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6 Coastal Horror Books To Read While Waiting for ‘Widows Bay’ Season 2
Widow’s Bay, a breakout streaming hit for Apple TV this summer, has been renewed for a second season, to no one’s surprise. The delightful horror comedy series stars Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis, an endearing mayor trying his darnedest to boost tourism on a New England island full of supernatural eccentricities. Namely, a haunted hotel, a back-from-the-dead bogeyman, a sea hag, and a curse tracing back to 17th-century founder Richard Warren all trouble the mayor’s aspirations to make this quirky little island into the next Martha’s Vineyard.
With its witty script, sharp plot twists, and genuine, never-overused jump scares, Widow’s Bay plays with horror conventions and tropes magnificently to create a series that feels both nostalgic and wholly original. Just as Widow’s Bay continually pays homage to a slew of classic horror films, such as The Fog and Jaws, these six books channel that same love of small-town coastal horror that makes the series so much fun. So, while you hunker down and wait for Widow’s Bay to make its return, here are six books that will satisfy your craving for strange, and likely outright cursed, seaside towns.
6
‘Scuttler’s Cove’ (2025)
By David Barnett
Scuttler’s Cove by David Barnett is perhaps the closest Widow’s Bay book match for those looking for that perfect combination of seaside charm and, to quote Dale (Jeff Hiller), “this place is a death trap, run!” Set in a working village on the Cornish coast, the novel follows Merrin Moon, who returns to Scuttler’s Cove after her mother’s death and finds her humble hometown in the midst of a contemporary crisis. Wealthy second-home owners and rental companies have taken over and transformed the village, leaving locals struggling to remain in the place they’ve called home for generations.
Aside from financial woes, the townies have an even older problem brewing beneath its picturesque surface. The village locals have spent generations keeping the town’s supernatural secrets buried, but now those secrets are beginning to claw their way back into frame in this folk horror read. To sort out the trouble, it seems a sacrifice may be in order. Scuttler’s Cove is a brisk and bold story of old rites and new foes against the coastal idyll.
5
‘The Price Guide to the Occult’ (2018)
By Leslye Walton
In The Price Guide to the Occult, the cursed island trope gets a wonderfully witchy makeover. The novel unfolds on Anathema Island, a remote Pacific Northwest community founded by eight settlers who made the terrible decision to burn Rona Blackburn, a witch, out of her home. Rona the witch naturally responds by cursing the island and its descendants. More than a century later, her lineage is still dealing with the consequences. Particularly, we meet descendant Nor Blackburn, the novel’s teenage protagonist with supernatural powers.
Leslye Walton’s magical realism fits into the YA classification, so if you want something a little more fun and spellbinding à la Patricia’s Sunset Cocktails, this is the book for you. Befittingly, Nor’s coming of age is tied to the appearance of a mysterious book that promises to cast any spell for the right price. Sounds simple enough, but readers will have their qualms. Things are bound to get stormy on this lush island with a dangerous, magical throughline.
4
‘Eynhallow’ (2024)
By Tim McGregor
Set in the Orkney Islands in 1797, Eynhallow is the only period piece of the bunch. Eynhallow follows Agnes Tulloch, a mother of four who has found her new island home to be not very paradisal. Her already difficult life takes an even stranger turn when an aristocratic stranger arrives on Eynhallow Isle and rents an abandoned cottage, and she gets hired out as a cook and washerwoman there. The mysterious newcomer is a scientist who has come to the remote island to fulfill a monstrous obligation. Said scientist is none other than Victor Frankenstein. Yes, this powerful novella is a Frankenstein rework, imagining what might have happened when Victor traveled to the Orkneys to create a companion for his creature.
Through Agnes’ perspective, author Tim McGregor transforms the isolated island into a gothic terrain where the arrival of a Byronic outsider threatens to upend a fragile community and, more intimately, Agnes’ internal world. If your favorite aspect of Widow’s Bay is the show’s ability to make the island itself feel like a realized character, Eynhallow delivers that same sense of place, but across the pond in the richly folkloric archipelago off mainland Scotland.
3
‘The Lighthouse Witches’ (2021)
By C.J. Cooke
The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke has all the coastal horror essentials: a remote Scottish island, an ominous lighthouse, missing children, witchcraft, and supernatural creatures lurking in the landscape. The story kicks off when single mother Liv travels to a remote island to paint a mural inside a 100-year-old lighthouse. She sees the job as an opportunity for a fresh start with her three daughters, but her plan goes spectacularly wrong when two of her children disappear. Only one returns.
Lune, the surviving daughter, circles back to the island 22 years later, still in search of her missing family members, when she receives a call that seems to offer an impossible breakthrough. The subsequent mystery narrative stretches across multiple timelines, gradually revealing the island’s dark history and the sinister folklore surrounding the lighthouse. Beneath the lighthouse is a cave that once imprisoned women accused of witchcraft, while local legends speak of supernatural “wildlings” capable of mimicking human children. It’s an especially good choice for Widow’s Bay viewers who were thrilled by the show’s still-blossoming supernatural mythology, tied distinctly to tunneling underground locations.
2
‘Duma Key’ (2008)
By Stephen King
There’s always a niche Stephen King title ready and waiting for any horror book list! This time, it’s Duma Key. A bit of a hefty read, clocking in at over 600 pages for the paperback edition, this book is more of a slow-burn supernatural horror story. Less comedic than Widow’s Bay, King makes excellent use of a distinctly tropical, remote setting off the coast of Florida. Sure, King is widely known for his Maine-based scares, but it turns out the Gulf Coast is just as eerie and effective a backdrop as New England.
The plot of Duma Key follows Edgar Freemantle, who lost his right arm in a construction accident. Reeling from the life-changing injury and a recent divorce, he decides to move from Minnesota to a Florida beach house. This psychologist-endorsed relocation, however, doesn’t turn out to be as peaceful as he hoped. Although Edgar rekindles his passion for art and receives recognition for his talent as a painter, his paintings seem to possess a power of their own. Indeed, Edgar’s newfound artistic calling has otherworldly undercurrents, connecting him to the island’s disturbing history and the troubled past of an elderly woman he befriends, named Elizabeth Eastlake.
1
‘The Lamplighters’ (2021)
By Emma Stonex
The Lamplighters is framed around a lighthouse mystery comparable to the missing fisherman incident that kicks off Widow’s Bay Season 1. Inspired by the real-life mystery of the Flannan Isles lighthouse keepers, Emma Stonex’s novel begins in 1972, when three men stationed on a remote tower off the Cornish coast disappear under bizarre circumstances. The lighthouse door is locked from the inside, and the table had been set for a meal that was never eaten. Stranger still, all the clocks had stopped at exactly 8:45, and although their weather log describes a violent storm, the skies were clear.
20 years later, a writer approaches the three women who the missing men left behind, hoping to solve the mystery. As their stories unfold, the final weeks the keepers spent in the lighthouse are sketched. Secrets begin surfacing, and the looming question of whether anything supernatural happened becomes increasingly difficult to answer. For Widow’s Bay fans who particularly enjoy the show’s overcast maritime atmosphere and mysteries, this read offers a more subdued but equally compelling dose of coastal dread.
- Release Date
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April 28, 2026
- Network
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Apple TV
- Showrunner
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Katie Dippold
- Directors
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Sam Donovan, Andrew DeYoung, Hiro Murai, Ti West
- Writers
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Alberto Roldán, Neil Casey, Kelly Galuska, Colton Dunn, Dave Harris, Katie Dippold, Mackenzie Dohr
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Sophie Rain is turning James Fishback’s failed campaign proposal into an opportunity to support the educators he claimed his controversial tax would help. After Fishback finished a distant third in Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary, Rain announced that she would begin clearing classroom wish lists for teachers preparing for the upcoming school year. The pledge arrived after months of tension between Rain and Fishback, who personally targeted the content creator while promoting his proposed 50% “sin tax” on earnings generated through adult content platforms.
Rain announced the initiative in a TikTok video that quickly gained attention online. “This week, I’m gonna be clearing schoolteachers wish list. James Fishback, a Florida gubernatorial candidate who just lost the race, wanted to tax me 50% of my income, because he deems my job a sin, and that’s on top of the federal taxes I already paid,” Rain began.
She then questioned whether money generated through Fishback’s proposed tax would have reached Florida’s educators. “He said this, and I quote, ‘Sin Tax would be used to help school teachers in Florida,’ but we all really know where the money’s going,” she continued.
Rather than simply celebrating Fishback’s primary defeat, Rain said she wanted to help teachers directly. “So, in honor of his failed campaign, I am pledging to clear teachers’ wish list for this upcoming school year,” Rain announced. “I know how incredibly fortunate I am to be in the position I am, and I want to use my privilege to be able to give back to the teachers who really need it.”
The content creator invited educators to submit their classroom and school supply lists for consideration. “So if you’re a teacher and if you have a classroom or a school wish list, please send it to me. I’m gonna go through as many as I possibly can to start clearing them,” she said. “I love you guys, and I’m very grateful to be in the position I am, and to all the teachers out there, thank you so much for what you do.”
Rain did not disclose how much money she intends to spend or how many teachers she expects to assist.
Content Creator Took A Victory Lap After The Election
Rain’s TikTok pledge followed several mocking posts directed at Fishback after the primary results were announced. After a post declared that U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds had defeated Fishback, Rain responded on X, “looks like i am keeping my money [laughing face emoji].”
Rain then resurfaced Fishback’s Election Day message encouraging supporters to remain in line and vote. “Better luck in 2030 maybe? [laughing face emoji],” she wrote.
James Fishback Finished A Distant Third
Donalds won the Republican nomination with approximately 47.8% of the vote, according to Spectrum News. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins finished second, while Fishback received approximately 10.5% of the vote.
Donalds will face Democratic nominee David Jolly in November’s general election as voters select a successor to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who cannot seek another consecutive term.
Fishback’s defeat prevents him from pursuing the tax as Florida’s governor during the upcoming term. However, even a victory would not have allowed Fishback to impose the levy independently. Under the Florida Constitution, a new state tax requires approval from two-thirds of the membership of both legislative chambers before being presented to the governor.
Fishback’s proposal never advanced beyond the campaign stage and was not enacted into Florida law.
Florida Candidate Proposed A 50% ‘Sin Tax’
Fishback launched the dispute in January when he announced what he described as the country’s first “OF Sin Tax.” “As Florida governor in year one, I will push for the first-of-its-kind OF Sin Tax,” Fishback declared. “If you are a so-called OF creator in Florida, you are going to pay 50% to the state on whatever you so-called earn via that online degeneracy platform…”
The investment firm CEO said the revenue would be directed toward Florida’s education system. “We will raise hundreds of millions of dollars of income on the OF Sin Tax,” he continued. “If we don’t raise that income, you know what it’ll mean? It’ll mean something even greater has materialized for the young women and young men of our state…”
Fishback did not stop at outlining the proposal. He singled out Rain by name and directly challenged her to leave the platform. ”Hey @SophieRaiin, pay up or quit OF. As Florida Governor, I will not allow a generation of smart and capable young women to sell their bodies online,” he wrote.
Rain, a lifelong Florida resident, quickly pushed back and accused the candidate of using her profile to generate attention for his campaign.
Sophie Rain Previously Accused Fishback Of Seeking ‘Clout’
Rain previously addressed Fishback’s proposal in comments provided exclusively to The Blast. “I have not heard of this guy until now, and I have lived in Florida all my life. He’s looking for clout,” she told The Blast.
She argued that she already pays significant federal taxes and questioned why Fishback wanted to single out creators for an additional 50% levy. “First of all, imposing a tax on OF girls is quite possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. I already pay my taxes, millions in taxes, actually,” Rain said. “Also, why are you taxing the creator, why not the subscriber?! By that logic, this makes no sense.”
Rain also warned that targeting creators could push them to relocate outside Florida, costing the state money generated through housing, tourism and other local spending.
Fishback maintained that his proposal was intended to discourage participation in an industry he considered immoral while raising money for education.
Gwyneth Paltrow is poking fun at a viral invitation, purportedly sent by the actress for a dinner in honor of OpenAI billionaire Sam Altman.
Entertainment journalist Matthew Belloni recently reported in his Puck newsletter that “invites are going out this week for a ‘private, off-the-record al fresco dinner’” with Altman at Paltrow’s home in the Hamptons.
A purported invitation included in the story has since gone viral on social media, with some leveling criticism at Paltrow, 53, for hosting an event honoring the OpenAI CEO, whose company is behind artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT. One X user described it as “tone-deaf.”
On Thursday, August 20, the Oscar winner took to Instagram, seemingly responding to her critics with mocked-up versions of the invitation welcoming guests to enjoy dinner with horror movie character M3gan, Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones, Shrek, Jessica Rabbit and viral TikTok character Chanty Beluga.
“We’re serving swordfish burritos, cheddar foam lattes on request,” Paltrow captioned the post.
Us has reached out to Paltrow’s representative for comment on the alleged dinner as well as the authenticity of the now-viral invitation.
Paltrow previously shared how her company, Goop, is embracing AI while speaking at the Meltwater Summit in New York City.
“The train’s left the station. We’re in a time of incredible upheaval,” she said in May, per PRWeek, explaining that Goop uses AI to drive efficiency, including managing workflows.
At the time, she joked that AI functions like “a chief of staff” at her company.
In June, Paltrow made headlines when she opened up about her political beliefs.
“I notice with my own husband — who is the best person ever in the world — he’s so progressive,” Paltrow said on an episode of her “The Good Podcast,” referring to her partner Brad Falchuk.
“Like, he has such a sweet heart and he wants to make sure everybody is looked after,” she continued. “I’m pretty centrist, and my husband thinks I’m a Republican. Which, I’m not a Republican.”
Filled with Glee! Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk have the ultimate Hollywood romance, beginning with their TV meet-cute that led to a modern marriage and blended family. After being introduced in 2014 on the Glee set —Paltrow played Holly Holliday and Falchuk was a cocreator of the series — the couple’s professional relationship quickly turned […]
Paltrow said, “I don’t feel anything right now, to be totally honest with you. I feel I’m completely an Independent.”
During the episode, Paltrow told guest Trae Stephens — cofounder of the AI defense company Anduril — that the current political and cultural climate in the U.S. is “so charged.”
“I think in this climate, you know, sometimes I’m like, ‘Can you just listen to this?’” she said. “It’s become so binary, I think. And I am trying to, in my journey through being an American right now, trying to, I don’t know, I guess sort of weave together lots of different points of view and also to get out of that place of, like, righteousness and anger and fear.”
The Witcher fans have a lot to be excited about in the next few years, even after beloved Geralt of Rivia actor Henry Cavill departed the Netflix series at the end of Season 3. Liam Hemsworth has taken over the role for the fourth and fifth seasons, and while it was originally thought that Season 5 would be released later this year, it has now been pushed back to early 2027 — an official date has yet to be announced, but it will likely be sometime in January or February. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is also getting a new DLC centered around Gerald of Rivia, titled Songs of the Past, and it’s set to be officially revealed later this month. Details about the new expansion are being kept under wraps, but it’s confirmed to launch in 2027.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Songs of the Past will be the final expansion for the critically acclaimed RPG before players take control of Ciri in The Witcher 4, the next game from CD Projekt Red. Fans remain hopeful that the game will be released in 2027, but CD Projekt Red has not even announced a release window or shown any new gameplay or footage in a few years, so there’s heightened skepticism surrounding the project. The Witcher fans do have a new release coming soon to look forward to, though, with The Witcher: The Last Witch — The Complete Collection, which hits shelves everywhere in December courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. The new release collects six graphic novel adaptations of Andrzej Sapkowski’s original short stories and enhances them with new cover art with foil stamping, silver foil gilded edges, and more. It retails for $124.99 and is now available for pre-order.
Is ‘The Witcher’ Season 5 the Last Season?
Netflix has confirmed that The Witcher is ending after Season 5, and there are no planned spin-offs that have been announced with any release dates. The franchise is immensely popular, though, and with Ciri set to take center stage in The Witcher 4 in the next few years, it wouldn’t be surprising if Netflix had bigger plans for the franchise, especially with Ciri actor Freya Allan’s budding stardom. Netflix has also found success with animated Witcher spin-offs, and as the streamer continues to invest more in animation in coming years, it wouldn’t be surprising if this was the spin-off avenue chosen to be explored.
Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of all new projects set within the world of The Witcher.
- Release Date
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December 20, 2019
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Stephen Surjik, Charlotte Brändström, Edward Bazalgette, Loni Peristere, Louise Hooper, Bola Ogun, Alex Garcia Lopez, Gandja Monteiro, Sarah O’Gorman
- Writers
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Haily Hall, Clare Higgins, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jenny Klein, Tania Lotia
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Catching up with the stars of what might just be Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece.
Jessica Alba and her eldest daughter, Honor, have found a meaningful way to mark an important transition in their relationship.
As the 18-year-old, who is her mother’s lookalike, prepares to leave home for college, the mother-daughter duo recently got matching tattoos that symbolize their connection and the memories they have created together.
The matching ink comes at a particularly emotional time for Jessica Alba, who has openly reflected on the significance of watching her daughter reach this new stage of life.
Alba and Honor recently made their bond permanent with matching tattoos on their wrists. The designs feature an eye alongside a small infinity symbol, creating a sentimental reminder of their relationship as Honor prepares to leave for college.
The mother and daughter were photographed holding hands while displaying the artwork, which was shared by celebrity tattoo artist Winterstone.
He celebrated the special moment on Instagram, writing, “Matching tattoos with her daughter! @jessicaalba. What a way to show love with an unforgettable experience! A memory they will share forever!”
Honor also gave fans a glimpse of the tattoos in an Instagram post, captioning the image, “Me X Mama.” The simple gesture has since become another memorable milestone for the pair as Alba prepares to watch her eldest child begin a new chapter away from home.
The Actress Makes Every Moment With Her Children Memorable
The matching tattoos are not the first time Alba has used meaningful gestures to celebrate her children and the special bond they share.
The actress is a mother to Honor, Haven, 15, and Hayes, 8, whom she shares with her former husband, Cash Warren, and she has frequently emphasized the importance of creating lasting memories with them.
According to Page Six, Alba has previously marked her children’s place in her life through tattoos, including a 2019 design inspired by their astrological signs.
At the time, she described the tattoos as something she knew she would never regret, referring to her children as “my babies.”
Jessica Alba Shares Sweet Moments With Her Daughters
Over the years, Alba has also made a point of sharing special moments with her children, including memorable family appearances on the red carpet.
In June 2024, she attended the Los Angeles premiere of “Trigger Warning” alongside Warren and their daughters, Honor and Haven.
The family’s appearance shows the great connection and relationship Alba shares with her children, as they came together to support her during the premiere.
Moments like these have allowed the actress to create memories with her kids while watching them grow and enter different stages of their lives.
The Actress Gets Emotional As Her Daughter Prepares For College
Although Alba is proud of Honor’s accomplishments, sending her daughter off to college is clearly an emotional milestone.
Speaking to People, the actress admitted that the reality of the transition had not completely sunk in yet. “It hasn’t really hit me personally, but I think for any parent, just that milestone, it’s intense,” Alba said.
She added, “I don’t think you can prepare for it. You just have to tackle it when it happens.”
The actress has also previously expressed how much motherhood means to her. Ahead of Honor’s departure, Alba reflected on how quickly the years had passed, describing time as “fleeting” and “sacred” while calling every moment of being Honor’s mother one of the greatest gifts of her life.
With Honor heading to Yale, the matching tattoos offer Alba a tangible reminder of their bond as her daughter takes an important step toward independence.
Jessica Alba’s Controversial Love Life Continues To Draw Attention
The mother-daughter milestone comes as Alba’s personal life has also remained a subject of public interest following her split from Warren.
The former couple, who married in 2008, finalized their divorce in February after years together and continue to share their three children.
During the early stages of Alba’s post-divorce dating life, Page Six reported in July 2025 that she had been romantically linked to actor Danny Ramirez.
Sources described their relationship at the time as “not exclusive,” while the actress was said to be enjoying her life following the separation.
The relationship later became more public, with Alba and Ramirez photographed together on several occasions. Still, amid the attention surrounding her love life, Alba has continued to place her children at the center of her life.
Former UFC star Chuck Liddell is accusing his ex-wife, Heidi Liddell, of abducting their daughter, just over one year after the couple finalized their divorce.
Chuck, 56, filed an emergency custody order requesting that their daughter, Guinevere, 14, be returned to him and placed in his custody full time, according to court documents obtained by Us.
The MMA legend accused Heidi, 46, of abducting Guinevere on Friday, August 14, “with no intent to return her,” five days before her scheduled first day of school. Heidi allegedly brought Guinevere to her residence in Orange County, outside of the district where she currently attends school.
Chuck alleges that Heidi realized she would not be able to get court permission to move Guinevere and their son, Charlie, 13, before the fall semester started, so she resorted to disobeying several court orders regarding custody of their kids. That included “not using the co-parenting communication app, using the children as messengers, failing to bring Guinevere to extracurricular activities, and not following the court-ordered custody schedule,” according to the documents.
Gleb Savchenko filed an emergency order with the court in Los Angeles to change his custody arrangement with ex-wife Elena Samodanova. The Dancing with the Stars pro shares two daughters, Olivia, 15, and Zlata, 9, with Samodanova, 43. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, July 14, Savchenko’s legal team told Samodanova, […]
Chuck wrote that he fears that Guinevere will “suffer irreparable harm by missing her first week of school,” including causing her to be kicked off the volleyball team. That, in turn, has allegedly caused Charlie “immense undue stress and turmoil” due to how close the siblings are.
Chuck is also asking for Heidi to only be allowed monitored visits with the kids to prevent her from trying to “manipulate” them or take them again.
Heidi, for her part, denied ever kidnapping Guinevere, insisting that her daughter “begged” her to take her away from Chuck.
“For the past 5 years after our divorce, Chuck has been obsessed with staying in my life and trying to control me,” she told TMZ, adding that their kids “don’t feel safe speaking up to him at this point.”
Dancing With the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko has fired back after his ex-wife, Elena Samodanova, sought legal help to locate him and their 15-year-old daughter in L.A. Samodanova, 41, filed a declaration with a California Superior Court judge on Friday, August 7, seeking to have her and Savchenko‘s 15-year-old daughter Olivia returned to China, according […]
“My door has always been open for my kids to see Chuck and I never abducted anyone,” Heidi said.
She filed a response to Chuck’s court order saying she does not consent to his request for custody. Heidi also did not consent to attorney fees or costs.
“I am a full-time mother and do not have extra income,” she wrote in her response. “I have been financially bullied in court. This is partially why I had to fire my attorney. I cannot afford all the fees.”
She also wrote that Chuck has caused Guinevere to suffer “severe anxiety and mental distress,” that she is “crying out for help” and that she does not, in fact, want to play volleyball.
“She refuses to return to his house because she doesn’t feel safe with him,” Heidi wrote.
A hearing is scheduled for Monday, August 24.
Fourteen people — including current and former Penn State students, their fraternity brothers and a prominent Pittsburgh lawyer — have been charged in an alleged multistate cocaine trafficking ring that authorities say operated out of two of the college’s fraternity houses.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the sweeping charges on August 18, 2026, describing the operation as “a coordinated and highly-profitable drug-trafficking crew” that included frat brothers and their families. According to prosecutors, the alleged ringleaders — Agostino Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson — ran a cocaine distribution network between 2023 and 2024 involving members of Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon.
The charges have rocked the State College, Pennsylvania, campus and led to interim suspensions, felony arrests and stunning allegations that pledges were used to package cocaine.
Here’s everything to know about the case.
Agostino Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson Named as Alleged Ringleaders
State prosecutors have identified Abbatiello, a Sigma Chi member, and Robinson, a Delta Upsilon brother, as the two leaders of the enterprise. Both graduated from Penn State in 2024 but allegedly continued to organize regular trips to suppliers in New York and Philadelphia to bring drugs back to campus even after they left the university.
Since Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in September 2024, multiple documentaries — two in total as of January 2025 — have detailed the allegations against the rapper. The first, Peacock’s Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, started streaming on January 14. The 90-minute film included interviews with the mogul’s childhood friends and former employees […]
According to a grand jury indictment, Abbatiello was described by one codefendant as the largest distributor of cocaine at Penn State University during the two-year window in which the ring operated. He allegedly bragged about how much money he made selling drugs.
Abbatiello surrendered on the morning of August 18, 2026, after failing to appear at an arraignment scheduled for the day before. He has since been ordered to jail without bail. He and Lars Zeepvat, another defendant, have been hit with charges including felony corrupt organizations, conspiracy and dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity.
It is not currently clear whether Abbatiello or Robinson have entered pleas following their arrests.
Lars Zeepvat Says He Was Forced to Deliver Cocaine Over a $1,500 Spring Break Debt
Zeepvat told authorities he and Abbatiello were close friends who worked together to distribute drugs. According to the grand jury indictment, Zeepvat said he used cocaine when he first began attending Penn State and had a dealer in Philadelphia who supplied him and his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers.
When that supplier stopped communicating, Zeepvat said, he and Abbatiello sought out a new source. Abbatiello allegedly found a supplier in his Long Island hometown who provided the fraternity brothers with large amounts of cocaine.
Abbatiello allegedly purchased 100 grams of cocaine from the new supplier in spring 2023, and Zeepvat claimed there was “a shift in Abbatiello” following the buy.
“It was clear to him that Abbatiello was now selling drugs for profit, rather than sourcing it for himself and a few friends,” the grand jury indictment stated.
Zeepvat also alleged that Abbatiello punished him after he was unable to repay a $1,500 loan he had borrowed to go on a spring break trip with fraternity brothers. In exchange for the missing money, Abbatiello allegedly forced Zeepvat to deliver cocaine on his behalf.
They say every picture tells a story. On November 7, TMZ posted a photo of Sean “Diddy” Combs at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution in New Jersey. In the images, taken on October 31, the disgraced music mogul looks surprisingly at ease: Dressed in a gray sweatsuit, a matching beanie (and beard) and a […]
Zeepvat and another fraternity brother allegedly made three trips to pick up large amounts of drugs for Abbatiello, and Abbatiello paid them in cash or discounted cocaine. Once the drugs arrived back on campus, Abbatiello allegedly enlisted other fraternity brothers or roommates to help him cut and package the cocaine for distribution.
How Police Busted Thomas Robinson’s Cocaine Operation
Authorities caught Robinson, a former Penn State student and Delta Upsilon brother, thanks to his Venmo activity.
An informant told police that “a male, using the nickname ‘T-Rob’ [was] selling large amounts of cocaine from the Delta Upsilon Fraternity House.” The informant added that the alleged dealer accepted payments through a Venmo account with the username “Tom-Robinson.”
A database search led investigators directly to Robinson, who had listed the Delta Upsilon fraternity house in State College as his address.
The house was raided in December 2024. According to the complaint, Robinson allegedly resisted arrest and initially thought the officers were his fraternity brothers playing a prank on him. He was tasered and taken into custody.
Inside his dorm room, authorities said they found more than eight grams of cocaine, almost eight ounces of marijuana and over 200 amphetamine and dextroamphetamine pills. A Kimber .45-caliber handgun was allegedly recovered from a safe placed on top of a mini fridge.
Robinson is facing charges including drug manufacturing and delivery, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. After his arrest, Robinson reportedly told investigators he had sourced the drugs from Abbatiello.
The pair met through one of Robinson’s fraternity brothers who was already dealing drugs, and that brother allegedly recruited Robinson to become “business partners in distributing cocaine” in July 2023. Robinson allegedly received several large shipments of cocaine from Abbatiello between January and September 2024 — including orders valued at $18,000 and $22,000 each.
Thomas Robinson’s Father Paul Robinson Also Arrested
Among the 14 people charged is Thomas’ father, Paul Robinson, a prominent Pittsburgh lawyer. Paul, an attorney at Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebeneck & Eck, has been charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension and obstructing the investigation.
State prosecutors allege that Paul took steps to conceal evidence in the case, including a safe stuffed with cash and drugs. He had earned his undergraduate degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania — where he served as treasurer for Delta Sigma Phi — before receiving his law degree from New England School of Law in 1992. He later joined Phi Alpha Delta while in law school and specialized in transportation, commercial, construction and insurance law.
Authorities in Pennsylvania have decimated a drug trafficking ring they claim was being run out of a storefront set up to look like a coffee shop. On Friday, March 27, Operation Cocaine and Coffee led to the arrests of 17 individuals and the seizure of crack cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, ecstasy pills, cash, 27 firearms, four […]
His law firm addressed the charges in a statement to the New York Post. “The allegations concern Mr Robinson individually and do not involve the Firm, its clients, or the legal services provided by the Firm,” the statement read. “The Firm is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the matter.”
Paul did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment.
Penn State Suspends Delta Upsilon After the Arrests
Penn State announced on August 17, 2026, that Delta Upsilon had been placed on interim suspension as the investigation continues. Sigma Chi, however, remains unaffected because the group operates outside of the university’s oversight.
Andrea Dowhower, Penn State’s vice president for student affairs, addressed the allegations in a statement.
“We are horrified by these serious allegations against current and former students,” Dowhower said. “Criminal activity, including hazing, such as this has no place at our institution, and we will cooperate with law enforcement in any way we can. We will continue to enhance our efforts around health and safety and hazing educational efforts for all our organizations.”
Sunday, meanwhile, indicated the case is far from over.
“We are pleased to report that the most significant members of this cocaine-trafficking organization are accounted for, and will have their fair process in court,” the attorney general said in his press release. “These are very serious charges and the next steps will be preliminary hearings.”
It is not currently clear whether Paul, Thomas or Abbatiello have entered pleas following their arrests.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
There are always changes to be made, when making a book (or a few books) into a movie (or maybe a few movies). Things might need to be stretched, cut down, or cut out entirely, for any number of reasons. There are things one might be able to picture while reading that prove difficult to properly visualize on screen (Denis Villeneuve’s first two Dune movies, for instance, capture more of the plot and characters than the absolute spirit of the book, since they’re a bit less psychedelic and alien in their feel).
You’ve also got books that have to be edited, when making the jump to cinema, just because there aren’t really limits to what you can describe on the page, yet there are boundaries that can be crossed when it comes to showing such things visually. The content found in books sometimes has to be sanitized a little to keep things more or less R-rated when it comes to making them movies, while books, you know, don’t really have official ratings, and also (mostly) lack visuals, so it’s a bit more of an “anything goes” type of medium. Anyway, the following books all stand out as more extreme and intense with their content than their movie adaptations ended up being.
10
‘The Body’ (1982)
Made Into ‘Stand by Me’ (1986)
Either way, you’ve got a sad story here, but it’s more that The Body is sad in a genuinely crushing (and almost eerie) way, while Stand by Me, the movie based on The Body, is more bittersweet. It’s also worth noting that The Body is a novella, rather than a novel, but it’s been published as a standalone, so it still feels worthy of being called a book. And, by novella standards, it’s decently long.
The premise involves four boys setting off on a journey to try and find a dead body, and then they learn harsh truths about life along the way, in typical coming-of-age fashion. Stand by Me does show most of the hardships and acknowledge at least one tragedy that happened in the years following the main events of the story, but The Body goes a bit further with how many tragedies happened, and what it all might mean for the protagonist/narrator, who’s left in a slightly more peaceful place at the end of Stand by Me, versus at the end of The Body.
9
‘L.A. Confidential’ (1990)
Made Into ‘L.A. Confidential’ (1997)
There aren’t all that many adaptations of James Ellroy’s books, even if he’s a rather popular crime/thriller author, and lots of his stuff is quite cinematic, not to mention sometimes about the world of film. L.A. Confidential takes place in Los Angeles, unsurprisingly, and things about the entertainment industry are relevant, so it ended up making for a fairly good – and fitting – movie. Also, The Black Dahlia was adapted into a film, but not quite as successful.
The characters do even worse things, the descriptions of violence – and the aftermaths of violent acts – get more graphic, and there are also more moving parts.
The books L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia both belong to the L.A. Quartet, and these four novels by Ellroy all feature a lot more by way of violence, darkness, and despair than you’ll find in the already decently violent, dark, and despairing movie versions of L.A. Confidential and The Black Dahlia. The characters do even worse things, the descriptions of violence – and the aftermaths of violent acts – get more graphic, and there are also more moving parts, adding to the sense that whatever truths or conspiracies are unearthed during the narrative feel even more troubling on page than on screen.
8
‘And Then There Were None’ (1939)
Made Into ‘And Then There Were None’ (1945)
This is a milder example, because there have been subsequent adaptations of And Then There Were None that stick to how dark the original novel is. But if you’re just talking about that original novel and the first major adaptation, which was a movie that came out in 1945, you do have things made noticeably gentler when everything made the jump from the page to the screen.
Without ruining things for either 1939’s And Then There Were None or 1945’s And Then There Were None, there is a particularly intense feel to the former that was too much to translate entirely for the latter, at least by the standards of 1945. There’s a resolution in both takes on this murder mystery, though it’s all a bit less horrifying and shocking in the movie, compared to the book (though that movie is still very good for its time, and packs a punch, even if the punch is softer because of some fairly obvious reasons).
7
‘Blonde’ (2000)
Made Into ‘Blonde’ (2022)
It’s intense stuff all-around, should you choose to read Blonde (2000) or watch Blonde (2022). The former feels almost more of a horror book than a biographical one, because it is indeed about Marilyn Monroe, sure, and there are allusions to other people who were relevant to her tragically short life, but the book frames her whole tragic life as one that stands in for abuse that’s happened – and continues to happen – on an industry-wide scale.
The 2022 movie captured enough of the book’s horror and graphic content to be given an NC-17 rating, and it stirred up plenty of controversy on its own, for sure. Yet it speaks to the intensity of Joyce Carol Oates’ original novel that the movie feels a little easier to digest in comparison (700+ pages of very detailed horror and abuse is harder to take in than 160+ minutes of very intense – but not as intense – depictions of the same).
6
‘IT’ (1986)
Made Into ‘IT’ (2017) and ‘IT Chapter Two’ (2019)
The Body was mentioned before, but not specifically as a Stephen King story, so yeah, it was Stephen King, and it was one of a fair few coming-of-age stories he’s written over the years (and he does continue to write – in both that genre and more generally speaking – into the 21st century). His ultimate coming-of-age story, though, is probably IT, which follows a group of characters at two different ages in their lives, and at both ages, they’re taking on the same horrific enemy.
There was a movie adaptation done in the late 2010s, but it split the story into two halves by focusing on the kids in the 2017 film, and then showcasing their battle against the titular IT as adults in the 2019 film. That removed the interesting structure of the novel, and also removed was some of the more alarming content found in the source material. There is stuff in IT (1986) that you couldn’t film without being charged with some kind of obscenity-related laws, so it was for the best, to put it mildly, that the two-part film adaptation wasn’t 100% faithful to the book.
5
‘Trainspotting’ (1993)
Made Into ‘Trainspotting’ (1996)
The biggest difference between the book and movie versions of Trainspotting is style-related, since the movie is digestible in a way the book isn’t really. You get heavy slang used in dialogue and narration in both instances, but all of it’s easier to understand in the movie, compared to the book, even if by just a little.
As for the difference in content? Yes, Trainspotting (1996) is uncompromising as a look at addiction and a certain way of life, but it’s not as harrowing as the original book, written by Irvine Welsh. This is saying quite a lot, since 1996’s Trainspotting feels very intense and honest, and it is, sure, yet the book goes several steps further in some regards, and is a piece of literature where, for better or worse, genuinely nothing feels off-limits.
4
‘The Wanderers’ (1974)
Made Into ‘The Wanderers’ (1979)
The Wanderers is an underrated coming-of-age book, and was written a decade or so on from when it was set. Like with lots of coming-of-age books, you can line up the time covered with the author’s life, and yes, Richard Price would’ve been a teenager in the first half of the 1960s, and The Wanderers is mostly about teenagers rambling their way through life during 1962, and a bit of 1963, too.
There was a movie that came out in 1979 that had a feeling of “telling it like it is,” or “like it was,” but it had kid gloves on compared to the book. The Wanderers (1979) is hard-hitting enough, as a film, but so many of the grittier and more intense moments from the book are either left out or altered slightly. The book is honestly pretty horrific at times, but again, that brutal honesty and sense of things being hard-hitting do make it an admirable literary work.
3
‘Misery’ (1987)
Made Into ‘Misery’ (1990)
The last Stephen King book worth mentioning, for present purposes, is Misery. This book’s about an author who gets into an accident, and then he’s seemingly rescued by a woman who ends up being a massive fan of his writing. She’s more than a little intense in general, though, and then she gets genuinely frightening as the story goes along, and she learns that he’d recently concluded a series she had a lot of love for.
This happens in the movie, too, the whole “kidnapping an author and making them continue writing a series they wanted to move on from” thing. It’s just what the fan does to the author in Misery, the book, that proves a good deal more gruesome and stomach-churning than what she does in the movie. There’s also an infamous scene in the book involving a lawnmower that’s entirely absent from the 1990 movie (if you know, you know).
2
‘Lolita’ (1955)
Made Into ‘Lolita’ (1962)
Like with IT, there are things that happen with underage characters in Lolita that you just couldn’t show on screen, for reasons that are hopefully obvious to anyone who’s read either (or both) of these novels. The premise of Lolita is arguably more nightmarish than that of IT’s, though, since Lolita is about a man who is infatuated with a 12-year-old girl, carrying out his fantasies with her after becoming her stepfather.
The idea of making a movie version of Lolita in the first place was extreme enough that the tagline for the original 1962 film adaptation, directed by Stanley Kubrick, was “How did they ever make a movie of Lolita?” It’s a good question, but that film does work, and it does a lot by way of implying some of the most uncomfortable scenes. For what it’s worth, the 1997 movie adaptation did a similar thing, even if it’s technically a bit more intense and graphic than the 1962 version.
1
‘American Psycho’ (1991)
Made Into ‘American Psycho’ (2000)
You know, the movie version of American Psycho is honestly kind of fun. There is a satirical slant to the source material as well, but everything there is nastier and generally more graphic, so you can appreciate it as satire about wealth and entitlement and class and all that, but finding it actually funny, when it gets as full-on as it does, is a bit more difficult, to say the least.
American Psycho, the movie, is still about a wealthy investment banker who either is – or imagines he is – a serial killer, and so there’s a good deal of carnage and debauchery seen on screen, still. It’s more just that it’s not nearly as detailed as it is in the book, and also, the book version of Patrick Bateman does (or imagines he does) a few things far more horrific than the movie version of Patrick does (or believes he does).
American Psycho
- Release Date
-
April 14, 2000
- Runtime
-
101 minutes
- Director
-
Mary Harron
- Writers
-
Bret Easton Ellis, Mary Harron, Guinevere Turner
It seems pretty clear that the future of entertainment is digital. As regards films and television shows, streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video and others like them are sometimes involved in a cold war of sorts, with all platforms developing new, original titles to compete with what is obtainable elsewhere. These platforms are often home to a wide range of titles that often cut across multiple genres. With Netflix launching its video streaming service in 2007 and Prime Video following suit in 2011, both stand out as entrenched members of that community. However, one other streamer has carved out a particularly impressive niche for itself.
Apple TV launched on November 1, 2019, and seven years later, the streaming service has established itself as the home of prestige science fiction without a shadow of doubt. With Dan Erickson’s workplace thriller, Severance, which has exploded into a cultural phenomenon, and the likes of Rebecca Ferguson’s dystopian drama, Silo, and Alexander Skarsgård‘s Murderbot, among others, that title is not contested. However, a lot of the success the streamer enjoys today within the sci-fi genre would likely not have manifested had TV veteran Ronald D. Moore‘s brilliant co-creation not succeeded.
For All Mankind was co-created by Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi, as the defining Apple TV Original premiered even as the streaming service launched in 2019. Wildly imaginative and surprisingly different, the sci-fi series reimagined what would happen if the Space Race’s most important moment had gone in an entirely different direction. Having paved the way to sci-fi dominion for the streamer, For All Mankind is now looking towards the exit doors at the end of an era. After five full seasons, For All Mankind is heading into its sixth and final season, which has recently wrapped filming. Coral Peña, who plays Aleida Rosales in the sci-fi series, took to social media to mark the end of filming on Season 6. Peña, who replaced Olivia Trujillo in Season 2, shared an image with the caption: “Seven years later… series wrap on For All Mankind.“
How Good Is ‘For All Mankind’?
For All Mankind stars Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, Krys Marshall, Cynthy Wu, Peña, Toby Kebbell, Edi Gathegi, and Tyner Rushing, with earlier seasons also heavily featuring Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Sarah Jones, Michael Dorman, and Sonya Walger. The alt-history drama remains one of the crown jewels of Apple TV, highlighted by its persistent strong performances on the service’s worldwide chart.
Collider’s Therese Lacson wrote in her review that For All Mankind Season 5 continues to highlight exactly why the series remains one of Apple TV’s most impressive, well-crafted, and consistently rewarded sci-fi dramas, which has expanded its lore in the alternate reality while ensuring its emotional core remains firmly grounded in relationships. Even as the show has evolved into a sprawling, multi-generational story set on a fully colonized Mars, the transition feels totally earned rather than forced. Lacson wrote:
“For All Mankind is proof that when streamers have faith in their shows and allow them to grow, they can create pure magic. With each episode, Season 5 builds tension while giving us brief moments of relief, all culminating in another massive shift that promises to usher in a completely new and exciting age.”
For All Mankind Season 6 will premiere in 2027. Stream the sci-fi series on Apple TV, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
-
2019 – 2027-00-00
- Network
-
Apple TV
- Directors
-
Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Andrew Stanton, Meera Menon, Dan Liu, Allen Coulter, Craig Zisk, Dennie Gordon, John Dahl, Lukas Ettlin, Wendey Stanzler, Seth Gordon, Sylvain White, Michael Morris, Maja Vrvilo, Sarah Boyd
- Writers
-
Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, Ben Nedivi, Bradley Thompson, David Weddle, Nichole Beattie, Joe Menosky
Hailey Bieber’s hair has never looked better.
Bieber, 29, took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday, August 19, to share a pic of her silky mane after adding new haircare products into her routine.
In the pic, she ran her fingers through her brunette tresses, which feature a delicate highlight in her front pieces, proving how soft it was. She completed her look with a natural glam. She donned glowy skin, manicured eyebrows, blushed cheeks and a touch of mascara. Bieber also lined her pout and added a touch of gloss.
The Rhode founder made her caramel hair stand out even more with a black boat-neck top.
“Been on a real hair health journey this summer,” Bieber captioned the post.
Bieber previously gave some insight into how she’s been styling her strands this summer earlier this month. At the time, she zoomed in on her blowout in the works while snapping a mirror selfie. To achieve a bouncy look, Bieber sectioned off her hair and rolled pieces into a mix of medium and small rollers. She secured them with a pin while getting ready, and of course, used her Rhode eye patches as well.
The model has been growing her hair out since June, when she debuted a lob. Her shiny hair was cut to her shoulders and worn down. She flipped the end of her mane to give her hair a touch of volume.
Hailey Bieber isn’t planning on getting a so-called cropped “mom” haircut anytime soon. After a TikTok user proclaimed in a Friday, April 4, video that Bieber, 28, “makes me want to cut my hair,” the model replied in the comments section. “You would look stunning,” Bieber responded. “But let’s hold hands and agree to not […]
In April 2025, she commented on a fan’s post advising not to make any hair decisions while postpartum. “You would look stunning [with a bob], but let’s hold hands and agree to not make any big hair decisions postpartum!” she commented via TikTok. “Personally giving myself at least a year!” (Hailey and husband Justin Bieber welcomed son Jack, 23 months, in August 2024.)
Throughout the years, Hailey has experimented with a number of hairstyles. At the 2018 Met Gala, she rocked bubblegum pink hair and brunette roots, which she styled in soft curls. She accessorized with a flower crown, which held her front-pieces back.
Hailey has also been known to sport blonde hair for years before switching back to her natural brunette strands in late 2021.
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