The slasher genre has produced many a horrifying and iconic cinematic villain, from the original trio of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers to more recent favorites, like Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise. These classic killers are made memorable through a mix of an instantly recognizable style, gnarly methods of murder that both excite and terrify, and, to some extent, a sense of personality. At this year’s Fantastic Fest, filmmaker Joshua Gratton is about to introduce a new surreal entry into the pantheon made to, quite literally, haunt the dreams of their victims — Platypus. As part of Collider’s Exclusive Preview series ahead of the 21st iteration of the largest genre festival in the U.S., we’re thrilled to share a new image from the film that unveils the terrifying visage of the murderer with an unconventional weapon.

Platypus unfolds in a small town at the mercy of a masked killer that only a young girl named Kimberly (Kayla Lundstram) seems to know about. Despite her best efforts to warn her friends, though, nobody believes her claims. All the while, her dreams grow increasingly vivid and violent as the threat grows closer to home. With nobody on her side, it’s up to Kimberly to play detective, following clues to Platypus’ whereabouts to stop the carnage before his trail of bodies leads right to her doorstep. A love letter to the slasher’s history, the entire surreal ride is shot on Super 8 film and intentionally made to feel low-budget and DIY, with fake blood, bizarre dialogue and cuts, and plenty of nudity that goes beyond the tropes into something far more delightfully queer.

Our exclusive image captures that throwback aesthetic of an old slasher airing late at night on cable as it reveals Platypus in all of his fuzzy glory. There’s an air to the killer that blurs the line between sinister and goofy, with his stained work gloves, gritty jacket, and blood-speckled mask contrasted by his borderline silly expression and the seriousness with which he wields a confusing weapon — a seashell. The best horror serial murderers of this variety get creative with how they slay their victims, and it looks like he’ll be no exception with how he improvises using the objects at his disposal. The still serves as a promise that, despite its simple premise and familiar appearance, Gratton’s latest will be something humorous, horrifying, and deeply strange that viewers have never seen before.

Who Else Will Be Part of the Nightmare in ‘Platypus’?

Gratton both wrote and directed Platypus in just their second feature effort after bursting onto the scene with Cuties in 2020. Yet another queer slasher that leans into the absurd and comedic with an 80s horror vibe, that film followed an insecure boy who witnesses gay teenagers slowly picked off one by one during their senior year. Instead of being entirely afraid, though, he begins to doubt his own self-worth and wonders why the killer is only targeting the cute boys and leaving him alone. For the director’s latest, Lundstram is also making her feature debut as Kimberly, joined by Giselle Morison, Micah Greentree, Annie Alfer, and Tristan C. Pina.

Platypus makes its world premiere at Fantastic Fest, which runs from September 17 through 24 at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas. Stay tuned here at Collider for more from our exclusive preview series throughout the month as we count down to the event. More information on each title can be found at the official Fantastic Fest film guide.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to rewrite the box office record books.

The latest Marvel and Sony blockbuster starring Tom Holland has now climbed to approximately $2.33 billion worldwide, pushing past Avatar: The Way of Water to become the third highest-grossing movie of all time at the global box office.

The film now trails only Avengers: Endgame and James Cameron’s original Avatar on the worldwide charts.

It is another staggering milestone for Brand New Day, which has been breaking records since arriving in theaters on July 31.

The film opened to more than $360 million domestically, the biggest domestic opening weekend ever, and quickly became the second-fastest movie in history to cross $1 billion worldwide. It later became just the eighth movie ever to reach $2 billion globally.

Its success hasn’t slowed much either. Brand New Day remained No. 1 at the domestic box office for a fifth consecutive weekend, adding another $22 million and bringing its North American total to roughly $892 million.

Sadie Sink, Spider-Man: Brand New Day [marvel studios]

That puts another historic record within reach.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens currently holds the record as the highest-grossing movie in domestic box office history with approximately $936.7 million. Brand New Day is now less than $50 million away from potentially taking the crown.

Worldwide, the mountain is considerably larger.

Tom Holland and Zendaya, Spider-Man: Brand New Day [marvel studios]

Avengers: Endgame sits at roughly $2.8 billion, while Avatar remains the worldwide box office champion with approximately $2.9 billion.

Whether Brand New Day has enough momentum left to challenge those films remains to be seen, but reaching the No. 3 position already puts the latest Spider-Man adventure in exceptionally rare territory.

With nearly $900 million domestically and more than $2.3 billion worldwide, Tom Holland’s fourth solo Spider-Man movie has officially become one of the biggest theatrical releases in movie history.

Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro contestant AJ Pritchard’s fiancée, Zara Zoffany, is clearing the air after her recent criticism of DWTS pro Rylee Arnold.

In a Monday, August 31, TikTok video, Zara, 32, apologized to Rylee, 21, over comments she previously shared on social media about the semifinal episode of DWTS: The Next Pro. Rylee made a guest appearance on the episode, dancing with AJ, 31, and later fed back to the judges that she felt AJ was too critical during their rehearsals.

After the episode aired, Zara claimed in a social media comment directed at Rylee that AJ “wouldn’t have had to critique you in the first place if everything had been right.” She also alleged that AJ suffered a concussion during rehearsals with Rylee. Rylee’s DWTS costar and friend, Ezra Sosa, fired back, defending the professional dancer, while DWTS: The Next Pro judge, Shirley Ballas, also came to Rylee’s defense.

In her video on Monday, Zara said that she has been frustrated about the “constant online videos” about AJ, “about his sexuality, about our relationship,” since The Next Pro began, calling the reaction to AJ from viewers overly “negative.”

Related: Rylee Arnold Subtly Addresses Support After ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’ Drama

Dancing With the Stars pro Rylee Arnold is grateful for the support of her community after facing backlash for her The Next Pro appearance. “I love you all so very much,” Rylee, 21, captioned TikTok footage of herself bedazzling makeup containers on Friday, August 27, alongside troupe dancer Carter Williams, who replied, “Us just bedazzling […]

“So when I got to the Riley edit, I was already up to here with how they’ve perceived him with the villain edit, with all the criticism, all the comments, all the TikToks,” she said.

“I just feel like there’s a fine line between criticism and confidence, and when you’re so confident in your craft and you know the textbook so well, you want it to be perfect,” Zara said in defense of AJ.

Zara said that Rylee has “earned” her spot on Dancing With the Stars, adding, “I just want to make it clear that I never said she wasn’t qualified. I think that stemmed from Ezra’s reply [to me] saying that she’s more than qualified … and I think that’s where those Chinese whispers were misconstrued.”

“So I just want to say, if you are watching this, Riley, from the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry if I made you feel like a certain type of way. That was never my intention,” Zara said, addressing Rylee.

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Related: DWTS’ Val Chmerkovskiy Criticizes ‘Arrogance’ of Next Pro’s AJ Pritchard

Dancing With the Stars veteran Val Chmerkovskiy is not impressed by what he’s seen so far of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro contestant AJ Pritchard. Chmerkovskiy, 40, criticized Pritchard, 31, on the Tuesday, July 21, episode of his “Stepping on Toes” podcast, cohosted by Danielle Fishel, while breaking down episode 2 of The […]

As for her earlier comment, Zara said, “I really don’t think that the message I wrote deserved this, and I feel like I don’t deserve this.”

Following the August 24 episode of The Next Pro, Zara took aim at Rylee’s criticism of AJ via an Instagram comment.

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“[Rylee] — @aj11ace wouldn’t have had to critique you in the first place if everything had been right,” she wrote. “Dancing with Bailey [McKnight] last week showed how he danced with an amateur & their dance was amazing. This week was suppose [sic] to be dancing with a pro … very different dynamics & what people didn’t see in rehearsals was that you injured him when you hit him in the head, leaving with a slight concussion and needing to see a [doctor].”

Ezra, 25, responded, “I usually stay out of stuff like this, but this genuinely made me sick to my stomach. Rylee is my best friend, I love her and I will speak up for her. Rylee is more than qualified to be a pro, and one dance with a completely different partnership does not erase the years of training, talent and work that earned her that title.”

During Monday’s live The Next Pro finale, Adele Zaikman was victorious over AJ and Selena Hamilton. She is set to join the DWTS season 35 cast of pro dancers when the show returns on September 15.

If you want your teeth to dazzle, you don’t need an expensive professional whitening treatment. Heck, you don’t even need at-home whitening strips. You can easily whiten your teeth every day with Opalescence’s new Fluoride-Free Toothpaste. Bonus: For a limited time, shoppers can take 15% off with code USWEEKLY15.*

Using a whitening toothpaste every day is an especially good idea if you regularly consume coffee and wine (guilty!). This gentle but effective formula from Opalescence (developed by dentists!) is stronger than your standard whitening toothpaste, thanks to 10.5% nano-hydroxyapatite, which is proven to whiten teeth without triggering sensitivity.

Get the Opalescence Fluoride-Free Toothpaste for $25 at Amazon!

Opalescence Fluoride-Free Toothpaste also makes brushing more enjoyable because of the extra minty fresh taste and extra foamy lather. Seriously, your mouth feels totally fresh for hours after brushing — you might even stop carrying gum around for a midday refresh.

It’s also rare to find a fluoride-free whitening toothpaste. Opalescence, which is developed by dentists, felt it was important to give Us the option, so they created their own. So far, reviewers have been so impressed.

“I’ve regularly used Opalescence whitening gel for a couple of years with excellent results, so I couldn’t wait to try their toothpaste,” one Amazon reviewer wrote. “After using it, I can’t say enough good things about this product.”

Opalescence Fluoride-Free Toothpaste rarely goes on sale, so take advantage of the discount before the deal ends! Experience the pearly clean effect and blinding white results today. Take 15% off with code USWEEKLY15.*

Get the Opalescence Fluoride-Free Toothpaste for $25 at Amazon!

*Discount valid through September 30, 2026

Despite featuring 16 seasons and 366 episodes, fans are still completely obsessed with this fantasy masterpiece. Running from October 2004 to March 2012, this supernatural series follows a high school student gifted with the ability to see ghosts from birth. When his family is attacked by one such ghost, albeit a malevolent one, he becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace.

Inspired by Tite Kubo’s renowned manga, Bleach is officially taking over Hulu 14 years after its final episode aired. As of this publication, the shōnen action anime ranks as the third most-watched series on the streamer in the U.S. as well as sixth overall for movie and TV shows. This may be unsurprising, given the recent release of the anime sequel’s final season, which naturally prompts fans to catch up or revisit iconic moments in the adventure series. Moreover, Bleach appears to be a trending title on TrueID in Thailand, as well as on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video in international territories.

‘Bleach’ Officially Comes to an End This Year

Image via Viz Media

Titled Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, the sequel series debuted its fourth and final season, The Calamity, on July 25, 2026, streaming exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in select international markets. The first three episodes previously aired in U.S. theaters a month earlier, in both Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub. Furthermore, the Bleach sequel ranked among Japan’s most anticipated summer 2026 anime, taking second place behind the new reboot Ghost in the Shell and making it the most anticipated returning anime of the year.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4: The Calamity, which consists of 10 episodes, picks up as the conflict between the Soul Reapers and the Quincies nears its end, according to the synopsis. The Royal Guard’s Squad Zero confronts Yhwach as he breaches the Royal Palace, destroying Squad Zero’s Bankai before entering the Reio Greater Palace. Ichibe Hyosube tasks Ichigo and his allies with protecting the Soul King, but Yhwach’s deception leads Ichigo to strike down the Soul King himself, triggering distortions across the Three Worlds. The Thirteen Court Guard Squads and surviving Quincies advance on the Royal Palace, now transformed into the Wahr Welt under Wandenreich control, setting up battles against the Royal Guard as Ichigo confronts Uryu’s true motives and the Almighty-empowered Yhwach.

Bleach streams on Hulu. Follow Collider for the latest streaming news.

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Release Date

2004 – 2012-00-00

Network

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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC, BS TV Tokyo

Showrunner

Tite Kubo

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Directors

Mitsutaka Noshitani, Junya Koshida, Hodaka Kuramoto, Yasuto Nishikata, Hiroaki Nishimura, Kazunori Mizuno, Akira Shimizu, Rokou Ogiwara, Kazunobu Shimizu, Akane Inoue, Hikaru Murata, Tomoko Hiramuki, Kazuo Nogami, Taiji Kawanishi, Shigeki Hatakeyama, Eiko Nishi, Takushi Kimura, Koji Aritomi, Ogura Shirakawa, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yukio Okazaki, Mitsue Yamazaki, Yasuhiro Matsumura, Eitarou Ano

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Writers

Masahiro Okubo, Masashi Sogo, Kenta Shimoyama, Genki Yoshimura, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Rika Nakase, Michiko Yokote, Natsuko Takahashi, Kento Shimoyama

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• 

  Masakazu Morita

  Ichigo Kurosaki (voice)

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  Fumiko Orikasa

  Rukia Kuchiki

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Between its work in the Marvel, Star Wars, and animated fields, Disney has already added billions to its box office total in 2026 with more on the way. After finding a $1 billion hit with Toy Story 5, Disney is expected to continue this trend later in the year with Avengers: Doomsday, the multiverse-shattering Marvel film starring Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom. Looking back to the end of 2025, Disney found tremendous box office success with Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in James Cameron’s epic sci-fi saga set on the fictional moon of Pandora. One of Disney’s 2026 movies that perhaps didn’t return the desired results at the box office is the live-action Moana, but it does boast a strong 88% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, certifying it as a fan-favorite.

Moana sailed into theaters on July 10, and in traditional Disney fashion, the big screen has been the only way to watch the film for nearly two months now. This tactic helped Moana, which sees Dwayne Johnson reprise his role as Maui in live-action, score over $300 million at the box office, and now the film is preparing to enter a different stage of its life. Disney announced early this morning that the live-action Moana movie is officially hitting digital platforms like Prime Video and Apple TV on September 8. Furthermore, the film will be available on 4K Blu-ray Ultra HD, regular Blu-ray, and DVD around a month later, on October 6, along with a breathtaking 4K Steelbook. The official synopsis for Moana, which also stars the young breakout Catherine Laga’aia, reads as follows: “In Disney’s live-action reimagining of the beloved animated adventure, Moana (Catherine Lagaʻaia) answers the Ocean’s call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people.”

When Is ‘Moana’ Coming to Disney Plus?

Image via Disney

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Disney has not yet announced when Moana will make the jump from digital platforms to its premier streaming platform, Disney Plus. It’s tough to pinpoint exactly when Disney plans to release the film on streaming, as there’s always variance in this timeline due to box office performance. Avatar: Fire and Ash didn’t hit Disney Plus until around six months after its theatrical release, but Disney has more incentive to leave the film in theaters for longer with its box office performance. Moana’s most likely window for a Disney Plus streaming release is late October at the earliest, but likely sometime in November or possibly even December.

Check out Moana on digital platforms later this week and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the film’s physical media release coming on October 6.

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Release Date

July 10, 2026

Runtime

120 Minutes

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Director

Thomas Kail

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Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for the Furious finale.

It may seem strange to point out that Hulu’s Furious actually has a comedic side, but those moments of levity and dry wit are often the balm viewers need to get through the more harrowing aspects of creator Liz Meriwether‘s crime thriller. In that regard, perhaps the deadpan, wearied FBI agent Nora Washington, played by Quincy Tyler Bernstine, was always destined to become a fan favorite character.

Amidst the major revelations that lead investigators to billionaire Jay Easton’s (Peter McRobbie) home, resulting in a standoff that results in fledgling serial killer Catherine Grace (Lola Petticrew) finally being apprehended and FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) having a secretive hand in Easton’s demise, the agency now has its hands on a flash drive containing videos of many victims, Alice included, which Nora ultimately encourages her coworker to dig into when she’s finally ready. It’s unclear, based on Alice’s reaction, exactly what will be done with the drive and its contents, but as Nora bluntly asserts to her corrupt boss, ASAC Ed George (Danny McCarthy), it doesn’t bode well for anyone who may have been even tangentially caught up in Easton’s web of trafficking and abuse.

Ahead of the finale’s airing, Collider spoke with Bernstine about her road to joining the cast of Furious, the complicated twists and turns of Nora and Alice’s relationship, how she prepared to play someone who has to look into the darkest parts of humanity regularly, what’s on her personal wishlist to explore for Nora in Season 2, and more.

COLLIDER: What was your journey to becoming a part of Furious?

QUINCY TYLER BERNSTINE: It was last July. I was sitting on my couch in my living room watching Dying for Sex and thinking, “What an extraordinary, tough show, and wouldn’t it be amazing if I could work with Liz Meriwether someday?” I got through Episode 4, I checked my email, and I had an email from my agent asking if I’d like to Zoom with Liz, who had this adaptation of the film Black Widow, and would I like to participate? Or at least meet with her. And I said, “Of course, of course, of course!” I read the sides, was blown away; read the pilot, was blown away; saw that Emmy [Rossum] was attached, and the rest is history. I had a Zoom, I had a chemistry read, and here we are today.

Nora feels like such a distinct character. I’m sure that she popped off the page for you, but in preparing to best embody her, was there a specific scene or line of dialogue that best helped you find her voice?

BERNSTINE: I was given that first hospital scene with Nora and Alice, when Nora is telling the story of Medusa. I was given the scene when they’re in the car, waiting for Tina to come out, and Nora is singing K-Ci & JoJo, and I was given the scene where they first meet, where Alice is like, “I want to work with you,” and Nora’s like, “Put it in an email.”

But the two moments that kind of captured Nora for me were the Medusa story and the singing of K-Ci & JoJo. They were just such extreme things, and I just saw who she was in those extremes. And like you said, she jumped off the page. I saw who she was immediately and was like, “I have to sink my teeth into this somehow and get this part.”

Quincy Tyler Bernstine Had To Prepare To Face the Darkness as Nora on ‘Furious’

“I always try to just take the best care of myself that I can so that I, Quincy, am as healthy as I can be to do this kind of work.”

Image via Hulu

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Nora’s very multifaceted, but she’s also someone who has to stare into the horrors that humanity is capable of on a day-to-day basis. Did you do anything special to prepare yourself to play a character who is having to deal with that darkness as part of her profession?

BERNSTINE: I can’t say that I did anything special. I always try to just take the best care of myself that I can so that I, Quincy, am as healthy as I can be to do this kind of work. I had the opportunity to speak with several people who do this actual work for a living, and just them talking about the horrors of what they have to see on a day-to-day basis. My main question to them was, “How do you get through this day every day?” And they all, to a one, talked about how they took care of themselves physically and mentally and how important family was and how important, sometimes, religion was.

It’s so sad because Nora doesn’t have those tools, but I, Quincy, wanted to make sure that I exercised and put good food in my body and just was the healthiest vessel that I could be in order for her to come out, if that makes sense.

Like you said, Nora doesn’t really have a lot of personal or professional connections. It really feels like it’s not until Alice comes in as this sort of bridge between the FBI and the NYPD that these two women forge this unlikely camaraderie. One of my favorite sequences is Episode 4, where the two of them are working the city late at night, and then it spills over into the early morning, and they’re still walking around and talking.

BERNSTINE: Exactly. That shot along the water was dusk, so we had a very limited time. It’s supposed to be early morning, but it was dusk, and so the sun kept setting, so we had to kind of do it quickly. I remember there was that element of pressure to it.

That’s one of my favorite scenes, and the scene leading up to that when we were in the car, because there is a real, like you say, camaraderie, a real sisterhood that develops over the course of those first four episodes that I love so much. I love that Alice is determined to get under Nora’s wing, and Nora reluctantly lifts her wing up and takes her in. It’s just really, really moving to me.

Simultaneously, there is the reveal that Nora was previously involved in closing Isabel’s case, but, as much as you would think that the show would use it as an obstacle in her partnership with Alice, it also speaks to the broader systemic issue and how these women so often find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. What did you like about how that subversion where Nora and Alice’s relationship almost takes on a new dimension, as opposed to just having them be at odds for the rest of the season?

BERNSTINE: What I love, and what Liz is so brilliant at, is you think it’s going one way, and it goes another. Every other moment, you’re surprised. As I was reading these scripts week after week, I didn’t know where it was going, and so I was sort of on the edge of my seat, as I think audiences have been on this journey, as well, wondering where these relationships are going to go.

Nothing is precious, and that’s what makes, I think, for such great television. And also sort of watching along with people and getting texts like, “I loved Nora, but now I don’t know.” We’re just constantly questioning, and it’s been fun to experience it in that way.

One moment that really stands out to me as almost a way to sum up the emotions that Nora’s dealing with — or maybe not dealing with — is the monologue that you have about different types of anger in Episode 4. How did you prepare to deliver that speech, and what did you want to come across about how Nora is using it, not just as a way to wax philosophical, but also to send a message to Ed?

BERNSTINE: I absolutely loved that scene. From the moment I read it, I was blown away, and I couldn’t wait to work on it. I’m not going to blame Ed entirely, but he is largely responsible, I believe, for Nora’s drinking situation. She reached out to him years ago and asked for help and was denied help. Nora didn’t come into this job as a drinker. As we were talking about, it’s being in the basement and carrying around all of these weights.

So, this anger has been brewing inside her for a long time, and not just anger about her situation — anger about this system that she’s been trying to work within, trying to get justice for these women, oftentimes in vain. That’s infuriating, to say the very least, and so that’s what I wanted to come across. It’s like there’s a lid on it, but it boils over, and eventually the lid is gonna pop off.

Quincy Tyler Bernstine Explains Why Nora Encourages Alice To Look at ‘Furious’ Sinister Flash Drive

“You do it on your own time, but if you want to get anywhere, if you want to do this work, if you want to save these girls, you have to start with yourself.”

Image via Hulu

I’m realizing now, in doing these interviews, I’ve unexpectedly followed the path of the flash drive. First, I spoke with Steve [Way], and then Scoot [McNairy], and I asked both of them about their characters’ roles in making sure that the drive gets into the hands of the right people, but in the finale, Nora encourages Alice to look at what’s on it. What was your read of that scene, and why do you think Nora ultimately does encourage Alice to face what’s on the drive?

BERNSTINE: I think it’s really in the line. You want to do this job, you face it. I feel like it’s about facing your demons, facing the monsters. We’re looking at a whole lot of darkness, and it kind of starts with self. You know what I mean?

I feel like it made perfect sense that Nora would encourage her, almost demand. “You do it on your own time, but if you want to get anywhere, if you want to do this work, if you want to save these girls, you have to start with yourself.” And the fact that Alice finally gets that code and the first thing that she is seeing is the mirror is herself is chilling to me.

There’s some catharsis in the finale because of what happens with Jay Easton, but there are still reminders of how widespread and pervasive this is. There are people in positions of power who worked to cover this up. Yet, in Nora’s final scene with Ed in the elevator, it almost feels like there’s a power shift, with the leverage that Nora now holds. How did you prepare for that moment?

BERNSTINE: The entire season, I was like, “Liz, are we going to get Ed? Are we going to get Ed?” And Liz was like, “We’re going to get him. We’re going to get him.” I didn’t know how. I didn’t know what it looked like. We’re coming off of Episode 6 where Nora is at the top. She’s triumphant — until she is not.

One of my objectives is to get Ed, because “the bane of her existence” is like an understatement. But he needs to go. And so I was so delighted that she finally gets that flash drive, and I feel like that’s the key. I do believe that she is going to get him. We end with that scene, and I’m like, “Okay.” Because she has all the cards now. There’s a desperation that we see coming from him. I really believe that we’re going to get him finally.

Quincy Tyler Bernstine Reveals Her Personal Wishlist for ‘Furious’ Season 2

“I’m actually very curious about her history…”

Image via Hulu

What’s on your bucket list, in addition to nailing Ed, for where Nora’s story could go in Season 2 and what you would like to have the chance to explore more with the character?

BERNSTINE: I’m actually very curious about her history, like where she has come from, how she got to C20. I don’t know what it looks like, but I would be curious to see what picture Liz and the other writers might paint, as far as that goes.

What do you think Nora’s reaction would be if she knew about Alice’s hand in what happened to Jay Easton?

BERNSTINE: Oh, wow! That’s a hard question. I don’t know. Maybe a little bit of a smile. You know how Alice had that little bit of a smile at the end? Maybe there’d be a little upturn of the mouth. Who knows? Alice is very, very good at her job. That’s all I’ll say.

All episodes of Furious Season 1 are now available to stream on Hulu.

For a bookworm, there’s nothing quite like a truly great book that gets great right as things kick off. Some of the greatest pieces of literature take a while to really get going, but throughout history, ten particular masterpieces have shown that it’s possible to offer a first ten pages that make it abundantly clear that what one is about to read is an absolute masterpiece.

Whether it’s a foundational classic like Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice or a modern piece of speculative fiction like The Name of the Wind, these are the sorts of books that I knew for a fact would be masterpieces from the moment I hit page 10. Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t wrong. These should all be considered essential reading for anyone and everyone who loves genuinely great literature, novels that show just how close books can really come to perfection.

‘Pride and Prejudice’ (1813)

Image via Modern Library

Jane Austen was one of the most important and massively influential authors in the history of English-language literature, a complete master of her craft credited with helping invent the modern realistic novel. She did that with timeless masterpieces of the caliber of Pride and Prejudice, perhaps the single most legendary romance novel in history. It completely redefined the romance genre and the “enemies to lovers” trope, serving as one of the most influential books in the history of the English language.

It’s one of those romance books that are perfect from the first page to the last, and you can tell just how great it’s going to be from just reading its opening 10 pages. What follows one of the most legendary opening lines in all of 19th-century literature is equally perfect in every way, full of masterful dialogue, biting satire, and perfect worldbuilding that makes it clear right off the bat that this is a reality that runs on reputation, not romantic love.

‘Beloved’ (1987)

Image via Knopf

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and generally regarded as one of the greatest and most important pieces of American fiction of the 20th century, Toni Morrison‘s Beloved is Southern Gothic literature at its very best. One of the best Gothic book masterpieces ever, it fundamentally reshaped how the legacy of slavery in the United States was discussed in literature going forward. Even aside from its Pulitzer victory, the novel’s cultural and artistic impact cannot be overstated.

In that same vein, Morrison is wise enough to not open with the first 10 pages that feel didactic or “educational” in the slightest. Instead of explaining slavery’s legacy after the American Civil War, this wonder of magical realism literature immediately immerses the reader in the physical, emotional, and psychological reality of slavery’s almost supernaturally haunting aftermath. Morrison’s prose in this opening flows like a deeply recollection of memories, and that’s why it packs such a punch.

‘The Secret History’ (1992)

Image via Vintage Books

Far more than just the greatest and most important campus novel in the genre’s history, Donna Tartt‘s The Secret History is perhaps one of the greatest books of the 1990s as a whole, a real page-turner from cover to cover. It almost single-handedly created the dark academia aesthetic, offering a completely different kind of detective story whose idiosyncratic uniqueness has allowed it to age like fine wine.

Incredibly well-paced and wonderfully written in every way, The Secret History shows off its creativity right off the bat by functioning as an inverted detective mystery. In the first 10 pages, you find out who was murdered. Though that would be a disastrous way to open any other kind of murder mystery, Tartt leverages the premise to shift the mystery from the question of who committed the murder to the question of why and how they committed it. Thanks to its first 10 pages, The Secret History feels less like a whodunnit and more like some kind of whydunnit.

‘The Name of the Wind’ (2007)

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Even though Patrick Rothfuss has kept fans waiting a whopping 15 years by this point for the third installment in his exceptional Kingkiller Chronicle series, the first installment, The Name of the Wind, is undeniably one of the greatest fantasy novels of the last two decades. It’s one of those fantasy books you know will be a masterpiece from the first 10 pages, a riveting character study with some of the strongest world-building the genre has seen in years.

Rothfuss’ prose is beautifully poetic and rhythmic, and you get a feel for how it elevates the story of Kvothe right from the first few pages of the book. Rothfuss is concerned about establishing tone and atmosphere well before he even delves into exposition, allowing the first 10 pages of The Name of the Wind to quietly build toward the mystery of its fascinating protagonist. Rothfuss opens the book by spending a surprising amount of time describing silence, and there could be no better encapsulation of what makes this book so uniquely memorable.

‘The Hobbit’ (1937)

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J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings is generally recognized as the greatest and most influential fantasy book of the entire 20th century, and for good reason. But all of history’s best book series gems have to start somewhere, and in the case of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, that was the children’s novel The Hobbit. One fateful day, Tolkien thought of the words “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” From that flash of inspiration came one of the most groundbreaking children’s books in history.

The Hobbit is one of those fantasy books whose every chapter is a masterpiece. The first 10 pages of “An Unexpected Party,” one of the most iconic opening chapters in the history of speculative fiction, are certainly no exception. Tolkien builds an instant sense of curiosity about the ins-and-outs of this enrapturing magical world while also perfectly establishing what makes hobbits like Bilbo Baggins tick. It’s charming, kid-friendly worldbuilding without any fluff or unnecessary lore dumps, the perfect way to kick off one of the most wonderful fantasy books ever written for younger readers.

‘The Stranger’ (1942)

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At the age of 44 in 1957, French philosopher, writer, and political activist Albert Camus became the second-youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in history. Some call him one of the most important existentialists ever, though he himself firmly rejected the label. The fact of the matter is that he wrote some incredible books and plays throughout his life, including the masterful The Stranger, which is one of the best novellas of all time.

“Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know.” One of the greatest, most irresistibly fascinating and gripping ways of opening a book that the world has ever seen. The novella’s first 10 pages instantly and perfectly establish the core philosophical concept that drove pretty much all of Camus’ work: the Absurd, the theory that the universe is irrational and meaningless by nature. We’re probably talking about some of the most stylistically bold and philosophically charged opening 10 pages in the history of literature.

‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ (1890)

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Seeing as he was one of the leading voices of the late Victorian era, saying that Oscar Wilde was one of the most important and influential authors of the 19th century would be an understatement. What’s his magnum opus? Most people would point to his best-known work, the only novel Wilde ever wrote: the Gothic masterpiece The Picture of Dorian Gray. It’s philosophical fiction at its most timeless and fascinating, and even though it was controversial upon release, it has only gotten better and more interesting with age.

Dorian Gray is one of the most perfect horror book masterpieces in history, even though it wouldn’t be until around the 1980s that it would start being pushed into the Gothic mainstream. For one, the book’s first ten pages include some of the most stunning use of language that English literature saw at any point during the Victorian era. The novel’s whole philosophical, thematic, and aesthetic framework is flawlessly established in just these first few pages, instantly captivating the reader with wit, high sensorial descriptiveness, deep character work, and masterful foreshadowing.

‘1984’ (1949)

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By this point, George Orwell‘s 1984 and its cautionary messages against totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and the destruction of objective truth have become so well-known that it may be easy to forget just how important, timely, and eternally relevant that messaging is. Indeed, the only reason why 1984, one of the most intense books of all time, became so iconic in the first place is that it completely revolutionized dystopian literature.

The first 10 pages of 1984 instantly hook the reader with worldbuilding that doesn’t take any longer to feel irreparably oppressive and anxiety-inducing. Disorienting, immersive, creatively written, and incredibly potent in how they set the stakes sky-high early on, the first few pages of 1984 should be able to capture anyone’s attention. By the time you hit page 10, the world established by Orwell already feels remarkably well-rounded, and it’s hard to put the book down after that.

‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ (1967)

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Gabriel García Márquez‘s One Hundred Years of Solitude is arguably the most important and colossally influential piece of Spanish-language literature of the 20th century, a work whose mastery of magical realism elements has ensured that it remains one of the most timeless books the genre has ever seen. No matter where they’re from, what languages they speak, or what they typically like to read, everyone should consider this classic a must-read.

From reading One Hundred Years of Solitude‘s first pages, you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re in for one of the best magical realism books of all time. The 10 pages that follow one of the greatest opening lines ever written for any novel are all equally perfect, with prose that keeps expanding and a world that seems to keep growing more creatively elastic and powerfully surrealistic. It’s impossible to start One Hundred Years of Solitude and not want to finish reading it as soon as humanly possible.

‘Blood Meridian’ (1985)

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Few American authors have ever been better or more important than Cormac McCarthy, who—among many other things—wrote one of the best Western books of all time. Indeed, the epic anti-Western Blood Meridian is nowadays widely regarded as McCarthy’s magnum opus, even though critical reception was lukewarm upon its publication. The debate on what The Great American Novel could be is a never-ending one, but many tend to propose that it’s probably Blood Meridian.

But setting those superlatives aside, there’s no denying that the book’s first 10 pages are about as close as literature can come to true flawlessness. We’re talking about an introductory 10 pages that feel quasi-Biblical, perfectly establishing the enrapturing tone and narrative philosophy. Before the plot actually kicks in, McCarthy encapsulates the trajectory of his protagonist’s life in a fascinating microcosm that makes it immediately clear that what we’re reading is one of the English language’s greatest classics.