2444 – Abigail (2024)

Abigail

Abigail is a 2024 American horror comedy film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The film follows a group of kidnappers who capture the daughter of a powerful underworld figure and demand $50 million for her release, unaware the young girl is actually a vampire. It stars Alisha Weir as Abigail, alongside Melissa BarreraDan StevensKathryn NewtonWill CatlettKevin DurandAngus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito. This was the last film that Cloud worked on as he died on July 31, 2023, shortly after wrapping his scenes; the film is dedicated to him. (wiki)

imdb   //   rt

2209 – Candy Land (2022)

spacetime coordinates: 1996. Christmas season at a truck stop in Montana

A seemingly naïve and devout young woman finds her way in the underground world of truck stop sex workers a.k.a. “lot lizards.”

candyland poster

Candy Land is a 2021 americana horror film directed by . The film stars Sam Quartin, Eden Brolin, Virginia Rand, Owen Campbell, Guinevere Turner, Olivia Luccardi and William Baldwin.

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imdb   //   rottentomatoes

2182 – X film series

Pearl (2022)

spacetime coordinates: 1918 Texas, during the influenza pandemic

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Pearl (subtitled An X-traordinary Origin Story) is a 2022 psychological slasher film directed by Ti West, co-written by West and Mia Goth, who stars as the title character, and featuring David CorenswetTandi WrightMatthew Sunderland, and Emma Jenkins-Purro in supporting roles. A prequel to X (2022), and second installment overall in the X film series, it serves as an origin story for the titular villain whose fervent aspirations to become a movie star lead her to committing violent acts on her family’s Texas homestead.

// wiki  //  imdb  //  stag film  //   A Free Ride  //

X (2022)

spacetime coordinates: 1979 Texas

x poster

X is a 2022 slasher film written, directed, produced and edited by Ti West. It stars Mia Goth, Jenna OrtegaMartin HendersonBrittany SnowOwen Campbell, Stephen Ure, and Scott Mescudi. The film’s plot follows a cast and crew who gather to make a pornographic film on an elderly couple’s rural Texas property, but find themselves threatened by an unlikely killer.

Nate Roscoe of Fangoria wrote in an essay on the film that X exemplifies a modern take on the psycho-biddy horror subgenre, in which aging or elderly women portray grotesque, violent characters. Roscoe also notes that the film’s primary theme revolves around aging, youth, and longing over the past. “Snatching its inspo from the shadiest recesses of art and exploitation, it is the relationship between beauty, aging and self-worth that creeps most conspicuously through the architecture of X.” He also notes that the film presents its antagonist—the murderous Pearl—in a manner that is sympathetic, writing that, at moments, “one can’t help but feel crushingly sorry for this tragic figure.”

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// wiki  //  imdb  //


West stated that he had pitched his idea of a new franchise to A24 and had been surprised when they green-lit his projects. The filmmaker stated that he intends each film to have its own distinct style and genre of horror. Describing his approach to each movie, he stated that X was heavily influenced by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and by the works of Mario Bava, which explore how the rise of independent filmmaking affected society, while Pearl will be a melodrama meets the Technicolor style of Mary Poppins and The Wizard of Oz, made as a “demented Disney movie” and based on the works of Douglas Sirk, and will explore how Hollywood filmmaking has influenced people. West stated that he intends to continue this trend of exploring diverse styles and genres in future installments.

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2014 – Nobody (2021)

Nobody is a 2021 action thriller/ black comedy film directed by Ilya Naishuller (hardcore henry) and written by Derek Kolstad.

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The film stars Bob OdenkirkConnie NielsenRZAChristopher Lloyd, and Aleksey Serebryakov, and follows a bored family man who, after his house gets robbed, returns to his dangerous former life, which ultimately makes him the target of a vengeful drug lord. (wiki)

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imdb   /   rottentomatoes   /   future

1898 – The Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 1994 Shadyside / 1978 Camp Nightwing / 1666 Union

The Fear Street Trilogy is an American horror film series, with varying sub-genres of horror. Directed by Leigh Janiak, from scripts and stories she co-wrote with other contributors, the films are based on R. L. Stine‘s book series of the same name.


Fear Street Part One: 1994

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Fear Street Part Two: 1978

Fear_Street_Part_Two_1978-408600246-largeFear Street Part Two: 1978 is a 2021 American teen slasher film directed by Leigh Janiak. It is the second installment in the Fear Street trilogy, and a sequel to Part One: 1994. Starring Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, McCabe Slye, Ted Sutherland, Gillian JacobsKiana MadeiraBenjamin Flores Jr. and Olivia Scott Welch, the film centers on a group of teenagers in Camp Nightwing who must come together to survive a possessed counselor’s murder spree. imdb

Fear Street Part Three: 1666

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1750

The Thing (1982)

timespace coordinates: Antarctica 1982 

The Thing is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter and written by Bill Lancaster. Based on the 1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novella Who Goes There?, it tells the story of a group of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter the eponymous “Thing”, a parasitic extraterrestrial life-form that assimilates, then imitates other organisms. The group is overcome by paranoia and conflict as they learn that they can no longer trust each other and that any one of them could be the Thing. The film stars Kurt Russell as the team’s helicopter pilot, R.J. MacReady, and features A. Wilford BrimleyT. K. CarterDavid ClennonKeith DavidRichard DysartCharles HallahanPeter MaloneyRichard MasurDonald MoffatJoel Polis, and Thomas G. Waites in supporting roles.

The Thing was released in 1982 to very negative reviews. It was described as “instant junk”, “a wretched excess”, and proposed as the most-hated film of all time by film magazine Cinefantastique. Reviews both praised the special effects achievements and criticized their visual repulsiveness, while others found the characterization poorly realised. 

The film found an audience when released on home video and television. In the subsequent years it has been reappraised as one of the best science fiction and horror films ever made, and has gained a cult following.

Thematic analysis


Dark Horse Comics published four comic book sequels starring MacReady, beginning in December 1991 with the two-part The Thing from Another World by Chuck Pfarrer, which is set 24 hours after the film. This was followed by the four-part The Thing from Another World: Climate of Fear in July 1992, the four-part The Thing from Another World: Eternal Vows in December 1993,  and The Thing from Another World: Questionable Research. In 1999, Carpenter said that no serious discussions had taken place for a sequel, but he would be interested in basing one on Pfarrer’s adaptation, calling the story a worthy sequel. A 2002 video game of the same name was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox to generally favorable reviews. The game’s plot follows a team of U.S. soldiers investigating the aftermath of the film’s events. 


The Thing (2011)


A prequel film, The Thing, was released in October 2011, directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., written by Eric Heisserer, and starring Mary Elizabeth WinsteadJoel EdgertonUlrich ThomsenAdewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Eric Christian Olsen The story follows the events after the Norwegian team discovers the Thing.


In 2020, Universal Studios and Blumhouse Productions announced the development of a remake of Carpenter’s The Thing. The remake was described as incorporating elements of The Thing from Another World and The Thing, as well as the novella Who Goes There?, and its expanded version, Frozen Hell that features several additional chapters.


Although released years apart, and unrelated in terms of plot, characters, crew, or even production studios, Carpenter considers The Thing to be the first installment in his “Apocalypse Trilogy”, a series of films based around cosmic horror, entities unknown to man, that are threats to both human life and the sense of self. The Thing was followed by Prince of Darkness in 1987, and In the Mouth of Madness in 1994. All three films are heavily influenced by Carpenter’s appreciation for the works of Lovecraft. (wiki)

imdb: The Thing 1982 / 2011


1685 – Hardcore Henry (2015)

timespace coordinates: near-future Moscow

Hardcore Henry (Russian: Хардкор; also known simply as Hardcore in some countries)  is a 2015 Russian-American science fiction action film written and directed by Ilya Naishuller (in his feature directorial debut).

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It stars Sharlto CopleyDanila KozlovskyHaley Bennett, and Tim Roth. Henry was played by 10 different stuntmen and cameramen including the director Ilya Naishuller, Darya Charusha, who plays a dominatrix biker, is also the film’s composer.

Max Nicholson of IGN rated the film 8.6/10 stating “Two parts FPS, one part platformer and a pinch of HowToBasic, director Ilya Naishuller’s Hardcore Henry is a recipe for non-stop, ludicrous fun. While the film’s actual story is nigh existent [sic], it’s sure to please gamers and action junkies alike with its inventive set pieces and mind-boggling action” and “Hardcore Henry lives up to the title with non-stop, off-the-wall action and a love for all things video games”. (wiki)

The video game Payday 2 had a cross-promotion before the movie’s release. It came with heists relating to the film’s plot, along with a new playable character (Jimmy) and new weapons. A poster for the game can be seen on wall of the one of the apartments where Slick Dimitri is found and Jimmy’s mask from the game can be seen in the drawer with the weapons in the strip club.

Before this film, writer and director Ilya Naishuller made several music videos for his Russian punk rock band “Biting Elbows”. The videos were shot in the same style: Fast paced, first person perspective action videos.

imdb   /  possible sequel