Month: April 2020

Chastity, Ryan, and Greg recommend the best TV series to binge-watch during quarantine like Community and The Crown, new Netflix shows to check out, discuss the growing list of 2020 movie delays including Wonder Woman 1984 and Fast and Furious 9, and new movies being released on demand.

Really lean into that sense of existential dread with these must-watch cosmic horror classics.

Cosmic horror may be one of the harder-to-define subgenres out there, but that doesn’t make it any less worthwhile. From Lovecraftian gods run amok to alien entities piercing the veil of space and time, the thing all cosmic horror stories have in common is a deep and pervasive sense of existential dread–the fear that comes from direct encounters with things that cannot be understood by simple mortal minds. That said, there’s always some wiggle room–whether it’s through clever trope subversion or fast-and-loose interpretations of source materials, cosmic horror is as ever-shifting as the madness that inspires it.

And hey, we just happen to think that’s pretty neat, especially in a world experiencing as much real-life existential dread as ours is right now. Sometimes it’s fun to lean into a fantasy that can be stopped and started with the push of a button.

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite streaming cosmic horror movies from every end of the writhing, tentacle-infested spectrum, including but not limited to trips to hell dimensions, alien invaders, and time-loop creating eldritch deities.

Stream these and more on our favorite services:

• Netflix
• Shudder
• Amazon Prime
• Hulu.

Event Horizon (Netflix)

When it comes to cosmic horror, it’s hard to get better than Event Horizon, the 1997 sci-fi extravaganza starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. One part Hellraiser, one part Alien, Event Horizon managed to put its own spin on the genre by asking the important questions–namely, “What would happen if you opened a portal to literal hell on a spaceship?”

The answer, as you can probably imagine, isn’t exactly pretty–but that just makes it better. Packed with intricate details and practical effects from top to bottom, Event Horizon is a cosmic horror staple that’s not to be missed.

The Void (Shudder)

Hospitals aren’t a fun place to be even on their best day, so it’s not really surprising that they’re even worse when they’re surrounded by a veil-wearing cult intent on murdering anyone who tries to escape. But, wildly enough, that’s not actually the scariest part of The Void–the things happening outside the hospital are bad, but the things inside are even worse. A cosmic horror bottle movie packed-full of skin-crawling gore, The Void is a cult classic in the making.

In The Tall Grass (Netflix)

Adapted from the Stephen King novella, In The Tall Grass dares to imagine what it would be like to be trapped inside a giant, uh, sentient field of grass–you know, just like the name implies. The “cosmic” part of the horror comes thanks to a giant, ambiguously alien artifact that just so happens to be granting the fields sentience–and may or may not be a link to a different, much darker dimension outside our own.

The Endless (Netflix)

A spiritual successor and tie-in to writer/director duo Benson and Moorhead’s first film, Resolution, The Endless is a deliciously mind-bending exploration of a cult that exists in–well, to say any more would be a spoiler. But trust us when we say you’ve never seen a cult movie quite like this before, and what could easily have become your average summer-camp-flavored slasher is, in fact, much more. If you’re a fan of movies that play with the fabric of time itself, The Endless is for you.

Cabin in the Woods (Hulu)

Initially dressed up as a horror comedy, Cabin In The Wood cleverly circumvents expectations with twists upon twists that eventually culminate in one giant, cosmic revelation that may or may not mean the end of all things–just trust us on this one. Cabin In The Woods is a must-see.

The Mist (Prime)

Another Stephen King adaptation, The Mist explores the worst case scenario for a sleepy little Maine town suddenly beset upon by a mysterious mist (surprise!) that brings with it even more mysterious monsters. One part bottle movie, one part gorey survival story, The Mist is as bleak as they come, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the mayhem.

Annihilation (Prime)

From writer/director Alex Garland, Annihilation is the story of a strange, alien artifact corrupting and mutating everything around it behind a metaphysical barrier known as “The Shimmer.” Within The Shimmer, animals and plants are absorbed into one another, cells divide and merge and change at random, and the humans who dare enter are never heard from again. As beautiful as it is gruesome, Annihilation really leans into the “cosmic” side of cosmic horror.

In The Mouth Of Madness (Shudder)

Sam Neill’s second major entry on this list, In The Mouth Of Madness is a Stephen King-flavored early ’90s extravaganza about a horror author whose work literally drives his readers insane. It’s full of campy practical effects and over-the-top acting, but worthwhile all the same, especially if you’re a fan of video games like Alan Wake or Silent Hill.

Absentia (Prime)

An early indie movie from writer/director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting Of Hill House), Absentia is essentially a story about missing people and the mysterious entity that may be behind their disappearances. It turns out they may not actually be gone after all, and somehow, that may even be worse. Be careful with this one–there’s also an unrelated TV series by the same name, so make sure you’re clicking the right one when you go to stream.

Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (Prime)

The nature of reality and the existence of alternate dimensions are cornerstones of cosmic horror and it’s hard to exemplify that in a more literal way that actually, genuinely, sending your characters through a portal to hell. Hellbound is the second entry in the Hellraiser franchise and one of the best the series has to offer–but it is a direct sequel to the first Hellraiser movie, which is slightly less cosmic but definitely still worthwhile, so watch that one first.

Ryan and Greg break down American Horror Story Freak Show Episode 7 “Test of Strength.”

This weekend kicks off an absolute assault of spring sales, and if you’re looking to save money on some games, then there hasn’t been a better time in quite a while. The Xbox One store just revealed its slate of spring deals, all of which are available to snag now. Hundreds of games are on sale, including this year’s Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot as well as some of the best games of recent years like Red Dead Redemption 2, Resident Evil 2, and Mortal Kombat 11.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, The Sims 4, and EA’s latest sports titles–FIFA 20, NHL 20, and Madden NFL 20–are discounted. There’s also a great deal on last year’s Need For Speed Heat. And if you’re looking for some basketball, then you’ll be happy to hear that 2K’s NBA 2K20 is featured as well.

Ubisoft also has a number of its titles discounted. The Division 2 just saw the release of its Warlords of New York expansion and can currently be picked up for $10.49. Ghost Recon Breakpoint is also on sale and recently got a huge free update that added a new Immersive mode.

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A sequel to the 2013 action-platformer Rogue Legacy is now in development, the game’s creator Cellar Door Games announced. The studio didn’t have much else to share beyond confirming that Rogue Legacy 2 is on the way. However, “a lot more info” about the sequel will be dropping “in the coming days.” For now, Cellar Door shared some in-progress screenshots showing Rogue Legacy 2’s more bubble-like art style.

Rogue Legacy originally launched in 2013 for PC. It was then ported to the PlayStation family of systems–PS3, PS4, and PS Vita–in 2014, Xbox One in 2015, and Nintendo Switch in 2018. The game was also ported over to the iOS platform in 2019.

We gave it an 8/10 in our 2014 Rogue Legacy review, saying, “It doesn’t have the secrets of Spelunky and it’s more predictable than The Binding of Isaac, yet at the end of every game comes a desire to hop right back in, spend your gold on some upgrades and rack up more monster kills, something the game encourages with a challenging new-game-plus option that appears after the credits roll.”

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Week 7 of Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 2 is here, and that means a new batch of challenges is now live in the hit battle royale shooter. This week brings the first set of Skye’s Adventure challenges, and in keeping with the season’s spy theme, one of them asks you to hide in Creepin’ Cardboard at the Box Factory. If you’re not sure where that’s located, this map and guide will point you in the right direction.

Where Is The Box Factory Location?

The trickiest part of this challenge is tracking down the Box Factory. Since it isn’t a named point of interest, the factory isn’t displayed prominently on the in-game map, so you may not even know where to begin looking. As it happens, the Box Factory is located in grid square G7, southwest of Retail Row. You can see exactly where on the map below.

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With the coronavirus putting upending release plans for new movies, TV, and even video games, HBO will be offering streaming on classic shows like Veep, True Blood, The Wire, and even new favorites like Succession and Ballers for free. Also included will be movies such as Lego Movie 2 and Detective Pikachu.

Starting April 3, HBO will be streaming almost 500 hours of material on both the HBO Now and HBO Go apps free, but only for a limited time. Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire are notably absent from the service, but there are seven seasons of The Sopranos alone, so that should keep any cabin fever sufferer busy for a minute.

All of the content will be available to stream for free via participating distribution partners’ platforms in the coming days as well.

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