Entertainment
6 Years Later, Apple TV’s 90-Minute WWII Hit Is Still Crushing Streaming Records
History buffs, World War II-era aficionados, and fans of Tom Hanks began the week with a bang. On Memorial Day, the History Channel premiered its epic, 20-episode documentary series World War II with Tom Hanks. Unsurprisingly, the series climbed to the upper tier of the domestic iTunes chart within a day. It now trails only Rick & Morty, while pacing ahead of popular titles such as Jack Ryan, Westworld, and Dutton Ranch. Hanks’ fascination with World War II history is well-known, and he has taken every opportunity to express it via his art. He famously starred in Steven Spielberg‘s groundbreaking movie Saving Private Ryan, and over two decades later, headlined a new kind of WWII blockbuster.
This film, which was released on Apple TV after being offloaded by Sony and denied a theatrical release, has emerged as a streaming sensation. Hanks once expressed his heartbreak about the movie never seeing the inside of a theater, but he seems to have made his peace with the turn of events and is now working on a sequel. Hanks and Spielberg continued their creative partnership following Saving Private Ryan not by making more movies for themselves, but by producing epic shows that are now considered among the best of all time. The streak began with Band of Brothers, which is charting domestically as we speak, even 25 years after its release on HBO. It was followed by The Pacific, which was also released on HBO, and the more recent Masters of the Air, which cost $250 million and premiered on Apple TV.
Tom Hanks’ Streaming Hit Has Passed a Massive Milestone
Which brings us back to Hanks’ streaming super-hit. We’re talking, of course, about Greyhound. Directed by Aaron Schneider, the film follows a tense naval standoff between Allied ships and enemy vessels in a particularly fierce and unprotected part of the Atlantic. The movie cost a reported $50 million to produce, and was picked up by Apple TV for $70 million. The investment appears to have paid off, with Greyhound having now hit a massive milestone. According to FlixPatrol, the movie has spent 700 days on the streamer’s domestic leaderboard, which happens to be more than any film currently charting, besides The Family Plan. Greyhound received better reviews than the Mark Wahlberg-led comedy, and is now sitting at a “Certified Fresh” 78% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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July 9, 2020
- Runtime
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92 minutes
- Director
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Aaron Schneider
- Producers
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Gary Goetzman, Nori Chia
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Whatever fans have felt about the past five years, the one thing they can admit is that it has been home to some of the greatest video games of all time, even rivaling masterful classics such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and modern sensations, including Red Dead Redemption 2. As the medium continues to grow and improve, gamers can see a clear difference in the shift from before and after five years.
That is why this list will be ranking the ten greatest video game masterpieces of the past five years, specifically 2022 to 2026. Based on elements such as gameplay, narrative, art, originality, influence, innovation, design, fan opinion, popularity, critical acclaim, and overall quality, these ten titles are must-play modern masterpieces that define the past five years of gaming.
10
‘Donkey Kong Bananza’ (2025)
Nintendo is going strong with the Nintendo Switch 2, already boasting impressive sales. While it wasn’t the system’s selling flagship title, Donkey Kong Bananza is the best game on the console. After the Void Company and its boss drill into the world in search of bananas, DK and Pauline are the only two who can stop this dastardly villain and his heinous plan.
Donkey Kong Bananza isn’t a typical 3D platformer; in fact, it is barely a platformer at all, instead focusing on a powerful punching mechanic, where every bit of land is destructible. This cathartic, engaging, and satisfying gameplay makes players feel stronger than ever, and the game has plenty of unique levels, gimmicks, bosses, and collectibles to keep them entertained and smashing from start to finish.
9
‘Pragmata’ (2026)
Maybe this is just recency bias, but Pragmata has already become a fantastic game of the 2020s that can compete with some of the best. Abandoned in a rundown facility on the moon, the protagonist and a little android girl must trek across the base and search for a way to escape back to Earth while making sure not to be shot down by the hostile AI running it.
As the newest game, Pragmata had a harder time establishing itself on this list, but it is already a sensation because of its unique gameplay that blends hacking and puzzles into the shooting. As one of the best sci-fi video games of all time, it features an imaginative system that is fun to play. The gameplay loop never gets tiring, and Pragmata’s tight pacing and linear exploration keep the game from being bloated.
8
‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ (2025)
2025 was a versatile year of gaming, and the one that walked away with the title of Game of the Year was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. In a fading world exists the paintress, an entity able to erase an age from the planet every year. Now, a brave group of adventurers set out on the 33rd expedition to defeat her and save the planet from becoming ageless.
Using the innovative blend of turn-based combat and real-time events, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a compelling masterpiece from a gameplay perspective that delivers immersive and tense combat. However, this award-winning title is also renowned for its incredible narrative and painterly world, which sets up some of the most unique worldbuilding. Not to mention its voice acting is spectacular, making this big-budget indie a game to remember.
7
‘Kingdom Come: Deliverance II’ (2025)
As mentioned, 2025 was a magnificent year for gaming, and one specific title was the must-play hidden gem: Kingdom Come Deliverance II. Players are a soldier traveling to a king to make sure their loyalty is still intact, but when they lose their identity, players have no way to prove who they are, all amidst a brewing war between nations.
This sequel improved on pretty much everything, expanding the world with more things to do in new avenues, gameplay opportunities, and different roles to play. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is one of the greatest RPG titles ever made, using its vast possibilities to create an immersive and authentic medieval title. Since 2025 was such a great year, this game went under the radar, yet it remains a definitive title from the past five years.
6
‘God of War: Ragnarök’ (2022)
2022 was a two-horse race for the honor of Game of the Year, and while God of War: Ragnarök didn’t come out victorious, it is still a worthy sequel. As Midgard freezes, the prophesied end of the world is nigh, leaving Kratos and his son, Atreus, to journey around the realm in search of allies to help in the fight against the Gods, hoping to save the world.
The 2018 reboot was a massive rebranding that improved the franchise in a big way, and while God of War: Ragnarök isn’t better, it is still a remarkable game. Its single-take camera style created a cinematic masterpiece among the best that video games have to offer. However, God of War: Ragnarök‘s true strength is its mechanical depth with systemic combat and variety to deliver an action masterclass.
5
‘Astro Bot’ (2024)
The 3D platformer genre has been dominated by Nintendo forever, but 2024 saw a change, with Sony delivering Astro Bot, an unexpected delight. Playing as the titular character, players must travel around a plethora of levels to try to rescue their crew, repair the PS5 mothership, and escape this planet.
Games are all about having fun, and unfortunately, some fans have forgotten that. However, Astro Bot will revive that passion for entertainment through its incredible level design and platforming gimmicks. This modern platforming gaming experience is at the peak of its genre, using haptic feedback to create an immersive feel, while its fluid character and movement make jumping satisfying.
4
‘Hades 2’ (2025)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is technically an indie game, but one that has that distinct feel and style is Hades 2, the much-anticipated sequel to the 2020 original. With Chronos newly resurrected, he immediately takes over the underworld and imprisons his family. However, Melinoe escaped, and now she must travel through Tartarus and Olympus to kill Chronos and free her family.
Indie games have been getting better and better over the years, with the genre reaching its peak with Hades 2. This game keeps the hook from the first game, but reinvents the combat and adds more weapons to make it even better. The refined roguelike gameplay loop has a grander scale that weaves the narrative into the repetitiveness, making Hades 2 one of the more creative games of the past five years.
3
‘The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’ (2023)
With Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, God of War: Ragnarök, and Hades 2, this list features many sequels, highlighting the anticipation felt in the past five years. But the greatest sequel comes from The Legend of Zelda franchise, specifically its newest 3D entry, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. When Zelda and Link discover Ganondorf beneath the palace, he is resurrected again, sending Zelda to the past and Link without his Master Sword.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still the better and more influential game, but Tears of the Kingdom improved on virtually everything. From the narrative to bosses to dungeons to exploration to side quests and overall content, this expansive open-world masterpiece isn’t lacking in things to do. Tears of the Kingdom‘s revolutionary traversal rewards exploration by encouraging curiosity in the most marvelous and whimsical of ways, proving it is one of the best video games on the Nintendo Switch.
2
‘Elden Ring’ (2022)
FromSoftware is a prolific game studio, and the past five years saw them release their magnum opus, Elden Ring. After the titular object shatters, the pieces are collected by the demigod children of Queen Marika. However, the players control the Tarnished on a journey through the Lands Between to defeat the children, collect the shards, restore the ring, and become the Elden Lord.
With George R.R. Martin‘s worldbuilding and FromSoftware’s soulslike gameplay, this game-changing RPG is the ultimate fantasy experience that bridges prestigious lore and storytelling with challenging combat. Elden Ring may be known for its relentless challenge and difficulty, but that is what makes the combat so rewarding. Plus, this title features amazing exploration in what is regarded as one of the best open-world video games of all time.
1
‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ (2023)
The past five years have been home to some of the greatest video games of all time, but Baldur’s Gate 3 is the best and most innovative. Set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, players are infected by a mind-flayer tadpole and must adventure across the world to find a cure. However, amidst the ticking clock is a brewing war between mortals and gods.
The best fans can hope for is companies to actually care about their games, because when they do, games such as Baldur’s Gate 3 are made. This passion-fueled masterpiece is the product of hard work and love of the IP, creating a game full of agency and player choice. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a detailed video game where players can do whatever they think of, perfectly translating the D&D experience to the interactive realm.
Baldur’s Gate 3
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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M
- Developer(s)
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Larian Studios
Over the years, animated cinema has proved to be the perfect medium for highly imaginative and visually striking stories that can only find their home in the admirably inventive limitlessness of animation. On plenty of delightful occasions, this medium has been the perfect vehicle for tales of sweeping romance, allowing for particularly creative stories with colorful characters that make the love story at their center really come to life.
From beautiful Disney classics that helped define the genre, like Beauty and the Beast, to much more subversive modern masterpieces like the bizarre Anomalisa, animated romance can often be the best kind. The visual and narrative qualities that only animation can offer allow filmmakers to flesh out characters and celebrate the magic of love, always from angles that live-action can’t reach.
10
‘The Princess and the Frog’ (2009)
Disney’s last 2D-animated romance film, The Princess and the Frog tells the story of a waitress whose dream to fulfill her dream of owning a restaurant is threatened when, after kissing a frog prince, she becomes a frog herself and must set out on a journey for both of them to go back to normal. Subversive of typical fairy tale romance tropes, while also paying homage to them and very much feeling like typical Disney magic, it’s definitely one of the studio’s best efforts in recent years.
The movie doesn’t do anything particularly groundbreaking for the genre, but with beautiful animation, a moving story, and a group of memorable characters, it delights audiences by going back to the animation giant’s roots. Princess and the Frog‘s long-overdue focus on Black characters was applauded by critics and audiences alike, and even if some people were left wanting a less by-the-numbers narrative, The Princess and the Frog was enough charm to make anyone swoon.
9
‘Tangled’ (2010)
After the exceptional Golden Age known as the Disney Renaissance, the studio started exploring more and more stories outside of the traditional romantic fairy tales that had defined their legacy. With Tangled, they went back to their narrative roots with a comedy musical that puts a twist on the tale of Rapunzel, placing her alongside a runaway thief who gets her out of the tower that she has spent her whole life in, showing her the world for the first time.
The movie finds the perfect balance between endearing screwball comedy and heartwarming romance, throwing in a coming-of-age story of self-discovery for good measure. With some of the most memorable characters in the studio’s library, stunning animation, and a bunch of catchy songs, Tangled proves that the fairy tale genre is far from dead if creative things are done with its tropes.
8
‘Whisper of the Heart’ (1995)
One of the most unique and endearing outings in Studio Ghibli’s filmography, Whisper of the Heart is a love story between a girl who loves reading books and a boy who has checked out all the library books she has chosen in the past. Mixing all the best elements of a coming-of-age, a romantic drama, and a fantasy adventure, this movie written by Ghibli giant Hayao Miyazaki is all that fans of romance anime could ask for.
One of Japan’s most prominent animation studio’s highest-rated films on IMDb, Whisper of the Heart is full of sincere emotion and mature depictions of love and connection, proving that animated movies can be family-friendly without ever coming across as condescending or “too kiddie”. Its animation has aged wonderfully, and its story about pursuing one’s dreams never stops being inspiring.
7
‘Your Name’ (2016)
Contemporary romantic anime isn’t at all uncommon, but a film like that as magical, charming, and deeply moving as Your Name is something that audiences don’t come across every day. It’s about two teens who share a deep connection that has caused them to swap bodies. Things become all the more complicated when the pair decide that they should meet in person.
The film revolves around the kind of ultra-creative premise the likes of which only Makoto Shinkai seems capable of coming up with in the industry, and it does some really emotionally affecting things with those ideas. As one of the best body swap movies to come out in recent years, Your Name. is a poignant depiction of relationships and the transcendental connection that binds them together, conveyed through a beautiful story that has a pair of compelling characters at its core.
6
‘Aladdin’ (1992)
Released near the beginning of the studio’s Renaissance, Aladdin is recognized as one of Disney’s greatest movies of all time. Inspired by one of the best-known tales of The Thousand and One Nights, it’s a sweeping desert adventure where a kind street urchin in love with a young princess sees his luck changed when he retrieves a wish-granting genie in a lamp, ignorant of the fact that the Sultan’s evil advisor has his own plans for both the young man and the lamp.
There is something in Aladdin for everyone to enjoy. Inventive fantasy elements, exciting action, hilarious comedy courtesy of Robin Williams in what many praised as the best voice performance in any movie ever made, and a touching romance between two fun characters, which celebrates the courage of being oneself and living with honesty.
5
‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ (2004)
Hayao Miyazaki is not only the best-known director of anime films, but even one of the best-known Japanese filmmakers of all time. This is for good reason: His movies are enchanting, mature, and absolutely enthralling, Howl’s Moving Castle being no exception. In it, an insecure young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, and has to recur to the help of an arrogant wizard and his companions to break the spell.
Howl’s Moving Castle‘s most prominent features, at least on the surface, are the kind of thrilling action, enrapturing world-building, and creative concepts that you might find in an adventure epic. At heart, however, this is a beautiful love story about two characters who, in learning how to love each other, learn also to accept themselves and their flaws. It’s one of Miyazaki’s best efforts, and that’s saying a lot.
4
‘Anomalisa’ (2015)
Charlie Kaufman is one of the most brilliant creatives in the film industry today, writing some of the most profound and hilariously bizarre scripts, and directing some of the most attention-grabbing spectacles of existentialist cinema. Anomalisa, his seventh film as a screenwriter but only his second as a director (in collaboration with stop-motion expert Duke Johnson), is a stop-motion romance dramedy about a man crippled by the mundanity of his life and incapable of interacting deeply with others, whose life is turned upside down when he meets an extraordinary stranger.
Anomalisa is the kind of life-changing existentialist masterpiece that only Kaufman could have possibly made, a bittersweet depiction of loneliness, connections, and the unbearable weight of being. With two incredible voice performances by David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh, the relationship at the core of the story feels brutally genuine and heart-achingly real.
3
‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)
In 1992, Beauty and the Beast made history by becoming the first-ever animated film to be nominated for the highly coveted Best Picture Oscar. It was a tremendous honor, and a decision that has aged like fine wine. This is still considered one of the most beautiful animated romances ever, where a prince cursed to spend his life as a monster sees his humanity revived by a young woman’s love.
There are plenty of things that have made Beauty and the Beast endure in audiences’ hearts for so long. Perhaps it’s its beautiful and colorful animation, or its catchy songs (some of the best in Disney’s whole library), or the layered and thought-provoking romantic story that it focuses on. Likely, it’s all those things at once—and then some.
2
‘The Tale of the Princess Kaguya’ (2013)
No one can deny that Miyazaki is a master of his craft, but he’s not the only exceptional Japanese filmmaker in town—Or in Ghibli, for that matter. Isao Takahata is the studio’s other most notable name, and he has made some of their most iconic masterpieces. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya in particular might be his best work, a fantasy drama based on Japanese folklore where an old bamboo cutter and his wife find a young girl inside a bamboo stalk, raising her as their own. Coveted by five nobles but not wanting to marry a stranger she doesn’t love, Kaguya sends her suitors on impossible tasks.
Kaguya is a riveting story of femininity, gender roles, and societal expectations of love and marriage. With a complex depiction of Japanese history and some of the best uses of low fantasy in a movie, Takahata created a wonderful story that layers history, magic, and romance in the most perfect ways. Its watercolor animation is gorgeous, and its title character is one of the most engaging in any Ghibli picture.
1
‘Shrek 2’ (2004)
What happens after happily ever after? This is the question that Shrek 2, one of the best, funniest, and most original animated sequels of all time asks. Its story sees Shrek and Fiona travel to the Kingdom of Far Far Away to meet the princess’s parents, but when they arrive, they find that they aren’t as welcome as they thought they would be.
While the original Shrek was about the titular character learning to allow himself to be loved by others, Shrek 2 has him learn how to love himself exactly as he is. It has more of what made the first film so charming: fun characters, hilarious jokes, and an endearing love story, while also adding some creative world-building and thoughtful themes to make itself stand out as one of the few sequels that were able to top the original.
Shrek 2
- Release Date
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May 19, 2004
- Runtime
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92 minutes
- Writers
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David N. Weiss, J. David Stem, Joe Stillman, Andrew Adamson, Charles Perrault, William Steig
-
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Eddie Murphy
Donkey (voice)
Euphoria wrapped up the series with a devastating death – but there were numerous characters who were killed off on screen.
During the Sunday, May 31, episode of the HBO show, Rue (Zendaya) was the most surprising when she relapsed by taking painkillers. This led to her death from an accidental overdose due to the pills being laced with fentanyl.
Ali (Colman Domingo) wanted to seek revenge and he murdered Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) at his strip club. At the same time, Laurie (Martha Kelly) died by suicide when the DEA raided her property and G (Marshawn Lynch) was another casualty of Ali storming the club to avenge Rue’s memory.
Euphoria premiered in 2019 and originally followed troubled high school student Rue as she struggled to remain sober after rehab. The hit HBO series was quickly renewed for a second season after its premiere, but it took nearly three years for the episodes to air.
The Euphoria cast and crew have mourned the deaths of some of their colleagues over the years. Euphoria, which premiered in 2019, originally followed troubled high school student Rue (Zendaya) as she struggled to remain sober after rehab. The hit HBO series was quickly renewed for a second season after its premiere, but it took […]
In between seasons, the cast suffered several losses after Eric Dane, who played Cal, died in February at age 53 after a battle with ALS. Angus Cloud, meanwhile, died at age 25 and creator Sam Levinson dedicated the season to the actor and his character, Fez.
In a segment after Sunday’s episode, Levinson explained why Rue died from an overdose, saying, “The honest ending is that people like Rue don’t make it.”
Levinson reflected on his own history with addiction — before mentioning Cloud’s death in July 2025 following an accidental overdose.
“People relapse and they f*** up. They’re not ready to get clean. And they weren’t dying like they are now with the influx of fentanyl into this country,” he explained. “I could say with absolute certainty that if I was going through what I went through when I was younger now then I wouldn’t be here either.”
He continued: “There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. I wanted to tell the story for Angus and for people who weren’t granted a second chance.”
Levinson called the finale “an honest ending.”
“Zendaya’s performance has been so wonderful and layered over the course of these seasons. We fell in love with this character — this girl who was flawed and f**ked up but has a good heart,” he said. “It’s a blessing to work with talented people and people that you love.”
Levinson noted that the show was always building to Rue’s death, adding, “In the end, I wanted to tell an honest story about addiction. I also wanted to tell a story about grief and the emotional turmoil that it can create.”
Euphoria is now streaming on HBO Max.
I honestly miss the time when trilogies were simple and wholesome instead of constantly chasing bigger action scenes in every single movie. A lot of modern franchises already start thinking about spin-offs, crossovers, and cinematic universes before the first film even has its own identity. And that’s what ruins the foundation. Older trilogies had a more personal feeling; it felt like we were growing old with those characters after every installment, and they didn’t exactly care about being greenlit for the next season or next spin-off.
I especially love the five trilogies on this list because they are all different from each other. And none of them became giant mainstream obsessions, which, according to me, is the best part. Let’s dig in.
5
‘The Three Colors Trilogy’ (1993–1994)
Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors films are all built around different ideas, liberty, equality, and fraternity. Blue follows Julie (Juliette Binoche) after the sudden death of her husband and daughter leaves her trying to detach herself from almost every part of her old life. White shifts toward Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a man humiliated after his marriage collapses, while Red centers on Valentine (Irène Jacob) and her strange connection with a retired judge who spends his time secretly listening to other people’s phone calls.
The reason the trilogy works so beautifully together is that every film approaches loneliness differently. Julie tries to erase emotional attachment completely, Karol becomes obsessed with revenge and dignity, and Valentine slowly develops a connection with somebody she barely understands. Small details quietly connect all three stories, though each film still feels emotionally complete on its own. By the final moments of Red, the trilogy somehow pulls everything together without making the connection feel forced or overly dramatic.
4
‘The Apu Trilogy’ (1955–1959)
Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy follows Apu from childhood into adulthood, though the films never feel rushed while moving through different stages of his life. Pather Panchali begins in a poor rural village where Apu spends much of his childhood observing the world around him alongside his sister Durga. Simple moments become deeply memorable because Ray pays close attention to how these people actually live day to day. A train passing through the distance or children running through fields somehow becomes just as emotionally important as larger dramatic scenes.
The later films gradually push Apu into completely different environments. Aparajito follows him leaving home for education, while Apur Sansar shows him entering adulthood, marriage, fatherhood, and devastating loss. One thing that makes the trilogy extraordinary is how naturally Apu changes across the years. He is not written like a symbolic character carrying a grand message. He simply feels like a real person growing older, making mistakes, drifting away from people, and trying to understand what kind of life he actually wants.
3
‘The Before Trilogy’ (1995–2013)
The entire Before trilogy is built mostly around conversation, which honestly should not work as well as it does. Before Sunrise starts when Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) meet on a train and impulsively spend one night walking around Vienna together before Jesse has to leave for America the next morning. Very little “happens” in the traditional sense. They talk about relationships, family, religion, death, ambition, and the small fears they would probably never admit to strangers under normal circumstances.
What makes the trilogy so special is watching those same two people meet again at completely different points in their lives. Before Sunset carries the regret of time already lost, while Before Midnight finally shows what happens after the fantasy phase of romance disappears and ordinary frustrations begin taking over. The arguments become harsher, the affection becomes quieter, and the films stop pretending love automatically solves personal unhappiness. By the final movie, Jesse and Céline feel less like fictional characters and more like people the audience has genuinely grown older alongside.
2
‘The Dollars Trilogy’ (1964–1966)
Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name enters each film in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy looking almost disconnected from the chaos around him. In A Fistful of Dollars, he arrives in a town controlled by two rival families and immediately starts manipulating both sides for money. For a Few Dollars More expands things by pairing him with Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef), whose reasons for hunting El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté) become far more personal than simple bounty hunting.
Then The Good, the Bad and the Ugly turns the trilogy into something much larger. Blondie, Tuco (Eli Wallach), and Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) spend the film chasing buried Confederate gold while the American Civil War continues violently around them. Leone constantly stretches scenes longer than most directors would dare, though that patience is exactly why the confrontations become unforgettable. Gunfights feel tense because the films spend so much time around silence, suspicion, and tiny reactions before anybody finally reaches for a weapon.
1
‘The Human Condition Trilogy’ (1959–1961)
Masaki Kobayashi’s The Human Condition trilogy follows Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai), a man desperately trying to hold on to his morality while Japan moves deeper into the Second World War. At the beginning, Kaji takes a management role at a labor camp believing he can treat workers more humanely than the people around him. Very quickly, he realizes the system itself leaves almost no room for compassion. Every attempt to help somebody places him in conflict with military authority, and each compromise slowly wears him down further.
The later films become even harsher once Kaji is forced into military service himself. Training turns brutal, soldiers begin dying around him, and survival gradually replaces the ideals he started with earlier in the trilogy. What makes these films so difficult to forget is how relentlessly they follow Kaji through humiliation, exhaustion, guilt, and loss without simplifying any of it into easy heroism. By the end, the trilogy stops feeling like a war story and starts feeling more like a portrait of a person being emotionally destroyed piece by piece over time.
The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer
- Release Date
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January 28, 1961
- Runtime
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190 minutes
- Director
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Masaki Kobayashi
- Writers
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Zenzō Matsuyama, Masaki Kobayashi, Koichi Inagaki
-
-
-
Tamao Nakamura
Hinannmin no Shôjo
-
Yūsuke Kawazu
Terada Nitôhei
Taylor Frankie Paul has provided insight into her current coparenting arrangement with ex Dakota Mortensen over their son, Ever.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star, 32, shared an Instagram Story on Sunday, May 31, that discussed the court-ordered supervised visits she complies with while spending time with Ever, 2. “I think all the projects and redoing is a fresh start but mainly a coping mechanism to distract from the fact my baby hasn’t been here for months now, aside visits,” the reality TV star wrote.
The words were pasted over a photo of Paul performing work on a scooter while seated on the ground of her home. A previous Story also showed that she was interested in fixing up a worn-out golf buggy.
“I miss you baby,” another Instagram Story from Paul read. Her words were pasted over a photo of her hand holding Ever’s.
Taylor Frankie Paul and her ex Dakota Mortensen appeared in court virtually to discuss visitation two weeks after he was granted temporary custody of their son. A judge seemingly sided with Mortensen during the Tuesday, April 7, hearing, ruling that Paul, 31, be granted only supervised time with Ever, 2, for at least six hours […]
Paul and Mortensen, who shared a tumultuous on-off romance that involved domestic violence incidents between 2022 and 2023, were granted protective orders against each other in April. Mortensen currently has temporary custody over Ever as the former couple battle for permanent custody in court. (Paul is also mother to daughter, Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul.)
In March, season 5 filming of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was halted after the duo were allegedly involved in a more recent domestic violence incident. Despite the lack of any criminal charges being made, the controversy led to Paul’s season of The Bachelorette being dropped by ABC just days before its scheduled premiere.
Mortensen and Paul are scheduled to appear in court over custody arrangements on Monday, June 1.
Paul’s Instagram Stories came amid an Instagram grid post on Sunday that reflected on the end of May’s Mental Health Awareness Month. “Still processing two shows were put on pause. Balled it up in both shows, made some boys cry and now I’m bawling. What is life?” she captioned a carousel of snaps. “Take it seriously, learn lessons but don’t forget to be silly too. It’s okay to smile again after making mistakes. Today is the last day of mental health awareness month and just know if you’re out there struggling you’re not alone.”
The carousel included photos of Indy as well as Paul wearing a t-shirt that read, “If you find me offensive then I suggest you quit finding me.” Another image showed a list of ticked emotional symptoms with the caption, “It said check any you struggle with currently for therapy.”
Symptoms included “low motivation” and “low self-esteem,” as well as “tearful or crying spells,” “panic,” “hopelessless” and “chronic pain.”
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul is getting real about the last month of her life amid new domestic violence allegations and a custody dispute. “The last 40 days felt like hell on earth,” the reality TV star, 31, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, April 5, alongside a video montage featuring […]
Just three days prior to Paul’s candid coparenting reflections, she had taken to her Instagram Stories to discuss the “psychological torture” that has recently affected her. “The psychological torture damaged me way more than the physical,” she wrote via the platform on Wednesday, May 27. “You eventually become a shell of a human. This is hard to share because it’s hard to come to terms with.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. https://988lifeline.org/
Mackenzie Shirilla’s father, Steve Shirilla, has defended his daughter, arguing that her late friend Davion Flanagan would’ve never been included in a plot to murder her boyfriend.
Steve, who has been vocal of his support of Mackenzie, 21, as she serves two concurrent sentences of 15 years to life over the July 2022 deaths of boyfriend Dominic Russo and Flanagan, detailed his theory during a Wednesday, May 27, episode of True Crime This Week.
“I’ve asked her, ‘Did you do this on purpose?’ And she goes, ‘No,’” Steve said on the podcast, hosted by James Renner. “I would think if my daughter was that mad, that mad at that boy [Russo] to want to kill him that way, Davion would have never been in the car. This makes no sense.”
Steve continued, “Something happened in that car. No one’s ever going to know. She’s innocent of the charges they put upon her.”
Mackenzie Shirilla referred to herself as the “third victim” of the fatal car crash that killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and their friend Davion Flanagan while she was behind the wheel. Shirilla, 21, made the comment while speaking to her mother, Natalie Shirilla, during a phone call from the Cuyahoga County Corrections Center. At the […]
Mackenzie was convicted of 12 felony charges during a 2023 bench trial, including murder, when she was 17 years old, after driving her Toyota Camry at over 100 mph in Strongsville, Ohio, and intentionally hitting a brick wall with Russo and Flanagan in the vehicle.
She was the only one to survive the crash, which is the subject of Netflix’s documentary titled The Crash. Mackenzie has maintained her innocence despite the conviction amid claims that she cannot remember the incident.
Steve also features within The Crash, which premiered on the streaming service on May 15, showing support for his daughter even when Mackenzie’s marujuana use was explored. (Cannabis was detected in Mackenzie’s system at the time of the incident.)
Mackenzie Shirilla opened up about her concerns for the future during a phone call from behind bars, revealing that she is afraid she won’t “be able to have kids” because she would be “old” when she’s released. In the undated jail call between her and her mother, Natalie Shirilla, Mackenzie, 21, discussed the hard realities […]
“I don’t have a problem with her smoking dope,” Steve said in the documentary. “If you’re going to smoke a drug, that’s the one I believe you should take.” The comments saw him subsequently put on leave from his art and digital media teaching job at Cleveland’s Mary Queen of Peace School.
Just days ago, Mackenzie spoke about post-prison plans should she ever reach an early release. “I’ma be a life coach and stuff,” she reportedly told her mom, Natalie Shirilla, via phone from the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio, according to a Saturday, May 30, report by TMZ. “I’m just going to be everything. I’ma do everything.” (Mackenzie is not eligible for parole until October 2037.)
A former inmate who served time with Mackenzie Shirilla at the Ohio Reformatory for Women claimed that she didn’t show “remorse” behind bars and wanted to “be like” the Mean Girls character Regina George. Mary Katherine “Kat” Crowder shared claims about what Shirilla, 21, was really like in prison following the release of Netflix’s The […]
Amid Mackenzie’s optimism, prison records recently obtained by Us Weekly show that she has faced multiple disciplinary actions while in prison, including for a NSFW video call in 2025 during which she allegedly showed her breasts to a visitor who flashed “a dildo sticking out of her pants twice.”
Details of other alleged incidents included the 2024 possession of altered clothing and four “nude magazine pictures.”
I absolutely despise people who call animated movies childish. I think the biggest reason they are better than most live-action films is that they talk about the hard-hitting emotions without hiding them behind realism. A father is terrified of losing his son, so he crosses the entire ocean looking for him. A little girl misses her parents and suddenly has to survive inside a spirit world alone. A toy becomes jealous because its owner loves somebody else more. Who doesn’t like a tear-jerker every once in a while?
The films on this list are standouts because every scene keeps pushing the characters somewhere emotionally. Ratatouille is really about somebody being told he does not belong in the place he loves most. Princess Mononoke turns a fantasy war into something painfully human. These ten movies, therefore, are just technically impressive and are written with an unusual amount of care from beginning to end.
10
‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ (2016)
Kubo and the Two Strings starts with Kubo (Art Parkinson) living quietly with his sick mother in a small village while earning money by telling magical stories through origami figures that move on their own. Every evening, his mother warns him to return home before dark because dangerous spirits are searching for him. Kubo does not fully understand that warning until one night when he stays out too long during a festival and suddenly becomes the target of his aunts, who are trying to take his remaining eye for the Moon King.
From there, the story turns into a journey across mountains, caves, and frozen lakes as Kubo searches for pieces of armor once worn by his father. Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) travel with him, though much of the film slowly becomes about memory and grief rather than the quest itself. Kubo’s mother forgetting parts of her own life, the stories his father left behind, and Kubo trying to understand his family all become deeply connected by the ending.
9
‘The Incredibles’ (2004)
At the beginning of The Incredibles, superheroes are still publicly saving people, though lawsuits and political pressure eventually force the government to shut all of them down. Years later, Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) is living an ordinary suburban life with Helen (Holly Hunter) and their children while secretly missing the excitement he once had as Mr. Incredible. He works at an insurance company, struggles to fit into routine office life, and keeps getting himself into trouble because he still wants to help people whenever possible.
Things change when Bob is secretly recruited for a mission on a remote island, where he discovers that Syndrome (Jason Lee) has been building weapons by studying former superheroes for years. At the same time, Helen begins to realize Bob has been hiding things from her, and eventually the entire family becomes pulled into the conflict together. What makes the film work so well is how naturally the superhero side connects with ordinary family problems. Dash wants to stop hiding his abilities, Violet feels invisible around people her age, and Bob keeps learning that he cannot keep treating heroism like a one-man job.
8
‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)
Set during the Cold War, The Iron Giant follows Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal), a young boy living in a small town in Maine who discovers a massive robot that has fallen from space. Instead of reacting with fear immediately, Hogarth slowly becomes friends with the Giant after realizing it behaves more like a confused child than a weapon. He teaches the robot simple things about the world around him, including language, comic books, and even the idea that people can choose who they want to become.
The situation becomes dangerous once government agent Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) arrives in town, convinced the robot is a threat. Hogarth tries desperately to keep the Giant hidden while the military closes in around them. One detail the film handles beautifully is the Giant’s fear of its own destructive abilities. Every time it accidentally hurts something, it reacts with genuine confusion and panic. By the final act, the story becomes less about hiding the robot and more about whether something built as a weapon can decide not to act like one anymore.
7
‘Princess Mononoke’ (1997)
Ashitaka (Yōji Matsuda) becomes cursed after killing a demon boar attacking his village, and the only way to understand what happened is to travel west and search for the source of the corruption spreading through the land. That journey eventually brings him into the middle of a violent conflict between Iron Town and the forest spirits protecting the surrounding wilderness. Lady Eboshi (Yūko Tanaka) is cutting down the forest to expand her settlement and protect the people working under her, while San, also known as Princess Mononoke (Yuriko Ishida), fights alongside the wolves trying to stop that destruction.
One reason the film still feels so powerful is that nobody is treated as completely right or completely wrong. Eboshi genuinely cares for former prostitutes and lepers living in Iron Town even while her actions destroy the forest around her. San sees humans as the enemy, though Ashitaka keeps trying to make both sides understand each other before the violence becomes impossible to stop. The conflict grows larger once the Forest Spirit itself becomes part of the struggle, especially after outside forces begin hunting it for their own gain.
6
‘Ratatouille’ (2007)
Remy (Patton Oswalt) is a rat living in the countryside who becomes obsessed with cooking after constantly watching Chef Gusteau on television. Unlike the rest of his family, Remy cares deeply about flavor, combinations, and technique, which already separates him from the other rats before he even reaches Paris. After getting separated from his family, he accidentally ends up inside Gusteau’s restaurant, where he notices that the kitchen’s new garbage boy, Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano), has absolutely no idea what he is doing.
Remy secretly begins controlling Linguini by pulling his hair beneath a chef’s hat, and together they start impressing the restaurant staff with dishes Linguini could never prepare on his own. The situation becomes increasingly complicated as Linguini gains fame while hiding the fact that the real talent is a rat nobody can know exists. At the same time, food critic Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole) prepares to review the restaurant after years of helping destroy Gusteau’s reputation. The final meal Remy serves him turns out to be something surprisingly simple rather than extravagant.
5
‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)
Belle (Paige O’Hara) spends most of her time reading and trying to avoid the expectations people in her village already have for her. Gaston (Richard White) wants to marry her mostly because he sees her as a prize everybody else admires, while Belle is clearly searching for something bigger than the small routine around her. Everything changes once her father Maurice (Rex Everhart) gets lost and ends up imprisoned inside the Beast’s castle. Belle takes his place without fully understanding what kind of life she has just entered.
The Beast (Robby Benson) is angry, isolated, and barely knows how to speak to another person without losing his temper. A large part of the film is simply watching these two people slowly learn how to exist around each other. Dinner conversations become less hostile, Belle begins exploring the castle, and the servants quietly try helping the relationship grow because they know their own curse depends on it. By the time Gaston gathers the villagers to attack the castle, the story has already become much more about fear and loneliness than appearances.
4
‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)
Marlin (Albert Brooks) becomes terrified of losing Nemo (Alexander Gould) long before the actual story begins. After surviving the attack that killed most of his family, he raises Nemo carefully and constantly worries that something bad will happen to him too. Nemo, meanwhile, is desperate to prove he can handle the ocean on his own instead of being treated like he is fragile all the time. That tension between them finally explodes on Nemo’s first day of school when he swims too close to a boat and gets captured by a diver.
The rest of the film follows Marlin crossing the ocean with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) trying to find him. Their journey keeps changing direction in ridiculous ways. They drift through jellyfish fields, ride currents with sea turtles, escape sharks, and nearly get swallowed by a whale. At the same time, Nemo is trapped inside a dentist’s aquarium with fish already planning their escape. One thing the movie handles beautifully is how both father and son slowly change apart from each other instead of only learning lessons once they reunite at the end.
3
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is already struggling to fit into his new school before he gets bitten by a radioactive spider beneath the city. Soon after that, he witnesses Spider-Man dying while trying to stop Kingpin’s collider from opening portals into other universes. Suddenly Miles has powers he cannot control and a responsibility he never asked for. Even simple things like sticking to walls or using invisibility keep going wrong at the worst possible moments.
Things become even stranger once different Spider-People start appearing in his universe because of the collider. Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) is exhausted and emotionally broken, Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) is far more experienced than Miles, and the others already know how dangerous the situation is becoming. For most of the story, Miles is treated like the weak link because nobody believes he is ready. That changes once he finally stops trying to become another version of Peter Parker and starts understanding what kind of Spider-Man he wants to be himself.
2
‘Toy Story’ (1995)
Woody (Tom Hanks) is completely comfortable being Andy’s favorite toy at the beginning of Toy Story. He leads the other toys, organizes Andy’s room whenever humans are nearby, and assumes that role will never really change. Then Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) arrives on Andy’s birthday, and everything immediately shifts. Buzz has flashing lights, wings, catchphrases, and genuinely believes he is an actual space ranger instead of a toy. Andy becomes obsessed with him almost overnight, which slowly turns Woody’s jealousy into something uglier.
Their relationship gets worse after Woody accidentally knocks Buzz out the window during an argument. The other toys believe Woody did it on purpose, and before long both Woody and Buzz end up stranded away from home together. A huge part of the movie works because Buzz slowly realizes he is not who he thought he was, while Woody is forced to confront how selfish he has become. By the end, getting back to Andy matters more to both of them than being the favorite anymore.
1
‘Spirited Away’ (2001)
Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) is already unhappy about moving to a new town when her parents accidentally wander into an abandoned amusement park on the way there. Once night falls, the place transforms completely. Spirits begin appearing everywhere, her parents turn into pigs after eating food meant for the gods, and Chihiro suddenly finds herself trapped inside a strange bathhouse controlled by Yubaba (Mari Natsuki), a powerful witch who steals people’s names to control them.
Most of the film follows Chihiro trying to survive inside that bathhouse while slowly growing more confident than she was at the beginning. She works alongside spirits, deals with impossible tasks, and gradually forms relationships with characters like Haku (Miyu Irino) and Lin (Yoomi Tamai). One of the most memorable parts of the story is how casually bizarre many scenes are. A polluted river spirit arrives covered in filth, No-Face slowly becomes dangerous after being left alone inside the bathhouse, and a train glides quietly across flooded tracks toward the final act. Even with all those strange moments, Chihiro’s fear and loneliness always feel completely real.
Jacob Elordi may be one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising stars, but insiders say even the “Euphoria” actor has found himself dazzled by the elite world surrounding rumored girlfriend Kendall Jenner.
As the pair continue fueling romance speculation with appearances from Coachella to Hawaii, sources claim Elordi has become increasingly fascinated by Jenner’s billionaire inner circle, powerful industry connections, and high-profile family.
According to insiders, the Australian actor has embraced the Kardashian-Jenner orbit in a way few expected, and it is already opening major doors for his future.
Jacob Elordi has worked alongside some of the biggest names in entertainment, but according to insiders, Kendall’s social circle has still left him “starstruck for sure.”
A source told the Daily Mail that Elordi has been especially fascinated by the high-profile names surrounding the supermodel.
“He is thrilled with her social circle, which he has called ‘impressive’ because it’s all heavy hitters,” the insider said, adding, “It’s one big name after another. Jacob is starstruck for sure.”
Recently, the 28-year-old has been spending time with Kendall’s inner circle, including Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet, as well as Hailey and Justin Bieber.
Insiders say Elordi is especially impressed by Kendall’s billionaire half-sister, Kim Kardashian, whom he “thinks the world of and respects lots” because of her success with SKIMS and her expanding acting career.
The source suggested that being welcomed into such a powerful social world has been exciting for the Hollywood star, especially as his own career continues to grow.
Elordi’s New World Is A Far Cry From Olivia Jade’s Circle
According to the insider, Jacob Elordi sees a sharp difference between Kendall’s social environment and the crowd surrounding his ex-girlfriend Olivia Jade Giannulli.
Elordi and Giannulli dated on and off for four years before eventually calling it quits in October 2025.
While the source stressed that the “Frankenstein” star still “loves Giannulli to pieces and they’re still friends,” they claimed he struggled with aspects of her social group.
“When he was with Olivia, their circle was a bunch of LA brats who liked to party,” the insider alleged, further noting, “Olivia is great, she is a nice girl, but a lot of her friends are privileged, they are kind of a snobby bunch.”
On the other hand, Kendall’s social world is reportedly much more business-focused. “Everyone is focusing on IPOs and how to become a billionaire,” the source explained. “It’s a new level and he is thrilled. In Kendall’s camp, everyone helps each other out.”
Jacob Elordi Reportedly Wins Over Kris Jenner And Her Powerful Network
Another major factor impressing Elordi is reportedly Kris Jenner’s eagerness to support him professionally.
According to the insider, the Kardashian matriarch has made it clear she is willing to help elevate his career beyond acting.
“Kris is always like, ‘How can I help make you richer? I have contacts.’ And she really does. It’s pretty seductive to have all that support,” the source claimed.
The insider also pointed to Kris’s friendships with billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, saying, “Those two are a phone call away.” They added, “They make things happen,” while referencing the pair’s involvement with the 2026 Met Gala.
The source further noted the reality TV star’s close ties to major fashion figures, including Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana, Olivier Rousteing, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Meanwhile, Kendall herself has longstanding relationships with luxury brands such as Calvin Klein and Gucci, creating even more opportunities for Elordi as he navigates the fashion world.
Elordi Could Be Headed Toward A Huge Modeling Payday
According to insiders, Kendall Jenner has already started encouraging Jacob Elordi to expand his modeling work into something much more lucrative.
While the actor has modeled before, the source claimed Kendall believes he should aim much higher.
“Kendall suggested Jacob model more as a lucrative side gig and she and her mom have all the contacts in the world,” the insider said.
They also noted that Kris could make it happen with one call, adding, “So it looks like Jacob will have a huge side income now.”
The source added, “He has already modeled a lot but she is telling him to go to the big league for the big bucks.”
Jacob Elordi And Kendall Jenner’s Romance Has Been Building For Months
Although Elordi and Kendall have only recently been linked romantically, insiders say their connection has been quietly building for quite some time.
One of the first times they were seen together was in Paris in February 2022, when they spent time with Luka Sabbat.
They later attended the same Bottega Veneta spring/summer fashion show in September 2024 before being spotted together again at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March, where they were photographed in an intimate face-to-face conversation.
Romance rumors truly intensified after the pair were seen kissing at Justin Bieber’s Coachella afterparty. Since then, they have reportedly spent time together in Hawaii and Montecito, where Kendall owns a $23 million equestrian estate.
In April, reports revealed that the two had already been dating for months. “They were an item as far back as early February, so it’s been a while,” the insider said, adding, “It helps that they have both been in Los Angeles a lot for the past couple of months, it has really given them time to bond.”
The source also revealed Kylie played matchmaker. “Kylie was around Jacob a lot during [Chalamet’s] award season marathon because Jacob was nominated for Frankenstein and Timothée was nominated for Marty Supreme,” the insider explained.
Horror has to sell dread. One image. One concept. One tone. One trailer beat that makes you feel the movie has an actual nightmare inside it instead of just release-date confidence. That is why the upcoming horror rankings are so fun and so dangerous. 2026 has a weirdly strong spread for that kind of anticipation.
There is a DC body-horror gamble in Clayface, a new Evil Dead, another trip into The Further, Ice Cream Man, and Resident Evil. So this ranking is not about the most important franchise or biggest IP but about which ones, right now, most strongly feel like they know what flavor of fear they want to be.
7
‘Passenger’ (2026)
Passenger is last only because the anticipation feels promising rather than feverish. André Øvredal is a real asset here, and the setup is nasty in a clean, efficient way: a young couple witnesses a horrific crash, then realizes they did not leave the scene alone. Paramount has it set for May 22, 2026, and the released synopsis leans hard into a demonic stalker premise, which is absolutely workable horror fuel.
What keeps it here is not lack of interest but that the movie still feels one trailer beat away from becoming either a brutal little road-horror winner or a solid programmer people half-forget by November. Øvredal’s best work, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, has a way of making the ordinary feel spiritually wrong, and that is why I am in. But among this group, Passenger is the one I want to see without quite feeling possessed by yet. It sounds good. The top six sound a little more dangerous.
6
‘Scary Movie’ (2026)
Scary Movie is a relatively weird entry because it is not horror in the straight sense, it is horror appetite rerouted through parody, but I am still very curious. Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans returning matters. That is the whole hook. The first two Scary Movie films worked because they did not just spoof titles. They understood how horror eras behave, how slashers stage panic, how teen-horror melodrama performs seriousness, how the audience’s familiarity with the beats can become its own joke engine. The 2026 film, due June 5, brings back Anna Faris and Regina Hall too, which gives it a real nostalgic pulse rather than generic reboot smell.
What stops it going higher is simple: parody has a lower anticipation ceiling for me than actual dread unless the marketing proves it has vicious comic aim. Still, the cast return is strong, and the broader target list, modern horror touchstones plus legacy slasher material, gives it a decent chance of feeling alive instead of embalmed. If this thing is mean and fast and stupid in the right ways, it could be one of the year’s most fun crowd movies. I just do not feel the same “I need this now” pull that I do with the top five.
5
‘Ice Cream Man’ (2026)
Ice Cream Man sounds completely deranged, which is a compliment. Eli Roth has said it is one of his most extreme projects, and the basic hook is already poisonous enough to do real damage: an idyllic suburban town starts collapsing into madness when kids eat from a sinister ice cream truck and turn homicidal. It opens August 7, 2026, and the first wave of coverage has leaned into killer-kid chaos, grotesque practical nastiness, and a kind of summer-suburbia corruption that feels very playable if the tone lands.
The premise is instantly legible and instantly upsetting as well. Ice cream trucks are supposed to mean reward, noise, neighborhood childhood ritual. Turning that into a slaughter mechanism is exactly the kind of broad, primal corruption horror thrives on. The only reason it is not higher is that Eli Roth is always a volatility bet. He can go all the way into cartoon excess and lose the deeper sickness. But this setup is so strong that even an over-the-top version of it could still absolutely rip.
4
‘Clayface’ (2026)
This is the one that fascinates me more every time I think about it. A DC movie doing full-on body horror with Matt Hagen, releasing October 23, 2026, is such a gloriously impolite swing. The public framing around the film has emphasized that it is not a camp joke but a stripped-down horror project, and the teaser rollout has leaned directly into melting-face imagery and transformation grotesquerie. That is exactly the correct instinct. If you are making Clayface, it should feel diseased, humiliating, physical, and tragically vain all at once.
The reason Clayface ranks this high for me is that it already feels like it knows its lane. It is not trying to pass as a generic superhero spinoff with horror seasoning. It appears to be leaning into the actual horror of mutability, performance, and bodily collapse. And there is something inherently rich about a movie built around an actor whose body becomes infinitely plastic in the worst possible way. That is monster material, vanity material, and tragedy material at once. If it really goes for the sadness under the slime, this could be one of the weirdest studio horror plays of the year.
3
‘Evil Dead Burn’ (2026)
Evil Dead Burn had to land high. A new Evil Dead movie already starts with house credit if you care about horror. But what pushes Evil Dead Burn into top-three anticipation is that the project sounds like it understands the franchise’s best lesson: take one pressure-cooker family or social space, infect it with Deadite escalation, and do not stop once the body horror starts getting unreasonable. The current setup, a family reunion turning into hell after a mother’s son dies, feels intimate enough to hurt and broad enough to get hideous. It opens July 10, 2026.
And honestly, the title helps. Burn sounds harsher than Rise, less urban-operatic, more punishing, more elemental. I do not need every Evil Dead entry to reinvent the franchise. I need it to find a fresh pressure zone and then commit to the filth. The trailer coverage suggests exactly that: family reunion from hell, severe gore, Deadites doing what Deadites do best, turning people into unrecognizable betrayals of themselves. That is enough to get me highly excited. This franchise, when it is healthy, understands that horror can be disgusting and gleeful and emotionally mean all at once.
2
‘Insidious: Out of the Further’ (2026)
Insidious: Out of the Further is the highest franchise-sequel ranking here because the Insidious movies know something a lot of long-running horror series forget: the dream-space is the hook, but the hook only keeps working if it still feels like a spiritual trespass. Out of the Further is due August 21, 2026, and the trailer coverage has already leaned into a fresh family setup, Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye), and the continued use of that awful astral geography where the films either sing or die. When Insidious works, it gives you a very specific kind of horror, not just jump scares, but the sense that your home, your body, and your child are only thin walls away from another plane’s appetite.
I can already feel the movie’s basic terror mechanism firing again. The dental-exam imagery from the early trailer coverage is exactly the kind of mundane-to-abysmal transition this franchise thrives on. More than that, the series has earned real goodwill by building a recognizably nasty metaphysical zone. The Further is one of modern studio horror’s better recurring spaces because it feels both theatrical and genuinely wrong. If this film gives us one or two great new entries in that nightmare architecture, it could absolutely be one of the year’s best crowd scares.
1
‘Resident Evil’ (2026)
Resident Evil had to be number one. Not because franchise loyalty alone deserves it, but because Zach Cregger taking Resident Evil is exactly the kind of horror-director/IP collision that can generate real electricity. Sony has it dated for September 18, 2026, and the public framing so far has emphasized a story running alongside the Raccoon City outbreak rather than simply retelling the most famous game plots beat-for-beat. That is smart. It gives the reboot room to feel faithful in atmosphere while still finding its own desperate corridor to run down.
What makes this the most exciting upcoming horror film for me is that Cregger already proved he understands how to turn familiar spaces into humiliation chambers of dread. And Resident Evil, at its best, is exactly that, architecture, infection, panic, failed systems, monstrous interruption, people realizing too late that they entered the wrong building on the wrong night in the wrong century of corporate sin. If the movie really honors the games by leaning into trapped-space terror, outbreak escalation, and creature encounters that feel gross before they feel cool, this could be the first live-action Resident Evil movie in a long time that actually feels haunted by the series’ survival-horror DNA instead of just borrowing the names. That possibility alone puts it at number one.
Resident Evil
- Release Date
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September 18, 2026
- Producers
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Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Miri Yoon, Robert Kulzer, Roy Lee
“Euphoria” ended its third season with a finale that leans into the show’s signature intensity, blending emotional turmoil and heightened drama. As the story reached its final chapter, tensions among the characters came to a head, delivering an unsettling farewell that stays true to the show’s tone.
Series creator Sam Levinson has confirmed that “Euphoria” concludes with Season 3 and shared how he brought the characters’ arcs to a purposeful close.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the “Euphoria” series finale.
On May 31, Season 3, Episode 8 of “Euphoria,” titled “In God We Trust,” premiered, marking the end of the hit series. The show ended with multiple character deaths, including Rue (Zendaya), delivering a devastating final episode.
Laurie (Martha Kelly), the school teacher-turned-drug lord, found herself trapped as DEA agents raided her compound. Not wanting to face the consequences of her actions, she dies by suicide.
Rue met her end tragically after overdosing on pain pills laced with fentanyl, which was provided by the season’s main antagonist, Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje).
As a result, Rue’s sponsor, Ali (Colman Domingo), seeks revenge. In a dramatic western-style shootout, Ali shoots Alamo to death at the Silver Stripper strip club. Alamo’s right-hand man, G (Marshawn Lynch), also met his end at the hands of Ali.
‘Euphoria’ Actors Discuss The Finale
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Akinnuoye-Agbaje discussed his character’s actions, saying, “He likes the Chess game. When he identifies that Rue is a snitch and a traitor, he’s already made up his mind that he’s going to deal with her in a way that best serves him productively, but also serves his sadistic nature.”
Akinnuoye-Agbaje noted that while he found Alamo an “amazing character” to portray on screen, he was pleased to say goodbye. “I’m happy to leave him with the voracious fans,” he added.
Kelly, on the other hand, said Laurie’s end affected her when she learned the outcome. While she admitted that it was “disturbing,” she also enjoyed doing a stunt. “I never do anything dangerous. I’m not Tom Cruise, but I love doing stunts,” she said, adding that she will never forget the experience.
Sam Levinson Had A Different End In Mind
In an interview with The New York Times’ podcast “Popcast,” “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson said he had a different ending in mind when writing Season 3 in 2023. However, he changed the script following the death of Angus Cloud, who portrayed drug dealer Fezco “Fez” O’Neill. Cloud died of an accidental overdose in July 2023 at just 25 years old.
“Once he passed away, I had to reconceive the script and I thought, you can’t tell a story about addiction today without the very real consequences. Most people don’t get a second chance,” Levinson explained, adding that while he loved Rue, he also wanted the viewers to feel like they were “in the position of a family member who loses someone that they love.”
The “Euphoria” showrunner added that the series finale was a way to honor Cloud.
The Showrunner On Glamorizing Addiction
Elsewhere in the podcast interview, Levinson was asked about some “Euphoria” viewers possibly glamorizing drug use and addiction. Admittedly, the showrunner said it’s something he has thought about, and while the show displays the “seduction of these illicit behaviors,” they also expose the consequences.
While many lauded “Euphoria” for depicting the reality of substance abuse, some, including the anti-drug program D.A.R.E., criticized the show for romanticizing drug use and violence.
“I think it’s always a fine line. Have we gotten it right 100 percent of the time? I don’t know. But I think we have shown the psychological, physical, and spiritual consequences of addiction in all of its forms better than almost anything else out there,” Levinson explained, adding that having done so “helps him sleep at night.”
‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Is The Series’ Conclusion
Both HBO and Levinson have confirmed that Season 3 is the end of “Euphoria.” The show debuted its first season in 2019, followed by Season 2 almost two years later. The four-year gap between Season 2 and Season 3 was the result of personal tragedies, industry strikes, and scheduling conflicts for the main cast.
While Zendaya was already a household name when she joined “Euphoria,” several of her co-stars, including Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, and Hunter Schafer, saw their careers rise significantly after appearing in the series.
As for the show, Levinson said Season 3 wraps up the story. “In terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.”
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