Back 4 Blood‘s early access and open beta dates are fast approaching, and Turtle Rock is making sure fans of the upcoming zombie shooter are prepped and ready to go when the big day rolls around. Beginning August 5th, anyone who has already secured their copy will have free rein to jump in and explore everything the spiritual successor to Valve’s Left 4 Dead has to offer, including the flagship 4-player co-op mode and Swarm.

The latter of these, as you might suspect, changes up the usual flow of gameplay by throwing PvP elements into the mix. Anyone not on the survivors’ team will be tasked with taking direct control of various monsters with the sole aim of eliminating any humans yet to be infected by the undead horde. Both playlists will feature account progression in the form of unlockable cards, which can be used to bolster abilities, even promoting traditional RPG archetypes such as medic, tank and support.

The full experience will be available on whichever method of play you choose, of course, though it’s folks on PC who will have access to additional options to heighten the action.

Back 4 Blood Ultimate Edition Bonuses Revealed

• 

• MORE FROM THE WEB

Click to zoom 

As showcased in the new trailer above, desktop users will have the choice of slaying zombies with an uncapped frame rate as well as cutting edge Nvidia DLSS tech. Ultra-wide and multi-monitor support are guaranteed, too, and anyone with friends on platforms different to their own can rest assured that no compromises will be necessary thanks to the inclusion of cross-play.

Back 4 Blood launches October 12th for Xbox One, Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and PC and, assuming nothing changes between now and then, will be free of pay-to-win purchases.

M. Night Shyamalan has a new film on the horizon. After almost thirty plying his trade, wrongfooting audiences and bringing a unique brand of moviemaking to life; he is back with Old. A couples retreat movie which draws audiences in and then turns the tables in increasingly audacious ways. Time is of the essence here, as Shyamalan brings together an ensemble cast to breathe life into an extremely personal project.

Featuring Abbey Lee, Gael Garcia Bernal and Rufus Sewell this deep dive into our darkest fears is a return to form. In a post pandemic world paved with paranoia, Old exploits our eighteen month isolation with consummate ease. Idyllic beaches, sun dappled settings and a pre-occupation with human frailties dominate this deceptively simple tale.

Looking back on his other films with the benefit of hindsight, M. Night Shyamalan has always been driven by character. An approach which has seen him take recognizable archetypes and retrofit them for his own purposes. Human connections, grounded relationships and universal truths have continued to colour a career defined by unique perspectives. In a recent interview I had the opportunity to quiz Shyamalan on his approach to film making.

As you expect from a seasoned story teller, passionate film maker and family man his answer was both erudite and enlightening. Following on from that, we took the chance to discuss whether time was a blessing or a curse. As one of the most revered film makers in Hollywood, it was a pleasure to hear him come at such a left field inquiry with candour.

To hear what else the director has to say click on the video above and be sure to check out Old when it opens on Friday.

Generally speaking, Netflix has always done well when it comes to original dramas revolving around a band of dysfunctional teenagers, which always tend to find a massive audience. Whether it’s the sci-fi shenanigans of the Stranger Things crew or the beautiful people of Outer Banks and everything in between, the subgenre has proven to be one of the platform’s most fruitful.

Despite the big crowds that the majority of high school-centric shows can always be relied on to draw in, you could make a well-founded argument that Sex Education is the best of the lot. Smart, sharp, acerbic and often emotionally shattering, the first two seasons have scored almost universal acclaim from critics and fans alike, with Netflix touting that both runs managed to draw in over 40 million streams in the first four weeks they were available.

Looking at those numbers, it’s far from a sleeper hit, and well on the way to becoming established as one of the most popular recurring projects on the platform. Season 3 is coming on September 21st, and the marketing campaign has officially kicked off with a meta promo advertising the widespread changes coming to Moordale Secondary School.

Almost the entire principal cast appear, with the notable exception of Gillian Anderson’s Dr. Jean Milburn and breakout star Ncuti Gatwa’s Eric Effiong, but the rest of the Sex Education gang are all present and accounted for. While no plot details are provided, it would be safe to assume that Asa Butterfield’s Otis is going to run into some trouble navigating the social and romantic minefield that comes with the territory of being a teenager, even if almost the entire ensemble are in their mid-to-late 20s by now.

Netflix’s line-up of video game adaptations is scheduled to continue next month with Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild. Similar to the recently released Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, this animated adventure is inspired by Capcom’s mega-successful action-RPG of the same name. For those not aware, the core games, while not linked by a core narrative, always has players take on the role of a Hunter, tasked with defending their village from the surrounding wildlife.

These ecosystems are more often than not dominated by apex predators known collectively as Elder Dragons, colossal beasts with the power to destroy anything in their wake. That being the case, it’s hardly surprising that young warrior Aiden is troubled when he discovers exactly that on his doorstep, and only with the help of his co-dwellers as well as a mysterious outsider will he have any hope of saving family and friends from certain doom. To help get you pumped for that climactic face-off, Netflix has released a brand-new trailer, as well as a poster, for the upcoming film.

Watch: Netflix Reveals First Trailer & Poster For Monster Hunter: Legends Of The Guild

• 

• MORE FROM THE WEB

Click to zoom 

Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild releases next month, August 12th, only on Netflix and follows not long after director Paul W. S. Anderson’s live-action adaptation. Whether the former can endear itself to critics and fans to a greater degree than Anderson’s efforts remains to be seen, though, at the very least, this year’s spin-off already appears to feature a greater number of iconic creatures.

As for the games, Nintendo Switch owners recently got an alternative to 2018’s acclaimed Monster Hunter: World in the form of Rise. If you’ve yet to check that out, see here for WGTC’s review.

You might be thinking, ‘Hey! Didn’t we just get a trailer for a Ted Bundy movie the other day?’, and the answer is yes, but Elijah Wood’s No Man of God is just one of two films focusing on the infamous serial killer making their way to theaters and VOD in the very near future.

In fact, both projects are even releasing less than two weeks apart. No Man of God is arriving on August 27th, but Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman is landing on the 16th with Chad Michael Murray in the lead role. While he might not seem like the most obvious candidate to embody such a fearsome figure, people set the same thing about Zac Efron before he gave what was arguably the best performance of his career in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, so we should give the former teen heartthrob the benefit of the doubt for now.

There’s some notable talent attached to American Boogeyman with extensive experience in the horror genre, so we may be getting a scarier spin than many of the other re-tellings of Bundy’s notorious murder spree. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers writer Daniel Farrands at the helm, and he also directed The Haunting of Sharon Tate and The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, while Insidious stalwart and all-round legend Lin Shaye lends support.

Interestingly, Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman is only half of a two-part event that looks to be the start of an ambitious anthology series, as Farrands also writes and directs American Boogeywoman: Aileen Wuornos, which sees Peyton List inhabiting the role that won Charlize Theron an Academy Award, and it releases on the very same day.

Chucky returns this fall via Don Mancini’s television series, continuing existing storylines from the original movies. 

A first look at the Chucky television series was revealed today via Entertainment Weekly, showcasing the iconic horror Good Guy doll with a similar look to Child’s Play 2. A release date for the series was also released, with Mancini’s Chucky dropping October 12th via SYFY and USA. 

Returning to a time of innocence and fewer scars, the first look of Chucky brings back memories while paying homage to the horror doll of the 90s. The teaser trailer features a gentle-looking Chucky at a suburban yard sale and a teenager with an interest in the demon doll. Murder ensues while Chucky’s enemies and allies get tangled up in a town full of “hypocrisies and secrets,” according to Mancini.

Devon Sawa Shares New Chucky Set Photo With Jennifer Tilly

• 

• MORE FROM THE WEB

Click to zoom 

Zackary Arthur stars in the Chucky series as a 14-year old bullied kid feeling lost after the passing of his mother. 

“He’s a young artist [making] sculptures with doll parts,” said Mancini. “He finds Chucky at a yard sale and buys him, but it turns out that he gets much more than he bargained for.” 

Working alongside Arthur is returning cast member Jennifer Tilly, along with Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky. Other cast members include Briones, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Björgvin Arnarson, Lexa Doig, and Devon Sawa.

The new Chucky television series releases October 12th via SYFY and USA. Additional seasons for the show are a possibility, depending on how well it performs. 

It’s all going down in Gotham in this epic first trailer for Titans season 3. which debuts on HBO Max in just under a month’s time. This third run of the former DC Universe show will dive deeper into the Batman mythos than ever before, and this trailer debuts our first looks at a number of the Dark Knight’s allies and enemies in action. Check it out via the player above.

The trailer teases that the new season will kick off with the apparent death of Jason Todd (Curran Walters) and the rise of a mysterious new masked vigilante, Red Hood – what are the odds those two facts are connected, huh? The team will then relocate to Gotham, with Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) partnering up with his old friend Barbara Gordon (Savannah Welch), who’s now police commissioner. This promo also offers us glimpses of Scarecrow (Vincent Kartheiser) and the latest sidekick to Bruce Wayne (Iain Glen) – the third Robin, Tim Drake (Jay Lycurgo).

Away from the Bat-side of things, the rest of the Titans – namely, Beast Boy (Ryan Potter), Raven (Teagan Croft), Superboy (Joshua Orpin), Hawk (Alan Ritchson) and Dove (Minka Kelly) – are showcased doing what they do best. Then there’s Starfire (Anna Diop), who seems to be having problems of her own, something no doubt the fault of her evil sister Blackfire (Damaris Lewis).

Titans Reveals First Look At Tim Drake For Season 3

• 

• MORE FROM THE WEB

Click to zoom 

All in all, this promises to be the most thrilling season of Titans yet, as the show brings even more classic DC characters into its universe. Of course, this wouldn’t be Titans without some controversy, though, and fans are no doubt going to have some thoughts about the claims that Bruce is a “psychopath” at the top of this trailer. A broken Bruce seems ready to hand the mantle of Batman onto Dick – but will Nightwing accept it? Or will he help his mentor get his groove back?

Don’t miss Titans season 3 when it premieres August 12th only on HBO Max

The Fear Street trilogy has proven to be a phenomenal success for Netflix. Subscribers of all ages have loved the horror movie series, which is halfway between a TV show and a movie franchise, with the first two installments drawing in both huge audiences and a lot of social media attention over the past couple of weeks. The third is about to drop in time for this weekend, and this trailer promises a grand finale to the saga of Shadyside. Check out the Fear Street Part 3: 1666 promo via the player above.

“We can end the curse,” says Kiana Madeira’s Deena in this trailer, and to do that she must flashback 300 years into the past and discover the truth behind a witch hunt that started the evil plaguing Shadyside in the present. Or, as the official synopsis puts it, “The origins of Sarah Fier’s curse are finally revealed as history comes full circle on a night that changes the lives of Shadysiders forever.” Gillian Jacobs, Sadie Sink, Benjamin Flores Jr. and Ashley Zukerman are also in the cast.

A big part of what has made Fear Street so much fun, particularly for horror fans, is how each chapter sports such a unique feel, with the different movies pulling from a range of influences. Part 1: 1994 was Scream-inspired, while Part 2: 1978 tipped its hat to Friday the 13th. This time around, we’re in The Witch territory. Director Leigh Janiak and his team have done a commendable job of transforming R.L. Stine’s teen book trilogy into something with a lot more oomph.

Given the success of Fear Street, it seems a safe bet to assume Netflix will get working on some similar productions ASAP, maybe even more Stine adaptations. For the moment, don’t miss Fear Street Part 3: 1666 when it debuts on the streamer this Friday, July 16th. And if you haven’t caught up yet, catch the first two films on Netflix now.

While the WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier finales had great entertainment value, they were generally met with a bit of a mixed reception for fans as some seemed to think they didn’t quite live up to the high hype and intense fan theories that had built up over the preceding weeks. You might think we should keep our expectations in check for the Loki finale, then, which drops on Disney Plus this Wednesday.

But that’s not what this new promo – which you can catch via the player above – indicates. According to this new trailer, hike up those expectations as high as possible, people, as the finale will apparently “change everything we know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe”. Yes, that is exactly what the dramatic voiceover guy says in this latest teaser for tomorrow’s finale. As per D+’s tradition of keeping spoilers to a minimum, it doesn’t feature any fresh footage but that bold claim has got us excited all the same.

New Loki Photos Tease The God Of Mischief’s Next Adventure

Click to zoom 

So what does it mean that Loki changes our understanding of the MCU? Well, this will only further fuel those theories that the finale will set up the deep-dive into the multiverse that is to come in first Spider-Man: No Way Home this December and then Doctor Strange 2 next March. Fans are also confident that Kang the Conqueror, thought to be the franchise’s next big bad, is going to be revealed as the true creator of the TVA. But, who knows, maybe neither of these theories are right. Maybe the finale will reveal that Miss Minutes is the MCU’s next Thanos. You heard it here first.

The good news is there’s not long left to wait until we get to find out what this promo’s voiceover guy is talking about. Loki concludes with what we can hope will be a fitting finale on Disney Plus this Wednesday.

Shark Week is a recognized global phenomenon, having become the longest-running cable TV programming event in history since first launching in 1988, and it’s gotten to the stage where mega budget comic book blockbusters are now paying tribute to Discovery’s beloved festivities, as evidenced by the latest teaser for The Suicide Squad.

Creator Tom Golden would never in a million years have imagined that 33 years on from the first-ever Shark Week, it would be used as the basis for a promo video showcasing the fact that Sylvester Stallone is voicing an anthropomorphized Elasmobranchii descended from an ancient shark god with a taste for human flesh in a violent R-rated action extravaganza from the mind of Guardians of the Galaxy‘s James Gunn, which you can check out below.

The Suicide Squad Reveals First Look At King Shark

• 

• MORE FROM THE WEB

Click to zoom 

When Stallone was first announced to have boarded The Suicide Squad very late on in production, King Shark was always named as the most likely character for the actor, based on nothing more than his instantly recognizable vocal delivery. The first trailer for the soft reboot highlighted King Shark to the extent that he could well turn out to be the true breakout favorite in a movie that looks to be packed with instant cult favorites.

While it seems unlikely that King Shark will be making it out of The Suicide Squad alive given James Gunn’s insistence that almost everyone is going to die before the credits roll, the very thought of Rocky and Rambo legend Stallone playing Nanaue is more than enough to ensure that he’s going to be one of the main talking points coming out of the film, which is just a little over three weeks away from coming to theaters and HBO Max on August 5th.