Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 149 i SciFi Now

You can’t keep a good monster down. It doesn’t matter how many bad sequels and crossovers you throw at it, how many years it has been since the last genuinely excellent film, or how many discs in your ‘complete’ box-set go forever unwatched (look, I never asked for the AVP films to be in there, they just were...). When something has become truly iconic, we can’t help but want more. And so even though you try to maintain a healthy objectivity, the idea of Shane Black and Fred Dekker collaborating on a Predator movie is just very, very exciting. These are two genre icons (obviously Black’s credentials go way beyond genre, but still, we’ll never forget Hawkins) and they understand what makes an Eighties movie monster tick. We talk to…

“WE’RE LIKE, ‘WE GET TO SAVE THE WORLD?!?” ZACHARY LEVI AS SUPERHERO CONCEPTS go, it seems ridiculous that it’s taken so long for ‘a kid turns into a fully grown superhero when he says a magic word’ to make it to screens. There’s a reason Shazam! is regularly described as ‘Big with superpowers’, and if it manages to capture even half of the charm of that Tom Hanks film then it’s onto a winner. When the first trailer debuted at the San Diego Comic-Con, showing Asher Angel’s Billy Batson learning what powers his alter-ego – played by Zachary Levi – has, it went down a storm. It’s fair to say that after a run of very dark films from DC, fans were relieved that Shazam! was embracing the fun.…

“WE NEED A PILLAR OF HOPE IN THESE TIMES AND THAT PILLAR IS JODIE WHITTAKER” CHRIS CHIBNALL AFTER WHAT SEEMS like an eternity of waiting, we finally got our first look at Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor in action as Doctor Who hit Comic-Con with a brand-new trailer. It showed off brave new worlds, three new companions and revealed… well, it didn’t actually reveal very much, did it? Thankfully, the cast and new showrunner Chris Chibnall gave a few more details on what to expect from Series 11… NEW DOCTOR As sad as we were to see Peter Capaldi’s Doctor say his final farewell, we can’t wait to see what the brilliant Jodie Whittaker will bring to the role. “Well, I haven’t seen it,” she laughed. “I think this Doctor…

PREDATOR 1987 HEROES: Musclebound special ops guys GUNS: All the guns BODY COUNT: Epic PRESIDENT: Ronald Reagan TONE: Starts out as a knockabout Eighties action movie as Arnie and his team of ultimate badasses head into the jungle to mow down a village full of baddies and rescue a missing Captain. However, the tables turn, and they start getting picked off one by one in a mix of Vietnam allegory and weapons porn. It’s brilliant. IN A QUOTE: “I ain’t got time to bleed.” PREDATOR 2 1990 HEROES: Overworked LA cops GUNS: A lot, but less ridiculous than the first BODY COUNT: High PRESIDENT: George HW Bush TONE: The focus shifts to the LA gang war and the underfunded police department. There’s still a lot of violence but there’s also…

Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus have famously been engaged in a long-running prank war, and it seems like Lincoln may have got the last laugh. “Norman’s been doing some incredible acting, as has everyone this year,” Lincoln told a press conference ahead of SDCC, while Reedus squirmed next to him, “but on this particular day he did amazing, emotional acting and at one point he just said: ‘I smiled, and then cried through my smiling,’ and I said: ‘What is that?’ he said: ‘It’s called a smile-cry. It’s never been done before.’ I said: ‘Norman, this is an extraordinary, momentous event, it needs to be noted.’ And so there’s a lovely person who runs the set, I paid him quite a considerable amount of money to wrap [Norman’s] car in…

“PEOPLE ARE JUST OUTRAGED THAT WOMEN ARE DARING TO ENTER THESE SPACES” AMY ADRION Check out these brilliant TV episodes, directed by women: 1 ‘ARKANGEL’ Black Mirror, directed by Jodie Foster 2 ‘HEAVEN SENT’/ HELL BENT’ Doctor Who, directed by Rachel Talalay 3 ‘BACK TO REALITY’ Red Dwarf, directed by Juliet May and Grant Naylor 4 ‘CERTAIN AGONY OF THE BATTLEFIELD’ Orphan Black, directed by Helen Shaver 5 ‘HOSTILE TAKEOVER’ Supergirl, directed by Karen Gaviola 6 CHAPTER 7’ Legion, directed by Dennie Gordon 7 ‘EPISODE #1.7’ Humans, directed by China Moo-Young 8 ‘AKA 1,000 CUTS’ Jessica Jones, directed by Rosemary Rodriguez 9 ‘JAYNESTOWN’ Firefly, directed by Marita Grabiak 10 ‘OFFRED’ The Handmaid’s Tale, directed by Reed Morano…

1 SUPERNATURAL Network: WB (2005-2006), The CW (2006 onwards) Lifetime: 2005-present Seasons: 13 Episodes: 287 2 THE X-FILES Network: FOX Lifetime: 1993-2002, 2016-present Seasons: 11 Episodes: 218 3 SMALLVILLE Network: WB (2001-2006), The CW (2006-2011) Lifetime: 2001-2011 Seasons: 10 Episodes: 218 4 TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL Network: CBS Lifetime: 1994-2003 Seasons: 9 Episodes: 211 5 BEWITCHED Network: ABC Lifetime: 1964-1972 Seasons: 8 Episodes: 254 6 CHARMED Network: WB Lifetime: 1998-2006 Seasons: 8 Episodes: 178 7 THE VAMPIRE DIARIES Network: CW Lifetime: 2009-2017 Seasons: 8 Episodes: 171…

DIANA BISHOP (TERESA PALMER) After her parents were murdered for being witches, Diana wants nothing to do with her heritage. She’s a historian studying at Oxford when she stumbles across a manuscript that forces her to embrace her magical heritage. MATTHEW CLAIRMONT (MATTHEW GOODE) Born in France around 500AD, Matthew is hundreds of years old when he falls in love with Diana. SARAH BISHOP AND EMILY MAHER (ALEX KINGSTON AND VALERIE PETTIFORD) Both witches, Sarah and Emily raised Diana after her parents died when she was seven. They live in America. PETER KNOX (OWEN TEALE) A witch and a member of the Congregation. He hopes to use the manuscript Diana discovers to eradicate vampires.…

SET TO A SOUNDTRACK OF BETTY HUTTON’S ‘IT’S OH SO QUIET’ AND ETTA JAMES’ COVER OF ‘STORMY WEATHER’, THE COMIC-CON 2018 TRAILER FOR FEAR THE WALKING DEAD SEASON FOUR PART B WAS A LITTLE OUT OF CHARACTER. For a show usually dark and brooding, the trailer added life that past ones have been missing. However, it still brought the menace, with the rather apt song choices announcing something big: there’s a hurricane coming, and the survivors are going to be pushed to their absolute limits. When we left the characters at the end of Season Four Part A, they were gathered around a campfire. But with the storm on the way things ought to get shaken up a good amount. “They seemed to be together, but there was a lot…

SIR PATRICK STEWART is returning to Trek, as the legendary actor announced that he would be starring in a new series exploring the further adventures of Jean-Luc Picard. We couldn’t be more thrilled about the prospect of one of the genre’s most iconic and wise characters returning to the small screen, and here are some others we’d like to see make a comeback… JONATHAN HATFULL THE EIGHTH DOCTOR Okay, yes we did get that lovely little short film for the 50th, but Paul McGann’s Doctor has always been given short shrift. He dazzled in the not-always-dazzling TV movie (although I’ve got a lot of time for it), a joyful dandy who was alive with the possibilities of the universe. By the time we caught up with him in the ‘The…

Details 12 // 108 mins // 2018 // • // Released 20 August Director Brad Peyton Cast Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Åkerman, Jake Lacy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures It’s hard to decipher what one truly thinks of a fi lmlike Rampage; a movie that has the courage to include lines as golden as: “When science shits the bed, I’m the guy they call to change the sheets,” but also boasts moments so baffling you’ll be rolling your eyes for days afterwards. Fatally assuming that audiences don’t really care about plot (who organises a helipad pickup at the same spot you’re trying to attract monsters to?!) when there are giant creatures to pit against one another, it centres on Dwayne Johnson’s Davis, a primatologist who shares a…

Details 15// 83 mins // 2017// // Released 4 September Director Adam Green Cast Parry Shen, Kane Hodder, Laura Ortiz, Dave Sheridan Distributor Thunderbird Releasing Adam Green returns to direct the fourth instalment in his bayou slasher franchise, which was filmed in secret and toured festivals last year. Survivor Andrew (Parry Shen) is convinced to return to the swamp where Victor Crowley (horror legend Kane Hodder) killed all his friends as part of his disastrous book tour, but his visit coincides with amateur filmmakers accidentally reviving the monster by using a real incantation. One plane crash later, and there’s one pissed off Crowley between them and their escape. The emphasis is very much on the comedy over the horror this time out, with the practical gore effects used as punchlines…

Details 15 // 85 mins // 2018 // • // Released 10 September Director Johannes Roberts Cast Christina Hendricks, Bailee Madison, Martin Henderson, Emma Bellomy Distributor Universal It’s been a decade since creepy masked trio Dollface, Man In The Mask, and Pin-Up first violently stalked Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman in their own home. They’ve taken their sweet time finding a new set of victims but director Johannes Roberts sends them in the direction of a dysfunctional family spending the night at a trailer park. At first, the viscerally cold horror of the original doesn’t feel like it’s aged well – we’ve seen dozens of masks and silent head tilts since 2008 – but Roberts performs a gory handbrake turn mid-murder spree that freshens it up. The action never rises…

Details 15 // 86 mins // 2017 // // Released Out now Director Brandon Christensen Cast Christie Burke, Jesse Moss, Michael Ironside, Rebecca Olson Distributor Matchbox Films Still/Born begins with both a birth and a still birth, as young mother Mary (Christie Burke) delivers Adam, only to realise in horror that his identical twin is dead on arrival. Yet the mannered forward-slash punctuation that splits the film’s title also betokens other doubles and divisions within the film. When Mary starts seeing a diabolical presence that is trying to snatch away Adam, viewers find that they, like she, have lost the ability to discern what is real and what is not. That slippery boundary between reality and delusion permeates Brandon Christensen’s confident debut, bringing an ambiguity that leaves us groping about…

Author: Becky Chambers Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Price: £14.99 Released: Out now In the space of just three novels, Becky Chambers has climbed to the top of must-read lists of genre fans. Her gift for telling accessible, relatable and ingenious sci-fi stories continues to flourish with this, the third in her Wayfarers series. Like A Closed And Common Orbit, it’s set in the same universe as The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet but is a standalone tale, and explores the lives of a few of the people living on the Asteria, one of the ships of the Exodan Fleet. What was once a vessel to take the final humans away from the dying Earth and into the stars is now stuck halfway between a museum and a relic.…

Details Author: Robert Jackson Bennett Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books Price: £14.99 Released: Out now Fresh from fi nishing his Divine Cities trilogy, Robert Jackson Bennett has dived into another rich and intricately designed fantasy world with carefully constructed power dynamics, feuding factions and a decidedly pliable reality. In the city of Tevanne, there’s very little that isn’t scrived. Whether it’s a sword that’s been convinced that it’s falling from a great height, a train that thinks it’s going downhill instead of along a flat surface, or bricks that know that they are supposed to be bound to each other forever, we’ve figured out a way to make objects work for us. When thief Sancia Grado nabs a key that can communicate with her telepathically and claims to open any lock,…

Details Author: Sam Hawke Publisher: Bantam Press Price: £14.99 Released: Out now There’s a lot going on in Sam Hawke’s epic fantasy debut (the first in her Poison War series) as the author balances whodunnit, siege action and twisty political thriller. Anyone expecting a lot of scene setting (understandable due to the book’s significant length) will be in for a shock as we’re barely introduced to the city and the key players before the rug is pulled out from under us. Jovan is an apprentice to his uncle, the man who tests everything the Chancellor eats for poison, and has been assigned to keep a watchful eye on the eminently likeable if slightly irresponsible heir Tain. When both their elders are killed by the same toxin, Jovan and Tain have…

“ONE OF THESE DAYS I’M GOING TO WRITE A STRAIGHT EPIC FANTASY” ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT What if the rules governing our world were a little more… fluid? What if objects could be convinced that gravity wasn’t as harsh as they think, if the wheels on a train could be told that they were heading downhill instead of up? If locks could be made to understand that they’d rather be open than closed? In Robert Jackson Bennett’s Foundryside, we’re introduced to a world in which mankind has discovered ‘scriving’, a method of altering the rules of science just enough to make our lives a little easier. But when former slave turned thief Sancia Grado steals a key that not only seems to be able to open every door but is in…

Details Writer: Alexander Utkin Artist: Alexander Utkin Publisher: NoBrow Price: £12.99 Released: Out now In weaving his graphic epic the Gamayun Tales, writer/ artist Alexander Utkin wears his influences on his sleeve. The dedication for this second volume, The Water Spirit, reads: ‘To my parents, friends, Hayao and Goro Miyazaki’, following on perfectly from that of the first volume, The King Of Birds, which thanked Mike Mignola and Walt Disney. Don’t be surprised if a future volume thanks Tove Jansson, for these first two books trace out a world that’s equal parts Moomins, Hellboy and Princess Mononoke, departing from its predecessors in one key detail: Utkin is using Russian folklore as his source material. These are beguiling tales dense with dark flourishes and oblique wisdom, featuring humans wrapped up in…

Adding to the (often insensitive) myths that existed about the Native Americans, and the borderline racist depiction of them as ‘others’, the popular rumour went that 112 Ocean Drive was built on an old Indian cemetery. According to ABC news, in a report that ran at the time of the 2005 remake, a professor of ‘paranormal psychology’ called Hans Holzer visited the property in 1977 with a medium who claimed that DeFeo had killed his family after being possessed by a deceased Indian chief who was unhappy at the house being built on his tribe’s cemetery. It would be this scenario that caused the legend of The Amityville Horror to take its place in popular contemporary ghost stories. The native people that could be traced to the surroundings of the…

If there’s one thing fans of classic SF know, it’s that being able to pop a Blu-ray into the machine and watch deleted scenes isn’t always an option. Decades before ‘bonus material’ was a phrase, if something was cut, it was binned (and, as Doctor Who fans will tell you, sometimes whole episodes were binned too). Which is why a book like Star Trek: Lost Scenes from David Tilotta and Curt McAloney is such an absolute treasure chest. We will probably never be able to watch these missing scenes and alternate moments from the classic series, but through meticulous and dedicated research, the authors have put together a beautiful 270-page book that not only shows off what hit the cutting room floor, but offers fascinating looks at alternate concepts (including…

“HUMANS ARE WEAK ANIMALS.” SERIZAWA “IF WE KEEP CONDUCTING NUCLEAR BOMB TESTS, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ANOTHER GODZILLA MAY APPEAR SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD.” DR YAMANE “WHO KNOWS WHAT MYSTERIES LIE IN THE DEPTHS OF THE SEA?” DR YAMANE “A-BOMBS, H-BOMBS...HAVEN’T WE GOT ENOUGH MENACE ALREADY?” SERIZAWA “DON’T KILL IT. LEARN AMAZING SECRETS OF LIFE FROM IT.” DR YAMANE “IT STARTED TO LOOK FOR A PLACE SAFE FROM THE NUCLEAR MENACE.” DR YAMANE “WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT A MOVIE. IT’S UTTERLY BIZARRE. AS THOUGH HISTORY HAS BEEN TURNED BACK TWO MILLION YEARS.” REPORTER “DR YAMANE’S STATEMENT IS TOO GRAVE, TOO SHOCKING. IT MUST BE KEPT SECRET!” PARLIAMENTARIAN OYAMA…

”That original stands as a powerful and profound reaction to real societal fears.” @ParsonsFiction “Magnifi cent movie (the Japanese version, not the US one). Makes me cry.” @AnneBillson Surprisingly solemn and, at one point, deeply moving (I cried).” @FuThoughts “A film I loved from the first time I watched. @redsteeleagle “THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST THEME TUNE EVER.” @GreatSheppard “One of the best. Ever since I saw the original Japanese version, I can’t watch the US version.” @lstari1960…

Okay, so Tim Miller’s new Terminator doesn’t have a title yet (surely they can do better than Genisys, that’s a low bar) but what it does have is a badass cast list. When Fox released the first look at the film, not only did they give us our first look at the new characters played by Natalia Reyes and Mackenzie Davis, they showed off Linda Hamilton as Sarah Goddamn Connor. Arnie’s return is a given. We absolutely cannot wait to see what one of sci-fi’s toughest heroines has in store for us.…

Next year Godzilla is coming back, and he’s bringing along some mates. The Godzilla: King Of The Monsters trailer debuted at the San Diego Comic Con and revealed Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah, as well as the human cast, which includes Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga and Godzilla fanboy O’Shea Jackson Jnr. Previous criticism levelled at Godzilla films have focused on the fact that the human characters tend to get overlooked, but director Michael Dougherty has worked hard to ensure that’s not the case this time. “Godzilla films aren’t all that well known for having great human stories,” he admits to us after the SDCC panel. “And I get why; it’s a challenge because four of your co-stars are 500-foot tall beasts… But what we tried to do…

Every time a big movie goes for reshoots we see the same reports, the same concerns, the same gleeful rubbing of hands as people who have been opposed to the movie since the beginning start anticipating being ‘proved right’. But, as surely everybody knows by now, reshoots are a part of every big budget movie, and Black is open about what needed to change. “We had a plot that was complex, and we had a large appetite,” he tells us. “We didn’t have a lot of money, but we had a large appetite. Compromises were made so that some of the effects weren’t as good as we would have wished, and the main problem was that the climax of the film was shot to save money largely during the day.…

11% The number of female directors working on the top 250 films in 2017 (Celluloid Ceiling report) 29 PERCENT The number of film reviews written by women (Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film) The number of female protagonists in the top grossing films of 2017 (Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film) 28%  The number of women in key creative roles on TV shows in 2016-2017 (Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film) 17 PERCENT The number of female TV directors from 2012-2017 (Inclusion Initiative) 5 The number of women who have been nominated for a Best Director Oscar 1 The number of women who have won a Best Director Oscar…

Can you tease what’s coming up for Lorna in Season Two? I have to learn how to be a mum, so that! But we discussed that in one way we are veering towards more of our comic book selves. [Creator] Mat Nix wants to see more powers, he wants to see us doing more things, being less in one location I guess because we were having to hide a lot last year and this year we are being shoved more into the real world. Even as far as our wardrobe, in the finale I wore a body suit and that is paying homage to the original Polaris and the original lore, so it is stuff like that. But on the other hand, we are getting to see the mutants in…

THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) When Count Dracula threatens their hometown, a group of monster movie-loving kids team up with Frankenstein’s monster to take him down. SCARE RATING: 4/5 PARANORMAN (2012) Set in the vaguely creepy town of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, ParaNorman takes an animated look at death and the world beyond it. SCARE RATING: 3/5 THE WITCHES (1990) If you ever watched The Witches when you were a kid, there’s a good chance that Anjelica Huston still frightens you more than a little bit. SCARE RATING: 5/5 GREMLINS (1984) Joe Dante’s Gremlins combines horror, comedy and wild, puppet-led set pieces in the best way. There’s a reason it’s now a cult classic. SCARE RATING: 4/5 GOOSEBUMPS (2015) It’s not nearly…

WHILE HIS TRADITIONAL FEATURE FILM OUTPUT HAS DWINDLED THIS CENTURY, JOE DANTE STILL REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AMERICAN FIGURES WORKING IN PREDOMINANTLY GENRE-BASED CINEMA. HIS FILMS ARE RIFE WITH EXPRESSIONS OF ALL-DEVOURING CINEPHILIA, WHICH ALSO COMES THROUGH IN HIS COLLABORATIVE WEB SERIES TRAILERS FROM HELL. During his UK visit for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, we spoke to Dante about projects old and new, the state of modern mainstream genre films, and his hatred for the current American President… DO YOU SEE ANY OF YOUR OWN SPIRIT AS AN INFLUENCE ON ANY OTHER FILMMAKERS? I’ve been told [so] by people who are actually friends of mine, who saw my pictures – obviously they’re quite a bit younger than I am – when they were younger. I think even…

HEAT WAVE Human chance of survival: 60% Zombie chance of survival: 95% Notes: Humans will need to find a source of water and shelter in order to survive; intense heat will not affect zombies besides making them stink. SNOW STORM Human chance of survival: 20% Zombie chance of survival: 60% Notes: Humans can survive through finding proper food and shelter; zombies will likely have to thaw before they become a threat again. HAIL STONES Human chance of survival: 60% Zombie chance of survival: 50% Notes: Finding cover is key to human survivals; one good hail stone to the head could shatter a zombie skull and destroy the brain. SERIOUS FOG Human chance of survival: 50% Zombie chance of survival: 100% Notes: It’s hard to see your hand through the fog,…

Details 15//377 mins //2018// • // Released 3 September Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Cast Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Josh Brolin, Zoe Saldana, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo Distributor Walt Disney Studios It’s remarkable that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not only managed to maintain its audience’s loyalty for ten years but that it continues to turn out films that are as polished and satisfying as its latest, Avengers: Infinity War. Like the last two Captain America movies, it’s helmed by directing duo Anthony and Joe Russo, who proved they were dab-hands at juggling multiple superheroes back in Civil War. This time, our heroes face their most dangerous enemy yet as Thanos attempts to collect all six Infinity Stones and use them to wipe…

Details 15 // 88 mins // 2017 // // Released Out now Director Richard Mundy Cast Andrew Kinsler, Peter McCrohon Distributor Second Sight Films In the not- too-distant future, mankind has realised that nuclear war is inevitable and has started testing bunkers to see if human life can realistically be sustained underground. It’s a lonely job, and the only company Roy (Andrew Kinsler) has is the AI system which updates him on the various issues to be fixed and checks on his mental state. But what if Roy’s not really alone down here? Writer-director Richard Mundy creates an atmosphere of grim functionality early on, with a protagonist entirely aware of the joylessness of his existence and the implications of his job. While there are immediate comparisons to be drawn with…

Details 15//121 mins //2011// // Released 3 September Director Jeff Nichols Cast Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Kathy Baker Distributor Second Sight Films Given that it’s only been seven years since its theatrical release, a beautiful reissue of Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter may seem premature but revisiting the film shows that its power has only grown in the intervening years. A sense of hopeless dread and uncertainty rings out from its opening moments, and watching Michael Shannon’s reserved but loving family man be torn between two different types of terror is heart-breaking. Curtis (Shannon) loves his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and their daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart). He has a steady job working with his buddy (Shea Whigham) and even has excellent health insurance. But he’s being tormented…

Details 15 // 90 mins // 2018 // • // Released Out now Director John Krasinski Cast Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe Distributor Paramount The space in front of your TV. A place where no-one can hear you scream and, more importantly, where no-one is going to noisily chew popcorn during John Krasinki’s masterful near silent horror. If you’ve been waiting for home release, it’s time to crank up the soundbar for teeth-clenching levels of tension as the Abbott family, led by Krasinski and IRL wife Emily Blunt, attempt to live in a world overrun by monsters with horrifically honed hearing. A Quiet Place is exquisitely relentless. While such a high concept could easily be squandered, the performances crank everything up to 11. There might not be…

Details PG // 91 mins // 1955// // Released Out now Director Arthur Lubin Cast Stewart Granger, Jean Simmons, Bill Travers, Belinda Lee Distributor Powerhouse Films In addition to Powerhouse Films’s excellent ongoing Hammer reissues (there’s an great new crime box set available now), they’re delivering on other overlooked British thrillers with this handsomely restored Blu-ray of Arthur Lubin’s gaslight gothic. The film follows a young housemaid’s (Jean Simmons) attempts to blackmail her master (Stewart Granger) into marrying her after she discovers he murdered his previous wife. Naturally, the devious fellow isn’t going to be taken in so easily… It does feel like there’s a fair amount of padding in this thriller, which is clearly indebted to Hitchcock, but the central game of cat and mouse between Simmons’ wide-eyed but…

1. Ivon “Ivon, an intelligent, original and relentlessly unnerving dystopia from @mdmaylwin - Artemis by @andyweirauthor is a delight too! #BookClub” @j_haseltine 2. Children Of Time “It’s not a 2018 book but I just read Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky and it’s incredible. Unpredictable narrative, with in-depth world building, fascinating characters, and fantastic conclusion. #BookClub” @karlhughes001 3. Glass Town “Glass Town by @ StevenSavile , wonderful alternative-London fantasy that’s a mix of Gaiman wonder and Barker weirdness. Also some fantastic, original monsters. #BookClub” @Rozza1210 4. In A Dark, Dark Wood “In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. Because it’s simply breathtaking. #BookClub” @00MadHatter 5. The Sisters Of The Winter Wood “Read an early copy of The Sisters Of The Winter Wood and LOVED it. Delicious magical realism and…

“Latest in Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series, Record Of A Spaceborn Few. Beautiful world as always! #BookClub @AndyGaudion93 “Just fi nished The Cabin At The End Of The World - amazingly developed characters. Very claustrophobic and tense. Wonderfully ambiguous! #BookClub” @ mrslaurenwayne “The fi rst Dragonlance novel, I have no regrets! #BookClub” @gavingsmith “The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin - it’s brilliant, really moving but also deliciously thought provoking! Can’t put it down! #BookClub” @ CarysJAuthor “ Wonder Woman: Year One. A good jumping on point for newcomers like me. #BookClub” @Jbarnes532 “Re-reading the excellent Void trilogy by @PeterFHamilton1 Enjoying it even more the second time round. #BookClub” @Craigsg1 “Currently racing thru Caliban’s War by @ JamesSACorey - I’m enjoying these books so much, one often wonders if this amount of fun…

Details Author: Peter F Hamilton Publisher: Pan MacMillan Price: £20 Released: 6 September The first thing that strikes you about Peter F Hamilton’s latest is how big it feels, yet it’s also telling an intimate story. There’s a murder investigation ranging across planets, a cross-universe pilgrimage, and a future timeline with a group of soldiers with the fate of the human race in their hands. But it’s also about the people at the heart of these events. In the 23rd century timeline, humanity has been booming. They have expanded across the universe, worked out how to extend a person’s lifespan, and how to control the weather. They have also made first contact with the Olyix, an alien race on a pilgrimage across the stars who trade their knowledge for fuel.…

Details Writer: Various Artist: Various Publisher: Image Comics Price: $16.99 Released: 5 September Launched by prolific writer Alex de Campi (No Mercy, Dark Horse’sGrindhouse series),Twisted Romance is an anthology book that spins yarns within the often-underestimated romance comics mould, providing a showcase for a community of distinctive creators. Contained in this ambitious first collection are four issue-length stories, written by de Campi, featuring the work of four wildly different artists, backed up with prose tales and shorter comics. The collected work spans various genres, tones and styles – all united by an askew look at love, with all kinks accepted and celebrated. ‘Old Flames’, a collaboration with My Pretty Vampire artist Katie Skelly, is a stylish story about a vampiric, (literally) heartless private investigator, head of the Heartbreak Incorporated agency,…

When an independent movie makes the sort of moolah that The Amityville Horror did in 1979 you can be sure that Hollywood will take it as a ‘wake up call’. First out of the gates, was the low budget Canadian production The Changeling which claimed to also come from a true story and was released in 1980. Even with fluid direction from Peter Medak and a fine leading turn from George C Scott, however, the movie was not a huge success. On the other hand, 1981’s Ghost Story, from British director John Irvin, starring Fred Astaire, was a solid hit – although still grossing only about 20% of what The Amityville Horror achieved, indicating that audiences may have felt the haunted house premise was only good as a one-time experience.…

As audience members we’ve become accustomed to seeing destruction on an epic scale. We’ve sat through endless sequences of cities being turned to dusty ruins as superhumans or giant monsters tear buildings to shreds and trigger massive explosions without any thought of human life. It doesn’t really affect us any more… if anything, it feels cheap. We’re bored by it. But each and every time you revisit Godzilla, you feel like you’ve been punched in the gut. There’s nothing thrilling about the devastation that this ancient creature wreaks upon the city of Tokyo. There’s no air-punch moment as he tears everything down. It’s a truly horrifying spectacle, and it’s a powerful reminder that monster movies and our expectations of them have changed a lot over the years. With the trailer…

Q. What was your favourite moment from Comic Con 2018? Jonathan Hatfull Editor A. Star Trek: Discovery trailer The canon stuff is exciting but I’m loving the new energy on display. Abigail Chandler Deputy Editor A. The Glass trailer Glass looks unexpected, crazy and totally worth the wait. Poppy-Jay Palmer News Editor A. Ezra Miller as Toadette We can always count on Ezra Miller to go the extra mile with outfits or acting. Marcus Faint Art Editor A. Shazam! I found it incredibly refreshing to see a DC film not taking itself too seriously. Rachael Harper Sub Editor A. The Orville trailer Season Two looks great, and the trailer’s showing more of what is brilliant about this show.…

OVER THE COURSE of watching The Orville’s first season, our faces went from “hmm, not sure but cautiously optimistic” to “holy crap, this is one of the best sci-fi shows on TV”. With its first voyage under its belt, Seth MacFarlane’s big-hearted Star Trek homage is aiming higher with its second run with promises of first contact, more action, and joint birthday parties. We caught up with the man himself to learn more… How did you find the response to the first season? I’ve been thrilled with how it’s permeated the fan base. We feel incredibly welcomed. I follow the reactions online as thoroughly as I can, and I feel like we’ve been very embraced. So, the response is exactly what I was hoping for. And since things are working…

BUMBLEBEE This Bumblebee poster is so gorgeous that even people who aren’t Transformers fans might be tempted to get it framed. The picture of Bumblebee morphs elegantly into his car form (this time a VW Beetle) as your eyes travel down the poster. It’s as adorable as its trailer. THE ORVILLE The Orville poster takes a standard ‘character head shots’ concept and shapes it elegantly into the Planetary Union logo, and the white space allows the colours to really pop. It doesn’t tell us anything new, but it feels clean, fresh, and very sci-fi. NIGHTFLYERS The bold colours, the off-balance composition, the weird sense that you are somehow actually falling into the poster – yep, we are really digging this one for Nightflyers. It does look a little bit like…

It’s no secret that fan culture has a toxicity problem. We’ve seen it pop up with Ghostbusters, Star Trek, and we’ve spent what feels like the last decade watching the reaction to The Last Jedi rumble on. With a movie like The Predator, there’s always going to be online criticism of every little thing and it’s something that Fred Dekker has experience with. “I did a sequel, I worked on the Star Trek franchise on television, I’m very sensitive to the fan response being all about just them wanting to see the same damn thing they’ve seen a million times,” he explains. “So, I pushed from the get-go to stretch the mythology, to push the boundaries, to try and do new things because if you don’t then why are we…

THE SEVERE LACK of female filmmakers working on big-budget and genre films is hardly a new concept. Every year we see more and more of these types of films made by directors who all look very similar. But the audience does not reflect this. We know that sci-fi geeks and horror fans and film-lovers who enjoy a big blockbuster do not all look the same. Audiences are diverse so why aren’t the people telling the stories they’re watching reflecting that same diversity? New documentary Half The Picture, which screened earlier this year at Sundance in London, delves into the gender discrimination ingrained within the Hollywood system, exploring the reasons why so many people believe women can’t – or won’t – helm these big-budget films and how difficult it still is…

THE GOOD PLACE is one of those shows that it’s hard to talk about without giving away spoilers. That isn’t usually a concern with comedy shows, but The Good Place isn’t like other comedy shows. First of all, it’s pretty much the opposite of a sitcom – rather than picking one situation and running with it, The Good Place is constantly moving forward and changing. And secondly, it just so happens to be one of the most inventive fantasy shows on TV right now. So let’s get the spoilers out the way. Season One ended with the reveal that the four humans of the Good Place – Kristen Bell’s Eleanor, William Jackson Harper’s Chidi, Jameela Jamil’s Tahani and Manny Jacinto’s Jason – were actually in the Bad Place, and Ted…

THE HELLFIRE CLUB First seen: Uncanny X-Men #129, January 1980 Key members: Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Donald Pierce, Jason Wyngarde, Harry Leland Agenda: Nefarious business. This shadowy group of villains manipulate world events for their own profit, and are perhaps most famous in the comics for their role in the Dark Phoenix saga, attempting to bring Jean Grey into the fold only to unleash her incredibly powerful alter-ego. THE MORLOCKS First seen: Uncanny X-Men #169, May 1983 Key members: Caliban, Calisto, Dark Beast, Masque, Sunder Agenda: A group of mutants who live as outcasts in the sewers of New York. Well, they also live in tunnels too, and old abandoned train lines. These are mostly people whose mutations are too visible to allow them…

TAKE A BESTSELLING TRILOGY OF FANTASY BOOKS FEATURING A FORBIDDEN ROMANCE BETWEEN A VAMPIRE AND A WITCH, THEN LEAVE IT IN THE CAPABLE HANDS OF TWO FORMER DOCTOR WHO PRODUCERS, AND YOU’RE PROBABLY ON TO A WINNER. AT LEAST THAT’S WHAT THE FANS OF DEBORAH HARKNESS’ ALL SOULS TRILOGY ARE HOPING FOR AS SKY ONE BRINGS THE FIRST BOOK IN HER SERIES – A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES – TO THE SMALL SCREEN IN AN EIGHT-PART SERIES. While debuting some footage at the San Diego Comic-Con, Harkness explained why TV was the right fit for her series: ”We pursued a movie project first, and it became really clear that A Discovery Of Witches was not going to fit easily into a 90-minute timeframe,” she says, before explaining that the TV show…

THE MOVIE ORGY (1968) Dante’s debut predated the supercut. A compilation of b-movie clips, TV shows, newsreels, bloopers and shorts; it ran seven hours in its original form. The re-edit lasts just over four. HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD (1976) Co-directed with Allan Arkush, Dante’s first fiction feature follows an aspiring actress finding her time working with a sleazy b-movie crew plagued by strange accidents. PIRANHA (1978) Executive produced by Roger Corman and written by John Sayles, this comedic Jaws riff made Universal very angry until Steven Spielberg saw a cut and gave the movie his blessing. THE HOWLING (1981) Another collaboration with Sayles, this werewolf horror was a moderate box office success that prompted Warner Bros to hire Dante for his next two films. Seven The Howling sequels…

The zombie apocalypse is enough to make you go potty… With all the toil and trouble that is coming up for Morgan in Season Four Part B, the thing actor Lennie James puts above the rest is how he overcomes a situation most of us experience several times a day in our pre-apocalyptic lives. “I am actually genuinely most excited for fans seeing Morgan going to the toilet,” he says. “Going to the toilet, going to the bog, going to the loo. It was a conversation, I got a phone call.” “Hold on, what, ‘the bog’?” asks Robert Kirkman, an American. “Yeah, the bog,” confirms James. “That’s the British. Bog, loo. The best is other words I can’t say. But yeah, I got a telephone call from Andrew [Chambliss] and…

Should I stick around for the credits? Yes, there’s a mid-credits scene that leads into Infinity War Part 2, and the customary silly end credits sting. Is Luis back? Of course he is, and wait until you see what truth serum does to him. Does Scott have any new tricks up his sleeves? During his two years of boredom, he has become an adept close-up magician, so yes, he does. Literally. Are Scott’s family back? His daughter Cassie is back with an increased role, while Judy Greer and Bobby Cannavale’s roles are so small they could have filmed them over a weekend. Are there any fun encounters with giant insects? No, and frankly you can never have too many miniature adventures.…

Details 15 // 119 mins // 2018 // • // Released 17 September Director David Leitch Cast Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, Julian Dennison, Morena Baccarin Distributor 20th Century Fox Deadpool’s success proved that cinemagoers wanted adult-aimed superhero movies. Its ultra-violence, crude humour and hip hop-heavy soundtrack went down a treat, so it’s good then that its sequel boasts more of the same; only with slicker action, a cleverer plot and with a few, very welcome, character additions along the way. It sees protagonist Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) set out on a genuinely emotional mission. Along the way, he finds himself protecting an orphaned mutant (Julian Dennison) from Josh Brolin’s time-travelling enhanced soldier Cable, who has personal reasons for wanting to off the vengeful young fire starter. As promised,…

Details 15//107 mins //1980 // // Released Out now Director Peter Medak Cast George C Scott, Trish Van Devere, Melvyn Douglas, Jean Marsh Distributor Second Sight Films Peter Medak’s highly respected ghost story gets a very handsome Bluray upgrade courtesy of Second Sight Films, and it still has a haunting power and emotional resonance. Made a full decade before George C Scott would play a mournful fellow investigating a supernatural mystery in The Exorcist III, The Changeling makes excellent use of the Patton star’s ability to channel an aggrieved sense of injustice. However, it also allows him to show a softer side as the grieving John Russell, a New York composer who we meet just before the worst moment of his life, as he witnesses his wife and daughter’s deaths…

Details 15// 120 mins // 2005// // Released Out now Director Terry Gilliam Cast Jodelle Ferland, Jeff Bridges, Janet McTeer, Brendan Fletcher Distributor Arrow Video Terry Gilliam’s dark fairy tale wasn’t met with a positive reception on its release, but a second viewing proves to be significantly more rewarding. It follows Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland), a young girl who travels with her drug-addled daddy (Jeff Bridges, amiably game) to his old family home in the middle of nowhere. Daddy promptly dies, and leaves her all alone with her thoughts and the unhinged neighbours. Tideland was famously made during a time-out on production of The Brothers Grimm and there is a sense of glee in the lack of studio restrictions. As Gilliam notes in his intro, it’s a film that makes no…

Details 18// 91 mins // 2018// • // Released Out now Director Pascal Laugier Cast Crystal Reed, Mylène Farmer, Anastasia Phillips, Emilia Jones, Taylor Hickson Distributor Arrow Video The latest horror from Martyrs fi lmmaker Pascal Laugier sees the writer-director return to the theme of young women in physical and psychological pain in a film that frustrates as much as it intrigues. We begin with aspiring teenage horror writer Beth, her sister and mother arriving at their new home only to be attacked by a pair of home invaders. Years later, Beth is a successful novelist but is drawn home when she gets a disturbing phone call from her sibling. Laugier sets an unsettling mood and plays with ideas of time and reality with skill, but viewers may find it…

Details Author: Rena Rossner Publisher: Orbit Price: £12.99 Released: 27 September If you’re familiar with Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘Goblin Market’, you’ll know it’s not a good idea to take exotic fruit from mysterious strangers – especially if they’re willing to accept locks of hair as currency. But in this retelling of the classic Victorian poem, the goblins are far from the only danger lurking in the woods. In the remote village of Dubossary, on the border between Moldova and Ukraine, sisters Liba and Laya find themselves alone in a world that’s growing increasingly hostile towards them: both because they’re Jewish, and because they’re, well, not human. There’s a lot going on in this book. It’s not just politics and magic – which would be enough by itself! – it’s also…

“A BOOK THAT WILL BENEFIT FROM BEING READ IN A GULP” Details Author: Catriona Ward Publisher: W&N Price: £13.99 Released: Out now Something terrible has happened on the remote island of Altnaharra. An entire family has been murdered, their bodies arranged in a creepy tableau that suggests an occult ritual. There’s only one survivor: Dinah, who claims her sister Evelyn killed the others in an attempt to summon a serpent-god from the ocean. Through a dual narrative that hops back and forth in time and between the two girls (Dinah, in 1921, after the murders, and Evelyn, in 1917, before) the story gets even darker from there. If you’ve read Ward’s previous novel, Rawblood, you’ll have an idea of what to expect: it’s glorious gothic madness, with adults keeping secrets…

Details Author: Drew Williams Publisher: Simon & Schuster Price: £16.99 Released: 23 August Jane Kamali is a super-soldier working for the Justified, a sect with a lot to hide and atone for. Her mission is to seek out children with extraordinary gifts and bring them back to the Sanctum to hone their skills into something that could protect the galaxy. Those powers were granted to them by the Pulse, a mysterious event that caused technology to break down across the galaxy and devolving societies. When she finds Esa, an attack from all-conquering race, the Pax, forces them on the run and into a fight where the very fate of the galaxy is at stake. Drew Williams’ influences are seen throughout his debut novel and it is enjoyable as a sci-fi…

Details Writer: Thierry Smolderen Artist: Jean-Philippe Bramanto Publisher: Titan Comics Price: £35.99 Released: 23 October This perplexing tome brings together a series of bandes dessinées albums first published in French in the Ninties, collected in English for the first time. McCay is a fanciful mixture of fact and fiction, featuring historical characters in heightened, ahistorical contexts. What begins as a biography of groundbreaking artist and animator Winsor McCay, tracing his career from vaudeville speed-drawing to creating his influential newspaper strip ‘Little Nemo In Slumberland’, soon takes on strange aspects as it diverges from reality. A young McCay meets Professor Hinton, a theorist intent on exploring a fourth dimension; he also meets a dissident artist called Silas who, years later, may be using this dimension to commit politically-motivated murder. Writer Thierry…

American International Pictures, the independent studio headed by the late, great B-movie producer Samuel Z Arkoff, was struggling to find a hit by the time the end of the Seventies rolled around. Having capitalised on the blaxploitation boom with such popular titles as Larry Cohen’s Black Caesar (1973) and Jack Hill’s Foxy Brown (1974), the company began to realise that the bottom was dropping out of the market for low budget genre product in the wake of such mega-hits as The Exorcist (1973) and Jaws (1975). Ever the businessman, Arkoff hoped to turn American International Pictures into a major Hollywood force – which meant competing with the big boys, although such early results as the big budget war film Force 10 From Navarone (1978), headlined by a post- Star Wars…

1 THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (STUART ROSENBERG, 1979) There is a lot to like about this original supernatural shocker – from Lalo Schifrin’s iconic score to the great jump-scares and the balls-to-the-wall ending in which blood oozes from the house’s pores and a final heart-stopping moment sees James Brolin’s man of the house rush back inside his haunted abode to save the pet dog. Talk about a close call! 2 AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION (DAMIANO DAMIANI, 1982) A slick looking but lowbrow sequel, this has so much sleaze it’s actually unnerving. Incest? Check. Rape? Check. Slaughter of children? Check. And the most harrowing possession sequence ever placed on screen? Erm… Check. Possibly the most uncomfortable theatrically released American horror film of its decade, it is legitimately creepy. 3 AMITYVILLE 3-D (RICHARD…

When a succession of Japanese vessels go down near Odo Island, the locals blame an ancient legend, a giant creature known as ‘Gojira’ who comes from the sea. Reporters and investigators descend on the island and suddenly it becomes very apparent that the legends are true and this gigantic creature has returned. This destructive force is heading towards Tokyo, but will the government and the military be able to do anything to stop it? The only hope may be a weapon too horrifying to end up in the wrong hands……

1 THE MIST’S CREATURES Frank Darabont’s take on Stephen King’s novella features terrifying Lovecraftian monsters that are just about as frightening as human nature and our need to blame others for everything. 2 THEY LIVE’S ALIENS You can’t imagine that John Carpenter is overly thrilled about the fact that his vision of a world run by Republican aliens driving consumerism and obedience has come true. 3 COLOSSAL’S KAIJU Anne Hathaway’s self-destructive impulses manifest as a giant monster destroying Seoul in this brilliant indie, while Jason Sudeikis’ id is just as big and more insidious. 4 THE BABADOOK Life hasn’t been easy for Amelia since her husband died, and her resentment for her son is about to come home in the form of a nightmare creature from a storybook. 5 PAN’S…

PLOT TWIST 1. At which train station does Sarah Manning first encounter Beth Childs? 2. How is Felix related to Adele? 3. Who is shot at the end of the Season Three finale? 4. Which religious sector does Castor clone Mark Rollins belong to before he escapes? 5. Who is Kira’s biological father? CRAZY SCIENCE 6. Who is the original genetic subject that both the Leda and Castor factions were cloned from? 7. What is Dr Leekie’s first name? 8. Which eye does Rachel Duncan lose? 9. What does Helena name her babies? 10. Which progressive scientific organisation marked by genetic meddling and physical alterations does the Dyad Institute promote? PETRI DISH 11. At which university does Cosima complete her PhD in Experimental Evolutionary Development Biology? 12. In which country…

SARAH MANNING As an angst-ridden protagonist, you’re quite happy to take the lead when it comes to matters of life and death. The only thing that stops you is your inability to know when to stop. You’re basically a paradox that way. COSIMA NIEHAUS Logic and knowledge are your best friends, and they help you out when times get tough. However, you also often find yourself coming up against setbacks that you have no way of controlling. You always try your best regardless. ALISON HENDRIX Though you sometimes struggle to get through the day without some kind of little helper, you’re always there for your friends. You’re not the most reliable of people, but you’re known for putting in the extra effort. HELENA Most people fear you, but some call…