JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX is a daring sequel that delves into Arthur Fleck's trial, and questions the cult of celebrity while defying the usual blockbuster formula. Despite its striking musical numbers and bleak, thought-provoking narrative, the film has been divisive, receiving harsh criticism while standing out as a bold, unconventional follow-up.

The never-ending franchise lurches along with yet another spin-off, this time following redeemed villain Negan and sworn enemy Maggie as they venture into a New York overrun with the undead.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spin-off follows Daryl's journey to France, where he reluctantly helps a group of nuns deliver a boy believed to be the new Messiah, featuring stunning French locations, dark yet humorous moments, and standout performances, particularly from Norman Reedus, with bonus content including cast diaries and a behind-the-scenes documentary discussing the challenges of filming and the ambitious use of French vistas.

So…a BEETLEJUICE sequel? No rational person would want it to be terrible or treat its arrival with the dread you would normally reserve after a 12 week scan confirms your partner to be pregnant with the Antichrist. Great news: as soon as the monochrome Warner Bros. logo has faded away and the unmistakeable Danny Elfman title theme kicks in, you can relax: we’re in safe hands.

It all begins with an idea.

It all begins with an idea.

Although credited to screenwriters Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor, you could be forgiven for thinking TIL DEATH DO US PART might be an A.I.-generated hybrid designed to merge all our favourite moments and characters from JOHN WICK, TRUE ROMANCE, READY OR NOT and KILL BILL. If this is the case, The Machines have failed to carry over the wit, excitement, invention, and humanity. Early on, a poor rip-off of Hans Zimmer’s glorious “You’re So Cool” theme from TRUE ROMANCE (itself an adaptation of a Carl Orff piece already appropriated by BADLANDS) makes you realise just how tediously third hand all of this is.

It began with a Freudian script by Poe fan, playwright and cryptographer Leo Marks, who considered his role as a (famous) WWII codebreaker a highly voyeuristic one. It was such a personal project for director Michael Powell that he cast himself and his son as (abusive) father and (disturbed) child. It was famously condemned by critics of the time: Sight & Sound’s Derek Hill likened it to concentration camp atrocities, while, in 1994, Dilys Powell boldly admitted it was a masterpiece, reversing the hatred she expressed decades earlier.

Released as HAUTE TENSION in its native France in summer 2003, Alexandra Aja’s calling card modern slasher enjoyed huge festival buzz en route to its U.K. release as SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE and (censored) U.S. bow as HIGH TENSION. This intense, stripped-down cat-and-mouse game between brutish, relentless killer Philippe Nahon and repressed, resilient Cecile de France heralded a cycle of “extreme”, ultra-violent French horror films that would peak with the despairing MARTYRS in 2008. These, of course, ran parallel to America’s own post-9/11 hard-R splatter movie trend, itself including Aja’s Hollywood debut – a savage reworking of THE HILLS HAVE EYES.

Steve A. Wiggins, author of “Holy Horror: The Bible and Fear in Movies”, brings a fresh perspective to Robin Hardy’s film via Auteur’s prolific “Devil’s Advocates” series of genre monographs – now in handsome hardback format!