James Ransone in ‘Sinister 2.’ Photo: Blumhouse/Focus Features.
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Actor James Ransone has died aged 46.
He appeared in the likes of ‘It: Chapter Two’ and ‘The Wire.’
Ransone also showed up in ‘Bosch’ and ‘The Black Phone.’
James Ransone, the American actor whose magnetic intensity and emotional range brought to life some of modern television and horror cinema’s most memorable characters, has died at the age of 46. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Ransone died by suicide on December 19, 2025.
Ransone’s wife Jamie McPhee shared this statement to Instagram:
“I told you I have loved you 1000 times before and I know I will love you again. You told me – I need to be more like you and you need to be more like me – and you were so right. Thank you for giving me the greatest gifts – you, Jack and Violet. We are forever.”
(L to R) James McAvoy, James Ransone and Isaiah Mustafa in ‘It Chapter Two’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Born June 2, 1979, in Baltimore, Maryland, James Finley Ransone III saw his career segue from regional stages to Hollywood Educated at the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology and briefly at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, Ransone’s formative years were steeped in exploration and artistic curiosity.
His breakthrough came in 2003 with his portrayal of Ziggy Sobotka in the second season of HBO’s ‘The Wire’ — a role that instantly marked him as a compelling presence capable of channeling vulnerability, volatility, and heartbreaking earnestness.
James Ransone: Television and film
(L to R): James Ransone and Jessica Chastain in ‘It: Chapter Two.’ Photo: New Line.
Over more than two decades, Ransone built a body of work remarkable for both its diversity and depth. On television, he appeared in acclaimed series such as ‘Generation Kill,’‘Bosch’ and ‘Poker Face,’ embodying characters that ranged from manic dreamers to battle-hardened marines.
In cinema, he was equally dynamic. Ransone’s filmography included the gritty indie ‘Tangerine,’ and a string of standout genre performances: the unnerving Deputy in ‘Sinister’ and ‘Sinister 2,’ the emotionally fractured adult Eddie Kaspbrak in ‘It: Chapter Two,’ and the troubled Max in ‘The Black Phone’ and its 2025 sequel.
James Ransone: Legacy
Ransone’s legacy cannot be measured by any single role or genre. His career spanned gritty prestige television, independent drama, and mainstream horror, creating an indelible imprint on each. His chameleon-like ability to disappear into character made him a favorite of both auteurs and genre filmmakers, and his work will continue to be rediscovered and cherished.
He is survived by his wife and their children.
James Ransone in ‘Sinister 2.’ Photo: Blumhouse/Focus Features.
Sam Neill in ‘Event Horizon’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
In 2047, a group of astronauts are sent to investigate and salvage the starship ‘Event Horizon’ which disappeared mysteriously 7 years before on its maiden voyage. With its return, the crew of the ‘Lewis and Clark’ discovers the real truth behind the disappearance of the ‘Event Horizon’ – and something even more terrifying.
A family discovers that dark spirits have invaded their home after their son (Ty Simpkins) inexplicably falls into an endless sleep. When they reach out to a professional for help, they learn things are a lot more personal than they thought.
One night per year, the government sanctions a 12-hour period in which citizens can commit any crime they wish — including murder — without fear of punishment or imprisonment. Leo (Frank Grillo), a sergeant who lost his son, plans a vigilante mission of revenge during the mayhem. However, instead of a death-dealing avenger, he becomes the unexpected protector of four innocent strangers who desperately need his help if they are to survive the night.
Five years after surviving Art the Clown’s (David Howard Thorton) Halloween massacre, Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) are still struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they’re safe, Art returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.
Set in 1982 in the suburb of Blackeberg, Stockholm, twelve-year-old Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a lonely outsider, bullied at school by his classmates; at home, Oskar dreams of revenge against a trio of bullies. He befriends his twelve-year-old, next-door neighbor Eli (Lina Leandersson), who only appears at night in the snow-covered playground outside their building.
Cillian Murphy in 2002’s ’28 Days Later.’ Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Twenty-eight days after a killer virus was accidentally unleashed from a British research facility, a small group of London survivors are caught in a desperate struggle to protect themselves from the infected. Carried by animals and humans, the virus turns those it infects into homicidal maniacs — and it’s absolutely impossible to contain.
Obsessed with teaching his victims the value of life, a deranged, sadistic serial killer abducts the morally wayward. Once captured, they must face impossible choices in a horrific game of survival. The victims must fight to win their lives back, or die trying…
Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) is a journalist investigating a videotape that may have killed four teenagers. There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. Rachel tracks down the video… and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of the Ring so she can save herself and her son.
In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found.
When twin brothers (Theo James) find a mysterious wind-up monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Twenty-five years later, the monkey begins a new killing spree forcing the estranged brothers to confront the cursed toy.
Drew Barrymore in ‘Scream’. Photo: Dimension Films.
A killer known as Ghostface begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl (Neve Campbell) and her friends find themselves contemplating the ‘rules’ of horror films as they try to survive a real-life one.
Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.
When carefree teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her older boyfriend for the first time, she learns that she is the latest recipient of a fatal curse that is passed from victim to victim via sexual intercourse. Death, Jay learns, will creep inexorably toward her as either a friend or a stranger. Jay’s friends don’t believe her seemingly paranoid ravings, until they too begin to see the phantom assassins and band together to help her defend herself.
After a tragic accident, six friends reunite for a caving expedition. Their adventure soon goes horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep underground and they find themselves pursued by bloodthirsty creatures. As their friendships deteriorate, they find themselves in a desperate struggle to survive the creatures and each other.
Finney Blake (Mason Thames), a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer (Ethan Hawke) and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
A brilliant toy company roboticist (Allison Williams) uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece (Violet McGraw). But when the doll’s programming works too well, she becomes overprotective of her new friend with terrifying results.
After returning from a wedding reception, a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive.
Paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.
Steve Freeling (Craig T. Nelson) lives with his wife, Diane (JoBeth Williams), and their three children, Dana (Dominique Dunne), Robbie (Oliver Robins), and Carol Anne (Heather O’Rourke), in Southern California where he sells houses for the company that built the neighborhood. It starts with just a few odd occurrences, such as broken dishes and furniture moving around by itself. However, when he realizes that something truly evil haunts his home, Steve calls in a team of parapsychologists led by Dr. Lesh to help before it’s too late.
When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.
Two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck) adopts the newborn Damien (Harvey Stephens) without the knowledge of his wife (Lee Remick). Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.
When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cares for his housebound mother.
A young couple, Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy (John Cassavetes), moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.
During its return to the earth, commercial spaceship Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from a distant planet. When a three-member team of the crew discovers a chamber containing thousands of eggs on the planet, a creature inside one of the eggs attacks an explorer. The entire crew is unaware of the impending nightmare set to descend upon them when the alien parasite planted inside its unfortunate host is birthed.
A fading celebrity (Demi Moore) decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself (Margaret Qualley).
Members of an American scientific research outpost in Antarctica find themselves battling a parasitic alien organism capable of perfectly imitating its victims. They soon discover that this task will be harder than they thought, as they don’t know which members of the team have already been assimilated and their paranoia threatens to tear them apart.
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd), must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren’t prepared for the madness that lurks within.
Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. Photo: Orion Pictures.
Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is a top student at the FBI’s training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop’s daughter, Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger (Robert Englund), who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers’ children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen (Johnny Depp), must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world…
When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather’s grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family’s old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
12-year-old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) begins to adapt an explicit new personality as strange events befall the local area of Georgetown. Her mother (Ellen Burstyn) becomes torn between science and superstition in a desperate bid to save her daughter, and ultimately turns to her last hope: Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a troubled priest who is struggling with his own faith.
A scene from 1978’s ‘Halloween’. Photo: Compass International Pictures.
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween Night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
(L to R) Finn (Mason Thames) and The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) in ‘Black Phone 2’, written and directed by Scott Derrickson. Photo: Universal Pictures.
2022’s ‘The Black Phone,’ directed by Scott Derrickson from a script by him and C. Robert Cargill (based on a short story by Joe Hill), was a fresh, supernaturally-slanted take on the serial killer trope, told through the lens of Derrickson’s own childhood memories of growing up in a working-class Denver, Colorado neighborhood in the 1970s. It featured Derrickson’s uncanny ability to craft scenes filled with menace, as well as genuinely harrowing work from Ethan Hawke as the child killer known as the Grabber and Mason Thames as his latest victim.
Although ‘The Black Phone’ was a self-contained story, Derrickson and Cargill have found a way to extend the narrative with ‘Black Phone 2,’ which also brings back Hawke, Thames and Madeleine McGraw as the sister of Thames’ character. Leaning more heavily into the supernatural, and wearing influences like the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ films and ‘The Shining’ more outwardly, the slow-burning ‘Black Phone 2’ strains at times to force its narrative forward but still delivers an often-frightening and gorier new chapter of the story.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Ethan Hawke and director Scott Derrickson on the set of ‘Black Phone 2’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
It’s four years since Finney ‘Finn’ Blake (Thames) was held captive by the Grabber (Hawke), finally killing him and escaping with the help of calls from the murderer’s previous, dead victims on a disconnected rotary phone in the Grabber’s basement lair. Still plagued by trauma from his encounter, Finn at first does not want to hear that his younger sister Gwen (McGraw) is having psychic dreams – just like their mother, who ended her own life – in which she sees three dead, mutilated boys at a Christian youth camp called Alpine Lake.
After learning from their father (Jeremy Davies, more dazed this time around) that their mother worked at the camp years ago, Gwen insists that she and Finn – along with their friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora, returning from the first film but this time as his doomed character’s brother) — head up there to find out what happened to the boys before the dreams drive her mad. Snowed in with the camp’s manager (Bichir), his niece (Rivas) and a pair of administrators, the group are besieged not just by Gwen’s ever more vivid dreams but physical manifestations as well – and increasing signs that the Grabber himself is reaching out from beyond the grave to take revenge on Finn and Gwen.
The lonely, windswept, snowbound camp, its buildings’ big picture windows looking out on absolute darkness at night, is a highly effective setting for ‘Black Phone 2.’ Derrickson wrings the most atmosphere out of that, but saves his most unnerving moments for Gwen’s dreams, which are filmed in Super 8 (another Derrickson trademark that goes back to ‘Sinister’). The grainy, faded look adds a layer of unreality to the dreams that is hard to shake, especially as the movie’s spirits begin to appear. As in the first film, the director also knows how to get maximum terror out of a ringing phone and a static-filled line – two things that are often more unsettling than most of us want to admit.
Some of the characters – like Finn, Gwen, and Bichir’s Armando, are well-drawn and given more depth, while others, like the Blakes’ now-sober but dazed dad, get the short end of the stick. Perhaps more controversially, Derrickson and Cargill’s script provides the Grabber with more of an origin story this time, while also explicitly making him into a supernatural being. The story also labors to tie the Blakes and the Grabber together in a more unified way. Whether that makes the universe of the film smaller and less mysterious is a matter of debate, but it makes the script more contrived this time around.
The film also bends the grounded vibe of its predecessor to allow for events in dreams to affect the physical world, which brings this narrative closer to that of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ and its well-loved ‘Dream Warriors’ threequel. It’s not an entirely successful gambit, but it doesn’t detract from the still-heartfelt and genuinely terrifying story at hand.
Although he arguably has less screen time here, Ethan Hawke is still skin-freezing as the Grabber, bringing an intensity to the role that makes him one of the more striking horror creations of the past decade.
But the movie belongs to Mason Thames and especially Madeleine McGraw, both older and wiser – and a masterstroke for Derrickson to get them both back. Finn and Gwen are suffering from PTSD in their own way, and both actors offer up a raw portrait of two kids deeply suffering from trauma. In the end, it’s McGraw’s emotional, complex performance that stands out the most, marking her as an actor to watch.
The supporting cast is capable in all respects, but Demián Bichir also deserves mention: his customary warmth, earthiness, and humanity bring depth and empathy into a character that could have easily been one-dimensional.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) in ‘Black Phone 2’, directed by Scott Derrickson. Photo: Universal Pictures.
‘Black Phone 2’ doesn’t just recycle the first film, like many horror sequels, and while not every new direction it takes works, the film is still a mostly gripping and unsettling affair. Scott Derrickson remains a master of sustaining a mood of dread throughout, and gets the most out of those truly eerie dream sequences.
If the story twists itself to get to where the filmmakers want it to go, and the logic of the movie wobbles from time to time, it makes up for those flaws with some truly great performances, the director’s use of space, shadow, and texture, and the ominous netherworld in which it’s set. If the ‘Elm Street’ movies had kept playing it straight, they might have ended up here.
‘Black Phone 2’ receives a score of 80 out of 100.
In 1982, four years after the events of ‘The Black Phone,’ Finney Blake is trying to deal with the trauma of his experience with the now-dead Grabber. Meanwhile, his sister Gwen starts having terrifying visions of mutilated children and nightmares that include a ringing phone.
(L to R) Mason Thames and Mel Gibson star in ‘Monster Summer’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Mel Gibson and Mason Thames to talk about their work on ‘Monster Summer’, Thames’ first reaction to the screenplay, Noah’s friendship with Gene, Gibson’s approach to his character, and his experience working with the young cast and actor-turned-director David Henrie.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Mason Thames in ‘Monster Summer’. Photo: Pastime Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, Mason, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and joining this spooky family adventure?
Mason Thames: Yeah, the way you just described it is so perfect, but it was just something that you don’t really see very often, and especially getting to work with Mel. I was like, “Oh, this is just a no-brainer,” so I just jumped at it. Especially, David, the director, he was the nicest person I think I’ve ever met in my life, and he had a vision for it, and getting to be a part of that was a lot of fun.
MF: Mel, can you talk about your approach to playing Gene, the great loss he has suffered and the friendship he forms with Noah?
Mel Gibson: Well, he’s lived life and he’s in the third act. So, he’s retired, and he’s obviously got a lot of stuff behind him, pain and stories and experience, and some of the experiences he’s had, he’s forgotten. I think meeting this kid fills a gap that was missing in his life. He was just some old guy with a hat that lived alone. Everyone thinks he buried his wife in the garden, and a lot of stories going around about the guy. Then, of course, he gets to do what he’s good at. He has a talent because he’s an old detective, and so there’s a mystery and they solve this mystery together, and it’s really a buddy movie.
(L to R) Mel Gibson and Mason Thames in ‘Monster Summer’. Photo: Pastime Pictures.
MF: Mason, how would you describe the friendship Noah forms with Gene?
MT: Noah’s father, he died, and he was a journalist. He was missing that father figure, and in a weird way, I don’t think he was seeking it, but he found one with Gene and solving this mystery, and the weird adventure they went on. I really love that dynamic they have. It was fun to do.
MF: What was your experience like working with Mel and creating that relationship with him?
MT: It was a lot of fun. It was easy, especially working with him. We didn’t have much time, but we clicked easily, so it was a lot of fun.
Mel Gibson in ‘Monster Summer’. Photo: Pastime Pictures.
MF: Mel, in addition to being an actor you are also an Oscar-winning director. What was it like working with David Henrie, who is also an actor-turned-director?
MG: I had a lot of empathy, and ditto what Mason said. David’s the nicest guy in the world, honestly. He truly is. So, it was so good to work with him. He’s humble, so that if I had a suggestion, he was like, “Oh yeah, let’s hear that,” or whatever. It’s a no-brainer, also. I had coffee with the guy, and I said, “Let’s go to work, man.” That’s usually what it takes, and then if there’s wrinkles in the script or story points or any of that stuff, you say, “Well, we’re going to be able to take care of that because you and I are on the same page.”
MF: Were there any changes you needed made to the script to play the character?
MG: I don’t know. I’m sure I had a say in what was happening. I even invented a whole backstory for the guy, and then spat it out on camera and it seemed to work. We’ll see.
Mason Thames in ‘Monster Summer’. Photo: Pastime Pictures.
MF: Finally, what was it like working with Mason and the younger cast members?
MG: It’s great. It’s fantastic. I love working with young actors because I think that they’ve got this raw material, this diamond in the rough kind of thing, and you just watch them do it, and there’s a sense of truth in it that you can’t pretend really. It comes from a youthful innocence and exuberance and everything. It’s like, “Hey, that makes me feel younger,” when I work with young people.
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What is the plot of ‘Monster Summer’?
When a mysterious force begins to disrupt their big summer fun, Noah (Mason Thames) and his friends, team up with a retired police detective (Mel Gibson) to embark on a monstrous adventure to save their island.
Demián Bichir has been cast in ‘The Black Phone 2.’
Scott Derrickson is returning to direct.
The horror sequel will be in theaters in October 2025.
Given how successful the original ‘The Black Phone’ was back in 2021 (it made $161 worldwide, which might not seem huge, but the budget was a thrifty $18 million), it’s not surprising that Universal and Blumhouse made a deal with co-writer/director Scott Derrickson to scare up another instalment.
Derrickson is in pre-production now on ‘The Black Phone 2’, which will somehow see the return of Ethan Hawke’s terrifying masked child-snatcher The Grabber.
(L to R) Vance Hopper (Brady Hepner) and Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) in ‘The Black Phone,’ directed by Scott Derrickson.
In case you need a refresher, or don’t know the story of the original, here’s the basic synopsis:
Set in 1978 Colorado, ‘The Black Phone’ is adapted from a short story by Joe Hill and sees the shy 13-year-old Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) abducted by a sadistic killer known as “The Grabber” (Hawke).
Thereafter, Finney is held captive in a soundproof basement, where he discovers a disconnected black rotary phone. Mysteriously, the phone begins to ring, and Finney hears the voices of The Grabber’s previous victims, who offer him advice and clues to escape. Meanwhile, Finney’s younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), experiences psychic visions that might help locate him.
Zero plot details have been released for the sequel, though we do know that Hawke, Thomas and McGraw will all be back alongside co-stars Jeremy Davies and Miguel Mora.
As for what the story could conceivably be? We’ll have to wait and see what Derrickson and regular co-writer C. Robert Cargill have cooked up, but there are different ideas to speculate about –– we could be looking at a narrative partly set in the past, exploring the Grabber’s crimes before he took Finney and was ultimately defeated.
Or perhaps the pair could be looking to go down an even more supernatural route, setting the character up to become more of a Freddy Kruger figure who can haunt the people who stopped him.
While Universal and Blumhouse originally scheduled the movie for June 2025, it has since shifted to a surely more appropriate slot of October 17th, 2025.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
Another Halloween is upon us and with it brings another season of Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, which takes place at Universal Studios Orlando August 30th – November 3rd.
Beginning in 1991, Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights has become the world’s premier Halloween event. This year’s event will include 10 terrifying haunted houses based on popular films like ‘A Quiet Place’, ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’, and ‘Insidious’. The event will also include houses based on original ideas like ‘Major Sweets Candy Factory’, ‘Triplets of Terror’ and ‘Goblin’s Feast’.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
This year’s event will also introduce two new hosts of horror, Sinist3r and Surr3al, who are reigning the streets of Universal Studios Florida and unleashing horror within five scare zones including ‘Duality of Fear’, ‘Torture Faire’ and ‘Enter the Blumhouse’, which features characters from Blumhouse movies like ‘The Black Phone’ and ‘M3gan’. The massive event also includes new themed food and beverages and an energetic live show called ‘Nightmare Fuel: Nocturnal Circus’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of traveling to Universal Studios Orlando to enjoy the opening night of Halloween Horror Nights 2024 firsthand and experience all the scares and spookiness they have prepared for visitors this year.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
Be prepared to silence your screams in the new ‘A Quiet Place’ house, which is based on director John Krasinski’s ‘A Quiet Place’ and ‘A Quiet Place Part II’.
Here is the official synopsis:
Fans will relive the tension that will come to life in iconic scenes from the first two films, from traveling through the farmhouse that serves as the Abbott family’s shelter and stepping into the root cellar where Evelyn Abbott (Emily Blunt) escapes to give birth as one of the creatures closes in. Mirroring the silence in the films, the haunted house will embrace unique sound design, special effects and will incorporate the use of American Sign Language (ASL) for the first time ever at Halloween Horror Nights.
While the attraction does not incorporate elements of the recent box office hit ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’, it does follow the characters from the original film and includes lots of alien scares.
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‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
Based on the events of the most recent installment of the franchise, the ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ house follows an ancient artifact that unleashes an evil force that threatens to destroy the world.
Here is the official synopsis:
‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ will transport fans of the film franchise to New York City where the Spengler family teams up with the original Ghostbusters who are now at the helm of a top-secret research lab for their ghost-busting enterprise. With the daunting discovery of an old relic that has set free the vengeful spirit of Garraka, who threatens to freeze everyone to death, Ghostbusters new and old must join forces to protect their city and save the world from a second Ice Age.
While the haunted house follows the story of ‘Frozen Empire’ very closely, it also includes Easter eggs from other ‘Ghostbuster’ movies including Slimer from the original and Vigo the Carpathian (Wilhelm von Homburg) from ‘Ghostbusters II’.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
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‘Insidious: The Further’
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
Produced by Blumhouse Productions in association with Sony Pictures, ‘Insidious’ tells the disturbing story of the Lamberts, a family haunted by evil supernatural forces after their son slips into an inexplicable comatose state after becoming possessed by a demonic entity.
In the all-new Halloween Horror Nights haunted house, guests will follow in the footsteps of the Lamberts, encountering familiar settings and scares as they are transported directly into “The Further” – the ethereal place where ghosts and demons lurk.
Here is the official synopsis:
Guests’ journey into ‘Insidious: The Further’ begins as they step through the iconic red door, where many of the tormented spirits and demons from the franchise await – determined to ensnare humans and steal their souls. Fans will come face-to-face with The Red-Faced Demon, who will attempt to lure them into his lair; the grim KeyFace, hoping to lock his victims in this dark dimension; the ghastly and dangerous Bride in Black; and the vengeful spirit of the Man Who Can’t Breathe. As guests make their way through the haunted house, they’ll go from red door to red door – traveling deeper into a dark and timeless astral world where they must evade this collection of sinister creatures at every spine-chilling turn, or their souls will be trapped here…forever.
‘Insidious: The Further’ is one of the scariest new houses at the attraction and incorporates elements from the entire franchise including the recent movie, ‘The Red Door’.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
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Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines
Based on classic Universal Monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein, this new house is based on an original story including female Monster characters like Saskia Van Helsing, She-Wolf, the Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula’s Daughter.
Here is the official synopsis:
Fans will encounter Saskia Van Helsing, a new fearless huntress. She faces off with Dracula’s daughter, Countess Marya, who arose from the dead to seek revenge for her father and destroy the Van Helsing bloodline. With a mission to kill, Dracula’s daughter, from 1936’s ‘Dracula’s Daughter’, forms a deadly alliance with the She-Wolf, inspired by the 1946 film ‘She-Wolf of London’, and Anck- Su-Namun, from the 1932 film ‘The Mummy’ – only to be intercepted by Saskia and an unlikely ally, ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’. The terrifying adventure will take guests on a journey between the hunted and the hunters in a life and death battle with only one bloodline left to survive.
Emmy-nominated composer Sara Barone created an original score for this all-new haunted house, which also features a performer on a zipline.
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Other Haunted Houses
The event also includes several original haunted houses such as ‘Slaughter Sinema 2’, which takes place at a Drive-in, and ‘Goblin’s Feast’, which simulates a Goblin’s Thanksgiving dinner where the human visitors are the main course.
‘Major Sweets Candy Factory’ finds its candy transforming kids into candy-coated killers and is like a demonic version of ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’, while ‘The Museum: Deadly Exhibits’ features a rotten stone that possesses the museum and all the artifacts inside it.
Finally, ‘Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America’ features creatures like Tlahuelpuchi, La Lechuza and El Silbón, while ‘Triplets of Terror’ tells an original story of the Barmy triplets, who murdered their parents on their birthday and kill a new family every year to celebrate.
Scare Zones
This year’s event will introduce two new hosts of horror, SINIST3R and SURR3AL, who are reigning the streets of Universal Studios Florida and unleashing all the horror that awaits within five scare zones, which are interactive areas within the park.
‘Enter the Blumhouse’
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
The only Scare Zone based off an IP, ‘Enter the Blumhouse’ includes characters from ‘The Purge’, ‘The Black Phone’, ‘Freaky’ and ‘M3gan’. The area also has a “dance party” vibe and was one of the most populated zones during our opening night visit.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
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Other Scare Zones
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
‘Duality of Fear’ allows visitors to choose a path to follow either Sinist3r or Surr3al, with the former taking you to Sinist3r’s ‘Torture Faire’ or the latter bringing you to Surr3al’s ‘Demon Queens’ zone, where four merciless queens rule the otherworldly hellscape. Finally, we have ‘Swamp of the Undead’, which allows guests to wander onto private property where they are surrounded by zombies born from the bodies of former trespassers.
Live Shows and Food
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
This year’s new live show, which runs nightly, is entitled ‘Nightmare Fuel: Nocturnal Circus’. The experience is set inside a dark circus and is full of pyrotechnics and aerialists flying to the beat of rock rhythms.
Finally, Universal Studios Orlando is offering several Halloween Horror Nights themed food and beverage’s including Pork Carniceria (‘Monstrous: The Monsters of Latin America’), Mini Stay-Puft S’mores (‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’), Abbott’s Farm Corn Chowder (‘A Quiet Place’) and returning fan- favorites like Twisted Taters.
Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights runs August 30th – November 3rd 2024.
Movies that inspired 2024’s Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights:
In this case, it feels less like a cynical IP cash grab and more like a director with a real love for movie history identifying a fresh take on a classic tale.
What’s the story of ‘Night of the Hunter’?
Robert Mitchum in 1955’s ‘The Night of the Hunter.’ Photo: United Artists.
While the story is best known because of the 1955 Robert Mitchum-starring movie, it originates with a 1953 crime novel written by Davis Grubb.
Grubb’s book, and the novel, is the story of Harry Powell, a murderous ex-con who takes up the identity of a preacher in order to do his misdeeds. While in prison, a cellmate slated for execution tells Powell that he hid stolen cash with his kids. Upon his release, Powell finds the widow, woos her and marries her, all in a bid to find the loot. Things only gets worse for the kids from there….
The movie is considered a film noir classic and certainly sets a high bar. The movie, directed by Charles Laughton and also starring Shelley Winters and Lillian Gish, was selected for preservation into the United States National Registry in 1992. It is regularly cited as an influential title by many people working in the industry.
Who else is working on the new ‘Night of the Hunter’?
(L to R) The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) and Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) in ‘The Black Phone,’ directed by Scott Derrickson.
Derrickson will, as usual, work with his regular creative partner, C. Robert Cargill, who co-wrote the likes of ‘Doctor Strange’, ‘The Black Phone’ and the ‘Sinister’ movies. Together, the pair has become a reliable team of filmmakers across different genres.
Right now, the duo is deep in preparing to make the sequel to ‘The Black Phone’, which will reunite much of the first movie’s cast, including Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames, and is scheduled to hit screens on June 27th next year.
When will this new ‘Night of the Hunter’ hit theaters?
There is no release date for the movie yet, mostly because it’s at a very early stage of development and Derrickson and Cargill will be busy on the ‘Black Phone’ sequel for the foreseeable future.
(Right) Robert Mitchum in 1955’s ‘The Night of the Hunter.’ Photo: United Artists.
Scott Derrickson, who directed the first ‘Strange’ outing, had been on track to make the second (joining the likes of Jon Favreau, Peyton Reed and the Russobrothers in sticking around for more than one movie about a Marvel character) when he suddenly left the project, citing creative differences.
He went on to make successful horror movie ‘The Black Phone’ instead and has stuck with terror his latest gig, an entry in anthology creep-fest ‘V/H/S/85’. But according to the filmmaker, he harbors no ill will towards anyone at Marvel, and thinks he made the right choice to leave the movie.
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Scott Derrickson talks about leaving ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
“All I can say is that what we said publicly is exactly the truth. We had real creative differences. You know, the movie I wanted to make and how I wanted to make it was different than –– it was just increasingly obvious that we were pulling against each other. And that’s how you make a really bad movie, I think. When the producer or the studio and the filmmaker are making different movies, you end up with a monstrosity and, you know, that’s why I had to bounce.”
Though Sam Raimi’s version of the ‘Strange’ follow-up certainly had its horror-tinged moments, the movie that Derrickson had been developing was, in his words, an “extreme departure” from the first and leaned much more heavily into the scares. But it was not to be.
Is Derrickson still friendly with Marvel?
(L to R) Charlize Theron and Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’
Despite the differences and his ultimate departure, Derrickson has not burned any bridges with Marvel HQ.
As he outlines:
“I went to the premiere. I’m still friends with Kevin [Feige] and everything with me and Marvel is really cool. They invited me to the premiere, and I went. And I’m friends with Sam [Raimi]. I love Sam, so there’s no bad blood over that.”
In the end, it worked out for everyone. While ‘Multiverse of Madness’ didn’t enjoy quite the same level of critical appreciation as the first movie, it still made almost a billion dollars worldwide. Derrickson, meanwhile, saw ‘The Black Phone’ (adapted from a Joe Hill story and starring Ethan Hawke as a child-snatching baddie) earn more than $180 million worldwide on an $18 million budget.
‘V/H/S/85’, meanwhile, will land on horror-focused streaming service Shudder this Friday.
‘The Black Phone’ director Scott Derrickson.
Other Movies Similar to ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:’
(Left) Mason Thames as Finney Shaw in ‘The Black Phone.’ (Right) Nico Parker on HBO’s ‘The Last of Us.’ Photograph by Shane Harvey/HBO.
Moving ahead with its plan to keep the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ franchise rolling along, Universal and DreamWorks Animation are taking a leaf out of Disney’s book and making a live-action movie based on the first film’s story.
And the companies have now found the actors to play the two key lead roles, as Mason Thames is on to be Hiccup with Nico Parker playing Astrid.
Dean DeBlois, who wrote all three films, co-directed the first with Chris Sanders and took on the other two alone, is aboard to write, direct and produce this new film, where he’ll face the unenviable task of bringing central dragon Toothless to life in live-action, and somehow making him as charming as the beloved animated version.
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What’s the story of ‘How to Train Your Dragon?
Adapted from Cressida Cowell’s novel series, which saw its first book hit shelves in 2003, the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ movies focused on the special friendship between a young and unheroic Viking boy named Hiccup and Toothless, an injured dragon he nurses back to health.
Set in a Viking island-based village called Berk, the story is set in a world where humans see dragons as a problem –– either a sheep-stealing nuisance or deadly threat, depending on the type of beast. We followed Hiccup and Toothless’ quest to combat humanity’s prejudice against dragons, the ache of overcoming the loss of a parent, and first love. And uniquely, the films did so by consistently aging the protagonists commensurately with the story, becoming a true coming-of-age story.
Thames is probably best known for starring in horror movie ‘The Black Phone’ and has also been seen in Apple TV+ series ‘For All Mankind’. Up next, he has high school comedy ‘Incoming’ and a starring role opposite Mel Gibson in ‘Boys of Summer’.
Parker made her acting debut in another animated-to-live-action conversion, 2019’s ‘Dumbo’ and has since been seen in ‘Reminiscence’ and HBO series ‘The Last of Us’.
The live-action movie will fly onto screens on March 14th, 2025.
Nico Parker on HBO’s ‘The Last of Us.’ Photograph by Shane Harvey/HBO.
Other Movies Similar to ‘How to Train Your Dragon:’
Miles Teller plays Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
By any reasonable metric, both writer/director Scott Derrickson and actor Miles Teller have had a very good summer.
Derrickson might have departed Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel a couple of years ago over creative differences about the superhero sorcerer’s next outing, but he pivoted to an adaptation of a Joe Hill short story, and ‘The Black Phone’ proved to be a big success for the director and Universal.
Starring Ethan Hawke as a masked, child-snatching terror, the horror movie (co-written with Derrickson’s regular creative partner C. Robert Cargill) earned $150 million globally off the back of a strict, Blumhouse-provided $25 million budget.
As for Teller, the Netflix thriller ‘Spiderhead’ might not have moved the needle all that much, even with Chris Hemsworth starring as a dodgy scientist experimenting on prisoners. Yet he also co-starred alongside Tom Cruise in the summer’s biggest hit, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, which crossed the $1.42 billion mark worldwide after several release date delays – which proved to be the right call.
So why wouldn’t they team up? And that’s exactly what’s happening.
Derrickson has been toying with the idea of a new project at Skydance called ‘The Gorge’ for some time now. Riding high at the top of his to-do list, he’s still been wavering since his interest was announced back in March, so the Skydance team has been quick to work with him to secure a lead.
As for Teller, he was enjoying some time off after a busy promotional schedule for ‘Spiderhead’, ‘Maverick’ and Paramount+ series ‘The Offer’, but soon agreed to star for Derrickson in the new movie.
While a lot about the film remains a mystery, we do know that ‘The Gorge’ began life as a spec script by ‘The Tomorrow War’ writer Zach Dean, which Skydance bought last fall and has been developing ever since.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s best described as a high-action, genre-bending love story about two young people, who despite the corrupt and lethal world they operate in, find a soulmate in each other during a dangerous assignment.
As for what the title refers to? If you hit the dictionary, a gorge is defined as “a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it.” That sounds a more likely setting for a high-action event movie than the other definition, “to eat a large amount greedily.”
We can more likely imagine Teller as an action hero trying to survive a wilderness adventure while falling in love than sitting at a table chowing down on food.
More details will surely follow, but it’s a fair call that Derrickson (and Cargill, who is also among the producers) have worked on the script even before Teller saw it.
Expect to hear more about casting on this one soon as it sounds like a top priority for all involved.
Ethan Hawke as The Grabber in ‘The Black Phone,’ directed by Scott Derrickson.
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