Entertainment
10 Underrated Monster Movies That Can Be Called Masterpieces
Monster movies often get dismissed as simple spectacle: creatures, chaos, and little else. But beneath the surface, the best of them get creative, playing with the old new tropes in new ways, using them to touch on deeper themes, or simply wowing us with phenomenal effects and creature design.
With that in mind, this list looks at some creature features that deserve a little more attention. While not that obscure, they’re the kind of movies that even some genre superfans might not have gotten around to watching yet. They’re by turns strange, stylish, or simply ahead of their time.
10
‘Grabbers’ (2012)
“Whatever you do… don’t sober up.” In Grabbers, a small Irish island is besieged by tentacled alien creatures that drain human blood… with one unexpected weakness: alcohol. The locals realize intoxication is their best defense, and the story turns into a bizarre and hilarious fight for survival. The premise is inherently ridiculous, but it’s executed with such charm and confidence that it works. This is a horror-comedy, populated by quirky, likable characters, and a strong sense of place in the tight-knit coastal setting where everybody knows everybody.
The creatures themselves are effectively designed, blending practical effects with a sense of tangible threat. They’re just menacing enough to be more than purely comedic. Ultimately, Grabbers succeeds because it understands something a lot of creature features forget: the monster is only half the entertainment. The other half is how people respond to it. And in this case, the response is as inventive and as fun as the threat itself.
9
‘Leviathan’ (1989)
“Something down there is alive… and it’s hungry.” Leviathan was a part of a wave of underwater monster movies in the late ’80s, arriving alongside the likes of DeepStar Six and The Abyss. In it, a deep-sea mining crew discovers a sunken Soviet vessel containing a mysterious substance. After bringing it aboard, they begin to suffer grotesque mutations, revealing that they’ve unleashed something far more dangerous than they anticipated.
While the flick doesn’t reinvent the genre, it does pull off the classic tropes with style and commitment. Leviathan clearly draws on sources like Alien and The Thing, but it doesn’t feel like a cheap imitation. It’s very atmospheric, for instance, using its environment brilliantly to amp up the claustrophobia. Darkness and shadow obscure the creature, and sound design expertly builds the unease. Finally, when we do see the monster, it’s suitably freaky, thanks to work by legendary special effects artist Stan Winston.
8
‘Daughters of Darkness’ (1971)
“There are many kinds of love… and many kinds of death.” Daughters of Darkness focuses on a newly married couple (John Karlen and Danielle Ouimet) traveling through Europe who encounter a mysterious countess (Delphine Seyrig) who claims to be the infamous Elizabeth Báthory, a noblewoman and serial killer from the 1500s. As she insinuates herself into their lives, an atmosphere of seduction and menace begins to take hold.
From here, the movie bucks several genre conventions by embracing a more psychological angle. It’s a gothic sensibility, modernized. The vampire figure is less a source of overt horror and more a symbol of desire, power, and manipulation. The film’s pacing is deliberate, too, allowing tension to build through suggestion rather than action. That said, the highlight is undeniably Seyrig. She’s incredibly elegant and alluring here in a way that few stars could pull off.
7
‘Colossal’ (2016)
“You’re not controlling it… It’s controlling you.” This black comedy was a huge box-office bomb, but it’s worth checking out for monster movie fans. Colossal features Anne Hathaway as Gloria, a struggling woman who discovers that her movements are somehow connected to a giant monster rampaging through Seoul. She tries to understand this connection, gradually realizing the darker implications of her influence. Meanwhile, her childhood friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) begins manifesting a giant robot.
Colossal stands out because it uses its monster as a metaphor. What initially seems like a quirky premise gradually becomes something more unsettling, exploring themes of control, abuse, and responsibility. The jokes soon fade away, replaced by rising emotional stakes and disturbing power dynamics. The performances are central, grounding the movie’s more fantastical elements in emotional reality. All in all, this is a unique movie that nicely blends indie drama and kaiju spectacle.
6
‘Vampires’ (1998)
“Forget what you’ve heard about vampires… this is different.” Vampires is one of the lesser-known, late-career movies from John Carpenter. It’s about a team of professional vampire hunters led by a hardened veteran (James Woods) that tracks down a powerful ancient vampire (Thomas Ian Griffith) in the American Southwest. But as they close in on their target, they discover that this enemy is far more formidable than anything they’ve faced before.
With this one, Carpenter melds western elements with horror, dressing the usual vampire story beats in a tone that feels rugged and grounded. The vampires themselves are presented as brutal, physical threats rather than romantic figures. In fact, the whole movie is pretty lean and mean: the action sequences are direct and impactful, while the dialogue carries a rough, cynical edge that suits the characters. There’s a sense of world-building beneath the surface, suggesting a larger mythology without over-explaining it.
5
‘The Faculty’ (1998)
“I always wanted to be one of the beautiful people.” This was the project Robert Rodriguez made between From Dusk Til Dawn and Spy Kids. The Faculty tells the story of a group of high school students who begin to suspect that their teachers have been taken over by parasitic aliens. The infection spreads rapidly through the school, forcing the students to figure out who is still human and how to stop the invasion.
The movie cleverly reworks classic invasion narratives into a high school setting. In particular, it draws clear inspiration from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but filters it through a late-’90s teen horror sensibility. For example, the characters at first seem like archetypes (the jock, the nerd, the popular girl, etc), but as the story progresses, those labels break down. The whole thing has a self-aware edge, peppering in sharp one-liners and moments of humor.
4
‘The Void’ (2016)
“There’s something beyond this world… and it’s coming.” A police officer (Aaron Poole) brings an injured man (Evan Stern) to a nearly empty hospital, only for the building to be surrounded by robed figures. Strange events unfold inside, and the survivors soon realize they are caught in the middle of something far more cosmic and incomprehensible. The movie builds this setup into an effective Lovecraftian tale that pays homage to low-budget ’80s horror.
The Void cranks up the tension through atmosphere and mystery, gradually revealing glimpses of something vast and unknowable. Cosmic horror meets body horror as human bodies start breaking down and identities dissolve. The film then hits us with fantastic practical creature effects that feel tangible and unsettling, sure to please genre purists. They’re all flesh, tentacles, and distortion, with more physicality than your stock CGI monster.
3
‘Mimic’ (1997)
“They were designed to imitate… and now they’re evolving.” This gem was the sophomore feature from Guillermo del Toro. Mira Sorvino leads the cast as Dr. Susan Tyler, a scientist who creates a genetically engineered insect to combat a disease spread by cockroaches. Years later, the creatures have evolved, taking on new forms and posing a threat to the city above. The premise is decidedly pulpy, though del Toro elevates it with his boundless creativity and visual style.
Here, he confidently merges sci-fi and urban, embracing gothic lighting, underground locations, and a pervasive sense of decay and dampness. As its title suggests, the movie’s most disturbing element is the mimicry: creatures folding their bodies to resemble humans, jerky, almost-correct movements, shadows and silhouettes that look human… until they don’t. It’s all very uncanny. The creatures are intelligent too, strategizing and adapting, making them fearsome antagonists.
2
‘The Relic’ (1997)
“It’s not just killing… It’s hunting.” In The Relic, a shipment from South America arrives at a Chicago museum, bringing with it a mysterious creature that begins to stalk the building’s corridors. As a gala approaches, the threat escalates, trapping guests inside with the monster. The museum becomes a labyrinth of dark hallways and exhibits, a space where danger can emerge from anywhere.
This movie is straightforward and crowd-pleasing, admittedly very goofy but also very entertaining in its own way, anchored by winning performances from Tom Sizemore and Penelope Ann Miller. In terms of the visuals, the creature design is imposing, combining elements of different animals into something distinctly unnatural. All in all, while The Relic might not innovate or break new ground, it is a fun riff on classic creature feature story structure, including a juicy mystery, well-handled suspense, and a whole lot of gory monster mayhem.
1
‘The Abyss’ (1989)
“There’s something down there… something not like us.” The Abyss underperformed on release, with most finding it inferior to James Cameron‘s previous work, but it’s actually pretty solid. The setup is classic monster movie stuff: a civilian diving team is recruited to assist in the recovery of a sunken nuclear submarine. They descend deeper into the ocean, eventually encountering a mysterious and intelligent presence that challenges their understanding.
The plot pivots in a lot of unexpected ways, definitely digging a lot deeper than your average creature feature. It gets surprisingly rich with its themes, implicating human behavior as the real source of horror. The characters are also layered, and their relationships keep the sci-fi plot grounded. Finally, there are the effects, which were groundbreaking for the time (this was James Cameron, after all), and they still hold up all these decades later.
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Taylor Frankie Paul slammed by ex Dakota Mortensen's lawyer over court drama, promises to tell 'true story'
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“Today’s hearing was used by the respondent to assassinate Dakota’s character as a dad,” Mortensen’s lawyer said in a statement obtained by EW.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Dakota Mortensen allegedly tattooed ex Taylor Frankie Paul’s initials inside his lips, according to a new report.
People reported on Tuesday, April 7, that Dakota, 33, apparently tattooed “TFP” inside his mouth on Valentine’s Day in February, as Taylor, 31, claims that he exhibited “increasingly possessive” behavior in the lead-up to her season of The Bachelorette airing. (The season, which was ultimately canceled by ABC, was due to premiere on March 22.)
Dakota allegedly got the tattoo hours after Taylor posted a promotional post for The Bachelorette season 22 and showed it off to costars and on camera, per People.
Taylor reportedly acknowledged the alleged tattoo in a Tuesday court filing for a temporary protective order against Dakota.
Taylor said she “was shown” an image of Dakota’s lips, tattooed with her initials, on February 17, People reported, citing the court documents. She said he later “confirmed” the tattoo through a text message exchange.
“Considering his increasingly possessive and erratic behavior, and considering the fact that we were not in a relationship, this was extremely alarming,” she wrote in Tuesday’s filing, per the outlet. “My initials are now permanently tattooed on the body of a man who has been abusive toward and possessive of me.”
According to Taylor, Dakota also sent her text messages in mid-February reading, “I want you forever” and “I still love and want you,” in the weeks leading up to The Bachelorette premiere on ABC.
Us Weekly has reached out to Dakota’s representative for comment.
Taylor Frankie Paul is bolstering her defense against Dakota Mortensen amid their ongoing custody battle following an alleged domestic dispute earlier this year. Taylor, 31, claimed that Dakota, 33, sent her a “request for sex” following their alleged February domestic violence altercation, according to an exhibit filed in court on Tuesday, April 7, seen by […]
Taylor filed for a temporary protective order against Dakota on Tuesday, weeks after he was granted his own protective order — and temporary custody of their 2-year-old son, Ever — on March 20.
The exes appeared in court virtually on Tuesday to discuss visitation rights. Taylor was granted eight hours of supervised visitation time with Ever until their protective hearing on April 30. The judge is expected to reevaluate the TikTok influencer’s parenting time restrictions during the April 30 hearing.
ABC pulled Taylor’s season of The Bachelorette on March 19, just days before it was set to air, after footage emerged of a 2023 domestic violence incident involving the Mormon Wives star and her ex.
The video was published by TMZ just days after it was reported that production on season 5 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives had paused amid allegations of a fresh domestic dispute between Taylor and Dakota in February. Utah’s Draper City Police Department confirmed to Us in March that it had an open “domestic assault investigation” involving the exes, with allegations “made in both directions.”
Later in March, NBC News reported that Utah’s West Jordan Police Department is also looking into allegations of a third domestic violence incident involving the pair that took place in 2024.
Hulu is probably going to have its biggest week of the month, and April’s barely begun.
While we have to wait a few days for Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, Pizza Movie has stormed up the charts to land at No. 1 on Hulu.
That’s the first pick in Watch With Us‘ roundup of the three popular Hulu movies and TV shows to binge-watch this week.
Our remaining selections include Hulu’s coverage of the Artemis II mission and a film that was robbed by being excluded from the Oscars.
If there’s one streamer you should subscribe to in April, it’s Hulu. The Disney-owned platform is adding so many high-quality films and shows this month that you won’t have time to watch anything else. At the top of Watch With Us‘ binge-watch list is Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, which reunites most of […]
‘Pizza Movie’ (2026)
Some films might reject the stoner comedy label, but Pizza Movie fully embraces it. Jack (Gaten Matarazzo) and Montgomery (Sean Giambrone) are a pair of unpopular freshmen roommates who try an experimental drug in their dorm room. They only expected to get high, but it triggers a bizarre shared trip that breaks reality down around them and threatens to damage their minds from its intensity.
One of their classmates, Lizzy (Lulu Wilson), winds up in the same predicament. That’s why she’s forced to join the guys as they attempt to bypass the dorm’s Resident Advisors. The only thing that can break them out of this bad trip is pizza, but their drug-induced visions make it difficult to go more than a few steps at a time before experiencing something off the wall.
Pizza Movie is streaming on Hulu.
‘Artemis II: Mission to the Moon’ (2026)
It’s not often that Hulu gives us a front-row seat to history. ABC News’ ongoing coverage of the Artemis II mission is being shared via Artemis II: Mission to the Moon on Hulu, which has the latest updates as the flight gets closer to the moon. NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, as well as the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, are the first crew to break away from Earth’s orbit since 1972.
While this crew won’t be landing on the moon, they will be performing an important test of the Orion spacecraft to see how it performs during its lunar flyby. This is to pave the way for the Artemis IV mission, which is aiming to put astronauts on the moon’s South Pole in 2028. If all goes smoothly, in three years, humanity will once again set foot on the lunar surface.
Artemis II: Mission to the Moon is streaming on Hulu.
‘The Testament of Anne Lee’ (2025)
Despite having awards season potential, The Testament of Anne Lee was completely shut out from the Oscars. That’s unfortunate, because Amanda Seyfried delivered a dynamic performance as Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers religious movement in the 18th century. This is a musical that also lets Seyfried show off the power of her voice.
The film chronicles Lee’s life alongside her brother, William Lee (Lewis Pullman), as it dramatizes the experiences that turned Lee off to sex forever. That eventually leads her to an epiphany that humanity needs to avoid marriage and sex to move past the original sin. While Lee has her followers, her divine mandate isn’t popular with outsiders, and it may get the Shakers brutalized or even killed.
The Testament of Anne Lee is streaming on Hulu.
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The NSYNC member didn’t want his ID docuseries to just focus on disgraced manager and convicted con artist Lou Pearlman.
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Brooke Shields and I may not have a whole lot in common. She’s a legendary actress, fashion mogul and icon, and I’m just your friendly neighborhood shopping editor who’s based in Queens, NY. But one thing we can both agree on? Our affinity for Rothy’s shoes.
In a recent ‘What’s in My Bag’ video, Shields dished on all the items she has in her Hermès Birkin bag — and the first thing she pulled out is her Rothy’s flats. “I’ve been in high heels, so I’m going to take my high heels off and put my little Rothy’s on,” she told Shop Today. “I always have a pair of flats in my bag. Always because I can’t wait to take my shoes off.” And honestly, same.
While wearing heels in New York City feels like an absolute nightmare, you can say I skip the pumps and go straight for my Rothy’s, which gives me all-day comfort. No blisters, rubbing or squeezing. The popular shoes are simply elevated, cushiony and quite honestly, some of my go-tos for spring. It’s a good thing there are tons of spring-ready Rothy’s shoes right on Amazon, including Shields’ exact pair!
Spring-Ready Rothy’s Shoes on Amazon
1. Celeb-Approved: The Rothy’s Point II flats are chic, expensive-looking and so versatile. It’s no wonder these are the shoes Shields reached for before heading out the door. Designed with a semi-pointed front and V-shaped topline, the shoes look positively luxe. But don’t be afraid of the pointed toe; the style won’t squeeze or feel too narrow like other options on the market.
2. Designer-Looking: Just one look at these slingback shoes and I’m already envisioning walking to Tiffany’s with a croissant in hand. Yes, it’s all very Breakfast at Tiffany’s vibes mainly due to the color-block design, enlisting a black tip and a cream base. Plus, the back strap helps to keep them securely on. Editor tip: I’m a half size, so I went down a size to avoid the strap from falling down.
3. Everyday Essential: I recently got the Daily Driver slip-ons and wore them the moment the temperature hit 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The wide toe box and arch-supporting insole make the shoes surprisingly comfortable. They provide just enough give and feel very spring-like in comparison to my leather Vagabond loafers. I also love the fun checkered print here!
Everyone wants to feel cool and comfortable while running errands, dining alfresco and doing anything outdoors. But in the spring? There’s a whole other layer of complication. The tricky weather can be cool and rainy one minute, and then sunny and sweat-inducingly warm the next. If you ask Us, it’s why adding linen clothing to […]
4. Laid-Back Luxe: Do these clog shoes look familiar? If so, it’s probably because you’ve seen celebs like Jennifer Lawrence rocking them while out and about in NYC. The clogs have an easy slip-on design, a plush insole and a soft knit exterior that gives cool-girl vibes when paired with crew socks.
5. Editor-Favorite: Just ask anyone, and they’ll tell you that I wear these Mary Jane flats every chance I get. I love the dainty strap, flexible construction and machine washable design. Yes, you can throw these (and the other shoes on the list) in the washing machine, which I’m thankful for, seeing as I wear these a little too much. Whoops!
6. Closet Hero: If you want a classic style, you can’t go wrong with The Daily Flat. It has a rounded toe, V-shaped topline and a cushiony insole, making this pick ideal for long walks, sightseeing and the like. Go with the red for a burst of color.
7. Anything But Basic: These loafer mules are new to me, and I’m kind of astonished by how expensive they look. I’m telling you, they look designer. It’s all thanks to that gold signet bit on the top of the shoe that makes it feel worthy of your work wardrobe, church attire and dinner date closet.
There are a few other popular styles that aren’t part of Rothy’s New Spring Arrivals line, including these slip-on sneakers, these fun lace-up shoes and these rounded loafers.
Oh, and if you wanted to match your footwear with your accessories, you have to check out Rothy’s bags, like this casual crossbody that can also be worn as a shoulder bag or this roomy tote that can hold everything for work days, picnics and brunches. Psst, they’ll pair so well with your Shields-approved flats!
New England Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel and sports journalist Dianna Russini have broken their silence after they were spotted holding hands and hugging while seemingly on vacation.
The pictures, which were published by Page Six on Tuesday, April 7, showed Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, spending time together at a plush resort in Arizona. According to the outlet, the pictures, in which the pair clutched hands and wrapped their arms around one another on a rooftop, were taken “two weekends ago” at a boutique hotel in Sedona.
Additional photos published by the outlet showed the duo relaxing by a pool next to one another, enjoying time in an outdoor spa together and individually walking around the same outdoor space.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel, who shares two children with wife Jen, told the Post, per reporting by NBC Sports, on Tuesday. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
The New England Patriots are headed back to the Super Bowl and no one is more excited than Ann Michael Maye, wife of starting quarterback Drake Maye. “WE ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!❤️💙❤️💙” she wrote via Instagram on Monday, January 26, alongside photos of the two of them celebrating on the field. “Words can’t […]
Russini, who shares two children with husband Kevin Goldschmidt, also reacted to the snaps making headlines, telling the outlet, “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
Russini currently covers the NFL for The Athletic. The outlet’s executive editor, Steven Ginsberg, gave his own statement about the journalist on Tuesday. “These were public interactions in front of many people,” he said, adding, “Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”
Mike Vrabel Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for Vrabel and Russini for comment.
Vrabel, a former NFL player who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, spoke to The Athletic in January 2025 about celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Jen in Italy several months prior.
The pair were college sweethearts after forming a connection as students at Ohio State University. Jen said in an interview with ESPN in 2019 that as her husband’s coaching career developed after playing football, the pair ensured their family remained a top priority.
Dianna Russini Ethan Miller/Getty Images
“Fridays are always our nights because we have a teenage son that doesn’t want to hang out with Mom and Dad, so he goes to high school football games,” Jen told the outlet at the time. “It’s fun. He’s usually home earlier, and we grab dinner. When he coached in college, he really didn’t have a night like that, so we cherish that night. It was the same when he played. Fridays were always the best. It became like a date night or family night.”
As for Russini, who built her career as a broadcaster for ESPN, the reporter reflected on her marriage to Goldschmidt via Instagram in September 2022.
“2 years today was the best day of my life—when I married Kev in front of our family and dozens of friends over Zoom,” Russini wrote, recalling her wedding ceremony amidst the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s you and only you, for me, forever.”
Given Russini and Vrabel’s longtime involvement in the NFL, their paths have crossed over the years. In 2024, Russini said on the “Pardon My Take” podcast that Vrabel had phoned her to complain about a report she was involved in.
“He called me the day after an aggregator took something I said that basically said Mike Vrabel is too fat to work,” Russini said at the time. “What I shared … was that I had dinner with a GM at the Senior Bowl and we had conversations about how bizarre this last coaching cycle was and how crazy it was that [former Patriots coach Bill] Belichick and Vrabel didn’t have gigs.”
She added that the podcast delved into Vrabel’s large physical stature, which sparked a phone call. “When the aggregators took that and changed all this, you know, the way I said it … he didn’t call me after the piece we did on why he got fired. But the piece … calling him a little fat, he wasn’t too happy.”
The Handmaid’s Tale spinoff The Testaments immediately found a way to bring Elisabeth Moss‘ June back into the story.
During the Wednesday, April 8, series premiere, it was revealed that new Pearl Girl Daisy (Lucy Halliday) is actually involved in Mayday. A day in her life before she arrives in Gilead is shown at the end of the episode, where she skateboards into her parents’ store as June is seen watching her in the background.
June reappears again in the show’s third episode, as viewers learn more about Daisy and what leads to her joining Mayday. Before Moss’ surprise cameo, stars Rowan Blanchard and Mattea Conforti spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about the actress’ involvement.
“We haven’t met her [yet] but we are really hoping to meet her soon,” 24-year-old Blanchard, who plays Shunammite, said. “She’s our producer and she was really involved in the show and what it would look like.”
Conforti, 19, who brings Becka to life, pointed out that June hasn’t met their characters — yet. Their costar Chase Infiniti also hinted that she didn’t cross paths with Moss, 43, while on set despite playing her onscreen daughter.
“I actually didn’t get to meet Elisabeth Moss really until the end [of filming],” Infiniti, 25, told People in March.
Infiniti, who plays Hannah a.k.a Agnes on the Hulu series, recalled the advice Moss gave her once they did meet, recalling how Moss “wrapped me into a big hug and was kind of like, ‘You got this. You got this. OK? You got it.’”
Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, The Handmaid’s Tale, which aired from 2017 to 2025, took place in a dystopian future where low fertility rates led women to be assigned to men for bearing children.
The Testaments, which is set several years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, is narrated by Ann Dowd‘s Aunt Lydia. As viewers are thrust back into the dystopian future, they follow characters such as Agnes from Gilead and Daisy from Canada as they secretly gather and smuggle incriminating information about Gilead’s regime out of the country. Agnes and Daisy pose as “Pearl Girls” to infiltrate Canada, while Aunt Lydia acts as a covert source within Gilead.
In addition to Infiniti, Dowd and Halliday, The Testaments stars Eva Foote, Kira Guloien, Amy Seimetz and Brad Alexander. Birva Pandya, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Mabel Li and Isolde Ardies make up the rest of the cast.
The Testaments airs Wednesdays on Hulu.
Amy Duggar, the cousin of Josh Duggar and Joseph Duggar, has labelled their arrests a “pattern” that has been “allowed.”
In an Instagram video shared on Tuesday, April 7, Amy, 39, reflected on the child molestation charges filed against Joseph, 31, last month and the 2021 sex offender conviction that currently has Josh, 38, incarcerated.
“When one family member goes to prison for crimes against children and then another brother goes to jail allegedly for crimes against children, that is not a coincidence,” Amy told fans in the post. (Joseph was arrested in Arkansas on March 19 and extradited to Florida on March 31 before he was released on $600,000 bail.)
Amy continued, “That’s not random, that’s not bad luck, that’s not anything like that. That’s called a pattern. And patterns don’t come from nowhere. Patterns come from what’s been protected, what’s been ignored, and what’s been allowed to continue. At some point, you have to stop asking yourself, ‘How did this happen again?’ and realize that there is an environment that let this happen in the first place.”
Josh, the eldest of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s children, is serving a 151-month federal prison sentence following his April 2021 arrest on grounds of receiving and possessing child pornography. Josh maintained his innocence but was found guilty in December that year. He is scheduled to be released in December 2032.
Joseph, the seventh oldest child belonging to Jim Bob, 60 and Michelle, 59, was last month charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old. He was also charged with lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older. The charges were presented after a 14-year-old came forward to police accusing Joseph of molesting her when she was 9-years-old during a 2020 vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida.
Additionally, Joseph and his wife, Kendra Duggar, were both charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, second-degree, and four counts of second-degree false imprisonment. These secondary charges are unrelated to Joseph’s molestation allegations, and Kendra, 27, was released on bond the same day she was arrested.
Amy, who is the daughter of Jim Bob’s older sister Deanna Jordan, continued to address the family’s troubles in her Instagram post. “So two brothers now with mug shots, and victims that are young, allegedly, that is not a pattern, that is exposure to something deeper and something darker,” she stated. “You can’t protect your reputation and protect children at the same time in this kind of closed system.”
Amy continued, “I’m sure we all have questions. For example, how many were there that were not reported of the same kind of situation? How many more children were not protected when they should have been? How many more enablers [exist] and who knew all this information? I guarantee you someone knew in this family and didn’t say a thing. The scariest part for me is not the information we do know — it’s … all the information that we don’t right now because I guarantee you, there’s more to this story.”
A vocal critic of Joseph since news of the arrest broke, Amy told Us Weekly in a statement following his arrest that she was “sickened, heartbroken and deeply angry” about the allegations against him.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
Late last year, it was confirmed that the nearly-90-year-old Hollywood icon Ridley Scott’s next big project had been delayed, moving from its original March 27, 2026, release date to August 28, 2026. Following a short 34-day shoot in the United Kingdom, the film began to pick up a small buzz, with this move to a more Academy-friendly release slot suggesting an intention to set the wheels in motion on an awards campaign for The Dog Stars. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama features a stacked cast, including Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce.
At a time when fans were supposed to be basking in the glory of Scott’s latest sci-fi effort, they instead face another three-month wait for its release. It seems that they are turning to one of his more forgotten projects, a film that was sadly a biblical-sized failure, to pass the time. The movie in question is Exodus: Gods and Kings, a 2014 epic that boasted an ambitious $140 million budget and a cast packed with talent. Led by Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Ramses, the ensemble also included Ben Kingsley as Nun, John Turturro as Seti, Aaron Paul as Joshua, Ben Mendelsohn as Viceroy Hegep, long-time Scott collaborator Sigourney Weaver as Tuya, and Indira Varma as the High Priestess.
Sadly, thanks in part to the film’s inflated budget, Exodus: Gods and Kings failed to return success during its theatrical run. In total, the movie made just $268 million in global revenue, split between $65 million in domestic revenue and $203 million from overseas markets, a haul that was $12 million short of the breakeven point. However, 12 years later, the film is proving it has staying power, as it ranks as one of the ten most-watched movies on Tubi in the U.S., at the time of writing.
Critics Weren’t Fond of ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’
Despite featuring an impressive cast, bold visual ambition, and the veteran instincts of director Scott, Exodus: Gods and Kings failed to impress critics. This is best seen on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, where the film earned just 29%, with the consensus on the site reading, “While sporadically stirring, and suitably epic in its ambitions, Exodus: Gods and Kings can’t quite live up to its classic source material.” A synopsis for the movie reads:
“The defiant leader Moses rises up against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, setting six hundred thousand slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.”
Exodus: Gods and Kings is streaming for free on Tubi. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming updates.
- Release Date
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December 12, 2014
- Runtime
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150minutes
High Potential hinted at a cast exit after an apparent onscreen death — but it is now confirmed that a main character won’t be coming back.
The Tuesday, April 7, finale showed Wagner (Steve Howey) getting shot and Morgan (Kaitlin Olson) trying to save his life. His fate remained unclear but off screen the actor has been cast in upcoming seasons of Off Campus and Ransom Canyon, which hinted at a departure.
Deadline confirmed that the Season 2 finale marked the last episode as a series regular for Howey. After joining earlier this season, Howey wasn’t expected to return due to him signing a one-year deal. Wagner’s story has not been fully determined yet though and there is a chance Howey could come back as a guest star at the beginning of season 3 to wrap up his arc.
Howey previously teased his arc on the show while speaking exclusively to Us Weekly in September 2025, saying, “Nick comes in and does ruffle some feathers. But his motives and his intentions are not to do that. He wants to help and we start seeing that in different episodes.”
All good things must come to an end, even when it comes to TV. Over the years, many television stars have suddenly left their roles — while others have been cut from a series without much notice. Anna Faris announced in September 2020 that she was leaving CBS’ Mom after starring as the lead character […]
He continued: “That was my fear and my concern. When you have such a lightning in the bottle strong dynamic of these characters, throwing in another character can potentially thrown that off. I’m still working on not doing that. This is going to evolve into something really cool. We don’t know about the chemistry with Nick and Morgan. Obviously there is [something]. But as he’s incrementally gaining more trust with the department, hopefully it gets better and better.”
Howey, for his part, was thrilled at the chance to join one of his favorite shows.
“The first season was amazing. It is not your usual procedure. I love the insert shots and I love their style. But I have friends in real life that are police officers and are part of the sheriff’s department. So I talked to them and they definitely made fun of me because that’s what they do,” he told Us. “I’m taking my own leeway a little bit about who this guy is and that comes from the writers about who his family is and how they were in law enforcement and now in politics. So he has something to prove to the department and to himself. So it’s fun to work on it and see what comes out of it.”
When asked about the best part of getting to play Nick Wagner, Howey joked, “The badge. I was like, ‘Does he get a badge?’ So I’m walking around like a little boy that has a new fireman’s hat on. I have the badge on my hip and I am flipping up my jacket. I’m in the mirror showing off for myself.”
It is never easy to unexpectedly say goodbye to your favorite characters — and 2026 has featured an influx of shocking departures on our TV screens from Grey’s Anatomy to Virgin River. Virgin River fans were surprised when showrunner Patrick Sean Smith confirmed multiple characters were written off the show after season 7. Marco Grazzini addressed […]
Wagner’s fate will be decided by a new showrunner, who has yet to be announced. Before season 2 came to an end, news broke in March that showrunner Todd Harthan exited the show to focus on the upcoming live-action adaptation of Christopher Paolini’s YA book series The Inheritance Cycle. The adaptation — titled Eragon — is cocreated with Paolini and Harthan will serve as coshowrunner alongside Todd Helbing.
High Potential, which premiered in September 2024, was created by Drew Goddard. The pilot was written by Goddard, who was expected to executive produce alongside Sarah Esberg, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge, Pierre Laugier, Anthony Lancret, Jean Nainchrik and Alethea Jones.
Thomas, meanwhile, was expected to serve as the showrunner before exiting in June 2024 — months before the series premiere. Harthan was ultimately announced as the new showrunner, who also served as an executive producer.
High Potential is now streaming on Hulu.
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