This review will cover Crisol’s unique mechanics and how managing your ammunition could mean the difference between life and death, more than in most other games. As Gabriel, you dive deeper into the dark island of Tormentosa. Nestled off the coast of this world’s Spain, named Hispania, help uncover a conspiracy of godly proportions.

Sun vs Sea

In Crisol: Theater of Idols, you play as a servant of the Sun, a god who is at war with the Sea. Players are thrown onto the island, which is rainy and dark. Through this, it seems the Sun is not welcome. Your mission is to reseal the Sea into a prison by finding four daggers. Along the way, you have to fight walking statues, rock monsters, flying babies, and other creepy enemies. You also meet a group of rebels called Solari, led by a spunky youth named Mediodia. Luckily, they are also servants of the Sun, but you don’t meet them until after the prologue. You then end up at their base, and it will become your hub.

Throughout the game, memories will appear to you, uncovering more of the hidden stories that haunt this island. If you are a completionist (I am not), this is an incentive to find them all. The story as a whole has a lot of elements to it. At 15-20 hours, you get a lot to dive into. Luckily, there is a journal that records every note, memory, and more. This helps and creates a nice codex for the player. Oftentimes, you will find books and notes that have clues for future puzzles. The puzzles are a lot of fun and tie into the story, so you are never pulled out of it. In the end, it is a solid story with some good twists. As you are hunting for the daggers, you uncover why this war is happening and how to stop it.

Blood Bullets

The reason Crisol: Theater of Idols has the survival tag is due to the unique ammunition system. For your guns, the player has to use their own blood. Every time you reload your gun, you drain some of your blood. Fear not, because your health bar is upgradeable. Depending on the gun depends on how much blood you use. Shotgun is different than SMG, which is different than pistol. One nice aspect of this mechanic is that you can reload your gun partially. Gabe starts with a pistol, with a total of 5 guns to find. Each gun also has its own animation for reloading, which adds to the fun of this mechanic.

Every gun is upgradeable. Damage, reload speed, fire rate, and ammo capacity are what you can put points into. Each point costs coins that you find throughout the island. As you go through the game, you can earn discounts by freeing crows. These crows belong to the fortune teller, where you can purchase these upgrades. The more crows you free, the higher the discount goes.

This unique mechanic made for a really intense game. Oftentimes, you will be going into a new area with a lot of ammo and a little health or vice versa. It is a matter of finding a perfect balance, collecting blood as often as possible from dead NPCs, animal carcasses, and blood fountains. Some NPCs you drain will also give you items for quests or solari tokens that can unlock chests at the hub.

Your syringes are an important part of your toolbelt. Upgrading that pouch at the fortune teller is crucial as you get deeper into the game. Certain skills also add to how you are able to heal, reload, and manage this whole mechanic.

Skills and Tools

The skill system is rather straightforward, and players may not unlock all of them before completing the game. To unlock each one, the player uses essence collected from killed enemies. There are also crow skull relics that players must find. Each skill has a different skull value ranging from 2 to 4. Once again, crows are involved because skills are unlocked through the fortune teller.

Another tool in the player’s arsenal is the knife. The knife, as a weapon, is very useful in mid-battle should you run out of ammo and are low on blood. Oftentimes, an enemy will be down to a torso and legs, or even just legs, and a couple of swipes with the knife finishes them off. The knife does lose durability as you use it, and can be restored via a sharpening station. Players must use gas cans, found strewn across the island, to operate these stations. The knife’s durability is upgradeable via the fortune teller.

Players will use many tools on their travels across Tormentosa. Bolt cutters will get you through many parts of one chapter, while a mini ship’s steering wheel will aid you another time. Another part finds you using a brake lever. Each part of the island has its own mechanisms, traps, and puzzles.

Aesthetics, Environments, and Music, Ole!

The very nice thing about Crisol is that the game is very linear and story-driven, yet it feels very open. As a player in this sort of game, you want to not feel too boxed in. Crisol manages this wonderfully. The designers developed a beautiful yet forlorn world that has a lot of different places to explore. As players go through each chapter, they will visit each different district.

Every district is a different theme, and the styles of buildings and decorations really exemplify what that theme is for each one. I was not once disappointed at what I was looking at. The colors used were just the right palette to reflect the tone of the game. And it ran beautifully on the highest graphic settings at 2K resolution (I am running a 12th gen i7, 64 GB DDR5 RAM, and a 4070 TI).

The music in Crisol: Theater of Idols created perfect moments and added to the intensity when it was necessary. Whether running from Dolores, a 10-ft tall monstrosity, or enjoying the carnival games in the hub, I was able to appreciate what was playing in the background. Players will be able to enjoy the music in the main menu as well through vinyl record collectables found throughout the world.

Extras! Extras!

Games like Crisol often have multiple treasures to discover in their world. Whether you find a vinyl record or a page that can reveal a new part of the story, Crisol is a treasure trove of content. You can also win tickets at the fair to unlock different useful and collectible items. Achievements are important for extras, too, with each one having a value. Once a player is done with the story, they will be able to unlock virtual models of many of the items, enemies, and weapons in the game. Additionally, this feature really allows you to appreciate the hard work Vermila Studios has put into the game. Players can also feel good about their hard work through their achievements. Listening to the few vinyls I have unlocked also tempted me to go back and find the rest. Yes, the soundtrack is quite good.

Final Reaction

Blumhouse has a winner with Crisol: Theater of Idols. Despite some minor bugs that I am sure the developers will patch up, it did not affect the gameplay. If I were to have any complaint, it would be that the running mechanic felt a little sluggish, and there were a few boat rides that felt the same. I think the sluggish running is on purpose, as it added to the sense of urgency. I still would not mind a springier Gabe, though. But really, the only real complaint is the slow boat rides.

Crisol: Theater of Idols is one I highly recommend checking out. With a great story, unique mechanics, and engrossing environments, first-person shooter and horror fans alike will want to check this one out. It is not a perfect game by any means, but Crisol: Theater of Idols makes me excited for what the folks at Vermila Studios have up their sleeves.

Pick up Crisol: Theater of idols now on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

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This era of horror arrived during a strange turning point. The genre was shifting under the weight of changing audiences, new technology, and an industry unsure of what comes next. What this documentary does so well is remind us that these years were not a decline, but a transformation. The films released between 1995 and 1999 pushed boundaries in quieter ways, experimenting with tone, subtext, and self-awareness that would shape the genre for decades.

The documentary overflows with insight from legendary voices across horror cinema. Directors, actors, effects artists, and critics speak with clarity and enthusiasm, not just listing titles but explaining why these films mattered. Their commentary adds context that turns familiar movies into fresh discoveries. Listening to these voices connect the dots between eras felt like watching history click into place.

What stood out to me most were the conversations about why this period was vital. The documentary does not treat these years as a footnote or a bridge to something better. Instead, it argues convincingly that the genre needed this moment to survive. Horror found new ways to comment on fear, culture, and identity, often with fewer resources and higher risks. That honesty and transparency give the films discussed real weight to their respective journeys.

CREATORVC brings the same care and respect that made the previous In Search of Darkness entries so memorable. The pacing allows each person’s experience with the films, as well as the conversations had around the era, to breathe. Clips are chosen with intention. Nostalgia is present, yet it never overshadows analysis. You can feel how much love went into assembling this chapter, and that sincerity carries through every segment.

By the end, the documentary feels less like a retrospective and more like a conversation that continues long after the screen fades to black. It left me wanting to revisit films from that era with a new perspective and appreciation, which feels like the highest compliment a documentary can earn.

It also feels like the perfect time to dive in. Starting today, CREATORVC is running a digital flash sale for the next ten days, making it easier than ever to explore this documentary and even revisit the earlier chapters! For horror fans who care about where the genre has been and where it continues to go, In Search of Darkness 1995–1999 feels essential viewing.

In the end, this documentary reminds us that horror does not move forward in straight lines. It evolves through risks, missteps, and moments of reinvention. CREATORVC understands that truth, and once again, they honor the legacy of the genre with patience, passion, and heart.

Rating: 4.5/5 atoms

Don’t forget to grab your copy of In Search of Darkness 1995–1999 during their digital flash sale, but only for a limited time!

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Even though Ed Gein is the focus of the series, it does jump to other dramatized scenes where viewers get to see the behind-the-scenes versions of Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Gunnar Hansen is known for playing Leatherface in the classic horror film, and in the Netflix series, he is portrayed by Brock Powell.

Spoiler Warning for the final episode of the series.

“We were all there together,” Powell said of the Cemetery scene with Leatherface, Buffalo Bill and Norman Bates. “And so we had our Tony Perkins. We had our Buffalo Bill. And then, obviously, the last little sprint there, that was all me. It wasn’t a stunt double. We were really running in the dark in the mask with the chainsaw. Max Winkler, who directed that episode, was sitting in the bed of a truck holding [the camera]. And it was fun. We were in a small town outside of Chicago in a real cemetery, which was insanely creepy at four in the morning, running through, screaming in a field.

“There were two things about it. It really felt like I won a contest. This really just felt like the perfect part for me. And the collaboration was so pleasant and fun, and throwing myself into it was just a dream. But on the other side, it did feel like a little bit of a redemption arc because Gunnar Hansen and the crew of the original film had such a terrible time filming famously in the heat and just kept going on. And so to be able to play Gunnar and get a good experience in there, that was really special too.”

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is now available to stream on Netflix.

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Each short in the lineup leans into the Halloween vibe differently. Some go for trick-or-treat mischief, others for full-on madness. What ties them together isn’t polish or perfection, but that shaky, electric feeling that made the first V/H/S such a cult hit. This is a movie made for the fans who still remember blowing into a VCR on a Halloween night to make sure the tape works.

The wraparound story, Diet Phantasma, sets the tone with a mix of corporate greed, the occult and ’80s-style scare factors. The Octagon Company, led by a headstrong COO, is planning to launch a new soda called “Diet Phantasma”. As they bring in multiple subjects to try the formula before the beverage is put on shelves, the subjects are unaware that the soda is made with an extra ingredient, and definitely not one they can get at the local Piggly-Wiggly. The hits come fast and strong with each interlude, but the climatic outcome of the story will have your jaw dropping to the floor.

There are so many features to highlight in this entry! Coochie Coochie Coo, directed and written by Anna Zlokovic, takes a suburban last hurrah of trick-or-treating to a nightmarish extreme, turning a deadly game of hide-and-seek into an adrenaline-fueled nightmare. Ut Supra Sic Infra has a bit more of a polished look than what we’re used to in this franchise, but it does not -in any way- take away from its scare factor that feels right at home. A first person POV of an police investigation that is wrapped in a ghost story steals the show, leading fans to other worldly results and unenticing appetites.

Fun Size fuses the aesthetic of the popular video game Poppy Playtime with the consequences of those who don’t follow the holy rules of Halloween goodies, blending visual effects and an antagonist that rivals Poppy, herself. One of the segments that creates immense discomfort is Kidprint, building tense anxiety and dread in a world of kidnapped children, and questioning who your children can -and should- really trust. The level this story goes to put fans right at the edge of offputting is absolute scientific, a true test of ones own constitution.

Finally, the last -and probably my favorite- segment is Home Haunt. Directed by Micheline Pitt-Norman, as well as written by her and her husband R.H. Norman, the amount of spooky love and care that was poured into this one, coupled with an incredible story of family and tradition, easily makes this segment a contender for best one of the series. Each segment feels like it’s trying to out-scare and out-weird the one before it, and although it can sometimes leads to uneven pacing, in this case it never feels like it looses momentum.

What makes V/H/S/Halloween stand out is how confidently it embraces its scrappy roots. While other anthology series chase sleek visuals and tight scripts, this one remembers what made found footage fun in the first place: unpredictability. You never know what’s coming next: a mommy psycho in a closed off haunted house, a bottomless -yet dangerous- bowl of candy, a snuff film studio hidden inside a electronics store. It’s messy, but the kind of messy that horror fans crave.

The direction across the shorts varies, but everyone involved clearly understands the assignment: make something that feels dangerous, playful, and raw. The filmmakers use practical effects whenever they can, which adds texture and physicality that digital horror often lacks. The sound design deserves a shoutout too; the muffled dialogue and screeching tape whine create a real sense of unease, like the ghosts are trapped in the magnetic film itself.

If there is a flaw, it’s that the film’s energy sometimes overpowers its coherence. The transitions between stories mixed with the wraparound arc sometimes can be jarring, and not every segment lands its twist. Still, the anthology’s biggest strength is how it turns that unpredictability into part of the fun. Like a haunted house, you know some rooms will make you laugh and others will make you scream, and that’s exactly the point.

By the time the credits roll, V/H/S/Halloween feels like a love letter to late-night horror marathons, where static lines and jumpy soundtracks made the scares hit harder. Rather than reinvent the wheel, it spins it faster and louder until sparks fly.

Rating: 4/5 Atoms

V/H/S/Halloween is available to stream on Shudder and AMC+.

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A Familiar Feel

The moment you load in, you do get those classic Resident Evil vibes with that over-the-shoulder camera angle and the drab lighting. The game seems like it would be better with a controller, although, being a beta build, the controller did not seem to work fully. Having played many third-person games on mouse and keyboard, this was not an issue for me, though it may deter some players. There seemed to be partial support when I plugged my Xbox controller in, so I have a feeling it is on the agenda.

The setting of Fear the Time Loop takes place in an abandoned medical facility, which the main character, the Sheriff, wakes up in and has to find his way out of. Unfortunately, you cannot walk through the front door. There are numerous rooms and floors to explore in the building, and you have to find your way through locked doors, zombies, and puzzles. You’ll find weapons, ability badges, and various other items; however, there is a catch.

The Time Loop of it All

When you first wake up, you are fatally wounded. With the use of different items, you can extend your life. You can monitor how much time you have through a watch mechanic. Certain items will add time, while others will slow down the time. It is a very cool dynamic that adds to the tense nature of the game. But what happens when time runs out? You start the loop over.

Any items you picked up go back to where they were, so you have to get them again. If you find a journal entry with a code or combination on it, you do not have to find that again. Those will stay in your menu, and you will be able to reference them when you start a new loop. There are also special locations where you have to choose between two doors. The doors are dead ends, but will give you something you can use now, or later.

When you awaken for a new loop, you start where you last saved. Saving involves finding VHS tapes and using them in safe rooms. After using the VHS tape, you create a checkpoint in the game. When you do this a little more of the story of the game is revealed.

Safe rooms also have storage, as your inventory is limited in size. You will find items to upgrade your inventory size. Horror game inventory management is always something that makes the experience more immersive. I did test if the items stayed in the storage between loops, but they do not.

Final Reaction

Fear the Time Loop definitely has a learning curve, and it took me numerous playthroughs before I was able to beat the Prologue. I think that is what TacoEaters was going for with this sort of horror game. With your only communication with the outside world being a walkie-talkie and conflicting reports of how long you have been missing and trapped, I am excited to delve deeper into Fear the Time Loop when it releases later this year.

Play Fear the Time Loop: Prologue now and wishlist the full game on Steam.

The post Fear the Time Loop’s Prologue Gives Us a First Look at Upcoming Horror Game appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Gameplay

As Sophie and Teddy, your job is to escape the house and evade capture by the local enforcer, Clayton. The house is full of noise-making obstacles such as mousetraps and chimes. Every time you start to make a sound, your screen will start to glow purple, so watch out when that happens. Using Teddy is very key to escaping the house and evading the two adults trying to catch you.

When the time comes for Sophie to use her hands, you put teddy down and use his eyes to see what you are doing. This is such a cool way to freshen up a title with this sort of gameplay loop. From climbing onto tables to turning keys, Sophie cannot do any of it unless she puts Teddy down. The game does a great job of making things very obvious though.

Not Too Puzzling

Each time there is a puzzle or a Teddy-less action, there will be a pink blanket which shows you where to place Teddy down. Sometimes Teddy will be placed on a moving platform, so part of the puzzles may be figuring out the best position for him. The puzzles themselves are fun and not too difficult to figure out, and there is no set progression of difficulty. However, some of the puzzles definitely take more brain power than others.

The puzzles involve moving furniture, gathering keys, pushing buttons, and pulling levers, and all of these tasks are fully interactive. When you pull a lever, you will need to grab it with one button and then pull the left analog stick in direction the switch needs to go. The movable furniture is also very obvious, and each piece you move has masking tape strips on them.

Not only are the puzzles fun and entice you to keep playing, there are also collectibles to find in some of the rooms. These are in the form of children’s toys and keepsakes, so make sure you always do a full sweep.

Graphics and Sound

The Gang does an amazing job with immersion. As you are crawling through ducts, dumb waiters, and the halls of the house, Sophie talks to Teddy. As you can imagine, the conversation is quite one sided. There are also the voices of Clayton and the main antagonist, who will remain nameless in this review. The “come out, come out wherever you are” banter from the oaf of an enforcer really adds to the atmosphere. The house also looks very old, so it does creak.

The music, as one hopes for a horror game, is spot on. This is especially obvious in the chase segments. The speed increase of the melodies in tenuous situations and slows down appropriately when you escape those certain situations really adds to the experience. Those slower moments are definitely a nice respite for your heartrate.

Much like the sound, the art style and graphics stand out. While a very simple style, it really takes you into the location. As expected, “this old house” is large and many of the ducts are cookie cutter. I would expect nothing else from an abode such as this. As you crawl through the tight passageways, you will come across cobwebs, passing mice, and eerie apparitions.

Sophie, herself, is your typical looking little girl in a video game except she has a red blindfold on. The reason she has this on will become clear as you play the game. Out of Sight uses the blindfold as a marker of sorts. If you are caught, you will see it on the ground as you move back into the area from the last checkpoint you respawned from.

Final Reaction

Out of Sight is a beautifully made, immersive experience, with some really cool mechanics. With a playtime of 5-6 hours, it is a perfect game for a completionist. Out of Sight is available today on Steam.

There is also a VR version in the works. Supporting indie developers is so important for the future of the gaming industry, and with a 20% introductory offer for the first week of release, definitely pick it up if you can.

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The film follows twin brothers Hal and Bill, who discover their father’s vintage toy monkey. It turns out that the creepy toy has the power to kill people every time someone winds it up to play the drums. Each kill is unique and creative, and here at Nerd Reactor, we have ranked all of the major kills.

Spoiler Warning: Heavy spoilers ahead. If you don’t want the experience and surprises ruined, turn away now!

13. Death by Vape

Although we placed this last on the list, Dwayne’s death deserves style points for his Looney Tunes-esque death. While attempting to get a snack from a vending machine, poor Dwayne is denied his snack. Defeated, he turns around and unknowingly steps on a rake – the handle flies up, hitting the vape in his mouth and launching it down his throat. As he chokes, he utters his favorite words: “This sucks,” right before he dies.

12. Death by Espresso

The Monkey’s curse causes residents to die in bizarre ways. One flashback shows Burt Bergerson using his espresso machine. The machine malfunctions, shooting high-pressure water at his face, burning and melting his skin. The gruesome scene is reminiscent of Major Arnold Toht’s face-melting demise in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

11. Death by Lawnmower

Another montage scene reveals real estate agent Barbara describing the strange deaths in town. We see Mitchell McDonnell’s body gruesomely devoured by a lawnmower while a horrified neighbor witnesses the bloody carnage.

10. Wild Horses

Uncle Chip died a gruesome death. It’s just too bad we only saw a sleeping bag and the disgusting, mushy aftermath. Still, seeing the gross aftermath of Uncle Chip’s death by horses is why we ranked this higher than the ones below.

9. Death by Shotgun

While showing Hal around his old home, real estate agent Barbara struggles to unlock a closet door. Despite Hal’s warnings to stop, she opens the door, triggering a shotgun rigged as a trap. The blast obliterates her body, with a piece of her finger landing inside Hal’s mouth.

8. Bowling Ball Trap

Bill isn’t necessarily what you would call a model character in the movie. He’s a brat throughout, and the way he dies in the film is satisfying. The setup for his death starts towards the beginning of the final act when Petey sneaks into the hotel where his Uncle Bill is dwelling. As he passes through the various Home Alone-style traps that his dear estranged uncle laid out, a bowling ball falls in a specific spot. The payoff for this setup doesn’t arrive until the end when a series of Rube Goldberg events happen, and Bill’s head is unceremoniously blown off.

7. Dining and Slicing

This death is predictable but intense. At a Benihana-style restaurant, Hal, Bill, and their babysitter watch the chef flirt with the babysitter while showing off his knife skills. He gets carried away, accidentally slicing the babysitter’s neck clean. Her blank expression before her head tumbles onto the grill, causing steam to rise, is chilling.

6. Boomerang Aneurysm

Much like the cobra kill, there isn’t anything particularly noteworthy about Hal and Bill’s Mom’s death. The mom, played by Tatiana Maslany, has blood coming out of her hair and eyes, and she falls and hits her head on the kitchen counter. However, her death has a significant effect on the house of cards that plays out for the rest of The Monkey.

5. Golfer’s Death by Cobra

Although this death was short, it was very, very sweet. As Barbara tells Hal about the various deaths in town over the past couple of days, she talks about a golfer who gets bitten by a cobra hiding in a golf hole. The cobra strikes her neck, causing a lot of blood to squirt. The absurdity of the scene and Barbara and Hal’s conversation afterward have this death high on the list. 

4. Hornets

The hornets… What can we say about the hornets sequence other than we hope you don’t have entomophobia. Yet, seeing the payoff to this long setup was fun. The scene begins with Bill’s hired lackey kidnapping Hal and Petey. He then forces Petey inside the building where Bill is to steal the monkey away from him. Yet, the guy isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and he accidentally shoots the windshield while scratching his head with a loaded gun. As the camera looks through the hole in the windscreen and focuses on the hornet’s nest, you automatically know what will happen. The swarm of hornets flies into the lackey’s mouth, causing holes in his face and his jaw to dangle. The graphic nature of his death is why we have this at number four. 

3. Home For Sale

Aunt Ida’s death is both elaborate and horrifying. After waking up paranoid, she investigates noises throughout her house, gun in hand. Falling through faulty stairs, she lands on fishing hooks, injuring her face. After treating the wounds, she inspects the kitchen cooktop, which ignites and sets her head on fire. Stumbling outside, she impales her face on a “Home For Sale” sign’s sharp edge. Gruesome!

2. Swimmer’s Death

We ranked the swimmer’s death in The Monkey at number two because of how unexpectedly she died. The scene begins innocently enough as Bill calls Hal on his cell phone after many years of being estranged. Soon, things start to occur, Final Destination-type things, and as the portable AC unit falls to the ground, you know the swimmer taking a late-night dip in the pool will die. Typically, you would expect her to get electrocuted and die—at most, fry like a fish, but because she exploded, combined with Hal’s reaction, it made it that much sweeter. 

1. Pawnshop

The pawnshop worker’s death takes the top spot for setting the tone for the film’s absurd and gory kills. Captain Petey Shellburn tries to sell “The Monkey,” warning the pawnshop worker of its dangers.

A diving-suit mannequin shoots its spear gun across the room and pierces the worker’s stomach. He looks unphased, only to find that the spear gun is retracting the spear, causing his intestines to be pulled from his body. As a result, we see a string of intestines across the room from the shop’s corner to behind the counter.

The Monkey releases in theaters on February 21, 2025.

Written by Mark Pacis and John Nguyen.

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Portraying the mother of the family is Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels, Red One), with Chris Sullivan (This Is Us, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2) as the father. The shooting technique is different from the usual, and the two actors were prepared during the film’s production.

“I don’t know if it was a piece of cake, but I was ready,” Liu tells Nerd Reactor. “I think we all were. We were geared up, and we wanted to commit to whatever Steven’s vision was. He had a very specific one, and I did not want to disappoint him. I don’t think anyone did.”

With the first-person perspective, that meant longer takes and dynamic camera movements.

“I had an intellectual concept of how this was going to work,” Sullivan added. “But it wasn’t until we were on set that I was like, ‘Oh, oh, right.’ There’s no editing in this movie. There are no cuts between different angles. Because I’ve never worked that way before, and probably never will again, it was definitely a shock to my sense memory of how to make a movie. And it took me the first day of being on set to be like, ‘Okay, this is how this is going to work. Okay, I can figure this out.’ It was certainly unique.”

Portraying the daughter is Callina Liang, who can be seen in last year’s Bad Genius starring Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange).

“I don’t know how to say this without spoiling anything, but basically, there was this one really long scene,” Liang said of one of her favorite moments during principal photography. “A lot of things happened, and it took a lot of things to go right to make it all work. And I just remember that I had to run upstairs, put in earplugs, and continue. Everything was happening, and it was all being shot, and that was just really fun.”

About Presence

Synopsis: A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.

The film is directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds). It’s produced by Julie M. Anderson and Ken Meyer. It stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, West Mulholland, Eddy Maday, and Julia Fox.

Presence releases in theaters on January 24, 2025.

The post Lucy Liu on Steven Soderbergh’s Supernatural Thriller, Presence: ‘I Did Not Want to Disappoint Him’ appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Synopsis: A couple’s motel stay takes a chilling turn when they discover they’re being observed, leading to unexpected consequences. Adjoining is a nostalgic take on our current societal fears of privacy, always being watched or recorded.

“The amazing mind of [Peter Roumeliotis],” D’Amico tells Nerd Reactor. “He was our writer. He wrote this. I mean, it was great. He brought it to me and it was so fun. I want to be a part of it so badly. We had a lot of talks and discussions about who they were and then we made it and it turned out to be super entertaining and fun and just as much fun as we had making it.”

“I think we really wanted to put the attention on the third party being a creepy aspect to give weight to what actually happens,” D’Amico explained. “I think the reason we have so much intimate smooches and stuff like that is because we were a very out-there couple, out-there people. And like the uncomfortable aspect of using that definitely foreshadows their little plan and what they were actually into.”

About Adjoining

Adjoining stars Brenna D’amico, Sid Noelle and Carter Glade.

The short film is directed by Harrison Houde and Dakota Daulby and written by Harrison Houde, Dakota Daulby and Peter Roumeliotis. The producers are Peter Roumeliotis, Harrison Houde, Dakota Daulby and Brenna D’amico.

The post Descendants’ Brenna D’Amico on New Horror Short, Adjoining appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The series debuted the first two episodes this week on September 25th, with a new episode(s) weekly.

FX’s Grotesquerie hosted an immersive dining event, The Feast, in Los Angeles this month to promote the new horror drama. The exclusive experience featured a tasting menu prepared by award-winning chef Tim Hollingsworth.

The introduction to the experience was an escape room set in a detective’s office. Once we escaped the room, we were escorted by two ladies in meat dresses to the dining room. The dining room was decked out with decor inspired by the show including a creepy mirror, stained-glass window, and long, elegant dinner tables.

The event had creepy-looking utensils for eating and the 4-course meal included:

• Course 1: Roasted Split Marrow Bone with Roasted Mushroom and Sherry Luge.
• Course 2: The Holy Trinity with Corn Agnolotti
• Course 3: Slow Braised Beef Short Rib with Potato Horseradish and Beet Jus
• Course 4: Chocolate Brownie with Salted Caramel Ice Cream and Blood Orange Salted Caramel Drizzle

FX’s Grotesquerie Premieres September 25 at 10 PM on FX, streaming next day on Hulu.

About FX’s Grotesquerie

In Ryan Murphy’s 10-episode drama series Grotesquerie for FX, a series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community. “Detective Lois Tryon” feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someone—or something—is taunting her. At home, Lois grapples with a strained relationship with her daughter, a husband in long-term hospital care and her own inner demons. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of “Sister Megan,” a nun and journalist with the Catholic Guardian. Sister Megan, with her own difficult past, has seen the worst of humanity, yet she still believes in its capacity for good. Lois, on the other hand, fears the world is succumbing to evil. As Lois and Sister Megan string together clues, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers.

The series stars Niecy Nash-Betts as “Detective Lois Tryon,” Courtney B. Vance as “Marshall Tryon,” Lesley Manville as “Nurse Redd,” Micaela Diamond as “Sister Megan,” Nicholas Alexander Chavez as “Father Charlie,” Raven Goodwin as “Merritt Tryon” and Travis Kelce.

Written and created by Ryan Murphy, Jon Robin Baitz and Joe Baken, Grotesquerie is directed by Max Winkler, Murphy, Alexis Martin Woodall and Elegance Bratton. The show is executive produced by Murphy, Woodall, Baitz, Baken, Winkler, Nash-Betts, Vance, Peter Liguori, Nissa Diederich, Eric Kovtun and Scott Robertson. It is produced by 20th Television.

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