (War of the Worlds, Tolkien) will play Edwin Payne, part of the Dead Boy Detective Agency. Dead since 1916, Edwin spent 80 years in hell due to a clerical error and has seen horrors no one could imagine.
- Sebastian Croft (HBO’s Game of Thrones, Horrible Histories: The Movie) will play Charles Rowland, part of the Dead Boy Detective Agency. Affable, charming, and dead since 1989, he always does his best to be chipper, but his death by hypothermia and neglect haunts him.
Doom Patrol Season 3 does not yet have an air date, and it’s pretty early in production, so it’ll be a while. Meanwhile, you can catch Doom Patrol Season 1 and the COVID-shortened Season 2 on HBO Max.