SDCC 2025: Neon Celebrates Horror with First Comic-Con Visit

August 2, 2025August 2, 2025 Mike Manalo

We’ve been celebrating horror all year as one of the few genres in Hollywood where original storytelling is, not only alive, but thriving significantly. This is honestly thanks to one of the biggest indie studios in the market: Neon. They have had several incredible horror hits in the past few months, from last year’s Longlegs to this week’s Together. To celebrate their strong slate of horror films, they took to the stages of Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con to discuss what’s coming next!

Conventions, Sci Fi1 Comment

SDCC 2025: The ‘Predator’ Blasts Hall H into the ‘Badlands’

July 31, 2025July 31, 2025 Mike Manalo

There are very few staples in the world of pop sci-fi that have had the lasting impact of the Predator franchise. While the series has seen its shares of ups and downs since 1987, in recent years, it’s seen a considerable upswing thanks to the terrific efforts of filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg. Starting with Prey, continuing with Predator: Killer of Killers, and now coming up on Predator: Badlands.

Horror, Interview, Movies

Killer Reveals with the Director and Stars of ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’

July 20, 2025July 20, 2025 Sophia Soto

What did you do last summer? Well, this summer, I spoke with I Know What You Did Last Summer director/co-writer/executive producer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson as well as cast members Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers, Jonah Hauer-King, and Freddie Prinze Jr.! The film is now playing in theaters, and these conversations will contain MAJOR spoilers.

Horror, Interview, Movies

The Stars of ‘M3GAN 2.0’ on Surviving an AI Apocalypse

June 30, 2025 Mike Manalo

The Baddest Bot B of all is back! M3GAN 2.0 is now officially in theaters. The sequel to the surprise horror charmer, M3GAN, promises a complete genre shift, and bigger, crazier challenges for Allison Williams’ Gemma and Violet McGraw’s Cady, as they are forced to team up with their favorite homicidal TikTok-ing robo-doll to stop another killer AI from destroying the world.

Horror, Interview, Movies

‘M3GAN 2.0’ Star Allison Williams Talks Celebrating Fandoms

June 25, 2025 Sophia Soto

Allison Williams produces and stars as Gemma in M3GAN 2.0, which will be released in theaters on June 27. While at NYCC last year, I had the chance to speak with the actress about her convention experience, the response to M3GAN, and more.

Horror, Movies

Unpacking the Latest Trailer for ‘Weapons’

June 23, 2025June 23, 2025 Mike Manalo

The latest film from Zach Cregger, the director of Barbarian, is hitting theaters this year: Weapons. So far it looks ridiculously spooky. However, as we know, horror is often a conduit for social commentary to flourish. What Cregger and New Line have cooked up for us not only looks terrifying, but also might be a thoughtful look at how America reacts to tragedy.

Animation, Movies, Reviews, Sci Fi

NOC Review: ‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ Destroys All Expectations

June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 Mike Manalo

Holy crap! I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to see the future of the Predator franchise play out. After an incredible revival with Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator universe keeps getting more and more exciting, as evidenced with his latest creation: Predator: Killer of Killers!

Animation, Interview, Sci Fi1 Comment

Hunting the ‘Killer of Killers’ with ‘Predator’ Directors Dan Trachtenberg and Josh Wassung

June 6, 2025June 9, 2025 Mike Manalo

Hear that faint clicking sound? It means the Predator is on the move! Ever since Prey, Predator fans everywhere have been clamoring to see more from director Dan Trachtenberg for this franchise. And Trachtenberg, per the usual, did not disappoint one bit, as Predator: Killer of Killers has absolutely proven.

Horror, Movies, Reviews

NOC Review: ‘Bring Her Back’ is as Horrifying and Heartbreaking as Cinema Gets

May 30, 2025May 27, 2025 Mike Manalo

As a critic and film fan, I find myself drawn to movies that make me smile and weep in equal measures. I’m much less accustomed to movies that make me scream and weep. However, surprisingly, those are just as effective, as I have recently discovered with The Philippou Brothers’ Bring Her Back, a modern-day horror masterpiece.

Horror, Interview

Talking Fears and Tears with the Cast and Directors of ‘Bring Her Back’

May 29, 2025 Mike Manalo

When The Philippou Brothers showed the world that low-budget original concepts can make a huge splash on the industry with their incredible horror film Talk to Me, the world waited with baited breath to see what these two horror nerds would come up with next. They didn’t disappoint. Bring Her Back is one of the scariest films you’ll see this year, but also one of the most emotional. So it was a true honor to talk to the horror auteurs, as well as the incredible cast of the film: Sora Wong, Billy Barratt, and Jonah Wren Phillips.

Interview, Star Trek

‘Star Trek’ Actor Bruce Horak on His New Crowdfunded Documentary, ‘Boldly Going’

May 28, 2025May 28, 2025 Swara Salih

We speak with actor and artist Bruce Horak, who played Hemmer on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, on his new crowdfunded documentary Boldly Going.

Horror, Recaps, Video Games

‘The Last of Us’ Recap: Vengeance and Violence Everlasting

May 25, 2025May 26, 2025 Mike Manalo

We are at the finale of an incredibly (intentionally) short season of The Last of Us. For those who have played the game, it should make sense why they are stopping here. And for those who haven’t, strap in and prepare for the unexpected!

Horror, Recaps, Video Games1 Comment

‘The Last of Us’ Recap: I Hope You Do a Little Better Than Me

May 18, 2025May 19, 2025 Mike Manalo

Oh my goodness. I can’t imagine there being a dry eye in the house after this emotional, beautiful episode of The Last of Us.

It’s good to see Joel again and get more about him despite his untimely demise early this season. We even get to see Pedro Pascal’s name and his silhouette at the end of the opening credits. If you were a fan of the games, you knew where this episode was going. However, surprise, surprise, we get some really great stuff that was exclusive for the show.

Horror, Interview, Movies

Discussing Death and Blood with the Directors and Cast of ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’

May 16, 2025 Mike Manalo

Death is a funny thing. Not so much “ha-ha” funny as it is “mysterious” funny. It’s also terrifying, gory, and nasty. And no series of films better encapsulates this sentiment better than the Final Destination franchise! Recently, we were given the great opportunity to witness the latest installment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and speak with directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, and cast members Richard Harmon, Anna Lore, and Owen Patrick Joyner about the latest gruesome and gory chapter in this legendary saga.

Horror, Interview, Movies1 Comment

Talking Pinoy Power with the Stars of ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’

May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 Mike Manalo

I’m proud to be Filipino. While I believe representation in film and television has been much better in recent years, you’d be hard pressed to find many major studio franchises centered on Filipino families or characters, let alone long-running horror franchises. Which is why I got really excited when I saw Final Destination: Bloodlines was centered on a mixed Filipino family! That meant the world to me, as did getting a chance to speak with the stars that brought that family to life: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, and Rya Kihlstedt.

Horror, Music, Video Games3 Comments

‘The Last of Us’ Just Featured a Pearl Jam Song, Time Paradox Ensues

May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 Keith Chow

It’s been well documented on this site that I’m not much of a gamer. It’s is also well documented that I am a huge and unabashed Pearl Jam fan. Those two facts about me collided during last night’s viewing of the most recent episode of The Last of Us on HBO.

Horror, Recaps, Video Games2 Comments

‘The Last of Us’ Recap: An Airborne Nightmare

May 11, 2025May 12, 2025 Mike Manalo

Seattle: Day Two has begun, and The Last of Us Season 2 is progressing at an even faster pace than I could have imagined from the game. Dina and Ellie are one step closer to finding Abby; however, Ellie finds herself one step closer to losing her soul. All this and more on this week’s The Last of Us.

Horror, Recaps, Video Games2 Comments

‘The Last of Us’ Recap: Take On Me

May 4, 2025May 5, 2025 Mike Manalo

Ellie and Dina have officially reached Seattle. However, almost insurmountable challenges in Ellie’s quest for vengeance present themselves, as the WLFs have taken over the city. Chief among them, a new threat (in the form of a familiar fan-favorite actor) emerges. All this, plus a very emotional and soulful callback, and more in this week’s The Last of Us.

Horror, Movies

Terrifying Trailer for ‘Weapons’ is Unleashed

April 29, 2025April 29, 2025 Mike Manalo

Who needs coffee when you have a nice cup of “WTF” horror to wake you up (at 2:17 am)! Weapons is the latest from Barbarian director and Companion producer, Zach Cregger. And after weeks of teases, we finally got a trailer. Good luck sleeping ever again!

Horror, Recaps, Video Games4 Comments

‘The Last of Us’ Recap: The Aftermath of Tragedy Looms on Jackson

April 27, 2025April 28, 2025 Mike Manalo

At the time of writing this, a large portion of the world has bonded over the collective trauma of seeing the first two harrowing episodes of The Last of Us Season 2. The train has officially left the station, and there’s no going back. Which means by now, everyone on it already knows that zero punches are getting pulled, and every blow is about to land right in the gut.

Movies, Sci Fi2 Comments

Prepare for the ‘Badlands’ with the First-Look at ‘Predator: Badlands’

April 23, 2025April 23, 2025 Mike Manalo

Since Prey, the Predator franchise has returned to true glory. Following the negative reception of Shane Black’s The Predator, director Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) was brought in to resurrect everything with Prey, which was universally beloved both as a terrific installment in the franchise and as a fantastic example of Indigenous representation done right! Now, in a terrific decision, 20th Century Studios is officially bringing Trachtenberg back for a brand new adventure in the Predator universe: Predator: Badlands!

Horror, Interview, Movies

Culture, Music, and Makeup with Delroy Lindo, Omar Miller, and Li Jun Li from ‘Sinners’

April 17, 2025 Mike Manalo

You cannot deny that few people have done as much for POC cinema as the collective talents of Director Ryan Coogler, screen legend Delroy Lindo, and incredible actors Omar Miller and Li Jun Li. Coogler has changed every genre he’s touched, from superhero movies to horror films, by adding deeper social meanings that honor Black and POC culture to all of them.

Horror, Interview, Movies

Three Minutes with ‘Sinners’ Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, and Wunmi Mosaku

April 15, 2025April 15, 2025 Mike Manalo

The Sinners are coming this week, and it’s hands down the best movie of the year so far! Director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther) never misses! Once more, he’s teamed up with Michael B. Jordan to bring us a stunning horror masterpiece with deeper themes. However, Jordan is not alone. Coogler has assembled an amazing ensemble of actors to bring this amazing piece of survival horror to life, including A-listers Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku.