Hollywood trends may come and go, but horror? Horror never slumps. While the end-of-year narratives for 2023 may be overshadowed by questions of technology and corporate shenanigans – a word chosen for The Playlist’s audience of all ages – this was still a very impressive year for horror.

READ MORE: The 21 Best Films Of 2023

And like every year, the standouts come from every side of the industry. You’ll find on this list box office darlings, streaming standouts, and festival favorites.

Continue reading The Best Horror Films Of 2023 at The Playlist.

It really does feel like a lifetime ago when Warner Bros. defiantly said, during the beginning of the pandemic, that every film released in 2021 was going to hit theaters and streaming on the same day. That announcement caused all sorts of ripples throughout the industry, leading filmmakers to get upset and theater owners to wonder what the future of the business might look like. Now, just over two years later and with new leadership, Warner Bros.

Continue reading Warner Bros. Discovery Boss Says Studio “Does Not Believe In Streaming Movies” at The Playlist.

The reviews are in from the world premiere of Lee Cronin‘s “Evil Dead Rise” at SXSW 2023 last month. And the verdict? Pretty solid all around (although The Playlist’s review didn’t match the consensus). But now it’s time for the general audience to have their say as the film hits theaters later this month.

READ MORE: Bruce Campbell Says He’ll Return For Another ‘Evil Dead’ Movie If Sam Raimi Comes Back To Direct

Cronin’s take on Sam Raimi‘s legendary horror franchise sees the series decamp from the deep words to Los Angeles, where a sister checks in on her older sister and her three children only to discover the Deadites got to them first.

Continue reading ‘Evil Dead Rise’ Final Review Trailer: Lee Cronin’s Take On The Legendary Horror Franchise Hits Theaters On April 21 at The Playlist.

The “Evil Dead” series continues with “Evil Dead Rise,” fresh off its world premiere at SXSW in Austin earlier this week. The Playlist’s critic didn’t like Lee Cronin‘s new installment (read our review here), but others elsewhere have, which bodes well for the film’s theatrical release next month. So that begs the question: will there be more “Evil Dead” movies on the way, and will Ash himself, Bruce Campbell, ever return to the horror series?

Continue reading Bruce Campbell Says He’ll Return For Another ‘Evil Dead’ Movie If Sam Raimi Comes Back To Direct at The Playlist.

Lee Cronin’s “Evil Dead Rise” calls to mind those items we used to read before every “Die Hard” sequel, about how each had begun its life as a completely different story having nothing to do with “Die Hard” that was hastily re-written into another John McClane movie. That is not, as far as I know, the origin story of this “Evil Dead” sequel. But I wouldn’t be surprised to find it began its life as an entirely unrelated tale of a dysfunctional family fighting an evil force in a condemned apartment building before writers threw in a Book of the Dead and a chainsaw to help fill the opening weekend tills and keep the “Evil Dead” IP alive.

Continue reading ‘Evil Dead Rise’ Review: Lee Cronin’s Take On Sam Raimi’s Classic Horror Franchise Is A Witless Slog, Tangentially Related At Best [SXSW] at The Playlist.

From music to television to film, SXSW has prided itself on helping creative people achieve their goals since its founding in 1987. While many arguably look to Sundance, TIFF, or Cannes for the most anticipated films, the 2022 Austin, Texas, festival was really hoping to make a splash as it returned as an in-person festival. 

READ MORE: 13 Movies To Watch In March: ‘Operation Fortune,’ ‘John Wick 4,’ ‘Scream 6,’ ‘Tetris,’ Shazam!

Continue reading SXSW 2023 Preview: 25 Must-See Film & TV Projects To Watch at The Playlist.

2022 was a great year for horror, with savvy niche distributors like IFC Midnight, Shudder, Neon, and A24 putting out some fantastic flicks and big studios going for broke on gonzo titles like “Barbarian,” “Smile,” and Jordan Peele’s “Nope.” 2023 is shaping up to be another excellent year for scare savants — there’s a lot of new original films on the docket, exciting directors to discover, and classic stories to revisit.

Continue reading The 25 Most Anticipated Horror Films Of 2023 at The Playlist.

Today, South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals (March 10-19, 2023) announced the Opening Night film, Feature and Short Competitions, Midnighters, select titles from other categories, and XR Experience for the 30th edition of the SXSW Film & TV Festival. The rest of the lineup will be announced in early February.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023

SXSW Film & TV will open with Paramount Pictures and eOne’s “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.

Continue reading SXSW 2023 Announces ‘Dungeons & Dragons,’ ‘Problemista’ With Tilda Swinton & More To Lineup at The Playlist.

While the original trilogy of Sam Raimi’s horror film franchise “Evil Dead”— “The Evil Dead” (1981), “Evil Dead II” (1987), and “Army of Darkness” (1992)—rocks, most of the attempts to resurrect the film have been primarily non-starters. Granted, there’s only been one film since, Fede Álvarez‘s “Evil Dead” (2013), and there was also the series “Ash vs.

Continue reading ‘Evil Dead Rise’ Trailer: Lee Cronin Directs The Next Chapter Of Sami Raimi’s Beloved Horror Franchise at The Playlist.

Another year of scares is upon us – the good kind, the on-screen, non-viral kind. A new year means a new year of horror movies, and 2022 has lots to offer. Luca Guadagnino, Scott Derrickson, and David Slade are among the directors trying their hands at literary adaptation, with Gary Dauberman taking on one of Stephen King’s favorite texts. Sundance promises some ghoulish original films by new directors, and loads of franchises are taking another stab at it, from “Evil Dead” to “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Consider this list your guide to the creepiest stuff crawling down the pipeline.

Continue reading The 25 Most Anticipated Horror Films Of 2022 at The Playlist.

Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell have not been shy about talking about a proposed reboot of the “Evil Dead” franchise. In fact, a year ago, Campbell talked about how director Lee Cronin was handpicked by Raimi to take the reins of the new film in the franchise. Well, now all of that is confirmed, and we now know that “Evil Dead Rise” is coming to streaming with two brand-new stars attached.

Continue reading Sam Raimi’s ‘Evil Dead Rise’ To Get HBO Max Debut With Alyssa Sutherland & Lily Sullivan Starring at The Playlist.