Latest news with #Whannell
Metro
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'Spine-chilling' horror remake with near-perfect RT rating now streaming
A horror film lauded as 'outstanding' is streaming right now on Amazon Prime Video. The Invisible Man, directed by Leigh Whannell, revitalised interest in Universal's proposed Dark Universe, which was set to bring the classic Universal Monsters back to the big screen. Following the box office flop that was The Mummy, Whannell's 2020 adaptation of The Invisible Man was widely praised by critics thanks to how it tackled themes of domestic abuse. It stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, a woman trapped in a violent and controlling relationship with wealthy optics engineer and businessman Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). After finally leaving, it is reported that Adrian has died by suicide. But Elisabeth is still subjected to his terror after it is revealed that he developed technology to become invisible and torment his ex. It grossed a whopping $145million (£107.7m) worldwide against a $7m (£5.2m) budget and received numerous accolades, including a Critics' Choice nomination. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Invisible Man boasts a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics' consensus reading: 'Smart, well-acted, and above all scary, The Invisible Man proves that sometimes, the classic source material for a fresh reboot can be hiding in plain sight.' In their review, The Times said: 'It uses its serious theme to give extra force to a tale that already has plenty of flair as a pure and simple spine-chiller.' The Ringer wrote: 'A thriller whose mandate is to startle its audience with surface-level shocks while simultaneously subverting expectations in a deeper way, dropping us out of our comfort zone toward some sunken place.' The Jewish Chronicle added: 'Elisabeth Moss delivers an outstanding performance as a woman teetering on the edge of reality in this thoroughly engaging reboot.' 'Whannell expertly plays with our fears: the sudden metallic screech of a dog dish accidentally kicked in the quiet; the house's labyrinthine hallways; the breathing darkness of an empty road,' Seattle Times praised. In 2019, it was confirmed that a spin-off titled The Invisible Woman was in development with Elizabeth Banks set to star. However, she revealed that the film was on hold while Universal focused on a sequel to The Invisible Man. More Trending 'For one thing, what happened was they made an Invisible Man movie, and they're making another one,' she told 'So I think Universal wants to see that through. I'm really interested in the idea that we have, and it is still there, but it's not something I'm actively working on in this moment in time.' Last year, Moss confirmed that developments on the sequel were ongoing, and it was then announced that her production company, Love and Squalor Pictures, was working with Blumhouse Productions on the film. The Invisible Man is streaming now on Prime Video . Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Huge Leonardo DiCaprio blockbuster now streaming on iPlayer MORE: Bring Her Back boasts one of the most horrifically disturbing scenes I've ever seen MORE: James Gunn admits Henry Cavill's Superman firing was 'terrible'
Forbes
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Horror Thriller ‘Wolf Man' Gets Peacock Streaming Premiere Date
"Wolf Man" partial poster. Universal Pictures Wolf Man — a modern reimaging of the classic Lon Chaney Jr. Universal Studios monster movie — is coming soon to Peacock. Rated R, Wolf Man opened in theaters on Jan. 17 and made its debut on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Feb. 4. The official logline for Wolf Man reads, 'A family at a remote farmhouse is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable.' Christopher Abbott (Kraven the Hunter) and Julia Garner (Ozark) star in Wolf Man as Charlotte and Blake, and Matilda Firth plays their daughter, Ginger. Wolf Man is directed and co-written by Leigh Whannell, who previously wrote and directed the hit reimagining of the classic Universal Studios monster movie The Invisible Man in 2020. According to When to Stream, Wolf Man will arrive on streaming on Peacock on Friday, April 18. You must be a subscriber to the NBC Universal streaming platform to watch Wolf Man on Peacock. Peacock has an ad-based package for $7.99 per month or $79 per year, as well as an ad-free package for $13.99 per month or $139.99 yearly. While Wolf Man's roots date back to the classic 1941 Universal Monsters film The Wolf Man, director Leigh Whannell told the British Film Institute that his new version of the classic tale is actually a tribute to the horror films of the 1980s and the use of practical effects of the makeup artists of the day. 'As a horror fan, I've grown up obsessed with prosthetic make-up effects, and these guys who are the masters of that – Stan Winston, Rick Baker, Rob Bottin and Dick Smith – they're like rock stars to me,' Whannell told BFI. 'I was reading Fangoria, looking at these people as absolute heroes. I grew up in that era where those effects stood out in your mind.' Whannell, whose producer credits include nine movies in the Saw horror movie franchise (including spinoffs), told BFI that Wolf Man is the first movie he made that 'relied so heavily on prosthetic make-up effects and special effects make-up.' 'It's really a tribute to those films that exemplify the best of the make-up – The Thing (1982), An American Werewolf in London (1981), The Exorcist (1973),' Whannell explained to BFI. Per The Numbers, Wolf Man has earned $20.7 million in North American ticket sales and $14.1 million internationally for a worldwide box office gross of $34.6 million. Variety reported that Wolf Man had a production budget of $25 million before prints and advertising costs. Rotten Tomatoes critics collectively gave Wolf Man a 50% 'rotten' rating based on 252 reviews, while audiences gave the film a 56% 'rotten' rating on RT's Popcornmeter based on 1,000-plus verified user ratings. Wolf Man arrives on Peacock on April 18.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New movies streaming this weekend: 'Wolf Man' and 'September 5' now available at home; Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield romance 'We Live in Time' hits Max
After Universal tried and failed to usher in a new era of their classic monster movies, 2020's The Invisible Man helped resurrect the concept with Leigh Whannell's clever and thoroughly modern take on the story. Not only was that movie a hit with both audiences and critics, but it also seemed to provide a much-needed template for Universal to update its beloved characters to reflect the times. It took five years, but the studio has finally made a proper follow-up in Wolf Man, and they brought back Whannell to try his hand again. The response to Wolf Man was markedly different than that of The Invisible Man, regarding both box office and critical reception. But is it worth your time? It debuted on digital this week, 17 days after its theatrical release, so you can find out for yourself. Wolf Man isn't the only movie newly available on streaming this week — the critically acclaimed, ripped-from-the-headlines period journalism thriller September 5 is out now, and A24's hit romance We Live in Time, starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, hits Max. The Pharrell Williams Lego biopic Piece by Piece is out on Peacock, which could be appealing to kids and parents alike. For after the kids go to bed, Kill, a hyper-violent action-thriller from India that earned rave reviews, is available on Hulu. Here's what to know about the theatrical movies newly available to stream as of this week and where you can find them. Click on the links below to jump straight to a specific movie:Wolf Man sets up a loaded metaphor in its terrific, tense opening sequence: A boy and his overbearing survivalist father hunting in the woods encounter some sort of animalistic creature. As the movie progresses, it becomes clear there's not enough meat on the bone for the analogy they're going for regarding parenthood, trauma, abuse and how we're doomed to become our parents, no matter how hard we try to stray from the path. It's heavy stuff for a movie that could stand to have some fun, but there are still elements worthy of praise, including the practical makeup effects on the wolf transformation and the impactful, but all-too-brief moments of body horror. Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner are two great performers, but it's hard to get a read on their characters. Wolf Man is ambitious enough to recommend to those who like their genre fare more offbeat, but it doesn't come together in the same satisfying way that Whannell's previous effort did. How to watch: Wolf Man is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video and other video on demand platforms. Rent or buy Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh star in A24's romance We Live in Time, which you may want to watch with a box of tissues nearby. It's all about the inventive structure here, as it's a story you've otherwise likely seen before. The movie is told nonlinearly, turning it into a sort of puzzle you solve as it goes. It's a neat trick to keep you engaged in what could be overly familiar, weepy material, and both Pugh and Garfield are great in it as a couple that we see go through many ups and downs over a decade. It's refreshing that the movie isn't afraid to present the hardships as equally as it depicts the good times. How to watch: We Live in Time is now streaming on Max. Stream on Max September 5 has to be one of the most overlooked and underseen movies of 2024. It earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture — Drama, and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, but still, it feels like few people have seen or heard of this movie. Maybe some of that has to do with the fact that it is about events that were already famously depicted in the capital-G Great Munich, which Steven Spielberg directed. Still, that shouldn't affect your interest in September 5, which tells a separate story. It's a journalism process movie that takes place during the 1972 Munich Olympics, when an American sports broadcasting crew found itself thrust into covering the hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes. It may be a journalism movie, and a great one at that, but it's also a gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, as the sports journalists and the news junkies jockey to cover it effectively. It's about big ethical questions and moral quandaries that are as relevant today as they were in 1972, and you get the sense this moment in time was important in establishing broadcast journalism as we know it. A terrific nuts-and-bolts 'how tough decisions get made in real time' movie! How to watch: September 5 is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video and other video on demand platforms. Rent or buy Piece by Piece isn't the first animated movie to use the Lego aesthetic, but it's certainly the first biopic about a real person to be depicted in Lego. It's not as strange as it sounds, and the movie actually does a good job of setting up why exactly you're watching a movie about legendary music producer and musician Pharrell Williams in Lego form. Pharrell has synesthesia, which allows him to essentially see music, which alone is a clever justification for the colorful world in the movie. There's an infectious and inspiring creative energy that's hard to ignore, and if the story of Williams's rise from rags to riches wasn't compelling enough, the soundtrack of wall-to-wall bangers that he either produced or sang on himself is undeniable. How to watch: Piece by Piece is now streaming on Peacock. Stream on Peacock If you love a good revenge movie and you don't mind a lot of blood and nonstop violence, the aptly titled Kill is for you. The plot is high-concept, yet simple: A guy is out for revenge, killing those who have wronged him, except it's set entirely on a moving train. Kill doesn't pull a bait-and-switch exactly, but the degree to which the tenor of the violence changes after a certain death at the midpoint of the movie is unexpected and harrowing. A movie that revels in violent deaths suddenly starts showing you that every death means the world to someone — what was once just bombastic entertainment has been rendered upsetting and hard to shake. Kill does a great job of building emotional stakes so the audience cares about what's going on, and thankfully, the action is also shot well and choreographed so there's rarely a dull moment. How to watch: Kill is now streaming on Hulu. Stream on Hulu
