Entertainment
10 Greatest Dark Fantasy Books of All Time
Dark fantasy is a genre that incorporates elements of both fantasy and horror and is not exclusive to any age range; it can be made for kids while still incorporating things that are eerie, uncanny, or disturbing (think Coraline). It’s sort of a fringe genre, not quite horror, but also kind of horror at the same time. It’s important not to confuse the genre with grimdark fantasy, which is about moral ambiguity, cynicism, and brutal violence (think Game of Thrones), although there is often plenty of overlap.
Dark fantasy books, speaking strictly in the traditional sense, have been around for centuries, with some appearing as early as the Middle Ages. Not all of these books are novels, either. Some are artbooks, some are epic poems, and some are fictitious accounts of history with no clear narrative. However, the truly marvellous do tend to stand out. These are the best dark fantasy books of all time, masterpieces of literature that are as haunting as they are fascinating.
10
‘Katabasis’ (2025)
Author R. F. Kuang has been seeing a lot of publicity lately. While she is a student of academia, working on a post-graduate degree, she has received more attention for her popular fantasy novels, which have been absolutely blowing up in recent years. Her most recent effort is Katabasis, a standalone work that feels true to herself. The story follows two PhD students at Cambridge University who descend into the depths of Hell to rescue their professor.
In this story, academia is Hell… literally. While critical reviews have been mixed, many casual readers have absolutely loved this novel. It started simple, but became wonderfully complex, addressing philosophical concepts, important social commentaries, and raising a lot of questions. Some people don’t like the book because they think it isn’t very subtle with what it’s trying to say, but whatever you personally may think about it, Katabasis has been exceptionally popular, winning numerous awards and selling millions of copies.
9
‘The Vagrant’ (2015)
The Vagrant is the first in a series of the same name, which follows a mute, lone wandered who travels across a war-torn, deserted landscape. This world is populated by terrifying demons (which is where the horror aspects come in), which have forced humanity to take refuge in the distant Shining City. Though it is not initially revealed why, the Vagrant carries a sword and must deliver it to the Shining City before it’s too late.
With this book having a silent protagonist, it has to rely on a lot more than dialogue to tell its story. For that reason, it’s not for everyone, especially if you don’t like long blocks of prose. But for those who are into that sort of thing, it feels like an experiment in storytelling that ultimately works pretty well. If anyone ever feels lost in life or aimless, The Vagrant is a great book to turn to. Even if you don’t feel this way, it’s a unique story that demands more attention.
8
‘Between Two Fires’ (2012)
Between Two Fires is a historical fantasy novel set in the Middle Ages. The plot begins when angels and demons go to war once again, causing the Black Plague to sweep across Europe. In plague-torn France, a disgraced knight rescues a young girl from danger and tries to escort her across the land to a safe place. It’s no easy feat, however, as the Plague isn’t the only thing they have to worry about. In this version of history, horrifying demons roam the landscape and serve as the biggest obstacle in the way of the pair.
The book isn’t just an entertaining novel; it also addresses themes of theology and morality, prompting important questions in the reader. It might be a bit cynical, but hey, that’s the genre, right? The demons and the way they are described definitely evoke horror vibes, so it’s certainly a dark fantasy novel. In fact, it’s one of the best dark fantasy novels ever, receiving critical acclaim and stellar reviews all around.
7
‘Vermis I: Lost Dungeons and Forbidden Woods’ (2022)
Vermis I: Lost Dungeons and Forbidden Woods is a really interesting book. It’s not particularly long, but its concept is something unlike anything you’ve ever read before, guaranteed. The artist Plastiboo, whose real name is unknown, created this book as a video game strategy guide for a game that doesn’t even exist. It’s more of an art book than a novel, yet it works so well.
As such, there isn’t really a whole lot of story to this book; it’s purely an exercise in worldbuilding, creating a disturbing and uncanny world for a video game that doesn’t exist, but really should. Despite the fact that there’s no proper narrative, it’s an intriguing concept with an even more intriguing setting, both of which are executed brilliantly. Vermis I is a reading experience that is totally fresh, and that easily sinks its claws in, never letting go of its reader until the end.
6
‘Shadows for Silence: In the Forests of Hell’ (2013)
Shadows for Silence: In the Forests of Hell is a novella by Brandon Sanderson initially published in a multi-author anthology called Dangerous Women, which also included works from George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. Later, the novella was published as a standalone work and was republished in the author’s personal anthology of short stories, Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection. The story is part of Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, which features numerous different series and standalones. The Cosmere itself is a galaxy, with each solar system having a unique magic system.
Shadows for Silence is set on Threnody, a world overcome with a dark force known simply as “the Evil.” Anyone who dies here becomes a Shade, a wandering, ghostly spirit that comes out at night, looking to feed on the living. In the forests of Threnody, Silence Montane works as an innkeeper and mother by day, and a bounty hunter by night. One evening, she gets an offer that she cannot refuse, causing her to make the dangerous voyage out into the woods at night. This story might be short, but it’s a great adventure, and one of the eeriest works in the Cosmere. In fact, it’s the only Cosmere work that is dark fantasy. It’s an absolutely fantastic story about a dark and oppressive world that readers are dying to see more of.
5
‘Prince of Thorns’ (2011)
Prince of Thorns is the first of the Broken Empire trilogy, which is set on Earth, centuries after a nuclear apocalypse reverted humanity back to the Dark Ages. Europe, along with parts of Asia and Africa, makes up the eponymous Broken Empire, a land full of feuding royals. Ghosts roam the wastelands at night and necromancers hide in the mountains. In the midst of it all is Prince Jorg Ancrath, a self-professed sociopath who intends to overthrow his father, become king, and eventually Emperor.
Everything about this world is bleak and depressing; there is just no hope to be found anywhere, and only the strong survive, while the merciful meet horrible ends. Not only is it a grimdark story, but it also fits into dark fantasy because there are horror elements, including horrifying nuclear mutants, the undead, and vampiric sorcerers who can raise the dead. It’s one of the rare cases where real life actually looks more appealing than a fantasy world, because living in the Broken Empire world really would suck. Still, the story is great, and it’s refreshing (yet also disheartening) to have such a morally reprehensible protagonist.
4
‘The Blade Itself’ (2006)
The Blade Itself is a novel that is the first of a series, set in a morose world previously inhabited by both demons and humans. Though the demons have long since been banished, their power is still drawn upon by wizards and sorcerers, who reach through to the Other Side and use the power beyond to cast their spells. This first novel establishes this setting, and the characters contained therein, which are a pretty diverse and mostly despicable cast. They’re horrible by design, however, which makes them that much more entertaining.
This book was received very well by critics, many of whom acknowledged that it not only delivered on what it promised, but definitely lived up to its hype. The eclectic, colorful characters received particular acclaim, as they are all engaging and greatly enhance the narrative. The fact that demons and other entities associated with horror are such a major part of this story nestles this book firmly within the dark fantasy genre. Truthfully, it’s one of the best examples of it.
3
‘The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three’ (1987)
The Dark Tower has become a bit of a household name at this point, almost as much as its author, Stephen King. Infamously, it received an awful film adaptation of the books, which didn’t represent the source material at all. Out of all The Dark Tower books, the second one, The Drawing of the Three, is often considered to be one of the best, if not the absolute best.
The story of The Dark Tower is about a world that is splitting apart at the seams, prompting a knight to search out the mythical titular structure, said to be a gateway to other universes and possibly humanity’s last hope. Being a Stephen King book, of course there are going to be horror elements, which is why it’s dark fantasy. However, the setting is also really unique, as it feels like the Wild West meets steampunk fantasy and horror. It’s a great book series — one of the finest ever conceived, in fact.
2
‘The Last Wish’ (1993)
The Last Wish is a collection of short stories that serves as one of the prequels to Andrzej Sapkowski‘s The Witcher series, which famously became a video game series and a Netflix series. The Last Wish is mostly a bunch of disconnected stories with no overarching narrative, which is more of a help than a hindrance. The stories, like the rest of the series, feature Geralt of Rivia, a partially undead being known as a Witcher, who is trained in magic and combat to hunt monsters across the countryside.
Most of the monsters featured in the series are largely based on folklore and mythology from all around the world, which includes a lot of ghostly spirits or werewolf-like beings, hence why it’s considered dark fantasy. While this anthology isn’t particularly long, it’s a wild ride from start to finish. It’s also a crucial piece of The Witcher story, as it’s where Geralt meets many of his most trusted allies. The Last Wish serves as the perfect introductory piece for Sapkowski’s works, and also as one of the greatest dark fantasy books ever made.
1
‘Divine Comedy’ (1321)
Divine Comedy is an epic narrative poem written by Florentine poet Dante Alighieri way back in the 14th Century. Though it wasn’t written as such at the time, the story became one of the most impactful and influential works in the entirety of dark fantasy. In fact, it’s a foundational entry, and while it lacks many of the qualities that distinguish dark fantasy, it’s impossible to separate it from the genre. Do note, however, that “comedy” didn’t mean the same thing in the Middle Ages as it does now. Back then, it didn’t mean the story was funny; it just meant that it had a happy ending. The book is actually a deeply serious religious narrative split into three distinct parts.
The first and most famous part is Inferno, about a man travelling through the Nine Circles of Hell to rescue his lover, who has been captured by Satan. The other two parts are called Purgatorio and Paradiso, which dive more into politics and philosophy, a stark departure from the more gripping first part. In any event, the whole poem is one of the greatest pieces of text ever produced, with a legacy spanning centuries and many adaptations across all forms of media. It’s hard to say if dark fantasy would ever even exist without the Divine Comedy, which is why it’s the best dark fantasy book of all time, hands down.
Continue Reading
Carson Rowland’s absence from Sweet Magnolias has sparked backlash from fans, but the actor has been busy working on a new project — and it’s finally been revealed.
Rowland, 28, will have a “recurring role” on NBC’s The Rockford Files, Deadline reported on Thursday, June 11.
While Rowland’s character on the reboot has not been shared, the show was picked up to series by NBC last month.
The Rockford Files initially aired from 1974 to 1980 starring James Garner as former inmate turned private investigator, Jim Rockford.
Sweet Magnolias is gearing up for its big season 5 return — but Serenity, South Carolina, will be missing one familiar face. Showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson exclusively confirmed to Us Weekly ahead of the show’s Thursday, June 11, premiere that Carson Rowland, who portrays Tyler “Ty” Townsend, made the “decision” to sit out on the […]
In the new iteration, David Boreanaz will portray the lead. Felix Solis and Jacki Weaver have also been announced as part of the cast, playing Jim’s best friend, Nitty, and trailer park neighbor Karma, respectively.
According to the logline, the new series follows Jim Rockford after he’s been “newly paroled for a crime he didn’t commit, who returns to work as a private investigator in Los Angeles but finds himself targeted by both police and organized crime.”
While Rowland hasn’t publicly confirmed his part on The Rockford Files, he’s hinted that he’s back to work via social media in recent weeks.
Carson Rowland on ‘Sweet Magnolias.’ Netflix
“I’m alive. Promise!” Rowland wrote via Instagram on May 28, sharing a series of photos, including one picture of him on camera shooting something.
In addition to filming The Rockford Files pilot, Rowland recently shot three independent movies, according to Deadline, which have not been released.
The actor’s future on Sweet Magnolias, meanwhile, is still up in the air after his character, Ty, was missing from most of season 4.
After it was revealed that Carson Rowland won’t be returning for season 5 of Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias, many fans are now convinced that he may be joining season 2 of Amazon Prime’s hit series Off Campus as Jake. Sweet Magnolias showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson exclusively confirmed to Us Weekly that Rowland, who portrays Tyler “Ty” […]
His absence was explained by Ty — who is Maddie Townsend’s (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) eldest son — going on tour with bandmate Olivia (Tommi Rose). He even missed girlfriend Annie’s (Anneliese Judge) graduation, which led her to break up with him via text.
When season 5 premiered on June 11, fans were surprised that Ty wasn’t present at all. However, he was on the minds of viewers after Annie received a “miss you” text out of the blue.
Showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson told Deadline this month that the text and missed FaceTime message from Ty could spell a return for Rowland’s character down the line.
“We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?,” Anderson teased.
Serenity saw some major shakeups throughout Sweet Magnolias season 5 — and series showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson is breaking down every twist for Us. Warning: Major spoilers below for season 5 of Sweet Magnolias. For years, Sweet Magnolias has followed lifelong best friends Maddie Townsend (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Dana Sue Sullivan (Brooke Elliott) and Helen […]
She noted that the writers wanted to “give that story emotional weight, stakes, consequences,” for Annie, explaining that “to just pretend that nobody thinks about him, nobody asks about him, and that he’s not thinking about them would have been insincere, I believe.”
Anderson added, “He’s still out there trying to figure out what happens next, she’s still in Serenity trying to figure out what happens next. And again, open doors we hope will lead to new information, different resolutions. Love isn’t cut and dry. You don’t just wake up one morning and say, I don’t love this person anymore, and move on. It takes time.”
Only time will tell if Rowland returned to Sweet Magnolias for season 6, but for now he’s focused on his new projects and life as a father of two.
Carson announced in October 2025 that his wife, Maris Rowland, gave birth to their second baby, a son named Asa. The couple, who tied the knot in 2021, also share 2-year-old daughter Eden.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s famous family includes more than her children.
The Oscar winner is the daughter of Hollywood royalty Blythe Danner and Bruce Paltrow. Gwyneth also has a brother named Jake Paltrow, who also followed in their parents’ famous footsteps.
Gwyneth married Coldplay singer Chris Martin in 2003. The pair welcomed daughter Apple and son Moses in May 2004 and April 2006, respectively. The actress and Martin split in 2014 after more than a decade of marriage.
Amid her divorce from Martin, Gwyneth moved on with Brad Falchuk. The duo wed in 2018. The couple have a blended family as Falchuk is stepfather to Apple and Moses while Gwyneth is stepmother to the producer’s daughter Isabella and son Brody, whom he shares with ex-wife Suzanne Bukinik.
Keep scrolling for a complete guide on Gwyneth’s family:
Blythe Danner
Gwyneth seemingly followed in her mother’s footsteps and Danner is an actress as well. Danner made her acting debut in the 1970 TV film George M!. She’s appeared in multiple projects since, including Adam’s Rib, The Great Santini, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, The X-Files, Meet the Parents, Will & Grace and more.
Danner won two Emmys for her supporting role on the TV series Huff. She also won a Tony for Butterflies Are Free.
Bruce Paltrow
Gwyneth’s father was a director and producer. Bruce worked on the TV shows The White Shadow, St. Elsewhere, Tattinger’s as well as films A Little Sex and Duets.
In 1999, Bruce was diagnosed with oral cancer. He died at age 58 in 2002 while on vacation in Italy with his family for Gwyneth’s birthday. Bruce’s cause of death was due to complications from oral cancer and pneumonia. Gwyneth’s grief of losing her father inspired Martin to write “Fix You” and Coldplay’s album X&Y was dedicated to Bruce.
Jake Paltrow
Jake is Gwyneth’s sole sibling. Her brother followed in their dad’s footsteps as he pursued a career behind the camera. Jake is a director and writer who has worked on NYPD Blue, The Good Night, Young Ones, Boardwalk Empire and more.
In 2010, Jake wed wife Taryn Simon. The couple share two children.
Apple Martin
Gwyneth and Chris welcomed daughter Apple in May 2004. Apple graduated from Vanderbilt University in May 2026. She has pursued modeling with campaigns for Gap and walking the runway for Chanel. Apple will make her acting debut in an upcoming Nancy Myers film.
Moses Martin
Gwyneth gave birth to Moses in April 2006. Moses is a student at Brown University. He is also in the band People I’ve Met.
Brad Falchuk
Gwyneth and Falchuk first crossed paths on the set of Glee in 2010 but things didn’t turn romantic until four years later. The couple tied the knot in 2018.
Following their nuptials, Gwyneth and Falchuk worked together on the series The Politician. Gwyneth starred in the Netflix series while Falchuk wrote and produced it.
Isabella ‘Izzy’ Falchuk
Izzy is Brad’s daughter from his first marriage and Gwyneth’s stepdaughter. According to her LinkedIn page, she studied performing and media arts at Cornell University. She has previously interned at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Warner Bros. and the office of Senator Cory Booker.
Brody Falchuk
Brody is Brad’s son and stepson to Gwyneth. He is a student at Yale.
By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
The upcoming Supergirl film is going to be much more of a cosmic adventure than Superman (2025), with the Woman of Steel traveling the stars to help her faithful pooch, Krypto. That means we can look forward to seeing many wild alien designs onscreen, including that of Jason Momoa’s Lobo. Supergirl is only the second feature film in James Gunn’s growing DCU, and it looks like it’s going to stretch the boundaries of this cinematic universe further than ever. Recently, though, DC got in trouble for flying Supergirl into a very familiar galaxy far, far away.
With Supergirl about to fly into theaters on June 26, DC has been doing all kinds of things to promote the upcoming film. This includes selling various licensed collectibles, one of which was a metal print of Millie Alcock’s Supergirl surrounded by many of the wild aliens she encountered in the film. It’s a beautiful print, but there was just one problem: the artist included Lexo Sooger, who is the most obscure character in Star Wars. Obscure or not, though, that’s a character owned by Disney, and DC subsequently removed the metal print from their online store for fear of legal action.
Up, Up, And Away (From A Lawsuit)
The promotional art print above is drawn by Bilquis Evely, one of the artists who worked on the Woman of Tomorrow comic that Supergirl’s story is based on. In the print, we can see Alcock’s Woman of Steel surrounded by several wacky alien designs. The one that got DC in trouble, however, is the hunched-over dude, wormy dude behind her with the blinged-out necklace. As it turns out, this is Lexo Sooger, an obscure Star Wars character. How obscure are we talking? He was only featured in the deleted scenes for The Last Jedi, meaning that the vast majority of Star Wars fans have never seen or even heard of this guy.
Once DC realized this artwork featured a Star Wars character, they stopped selling the metal print and removed its page from their online store. How, though, did a character from a galaxy far, far away end up on Supergirl artwork in the first place? It’s not actually the artist’s fault. According to IGN, Evely was sent images of Lexo Sooger for reference when designing this print. While neither she nor DC has publicly commented on this snafu, it seems like whoever sent the reference image is the one to blame.
Somehow, Lex Sooger Returned
However, that unnamed person may have simply made an understandable mistake. You see, one of the weird aliens in Supergirl looks a lot like the aforementioned Star Wars character: gold necklace, white robe, and long neck. It’s possible that whoever provided the reference image really thought Lexo Sooger was the Supergirl character. Or, more pessimistically, it’s possible that the alien in the film was originally a rip-off of Sooger, and the designer thought the Star Wars character was too obscure for anyone to notice.
If that’s the case, they forgot the first rule of online fandoms: somebody always notices. At any rate, what’s done is done. DC stopped selling the print (which has now, hilariously, become a collector’s item), and Disney hasn’t taken any action against either DC or Warner Bros. Supergirl is scheduled to superhero land in theaters on June 26, where we’ll get to see the weird alien who looks just like a forgotten Star Wars character. Here’s hoping that Millie Alcock takes one look at him before staring right into the camera and uttering those four immortal words every fan wants to hear: “somehow, Lex Sooger returned.”
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
When Star Trek: The Next Generation came to the big screen, it mostly followed in the footsteps of the movies that came before. The films based on The Original Series established a strange pattern where the odd-numbered films were weaker and the even-numbered films were stronger. The Motion Picture was slow and plodding, for example, while The Wrath of Khan was exciting and action-packed. As for the TNG crew’s movies, Generations was an uneven, nostalgic mess, while First Contact was an unqualified banger. When Insurrection turned out to be nothing more than a prolonged episode of Next Generation, fans consoled themselves that the next, even-numbered film would blow us all away.
Sadly, Star Trek: Nemesis was a trainwreck that brought the TNG movies to a crashing halt and very nearly killed the franchise. Now, nearly a quarter of a century later, fans are still debating where that ambitious movie (Picard fights an evil clone played by Tom Hardy!) went wrong. We don’t have to wonder any longer, though. On Jonathan Frakes’ and Brent Spiner’s hit podcast, they recently had Nemesis alumnus Ron Perlman as a guest. They all took turns blaming that movie’s failure on director Stuart Baird, whom Perlman decried in the bluntest possible way: “He was not a director, he was a f***ing editor that the studio owed a favor to.”
A Head-To-Head Podcast
In case you don’t know, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner have a new-ish podcast, Dropping Names With Brent and Jonny. It’s not designed as a Star Trek podcast, but the two of them keep hosting guests from the franchise that made them both famous. In a recent episode, they hosted Ron Perlman, the Hellboy actor who appeared in Star Trek: Nemesis as a creepy Reman. Once the conversation turned to Nemesis, Perlman didn’t pull any punches regarding director Stuart Baird, someone he said that the Star Trek: Nemesis cast agreed had “had no people skills whatsoever.”
After this, Perlman kept going, declaring that Baird “was not a director, he was a f***ing editor that the studio owed a favor to.” Elaborating, Perlman claimed that Baird “saved a lot of their turkeys. They would bring him in when they had a turkey, and he would recut it and turn it watchable. So he was a very talented editor, but he was not a director… He’s not a filmmaker.” This is in reference to Baird being an acclaimed editor who had previously worked on fan-favorite movies like Lethal Weapon and the original Superman. Later, he worked on two of the best modern James Bond films: Casino Royale and Skyfall.
When Hell Met Boy
As for the two Star Trek: The Next Generation actors, Brent Spiner was more moderate in his criticism: he agreed that Bair “was not a director” but gave the man his props as an editor. This is fair, really: Baird might have been the worst possible choice for directing Nemesis, but his killer editing work for some of the coolest franchises in the world earns him a place in the geek hall of fame. Frakes was more direct in his criticism, noting that Baird turned down offers of advice from himself and Patrick Stewart “because we’d done 182 episodes and three movies together.” However, the director “was not interested in talking to us at all about how we rolled.”
Pretty much everyone in the room agreed that Baird was a very gifted editor. However, Ron Perlman was convinced that such an inexperienced director getting the job was an indication that Paramount had no respect for Star Trek: Nemesis or the skills it would take to bring that movie to life. “[It’s] that attitude, like, ‘anybody can do this, you know, let’s just give it to that guy.’”
I’m Sensing A Terrible Director, Captain
Regardless of who you blame, Nemesis was arguably the worst movie in Star Trek history. Its critical and commercial failure spelled the end of the films featuring the Next Generation crew. When the franchise did come back, it was in the form of Star Trek (2009), a complete reboot of The Original Series. Weirdly enough, that movie also featured the Enterprise fighting an advanced Romulan warship led by a bald, charismatic commander. Such a creative rip-off might make you wonder if JJ Abrams (Trek’s filmmaker) was ever a very good director. But at least he’s a good editor, right?
I mean, one who forgot to remove all those lens flares. Oh, and forgot to make The Rise of Skywalker make any sense. But, uh, otherwise gifted, we promise!
Next year, Star Trek will have been on the air for sixty years. Fourteen movies and almost a thousand TV episodes later, the franchise can still look back to the very first episode that was ever aired, “The Man Trap,” for inspiration. Its blend of science fiction, horror, action, and thoughtful introspection set the show on the past that it would ultimately follow for six decades. It all started with the death of one character who was never really seen on-screen: Nancy Crater.
Star Trek: The Original Series premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966, with “The Man Trap,” a tale of lost love, extinction, and salt vampires. The brainchild of Gene Roddenberry, it introduced viewers to a cast of characters who are still gracing televisions to this day: William Shatner‘s stalwart Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy‘s stoic, logical Mr. Spock, and DeForest Kelley‘s cantankerous, hot-headed Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy. Although it was ultimately cancelled after three seasons, it would accrue a legion of fans, living on in syndication and spin-offs to this day.
What Was the First Episode of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series’?
However, “The Man Trap” wasn’t even supposed to be the first episode of Star Trek. The first pilot for Star Trek was “The Cage”: it starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, and was rejected by the network. However, Lucille Ball, whose studio, Desilu, was producing the series, still thought the project had legs and commissioned a second pilot. That episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” replaced Pike with Shatner’s James Kirk, and won over the network; parts of “The Cage” would later be used in a two-part episode, “The Menagerie,” which established Pike as Kirk’s predecessor.
However, when it came time to decide what episode would be broadcast first, there was some debate. “Where No Man Has Gone Before” had too much exposition, and another episode, “Mudd’s Women,” was seen as too salacious. Thanks to its horror elements, “The Man Trap” was chosen as the series’ pilot.
What Was TV Horror Like in the 1960s?
On TV, horror was the domain of The Twilight Zone and its rival, The Outer Limits. The Twilight Zone was the brainchild of Rod Serling, who was Roddenberry’s longtime friend, and had ended its run in 1964 after five seasons; both Nimoy and Shatner starred on memorable episodes of the show. George Clayton Johnson, who penned the episode, was a veteran of the series as well; one of his episodes, “Nothing In the Dark,” featuring a young Robert Redford, is one of the series’ most acclaimed entries. However, by 1966, both series were off the air, and a new flavor of horror was in the air.
For decades, horror had been seen solely in black and white. The American horror canon was strictly monochromatic, from the silent horrors of Lon Chaney Sr., to the Universal Monsters of the 1930s and 40s, to Alfred Hitchcock‘s chilling Psycho. However, the genre was moving into color, challenging censors and moral guardians, with the horrors of Britain’s Hammer Film Productions spattering crimson all over movie screens on both sides of the Atlantic. Star Trek was filmed in vibrant color, one of several contemporary series meant to sell color TV sets, and it was about to bring full-color horror to America’s living rooms.
What Happens in ‘The Man Trap’?
The episode opens with the USS Enterprise paying a visit to the planet M-113 and its only inhabitants: Professor Robert Crater (Alfred Ryder) and his wife, Nancy (Jeanne Bal); years ago, Nancy and Dr. McCoy had been lovers, but they hadn’t seen each other in decades. It’s clear from the start that there’s something unusual about Nancy: Bones sees her in the flower of her youth, Kirk sees her as middle-aged, and Crewman Darnell, who accompanied them, sees her as a different woman entirely. She leads him off alone, and the next time we see him, he’s dead, with his cold flesh covered in lurid sucker-marks.
His death presages the many “redshirts” who would come to gruesome ends in future episodes, although he wears blue. Nancy is the culprit; she’s a shapeshifting vampiric creature, subsisting off salt leeched from living beings. Nancy, disguising herself as another dead crewman, makes her way aboard the Enterprise and begins stalking the ship’s crew. In two tension-filled scenes, it encounters, but does not attack, Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney); befitting the horror tropes of the time, they’re both women, although the Nancy-creature clearly doesn’t discriminate.
What Happened to Nancy Crater?
Eventually, Kirk and McCoy learn from the half-mad Crater that the real Nancy is long-dead, killed by the very creature that now impersonates her. Desperate for companionship, he allowed the creature to take on her form and kept it alive with salt tablets. We are left to imagine that the comfort the creature provided him was solely emotional; anything more would have been far too horrifying for 1960s network television. After it kills Crater, his usefulness now seemingly at an end, Kirk, Spock, and Bones finally confront the creature aboard the ship, where it reveals its true, monstrous appearance. Here, too, it is a more visceral monster than those featured in its predecessors; it resembles a cross between an ape, a lamprey, and a desiccated human corpse. Spock, whose Vulcan blood makes him unappetizing to the creature, cannot harm it, even with his prodigious strength.
It’s up to Kirk to finally end it once and for all with a phaser blast. However, the creature is not simply a monster to be killed and forgotten about. Professor Crater likened the creature to the American buffalo, which once roamed the plains in vast herds before being exterminated. The creatures exhausted the planet’s salt supplies and died out; the one that impersonated Nancy was apparently the last of its breed. As the episode ends, Kirk ponders having rendered their species extinct, and tells Spock that he was “thinking about the buffalo.”
“The Man Trap” wouldn’t be the last time Star Trek ventured into the horror genre. In The Original Series alone, Psycho‘s Robert Bloch adapted his own “Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper” into “Wolf in the Fold,” a tale of the undying spirit of murder, and penned “Catspaw,” a Halloween-themed episode featuring a haunted castle, an eerie pair of aliens, and a sinister black cat. Subsequent series have dabbled in horror, as well, with everything from the corpse-like Borg to a race of mind-controlling, body-invading bugs. Strange New Worlds‘ third season just featured an episode set on a planet inhabited by ravenous, mindless zombies. The blueprint for it all is in “The Man Trap,” the story of a woman who was killed and had her killer take her place by her husband’s side.
All episodes of Star Trek are available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
- Release Date
-
1966 – 1969-00-00
- Showrunner
-
Gene Roddenberry
- Directors
-
Marc Daniels, Joseph Pevney, Ralph Senensky, Vincent McEveety, Herb Wallerstein, Jud Taylor, Marvin J. Chomsky, David Alexander, Gerd Oswald, Herschel Daugherty, James Goldstone, Robert Butler, Anton Leader, Gene Nelson, Harvey Hart, Herbert Kenwith, James Komack, John Erman, John Newland, Joseph Sargent, Lawrence Dobkin, Leo Penn, Michael O’Herlihy, Murray Golden
- Writers
-
D.C. Fontana, Jerome Bixby, Arthur Heinemann, David Gerrold, Jerry Sohl, Oliver Crawford, Robert Bloch, David P. Harmon, Don Ingalls, Paul Schneider, Shimon Wincelberg, Steven W. Carabatsos, Theodore Sturgeon, Jean Lisette Aroeste, Art Wallace, Adrian Spies, Barry Trivers, Don Mankiewicz, Edward J. Lakso, Fredric Brown, George Clayton Johnson, George F. Slavin, Gilbert Ralston, Harlan Ellison
Exes Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula are raising eyebrows after reuniting — and seemingly having a blast together — after taping the In the City reunion.
The estranged couple, who announced their split in January, were photographed on Thursday, June 11, exiting a New York City studio after filming the season 1 reunion of their Bravo show.
In one photo, Kyle, 43, and Amanda, 34, both had big smiles on their faces and were laughing. Amanda appeared to be playfully slapping Kyle’s hand in the picture, which People published on Friday, June 12.
Amanda, who is now dating her and Kyle’s Summer House costar West Wilson, was wearing calf-high suede boots, striped booty shorts and a chambray shirt on the sunny day.
Kyle Cooke and estranged wife Amanda Batula made their first public appearance together since their drama with Summer House costar West Wilson erupted earlier this year. The former couple — who announced their separation in January — posed together on the red carpet at the New York City premiere for their Summer House spinoff show, […]
Kyle, meanwhile, wore a white button-down shirt, matching white slacks, suede loafers and carried an orange suit coat in his hand.
In a second picture, the exes once again appeared to be joking around and laughing as Kyle lightly wrapped his arm around Amanda’s back.
“I can tell that it’s staged but there isn’t enough #InTheCity promo in the world that would make me excuse this fake s***,” one user wrote via X while reposting the images. “I’m telling you now, if he takes her back I’m done with everybody. ‘Protecting’ Amanda has been Kyle’s control tactic. #SummerHouse.”
Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke. Courtesy of Kyle Cooke/Instagram
Another user tweeted, “I am all for exes being cordial and friendly, this seems a bit far….. he has this weird protective nature towards her that some of us see as being manipulated and/or gaslit. I suspect it is rooted in guilt.”
“UGGHHH!!!! Something is off with this s*** … my brain is sensing we’ve all been dooped here!! 🤣,” a separate user wrote in the comments section of People’s Instagram post. “I need to see all the moving parts DAMMIT!!!”
Another commenter replied, “Does this infuriate anyone else?”
Fans’ frustration over seeing Kyle and Amanda acting cordial comes just days after the three-part Summer House reunion came to an end on Tuesday, June 9, in which the cast called out Amanda and West, 31, for starting a romance behind everyone’s back.
As Summer House viewers know, Kyle and Amanda were married four years before they announced in January that they’d parted ways.
One month later, Amanda sparked rumors that she was hooking up with West after the pair were spotted together on several occasions. (West, for his part, dated Amanda’s former BFF Ciara Miller in 2023 and was cozy with her during summer and fall 2025.)
On March 31, Amanda and West confirmed their romantic relationship sending shockwaves through the cast and the Bravoverse.
The cast reunited in April to film the reunion, which aired from late May through Tuesday’s episode.
Summer House fans called out Amanda Batula and West Wilson’s touchy-feely dynamic before the costars confirmed their romance. While most eyes were on Kyle Cooke after he called Amanda a “f***ing dumbass bitch” during the March 24 episode of Summer House, some were fixated on how West, 31, jumped in to defend Amanda, 34, and […]
“We are not using the word ‘love’ right now,” West revealed during part 3 of the reunion, revealing that he had been “monogamous” with Amanda since they released their statement.
After both West and Amanda alleged that they didn’t hook up in 2025, Kyle called out West for his betrayal, saying, “I considered you one of the best things to happen to this show because I considered you one of my best friends.”
Kyle admitted when he and Amanda broke up “it was not a good marriage,” but took issue with West “completely” isolating Amanda by pursuing her when she was “vulnerable.”
“I hope that one day probably not all of these friendships will be mended but I do hope some of them can be. That’s a main priority,” West claimed at the end of the reunion, while he and Amanda said they wanted to continue to pursue their relationship.
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
It’s been a bad year for Doctor Who fans. First, Disney declined to renew their deal with the BBC, meaning that no new seasons featuring Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor. Originally, fans still had a Christmas Special to look forward to, but the BBC revealed this week that the special was canceled and they had parted ways with showrunner Russell T. Davies and his production company. That means the show will be off the air for years as the BBC tries to find a new showrunner, a new lead actor, and (most importantly) a new production company that could finance a relatively expensive, effects-heavy show like Doctor Who.
Understandably, the fandom is upset that we’ll be without new Doctor Who for several long years. Fans are also angry because the cancellation of the show and the Christmas Special means we won’t get a follow-up to the big reveal at the end of the most recent season. That last episode showed Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor somehow regenerating into Billie Piper’s Rose character. Now, we may never figure out what was up with that or another major cliffhanger involving the Doctor’s granddaughter. There may be a silver lining to the show’s cancellation, though: thanks to some parallel dialogue involving a favorite Companion, the show begins and ends on perfect notes!
War Of The Roses
Why are fans so angry that we won’t be getting new Doctor Who anytime soon? The main source of annoyance is that the most recent season laid out some huge mysteries that will likely never pay off. For instance, Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, appeared and told the Doctor to find her. This is a character that hadn’t appeared onscreen in decades, so her reappearance made for a tantalizing mystery. Additionally, Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor regenerated into the body of Rose (played by Billie Piper). It’s not explained why this happened or whether she is really the Doctor or not. That’s yet another mystery likely to go forever unsolved.
However, thanks to the untimely cancellation of the 2005 Doctor Who series, the show accidentally has the perfect beginning and ending. In the debut episode “Rose,” the titular character has the very first line, saying “Bye!” to her mother. And in the final episode, “The Reality War,” the Doctor regenerates into Rose’s body, and she gets the final word of an entire era: “Hello!” Obviously, there’s some weird parallelism between the episodes, with the same character bidding goodbye to someone she knows in the very beginning and saying hello to everyone she doesn’t know at the end. Given that Russell T. Davies was the showrunner for both these episodes, the similarities are likely intentional.
What’s It All Mean?
What could the similarities mean, though? Maybe the parallel dialogue is a hint that we are seeing the reappearance of her Bad Wolf form. Alternatively, the dialogue may be symbolic of the character’s journey. In “Rose,” she was all too happy to leave her mundane life behind to go on cosmic adventures with the Doctor. Bidding goodbye to her mother may symbolize her departure from normie life into an adulthood that spans all of time and space. Later, Rose embraced a normal life with a normal copy of the Doctor in a parallel universe. Maybe her older self’s “hello!” symbolizes her willingness to embrace timey-wimey adventures yet again.
Or, it could just be a coincidence. “Hello” and “goodbye” are very mundane words, and they may have been written simply to represent Rose’s comings and goings. Still, “The Reality War” helps create a perfect bookend for the 2005 era of Doctor Who. With the same character possibly talking to herself across the decades, the parallelism between this script and “Rose” means that Doctor Who has a perfect beginning and ending. Plus, mundane dialogue aside, each episode has a secret weapon: the sudden appearance of Billie Piper, one of the sexiest women in sci-fi history. Bad dialogue? Forget about it. When she’s onscreen, they can let this lovely lady say whatever she wants!
Prime Video’s Every Year After hinges on a shocking twist — but is the big secret actually related to another love triangle with two brothers?
Based on Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, Every Year After follows Percy (Sadie Soverall), who grew up vacationing in Barry’s Bay and spending all her time with the Florek brothers: Sam (Matt Cornett) and Charlie (Michael Bradway).
Warning: Spoilers below for season 1 of Every Year After.
Years after a heartbreaking split from Sam, the pair reunite, but something is holding Percy back from reconciling their relationship: she had sex with Charlie during a rough patch with Sam. In Fortune’s book, Sam reveals that he already found out about the shocking hookup.
Fans of Carley Fortune’s beloved book Every Summer After may notice a few changes to the storylines in the adapted Prime Video show, Every Year After. The story begins with Percy (Sadie Soverall) returning to Barry’s Bay after learning about the death of ex Sam’s (Matt Cornett) mom — and dealing with her lingering feelings […]
On screen, however, Sam is oblivious to Percy and Charlie’s one-night stand — which this time occurs after an official breakup while Sam is at college —and how it contributes to her cutting things off with him in the past.
Despite Percy having individual connections with both Florek brothers, Fortune addressed the people who compared Every Year After‘s surprise reveal to Prime Video’s other successful book to screen adaptation series The Summer I Turned Pretty, which followed Belly’s (Lola Tung) complicated love triangle with brothers Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) and Conrad (Chris Briney).
“It’s not about a person choosing between other people,” Fortune, 42, explained exclusively to Us Weekly of her story. “That’s what a love triangle is, when there is equal kind of tension in the triangle. It’s just not what it is. I think the show is very much about important places and those people and places that stay with us for many, many years. It’s about coming home.”
She continued, “It’s about how we grow and we evolve, but the younger versions of ourselves are always with us. I think it’s very tender.”
Fans of Off Campus and The Summer I Turned Pretty should be tuning into Prime Video’s Every Year After — but where will they recognize the cast from? Based on Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, Every Year After follows Percy (Sadie Soverall), who grew up vacationing in Barry’s Bay. After spending all her time […]
Aurora Perrineau, who plays Chantal in the series, also shared her take.
“I think it has the same yearning as The Summer I Turn Pretty, but I think it’s really not a love triangle,” she told Us. “I don’t think it’s a love triangle. I think, also, it’s just a bit more adult, because it’s about adults.”
Perrineau, 31, called Every Year After more of a “conversation of forgiveness” between Percy and Sam.
“I think it’s something that a lot of people — maybe not in the exact scenario have dealt with — but it is that thing of trying to understand how to forgive people and if you can,” she shared. “I think that that’s something that people will attach to.”
Every Year After is streaming now on Prime Video.
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Of all the Stranger Things characters I could possibly latch onto, I was always partial to ole Dusty Bun, portrayed by Gaten Matarazzo. He’s the only younger character throughout the entire series’ run who looked like he actually wanted to be on the adventure of a lifetime that everybody else seemed bored to death with by Season 5. Matarazzo brings that same energy to his most recent effort, Pizza Movie (2026), and it’s reason enough alone to check out the Hulu Original stoner comedy.
If you’re into the likes of Cheech & Chong, Harold & Kumar, and even some of the higher-quality Seth Rogen stuff, like Pineapple Express, you’ll feel right at home with Pizza Movie because it hits most of the beats you’re familiar with. Pizza Movie is ultimately a stoner comedy, but with one caveat: its protagonists aren’t your typical stoners. They’re just college roommates who occasionally like to party and accidentally eat a very powerful hallucinogen.
Don’t Get This Twisted, Pizza Movie Is Very Funny
Most of the comedy in Pizza Movie comes from its visual effects, twists in perspective, facial reactions, and constant escalation. What I didn’t understand, though, was why this had to be an attempt at reviving the raunchy college comedy. Aside from the setting, this movie, and the humor driving it, could have taken place anywhere. In all honesty, it probably would have worked better in a random suburban house while the parents were out of town rather than on what appears to be a mid-tier college campus.
We’re introduced to roommates Jack (Gaten Matarazzo) and Montgomery (Sean Giambrone), who are relentlessly bullied after an incident earlier in the semester in which the former accidentally got the entire football team listed on the sex offender registry. Every so often, they hang out with Lizzy (Lulu Wilson), who has also distanced herself in order to preserve her reputation.
Dejected and wondering what to do after their coveted bottle of booze is smashed by their tormentors, the roommates stumble upon what appears to be an Altoids tin with the word M.I.N.T.S. written on top. They later learn it stands for Mind Igniting Neural Tuning Stimulants. They each ingest one of the little candies and are horrified to discover they’re about to go on the trip of a lifetime, complete with hallucinations, alternate timelines, nightmare flashbacks, and revelations about the true nature of reality.
They also learn that eating pizza, which they ordered earlier, can counteract the drug, so they set out to retrieve their pie knowing full well they’ll have to navigate hallways, dorm rooms, and stairwells filled with the jocks who hate them, as well as power-tripping RAs led by Blake (Jack Martin), who are allergic to fun and trying to get enough underclassmen documented so they can ship them off to Gralk Hall, the worst house on campus.
Not knowing any of this, Lizzy, who initially tries purchasing a party bus to impress the jocks, also ingests M.I.N.T. and reluctantly joins up with Jack and Montgomery, who are well past the point of tripping face. The only way they can save themselves from a complete break from reality is the pizza being kept warm by the Snackatron 3000 delivery robot downstairs.
This Didn’t Need To Be A College Comedy
While Pizza Movie wins serious points for leaning so hard into absurdity and physical comedy, especially in the third act, I’m completely confused as to why it had to be a college movie. On one hand, it makes sense for the setup because you need a group of antagonists and a bunch of young people packed into one condensed space to make it all work, but this could have just as easily, and more effectively, taken place in a suburban neighborhood while somebody’s parents were out of town.
A group of bullies could show up, our heroes barricade themselves upstairs after eating a M.I.N.T. given to them by one of their guests, and then learn they need to ride their bikes across town to get a pizza. If anything, this would enhance the story because they could get lost in the woods or be tripping so hard that they think the jungle gym at the playground is actually a Saw-style murder castle. The humor feels limited by making this whole thing yet another “run through the quad screaming” kind of endeavor.
It’s also worth noting that this is the first movie I’ve seen in a hot minute where college is portrayed as an average state school or low-tier private school experience. The living spaces are overcrowded and claustrophobic, and it’s actually a fairly accurate representation of what college life is like for a majority of underclassmen. While films like Animal House and Van Wilder offer a more luxurious-looking experience where everybody lives in decked-out frat houses, what we get here is a dorm room shared by two, sometimes three people.
The classic raunchy college comedy made young adults think they were missing out on campus life. Pizza Movie makes me glad I commuted to the university and lived at home.
Still, as much as the college setting rubbed me the wrong way, Pizza Movie is a solid stoner comedy that successfully accomplishes what it sets out to do. It’s a drug-induced slapstick chase plot, and it’s done well.
Pizza Movie is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
Few fantasy heroes in the current culture are as immediately recognizable as Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived was at the center of one of the largest and most popular fantasy franchises that dominated both books and film for well over a decade, and it continues to be massively popular. Warner Bros. has invested a staggering amount of money into a new series adaptation of the novels, banking on fans having enough nostalgia for the character to make it worth the time, money, and effort. Whether or not that upcoming series is able to escape the shadow of the immensely successful films remains to be seen, but regardless, Harry Potter will remain an immensely beloved hero — that doesn’t mean he’s the most likable, though.
As portrayed by the very likable Daniel Radcliffe in eight films, the character received a fair amount of depth, portrayed with the emotional volatility of an adolescent going through growing pains but imbued with emotional maturity beyond his years. He could also be a whinging, self-centered muppet who was often given a gargantuan amount of leeway by some of the Hogwarts staff because of his traumatic past. You know who else suffered tragically at the hands of Voldemort yet continually got the crap end of the broom without ever acting like a stubborn jerk? Neville Longbottom. And just like Neville, other fantasy heroes are deserving of more praise than Harry bloody Potter, and these are ten of them.
Wesley (Cary Elwes) – ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)
Rob Reiner‘s fantasy comedy classic The Princess Bride is filled with likable and memorable characters. Every role is impeccably cast, and every actor gets a moment to shine. When a supporting cast is this colorful, it’s often that the blander hero gets left in the dust, but that’s certainly not the case for Carey Elwes‘ charming rogue Wesley. Quick-witted and even quicker with a sword, Westley is the kind of dashing and devoted hero that fantasy stories are filled with, further elevated by Elwes’ brilliant comedic timing and ability to balance self-awareness with genuine emotion. It’s the same magic that makes The Princess Bride such a timeless classic, and who wouldn’t rather have Wesley come to save them over Harry Potter?
Beginning as a humble farm boy hopelessly in love with the fair maiden Buttercup (Robin Wright), Wesley goes missing and returns years later to find her unfortunately betrothed to Chris Sarandon‘s comically loathsome Prince Humperdinck. He fights with his wits and his brains to save Buttercup, all with a smirk and charm reminiscent of the classic screen heroes played by Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks. Elwes is perfectly cast as Wesley, and while he’d amp up the comedic absurdity to parodic levels for his role in Mel Brooks‘ Robin Hood: Men in Tights, he’s never been more likable.
Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) – ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)
You can’t bring up The Princess Bride without talking about its true hero, Inigo Montoya. As a revenge-driven swordsman who goes from criminal to drunken wretch to reinvigorated hero, Montoya is never anything less than compelling, and is made immensely likable by Mandy Patinkin’s iconic performance. He is at the center of some of The Princess Bride’s most memorable scenes, whether it’s his charming first swordfight with Wesley, the comedy gold of haggling with Miracle Max, or his emotionally climactic duel with the six-fingered man who killed his father.
When introduced as one third of the criminal trio that includes Wallace Shawn‘s temperamental and loquacious Vizzini and Andre the Giant‘s gentle giant Fezzik, Montoya seems to be just another roguish swashbuckler. It’s when he reveals his backstory to Westley that we understand the full depth of his pain, which Patinkin plays with absolute sincerity. The character’s famous repeated line is delivered with conviction every time, and the actor brings a different flavor to it every time. He’s ferociously funny, unexpectedly moving, and undeniably likable. In a movie where every character is a classic, Inigo Montoya reigns supreme.
Willow (Warwick Davis) – ‘Willow’ (1988)
Developed by producer George Lucas and directed by steady hand Ron Howard, the ’80s fantasy cult film Willow may not have left a cultural footprint remotely close to the size of the Harry Potter franchise, but it’s beloved by its fans and features a terrific lead performance by the tremendously likable Warwick Davis. The actor originally got his start playing the fan favorite Ewok Wicket in Return of the Jedi and has appeared in all kinds of sci-fi and fantasy franchises, including Harry Potter. The actor is awesome and underutilized, and Willow is one of his best characters.
Willow is a Bilbo Baggins-esque figure from a town of little people referred to as Nelwyn, who has adventure thrust upon him when he discovers a baby prophesied to bring down an evil sorceress. She sends her legions to kill the child, so Willow reluctantly leads an expedition to return the child to safety. In his quest, Willow is joined by the roguish anti-hero Madmartigan (Val Kilmer), and a lesser actor would have been blown off the screen by the movie star. Yet Davis imbues Willow with a decency that makes him infectiously likable. While not a success at the box office, Willow has more than enough magic to take on the star of the Wizarding World.
Edward (Johnny Depp) – ‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990)
There’s something about pure innocence that makes a character impossible not to like, and there are few fantasy heroes more innocent than the titular character in Tim Burton‘s suburban fairytale Edward Scissorhands. The juxtaposition between Burton’s gothic design of the character, created in collaboration with Stan Winston, and Johnny Depp‘s gentle childlike performance gives Edward an ethereal quality that permeates the entire movie around him. In many ways, Edward is the quintessential Tim Burton protagonist, a tragic hero whose purity was too good for the rest of the world, ultimately dooming him to a life of solitude.
Left alone in a castle after his creator (Vincent Price) dies, Edward is found by Dianne Wiest‘s kindly Avon lady, who brings him to her pastel home in the suburbs. Despite her and the rest of her family’s attempts to integrate Edward into their so-called normal society, jealousy and fear spread among the suburbanites. Burton excels at films featuring misfits who fail to conform, whether it’s Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas or the titular character in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, but Edward is his most clearly autobiographical. Burton treats this misfit with an even greater level of empathy and warmth, and the character is by far his most likable hero.
Babe the Pig (Christine Cavanaugh) – ‘Babe’ (1995)
In fairness to Harry Potter, when it comes to likability, it’s hard to compete with a talking pig. Even so, speech is no guarantee that a pig is going to be likable; just look at the villains from Animal Farm or the titular character of Gordy. That latter had the misfortune of coming out only a few months prior to Babe, and has forever lived in the charming, sheep-herding piglet’s shadow. There’s an alchemy in the combination of animal performers, animatronics, and the voice of Christine Cavanaugh that is special, even among other cinematic talking animals.
The film, which is based on the novel The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith, follows the orphaned piglet as he is brought to Hoggett Farm, where he’s prepped to become a ham dinner before he proves his worth as an unlikely sheep herder. It’s the kind of family-friendly fantasy film that could easily be cloying, but instead is just effortlessly charming, much like the titular pig. Canavanaugh, who is best known for voicing Chuckie in Rugrats and Dexter in Dexter’s Lab, brings a softer tone to the character, imbuing Babe with an earnestness that matches his lovable pink exterior. It’s not recommended that anyone should be trying to own pigs as house pets, but it’s not hard to see why they would want to after watching this little porcine charmer.
Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) – ‘The Lord of the Rings’ (2001-2003)
Everybody needs a friend like Samwise Gamgee. This Hobbit from The Lord of the Rings was considered the chief hero of the trilogy by its author J.R.R. Tolkien, and that is reflected in his screen portrayal by Sean Astin in Peter Jackson‘s epic film adaptations. With an unwavering loyalty and moral conviction that even the power of the One Ring can’t corrupt, Samwise is the platonic ideal of a sidekick, but he’s so much more than just that for Frodo. Without Sam, it’s undeniable that Frodo likely would have succumbed to the influence of Sauron and all of Middle-earth would have fallen.
There are a dozen different moments of Sam’s heroism that you could pick out as his best, whether it’s his stubborn refusal to let Frodo go it alone in The Fellowship of the Ring, his inspiring speech at the end of The Two Towers, or his defiant face-off with the giant spider Shelob in The Return of the King. Most fans would likely list his final heroic act of carrying Frodo into Mount Doom at the climax of their journey, but there’s also something quietly special in the moment Sam takes his furthest steps out of the Shire at the beginning. The Hobbit has no idea of what perils await him, but he’s ready to face all of them for his friend. Samwise is one of the best fantasy heroes, and Astin’s inherent likability made him the perfect choice for the character.
Buddy (WillFerrell) – ‘Elf’ (2003)
Will Ferrell is one of the most gifted comedic talents to come out of the ’90s. Beyond his character work on Saturday Night Live, the actor proved a consistently hilarious presence in movies in the 2000s. While most of his characters were of the more arrogant variety, like Ron Burgundy and Ricky Bobby, he also gave audiences an all-time icon with the impossible-to-dislike Buddy in the Christmas fantasy favorite Elf. Fish-out-of-water stories like this often become dull because they repeat the same jokes ad nauseam, but Ferrell has such an infectious and lovable energy to his performance that it makes his antics endlessly entertaining.
Buddy is a human child who hitched a ride in Santa’s bag one Christmas, and has since been raised as an elf in the North Pole. When he discovers his true parentage, he makes a pilgrimage to New York City to meet his real father, played by professional curmudgeon James Caan. Ferrell makes jokes as broad as eating gum stuck to a subway entrance or as simple as pressing all the buttons in an elevator effortlessly, and they all feel tied to who Buddy is as a character. He’s filled with wonder and endlessly curious about the world around him, and we could all stand to be a little bit more like Buddy.
Giselle (Amy Adams) – ‘Enchanted’ (2007)
A character who shares more than a few qualities with Buddy, Enchanted‘s Giselle is a bubbly princess transplanted from her magical kingdom to New York City, where her infectious energy and musical spirit enchant every character she meets. It’s another character that could become grating in the hands of a different actor, but Amy Adams weaponizes her charm to make Giselle lovable and aspirational. She sings and dances across the screen in a manner befitting a Disney princess, and Adams is guileless in the role.
Like many Disney princesses before her, Giselle dreams of meeting her Prince Charming and living happily ever after, but after she’s transported into the real world, she meets a dreamy divorce attorney who challenges her optimism. Like Buddy or Edward Scissorhands, Giselle is a magical character who instigates more growth in those around her than they do in her, but just because she doesn’t have any more dimension than her 2D animated counterparts doesn’t make her any less endearing. Adams is incapable of being insincere as an actress, and she makes Giselle truly feel like she’s stepped out of an animated fantasy.
Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) – ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ (2010)
Hiccup from the How to Train Your Dragon franchise probably has the most outward similarities with Harry Potter. Both are young protagonists who exist in magical worlds and have had extraordinary expectations placed on their shoulders. While Harry wants nothing more than to live up to the example set by his heroic parents, Hiccup finds himself directly at odds with what his father expects from him. It’s that distinction that makes Hiccup all the more compelling in his first adventure. He’s empathetic, courageous, intelligent and awkwardly charming, all of which makes him eminently likable.
Voiced by Jay Baruchel, Hiccup is the antithesis to his heroic Viking father Stoick (Gerard Butler), the leader and dragonslayer of their village. Hiccup is a more intellectual sort who invents weapons to fight the winged beasts, one of which helps him down an infamously dangerous dragon. Upon discovering that the feared Night Fury is a gentle animal, he bonds with it, giving it the name Toothless, and together they try to bring peace between their two species. How to Train Your Dragon was an unexpected masterpiece from DreamWorks, featuring some breathtaking visuals, spectacular action and surprising emotional depth, and it all rests on its unlikely but likable hero.
Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) – ‘Encanto’ (2021)
Encanto is a fantasy musical with vibrant visuals and instantly memorable songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It explores themes of family identity and generational trauma through magical realism and Colombian culture, which informs all of its characters, including its hero. Voiced by Stephanie Beatriz, Mirabel is an ordinary girl living in a magical world. As the only Madrigal without a magical gift, Mirabel should have a mountain-sized chip on her shoulder, especially given the constant reminders that she isn’t “special.” Instead, the bubbly, quirky character takes it all in stride, even though she feels excluded from her family.
Mirabel’s exclusion is only exacerbated when she begins to see fractures in the magic that built her family’s home and gave them their powers. Her attempts to save her family are thwarted not by some malevolent evil force or character, but by her demanding Abuela. The familial struggle within Encanto is relatable regardless of the cultural specificity of the story, and Mirabel is likewise a relatable hero with all the quirks and flaws inherent to a teenager, even one without magical family members. Beatriz brings both a bubbly energy and an impressive vocal range in her performance, making Mirabel an irresistible character who shows Harry Potter that you don’t need magic to be magical.
Business3 minutes ago
Weekly Commentary: SpaceX And A Z.1 (Q1 2026)
Crypto World4 minutes ago
Major Crypto Exchanges Withdraw SpaceX IPO Allocation Orders
Sports6 minutes ago
World Cup co-hosts US thrash Paraguay in dominant Group D opener
-
NewsBeat5 days agoAlexander Zverev wins the French Open to finally earn a 1st Grand Slam title
-
Entertainment6 days agoThe Best Mystery Series of All Time Is Surging on Streaming 30 Years After It Ended
-
Crypto World5 days agoAnatomy of the June crypto crash: Fed, Iran, Saylor
-
Crypto World2 days agoOppenheimer backs SpaceX as $70 billion retail frenzy builds
-
Crypto World2 days agoMarkets Rally as SpaceX IPO Looms Amid Iran Tensions and Inflation Surge
-
Crypto World7 days agoSenator Cynthia Lummis Calls CLARITY Act the Most Consequential Financial Legislation of This Generation
-
NewsBeat6 days agoAlexander Zverev conquers demons and outlasts Flavio Cobolli to win French Open for first major title
-
Tech6 days agoMicrosoft unveils seven homegrown AI models in new bid for ‘long term self-sufficiency’
-
Business5 days agoHigh Stakes for Wembanyama as New York Pushes for 3-0 Lead
-
Tech5 days agoNotion restores access to Anthropic after service disruption
-
Business6 days agoThe Pain Points Taking a Fragile Tech Rally Down a Notch
-
Crypto World5 days agoEli Lilly (LLY) Stock Surges 4% Following Breakthrough Sleep Apnea Trial Results
-
Business6 days agoThe investment to transform historic St Helen’s ground in Swansea
-
Crypto World6 days agoTrump’s AI Ownership Plan Could Benefit Anthropic at OpenAI’s Expense
-
Business7 days agoForensic Expert Floats Handyman Theory in Disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s Mother
-
Sports4 days agoBangladesh beat Australia after 20 years in ODIs, register only their second win over six-time world champions | Cricket News
-
Tech7 hours agoNanoClaw integrates JFrog registries to secure AI agent downloads
-
Tech17 hours agoThis Week In Security: Microsoft On Microsoft, Register Your Domains, Linux On ARM, And FreeBSD Joins The File Cache Club
-
Politics2 days agoPolitics Home | Healey Resignation Is “Colossal Failure Of Government”, Says Former Labour Defence Secretary
-
Sports2 days agoFirst Time Since 1971: Australia Register Historic Low In ODI Cricket
You must be logged in to post a comment Login