Moviefone Editorial

Tag: the-witch

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lily-Rose Depp Join ‘Werwulf’
(Left) Aaron Taylor-Johnson attends the Academy’s 8th Annual Governors Awards in The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, November 12, 2016. Credit/Provider: Aaron Poole / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S. (Center) Lily-Rose Depp arrives on the red carpet of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit/Provider: Etienne Laurent / The Academy. Copyright ©A.M.P.A.S. (Right) Robert Eggers arrives at the 15th Governors Awards in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, November 17, 2024.

Preview:
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson & Lily-Rose Depp will star in ‘Werwulf.’
- It’ll mark a reunion with ‘Nosferatu’ writer/director Robert Eggers.
- The movie should be shooting in September.
Looks like Robert Eggers is planning a ‘Nosferatu’ reunion. The director –– who has form with a repeat ensemble –– is, per Nexus Point News, looking to bring the leads of that movie, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lily-Rose Depp, back for his latest chunk of gory horror.
9AsVzkZWOeFuvGl1R1oWz5
The director has been developing werewolf story ‘Werwulf’ for a while now, and it is coming together quickly.

Focus Features, which saw a healthy box office return on ‘Nosferatu’, is once more backing the new movie.

Related Article: ‘Nosferatu’s Robert Eggers Adapting Charles Dickens’ ‘Christmas Carol’

What’s the story of ‘Werwulf’?

Director Robert Eggers on the set of his film ‘Nosferatu’, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Aidan Monaghan / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

Details remain scarce on this one since Eggers has yet to reveal much, but he wrote ‘Werwulf’ with Sjón, who co-wrote violent Viking saga ‘The Northman’ with the filmmaker.

‘Werwulf is’ described as a werewolf horror film set in 13th century England and is set to feature Old English dialogue.

Taylor-Johnson is reportedly set to play the titular werewolf, with Depp as his wife. The script reportedly features elements of witchcraft and is described as one of Eggers’ goriest projects to date. While the director at one point was considering shooting the film in black and white, he has now apparently dropped that idea.

The cameras are expected to begin rolling this September.

Aboard to produce are Christopher Columbus –– yes, the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Home Alone’ director –– and his daughter Eleanor, who through their company Maiden Voyage Pictures, have been partnering with Eggers since his first film and were involved with shepherding ‘Nosferatu’ to screens.

According to Deadline, Eggers regular Willem Dafoe is also now in talks to return for his latest, to zero surprise. Now we wait to see whether his fellow repeat performers such as Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Ineson will also show up.

When will ‘Werwulf’ howl into cinemas?

Since Eggers and Focus saw such success with the seemingly strange Christmas Day release slot for ‘Nosferatu’ last year, they’re trying again, with ‘Werwulf’ targeting December 25th, 2026 as the date on which it will look to terrify audiences. Hairy Christmas!

Willem Dafoe stars as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz in director Robert Eggers’ ‘Nosferatu’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

List of Robert Eggers Movies:
- ‘The Witch‘ (2016)
- ‘The Lighthouse‘ (2019)
- ‘The Northman‘ (2022)
- ‘Nosferatu‘ (2024)
Buy Robert Eggers Movies on Amazon
cOUhmQjG
July 22, 2025
Robert Eggers to Make New Creature Feature ‘Werwulf’
Director Robert Eggers on the set of his film ‘Nosferatu’, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Aidan Monaghan / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

Preview:
- Filmmaker Robert Eggers has announced his next film.
- He’ll write and direct werewolf tale ‘Werwulf.’
- It should be in theaters on Christmas Day, 2026.
While it may not have quite the same box office footprint as, say, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ or ‘Inside Out 2,’ Robert Eggers’ latest slice of historical horror certainly performed for the director, with a $40 million five-day opening, doubling industry expectations.

‘Nosferatu‘ has scared up more than $156 million worldwide and become Eggers’ highest-grossing movie to date, not to mention one of the more successful horror offerings of 2024.
9AsVzkZWOeFuvGl1R1oWz5
And now, via The Hollywood Reporter, we have word on what he wants to do next. Eggers is teaming back up with Universal’s indie genre arm Focus Features to craft ‘Werwulf,’ which as the name suggests, will see some terrifying transformations.

It’s certainly a challenge, even for a filmmaker as accomplished as Eggers since werewolves have not had the easiest time of it at the box office. The most recent howling horror to try, Leigh Whannel’s ‘Wolf Man,’ failed to take a bite out of ticket sales, with just $17 million worldwide so far after a little less than a week on release.

Related Article: Filmmaker Robert Eggers Talks ‘Nosferatu’ and Remaking a Classic

What’s the story of ‘Werwulf’?

(L to R) Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, director Robert Eggers, Willem Dafoe, and Anya Taylor-Joy at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘The Northman.’

Details remain scarce on this one since Eggers has yet to reveal much, but he wrote ‘Werwulf’ with Sjón, who co-wrote violent Viking saga ‘The Northman’ with the filmmaker.

The Reporter’s sources say the story is set in 13th century England. The script also features dialogue that was true to the time period and has translations and annotations for those uninitiated in Old English.

Eggers, in keeping with his love of stylish and creepy filmmaking, had originally intended to shoot the movie in black & white, though that has reportedly now been dropped.

Aboard to produce are Christopher Columbus –– yes, the ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Home Alone’ director –– and his daughter Eleanor, who through their company Maiden Voyage Pictures, have been partnering with Eggers since his first film and were involved with shepherding ‘Nosferatu’ to screens.

What else is Robert Eggers developing?

(L to R) Producer Chris Columbus, director Robert Eggers and director of photography Jarin Blaschke on the set of their film ‘Nosferatu’, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Aidan Monaghan / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

Not one to have just one project in the works at any one time, Eggers is juggling multiple possibilities, looking for whichever one is moved forward. It would appear ‘Werwulf’ has leapfrogged several others.

Here’s what Eggers told Indiewire about the process:

“[Medieval movie ‘The Knight’ is] on a shelf with a lot of screenplays. I have five things going on, because you never know what’s going to work, what’s going to appeal to people, what’s going to be greenlit. This movie [‘Nosferatu’] was not greenlit three times. I absolutely thought I was making a movie that has not gotten greenlit twice instead of this, so you never know. You’ve got to have a lot of stuff going on.”

Other projects that fell by the wayside include a Rasputin miniseries. And away from horror, Eggers reportedly would like to tackle a Western one day, having spent summers with his grandfather in Wyoming.

And this is what Eggers has said about his career to date:

“‘The Witch,’ proud of it, but I was frustrated that I wasn’t able to get what was in my head onto the screen. ‘The Lighthouse’ was a perfect stepping stone where I felt like I was able to do that. And ’The Northman,’ because the scope and scale was so massive, it was harder for me to do the same. It was a beast, a big learning experience, I’ve said this before, after making ‘The Northman,’ I finally felt like I know how to direct a movie, like I’m not trying to convince people that I know how to direct a movie. I’m not someone who has a lot of ideas and just hoping that it’s going to work. That gave me the tools to finally feel confident as a director, so it was nice going into ‘Nosferatu’ with that feeling.”

Who will star in ‘Werwulf’?

Willem Dafoe stars as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz in director Robert Eggers’ ‘Nosferatu’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

Casting has yet to be announced at this point, though Eggers tends to inspire loyalty in his cast no matter the sticky (usually bloody) situations he thrusts them into.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who starred in his debut ‘The Witch’ returned for ‘The Northman’, while her co-star Ralph Ineson has been seen in almost all of Eggers’ movies apart from ‘The Lighthouse.’

Willem Dafoe, meanwhile, has so far cropped up in ‘The Lighthouse,’ ‘The Northman’ and ‘Nosferatu’ and we know Eggers considers him a kindred spirit, so there’s a chance he’ll make it a fourth time should schedules allow and the right role is in the ‘Werwulf’ script. And let’s be honest: who doesn’t want to see Dafoe going through a scary, hairy transmogrification!

We’ll have to wait and see at this point, though.

When will ‘Werwulf’ howl into cinemas?

Since Eggers and Focus saw such success with the seemingly strange Christmas Day release slot for ‘Nosferatu’ last year, they’re trying again, with ‘Werwulf’ targeting December 25th, 2026 as the date on which it will look to terrify audiences. Hairy Christmas!

‘Nosferatu’ director Robert Eggers.

List of Robert Eggers Movies:
- ‘The Witch‘ (2016)
- ‘The Lighthouse‘ (2019)
- ‘The Northman‘ (2022)
- ‘Nosferatu‘ (2024)
Buy Robert Eggers Movies on Amazon
cOUhmQjG
January 24, 2025
Scares All ‘Midsommar’ Long: More Great Folk Horror Films

A24

From zombies to slashers to demonic possessions, horror tends to be a seasonal genre. It’s also one where the little details make all of the difference between success and failure; some times that means tiny tweaks or exceptional style in the execution of a classic formula, and others it’s a subversion or full-on reimagining of everything audiences have come to expect. But those ideas have all existed in one form or another, for decades, and they evidence the durability of the genre itself and the sometimes overdue opportunity to breathe new life into a combination that has fallen out of fashion.

Ari Aster’s 2018 debut “Hereditary,” for example, explores the devastating depths of a family dealing with extreme loss and its own troubled legacy, but the young filmmaker does so while touching on elements of psychological horror and demonic possession. And his follow-up, “Midsommar,” arriving this week, looks mercilessly at a grieving young woman and her estranged boyfriend as they encounter a mysterious, bohemian community while vacationing in Sweden. The new film echoes the considerable tradition of a sub-genre known as “folk horror,” where pagan traditions and ancient rites claim the souls — and bodies — of the skeptical and unwilling. In our own pagan celebration, Moviefone offers a primer on just a few of the films that may have inspired the film (and others that share its folky DNA).

“Haxan” (1922)

Criterion

Benjamin Christensen’s documentary-style classic was the most expensive Scandinavian silent film ever made, and certainly one of the era’s most controversial because of its depictions of torture, nudity and sexual perversion. Not only was its “nonfiction” approach groundbreaking at the time, but Christensen’s film, an anthology, provides a uniquely academic and yet incredibly visceral look at the dangers of superstition in misunderstanding disease and mental illness.

“The Virgin Spring” (1960

Criterion

This Swedish film famously served as inspiration for Wes Craven’s “The Last House On the Left,” but by itself Ingmar Bergman’s rape and revenge story offers plenty of complex and very powerful moments that don’t necessarily require the kind of graphic depictions of brutality that would come later.

“Witchfinder General” (1968)

American International Pictures

A film that has only grown in mystique since director Michael Reeves’ death from barbiturates just a year later, this obscure title helped establish many of the tropes of British folk horror while adapting Ronald Bassett’s novel of the same name, about a 17^th-Century witch hunter and his heavily fictionalized exploits during the English Civil War.

“Blood on Satan’s Claw” (1971)

Cannon Films

Though it sounds like one of Mario Bava’s Italian horror odysseys, this underrated gem is actually a “Witchfinder General” follow-up (they’re both from the same film production company), about an English village taken over by demonic possession.

“The Wicker Man” (1973)

Rialto Pictures

This film completes what has become known as the folk horror “Unholy Trinity” (along with “Witchfinder General” and “Blood on Satan’s Claw”) and is by far the most famous film of that sub-genre ever made, famously described by Cinefantastique as the “Citizen Kane” of horror films. Robin Hardy’s film follows a police sergeant investigating a girl’s disappearance who becomes ensconced in a community that has abandoned Christianity for Celtic paganism. Eep.

“Children of the Corn” (1984)

New World Pictures

Fritz Kiersch directed this adaptation of Stephen King’s short story of the same name, about a small Nebraska town under the control of “He Who Walks Behind The Rows” and his 15-year-old disciple Isaac (John Franklin), who leads his fellow children in a murderous revolt against their parents and other adults.

“Kill List” (2011)

Optimum Releasing

Ben Wheatley co-wrote and directed this incredible, mesmerizing film about an ex-military man drawn into a mysterious and deadly game involving human sacrifice and a religious ritual he unwittingly becomes a part of. Featuring shocking violence and a devastating, unexpected ending, Wheatley’s film is shrouded in terrifying ambiguity. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading and go watch it now.

“The Witch” (2015)

A24

Robert Eggers’ film about a 1600s English family and the plague of maladies that befalls them is, like “Kill List,” an entrancing journey into the perils of superstition and suspicion. Anya Taylor-Joy perfectly captures the restless energy of a young woman eager to explore the adult world only to be blamed for events over which she has no control — because, of course, something more sinister is afoot. Or is it?

“The Ritual” (2017)

Netflix

David Bruckner (“The Signal”) directed this adaptation of Adam Nevill’s novel of the same name about five college friends who encounter increasingly strange phenomenon after reuniting for a hike through the Swedish wilderness.

‘Apostle‘

Netflix

This oddly overlooked chiller from “The Raid” mastermind Gareth Evans was in production at the same time as “Midsommar” and takes a more classically autumnal approach to folk horror. Dan Stevens plays a man in 1905 London who travels to a forbidden island to rescue his sister from a secretive sect. (Trust us when we say that is the tip of the iceberg.) Profoundly disturbing, “Apostle” really goes for it in ways that few horror movies do these days, and even though it was only released last year, seems ripe for rediscovery.

July 3, 2019
The 15 Best Directorial Debuts of the Past 10 Years

Most directors require years to truly hone their craft and start operating at the top of their game. But some, like “Moon” director Duncan Jones, manage to knock it out of the park on their very first time at bat. To celebrate “Moon’s” 10th anniversary, here are the 15 best directorial debuts from the past decade.

Neill Blomkamp – ‘District 9’ (2009)

TriStar Pictures

Neill Blomkamp established a clear formula with his feature film debut, using high concept sci-fi as a way of telling a story about the racial and social inequality rampant in his come country of South Africa. Frankly, he did it best the first time around.”District 9” stars Sharlto Copley as a government bureaucrat who learns firsthand what it’s like to live as an alien refugee on a hostile world.

Duncan Jones – ‘Moon’ (2009)

Sony Pictures Classics

Duncan Jones probably could have coasted through life just having the coolest dad in the world (his dad is David Bowie), but instead he went and established himself as one of the most exciting new voices in science fiction. “Moon” does a whole lot with its limited cast and budget, showing the quiet, desperate plight of a lunar miner who just wants to get back home, yet finds out the job is much more than he bargained for.

Drew Goddard – ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ (2012)

Lionsgate

You could be forgiven for thinking that producer/co-writer Joss Whedon also directed “The Cabin in the Woods,” as it has that same sense of wit and energy common to so many Whedon projects. But it’s actually Drew Goddard steering this ship. What begins as a delightful homage to b-movie horror flicks like “The Evil Dead” winds up going to some pretty bizarre places by the end.

Ryan Coogler – ‘Fruitvale Station’ (2013)

The Weinstein Company

“Fruitvale Station” didn’t just show the world what a promising new talent it had in Ryan Coogler, it also kicked off a very fruitful partnership between Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. This haunting drama follows the last 24 hours in the life of Oscar Grant III, leading up to the infamous police shooting that sparked unrest in San Francisco.

Chad Stahelski – ‘John Wick’ (2014)

Summit Entertainment

As much as “John Wick” is hailed as the film responsible for bringing star Keanu Reeves back into the action movie spotlight, it’s also a showcase for director Chad Stahelski. This movie simply wouldn’t have worked without Stahelski’s keen eye and the inspiration he drew from Japanese anime and Hong Kong action movies for the many bone-crunching action scenes. Equal credit also goes to Stahelski’s fellow first-timer, uncredited co-director David Leitch.

Dan Gilroy – ‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)

Open Road Films

It’s hard to believe “Nightcrawler” is the work of a first-time director. It’s just so confident and self-assured in its exploration of the seedy underbelly of the Los Angeles news scene. It doesn’t hurt that writer/director Dan Gilroy had an incredibly intense performance from Jake Gyllenhaal to bank on.

Alex Garland – ‘Ex Machina’ (2015)

A24

Alex Garland had built up a strong reputation as a writer on films like “The Beach,” “Sunshine” and “Dredd,” but “Ex Machina” marked his first time behind the camera. Needless to say, he didn’t disappoint one bit. “Ex Machina” is a gorgeously shot and very moody look at a robot coming to terms with her very existence.

Robert Eggers – ‘The Witch’ (2015)

A24

Never let it be said that director Robert Eggers didn’t put in the effort to make his debut film look and feel authentic. Watching “The Witch” is like being transported back to 17th Century New England and seeing firsthand what it’s like to eke out a living in a haunted wilderness.

Tim Miller – ‘Deadpool’ (2016)

20th Century Fox

2016 would have been a lousy year for X-Men fans if Tim Miller‘s “Deadpool” hadn’t shown up to ease the blow of “X-Men: Apocalypse.” Miller gave us a superhero movie that’s unabashedly adults-only, hilariously self-aware and content to tell a much more personal, small-scale superhero origin story. It was the first of several signs that this franchise may actually work best in the R-rated realm.

Travis Knight – ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ (2016)

Focus Features

Laika CEO Travis Knight shouldered a very different burden for the company by taking the reins of its fourth animated feature. The end result is both one of the most visually stunning animated movies in recent memory and the best Laika film since 2009’s “Coraline.”

Jordan Peele – ‘Get Out’ (2017)

Universal Pictures

A horror movie may not have been what “Key & Peele” fans were expecting from Jordan Peele‘s first feature-length project. But Peele certainly left a strong impression with this satirical yet disturbing look at modern race relations. There’s a reason this one became a cultural phenomenon in 2017.

Greta Gerwig – ‘Lady Bird’ (2017)

A24

Greta Gerwig made the jump from starring in thoughtful indie comedies to writing and directing one in 2017’s “Lady Bird.” Easily one of the most critically acclaimed releases of 2017, “Get Out” draws heavily from Gerwig’s own experiences as a restless teen in Sacramento. The result is a very funny and very authentic coming-of-age tale.

Bo Burnham – ‘Eighth Grade’ (2018)

A24

It’s pretty rare to find a coming-of-age teen movie starring actual teenagers, but that’s one reason why Bo Burnham‘s “Eighth Grade” stands out so much. “Eighth Grade” is another example of a director pulling from their own life (in this case, Burnham’s struggles with anxiety and depression) to craft a refreshing and authentic look at the teen experience.

Ari Aster – ‘Hereditary’ (2018)

A24

“Hereditary” is easily one of the most unnerving horror movies to come around in a long time. Like many great horror films, “Hereditary” works because the supernatural trappings are merely there to accentuate deeper themes of tragedy and loss. This film immediately established Ari Aster as one of the most promising new voices in the genre, and we’ll see if that appeal can carry over to his followup project, “Midsommar.”

Bradley Cooper – ‘A Star Is Born’ (2018)

Warner Bros.

Plenty of big-name actors dabble in directing (it’s one of the perks of Hollywood super-stardom), but few have made the leap behind the camera as deftly as Bradley Cooper. “A Star Is Born” is hardly the first time we’ve seen this story told, but Cooper and co-star Lady Gaga make it their own. Is Cooper destined to become the next Clint Eastwood?

June 12, 2019
What’s New on Netflix, TV, Digital, and DVD/Blu-ray This Week: May 2-8

At a loss for what to watch this week? From new TV, we’ve got you covered.

TV Worth Watching

“The Good Wife” (Sunday on CBS at 9 p.m.)
This is it. The end of an era. After seven seasons of heartbreak (she’ll always love you, Will!), headaches, incredibly sharp writing, and powerful performances from Julianna Margulies down to the many amazing guest stars, Alicia Florrick’s story is coming to an end on May 8. The series finale, appropriately titled “End,” was written by showrunners Robert and Michelle King, and directed by Robert King. Margulies told Entertainment Weekly the finale will be “satisfying, uplifting and sad.” The showrunners have NOT shot down that Josh Charles return rumor, so here’s hoping for some kind of flashback/vision/cameo/thing. Also, here’s hoping for more of this, from Alicia and Jason:

“Project Runway: All Stars” (Thursday on Lifetime at 9 p.m.)
Who will win the incredibly melodramatic fifth season of “Project Runway: All Stars”? Will it be former winner Dom or one of this season’s drama divas, Kini and Ken? In the 1.5-hour finale, “New York State of Mind,” the final designers ascend to the top of the new World Trade Center to create collections inspired by New York City. Debra Messing is the finale guest judge. All four previous “All Stars” winners have been male, and two of those four have been past winners. So will Dom continue the two-time winner streak of Seth Aaron and Dmitry, or will Ken/Kini make it a five-member All Stars boy band?

“Criminal Minds” (Wednesday on CBS at 9 p.m.)
The 22 episodes of Season 11 end May 4 with a finale called “The Storm.” Here’s the synopsis: “Hotch is arrested by a SWAT team and suspected of conspiracy; when the team members scramble to prove Hotch’s innocence, they discover a larger plot may be on the horizon.”

“Frontline” (Tuesday on PBS at 10 p.m.)
Let’s get series for a minute. On May 3, “Frontline” is premiering two short documentaries filmed in the heart of major conflict zones: In “Benghazi in Crisis,” journalist Feras Kilani goes inside the war-torn Libyan city of Benghazi and reveals firsthand how chaotic the situation there has become, as ISIS, other Islamist militants, warring militias, and the Libyan army all fight for control. After that, in “Yemen Under Siege,” journalist Safa Al Ahmad makes a dangerous return to Yemen and captures the chaos on camera. The episode will stream in full, for free, online at pbs.org/frontline.

New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital Only

“The Witch”
This unsettling horror film won the 2015 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award (for writer/director Robert Eggers) and currently has a 90 percent fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics. It comes out on Digital HD on May 3, before the DVD/Blu-ray release on May 17. A New England family, circa 1630, is banished to the edge of the wilderness, and believe evil is at work when one of their five children goes missing. When the DVD and Blu-ray do come out, they’ll feature audio commentary, a Salem Panel Q&A, and the featurette “The Witch: A Primal Folklore.”

“Zoolander 2”
Tell Todd to get your damn latte and prepare to re-lax and watch the “Zoolander” sequel in its fashionably early Digital HD release on May 3. There’s also a really, really ridiculously good-looking “Magnum Edition” combo pack with a bunch of special features, for when the discs arrive on May 24.

“Crossing Point”
A young American couple’s Baja vacation turns into a nightmare when Olivia is kidnapped by a drug dealer and her boyfriend Michael is told to smuggle a backpack filled with cocaine across the border into the U.S. in the next 12 hours or Olivia will be killed. The action film — written by Paul Dominic and Shawn Lock, and starring Shawn Lock, Jacob Vargas, Rudy Youngblood, Paulina Gaitan, Tom Sizemore, Luke Goss — arrives on VOD and iTunes on May 3.

New on Netflix

“Marseille” (Netflix Original)
Gérard Depardieu, Benoît Magimel, and Géraldine Pailhas star in this eight-episode French drama following the longtime mayor of Marseille, who enters into a ruthless war of succession with his former protege. It sounds like a French “House of Cards,” and you can watch it stream on Netflix May 5.

Here’s the trailer:

“Grace and Frankie” Season 2 (Netflix Original)
Jane Fonda (Grace) and Lily Tomlin (Frankie) return in Season 2 of this Netflix original comedy. The legendary stars play longtime rivals who unexpectedly ended up on the same side when their husbands fell in love and got married. Catch up on Season 1 before Season 2 starts streaming on May 6.

Here’s the Season 2 trailer:

“Ali Wong: Baby Cobra” (Netflix Original)
In the latest Netflix original special, Ali Wong uses her stand-up routine to delve into “her sexual adventures, hoarding, the rocky road to pregnancy, and why feminism is terrible.”

New on DVD and Blu-ray

“Independence Day” 20th Anniversary Edition
It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Will Smith saved the world and took the throne as the king of July 4th movies. Now a 20th anniversary edition of “Independence Day” is coming out May 3 on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital, ahead of the June 24 theatrical release of “Independence Day: Resurgence” (which, just FYI, does not star Will Smith). The 20th anniversary editions include the newly restored theatrical version, and the Blu-ray and Digital releases include more special features. Also, there’s an “Attacker Edition” available, including a limited edition alien ship replica, a collectible booklet, newly restored extended and original cuts of the movie, and an all-new 30 minute documentary “Independence Day: A Legacy Surging Forward.”

“The 5th Wave”
If you just can’t get enough of the world blowing up, this post-apocalyptic attack movie starring Chloë Grace Moretz is out on DVD/Blu-ray on May 3. The release includes filmmaker and cast commentary, making-of featurettes, and a sneak peek excerpt from “The Last Star,” the finale to Rick Yancey’s bestselling series. Blu-ray and digital exclusives include deleted scenes, a gag reel, and three more featurettes.

“East Side Sushi”
Diana Elizabeth Torres stars in this charming underdog story about a Latina single mom determined to become a sushi chef despite being the “wrong” race and gender. The film was a festival favorite and currently has a 100 percent fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes; you can check it out on DVD and Digital on May 3. DVD bonus material includes the making-of featurette “Behind the Sushi,” plus a “Behind the Music” featurette on the score, and two deleted scenes.

Check out the trailer:

“Joy”
Jennifer Lawrence earned her fourth Oscar nomination (she has one win under her belt) for her role in this biopic, and you can find out why when the David O. Russell film arrives on DVD/Blu-ray on May 3.

“The Choice”
This romantic drama — starring Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer, and adapted from the Nicholas Sparks novel — arrives on DVD/Blu-ray May 3. The home release includes commentary with director Ross Katz and actor Benjamin Walker; four behind-the-scenes featurettes; and deleted scenes.

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

%Slideshow-381013%

May 2, 2016
11 Best Indie Horror Movie Gems of the Last Decade

Horror movies are big business, but that doesn’t mean you need big-name directors or stars. All it takes to make an effective horror film is a great premise, a bold vision and many, many late nights.

Among the greatest recent additions to the genre are “It Follows” and “The Babadook,” low-budget movies that created a big, disturbing impact.

Here are 11 indie horror films you might have missed.
20054384 64022

April 1, 2016
Why ‘Deadpool’ Is Unstoppable at the Box Office

No one expects much to happen at the box office in February. And that’s how we get a surprise smash like “Deadpool.”

The saga of the pan-sexual superhero, which broke all kinds of box office records when it premiered last weekend, had a 58 percent drop this weekend (on par with most comic book movies) and still easily topped the box office with an estimated $55 million. In 10 days, “Deadpool” has racked up $235.4 million to become the highest grossing movie from the “X-Men” universe. It’s also the fastest R-rated movie to $200 million (nine days) and well on its way to being the highest-grossing R-rated title ever. These figures are even more impressive considering that none of those tickets had 3D surcharges.

“Kung Fu Panda 3” is displaying strong holding power as well. In its fourth weekend, the threequel finished in second place with an estimated $12.5 million. It’s earned $117.1 million to date, in no small part because of smart timing on the part of distributor 20th Century Fox — aside from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” it’s the only family-friendly film currently in wide release. Fox also has the top two movies this weekend.

How are other films supposed to compete with these two that have staked out so much turf at the multiplex? Well, there are other niches to be served, and this weekend’s three new wide releases each experiment with a novel approach to reaching them.
“Risen,” which opened in third, is unusual for a Christian-themed movie. It has a clever premise — it’s a police procedural set in biblical Jerusalem, about a Roman officer charged with finding the body of Jesus after the crucifixion, a task complicated by the corpse’s rumored resurrection. It has a fairly sizable budget by Christian movie standards (a reported $20 million). It’s earned middling reviews from critics that are still better than the usually dismissive reviews that such films usually receive.

Finally, it has a major distributor behind it (Sony), which gave it a very wide release (2,915 screens) and which seems to have marketed it smartly enough to cross over beyond the Christian-movie audience to general viewers. (Getting a PG-13 rating was a good move, one that would indicate to weekend thriller-goers that “Risen” actually has some grit.) As a result, “Risen” opened slightly better than predicted, with an estimated $11.8 million. Word-of-mouth is very good, as measured by an A- grade at CinemaScore. It should hold up well over Lent, even though there will be other movies targeting the same audience, since “Risen” was first out of the gate.

“The Witch” also enjoyed success, more than some may have expected since it is a period horror movie about Puritans in the witch-trial era. The film’s creepy take on the material, and meticulous attention to historical detail, helped it win big among the film buffs at Sundance last year. Critics raved too, giving the movie an 88 at Rotten Tomatoes.
All that acclaim is unusual for a horror film, and it led indie distributor A24 to go all out with its first big wide release for “The Witch.” Opening on 2,045 screens, “Witch” earned an estimated $8.7 million, good for fourth place. It also had the best per-screen average ($4,245) of any new wide release this weekend. Paradoxically, “Witch” didn’t impress ticketbuyers nearly as much as it did the critics; it earned a poor grade (C-) at CinemaScore. Guess the chilly atmospherics that impressed the reviewers didn’t do much for a horror audience that prefers frequent jolts and gore.

Still, as experiments in thinking outside the box office box, “Risen” and “Witch” fared better than “Race.”

The Jesse Owens biopic/sports drama seemed well-timed for Black History Month. Indeed, those who did buy tickets seemed to find it inspirational, giving it an A at CinemaScore. But they had to be drawn to the theater first, and that’s where the Olympic runner’s story stumbled.

“Race” was widely expected to open in fourth place at around $9 million. But it didn’t even crack the top five. It opened instead in sixth place with an estimated $7.3 million. Whether the very good word-of-mouth “Race” earned will be enough to overcome its weak opening, the coming weeks will tell.

Nonetheless, at least the studios are trying something different. If only they would do that year round.
%Slideshow-365278%

February 21, 2016
10 Most Terrifying Horror Movies of the Past 10 Years

%Slideshow-363087% The Sundance hit “The Witch,” which hits theaters on February 19, has been called “beautifully made, bone-chilling horror” and “spectacularly creepy and perverse.”

Before you try to figure out what exactly is bedeviling a Puritan family in 1630 New England, why not take in these horror gems you may have missed from the past decade? If you’re not already afraid of old or isolated houses, home movies or anyone wearing a mask, these movies will change all that.

February 17, 2016
‘The Witch’ Director Robert Eggers’s 5 Favorite Horror Movies

%Slideshow-365202% Director Robert Eggers knows horror.

His horror movie, “The Witch,” has been earning raves since its premiere more than a year ago at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Now, on Friday (February 19th), the rest of the country will get to sample Eggers’s brand of horror when “The Witch” is unleashed in theaters nationwide.

To celebrate the release — and to get you amped for all things horror — we asked Eggers to reveal his five all-time favorite horror movies. If this list is any indication, “The Witch” is going to hit you right in your horror-loving heart.

February 16, 2016
First Trailer for ‘The Witch’ Is Here: Let the Horror Buzz Begin!

If “The Crucible” and “The Village” had an evil, terrifying, but critically-adored baby … it might look something like “The Witch.”

And then that baby might get stolen by a witch, as teased in the horror film’s unsettling first trailer.

“The Witch,” the feature film debut of writer-director Robert Eggers, was a smash at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and won the Directing Award. It promises to be a hit with the horror set when it arrives in 2016, although we’ll have to wait for a more specific release date.

“The Witch” follows a 1630s colonial New England family who are forced to leave their town due to the parents’ devout religious beliefs. They create a new home on the edge of a wood, but when their newborn son goes missing, religious hysteria takes over, and the family members turn on each other as they unravel.

As Entertainment Weekly noted, director Robert Eggers previously worked as a production designer, costume designer and art director, and you can see the influences in the stunning visuals of the trailer:

Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.

%Slideshow-313594%

August 19, 2015