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Entertainment

10 Fantasy Movie Heroes More Likable Than Harry Potter

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The Princess Bride (1987) - Cary Elwes stands proudly in his pirate disguise

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.

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Wesley (Cary Elwes) – ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

The Princess Bride (1987) - Cary Elwes stands proudly in his pirate disguise Image via 20th Century Studios

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 BrooksRobin Hood: Men in Tights, he’s never been more likable.

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Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) – ‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya in a fighting pose among stone ruins in The Princess Bride.
Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya in a fighting pose among stone ruins in The Princess Bride.
Image via 20th Century Studios

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.

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Willow (Warwick Davis) – ‘Willow’ (1988)

Warwick Davis as Willow spreading his arms in joy in Willow.
Warwick Davis as Willow spreading his arms in joy in Willow.
Image via MGM

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.













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Collider Exclusive · Middle-earth Quiz
Which Lord of the Rings
Character Are You?

One Quiz · Ten Questions · Your Fate Revealed
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The road goes ever on. From the green hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Ten questions stand between you and the truth of who you are. Answer honestly — the One Ring has a way of revealing what we most want to hide.

💍Frodo

🌿Samwise

👑Aragorn

🔥Gandalf

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🏹Legolas

⚒️Gimli

👁️Sauron

🪨Gollum

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01

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You are handed a responsibility that could destroy you. What do you do?
The weight of the world falls on unlikely shoulders.




02

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Your closest companion is heading into terrible danger. You:
True loyalty is revealed not in comfort, but in crisis.




03

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Enormous power is within your reach. Your instinct is:
Power corrupts — but only those who reach for it.




04

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What does “home” mean to you?
Where we long to return reveals who we truly are.




05

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When a battle is upon you, your approach is:
War reveals what we are made of — whether we like it or not.




06

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Someone comes to you for advice in their darkest hour. You:
Wisdom is not knowing all the answers — it’s knowing which questions to ask.




07

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How do you see yourself, honestly?
Self-knowledge is the most dangerous kind.




08

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Which of these best describes your relationship with the natural world?
Middle-earth speaks to those who know how to listen.




09

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You encounter a wretched, pitiable creature who has done terrible things. You:
How we treat the fallen reveals the height of our character.




10

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When the quest is over and the songs are sung, what do you hope they say about you?
In the end, we are all just stories.




The Fellowship Has Spoken
Your Place in Middle-earth
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The scores below reveal your true character. Your highest number is your match. Even a tie tells a story — the Fellowship was never made of simple people.

💍
Frodo

🌿
Samwise

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👑
Aragorn

🔥
Gandalf

🏹
Legolas

⚒️
Gimli

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👁️
Sauron

🪨
Gollum

You carry something heavy — and you carry it alone, even when you don’t have to. You were not born for greatness, and that is precisely why greatness chose you. Your courage is not the roaring, sword-swinging kind; it is quiet, stubborn, and terrifying in its refusal to quit. The Ring weighs on you more than anyone can see, and still you walk toward the fire. That is not weakness. That is the rarest kind of strength there is.

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You are, without question, the best of them. Not the most powerful, not the most celebrated — but the most essential. Your loyalty is not a trait; it is a force of nature. You would carry the person you love up the slopes of Mount Doom if it came to that, and we both know you’d do it without being asked. The world needs more people like you, and the world is lucky it has even one.

You were born to lead, and you have spent years running from it. The crown is yours by right, but you know better than anyone that right means nothing without the will and the worthiness to back it up. You are tempered by loss, shaped by long roads, and defined by a code of honour you hold to even when no one is watching. When you finally step forward, the world shifts. Because it was always waiting for you.

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You have seen more than you let on, and you say less than you know — which is exactly as it should be. You are a catalyst: you do not fight the battles yourself, you ignite the people who can. Your wisdom comes not from books but from an age of watching what happens when it is ignored. You arrive precisely when you mean to, and your presence alone changes what is possible. A wizard is never late.

Graceful, perceptive, and almost preternaturally calm under pressure — you see things others miss and act before others react. You do not need to make a scene to be remarkable; your presence speaks for itself. You are loyal to those you choose to stand beside, and that choice is not made lightly. You have lived long enough to know that the most beautiful things in this world are also the most fragile, and that is why you fight to protect them.

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You are loud, proud, and absolutely formidable — and beneath all of that is one of the most fiercely loyal hearts in Middle-earth. You don’t do anything by half measures. Your friendships are forged like iron, your grudges run as deep as mines, and your courage in battle is the kind that makes legends. You came into this fellowship suspicious of everyone and ended it willing to die for an elf. That is not a small thing. That is everything.

You think in centuries and act in absolutes. Order, dominion, control — not because you are cruel by nature, but because you have decided that the world left to itself always falls apart, and you are the only one with the vision and the will to hold it together. You were not always this. Something was lost, or taken, or betrayed, and the version of you that stands now is the answer to that wound. The tragedy is that you’re not entirely wrong — just entirely too far gone to course-correct.

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You are a study in contradiction — pitiable and dangerous, cunning and broken, capable of both cruelty and something that once resembled love. You are defined by loss: of innocence, of self, of the one thing that gave your existence meaning. Two voices war inside you constantly, and the tragedy is that the better one sometimes wins, just not often enough, and never at the right moment. You are a warning, yes — but also a mirror. We are all a little Gollum, given the right ring and enough time.

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Edward (Johnny Depp) – ‘Edward Scissorhands’ (1990)

Peg gets a haircut from Edward in Edward Scissorhands.
Dianne Wiest gets a haircut by Johnny Depp as Edward in Edward Scissorhands.
Image via 20th Century Studios
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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)

Babe the piglet standing in a field in Babe
Babe the piglet standing in a field in Babe
Image via Universal Studios
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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.

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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-Buddy-The-Elf
Will Ferrell as Buddy in ‘Elf’
Image via New Line Cinema

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.

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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)

Amy Adams as Giselle on a balcony in a large wedding dress with a dreamy expression on her face in Enchanted.
Amy Adams as Giselle on a balcony in a large wedding dress with a dreamy expression on her face in Enchanted.
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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.

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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 flying Toothless in 'How to Train Your Dragon'
Hiccup flying Toothless in ‘How to Train Your Dragon’
Image via DreamWorks Animation

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.

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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)

Mirabel in Disney's Encanto
Mirabel in Disney’s Encanto
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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.

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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.

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Entertainment

10 Must-Watch Surrealist Horror Movies Better Than ‘Backrooms’

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Nathan Gardner, played by actor Nicolas Cage, looks disturbed while bathed in purple light in Color Out Of Space.

It’s tremendous what Kane Parsons has achieved with Backrooms. At only 20 years old, not only is Parsons the youngest-ever director of an A24 film, nor only is he responsible for the indie studio’s highest-grossing film to date. There’s also the fact that the movie’s theatrical run is not even remotely close to over, yet Parsons is already far and away the youngest director ever to make a film that grossed over $200 million dollars at the box office.

But as great as Backrooms may be, and as satisfying as its commercial success has been so far, by no means is it the greatest surrealist horror movie ever made. In fact, those who loved the oddness and “elevated horror” feeling of avant-garde artistry that Parsons threw into his film thankfully have a certain ten masterpieces that they should check out as soon as possible.

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10

‘Color Out of Space’ (2019)

Nathan Gardner, played by actor Nicolas Cage, looks disturbed while bathed in purple light in Color Out Of Space.
Nathan Gardner, played by actor Nicolas Cage, looks disturbed while bathed in purple light in Color Out Of Space.
Image via RLJE Films

H. P. Lovecraft is one of the most important voices in the history of weird fiction, a genre of speculative fiction that has a lot in common with surrealism. As such, many of the most memorable surrealist horror movies that have been made over the years have been Lovecraft adaptations. Case in point: Richard Stanley‘s Color Out of Space, one of the most essential cosmic horror movies ever.

Nicolas Cage has been making some delightfully bizarre career choices over the course of the last decade, and this is one of his best. Delectably pulpy and reveling in its gonzo influences, Color Out of Space is the sort of horror/sci-fi B-picture that Hollywood doesn’t really make anymore. It’s colorful, it’s scary, and it’s every bit as weird as any Backrooms fan could possibly ask for.

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9

‘The Lighthouse’ (2019)

Willem Dafoe as Thomas Wake and Robert Pattinson as Thomas Howard in The Lighthouse.
Willem Dafoe as Thomas Wake and Robert Pattinson as Thomas Howard in The Lighthouse.
Image via A24

Robert Eggers has cemented himself as one of the greatest horror directors currently working in Hollywood, and the masterpiece that really left no doubt of that status was The Lighthouse. Another A24 horror movie that all Backrooms fans should check out, this black-and-white masterpiece is imbued with elements of dark comedy and homoeroticism that are impossible to not be fascinated by.

The Lighthouse is one of the most perfect movies of the last 10 years, a brilliant re-imagining of Edgar Allan Poe‘s unfinished story of the same name. Full of striking visuals, thought-provoking symbolism, and moments of powerhouse acting by Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson at the top of their game, it’s the nearly-flawless work of an auteur in full control of his craft.

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8

‘Seconds’ (1966)

Robert Mitchum and other actors in a scene in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo 1944
Robert Mitchum and other actors in a scene in Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo 1944
Image via MGM

In one of the most genius examples of meta-casting in the history of 20th-century Hollywood, Rock Hudson, a cult-favorite actor known for his hidden gay identity during Hollywood’s Golden Age, was cast in John Frankenheimer‘s Seconds as a character abandoning and concealing his true self. It’s one of those forgotten classics that have aged like fine wine, an exceptional sci-fi neo-noir masterpiece unlike any other.

It’s a cult-classic well-known not just for Hudson’s performance, but also for Frankenheimer’s airtight direction and DP James Wong Howe’s stunning camerawork. It’s a masterclass in paranoid psychological horror, a harrowing gem whose bleak, subversive message on the American Dream has aged perfectly. Deeply disorienting and hallucinatory in its surrealism, it’s an underrated classic that far more people should be familiar with.

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7

‘The Wolf House’ (2018)

A young girl lying on a couch with two pigs in The Wolf House
A young girl lying on a couch with two pigs in The Wolf House
Image via Globo Rojo Films 

The Chilean avant-garde stop-motion horror gem The Wolf House is the only proof anyone should need that animation isn’t always for kids. It’s one of the heaviest animated movies ever made, based on the horrifying true case of Colonia Dignidad, an isolated colony established in post-World War II Chile by emigrant Germans notorious for the internment, torture, and murder of Augusto Pinochet dissidents.

It’s a truly disturbing true story to base a movie on, but debuting directors Cristobal León and Joaquín Cociña treat the subject with profound yet harrowing sensitivity. Hugely experimental, psychologically complex, and disturbingly surreal, it’s proof of just how effective the stop-motion medium can be when it comes to delivering an unforgettable horror story.

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6

‘The Devils’ (1971)

Dudley Sutton has creepy shadows across his face in The Devils (1971).
Dudley Sutton has creepy shadows across his face in The Devils (1971).
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Ken Russell‘s horror drama The Devils is one of the most infamous horror cult classics of all time, a dramatized historical account of the Loudun possessions. Due to its graphic portrayal of violent and sexual content, often very overtly blasphemous, the movie originally received an X rating in both the United Kingdom and the United States, being banned in many countries.

That may have been an issue back then, but nowadays, having been banned throughout the world is a badge of honor that practically guarantees a horror film’s cult status, The Devils being no exception. Exploring themes of corruption and sexual repression through a nightmarishly surreal visual style, the whole thing feels hallucinatory in all sorts of fascinating ways.

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5

‘The Cremator’ (1969)

Karel (Rudolf Hrušínský) looks at the camera in The Cremator.
Karel (Rudolf Hrušínský) looks at the camera in The Cremator.
Image via Janus Films

There are many countries that no longer exist but which produced some of the greatest films of their time, and Czechoslovakia in particular has one of the strongest filmographies of any European country of the 20th century. A perfect example of that fact is Juraj Herz‘s The Cremator, one of the best World War II horror movies ever made, a cult classic that’s among the highest-rated horror films in history on Letterboxd.

A chilling depiction of the rise of Nazism that portrays extremist indoctrination in profoundly thought-provoking ways.

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It’s one of the most powerful films ever made about the banality of evil, a chilling depiction of the rise of Nazism that portrays extremist indoctrination in profoundly thought-provoking ways. The way it employs surrealism to generate an atmosphere of nightmarish dread is as effective as it is perfectly calculated, relying on a tone equal parts hypnotic and disorienting that fans of Backrooms will surely love.

4

‘House’ (1977)

House - 1977 Image via Toho
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There are plenty of cult classics that deserve more fans, and the Japanese comedy horror gem House is definitely among them. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, it stars mostly amateur actors and is anchored by a score performed by the Japanese rock band Godiego. Originally commissioned by Toho Studios as a film trying to replicate the unparalleled success of 1975’s Jaws, it transformed into a kind of phenomenon all of its own.

House is absurdly hilarious and ridiculously surreal in ways that you can’t really see in any other horror movie, blending hyper-stylized live-action with pop-art animation that results in a nightmarish yet cartoonish fever dream. It’s definitely far more over-the-top and far funnier than Backrooms, but people who enjoyed the more logic-defying elements of Kane Parson’s grasp on horror surrealism will definitely find something to enjoy here.

3

‘Jacob’s Ladder’ (1990)

Tim Robbins looking terrified with a machine strapped to his head in Jacob's Ladder.
Tim Robbins looking terrified with a machine strapped to his head in Jacob’s Ladder.
Image via Tri-Star Pictures
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Adrian Lyne‘s psychological horror film Jacob’s Ladder is far and away one of the greatest Hollywood horror films of the ’90s, a cult classic that deserves far more fans than it has. Touching on themes of trauma, grief, and spirituality, it explores the mind’s attempts to make sense of death through a surrealist atmosphere that feels as fitting as it does chilling.

It functions perfectly as both an anti-war drama and a deeply philosophical character study, all while looking delectably mind-bending and portraying its protagonist’s fractured state of mind in all sorts of stunning ways. Hugely original and feverishly bizarre, it’s an absolutely visceral surrealist masterpiece that all those who love disturbing horror will find perfectly satisfying.

2

‘Perfect Blue’ (1997)

A distressed woman with blood on her face in Perfect Blue.
A distressed woman with blood on her face in Perfect Blue.
Image via Rex Entertainment
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Satoshi Kon was one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers of his generation, a master of the anime medium who tragically left us far too soon due to pancreatic cancer. But before his passing, he left behind a legacy of some of the greatest anime movies of his time. That includes Perfect Blue, which is one of those animated classics that have aged like fine wine.

Its psychological horror at its most disturbing, and though Kon is very patient in how and when he deploys the movie’s surreal elements, this is still a must-see for fans of mind-bending horror. Kon slowly starts to weaponize these surreal elements to simulate the psychological breakdown of its protagonist, imbuing the film with a dreamlike atmosphere that’s as chilling as it is emotionally effective.

1

‘Eraserhead’ (1977)

Jack Nance as Henry in Eraserhead close-up black-and-white shot.
Jack Nance as Henry in Eraserhead close-up black-and-white shot.
Image via Libra Films International
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After Luis Bueñuel, who is almost undeniably the grandfather of cinematic surrealism, there is no surrealist filmmaker more important or more groundbreaking than David Lynch. He’s a director with a massive cult following all of his own, and you could tell from very early on in his career just how talented he was—from his debut, in fact. Eraserhead is far and away one of the greatest debut horror films of all time.

The black-and-white visuals are unforgettable, the sound design is absolutely masterful, Jack Nance‘s lead performance is flawless, and Lynch’s direction is beyond perfect. This is easily one of the most surreal horror movies of all time, and that surrealism is in service of a story about the paralyzing fears and anxieties of fatherhood. Packed with the same kind of twisted subversions of Americana, heavy use of body horror, and nightmarish dream logic that would soon come to define the term “Lynchian,” Eraserhead is the best surrealist horror film that a Backrooms fan could possibly watch.



















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Collider Exclusive · Horror Survival Quiz
Which Horror Villain Do You Have the Best Chance of Surviving?
Jason Voorhees · Michael Myers · Freddy Krueger · Pennywise · Chucky

Five killers. Five completely different ways to die — if you’re not smart enough, fast enough, or self-aware enough to avoid it. Only one of them is the villain your particular set of instincts gives you a fighting chance against. Eight questions will figure out which one.

🏕️Jason

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🔪Michael

💤Freddy

🎈Pennywise

🪆Chucky

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01

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Something feels wrong. You can’t explain it — you just know. What do you do?
First instincts are the difference between the survivor and the first act casualty.





02

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Where are you most likely to find yourself when things go wrong?
Setting is everything in horror. Where you are determines which rules apply.





03

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What is your most reliable survival asset?
Every survivor has a quality the villain didn’t account for. What’s yours?





04

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What kind of fear is hardest for you to fight through?
Knowing your weakness is the first step to not dying because of it.





05

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You’re with a group when things start going wrong. What’s your role?
Horror movies are brutally clear about who survives group situations and who doesn’t.





06

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What’s the horror movie mistake you’re most likely to make?
Honest self-assessment is a survival skill. Denial is not.





07

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What’s your best weapon against something that can’t be stopped by conventional means?
Every horror villain has a weakness. The survivors are always the ones who find it.





08

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It’s the final scene. You’re the last one standing. How did you make it?
The final survivor always has a reason. What’s yours?





Your Survival Odds Have Been Calculated
Your Best Chance Is Against…
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Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.


Camp Crystal Lake · Friday the 13th

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Jason Voorhees

Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.

  • He moves in straight lines toward his target. He doesn’t strategise, doesn’t adapt, doesn’t outsmart. He simply pursues.
  • Your ability to keep moving, use the environment, and resist the panic that freezes most victims gives you a genuine edge.
  • The Crystal Lake survivors were always the ones who stopped running in circles and started thinking about terrain, water, and distance.
  • You think like that. Which means Jason, for all his indestructibility, would face someone who simply refused to be where he expected.


Haddonfield, Illinois · Halloween

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Michael Myers

Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it’s too late for anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention.

  • But you are paying attention. You notice the shape in the window, the car parked slightly wrong, the silence where there should be sound.
  • Michael’s power lies in the invisibility of ordinary suburbia — the fact that nothing ever looks wrong until it already is.
  • Your spatial awareness and instinct to map every room, every exit, and every shadow before you need them is precisely the quality Laurie Strode had.
  • You are not a victim waiting to happen. You are someone who already suspects something is wrong — and acts on it.


Elm Street · A Nightmare on Elm Street

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Freddy Krueger

Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.

  • You are harder to destabilise than most. You’ve faced uncomfortable truths about yourself and you haven’t looked away.
  • The survivors on Elm Street were always the ones who understood what was happening and chose to face it rather than flee from it.
  • Freddy’s greatest weakness is that his power evaporates in the presence of someone who refuses to give him the fear he feeds on.
  • Your psychological resilience — the ability to stay grounded when reality itself becomes unreliable — is exactly the quality that keeps you alive here.


Derry, Maine · It

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Pennywise

Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.

  • The Losers Club didn’t survive because they were braver than everyone else. They survived because they faced their fears together, and faced them honestly.
  • You ask the questions others avoid. You look directly at what frightens you rather than turning away.
  • That directness — the refusal to let fear fester in the dark — is Pennywise’s worst nightmare.
  • It chose the wrong target when it chose you. You are exactly the kind of person whose fear tastes like nothing at all.


Chicago · Child’s Play

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Chucky

Chucky’s greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it’s already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.

  • You don’t have that gap. You take threats seriously regardless of how they present — and you never make the mistake of underestimating something because of its size or appearance.
  • Chucky relies on surprise, on the delay between recognition and response. You close that delay faster than almost anyone.
  • Your instinct to treat every unfamiliar thing with appropriate scepticism — rather than dismissing it because it seems absurd — is the exact quality that keeps you breathing.
  • Against Chucky, not laughing is already winning. You are very good at not laughing.

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Eraserhead


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Release Date

March 19, 1977

Runtime

89minutes

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Director

David Lynch

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Writers

David Lynch

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Sherri Shepherd says Milo Ventimiglia was fired from their unaired '90s sitcom

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The two were briefly costars on “Rewind,” a Fox sitcom starring Scott Baio as an advertising exec who frequently “rewinds” to his youth in the 1970s.

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Jane Seymour Breaks Silence On Her NSFW Proposal

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Jane Seymour and John Zambetti at the 2026 Oscar Wilde Awards: GREEN CARPET

It is not a Jane Seymour love story if it is not wild!

The British actress is preparing to walk down the aisle for the fifth time, and the process towards that came with all the exhilarating drama, with no clothes on.

Jane Seymour shared the news of her relationship with John Zambetti in 2023 via Instagram with a poolside picture, admitting that she had never been happier to find love with her new beau.

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Jane Seymour and John Zambetti at the 2026 Oscar Wilde Awards: GREEN CARPET
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Zambetti shared that although they had already built a life together emotionally, he still wanted to mark the moment traditionally and officially ask Seymour to marry him.

Getting there, however, involved a few dramatic detours, including his considering making a big movie proposition that involved their pal Mick Jagger showing up with the engagement ring. 

Although he liked the idea of it, thoughts about a flawless execution became concerning, and he decided to stick with something easier, like proposing on Valentine’s Day right before the actress’s birthday.

What ensued was sheer romantic comedy, and at his Malibu home, Zambetti knelt on one knee and pulled out the ring, but it immediately darted out of the box and under the bed. 

He tried to retrieve it quickly, but it was a clumsy rescue for him when he got stuck trying to pull it out, causing a moment of laughter, and the funniest part of all the chaos, as Seymour put it, was, “we weren’t wearing any clothes.”

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While she admitted to PEOPLE that she had sensed an engagement could happen eventually, she said the proposal itself still caught her off guard. 

The British Actress’s Fiancé Chose A Ring Designed To Describe Their Love Story

Jane Seymour and John Zambetti at The Last Ship - Opening Night New York Premiere
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

For the emergency room physician, choosing the perfect engagement ring was never about finding the biggest stone; it was about finding one that told their story. Zambetti recalled that his eye immediately spotted one design which felt different from everything else he had seen. 

The piece carried two stones connected by a delicate pavé setting, rather than the traditional single stone. Zambetti noted that the detail carried meaning connected to their story of two people arriving with separate histories, and eventually choosing a future together. 

That sense of joining worlds, Seymour says, extends far beyond the two of them. According to Seymour, blending families came far more naturally than she expected, as her children almost immediately established their bond with Zambetti.

The feeling, she says, has been mutual, with Zambetti’s children and extended family embracing her as one of their own. As for wedding plans, the couple is not in a hurry to define what the celebration will look like.

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Currently, the couple is very much focused on tradition and more interested in creating something meaningful, hinged on the essence of family, close friendships, and the people who matter most.

Seymour hinted that a gathering or ceremony will likely happen eventually, especially because they want to celebrate this chapter with the people closest to them.

More than the engagement itself, Seymour says what surprised her most was discovering a kind of relationship she had stopped expecting.

Inside Jane Seymour’s Past Relationships And Marriages

Jane Seymour
ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA

Before finding love in Zambetti’s arms, the actress was with her ex, David Green, for about nine years, and he reportedly proposed to the screen legend. As noted by Parade, Seymour hinted that the relationship ended because they decided they were best as friends.

As for her marital history, the actress has walked down the aisle four times, first with theatre director Michael Attenborough from 1971 to 1973, when the marriage ended without children.

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Four years after her split from Attenborough, Seymour tied the knot with Geoffrey Planner, but they went their separate ways a year later, and not much has been said about the demise of that union.

In 1981, Seymour married her manager, David Flynn, and welcomed two children together, until cracks appeared in the marriage after a bad business decision on Flynn’s part cost the actress lots of money. By 1992, the marriage ended in a divorce, right before Seymour landed one of her biggest television roles.

In 1993, the British actress gave love another chance again with filmmaker James Keach, welcoming twin sons two years later. The duo split after a decade of marriage and finalized their divorce in 2015, and three years later, the actress revealed that Keach was unfaithful during their union.

The 75-Year-Old’s Lessons From Her Divorces

Jane Seymour at the 33rd Annual Race To Erase MS Gala
Jeffrey Mayer/JTMPhotos, Int’l. / MEGA

In 2021, the actress got candid with TODAY, discussing her multiple failed marriages, public heartbreaks, and the biggest lessons she has learned from that phase of her life.

Seymour noted that leaving these marriages behind has taught her serious lessons about preserving respect and holding on to the good part of a relationship rather than the disappointment.

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The actress also confessed that she spent time reflecting on the role she plays in relationships and how she could have handled things differently. Juggling motherhood and a demanding career topped the list for her, and this meant the lengthy periods of absence on set greatly disengaged her from reality. 

She confessed that learning that Keach stepped out on her made the experiences more painful, especially knowing that she was excluded from the truth.

The media personality continued that an honest conversation about everything could have made the outcome easier to process than discovering things after the fact.

The actress has used all the advice passed down by her mother, Seymour, to acknowledge that hardship in life cannot be entirely avoided, and facing challenges head-on can help create room for true healing.

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Jane Seymour Embraced Love, Sexuality, And Confidence In Her 70s

Jane Seymour at the 2026 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Annual Induction And Awards Gala
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The Blast stated that the movie star proved she has never been the headline of her story, and as she stepped well into her 70s, facing life with confidence, energy, and curiosity has shaped her career and life.

Seymour bragged about her ability to take on a still demanding filming schedule, which ran into hours and demanded her memorizing large amounts of dialogue without the help of cue cards.

The actress also continued that some of her memorable roles on TV have also left her with lessons that sexuality, attraction, and confidence should never expire with age.

All her life, Seymour admitted that most of her roles have been to assure women that they do not diminish with age, and this also played into her fated meeting with Zambetti.

The duo met on a blind date arranged by their kids at a concert, and they hit it off on their first meeting, grabbing dinner and engaging in lengthy conversations after that.

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The actress raved about her beau as a supportive partner who balances his delicate job as an ER physician with his burning passion for music.

Congratulations to Jane Seymour and John Zambetti!

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Netflix’s Controversial 10-Part Miniseries Hits a Viewership Nerve After 68.7M Hours

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Na Hwa-jin grinning for 'Teach You a Lesson'

Controversy hasn’t stopped Teach You a Lesson from becoming one of Netflix’s biggest international success stories. The South Korean drama, based on the webtoon Get Schooled, has sparked debate since before it premiered, yet viewers around the world have turned it into a breakout hit. After reaching 68.7 million hours viewed, per FlixPatrol, the series has proven that polarizing subject matter and audience appeal aren’t always mutually exclusive.

Part of that success comes from the fact that Teach You a Lesson is a revenge fantasy, an action series, a social drama, and occasionally a comedy, all wrapped into 10 episodes that tackle bullying, corruption, academic pressure, cyber harassment, gambling, and the failures of institutions that are supposed to protect students.

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What Is Netflix’s ‘Teach You a Lesson’ About?

Na Hwa-jin grinning for 'Teach You a Lesson'
Na Hwa-jin grinning for ‘Teach You a Lesson’
Image via Netflix

The story of Teach You a Lesson is set in a school environment overwhelmed by violence. This work follows Na Hwa-jin (Kim Mu-yeol), a former Special Forces captain, as he works for the Educational Rights Protection Bureau, a government organization established under the Ministry of Education to protect students and teachers from harm in schools. The Bureau has broad powers to intervene on behalf of students and teachers when a school fails to provide proper safety measures for them.

Joined by fellow inspector Im Han-rim (Jin Ki-joo), tech expert Bong Geun-dae (Pyo Ji-hoon), and Education Minister Choi Gang-seok (Lee Sung-min), Hwa-jin moves from school to school, confronting everything from organized bullying rings to teacher burnout and online exploitation.

The premise immediately sets the show apart. While many school dramas focus on students fighting back against bullies, Teach You a Lesson asks what happens when adults finally step in and whether they can go too far, which is where much of the show’s controversy comes from.

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PYO Ji-Hoon in Teach You a Lesson
PYO Ji-Hoon in Teach You a Lesson
Image via KIM Ji-yeon / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

Despite the backlash surrounding the original webtoon, viewers have embraced the adaptation. The issues explored in the series don’t feel confined to South Korea. Bullying, social media harassment, academic pressure, and parents pushing children to unhealthy extremes are topics audiences everywhere recognize. The show also understands the appeal of catharsis. Its villains are often frustrating enough that watching them finally face consequences becomes part of the entertainment.

Just as important is the structure. Most episodes focus on a different case, giving the series a procedural quality while slowly building a larger story surrounding Hwa-jin and the origins of the ERPB. That approach keeps the pacing moving and makes it easy to binge. Mu-yeol anchors the series with an understated presence that balances stoicism with flashes of humor. Sung-min brings emotional weight as the minister who founded the bureau following a personal tragedy, while Ki-joo and Ji-hoon inject energy and comic relief into the team dynamic. Even when the series swings for the fences, the cast commits completely.

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The Netflix Series Doesn’t Ignore Difficult Questions

LEE Sung-Min in Teach You a Lesson
LEE Sung-Min in Teach You a Lesson
Image via KIM Ji-yeon / ©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

The show’s biggest strength may be its refusal to present easy answers. The ERPB’s methods are intentionally provocative, and the audience is prompted to consider whether the bureau portrays justice or something else of concern. Some have critiqued how the series appears to overindulge in wishful thinking and spectacle; however, there are also individuals who compliment the way the series generates discussions about how Americans’ input into institutions continues to decrease and how individuals in the education field place both students and themselves under immense pressure.

Upon its adaptation to the webtoon, there were controversies over various aspects of the storyline; specifically, labor organizations in South Korea vocally opposed it prior to its release. In response, both Netflix and the creative team pointed out that they approached the source material differently from the original webcomic; moreover, they sought to depict victimization and social justice rather than glorifying violent behavior.

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Teach You a Lesson‘s action sequences are exaggerated, its premise is pure fantasy, and some of its later twists stretch the limits of credibility, but the series succeeds because it understands that viewers aren’t necessarily looking for realism. They’re looking for stories where injustice is confronted and where people who have been ignored finally get someone in their corner. That combination of social commentary, action, dark humor, and emotional stakes has helped transform Teach You a Lesson into a genuine word-of-mouth success. Controversial or not, 68.7 million viewing hours suggest audiences have already learned one lesson: they can’t stop watching.


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Teach You A Lesson


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Release Date

2026 – 2026-00-00

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Netflix

Directors

Hong Jong-chan

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R-Rated Action Classic Is Everything You Loved About The ‘90s

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R-Rated Action Classic Is Everything You Loved About The ‘90s

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published

So many people were surprised when Nicolas Cage was cast as Spider-Noir in Into the Spider-Verse, a role he later reprised for the live-action Spider-Noir series on Prime Video. For skeptics, it was hard to imagine Cage as a high-flying superhero, especially when so much of his career is defined by dramatic films (including Raising Arizona and Leaving Las Vegas) and downright weird films (like Vampire’s Kiss and Long Legs). However, Cage as a superhero isn’t so crazy when you remember some of his best movies from the ‘90s. For a while, he helped to redefine action cinema thanks to balls-to-the-wall classics such as Face/Off and The Rock.

Those movies were great and helped establish Cage as a bona fide action hero. However, neither of them has had quite the lasting appeal as Con Air (1997), a movie produced by blockbuster auteur Jerry Bruckheimer. This is arguably Cage at his most intensely charismatic: he’s kicking butt and dropping one-liners, all while mugging for the camera and letting the wind blow through luxurious locks worthy of the best hair metal bands. Plus, the movie is stacked with more talent than should legally be allowed on one plane. Ready for the flight of your life? Grab your boarding pass, because Con Air is now streaming on Hulu.

The Man Of Your Memes

The premise of Con Air is that Cage’s character is a former Army Ranger who kills a man in self-defense. Incredibly, he gets sentenced to eight years, during which he constantly writes to his wife and daughter. It’s the happiest day of his life when he finally gets paroled, and he boards a flight filled with some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. Soon enough, the criminals hijack the plane, forcing the former Army Ranger to find a way to fight back when he is stuck thousands of miles off the ground. 

Obviously, the plot of Con Air is insane, starting with the idea that a decorated military man would get sentenced to nearly a decade in prison for defending himself against multiple attackers. But all of this is just an excuse to bounce Cage off of some other big personalities. It works, too, because of this movie’s insane bench of talent. This is a movie where Star Trek legend Colm Meaney plays a DEA agent and comedy icon Dave Chappele plays a smartass inmate. Meanwhile, Danny Trejo is at his intimidating best playing a man who has intimately assaulted nearly two dozen women.

A Scary Good Cast

Other big names include John Malkovich as the criminal mastermind behind the plane hijacking. Ving Rhames plays a terrorist, while Steve Buscemi steals scene after scene as a sarcastic serial killer with genuinely hilarious observations. John Cusack plays a US Marshal who becomes a reluctant ally of Nicolas Cage’s character. As for Cage, he is magnificent, transforming his typically quirky aura into pure macho bravado. He’s honestly never looked fiercer onscreen, and it’s glorious to see, especially when he gets perfect action hero lines. For example, when asked what he is about to do next, Cage evenly replies, “I’m going to save the f***ing day.” 

One of the things that Con Air is rightfully known for is its action, and these scenes hold up remarkably well. The hijacking is genuinely thrilling to watch, and it’s tough not to cheer out loud in your living room whenever Cage busts out his special forces smackdowns. But what makes the movie so enduring is that Cage’s character has to play a constant cat-and-mouse game with his fellow prisoners, foiling their plans without letting them realize he’s a good guy. This adds tension to each scene that just keeps ratcheting up to an insanely exciting climax that gives us both an emergency landing and a pulse-pounding motorcycle chase. 

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A Movie That Will Leave You Smiling

In some ways, Con Air is the precursor to the modern, self-aware action extravaganza. For example, the completely unironic inclusion of Trisha Yearwood’s “How Do I Live” for an emotional reunion after nearly two hours of insanity is a clear inspiration for movies like Deadpool & Wolverine using Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” as an ironic needle-drop for a climactic moment. Con Air also feels prescient with humor, like when Steve Buscemi comments on inmates listening to “Sweet Home Alabama:” “Define irony. A bunch of idiots dancing on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash.” Long before Whedon-esque dialogue became the norm, Con Air blazed the trail. 

Honestly, Con Air is a movie that really fires on all cylinders. Every actor is giving it his all, the over-the-top action feels appropriately weighty, and the soundtrack fills each scene with crackling energy. Plus, without descending into pure farce, the film periodically winks at the audience, as if to say, “Yeah, we know this is goofy, and we know you love it!” Ultimately, this movie is incredibly fun, delivering a high-octane thrill ride that you won’t want to stop. But you can’t take the ride until you get on the plane, so be sure to stream this R-rated ‘90s masterpiece for yourself on Hulu!


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Celebs Who’ve Had Their Breast Implants Removed and Why

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Everything to Know About RHOSLC Alum Jen Shah's Legal Drama

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3 Binge-Worthy Prime Video Series To Watch This Week (June 15-19)

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The top TV show on Prime Video this week is the new romantic drama Every Year After. Developed by Amy B. Harris and Leila Gerstein and adapted from Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After, the series stars Sadie Soverall and Matt Cornett as lifelong friends exploring the question: what if your first love was destined to be your soulmate? The show has proven quite popular ever since its premiere last week, but in case you’re in the mood for something different, there are plenty of other great shows to choose from on the platform. With that in mind, here’s a look at three shows that we think you should binge on Prime Video this week.

For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows and movies on Prime Video.

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1

‘What It Feels Like For a Girl’ (2025)

Adapted by Paris Lees from her memoir, What It Feels Like for a Girl is a British coming-of-age series starring Ellis Howard as Byron/Paris. A trans teenager stuck in a small working-class town, the show follows them as they walk the precarious balance between self-discovery and self-destruction. The series also stars Laura Haddock, Hannah Walters, Michael Socha, Laquarn Lewis, Hannah Jones, Adam Ali, Alex Thomas-Smith, Calam Lynch, Jake Dunn, Dickie Beau, Emma Shipp, Laura Checkley, and more in supporting roles.

What It Feels Like For a Girl was easily one of the most acclaimed new series of 2025 in the UK, universally praised for its complex, enthralling narrative and powerful performances. Ellis Howard earned special praise for his central performance, receiving a Best Actor nomination at the 2026 TV BAFTAs. Additionally, Paris Lees received a Best Writer nomination, and the show itself was nominated for Best Limited Drama.





















































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Collider Exclusive · Taylor Sheridan Universe Quiz
Which Taylor Sheridan
Show Do You Belong In?

Yellowstone · Landman · Tulsa King · Mayor of Kingstown

Four worlds. All of them brutal, complicated, and built on power, loyalty, and the price of survival. Taylor Sheridan doesn’t write heroes — he writes people who do what they have to do and live with the cost. Ten questions will reveal which one of his worlds you were made for.

🤠Yellowstone

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🛢️Landman

👑Tulsa King

⚖️Mayor of Kingstown

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01

Where does your power come from?
In Sheridan’s world, everyone has leverage. The question is what kind.




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02

Who do you put first, no matter what?
Loyalty in Sheridan’s universe is always absolute — and always costly.




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03

Someone crosses a line. How do you respond?
Every Sheridan protagonist has a line. What matters is what happens after it’s crossed.




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04

Where do you feel most in your element?
Sheridan’s worlds are as much about place as they are about people.




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05

How do you feel about operating in the grey?
Nobody in a Sheridan show has clean hands. The question is how they carry the dirt.




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06

What are you actually fighting to hold onto?
Every Sheridan character is fighting a war. The real question is what they’re defending.




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07

How do you lead?
Authority in Sheridan’s world is never given — it’s established, maintained, and constantly tested.




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08

Someone new arrives and tries to change how things work. Your reaction?
Every Sheridan show has an outsider disrupting an established order. Sometimes that outsider is you.




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09

What has your position cost you?
Nobody gets to where these characters are without paying for it. The bill is always personal.




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10

When it’s over, what do you want people to say?
Sheridan’s characters all know the ending is coming. The question is what they leave behind.




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Sheridan Has Spoken
You Belong In…

The show that claimed the most of your answers is the world you were built for. If two tied, both are shown — you’re complicated enough to straddle two Sheridan universes.

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🤠
Yellowstone

🛢️
Landman

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👑
Tulsa King

⚖️
Mayor of Kingstown

You are a Dutton — or you might as well be. You understand that some things are worth protecting at any cost, and that the modern world’s indifference to history, to land, to legacy, is not something you’re willing to accept quietly. You lead from the front, you carry your family’s weight without complaint, and when someone threatens what’s yours, you don’t escalate — you finish it. You’re not cruel. But you are absolute. In Yellowstone’s world, that combination of ferocity and loyalty doesn’t make you a villain. It makes you the only thing standing between everything that matters and everyone who wants to take it.

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You thrive in the chaos of high-stakes negotiation, where the money is enormous, the margins are thin, and the wrong word in the wrong room can cost everyone everything. You’re a fixer — the person called when a situation is already on fire and needs someone with the nerve to walk into it. West Texas oil country rewards exactly what you are: sharp, adaptable, unsentimental, and absolutely clear-eyed about what people want and what they’ll do to get it. You’re not naive enough to think this world is fair. You’re smart enough to be the one deciding who it’s fair to.

You are a Dwight Manfredi — someone who has served their time, paid their dues, and arrived somewhere unexpected with nothing but their reputation and their wits. You adapt without losing yourself. You build loyalty through respect rather than fear, though you’re not above reminding people that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Tulsa King is for people who are still standing when everyone assumed they’d be finished — who find, in an unfamiliar place, that they’re more capable than the world gave them credit for. You don’t need a throne. You build one, wherever you happen to land.

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You carry the weight of a system that is broken by design, and you do it anyway — because someone has to, and because you’re the only one positioned to do it without the whole thing collapsing. Mike McLusky’s world is for people who are comfortable operating where there are no good options, only less catastrophic ones. You speak every language: law enforcement, criminal, political, human. That fluency makes you invaluable and it makes you a target. You’ve made your peace with both. Mayor of Kingstown belongs to people who understand that keeping the peace is not the same as being at peace — and who do the job regardless.

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2

‘The Better Sister’ (2025)

Created by Olivia Milch, The Better Sister is a limited thriller series starring Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks. Adapted from Alafair Burke’s 2019 novel, the show follows estranged sisters Chloe (Biel) and Nicky (Banks) as they are forced to join forces to save those they love after the murder of Adam (Corey Stoll), Chloe’s husband and Nicky’s ex. The series also features Kim Dickens, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Bobby Naderi, Gabriel Sloyer, Matthew Modine, Lorraine Toussaint, and Gloria Reuben in supporting roles.

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The Better Sister isn’t without its rough patches, but the series is carried by the chemistry and layered performances of its starring duo. Elizabeth Banks, in particular, delivers one of her best performances in recent years, and the show was generally well-received by both critics and audiences. Though it’s a mystery on the surface, the series is really a fascinating character-driven drama that thrives on its complex dynamics and emotions.

3

‘The Peripheral’ (2022)

One of the most underrated sci-fi shows on Prime Video, The Peripheral was created by Scott B. Smith and is loosely inspired by William Gibson’s 2014 novel. The series stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a young VR gamer in the year 2032 who receives a prototype virtual reality headset that takes her to an ultra-realistic SIM world, inadvertently stepping into a complex time-travel conspiracy. Besides Moretz, the show also features Gary Carr, Jack Reynor, JJ Feild, T’Nia Miller, and more in supporting roles.

Though initial reviews were mixed, The Peripheral was a popular show among sci-fi fans when it premiered in 2022, earning a renewal for a second season. Executive-produced by Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, it’s a great piece of cyberpunk fiction with immaculately crafted settings and concepts, and an immersive production, making it an enjoyable watch for fans of hard sci-fi thrillers. Unfortunately, the series was canceled during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, cutting short its intriguing story.

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Release Date

2022 – 2022-00-00

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Network

Prime Video

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Showrunner

Scott B. Smith

Directors
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Alrick Riley, Vincenzo Natali

Writers

Scott B. Smith, Jamie Chan, Greg Plageman, Bronwyn Garrity, William Gibson

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    Chloe Grace Moretz

    Flynne Fisher

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  • Cast Placeholder Image

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“Copying” Remy Ma’s Aesthetic, Internet Says

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Recent Flicks Of Claressa Shields Have Internet Users Saying Shes Copying Remy Ma Aesthetic (PHOTOS)

Recent flicks of Claressa Shields have internet users saying she’s “copying” Remy Ma‘s aesthetic.

RELATED: Bars On Sight? Remy Ma Seemingly Takes Shots At Papoose & Claressa While Debuting New Look In Spicy Clip (VIDEO)

More On The Recent Flicks Of Claressa Shields

Over the weekend, Claressa Shields apparently took to Facebook to share a now-deleted post featuring a few photos and videos. Furthermore, in the post, she wrote that people are “mad” when she’s “genuinely happy.” The photos showed her rocking a black bra, shorts, and jacket combo while also donning Louboutin knee-high boots.

Swipe below to see her full look.

Internet Users Are Saying She’s “Copying” Remy Ma’s Aesthetic

Social media users entered TSR’s comment section with reactions, largely saying how Claressa Shields is “copying” Remy Ma.

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Instagram user @missaika.faye wrote, I’d hate to be Remy it must suck having a personal stalker 😂”

While Instagram user @philo_sophy added, Dear Claressa ‘drip’ isn’t designer it’s the energy of who’s wearing it that makes it dope”

Instagram user @rapsteelo wrote, Clarissa please the Knicks just won the NBA Finals”

While Instagram user @pardonhersoul added, It’s a scary site when you get with a new woman and she’s literally copying and pasting your ex aesthetic smhhhh😢”

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Instagram user @theeblakkunicorn_ wrote, She wanna be remy sooo bad like copy and paste 😂😭”

While Instagram user @stunna4naii added, Happy people aren’t gonna keep proving to people that they’re happy 🤨”

Instagram user @toyatk81 wrote,All she do is explain to people 😂I couldn’t fathom being of that statue and gotta address my so call happiness”

While Instagram user @t0mmyn0pickles added, Remy:black with orange tips…. clarissa: orange please 😂”

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Instagram user @tewcents22 wrote, Remy: ‘went orange with the black tips’ Clarissa: *gets orange hair 😭 it’s scary now”

While Instagram user @lily_padd_jones added,She want to be Remy so bad😂😂😂😂”

Instagram user @sexiigeminiii wrote, remy should do a remix to Mariah Carey song Obsessed”

While Instagram user @shaunslayed added, Who cares about labels?! I can put on all rainbow attire, and out dress her!! 🤷🏾‍♀️😂”

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Claressa Shields & Remy Ma Made Headlines Before Her Recent Flicks

As The Shade Room previously reported, Remy Ma made headlines earlier this month when she dropped her verse on the remix of French Montana and Max B’s single, ‘Ever Since U Left Me.’ In a bar, Remy rapped, “Always the one, never the two, told him find something stupid to play with, he picked you…”

This left some social media users thinking she was subliminally shading Claressa Shields.

Ultimately, one internet user told Claressa Shields she was “pressed” about Remy Ma’s bars, which led Shields to respond.

RELATED: Whew! Claressa Shields Responds To Critic Who Says She’s “Pressed” After Remy Ma’s Latest Rap Verse

What Do You Think Roomies?

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The ‘Obsession’ Universe Could Be Horror’s Answer to the Greatest Anthology Series Ever Made

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A person stands in silhouette outside of a car at night in 'Obsession'

One of the biggest mistakes horror franchises make is assuming that a good concept automatically needs a bigger sequel. A successful first movie introduces an idea people are compelled by, audiences respond with overwhelming positivity, and the next installment arrives with a larger budget, higher stakes, and more mythology. Sometimes it works, but other times the ambitions for a bigger sequel stretches a simple premise beyond what made it appealing in the first place. Obsession finds itself in a unique position. The independent horror movie revolves around a deceptively simple idea: a mysterious wish-granting service capable of giving people exactly what they think they want. The horror doesn’t come from a masked killer or a supernatural creature stalking its victims, it comes from desire itself. Every wish carries consequences, and every attempt to shortcut happiness creates new problems.

That concept gives Obsession something many horror movies never achieve: a framework that can support countless stories. While speaking with ScreenRant recently, writer-director Curry Barker revealed that he already has ideas for where the universe could go next. He mentioned having a concept for a traditional sequel, but he also shared an idea that’s even more exciting. Barker said he would love to create an eight-episode television series set within the same world, with each episode centered around a different wish. There couldn’t be a better potential future for Obsession.

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Curry Barker Understands What Makes ‘Obsession’ Work

What stands out most about Barker’s comments is how clearly he understands the appeal of his own creation. “I have a really cool idea for the sequel, which is basically just another wish gone wrong with the same mechanism as the One Wish Willow,” Barker explained. “But also, and these are just things that — there’s no confirmed anything, ever. But I’d love the idea of a TV show, which is eight episodes. Each episode is a wish.” That distinction matters. The true star of Obsession isn’t a specific character, it’s the wish itself. The One Wish Willow serves as the mechanism that sets events in motion, but the stories are ultimately about the people who interact with it. Every person approaches desire differently. Every person believes they know what will make them happy. Every person carries different flaws, fears, and blind spots into the decision.

That means the premise doesn’t rely on following one protagonist forever. Instead, it can introduce entirely new people while exploring the same central theme from different angles. One episode could focus on someone desperate for fame, while another could center on a person seeking revenge. Someone else might wish for wealth, youth, love, or success. The possibilities feel nearly endless because the source of the horror is universal: everyone wants something.



















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Collider Exclusive · Horror Survival Quiz
Which Horror Villain Do You Have the Best Chance of Surviving?
Jason Voorhees · Michael Myers · Freddy Krueger · Pennywise · Chucky

Five killers. Five completely different ways to die — if you’re not smart enough, fast enough, or self-aware enough to avoid it. Only one of them is the villain your particular set of instincts gives you a fighting chance against. Eight questions will figure out which one.

🏕️Jason

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🔪Michael

💤Freddy

🎈Pennywise

🪆Chucky

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01

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Something feels wrong. You can’t explain it — you just know. What do you do?
First instincts are the difference between the survivor and the first act casualty.





02

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Where are you most likely to find yourself when things go wrong?
Setting is everything in horror. Where you are determines which rules apply.





03

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What is your most reliable survival asset?
Every survivor has a quality the villain didn’t account for. What’s yours?





04

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What kind of fear is hardest for you to fight through?
Knowing your weakness is the first step to not dying because of it.





05

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You’re with a group when things start going wrong. What’s your role?
Horror movies are brutally clear about who survives group situations and who doesn’t.





06

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What’s the horror movie mistake you’re most likely to make?
Honest self-assessment is a survival skill. Denial is not.





07

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What’s your best weapon against something that can’t be stopped by conventional means?
Every horror villain has a weakness. The survivors are always the ones who find it.





08

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It’s the final scene. You’re the last one standing. How did you make it?
The final survivor always has a reason. What’s yours?





Your Survival Odds Have Been Calculated
Your Best Chance Is Against…
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Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.


Camp Crystal Lake · Friday the 13th

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Jason Voorhees

Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.

  • He moves in straight lines toward his target. He doesn’t strategise, doesn’t adapt, doesn’t outsmart. He simply pursues.
  • Your ability to keep moving, use the environment, and resist the panic that freezes most victims gives you a genuine edge.
  • The Crystal Lake survivors were always the ones who stopped running in circles and started thinking about terrain, water, and distance.
  • You think like that. Which means Jason, for all his indestructibility, would face someone who simply refused to be where he expected.


Haddonfield, Illinois · Halloween

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Michael Myers

Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it’s too late for anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention.

  • But you are paying attention. You notice the shape in the window, the car parked slightly wrong, the silence where there should be sound.
  • Michael’s power lies in the invisibility of ordinary suburbia — the fact that nothing ever looks wrong until it already is.
  • Your spatial awareness and instinct to map every room, every exit, and every shadow before you need them is precisely the quality Laurie Strode had.
  • You are not a victim waiting to happen. You are someone who already suspects something is wrong — and acts on it.


Elm Street · A Nightmare on Elm Street

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Freddy Krueger

Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.

  • You are harder to destabilise than most. You’ve faced uncomfortable truths about yourself and you haven’t looked away.
  • The survivors on Elm Street were always the ones who understood what was happening and chose to face it rather than flee from it.
  • Freddy’s greatest weakness is that his power evaporates in the presence of someone who refuses to give him the fear he feeds on.
  • Your psychological resilience — the ability to stay grounded when reality itself becomes unreliable — is exactly the quality that keeps you alive here.


Derry, Maine · It

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Pennywise

Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.

  • The Losers Club didn’t survive because they were braver than everyone else. They survived because they faced their fears together, and faced them honestly.
  • You ask the questions others avoid. You look directly at what frightens you rather than turning away.
  • That directness — the refusal to let fear fester in the dark — is Pennywise’s worst nightmare.
  • It chose the wrong target when it chose you. You are exactly the kind of person whose fear tastes like nothing at all.


Chicago · Child’s Play

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Chucky

Chucky’s greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it’s already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.

  • You don’t have that gap. You take threats seriously regardless of how they present — and you never make the mistake of underestimating something because of its size or appearance.
  • Chucky relies on surprise, on the delay between recognition and response. You close that delay faster than almost anyone.
  • Your instinct to treat every unfamiliar thing with appropriate scepticism — rather than dismissing it because it seems absurd — is the exact quality that keeps you breathing.
  • Against Chucky, not laughing is already winning. You are very good at not laughing.

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Not Every Wish Needs a Full-Length Feature

A person stands in silhouette outside of a car at night in 'Obsession'
A person stands in silhouette outside of a car at night in ‘Obsession’
Image via Focus Features

Barker’s television pitch also addresses one of the biggest challenges facing any potential sequel. Not every wish naturally supports a two-hour movie. “Some wishes don’t deserve an hour and 45 minutes,” Barker said. “Some wishes should only be a 60-minute thing.” It’s a practical observation, but it’s also what makes the anthology concept so appealing. Modern franchises often treat every idea as if it needs to become a feature-length event. Television offers more flexibility because some stories can be small, while others can be sprawling. An anthology format allows each wish to receive exactly as much time as it needs without forcing every concept into the same structure.

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It also creates opportunities for experimentation. Barker suggested the possibility of bringing in other filmmakers to direct different episodes, allowing multiple creative voices to explore the world he created. That approach could keep the series fresh while expanding the mythology in unexpected directions. Different directors would naturally gravitate toward different styles of horror. One episode might function as a psychological thriller, but another director could choose to lean into body horror, or dark comedy, or science-fiction… and that’s only scratching the surface. The rules of the universe would remain consistent, but the storytelling possibilities would continue to evolve.

The Possibility of a Happy Ending Changes Everything

Obsession-one-wish-willow Image via Focus Features

The most intriguing part of Barker’s pitch arrived when Bear actor Michael Johnston asked a simple question. “Any happy endings?” Barker’s response was telling:

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“Who knows? Maybe there’s an episode where it really works out, and you’re waiting for something crazy to, and it just never does.”

That possibility might be the smartest part of the entire concept. Most cursed-wish stories follow a familiar pattern: someone gets what they want, the wish backfires, and the character pays a terrible price. Because of this established pattern, audiences typically see the twist coming long before it arrives. A television anthology could play with those expectations in ways a single movie cannot. If viewers assume every wish is doomed, an episode where things genuinely work out becomes unpredictable. Suddenly, every story carries uncertainty. Audiences can no longer assume they know how events will unfold. The tension shifts from anticipating the punishment to wondering whether punishment is coming at all. That’s an incredibly valuable tool for a horror series.

The best anthology shows thrive on unpredictability. The moment viewers believe they understand the formula, the formula stops being effective. Barker’s willingness to entertain the possibility of a positive outcome suggests he understands that challenge. Whether Obsession returns as a sequel, a television series, or both remains to be seen. What Barker’s comments reveal, however, is that the franchise’s greatest strength isn’t a specific character or storyline, it’s a premise flexible enough to support countless interpretations. An eight-episode anthology built around different wishes could explore that potential better than any traditional sequel ever could.


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Release Date

May 15, 2026

Runtime

108 minutes

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Director

Curry Barker

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Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming clears up a 'very common misconception' about his dementia

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The “Die Hard” star was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2022 and 2023.

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