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Gizmodo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Urban Legend' Has '90s Nostalgia and Folklore Frights Worth Revisiting
Scream arrived in 1996, revitalizing slasher movies and ushering in a rush of imitators—much like Halloween and Friday the 13th did during the genre's first wave in the late 1970s and early '80s. Now we're in a third wave, with Scream's successful return and the recent releases of brand-new movies in the late '90s-early 2000s I Know What You Did Last Summer and Final Destination series. A few months ago, 1998's Urban Legend—which spawned two sequels you've never heard of—was tapped with the resurrection wand and may soon be finding new life under producer Gary Dauberman (The Conjuring Universe). But the original, written off by some when it was released as a coattail-riding cash grab, is worth a fresh look. Not only does it have a surprisingly good cast (including Twin Peaks' Alicia Witt, Robert 'Freddy Krueger' Englund, a just-post-My So-Called Life Jared Leto, Halloween series veteran Danielle Harris, future Smallville star Michael Rosenbaum, and '90s teen dreams Joshua Jackson, Rebecca Gayheart, and Tara Reid; there's even a cameo for Brad 'Chucky' Dourif), but its premise overtly draws on the very folktales that inspired the earliest slasher films. It's gimmicky, and it knows it—'An urban legend serial killer? It's a stretch,' a skeptical character points out—but we wouldn't have 1974's Black Christmas without that old yarn about the killer who calls from inside the house. Its setup gives Urban Legend a built-in list of terrors to choose from, as the script ticks off such scenarios as an axe-wielding killer hiding in the back seat of a car, the explosive blend of Pop Rocks and soda, the reveal of 'aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?' scrawled in blood across a bedroom wall, and more. It's a lot of trouble for any maniac to go to. But having the main characters in college together, taking the same 'introduction to folklore' class, makes the elaborate death scenes at least thematically understandable, especially once the killer's motivation is revealed. That said, Urban Legend is also a deeply silly movie. It can't resist winking at the audience, whether that's playing 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' in a scene where you really need a character to 'turn around' (per the lyrics) and realize her doom is lurking just behind her; casting the star of A Nightmare on Elm Street as a creepy college professor; or having the car stereo of Jackson's character reveal he was blasting the Dawson's Creek theme song. The campus cop, played by character actor Loretta Devine, indulges her Pam Grier obsession in multiple scenes… just because. There are also tropes galore; the 'killer on a college campus' is a time-worn concept, with Black Christmas to thank once again. Nearly every slasher movie spirals from a misdeed in the past so unforgivable that gruesome payback is the only solution (at least according to the killer), and Urban Legend teases out the details of the reveal in a way that doesn't feel completely obvious. And even if you figure out who the parka-clad murderer is before the movie wants you to, the pieces fit together in a reasonably satisfying manner. Urban Legend being a relic of the 1990s means it's very dated to that specific pre-smartphone, early-days-of-the-internet era. Characters go to the library and school newspaper archives to look for clues that would take 10 seconds to look up in 2025, and they run to pay phones when they need to call for help. People's pagers go off at interrupting moments. Witt's character has to battle with her surly roommate to use their shared landline—interrupting the girl's dial-up message board trolling for goth dudes to hook up with. An Urban Legend remake set in contemporary times—as all the recent slasher reboot movies have been—would have far more advanced technology to help its characters communicate while figuring out what's happening around them. But it'll still need to tie into the stories that justify its title, perhaps by adapting and updating urban legends that have become viral sensations. These tales may catch fire thanks to the internet, but they still draw on our deepest, darkest fears. Are you in the house alone? Urban Legend streams on Shudder starting August 1. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Geek Tyrant
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
James Wan Offers a Lukewarm Update on TRAIN TO BUSAN Remake Plans — GeekTyrant
Back when Train to Busan hit in 2016, it reminded horror fans that the zombie genre still had plenty of bite left. Yeon Sang-ho's South Korean thriller delivered emotional stakes, gripping action, and a claustrophobic train setting that elevated it above standard undead fare. Naturally, Hollywood took notice and a U.S. remake, rebranded The Last Train to New York , was announced not long after, and for a while, it looked like it might actually happen. Fast forward to now, and things have gone eerily quiet. In a recent chat with Entertainment Weekly, producer James Wan finally offered an update. While the project still lives on in concept, it doesn't sound like it's on track to roll out anytime soon. 'Everything about it is really exciting. I hope that could get off the ground eventually. Got to be honest with you, I'm not quite sure where it sits right now.' Originally, The Last Train to New York had some solid names attached with May the Devil Take You director Timo Tjahjanto lined up to direct, with It screenwriter Gary Dauberman handling the script. A 2023 release date was floated. But now, Wan's update paints a picture of a project stalled somewhere in development limbo. Still, he remains hopeful about the creative direction. Rather than a beat-for-beat remake, Wan sees this as a companion piece to the original: 'Creatively, it takes place in the same world as Train to Busan. [The zombie outbreak is] happening epidemically around the world. So if Train to Busan is this particular slice of the story in South Korea, we want Train to New York to be the one set in America.' That global approach could be the angle that sets it apart… if it ever gets made. American remakes of foreign horror gems are hit-or-miss, and zombies aren't exactly a scarce commodity right now. Still, the idea of an American take on this concept, especially if it captures even a fraction of the intensity of the original, is hard to ignore. Wan clearly still believes in it. Whether that train ever leaves the station remains to be seen.
Daily Record
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
MOVIE REVIEW: We decide if video game adaptation 'Until Dawn' is worth spending a night with
Director hindered by basic premise that makes it hard to root for lead quintet. Let me preface this review by saying I have never played the Until Dawn video game - and know nothing about it. As a result, I am the wrong person to say if this is an accurate adaptation, and can only judge it as a movie on its own merits. Doing so, Until Dawn comes across as an amalgamation of Happy Death Day, Silent Hill and Cabin in the Woods - but can't match any of them for quality. We follow a group of friends who end up trapped in a time loop, where mysterious forces chase and kill them in gruesome ways, and they must survive until dawn to escape it. Although director David F. Sandberg has spent the past few years helming the Shazam flicks, he has a laudable background in horror ( Annabelle: Creation and Lights Out). He does his best to make Until Dawn a worthwhile experience by utilising darkness-shrouded locations, a myriad of monstrous antagonists and several blood-soaked kills. But he is hindered by the basic premise as it's hard to care when his characters perish given the fact they get many other lives to spurn before their ultimate demise. While Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler's script includes some knowing nods and jokes, events are largely played straight, which does the film no favours as the young cast can't project the pathos their plight demands. Ella Rubin's committed Clover is fairly endearing, and has the closest thing to character development with her search for missing sister Melanie (Maia Mitchell). The rest of the lead quintet just fill generic roles, especially Michael Cimino as lovesick Max and Belmont Cameli as smart-mouthed douchebag Abe. Peter Stormare ( Dr Hill) brings his trademark weird but doesn't feature enough to make an impression. And after everything the protagonists endure the climax is firmly in 'is that it!?' territory. Whether it's a faithful adaptation of its video game source material or not, Until Dawn is by-the-numbers horror you should think twice about spending the night with. ● Do you have any favourite films based on video games? ● Until Dawn is available to buy or rent on Sky Store. *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here. Article continues below
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Is the 2025 ‘Until Dawn' Movie Streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video?
Sony Pictures is continuing to take advantage of its PlayStation IP with a new horror movie, Until Dawn, based on the 2016 video game of the same name. Directed by David F. Sandberg, with a screenplay written by Gary Dauberman and Blair Butler, Until Dawn is a time-loop horror movie about a group of young people who are forced to relive a nightmare in which they are horribly murdered over, and over, and over again. But if they can survive until dawn, they will escape the loop. Easier said than done! The up-and-coming Until Dawn cast includes Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A'zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont Cameli, and Peter Stormare, the last of which was also the voice of Dr. Hill in the video game. You don't need to be a pro-gamer to appreciate some good old-fashioned time loop horror. Read on for all the information on where to watch the 2025 Until Dawn movie, and when we expect to see the Until Dawn movie streaming on Netflix. Until Dawn will only be available to watch in a movie theater, when it opens in the U.S. nationwide on Friday, April 25. You can find a showing near you via Fandango. Until Dawn is not yet available to watch online or on streaming. The Until Dawn movie is not currently streaming on Netflix or Amazon, because the movie is being released in theaters, only. Right now, the only way to watch Until Dawn is in a movie theater. That said, because Until Dawn is a Sony movie, we do expect to see it streaming on Netflix eventually. You will be able to purchase the Until Dawn movieon Prime Video eventually, when the movie becomes available to buy and rent on digital, but you will not be able to stream Until Dawn on Prime Video free with a Prime subscription. If you want to watch the Until Dawn movie at home, you'll have to wait for the film to be available to buy or rent on digital platforms, or wait for it to stream on Netflix. Until Dawn will likely be streaming on Netflix sometime before fall 2025. Netflix has a deal with Sony Pictures that gives the streamer the rights to the Sony movies in the 'Pay 1' window, meaning the first streaming window after the film's home media release. Another recent Sony movie, Kraven the Hunter, came to Netflix about three months after opening in theaters, while Sony's One of Them Days began streaming on Netflix just two-and-a-half months after opening in theaters. Still, other Sony movies have taken four months to come to Netflix. So while it hasn't been consistent every time, we do expect to see the Until Dawn movie streaming on Netflix in the next few months. If Until Dawn follows the same release pattern as Kraven the Hunter, you can expect Until Dawn to stream on Netflix around late July 2025, aka three months after the movie opened in theaters in the U.S. Or perhaps you'll see Until Dawn on Netflix around late August 2025, aka about four months after the movie opens in theaters. We're almost positive Until Dawn will stream on Netflix before the end of the year. It will be free to stream for anyone with a Netflix subscription. For now, you can watch the Until Dawn movie in theaters.
