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One of the most well-known child actors in Hollywood history is Macaulay Culkin. Culkin became widely known to audiences everywhere because of his role in the popular movie Home Alone. The witty and clever Kevin McCallister was introduced to the world. People throughout the globe were won over by this endearingly humorous performance.

How much did Macaulay Culkin earn from the Home Alone franchise?

Released in 1990, Home Alone quickly became a holiday favorite, with Culkin playing Kevin, a young boy accidentally left behind when his family went on a winter vacation. To keep his house safe, he has to outsmart burglars, using his brilliant booby traps.

Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone | Credit: 20th Century Studios

The movie earned over $470 million worldwide thanks to the amazing plot as well as Culkin’s witty performance. At just ten years old, he shot to stardom. For the movie Home Alone, Culkin received a...

Welcome to “The Wednesday Club,” where even good friends hide dark secrets.

The film, eyeing a 2026 shoot, will be directed by “Tove” helmer Zaida Bergroth and written by Ville Virtanen and Birthe Wingren. An established actor, Virtanen is known for Netflix’s “Bordertown” and will be seen next in Klaus Härö’s upcoming drama “Never Alone.”

Based on Kjell Westö’s award-winning novel, the story takes place in 1938 Helsinki. Just before the Second World War, Hitler’s actions elicit anger and admiration among the members of the titular gentleman’s club.

As old friends of lawyer Claes Thune gather in his office, his new secretary, Matilda Wiik, recognizes a voice from her past. During the Finnish Civil War, she experienced horrors she has been trying her best to forget. Now, she’s facing her tormentor again, but he remains clueless.

“Kjell Westö is one of the most appreciated authors in...

David Loughery, the screenwriter whose credits included the action pictures Dreamscape, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and the Wesley Snipes-starring Money Train and Passenger 57, has died. He was 71.

Loughery died Tuesday of skin cancer in St. Petersburg, Florida, his friend Fred Rappaport told The Hollywood Reporter.

Loughery collaborated with director Joseph Ruben on Dreamscape (1984), starring Dennis Quaid; The Good Son (1993), starring Macauley Culkin; Money Train (1995), with Woody Harrelson alongside Snipes in their follow-up to White Men Can’t Jump; and Blindsided (2013), starring Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton.

Born on March 3, 1953, in Oak Park, Illinois, Loughery graduated from Ball State University, then received his master’s degree from the University of Iowa. In 1981, he shared a story credit on an episode of ABC’s Hart to Hart.

After his film debut on Dreamscape, he had the sole screenplay credit and shared a story credit on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier...

Orphan was released by Scream Factory on April 14th, 2024.

Murderous children is one of my favorite sub-genres of horror. Some are good, most are bad and a select few — including Orphan from 2009 — are truly great. Starting all the way back in 1956 with The Bad Seed, audiences have been captivated by the concept of children committing heinous acts of violence. Now, thanks to Scream Factory, we have one of the most shocking entries in the genre available on blu-ray with a brand-new, limited-edition slipcover.

Orphan Critique

Isabelle Fuhrman as Esther in The Orphan

Much like The Sixth Sense — and even Sleepaway Camp — Orphan is a horror film that’s primarily remembered for the twisted revelation at its conclusion; however, a movie has to be more than just its ending. Even knowing how the film ends, the rewatch-ability of Jaume Collet-Serra’s twisted tale is undeniable. The kill count is relatively low for this style of horror,...

Mike Hughes, Harvey Stevens, Alex Vincent, Paula E. Sheppard, Noah Wiseman, and Milly Shapiro

Screenshot: YouTube

There’s nothing scarier than childhood. Look no further than the movies (or your very own memory palace) for proof. With the upcoming release of Abigail and the recent child-adjacent scares from The First Omen and Imaginary,...

David Hyde Pierce is an accomplished actor who's won awards for his various performances on stage and screen. But there's no doubt he's best known for playing the finicky Niles Crane, brother of the titular psychiatrist in "Frasier." Pierce won four Emmys for his performance in the beloved sitcom, which ran from 1993 through 2004, heralding what was basically the official end of the '90s when both it and "Friends" wrapped up in the same year.

To be fair, if all Pierce did in his career was play Niles, there'd be no problem. As the Washington Post put it in a 1996 profile of the actor, Pierce "may have been born to play Niles Crane." At the time, he'd been co-starring in "Frasier" for three years, but from the very first episode, he really did seem like the one and only choice to play Niles.

The pilot episode of "Frasier" remains truly...

The new cast of "Frasier" had big, hilariously pretentious shoes to fill, and when it came to Jack Cutmore-Scott's audition, the pressure was on. The actor, who plays Frasier's son Freddy in the show's revival season, recently spoke to the hosts of "The Talk" about how he landed the presumably highly coveted role, admitting that the presence of not one but two TV legends in the room made the whole process more nerve-wracking.

"It was a fairly conventional process to begin with," Cutmore-Scott told the show's hosts. "You do the tape and you send in the tape and you don't hear anything for weeks and you think, 'Well, that was fun.'" The actor has previously appeared in films like "Tenet" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and led the short-lived Fox comedy "Cooper Barrett's Guide To Surviving Life," but "Frasier" is by far his biggest role. After waiting to...

When he first read the pilot script for "Frasier," David Hyde Pierce thought it was terrible. The actor, who is best known for his portrayal of Niles Crane on the now legendary sitcom, was evidently confused as to why the writers had, as he told Vanity Fair, "written two of the same character." Pierce was referring to Niles and his brother, the eponymous doctor, both of whom were fussy, pompous, egotistical, and endlessly lovable.

But once filming got underway, it became clear almost immediately that Niles and Frasier formed one of the best comedy duos in sitcom history. In fact, "Frasier" remains remarkable for how it seemingly had everything dialed in from the very first episode, without requiring the usual "settling-in" period so many other series have to go through.

In retrospect, then, it seems odd that Pierce was so worried about a show that is now known as a classic of the sitcom genre.

By the early 1990s, it was still fairly rare to see a Hollywood production invade New England to shoot a film. Things had certainly been made here: Ever heard of Jaws? It was shot entirely on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. And I made a documentary about another one: Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, which was shot entirely in Maine in 1988. In fact, much of my documentary film work has focused on stories native to New England. But, still, we didn’t see the kind of movie activity and buzz that we see nowadays. Despite its natural beauty of mountains, rocky coastlines, and beautiful beaches, New England can be difficult (and expensive) to navigate for a film crew. What’s more, during certain months of the year our weather can be unpredictable and harsh. We’re known for our Nor’easters and blizzards and even the occasional hurricane in the autumn months.

The 1993 “Frasier” pilot and the first episode of the 2023 Paramount+ revival have a lot in common. With the respective titles “The Good Son” and “The Good Father,” both episodes follow Kelsey Grammer’s Frasier Crane as he moves to a new city, makes a massive career change, and moves in with a family member with whom he has a chilly relationship. Television legend James Burrows even returned to direct the first episode of the reboot, providing another link to the show’s storied past.

Thr premise of Frasier Crane moving back to Boston to live with his son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott), who rebelled against his Ivy League upbringing to become a fireman, might seem like a lazy attempt to rehash the original premise. You’ve seen White-Collar Son Lives with Blue-Collar Father; now get ready for Blue-Collar Son Lives with White-Collar Father!

But to dismiss it so quickly would...

There was every reason to be skeptical about the "Frasier" reboot. Back in the '90s, producers David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee pulled off the seemingly impossible by spinning off the character of Frasier Crane from "Cheers" and making a sitcom that became as beloved as the classic show from which it had sprung. Running for 11 seasons between 1993 and 2004, "Frasier" set itself apart from every other sitcom with a mix of highbrow humor and heart, made all the more effective by one of the best ensemble casts ever assembled on the small screen. By the time the show wrapped and Frasier departed his native Seattle for a new life in Chicago, we'd had 11 arguably perfect seasons.

So, the idea of reviving the show 20 years after the close of the original was both an exciting and daunting prospect. After all, how was our beloved Dr. Crane, who seemed to...

[This story contains spoilers from the season finale of Frasier, “Reindeer Games.”]

As the credits roll on the season finale of the Frasier revival, Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane — the role he originated 39 years ago on Cheers — frustratedly conducts a string quartet of not-yet-classically trained child musicians through a rendition of “Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs.” How a bunch of kids ended up performing the series theme song is a classic Frasier conundrum.

In the episode, “Reindeer Games,” a series of mix-ups ensue as Crane “frasiers” hosting an elegant holiday dinner party (yes, “frasier” becomes a verb in this episode). The problem: He’s mistakenly hired an elementary school string quartet, ordered 24 Christmas trees and a live goose, and made the egg nog so thick that one of guests asks, “Is this flan?”

The comedic timing of each mishap plays like an orchestra, thanks to Grammer’s stellar directing. “Reindeer Games” is the third episode he’s helmed for the Paramount+ revival series,...

The episode of Best Horror Movie You Never Saw covering Better Watch Out was Written and Edited by Paul Bookstaber, Narrated by Kier Gomes, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Christmas movies usually bring that holiday cheer that makes us feel warm and comforting starting at the tail end of November all the way up to the 25th of December. Sitting on a couch, drinking some nice hot coco, next to your lit-up Christmas tree is a moment many of us look forward to yearly. Now let’s talk Christmas films that are etched in holiday cinema history. Sure, we have our Home Alone(s), our Grinch Stole Christmas, our Die Hard(s), even that looney, turbo-time, toy chaser, Jingle All the Way with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sure, they’re all Christmas Staples, but what about mixing it up and popping in a psychological Christmas film of yule-tide terror?...

The first season of "Frasier" is remarkable for having all the elements that made the show so beloved. Whereas you wouldn't begrudge "Friends" fans for skipping the first season on a rewatch, and even "The Simpsons" took a while to settle into its groove, "Frasier" seemingly had it all dialed in from the outset.

In fact, the show had things figured out in the pilot, "The Good Son," which first aired in 1993. In the inagural installment, the writing is as sharp as "Frasier" ever was. Meanwhile, star Kelsey Grammer, already adept at playing the finickity psychiatrist from his years portraying him on "Cheers," is effortlessly comfortable in the lead role. Even the supporting cast are all perfectly-pitched from the outset, making the pilot a truly impressive artifact as well as a brilliantly funny episode of the beloved sitcom. 

The pilot itself showcases how Frasier Crane, who originated as a regular...

There are “child stars,” and then there are performers that start working during childhood only to become bona fide, beloved screen icons, enjoying long, varied careers throughout their lives. Following in the footsteps of Shirley Temple, Natalie Wood and Mickey Rooney, Macaulay Culkin has — for three decades and counting — been a contemporary standard bearer for that personal and professional journey.

Culkin became a full-fledged cultural phenomenon after the explosive commercial success of his fifth film, 1990’s “Home Alone,” which he made when he was just 10 years old. The film grossed $476 million worldwide, due in direct part to his mischievous-yet-vulnerable performance as Kevin McAllister. But beginning in his teenage years, Culkin began seeking projects that piqued his artistic interests rather than sustaining his immediate and colossal celebrity. Even without any expectation for those subsequent efforts to reach the same stratospheric heights as his early breakthrough, Culkin’s star wattage has barely flickered,...

Kelsey Grammer has returned to television as the iconic Dr. Frasier Crane, roughly 30 years after the original NBC sitcom first premiered. The Paramount+ revival sees the titular character return to Boston for the next chapter of his life, with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill.

In addition to Grammer, the show’s cast includes Jack Cutmore-Scott as Frasier’s son Freddy, Nicholas Lyndhurst as Frasier’s old college buddy turned university professor Alan, Toks Olagundoye as Olivia, Alan’s colleague and head of the university’s psychology department, Jess Salgueiro as Freddy’s roommate Eve and Anders Keith as Frasier’s nephew David.

Co-showrunners Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris told TheWrap that, while there are multiple Easter Eggs and references sprinkled throughout the series, they didn’t want to rely on them as a crutch.

“We’re trying to...

The neither disappointing nor remarkable "Frasier" revival show has arrived on Paramount+ without any of the supporting cast from the original sitcom. Star Kelsey Grammer and new writers Joe Cristali and Chris Harris were initially intent on bringing back as many actors as they could for their reboot, but pretty much all of them either said no or weren't available. Still, Grammer and co. pressed ahead anyway, producing a show that has flashes of the original's brilliance, but as it goes on, increasingly reveals that, sans his former compatriots, Frasier Crane isn't quite as delightful a character as he once was.

One of the most important elements missing from the new series is David Hyde Pierce's Niles, Frasier's brother, who provided an equally pompous banter partner for the titular doctor throughout the original's 11-season run. Together, Frasier and Niles would deliver some of the show's most hilarious and witty dialogue,...

We've all seen our fair share of horror movies with kids in them. Sometimes they're creepy and sometimes they're innocent victims but they're always just a little bit out of place in such dark films. After all, children are young and innocent, and our instinct is to protect them from violence and things that go bump in the night. To be fair, most horror films do a great job of shielding their child actors from the scarier elements of the narrative, which often means filming their reaction shots separately so that they don't have to look at gruesome makeup or actively participate in age-inappropriate set pieces, or giving them only an abbreviated version of the story so they don't quite know what their character is experiencing.

Still, some horror movies, particularly ones that have received an R-rating, contain content that makes it hard to support hiring a kid to take part.

“Though we are not now that strength which in old days moved Earth and heaven, that which we are, we are.” Almost 20 years ago, in Frasier’s series finale, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) quoted those words from a poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson to close out his final radio broadcast. With Grammer’s return to his beloved role, it’s a pleasure to find that while much has been taken from Frasier, including its iconic Seattle setting and most of its supporting cast, the series can still deliver a distinct brand of wry humor.

That’s largely thanks to Frasier himself, a role that still fits Grammer like a glove. All of the old mannerisms are still there: the sly smirk with which he tosses droll one-liners, the petted lip when someone sends one back, the furious glare when confronted with a crime against fashion or furnishing. And when the...

The episode of Best Horror Movie You Never Saw covering The Good Son was Written and Narrated by Kier Gomes, Edited by Paul Bookstaber, Produced by John Fallon and Tyler Nichols, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

There is nothing like a proverbial bond between one’s own offspring. The joys are finding your inner self within them. The feeling of self-fulfillment, reproducing your very own mini-me. The realization that you have much more purpose in this world than just being a cog in corporate America riding that 9-5 grind. Ah yes, the moments you share with your own child far outweigh the trials and tribulations of dealing with the everyday stress of adulthood. But what if that child has an embedded evil inside of them? What if their own volition comes with malice and harm? Would you cope with still accepting them as they were? Would you sleep with one eye open,...

Hulu remains one of the best value-for-money streamers out there in September, 2023, with a massive list of movie and TV additions coming to the service this month.

The big Hulu Original show this month is The Other Black Girl, and you’ll be able to binge the complete series when it arrives on September 13! The Other Black Girl is based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, and focuses on Nella, who is an editorial assistant and the only Black girl at Wagner Books. When the company brings new girl Hazel aboard, Nella is delighted to finally see the staff hires at Wagner becoming more diverse, but everything is not as it seems, and things soon take a sinister turn. We will be watching!

Elsewhere on Hulu, the award-winning movie The Banshees of Inisherin lands on September 4, while the season two premieres of Welcome to Wrexham...

Elijah Wood, a renowned American actor, has captivated audiences with his versatile and impressive performances for over three decades. Born on January 28, 1981, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wood’s career as an actor began at a young age. He has starred in numerous films and television series, most notably as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s blockbuster The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. This article delves into the life and career of this iconic actor, showcasing his incredible journey from child star to accomplished Hollywood actor.

Early Life and Childhood Elijah Wood. Depostiphotos

Elijah Jordan Wood was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as the second of three children to Debbie Krause and Warren Wood. His parents managed a local delicatessen together. Wood’s ancestry includes English, German, Austrian, and Danish roots. As a child, Wood displayed a natural talent for performing, which led his mother to take him to the...

Despite still being one of the most recognizable child stars of all time, Macaulay Culkin prefers to stay out of the spotlight these days. In a rare interview, Culkin opened up about his childhood acting in hit movies and how stories about him “divorcing” his parents were blown way out of proportion.

Macaulay Culkin became one of the world’s biggest child stars

Culkin began acting when he was just 4 years old, appearing onstage and in small parts in TV shows and movies. His big break came with 1989’s Uncle Buck, but it wasn’t until the following year, with the release of Home Alone, that Culkin became a household name. His role earned him a Golden Globe nomination and an American Comedy Award.

From there, Culkin starred in a series of movies, including My Girl, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, The Good Son, and Richie Rich. However,...

Image Source: Getty / Jamie McCarthy

Kieran Culkin is opening up about growing up with his massive and famous family in New York City. Kieran, who stars as Roman Roy on "Succession," is one of seven kids shared by Kit Culkin and Patricia Brentrup. The pair never married, though their split in the 1990s and ensuing custody battle became tabloid fodder because Kieran's brother Macaulay had become very famous after starring in 1990's "Home Alone" franchise. Kieran revealed in an interview with Esquire published March 27 that his dad - an actor himself - had all seven try to be actors, though only Macaulay (who his siblings call Mack), Kieran, and Rory pursued it seriously.

The family grew up in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, and Kieran says that even though he was just a kid himself, he felt bad for the way fame affected Macaulay's life. "Poor f*cking guy," he told Esquire of his brother.

Macaulay Culkin is a household name in America. His rise to fame in the early 90s as a child actor with his iconic role in the Christmas classic, “Home Alone” made him one of the most recognizable child stars at the time. Although his career has had its ups and downs since then, he remains an important figure in popular culture – many of his movies still resonate with audiences today.

In this article, we will take a closer look at some of Macaulay Culkin‘s best works throughout his career and explore how they have shaped both pop culture and Culkin’s own personal fortunes over time. From family favorites to coming-of-age classics, these movies are sure to be remembered for years to come.

Top 10 Highest-Grossing Macaulay Culkin Movies

Without a doubt, Macaulay Culkin‘s movies have left an indelible mark on popular culture. His films have also enjoyed some amount of financial success.

Creepy, homicidal children have long been a staple of the horror genre. This week brings the release of brand new movie Children of the Corn, the eleventh entry in the long-running franchise. It comes on the heels of Homebound arriving on Screambox and the release of Roxanne Benjamin’s new movie There’s Something Wrong with the Children on VOD outlets.

Kids are always terrifying. This week’s streaming picks highlight just how unsettling they can be; there’s nothing sweet about these little homicidal maniacs.

As always, here’s where you can watch them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

The Good Son – Starz

Anyone familiar with Home Alone’s Kevin McCallister and his ruthless handling of home intruders likely won’t find it difficult to buy Macaulay Culkin’s villainous turn in this psychological horror movie. But Culkin turns up the terror here in a compelling way.

If a script involves the antichrist, gruesome deaths, and one spiraling towards insanity as they question whether or not their child is evil, it's safe to conclude the film can be categorized as horror. However, director Richard Donner took a delicate approach when he asked renowned actor Gregory Peck to be a lead role in his 1976 film "The Omen," the fourth film in Donner's directorial career. Donner's filmography is filled with successful and treasured films like "The Goonies". "Scrooged", and "Lethal Weapon." While his work has comedic elements, "The Omen" was far from a feel-good film and yet Donner desperately wanted Peck on board. In order to convince the highly sought-after and acclaimed actor to accept the role, Donner took a grey-area approach and tread lightly about how the film would be categorized.

We'll Never Call It A Horror Film

In an interview with TheLipTV, Donner explains that he went...

In the last 10 years, “There’s Something Wrong with the Children” director Roxanne Benjamin has established herself as a vital new voice in independent horror on both the producing (the “V/H/S” anthology films) and directing fronts, while also pursuing a parallel career as an episodic television gun-for-hire on shows like “Riverdale,” “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin,” and “Nancy Drew.” “It’s like having two different careers that just happen to overlap,” she told IndieWire of her dual life as an indie auteur and network TV journeyman. “In one you’re the architect and in the other you’re the contractor.”

Yet Benjamin has found that trying on different directorial personalities in an effort to mimic the preexisting styles of various television programs has informed her work in features. “Each show has a style and set of rules, so you’re really just putting on somebody else’s clothes for a couple...

Frasier Crane is having his tossed salad and scrambled eggs Northeast-style once again.

The “Frasier” revival series, set at Paramount+, announced that the adventures of psychiatrist Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) will bring him back to the city of Boston. Frasier originally appeared in Boston-set “Cheers” before moving to Seattle ahead of spin-off “Frasier.”

“Cheers” co-creator and executive producer James Burrows will helm the first two episodes of the “Frasier” reboot, with the pilot set to be taped Friday, February 3 in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles, as IndieWire can confirm. Burrows also directed the original first “Frasier” episode in 1993 titled “The Good Son.”

The official logline for the “Frasier” reboot teases that the titular character will embark on the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston, Mass., with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill.

The “Frasier” sequel will return to where it all began: Boston. That city, of course, was the setting for “Cheers,” the series that first introduced the character of Frasier Crane, played by Kelsey Grammer, in 1984. The hit NBC spin-off “Frasier” moved the character to Seattle; in its finale, the Frasier made the quick decision to fly to Chicago to chase a love interest, rather than head to San Francisco, where a new TV job awaited.

But as Paramount+ confirmed on Wednesday morning, the new version of “Frasier” will follow the character “in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston, Mass., with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge and an old dream or two to finally fulfill.”

The first episode is set to be taped this Friday in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles. TV helming legend James Burrows will direct the...

“Frasier” will soon be making a comeback to the airwaves.

On Monday, staffer Jeff Greenberg confirmed with a tweet that production is well on its way to rebooting the iconic show, reported People. The tweet (which has since been deleted) contained a snap of the pilot episode’s script with the caption: “And so it begins. Again.”

Read More: Kelsey Grammer Shares New Detail About ‘Frasier’ Revival

The script gave some insight into the minds behind the reboot. James Burrow, who helped direct the original hit series, is returning his place as director.

The first episode of the long-awaited reboot is titled “The Good Father”, which gives the nod back to the original “Frasier” episode titled “The Good Son”.

Kelsey Grammar will be reprising his role as the show’s main character and acting as the sitcom’s executive producer this time around.

Read More: Lisa Kudrow Reveals Reason She...

Horror has always been a genre for women. In her seminal work "Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film," Carol J. Clover explores the female characters in horror films as well as their impact on traditionally accepted gender norms. Research from the Geena Davis Institute shows that watching strong female protagonists in horror films can help empower women in their own careers. The essay that opens Clover's book is known for coining the term "final girl," the last, usually female, protagonist left alive in a slasher film.

Another beloved genre trope is the "scream queen." An actress known for her lung capacity, the Cambridge Dictionary defines this archetype as "a female actor who plays a main character in a horror movie who gets frightened or attacked." Fay Wray is often named as the first scream queen with many noting her work in the 1933 film "King Kong,...

A cabin in the woods, a struggling marriage, and two giggling children who are ominously covered in blood? The upcoming Blumhouse and Epix collaboration has all the elements for disaster, so it's no wonder that it slots firmly into the horror/psychological thriller genres. It certainly doesn't help that the title alludes to one of horror's most reliable sources of dread, "There's Something Wrong with the Children."

Before supernatural horror even becomes a factor in the plot this film already has one of the most horrifying premises imaginable. When two couples head into the woods for a weekend getaway, one duo convinces the other to watch their children for the night while they take time to hash out some martial issues. Isn't the thought of unanticipated babysitting responsibilities terrifying?! Unfortunately, it only gets worse from here. Somehow, the babysitting couple loses sight of the children in the woods and when they're finally retrieved,...

This Halloween fans of the fear-inducing flick will be well catered for, with thousands of chillers, slashers and zombie head-mashers available to stream on a range of services. And as most of the evening is spent choosing what to watch – you need to start planning now.

Halloween is the perfect night for scary movies. Don’t let the hype dissuade you of this fact. The clocks have gone back, it’s darker earlier and enough sugar races through the average bloodstream to terrify anyone.

This year our very own Sam Inglis is running through a pre-Halloween Horrorthon and you can read his capsule reviews to get a taste of the good, the bad and the very ugly on offer.

Macaulay Culkin looks down on you in The Good Son, just one of the films Sam takes a look at…

There’s something wonderful about the huge numbers of people giving...

In 1990, at only ten years old, Macaulay Culkin rose to fame as the spunky and self-sufficient Kevin McCallister in "Home Alone."  The Christmas comedy directed Chris Columbus was an instant hit and Culkin quickly became one of the most sought-after kids in the business. After working alongside such greats like Catherine O'Hara, Daniel Stern, and Joe Pesci, Culkin is a true acting veteran -- and he has the scar to prove it. 

In an interview on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," Culkin reminisced about filming the "Home Alone" scene where Pesci and Stern -- playing the incompetent robber duo Harry and Marv, respectively -- hang him up on a door. Harry tells Kevin, "I'm going to bite each one of your fingers off one at a time," and in rehearsal Pesci actually did physically bite him. According to Culin, "He broke the skin and everything!" 

Now, Culkin has a scar...

After playing Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Elijah Wood expanded his eclectic career by starring in a wide array of films. Despite being invested in several genres, Wood is partial to horror, having started his career in a made-for-tv horror flick titled "Child in the Night." Over the course of his career, Wood starred in several horror offerings, from 1993's "The Good Son" to 2012's "Maniac." Taking his love for horror a step further, Wood founded his production company, SpectreVision, which has churned out standout titles such as "Mandy," "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night," and "Color Out of Space."

As Wood has been championing the indie horror movement in subtle yet significant ways, he was asked about the opening and closing films he would choose for a Halloween-centered film festival. His answer for the closing film is John Carpenter's "Halloween,...

The small but effective subgenre of “adoption horror” has a certain formula it follows. The newly adopted gradually dismantles the family unit, whether that means manipulating the systems around them or simply taking matters into their own little hands. Then, once someone gets wise to the evildoing, they either stop the young threat or they die trying. As entertaining as these kinds of movies are, they tread a well-worn path. Orphan upholds many of the same conventions as its ilk, however this 2009 movie also brings something new and exciting to the kids’ table.

When Alex Mace‘s original idea for Orphan first reached David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, the then-unfledged screenwriter was given a big sandbox to play in. After all, Mace’s treatment was only a few pages long, so there were a lot of gaps to fill in. And while domestic disturbers The Bad Seed and The Good Son are obvious influences,...

At the time the first entry in director Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Fellowship of the Ring," hit theaters in December 2001, a then-20-year-old Elijah Wood had already been acting in movies for more than a decade. How would the actor elect to follow up his role in the fantasy blockbuster films as the wide-eyed ring-bearer Frodo Baggins? By playing a sleazy nerd in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," portraying a silent, cannibalistic serial killer in "Sin City," and voicing a tap-dancing penguin in "Happy Feet" (among other things).

Wood's eclectic post-"Lord of the Rings" filmography was a conscious choice on his part. In an interview with Esquire to mark the 20-year anniversary of "Fellowship" in 2021, Wood recalled just how much Jackson's fantasy-adventure trilogy came to consume his life during the years they spent making it. "My life was so defined by being in New Zealand,...

When Kelsey Grammer made his first guest appearance on the sitcom “Cheers” as Dr. Frasier Crane in 1984, it marked the beginning of an impressive legacy. He stayed on for the next nine years, earning a pair of supporting Emmy bids, as well as a third for guest starring as Crane on “Wings.” Before “Cheers” ended its run in 1993, it was decided that Crane would live on as the protagonist of his own show, “Frasier.” In all, Grammer portrayed the character for 20 straight years – a record in the comedy genre.

“Frasier” earned five Primetime Emmys for its inaugural season, including Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Actor. Grammer’s first of four eventual wins came for his work in the pilot episode, “The Good Son,” in which Crane reservedly invites his estranged, widowed father to live with him. The 39-year-old’s victory made him the seventh youngest winner in his category,...

Movies don’t need to contain oozing blood and gore to be considered horror fare. Psychological horror is a subgenre which can be quite effective at causing terror. Writer/director Sebastian Godwin’s first feature film Homebound is a good example of psychological horror that mostly relies on actors’ reactions to events, which take place off-screen, to scare the audience.

Homebound follows Holly, played by Aisling Loftus (A Discovery of Witches), and Richard, played by Tom Goodman-Hill, newlyweds traveling to the country to meet Richard’s family for the first time. Holly is concerned when they arrive to an empty house, but Richard shrugs it off. Apparently, it’s normal for his ex-wife Nina to refuse to talk to him, but at least she sent him a text apologizing for not being there. Eventually, Richard’s children show up one by one and none of them seem particularly happy to see their father.

I’ve never been one to strictly follow ratings advice, and neither did my parents: The first two movie theater experiences of my life were “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers” (1989) and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991), at the tender ages of four and six. During “Halloween,” I ran out of the theater once a rake was shoved into some guy’s forehead, so I didn’t find out how the movie ended for another decade.

But despite my early indoctrination into horror, when friends have asked, “Can I bring my kids to see ‘Doctor Strange’ this weekend,” I’ve answered, “I don’t think I would.”

The Motion Picture Association’s film ratings board has existed since 1968, but the system created to assist parents in deciding what films are appropriate for children continues to make sometimes-inexplicable choices that can leave parents as confused as ever.

Take Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness...

Exclusive: Macaulay Culkin recently turned 40 and he’s celebrating the occasion with a travelogue about becoming middle-aged.

That’s right, the cherub-faced star of Home Alone has entered his fifth decade.

The actor is working with Lightbox, the production company behind HBO’s Tina, Sundance Diana doc The Princess and Discovery+’s The Curse of the Chippendales, to develop a premium documentary format – Macaulay Culkin’s Midlife Crisis – on the subject.

It comes after Culkin tweeted last year about his impending birthday, a post that generated over 3M likes.

This tweet, and its half a million retweets and 70,000 replies, is the starting point for the show, which will see him embark on a wild and intrepid journey to discover what hitting the big four-zero really means and asks the questions which anyone who’s...

Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not watched the series premiere of “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.

After Alison (Madison Iseman) learns her twin sister Lennon (also Iseman) slept with the guy she has been in love with for years in the premiere episode of Amazon Prime Video’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” she just wants to leave their graduation party. Alison is emotionally distraught when she drives away, but also distracted by her sisters’ friends, who pile into the car, drunk and high. She may not have meant to hit something on a dark road, but when she gets out of the car and sees it is her sister, she agrees to dump the body — and then steals her identity and lives for the next year as Lennon.

Even if shock incapacitated Alison in the immediate aftermath of the accident,...

The concept of a protagonist (or many on occasion) waking up and realizing that something terrible has happened, has been a prevalent one in both cinema (usually associated with some kind of intoxication) and literature. Jeong You-jeong presents his own version of the “trick” in a labyrinth tale of self-discovery that moves towards rather surprising paths.

Yu-jin used to be a model student, a successful athlete and a good son. But one day, he wakes up covered in blood, and soon discovers that there are no signs of someone breaking in, while there is a body downstairs. A phone call by his brother, Hae-jin, asking if everything is alright at home, after he missed a phone call from their mother in the middle of the night, makes Yu-jin even more worried, and soon realizes that the body is actually hers. Having suffered from seizures for most of his life,...

When Kelsey Grammer made his first guest appearance on the sitcom “Cheers” as Dr. Frasier Crane in 1984, it marked the beginning of an impressive legacy. He stayed on for the next nine years, earning a pair of supporting Emmy bids, as well as a third for guest starring as Crane on “Wings.” Before “Cheers” ended its run in 1993, it was decided that Crane would live on as the protagonist of his own show, “Frasier.” In all, Grammer portrayed the character for 20 straight years – a record in the comedy genre.

“Frasier” earned five Primetime Emmys for its inaugural season, including Best Comedy Series and Best Comedy Actor. Grammer’s first of four eventual wins came for his work in the pilot episode, “The Good Son,” in which Crane reservedly invites his estranged, widowed father to live with him. The 39-year-old’s victory made him the seventh youngest winner in his category,...

Parents out there, if you think you’ve got it rough with your kids, this gallery should put your mind at ease, because the prepubescent miscreants in these films are on a mission to kill. So next time you blow your cool about a messy room or not doing chores, give this another read.

The Good Son (1993) • Macaulay Culkin went from family-friendly “Home Alone” into this R-rated psychological thriller playing a sociopathic, f-bomb-dropping 12-year-old with an unhealthy urge to kill. Spoiler alert: “good” is something this character is most definitely not.

The Ring (2002) • The visual of the raven-haired, water-logged, vengeful young ghost, Samara, slithering out of a television to claim another victim is iconic and enough to give you nightmares for weeks. Turns out that the legend that she cursed a videotape and whoever watches it dies seven days later isn’t folklore after all. The corpses she left behind proved that.

Wtf Happened To This Celebrity? – The JoBlo series that examines the careers of stars and filmmakers who may have fallen out of the spotlight, and tells where they are now! As far as child stars go, none have ever been bigger than Macaulay Culkin, who dominated the U.S. box office in the early nineties with the two mega-hit Home Alone movies, plays other hits like My Girl and The Good Son. At a certain point, Macaulay, after box office flops like Richie Rich, decided to step away…...

Vilhunen’s feature credits include Stupid Young Heart and Little Wing.

Tuffi Films has optioned the screen rights to the acclaimed Finnish novel Defiance (Ei kertonut katuvansa).

Tommi Kinnunen’s award-winning novel is a nominee for the Finlandia award, the top literary prize in the country.

Selma Vilhunen will direct the film, and she is co-writing the script with Jan Forsström, whose credits include Miami and The Good Son. Vilhunen, a co-founder of Tuffi and a former Oscar nominee, has feature credits include Stupid Young Heart and Little Wing.

The team plans to shoot the film in May 2023, with Tuffi...

Near the end of “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” after the season’s narrator finishes spinning her yarn to a heedful audience, one listener chimes in with a word of advice. “I liked your story,” she says. “But I think you set it up wrong. You said it was a ghost story. It isn’t. It’s a love story.” Though the narrator amiably contends they’re the same thing, she also concedes, “If you go on to retell it, make that change up top for me.”

By no means will this review “retell” the nine episodes that make up Mike Flanagan’s next entry in his “Haunting” anthology series — you will find no spoilers here — but it does aim to emphasize what kind of story is being told. Framing, especially when it comes to sequels, is critical to how they’re received. Look no further than Flanagan’s own box office dud “Doctor Sleep,...

We have an eclectic slate of Blu-ray and DVD releases headed our way this week, led by Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition of the Hammer Films version of The Phantom of the Opera. If you’re into killer kid horror, you’ll definitely want to check out Mikey, and for those of you looking to indulge in some new genre stories, The Wretched is easily one of the biggest surprises for this writer to come along in 2020.

Other releases for August 11th include Aquaslash, American Sasquatch, Skin Walker, Ozone, Watch Me Die and a double feature of The Lady Kills and Pervertissima.

Mikey: Collector’s Edition

Mikey Kelvin has been a bad boy, only nobody knows exactly how bad. Tragic and Deadly ''accidents'' seem to happen all around Mikey. So, from foster family to foster family and from school to school he goes, leaving a trail of unanswered questions.