Table of contents for No. 130 in SciFi Now

Our genre has always found a way to address social and political concerns, and the artist’s ability to confront important issues head-on feels more vital than ever in our current climate. So it seems fitting that this issue sees a wide variety of near-future visions and front-page fears: Jordan Peele’s social thriller Get Out is a chilling horror about what the writer-director calls America’s “post-racial lie”, Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick tell us about finding inspiration for sci-fi horror Life in real-world science, and every time someone mentions hacking in the Ghost In The Shell trailer we get a bit itchy. Speaking of Ghost In The Shell, Rupert Sanders’ live-action remake of Mamoru Oshii’s classic has been one of the most hotly-debated blockbusters in recent memory. We talk…

It’s a funny thing, watching writer-director Nicolas Pesce’s debut The Eyes Of My Mother. It’s creepy, it’s chilling, and it’s pretty shocking in places. It’s also beautifully made and, actually, incredibly restrained. Homaging the likes of Psycho and The Night Of The Hunter, Pesce uses old-fashioned techniques to rattle his audience. “That’s sort of the fun of it all for me – seeing where and when you can push buttons and how hard you can push,” Pesce laughs. “It was about doing the most gruesome thing possible as subtly as possible and letting the audience do the work to scare themselves.” The film stars Kika Magalhaes as Francisca, a young woman who experiences a traumatic event that leaves her seeing the world a little differently, and doing some pretty shocking…

1 IT DOESN’T HAVE A TITLE We usually worry when a film with a release date just over a year away remains untitled, but as it’s Star Wars we’ll let it off the hook. Maybe it should be Han Solo Strikes Back. Actually, we’re too excited to care what it’s called. 2 ALDEN EHRENREICH AS HAN SOLO He’s not scruffy looking, and has no prior experience in nerfherding (as far as we know), but we’re confident that Ehrenreich will rock it as Han Solo. He’s not as well known as others that were up for the role but that could help him become the character. 3 DONALD GLOVER AS LANDO There’s probably no one else on Earth that could have been cast as a young version of Lando Calrissian and…

Well, Hulu got our attention with their mysterious trailer highlighting all the strange and terrifying things that have happened in Stephen King’s town of Castle Rock, Maine, over the years. That’s JJ Abrams for you. Hulu announced that Castle Rock will be a ten episode series to film later this year, written by Manhattan duo Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason. However, it’s still not exactly clear what kind of show it is. It’s described as a “psychological horror”, “an original suspense thriller” and “a first-of-its-kind reimagining.” Which all sounds great… but what is it? Whatever the story is, Hulu teases that it will “unite the entire King canon, while brushing up against some of his most iconic and beloved stories.” Here’s what to look out for… Castle Rock will air…

Sci-Fi Scarborough 8-9 Apri Grand Hall, Spa Complex, Scarborough scifiscarborough.co.uk Price: £5-£25 With Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Gareth David-Lloyd and Andrew Lee Potts. Stoke Con Trent 9 April Staffordshire University stokecontrent.co.uk Price: £8-£14 Staffordshire’s biggest TV, film, comic and memorabilia convention just got even bigger for 2017. Insomnia60 13-17 April NEC, Birmingham insomniagamingfestival.com Price: £25-£99 If you’re a gamer, you better get yourself down to this year’s biggest UK gaming festival… Edinburgh Comic Con 15-16 April EICC, Edinburgh heroconventions.com Price: £8.50-£25 Attend panels, cosplay and chat to like-minded super fans at Edinburgh’s geekiest meet-up. Innominate – Eastercon 14-17 April Hilton Birmingham Metropole, The NEC eastercon2017.uk Price: 20-£80 Held every Easter since 1955, this national sci-fic convention is a must. Ox Con II 22-23 April Examination Schools, Oxford oxcon.xyz Price: £10.50-£25…

AKIRA STATUS: Unknown A live-action version of Akira has been in development for years. At one point the rumour was that Leonardo Di Caprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt would play Kaneda and Tetsuo. However, it finally took a step forward in June when Star Trek Beyond’sJustin Lin took over from Jaume Collet-Sera, and Daredevil’s Marco Ramirez Jr signed on to write.We still don’t think it will happen though. DEATH NOTE STATUS: Post-production The American version of Death Note got going after Shane Black developed it. The Guest’sAdam Wingard is behind the camera, while Nat Wolff will be playing the role of Light, who finds a notebook that will kill anyone whose name he writes in it. Atlanta’s Lakeith Stanfield is the man hunting him down, while Willem Dafoe voices the demon…

The Defenders ETA: Summer 2017 Confirmed cast: Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Finn Jones, Sigourney Weaver Showrunner: Douglas Petrie, Marco Ramirez Body: Not much is known about the imminent Defenders, except that our heroes will be battling Sigourney Weaver’s powerful Alexandra. There’s also a wealth of confirmed returning characters, from Elektra (Elodie Yung) and Stick (Scott Glenn) to Misty Knight (Simone Missick), Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) and Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick). Oh, and Rosario Dawson will be back as Claire Temple obviously. The Punisher ETA: 2017 TBC Confirmed cast: Jon Bernthal, Ben Barnes, Ebon Moss-Bachrach,Amber Rose Revah Showrunner: Steve Lightfoot Body: We absolutely cannot wait for Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle to get his own solo run. Westworld’s Ben Barnes will continue to stretch his villainous muscles as classic villain…

THE INVITATION “We’d love to have you over for dinner for some catching up, and a explanation about why you haven’t seen us for a while. We’ve got a video for you to watch, but we promise it’s not a cult thing! And if you want to leave early, that’s totally fine. Of course you can. Love, Eden and David.” THE LOVED ONES “Dear Brent, do you want to go to the prom with me? You could come by my house first for dinner and for some pictures – my dad’s a really good photographer. Just pay no attention to Bright Eyes and promise you will never, ever leave me. Love, Lola.” HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL “Frederick and Annabelle Loren request the pleasure of your company for a night of…

THE FIRST WEEK OF UNIVERSITY IS A FRANTIC, FEVERED TIME. YOU’RE AWAY FROM HOME, NEW PEOPLE SURROUND YOU, there’s pressure, booze, drugs, and a cornucopia of new experiences. It’s the perfect setting for a body horror movie, and Julia Ducournau’s Raw is one of the most powerful genre debuts we’ve seen in years. It stars Garance Marillier as Justine, a precocious 16-year-old vegetarian who has gained a place at a prestigious veterinary school. The campus is in the middle of nowhere and the hazing is non-stop, and it’s not long before Justine is forced into a situation where she has to eat meat for the first time. Shortly afterwards, she starts going through some terrifying changes and experiencing some gruesome urges… “I really did not feel like I was writing…

Details PG // 104 mins // Out now Director Chris McKay Screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Jared Stern Cast Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, Ralph Fiennes, Rosario Dawson, Michael Cera Distributor Warner Brothers Chris McKay and his team of writers have done a marvellous job at delivering The LEGO Movie’s same zippy energy of a child excitedly playing with their toys in a film that turns the tropes of a romantic comedy into a love story between hero and villain, with the obnoxious and arrogant Batman (voiced by the brilliant Will Arnett) forced to overcome his greatest fear in order to save his beloved Gotham City. The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) is sick and tired of Batman not admitting his true feelings about how much he hates him, and when…

Details 15 // 146 mins // Out now Director Gore Verbinski Screenwriter Justin Haythe Cast Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth, Ivo Nandi, Adrian Schiller, Celia Imrie Distributor 20th Century Fox To say that there’s a moment in Gore Verbinski’s A Cure For Wellness when you realise that it’s not the film you thought it was is accurate, but an understatement. The Pirates Of The Caribbean filmmaker is making the most of his return to the horror genre and, in doing so, crams this beautifully stylish chiller so full of references to his favourite movies that it creates a kind of genre turducken. It’s knowingly ridiculous, overstuffed and highly enjoyable. Dane DeHaan plays Lockhart, a ruthless city trader who is sent to an Alpine health spa to retrieve a board…

Details 15 // 102 mins // Out now Directors F Javier Gutiérrez Screenwriters David Loucka, Jacob Estes, Akiva Goldsman Cast Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Vincent D’Onofrio, Bonnie Morgan Distributor Paramount Following a long spell on the shelf and several release dates, the most disappointing thing about F Javier Gutiérrez’s Rings is how dull it is, in spite of some interesting ideas. Julia (Matilda Lutz) packs her devoted boyfriend Holt (Alex Roe) off to college with pledges of daily Skype calls. She’s alarmed when he cuts off all contact, and even more so when a classmate calls her frantically looking for him. She heads off to find her missing beau, only to discover that a professor has been studying the Samara tape with predictably devastating results. Rings kicks off…

Details 15 // 99 mins // 2016 / // Released Out now Director Mike Flanagan Cast Elizabeth Reaser, Annalise Basso, Henry Thomas Distributor Universal Pictures Revisiting the scene of the crime doesn’t usually stand out as a masterplan, but with Mike Flanagan at the helm of Ouija: Origin Of Evil, the memory of the 2014 original has been wiped. You don’t even need to have seen it to make sense of this one. Flanagan has proven himself to be adept at shrouding his stories with a slow-burning feeling of dread via the excellent Oculus and Hush, and he repeats the trick here, dialling back the theatrics for a more intimate tale that combines home-invasion horror with good old-fashioned Exorcist-style paranoia. Essentially, it does what Lights Out recently attempted in…

Details 15 // 104 mins // 2016 // // Released Out now Directors Billy O Brien Cast Max Records, Christopher Lloyd, Laura Fraser, Karl Geary Distributor Bulldog Film Distribution Coming across as a mix of Let The Right One In and Fargo, I Am Not A Serial Killer ticks all the boxes in the slasher-killer rulebook: the small-town location, the troubled protagonist (Max Records, setting out his stall far from Where The Wild Things Are) and a series of crimes that escalate in their brutality. Where director Billy O’Brien excels is in allowing this to gradually crack the mould before shattering it altogether. Such is the ambiguity with Records’ character that you’re never sure whether to root for him or be wary of him, with this pervasive sense of…

Details 15 // 92 mins // 2016 / // Released 3 April Director Yeon Sang-ho Cast Shim Eun-kyung, Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Joon Distributor Studiocanal Yeon Sang-ho’s Train To Busan was, pardon the expression, a runaway hit, but anyone expecting the same blend of thrills and heart in this animated prequel may be somewhat surprised. Seoul Station, which tells the story of the night before the train leaves, is a lot closer to the filmmaker’s previous film King Of Pigs in terms of tone. As the zombie outbreak begins, the focus tightens on a small group stranded in a police station as the undead close in – a runaway girl named Hye-Sun (Shim Eun-kyung), her boyfriend who’s been trying to pimp her out and her furious father. There are no…

Details 12 // 133 mins // 2016 // // Released 27 March Director David Yates Cast Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler Distributor Warner Home Video J.K. Rowling expands the Harry Potteruniverse with her debut screenplay in a spin-off that delivers marvellous action and stars Eddie Redmayne as Newt, an awkward caregiver to curious creatures. Set in Twenties New York, Rowling and director David Yates do a fine job at introducing endearing new characters while still maintaining a heady pace. Newt is joined by a Polish baker and two witches to hunt for beasts that have escaped from his seemingly bottomless suitcase. Meanwhile something ghastly prowls the streets causing mass destruction. An increase in anti-witch sentiment provides decent commentary on a society built on intolerance with plenty…

Details 15 // 300 mins // // Out now Creators Victor Fresco Cast Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson, Skyler Gisondo, Mary Elizabeth Ellis Distributor Netflix There is something appealing about the idea of Drew Barrymore eating people, and suburban horror comedy Santa Clarita Diet understands that. The new show from Victor Fresco (creator of the brilliant Better Off Ted) stirs zombies into its Desperate Housewives setting, and while it doesn’t always end up as funny as it should, it has its moments. Sheila (Barrymore) and Joel Hammond (Timothy Olyphant) are husband-and-wife real estate agents with a bright teenage daughter Abby (Liv Hewson). Their normal life is interrupted when Sheila throws up a huge amount of vomit, stops bleeding when cut and no longer has a heartbeat. She’s a…

Details 18 // 427 mins // // Out now Creator Jeremy Slater Cast Ben Daniels, Geena Davis, Alfonso Herrera, Alan Ruck Distributor Fox/Syfy Fair play to Jeremy Slater. He had the cojones to bring The Exorcist to network television when nobody else was willing. Even Slater hummed and hawed at Fox’s proposal, before deciding the best way forward was to make a sequel to the 1973 masterpiece and ignore the other movies in the canon. Set in modern-day Chicago, the series is unfortunately packed with lame-o reboot-style references (presumably thrown in to appease studio executives who wanted to have their Exorcist cake and eat it). The frequent nods to William Friedkin’s movie are cheesy, irksome and sometimes utterly laughable. One character’s introduction recreates Father Merrin’s famous arrival to the MacNeil…

“IAIN M BANKS BLEW THE DOORS OFF THE FIELD OF SPACE OPERA” If anyone ever writes a history of Scottish science fiction - or a history of British SF since 1980 - one name is inevitably going to come up: the late, great Iain Banks, author of some 30 books, including the Culture series of space operas and several bestselling mainstream novels. Iain was not the bestselling Scottish SF/F author (that accolade inarguably belongs to J. K. Rowling), but coming in second place behind a global media phenomenon is still doing pretty well: and I think Iain’s writing might actually have a greater long-term impact than Harry Potter. Born in 1954, Iain came-of-age during the turbulent Seventies, against a background of the end of Empire and industrial unrest, oil shocks…

“A WORTHY FOLLOW-UP TO A STUNNING FIRST NOVEL.” 1. Everville “Waiting for Clive Barker to return to the art trilogy after Everville. Existence and dream warping magic adventure #BookClub” @ParsonsFiction 2. Wayfarers Book Three “Waiting for Becky Chambers’ next. A beautiful, imaginative voice. #BookClub” @A_Susan 3.Assassin’s Fate “Assassin’s Fate by @robinhobb – my favourite characters, my favourite books #BookClub” @sennydreadful 4. Iron Gold “Because @ Pierce_Brown could make even a shopping list mesmerising. #BookClub” @RedHelldiver 5. The Devil’s Paintbox “The Devil’s Paintbox by @RobinJarvis1963 #BookClub” @JoshWinning…

“Been re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia since new year and in the final stages of The Last Battle, really enjoying it! #BookClub” @OffshoreMeteor “Just finishing the amazing 11.22.63 by @StephenKing & moving onto The Vagrant by @ runpetewrite one I’ve been waiting ages to read. #BookClub” @Tim_M_Matthews “Sirens by Joseph Knox and Norse Gods by @neilhimself #BookClub” @RJCM0811 “Reading Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban great read so far. #BookClub” @Philbooty “General Practice Omnibus by the late James White. Part of his Hospital Ship series. Old school SciFi. #BookClub” @johntheboy “Just starting reading @gavingsmith’s The Hangman’s Daughter, not far in, but liking the concept already. #BookClub” @Cascararogue “Enjoying the Cthulhu Casebooks: Sherlock Holmes & The Shadwell Shadows, a great blend of Holmes & Lovecraftian themes #BookClub” @paul_bowler “I just…

Details Author: Ashley Poston Publisher: Quirk Books Price: £8.99 Released: Out Now When a well-loved fairy tale is treated to a brave reinvention, one can almost hear the dial on the cringe-o-meter twitching in fear. For movie-makers, bunging in the latest hot young thing as the star is excitement enough, but from a literary angle the reader really needs a new hook to make it worth the effort. The globally adored Cinderella story has been reworked and modernised umpteen times. But have you ever imagined that Cinders would turn out to be a massive sci-fi fangirl? Well, Ashley Poston did and called her Geekerella. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away a low budget, late night tv show called Starfield was born. Cut to present day and…

Under the pseudonym of Claire North, Catherine Webb has emerged as one of our finest genre writers. She’s given us The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August, Touch, The Gameshouse novellas and The Sudden Appearance Of Hope. Her latest, The End Of The Day, might just be her best yet. Charlie is the Harbinger Of Death. His job takes him around the world to meet interesting people while keeping in touch with his central office in Milton Keynes. Sometimes he’s sent to witness the death of a concept. He sees the march of climate change at the North Pole, witnesses the expulsion of a family from their London home and travels to warzones. It can be a terrifying world, and Charlie is just an ordinary bloke… How did the novel…

Before there was Game of Thrones – hell, even before there was True Blood – HBO already had a grubby, grounded fantasy show under its belt, but for some reason Carnivale is rarely mentioned in lists of HBO’s greatest shows. Which is a shame, because Carnivale thoroughly deserves its place not only on that list, but on lists of the greatest television shows on any broadcaster, ever. Carnivale is, admittedly, a tricky show to define. It’s a historical drama, set in Depression-era America, which centres on a carnival crew making its way through the Dust Bowl. But it is also a political tale about a Californian preacher dealing with the corrupting nature of power. Oh, and it’s an epic fantasy showdown between magical avatars of light and dark, destined to…

1. BEN HEALS JONESY (SEASON 2, EPISODE 9 – ‘LINCOLN HIGHWAY’) In a TV show that tends to be more bleak than triumphant, Jonesy’s joy when Ben saves his life after a vicious tar-and-feathering is a rather wonderful, stand-out moment. 2. DORA MAE IN THE WINDOW (SEASON 1, EPISODE 6 – ‘PICK A NUMBER’) The Babylon two-parter was excellent, but it’s the bleak ending we all remember it for. “Once we got to Babylon and the darkness of what was coming really stepped up, I felt like… now we’re really diving in to the depths and the darkness,” says Amanda Aday, who played Dora Mae. 3. JUSTIN REALISES THAT NORMAN’S GREATEST SIN WAS SAVING HIS LIFE (SEASON 1, EPISODE 12 – ‘THE DAY THAT WAS THE DAY’) This is the…

Predator 2 (1990) Stephen Hopkins’ sequel relocates the action to the urban jungle of downtown Los Angeles in this ‘futuristic’ follow up. Arnie may have bailed but Danny Glover is a solid replacement as a tough cop determined to track down the mysterious perpetrator behind a slew of gruesome killings in the city. Notwithstanding the talent involved this is largely a muted effort which leads to an eye-opening climax on board the Predator craft, where eagle-eyed viewers might glimpse a certain xenomorphic skull – a throwaway gag that led to… AVP: Alien vs Predator/ Requiem (2004/2007) Despite the more than welcome sight of AliensstarLance Henriksen (in a nice nod to his Bishop character) in the Paul W.S Anderson directed first film, both the Predatorand Alien series plummeted to new depths…

FRANK BOOTH (BLUE VELVET) 1 Dennis Hopper’s gas-huffi ng, Blue velvet-loving, Pabst-drinking violent monster is absolutely compelling, and also weirdly quotable. Just make sure you don’t get in a car with him. MYSTERY MAN (LOST HIGHWAY) 2 In a precursor to Mulholland Drive’s horrors, Robert Blake’ s impossible and impossibly creepy oddity doesn’t make sense and is scarier for it. He’s in front of you, and he’s at your house. Right now. BOBBY PERU (WILD AT HEART) 3 Sailor and Lula are at their lowest ebb when he decides to trust his old partner, and Bobby is not trustworthy. He’ll use your toilet, harass your girl and then try to kill you. “They’re dummies… dummy!” BOB (TWIN PEAKS) 4 The mysterious force at the heart of Twin Peaks’ dark side…

FLIRTING 1. Who is assigned to retrieve Doctor Durand Durand from the Tau Ceti region? 2. Where in the Tau Ceti region does Barbarella crash land? 3. What type of pill do the people of Earth consume instead of having sex? 4. Who is the last of the ornithanthropes? 5. What kind of objects attack Barbarella after her ship crash lands? FOREPLAY 6. Who is the inventor of the Positronic Ray? 7. What name does Mark Hand also go by? 8. The labyrinth acts as a prison for people who are cast out of which city? 9. What does Pygar lack the will to do? 10. What is unusual about the key to the Great Tyrant’s Chamber of Dreams? CLIMAX 11. Who is the leader of the resistance? 12. Is…

GET OUT There’s not a lot to look at on the first poster for Jordan Peele’s creepy horror Get Out, but it certainly gets the job done. That tagline (“Just because you’re invited, doesn’t mean you’re welcome”) is perfect, and the fact that star Daniel Kaluuya isn’t making eye contact makes it that little bit more unsettling. It’s a damn creepy poster for a damn creepy film. KONG: SKULL ISLAND We keep going on about how great the posters for Kong: Skull Island have been, but the award for ‘weirdest Kong: Skull Island poster (and weirdest poster this month in general)’ goes to this Japanese version. There’s nothing about it that we don’t adore, though, for all the right reasons. It’s simply magnificent. LOGAN Obviously bar the first trailer, this…

Welcome to Memory Bank, where we delve into the archives of SciFiNow, pick an issue at random and reminisce as a very poorly disguised form of procrastination! This month, we’re looking at 2014’s issue 96. It featured Peter Capaldi as the cover star ahead of the release of Doctor Who Series Eight, which is fitting seeing as Capaldi recently announced that he’ll be hanging up the TARDIS keys for good following Series Ten. It’ll be hard, as the Doctor has always been one of the actor’s great loves: “Doctor Who is part of my upbringing in the Sixties with The Beatles, school milk and bronchitis,” he said. We also pitted all the previous Doctors against each other in an attempt to find out which incarnation was the most dangerous, because…

GHOST IN THE SHELL With the casting of Scarlett Johansson in the role of the Major, Ghost In The Shell created a lot of controversy. Many believed that the role should have gone to a Japanese actress, and the film became part of a larger discussion about whitewashing Asian roles involving Marvel’s Doctor Strange and Iron Fist.Johansson has stated that she would not have taken the role if it had been written as Japanese, telling Marie Claire that: “I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive. Also, having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity.” THE LAST AIRBENDER No…

IT’S A FAIRLY COMMON EXPERIENCE. SOMEONE LENDS YOU A COPY OF AKIRA AND YOUR MIND IS BLOWN. YOU WATCH GHOST IN THE SHELL FOR THE FIRST TIME AND YOU REALISE THAT HOLLYWOOD’S been cribbing from Mamoru Oshii for decades. You spend the days after watching Spirited Away wondering why all children’s films can’t be as spellbinding and complex as the work Studio Ghibli produces. Now it’s time to take the next step. We have picked out a broad spectrum of movies for you that demonstrates the incredible range of wonders that Japanese anime has to offer, from fantasy classics to mecha-packed action to blood-soaked horror. Colin Odell and Michelle LeBlanc, authors of the Studio Ghibli and Anime Kamera books, are on hand to help explain what makes these movies so…

XENOMORPH, LV426 Sample: Egg Origin: Crashed spaceship, LV426 Species: Unknown Instructions: Handle this with extreme caution. Eggs will open if approached and will unleash the monster within. Said monster will latch on to your face, impregnating you with an alien creature that will gestate and burst through your chest and kill everyone around you, so for God’s sake, be careful. ALIEN DNA Sample: Alien DNA Origin: Transmission from outer space via SETI Species: Unknown Instructions: Do not, we repeat, do not open any more transmissions from this sender. They tricked us with a renewable fuel formula before sending us their DNA code, which some moron spliced with human DNA to create a species that trawled LA looking to procreate. SPACE VAMPIRES Sample: Naked humanoid aliens Origin: Spaceship in Halley’s Comet…

MARVEL PREMIERE #15-16 Writer: Roy Thomas Penciller: Gil Kane Inker: Dick Giodano Colourist: Glynis Wein Letters: LP Gregory Iron Fist made his first entrance in the Marvel Premiere Vol. 1 story The Fury Of Iron Fist!, in May 1974. We meet Danny Rand in the realm of K’un-Lun, where he has just finished demonstrating his fighting skills before his master Yu-Ti and his Dragon Kings. IRON FIST #1-7 Writer: Chris Claremont Penciller: John Byrne Inker: Al McWilliams Colourist: Janice Cohen Letters: Dave Hunt Danny Rand’s first solo adventure commences in this seven-issue arc, in which he infiltrates Stark Industries and teams up with Misty Knight to rescue Colleen Wing. Predictably, Iron Man ends up showing up, and Rand and Stark fight it out. IMMORTAL IRON FIST VOL. 2: ‘ THE…

The Sub-Mariner One of the founding members of The Defenders, we’re still yet to see a live-action Namor (although there are some rumours that it won’t be too long before we do). Valkyrie How long can be it before we get a bit of Asgard on the streets of New York? She combines super strength with financial backing, although it should be noted that she can be a little bit unpredictable… Nighthawk Kyle Richmond’s character arc could add variety to the line-up, as a spoiled kid former supervillain turned hero. Nighthawk was originally part of the Squadron Sinister before he saw the error of his ways. Gargoyle Gargoyle is possibly a little too fantastical for this group. Isaac Christians is an elderly WW1 veteran who made an ill-advised pact with…

Details 15 // 103 mins // 17 March Director Jordan Peele Screenwriter Jordan Peele Cast Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Lil Rel Howery Distributor Universal Pictures International If you know Jordan Peele’s work, it’s because he’s made you laugh, but with Get Out, the writer and star of Key And Peele and Keanu shows that he’s more than capable of taking you right to the edge of your seat. Peele’s directorial debut is both nail-biting genre cinema and a chilling piece of social commentary. Racial tension runs high throughout, as acclaimed photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) navigates a seemingly affable but increasingly worrying situation. The setting is the secluded estate of Chris’ girlfriend Rose’s (Allison Williams) wealthy family. She assures Chris that her family isn’t racist, that her…

Details PG // 120 mins // Out Now Director Peter Chelsom ScreenwriterAllan Loeb, Stewart Schill, Richard Barton Lewis Cast Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino Distributor Entertainment Film Asa Butterfield stars as Gardner, the first person born on Mars, and we meet him as a teenager rebelling against his red, dusty surroundings and torturing his robot Centaur (voiced by director Peter Chelsom) for classified information. Gardner lives on a site developed by a company run by Nathaniel (Gary Oldman), who we first meet 16 years earlier at an unconvincing press conference for his life on Mars project. Gardner spends his time moping about watching Wim Wenders’ Wings Of Desire and talking online with Earth girl Tulsa, who he’s fallen in love with. Hopefully, the mention of Wings Of…

Details 12A // 103 mins // Out now Directors Zhang Yimou Screenwriters Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Tony Gilroy Cast Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau Distributor Universal Pictures International While we medieval Europeans were still warding off the common cold by wearing chicken feet on a necklace, China had built The Great Wall. But, as this film would have us believe, they weren’t keeping out northern invaders – they were defending the world from a race of monstrous lizards. Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal are a couple of European mercenaries on the hunt for gunpowder when they stumble across the Great Wall under attack from the lizards. The film has to be commended for leaping straight into the action, and within 15 minutes you’re watching an…

Details 12 // 80 mins // 1962 // // Released Out now Director Roger Corman Cast Vincent Price, Michael Pate, Joan Freeman Distributor Arrow Video Any fans of Roger Corman and Vincent Price’s Edgar Allan Poe movies should definitely seek out this hugely entertaining, if not particularly accurate, take on Richard III. The duo (along with writers Leo Gordon, F Amos Powell and Robert E Kent) tackle Shakespeare with the same sense of ghoulish Gothic fun as their Poe adaptations, throwing in torture, ghosts and unfortunate maidens who make the mistake of getting in Vincent Price’s way. Price is, of course, Richard of Gloucester, who wastes no time in cutting his bloody path to the throne. In the way are his brother, Clarence (Charles Macauly), the two young princes…

Details 12 // 116 mins // 2016 // // Released 20 March Director Denis Villeneuve Cast Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker Distributor E1 Entertainment When aliens invade Earth, how would we understand them? That’s the basic premise of Arrival. Amy Adams stars as linguist Louise, who is called upon when alien ships appear in various locations all over the world. Jeremy Renner’s physicist Ian is also asked to help, though we’re not sure what use he is in decoding the aliens’ language apart from agreeing with Louise’s methods. Arrival seems to be a relatively realistic depiction of how Earth would react if something like this happened. The different countries all have their own methods (including just blowing them up), but Louise resolutely tries to communicate with them, which…

Details 15 // 84mins // 2016 // // Released Out now Director Jackson StewartCast Graham Skipper, Chase Williamson, Brea Grant, Barbara Crampton Distributor Precision Pictures If the concept of “a horror Jumanji”doesn’t immediately grab you, then rest assured that there’s plenty to love about Beyond The Gates beyond its high concept. The feature debut from Jackson Stewart has a lot of Eighties nostalgia, but there’s a well-written and well-acted family drama taking place alongside the schlocky fun. Graham Skipper (The Mind’s Eye, Almost Human) and Chase Williamson(John Dies At The End, The Guest) play Gordon and John, two semi-estranged brothers who reunite to clear out their dad’s video store after he goes missing. When they find VHS adventure game Beyond The Gates, the two decide to play, and unleash a…

Details 15 // 83 mins // 2015 // // Released Out now Director Ben Cresciman Cast Sarah Hagan, Barbara Crampton, Sara Malakul Lane Distributor Shudder We were stunned by Bren Cresciman’s unnerving chiller at FrightFest in 2015, and we’re so pleased that it’s finally available to see in the UK courtesy of Shudder. Sarah Hagan (Freaks And Geeks, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) plays Janie, who lives with the apparently well-intentioned Irma (Barbara Crampton). Together, they’re working to overcome an unnamed mental disorder that Janie is suffering from. It’s hard work, and often unpleasant. Just what is Janie trying to recover from? What happens if she doesn’t? For its first half, Sun Choke is confined to the bright, airy, but cold LA home where Janie and Irma spend their time. Hagan…

Details 18 // 90 mins // 2016 // // Released 24 April Director Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski Cast Aaron Poole, Kathleen Munroe, Kenneth Welsh, Art Hindle Distributor Signature Entertainment We see so many people paying homage to John Carpenter’s slasher movies at the moment, so it’s nice to see a film that nods to his Apocalypse trilogy and his love of HP Lovecraft too. The two biggest touchstones for Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski’s The Void seem to be Assault On Precinct 13 and Prince Of Darkness, and while that’s an ambitious mix, they pull it off. A man flees from a farmhouse pursued by two killers and runs into cop Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole), who takes him to the local hospital. No sooner is the man squared away…

Details TBA // 572 mins // // Out now Creator Sera Gamble, John McNamara Cast Jason Ralph, Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Arjun Gupta, Hale Appleman Distributor Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Although it unashamedly draws inspiration from Harry Potter, Syfy’s The Magicians is a quirky, risqué mix of fantasy and college soap opera that is squarely aimed at adults. At its centre is Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, an upscale American Hogwarts that is every bit the den of iniquity that parents fear university will be. Many of its students are more interested in sex, drugs and booze than mastering their spellbinding talents. The series follows two main characters – Quentin Coldwater (Jason Ralph), a depressed loner who’s obsessed with a series of children’s fantasy novels, and his BFF Julia…

“JUSTIN CRONIN’S DAUGHTER IRIS SUGGESTED HE WRITE A BOOK ABOUT A GIRL WHO SAVES THE WORLD” Some books are easy to sum up – ‘post-apocalyptic’, ‘fantasy epic’, ‘science fiction’ and ‘rites of passage’ are all commonly used labels, equally adept at denoting exactly what the book they are attached to is about. Justin Cronin’s The Passage trilogy – comprising the eponymous first novel, and followed up by The Twelve and City Of Mirrors – has been classified by every one of the aforementioned antonyms at some point, although the catalyst for Cronin’s original inception for the book is far more simple; a conversation with his daughter Iris, who suggested he write a book about a girl who saves the world. And really, that’s what it is. Amy – abandoned by…

“I first came across the work of Iain Banks in 1985 while browsing in a bookstore. I ran across an odd paperback with the most astonishing collection of reviews I’d ever seen: it was the words “a work of unparalleled depravity” (from the book reviewer for the Irish Times) that sold me on The Wasp Factory. I could just tell it was going to be either very good or very bad, but nothing in-between. “The Wasp Factory turned out to be a splendid excursion into Scottish Gothic gloom, with a science-fictional sensibility — its protagonist Frank seems quite abhuman, and the weird rituals, isolated setting, and bizarre events are distinctly alienating — that put Iain straight to the top of my buy-on-sight list.”…

“BARELY A PAGE GOES BY WITHOUT SOME NEW DANGER RAISING ITS HEAD, AND WILDE’S PROSE HAS A PALPABLE WEIGHT.” Details Author: Suzie Wilde Publisher: Unbound Price: £16.99 Released: 23 March You’ll probably think you’ve got this book’s number in the first two chapters. After losing her mother, young Bera is struggling to find her place in the world, dealing with her developing magical powers as well as fending off boys with unreciprocated crushes. Despite the ancient Nordic setting, The Book Of Bera looks set to walk a well-trodden YA path. And then everything changes. Suddenly, there’s bloodshed and horror as Bera’s best friend is murdered and she’s sold off to the master of his killer. Turns out this isn’t your basic magical girl story after all. Still reeling and desperate…

How would you describe Kings Of The Wyld? Kings of the Wyld is a fast-paced, funny and occasionally poignant story of five ex-mercenaries reuniting rescue the daughter of their leader, Gabriel. The setting is a subtle(ish) allegory for the golden age of rock-and roll, where mercenary ‘bands’ achieved the notoriety of rock stars. Although it toys with a lot of classic fantasy tropes (hopeless quests, magic swords, villain-infested forests) it turns a few on their head as well. Have you always been drawn to this kind of fantasy story? No, I grew up reading intricately plotted epics from Martin, Erikson and Jordan, and my favourite author is the eloquent Guy Gavriel Kay. Recently, however, I’ve been drawn to books like Ready Player One and The Lies of Locke Lamora, which…

“EVERY NAME ON THE FANTASY WORLD MAP COULD BE THE NAME OF A NORWEGIAN DEATH METAL BAND” Details Author: Nicholas Eames Publisher: Orbit Price: £8.99 Released: Out now Many heavy metal bands take their names and stylistic cues from Viking tales. However, there’s probably never been a Viking tale that’s been as obviously inspired by heavy metal as Kings of the Wyld. To start, every name on the fantasy world map could easily be the name of a Norwegian death metal band. And that sensation endures even as the story itself takes off. Clay Cooper (such a rocker name) is the old frontman (see) of a band (see!) of mercenaries, who have long since disbanded, each going their way. Clay has settled down, gotten married and started a family. But,…

“Terry Pratchett still takes the win. This may not necessarily be because his portrayal of Death – which is genius – is the best portrayal, but it’s the portrayal that defined my childhood years, and my God it’s so good. From the skeletal Grim Reaper through to one of the greatest, most fully-defined and oddly humane characters in the Disc, it’s just so damn good. Truly a way of showing Death that does proper honour to life, while being hilarious at the same time.”…

bones of the show sketched out from the very beginning, and had a six-season plan building up to the first Atomic bomb test, the ‘false sun exploding over Trinity’ that was mentioned in Samson’s opening monologue to the first episode. So if Carnivale had continued, what would have happened? “When we come back in Season Three the players have all been situated in very different places and the cast of our carnival has been put in the wind,” Knauf says. “We find Ben and Samson together and Jonesy’s playing professional baseball and Stumpy and Rita-Sue are struggling with their alligator farm. But it becomes important to Ben to pull everybody back together. “Brother Justin is in a wheelchair and he’s weakened and he’s sort of like a Lear character. There’s…

How did you get the part of the regenerated Spock in The Search For Spock? Leonard Nimoy had seen me in a soap series called Secrets of Midlands Heights and there was a storyline where I was trying to find peace with myself after my mother had passed away. He told me that he liked what I did [in that show] and that he was very concerned that the actor who played the part took it very seriously, had some sensitivity to it and respected the Star Trek universe. The Search For Spock was Leonard Nimoy’s directorial debut. What was he like to work with as a director? He was very nice, giving and down to earth. There was a lot of pressure on him because whenever an actor takes…

1 Not your average leading role In Don’t Knock Twice, Katee Sackhoff plays a recovering addict who’s returned to England to reconnect with the daughter she gave up for adoption years ago. Unfortunately, said daughter is being hunted by an evil spirit.“While I didn’t have anything in common with this person, I respected where she came from and who she was at the point in her life where the story kicks off,” she explains.“I thought it was an interesting challenge, to try to make people understand that we may not all be proud of where we came from, but you can be proud of you’re at.” 2 An American actress in London Although the film is set in London, Sackhoff is not doing an English accent, much to her disappointment.“I…

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT 1 Enemy Things are sinister from the get-go, and Anthony Hopkins’ narration doesn’t help matters. 2 Poor Bumblebee Bumblebee seems to be having a rough time – in fact, a lot of fans have their money on him dying. 3 Big Daddy “Your world is dying, Optimus Prime. Do you seek redemption?” “My maker, I do.” Goosebumps. 4 Fight to the death Optimus Prime and Bumblebee fight it out. But why? A cue from Transformers: The Movie perhaps? GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 1 Lock and stock We feel it’s pretty important to highlight the bit where Gamora shoots stuff with this machine gun. 2 He didn’t use ‘fricking’ Rocket Raccoon and Baby Groot join forces with Vol. 1 antagonist Yondu. 3 Meet the new…

NEYTIRI (Avatar) Physical strength: 90 Fighting technique: 80 Intelligence: 75 Shits given: 70 There’s nothing Neytiri cares about more than her people, so if you threaten their safety you can expect a full-on one-Na’vi war. GAMORA (Guardians Of The Galaxy) Physical strength: 95 Fighting technique: 100 Intelligence: 40 Shits given: 0 First impressions suggest that Gamora is only in it for herself. But get on her good side, and she’ll kill for you without hesitation. UHURA (Star Trek) Physical strength: 50 Fighting technique: 70 Intelligence: 100 Shits given: 65 What Uhura lacks in brawn she more than makes up for in brains. She has a way of making people talk, even when they don’t want to. ANAMARIA (Pirates Of The Caribbean) Physical strength: 50 Fighting technique: 70 Intelligence: 100 Shits…

What should genre fans look out for at BFI Flare? LGBTQ cinema is often centred around political issues and community experience in terms of content, so we see a lot of amazing dramas and documentaries in the festival. But if you just dig a bit deeper into this year’s line-up you’ll see plenty of exciting genre work in there too, like the almost unclassifiable Mexican curiosity The Untamed and Park Chan-Wook’s The Handmaiden, a sexy and stylish adaptation of Sarah Water’s novel Fingersmith. Anyone familiar with Chan-Wook’s films – like Oldboy, Stoker or Snowpiercer – can guess this is as far removed from your average period drama as is imaginable. Fans of retro cult classics might also be interested to know that we are bringing saucy sci-firomp Barbarella to the…

1 THE CHARACTER I remember watching the Evil Deadmovies when I was younger and loving them so much.Ash was just amazing! Bruce Campbell’s acting on top of the tonnes of bloody and crazy special effects had me completely mesmerised. He was the epitome of cool even in the face of danger and Bruce still is. I love horror movies so being able to bring this kick- ass cult classic character to life is awesome. 2 THE COSTUME I wanted to try and make the costume as accurate as possible. So I watched the movie multiple times and searched a few forums to get all the items of clothing the right shade and style. I found a similar style shirt and trousers pretty easily and luckily I already owned the same…

1989 Shirow releases the Ghost In The Shell manga in Young Magazine. It runs until 1990, and is finally published in the UK by Dark Horse. 1995 Mamoru Oshii adapts Ghost In The Shell for film with writer Kazunori Ito. It’s a huge success and it influences a legion of filmmakers. 19971 Shirow returns to the story and releases a sequel named Ghost In The Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface. 2002 Ghost In The Shell comes to TV with the anime series Stand Alone Complex. It runs for two seasons, with both being adapted into TV movies in 2005 and 2006 respectively. 2004 Oshii returns to the film with a sequel titled Innocence. It takes a manga storyline as a starting point and uses Batou as the lead, and while it’s…

How did the filmmakers describe what your role would be? What they wanted was for the science to be interesting, which is different from the science being super-accurate, because it’s a film, obviously. I’m a geneticist and evolutionary biologist, and when I read the script it was very obvious to me that there were a couple of real world bits of biology that I was very interested in with the behaviour of the alien. We talked about what the alien was going to be like and I started talking with the effects team, creating its own life story, how it gets from being a thing attached to a rock on Mars to being something altogether more developed and aggressive. It must be a lot of fun getting to hypothesise a…

How familiar were you with Iron Fist and the Defenders when you joined the show? I knew of Netflix’s Daredevil and Jessica Jones but never came across the comics before. Growing up in the UK I don’t think the US comic book culture really translates as much for kids. Upon reading the character description in the audition breakdown I was immediately hooked. There was something about Danny’s inner power and optimism that struck me straight away. Why does Danny Rand stand out from the other Defenders? He’s the youngest and certainly the most vulnerable, but despite his traumatic past he has an optimism and naivety that isn’t usually displayed in superheroes. He’s flawed and nowhere near perfect. He’s driven and headstrong. I admire those attributes, especially as they all conflict…

“I WANTED CHRIS TO BE A CHARACTER THAT BLACK PEOPLE WOULD ROOT FOR”DANIEL KALUUYA GET OUT OPENS WITH A YOUNG BLACK MAN WALKING DOWN THE STREET IN A CLEARLY AFFLUENT SUBURB AT NIGHT. AS HE WALKS, TALKING ON HIS PHONE, a car passes him, then turns around to follow him, and we hear the tinkling of ‘Run Rabbit Run’… Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is a horror film that lets you know what it’s about from the start. As the story begins, with successful black photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) going with his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to meet her parents at their country home, Get Out addresses issues of race and racism head-on in a chilling genre setting. “It’s interesting because when I first wrote the film we were in…

THE CHARACTERS From Liv and medical examiner Ravi Chakrabarti to brain-dealing zombie Blaine DeBeers and power-crazed billionaire Vaughn Du Clark, there’s not a single character that you won’t love a little in some way. iZombie’s characterisation is off the chain, and will be the reason you stick around. CULINARY INSPIRATION As a zombie with manners, Liv doesn’t hunt people down and devour their brains. She sneaks them from the morgue she works at and cooks up chunks on the sly. Favourites include brain noodles, brain hot pockets and brain scrambled eggs. ROSE MCIVER’S SKILLS Each time Liv eats someone’s brain, she takes on their personality traits and interests. That means that Rose McIver basically plays about 32 subtly different characters throughout the show’s first two seasons. She’s utterly mesmerising, and…

How much input do you have into the script and the storylines? As an executive producer, I am more in charge of the fight unit stuff. So, when they’re writing the scripts, and talking about fights, then I contribute ideas. So the writers basically go, ‘a fight happens’ and leave it there? They try their best, but they’re not martial artists, so the descriptions are not 100% there. So we fill in the gaps. We look at the dramatic beats in the fight, to make sure we hit those, and then the details of how the fight evolves is up to us and the fight unit. Into the Badlands is quite violent compared to other shows. There's a lot of blood... That’s just part of the genre. If you watch…

Details 18 // 99 mins // 7April Director Julia Ducournau Screenwriter Julia Ducournau Cast Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Nait Oufella, Laurent Lucas, Joana Preiss Distributor Universal First-time writer/ director Julia Ducournau stirs Cronenbergian body horror into an intense coming-of-age story to create a ferocious, witty and powerful movie. It’s no wonder that Raw kicked up such a fuss at the festivals it’s played at (including the obligatory fainting audience member): it’s the best film of its kind since Ginger Snaps. Teenager Justine (Garance Marillier) is dropped off at a prestigious veterinarian school by her parents (Laurence Lucas, Joana Preiss) and left to fend for herself. The campus is isolated and daunting, the hazing rituals are intense and her sister (Ella Rumpf) has no time to show her the ropes.…

Details 15 // 106 mins // Outnow Director Paul WS Anderson Screenwriter Paul WS Anderson Cast Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Ruby Rose Distributor Sony Pictures The Resident Evil movies don’t enjoy the best critical reputation, and there is a good reason for that. That being said, if you’ve got any enjoyment out of the previous five films at all, then you should definitely catch The Final Chapter on the big screen. There is a real sense that Paul WS Anderson is determined to end his series with a bang, and he does. It’s still an overblown, cheesy pick-n-mix of homages/ lifts, one-liners and slow-motion fight sequences, but there’s an energy and invention here that’s been lacking in the past. There’s barely any world left at this…

Details 15 // 93mins // 2016 // // Released 20 March Director GJ Echternkamp Cast Manu Bennett, Marci Miller, Burt Grinstead, Malcolm McDowell Distributor Universal Pictures It feels lazy to describe Death Race 2050 as ‘timely’, but this conclusion is hard to avoid – especially when one of its lead characters (a shouty Malcolm McDowell) is forever honking out televised soundbites about how great America is. With Roger Corman back in the DR producer’s chair for the first time since 1975’s original Death Race 2000, it feels authentically unlike the spin-offs that came before it. Everything is hyper-ridiculous – contestant names include Jed Perfectus and Tammy the Terrorist – and imbued with a layer of subtext notably absent from today’s big-budget blockbusters. Class inequality, media manipulation, living life through…

Details PG // 98/104 mins // 1962/1967 // // Released Out now Director Ishiro HondaCast Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yu Fujiki /Rhodes Reason, Mie Hama, Linda Miller Distributor Universal With Kong: Skull Island in cinemas, Universal has seen this as the opportune moment to re-release what are chronologically the third and fourth movies featuring the gigantic ape. That they’re dated is to be expected, but are they still worth your time? In the case of King Kong Vs Godzilla, the answer is yes. With Godzilla studio Toho at the helm, the tone is infinitely more silly – stop-motion effects are traded for the man-in-a-suit-kicking-around-model-towns approach – and perfectly suited to the ridiculousness of the central conceit, in which a series of implausible circumstances cause the two monsters to come…

Details 15 // 92 mins // 2016 // // Released 10 April Director Farren Blackburn Cast Naomi Watts, Charlie Heaton, Jacob Tremblay, Oliver Platt Distributor Arrow Films Naomi Watts returns to the horror genre in this frankly dull chiller. She plays Dr Rachel Portman, a child therapist still grieving after an accident claimed the life of her husband and left her son (Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton) in a catatonic paralysed state. A runaway patient (Room star Jacob Tremblay) coincides with a series of eerily real nightmares. Is Rachel losing her mind or is someone stalking her? The script by Christina Hodson was featured on the 2013 Black List but it essentially strands Watts in a series of repetitive dream sequences, Skype calls with her colleague (the ever-watchable Oliver Platt),…

Details 18 // 94 mins // 2016 // // Released Out now Director Carles Torrens Cast Dominic Monaghan, Ksenia Solo, Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Parsons Distributor Signature Entertainment At a first glance, Seth (Dominic Monaghan) is just a regular guy working a regular job at an animal control centre. But it quickly turns out that he’s actually kind of creepy, and his job is kind of creepy too. After bumping into his old school crush Holly (Ksenia Solo) on a bus and attempting to ask her out, Seth develops an unhealthy interest and starts stalking her on social media and showing up in the café where she works. Ultimately, he decides to keep her as a pet in a cage under the animal control centre, but that idea ends up…

Details 12 // 427 mins // 2015 // // Released 17 April Creator Michelle Lovretta Cast Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore, Luke Macfarlane, Rob Stewart, Sarah Power Distributor Universal Pictures Killjoys’ cracking fi rst season was a refreshingly unfettered mix of slick violence, humour and intrigue. What really made it work, though, were the well-rounded central characters who were more than stereotypical action heroes. Over the season, the writers did a brilliant job of showing that beneath their macho exteriors, Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) and the Jaqobi brothers, John and D’avin (Aaron Ashmore and Luke Macfarlane), have vulnerabilities that make them very relatable. These virtues are also evident in the early episodes of Season Two, which starts by tying up loose ends left by the first season’s finale. D’avin is trapped…

Details 15 // 440 mins // // Out now Creator Ed Decter Cast Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Alberto Rosende, Matthew Daddario, Emeraude Toubia, Isaiah Mustafa, Harry Shum Jr Distributor Netflix If you cared about Shadowhunters Season One enough to stick around for Season Two, you’re in for a treat. Everything you loved about the first season – the characters, the fight sequences, Malec – are still here, but there’s more of it, and it’s better. After last year’s cliffhanger involving Jace (Sherwood) being taken through a portal of indeterminate destination by his father Valentine (Alan Van Sprang), the new season jumps right in with Clary (McNamara) and the rest of the Shadowhunters desperately trying to get him back. Season Two brings a lot in terms of character development. Izzy (Toubia)…

I Am Legend (1954) In many ways, The Passage is a modern-day update of Richard Matheson’s novel, which depicts Robert Neville’s daily life as he attempts to evade a city full of vampires. The aforementioned enemies are all the more sinister for their apparent lack of menace, and the ending is truly unforgettable. Swan Song (1987) There are plenty of similarities between the two, from the entirely man-assisted destruction of the world, to the emergence of young Sue Wanda Prescott – aka Swan – as a messiah figure. Ushering in the apocalypse on a grand scale, this book puts the ‘things can get better’ maxim to the ultimate test. The Strain (2009) Those of you who have seen FX’s adaptation of Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s fantastic vampire trilogy…

Details Author: B Catling Publisher: Coronet Price: £20 Released: 9 March Anyone who made the journey into B Catling’s The Vorrh won’t be forgetting it in a hurry. It was a mad, fantastical stew of a fantasy novel, teeming with a host of strange characters, creatures and spirits. Given the size and density of the book, it was also a slightly intimidating prospect, but those who found it hard going should be assured that this follow-up is a somewhat easier read. Which doesn’t mean to say that it’s any less rich. The surviving characters (and a couple who didn’t make it through The Vorrh alive) are still dealing with events and forces beyond human understanding. However there’s something of a streamlining with this book, with a tighter focus on a…

Details Author: Hari Kunzru Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Price: £14.99 Released: 6 April Hari Kunzru delves into the vinyl collection of a young jazz and blues enthusiast with a deft hand, presenting the true horrors of blinkered power with a gravely disturbing story that digs deep under the skin. On leaving university two men from very different backgrounds start a music company specialising in analogue production. Rich white boy Carter funds the business while his shy friend Seth rides on his coattails. Carter has long been appropriating black culture and, with his musical hobby now a career, he yearns to own every rare record he can. His obsession takes a dangerous turn after hearing an old blues song. The two men are soon haunted by the cursed song that demands to…

Details Author: David Hair Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books Price: £30 Released: Out Now An unsteady new empress in the West and a ruined nation in the East are both threatened by forces unknown – a shadowy group of masked figures with their own grudges to settle and a desire to see their world fall into chaos… Fantasy epics such as David Hair’s Empress Of The Fall often succeed or fail on the strength of their world-building; it has to be a landscape that readers not only understand, but also want to spend their time in. This book resides in the same world as David Hair’s Moontide Quartet. It is accessible for new readers, but it does mean that there is a great deal of history waiting to catch up on.…

Details Author: Cassandra Khaw Publisher: Abbadon Books Price: £9.99 Released: Out Now Cassandra Khaw returns to cannibal chef Rupert Wong with an even funnier, more imaginative and yes, even gorier sophomore novel. Thanks to some wheeling and dealing that saved him in the first novel, Rupert is sent to London to work with Greek deities. They’ve all got their own quirks, which Rupert will have to adjust to, like betting on human life and reading the future in the viscera of still-living people. Naturally, Rupert becomes tangled up in something big and he’ll have to combine his culinary prowess and quick thinking if he wants to make it out alive again. If you enjoyed Rupert Wong, Cannibal Chef then The Ends Of The Earth is a treat. Khaw tackles a…

Not every big bad can be a Magneto, a Kingpin or a Joker. Sometimes, creators roll the dice on some fairly unconvincing evildoers, and many of them have been lost to the mists of time, unceremoniously shoved aside in favour of more genuinely terrifying, ingenious threats. However, with Jon Morris’ new book The Legion Of Regrettable Supervillains, these characters are being given the spotlight they deserve. From a swarm of Nazi bees to a fellow who hurls poisonous bricks, there’s a legion of so-bad-they’regood bad guys waiting to be rediscovered, and here’s a selection of some of the best of the collection. Send in the less-than-stellar supervillains... Black Tarantula “I go to spread evil and wickedness among you . . . while I am around, deviltry and cunning will remain…

The Season One two-parter ‘Babylon’ marked the moment that Carnivale reallyembraced the darkness of its mythology. Essentially a standalone story about a ghost town, it has repercussions for the rest of the two seasons. It was an especially challenging episode to shoot for Amanda Aday, who played Dora Mae Dreifuss, the tragic victim of Babylon. “Obviously for me at the time I think I was 20 when we actually filmed it, definitely my first time on camera having any kind of nudity, so I was very nervous about it at first. But… I didn’t feel that it was exploitative or nudity for the sake of nudity.” In one especially memorable scene, the ghost of Dora Mae is seen at a window, naked, trapped forever with the ghosts who abused and…

“Lynch is a master. It expands and improves upon the already near-masterpiece of LOST HIGHWAY.” @AHDPodcast “Love it! Once had to write an essay on it for a film class, on no sleep. Delirium turned out to be the ideal state for that.” @kapto “Confusing on the first viewing, confusing on the second. Perfect Lynch. A very good movie.” @DaveNeal33 “I love it. Unsettling, surreal, and infinitely mysterious.” @HermaiaMoira “It’s the best film of the 2000s!” @MondoDan “Can’t work out if it’s his best or my favourite, but it’s a luxurious bathe in cinematic superb either way.” @MilesVanHamer WATCH FIRST LOST HIGHWAY (1998) Lynch’s LA-set horror is pitch-black, even cruel in places, but it rewards the brave viewer and there are ideas that recur. WATCH NEXT THE NEON DEMON (2016)…