the tourist horror movie

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The Best Vacation Horror Movies, Ranked By Fans

A road trip can be a blast - that is, until a chainsaw wielding maniac enters the picture. Then, the vacation's over. The best horror movies about travel gone wrong feature characters as tourists that are out of their element and fighting for their lives. This is a list of the top scary vacation horror movies including everything from The Cabin in the Woods to Wolf Creek to Joy Ride . Hopefully none of these horror vacation scenarios happen to you on your next family road trip.

What films will you find on this list of the best horror movies about traveling ? In The Evil Dead, a trip that should have been a fun getaway turns into a living nightmare when a group of friends accidentally resurrect a demon. Sam Raimi wrote and directed this classic horror film starring Bruce Campbell. The Shallows is another frightening film about a horrific vacation, this time involving the real-world threat of a hungry shark. Eli Roth's 2005 film Hostel sent a chill down the spine of anyone who has taken backpacking vacations through Europe. Other good horror films about travelling combine the anxieties of going someplace new with some real dangers.

Which horror movies about travelers deserve the top spots on the list? Vote your favorites towards the top. Be sure to check back for new movies will killer vacation plots based on groups of friends or families travelling as they are released.

While Wrong Turn may seem incredibly cliche for horror audiences today, back in 2003, this folk horror slow burn of cannibals and vacations gone wrong was the blueprint on how to tell a terrifying tale that will make audiences terrified to ever go on a road trip again. Set in the backwoods of West Virginia, after a group of friends has car trouble and panic about being stranded, they realize they are not alone in these woods, and that something terrifying lurks just beyond what they can see. Being hunted in and of itself is scary, but throw in being utterly stranded with mutated cannibal freaks into the mix, and nightmare fuel for every audience is born.

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The Hills Have Eyes

Bloodthirsty mutant cannibals, government atomic zones, and being hunted down to feast on your flesh may not seem like the perfect vacation, but in The Hills Have Eyes , it is a horrifying and vile reality that a poor family must endure. Arguably one of the most graphic, disturbing, and disgusting horror films ever created, The Hills Have Eyes shows what happens when every single thing that could go wrong on a road trip goes wrong. Showcasing some of the most horrifying and vile creatures of the 2000s, the film will leave audiences in a paranoid stance anytime they hear the slightest thing wrong in their cars.

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The Descent

Widely regarded as one of the best horror films to ever come out of the UK, The Descent is a wonderfully crafted jump scare bonanza that will ensure audiences never want to go spelunking in their lives. An uber claustrophobic experience that will leave audiences holding their breath whether they realize it or not, this terrifying adventure of cave diving just gets more tense and terrifying as the film goes on. When the group of incredibly strong and powerful female protagonists realizes they aren't in the caves alone, then a second act of utter blood-curdling terror kicks into gear that will unlock an entire new phobia in the minds and hearts of viewers.

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Possibly the greatest fear for people on a road trip is being stalked and hunted by a crazed lunatic in a car. Now replace car with massive semi-truck, and a terror unlike any other is realized to perfection in Joy Ride . Most people who have ever been behind the wheel of a car have experienced road rage in one form or another, but it just takes saying one wrong thing to the wrong person to create a living breathing nightmare from which there is no waking. Joy Ride may be a bit campy at times, but the underlying fear of being hunted by a psychopath behind the wheel is something audiences won't ever be able to shake.

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Every couple's worst nightmare comes to life in brutal and spine-chilling light in 2007's cult classic, Vacancy . When a couple gets stranded while traveling, they decide to spend the night at a local motel, only to realize they aren't alone, and if they don't act fast, they will be the stars and victims of a crazed killer's next snuff film. The film takes great pride in making every aspect of this stalking feel incredibly realistic and plausible, which just makes the film all the more terrifying.

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The quintessential movie about vacations gone wrong, Hostel makes sure anyone and everyone who watches it will never want to stay in these lovely little hotels ever again. While a group of college graduates travel to Europe for vacation, they soon realize that their home for the summer is not what it seems, and sex, drugs, violence, and pain lay in wait for them. This paranoia-inducing thriller and gore fest is one of the most shocking and vile films ever created, and gave way to the “torture-porn” moniker akin to Saw . Showcasing the gnarly underbelly of Hostels in Europe and how wrong things can go for tourists, this magnificent horror film will leave audiences utterly shaken.

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The Cabin in the Woods

On the surface, The Cabin in the Woods seems like every generic would-be slasher film ever created. A group of college kids go to a creepy cabin for a mini-vacation and suddenly bad things begin to happen. However, the film has so many twists and turns it would make a roller coaster jealous. Being stranded isn't nearly as scary as being hunted by forces outside of your control, and the film showcases this fear beautifully. Nothing is as it seems, and the only way to survive is to fight.

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A film that will crawl under your skin in more ways than one, The Ruins shows the repercussions of going against the rules, the ignorance of man, and the danger of vacationing in Mexico. A masterclass in body horror and making audiences squirm, The Ruins has managed to become a massive cult classic thanks to incredible acting, realistic depictions of tourists in terror, and a shocking and surprisingly well-crafted story. Sometimes people aren't the most dangerous of creatures, and The Ruins shows that even the smallest beings can be a deadly threat.

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As most films on this list prove, Wolf Creek instills the idea that car troubles will indeed be the downfall of all tourists on vacation. When a couple's car breaks down and they are stranded in the Australian outback, a dangerous and deadly hunter decides they are his next prey, and they must fight to survive at any cost. A gritty, dirty, and low-budget film that feels almost too real for comfort that was “based on true events,” Wolf Creek shows the disgusting and vile nature of man, and the struggle to survive in a world you're unfamiliar with. Not for the faint of heart or weak-willed, the film takes great pleasure in making viewers squirm.

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Train to Busan

A film that helped revolutionize the dying zombie subgenre in horror, Train to Busan was a stomach-churning, pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride that pulls no punches in drama, gore, and violence, and will have your palms nice and sweaty by the time the credits roll. As a zombie apocalypse outbreaks in the world, a young man must protect his daughter at any cost as their trip to Busan, South Korea became a living nightmare. Taking place nearly entirely on a train and in a train station, the film feels incredibly claustrophobic as zombies unlike anything mainstream audiences have ever seen rush in to chop on some human flesh.

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A Perfect Getaway

Heading to the tropical island of Hawaii on their honeymoon, A Perfect Getaway shows that even the most wonderful and gorgeous of areas can be home to some of the most dangerous and vile monsters in the world. An utterly terrifying battle for survival, the film showcases that just because someone seems nice, that doesn't mean they don't have a hideous monster on the inside ready to pounce. A Perfect Getaway will undoubtedly have any and all vacationers looking sideways at their guides from here on out.

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Chair lifts are a scary enough contraption in and of themselves, two tiny wires holding up dozens of people as they propel hundreds of feet in the air, but in the 2010 hit film Frozen , every skier's worst nightmare comes to life as a group of friends become stranded on the lift for weeks. A film rich in paranoia and dread, Frozen forces audiences into the shoes of the most poor unfortunate souls in the world as they slowly begin to turn on one another. Surivial is key, and when stranded with friends with freezing cold temperatures coming in for the kill, unspeakable acts unfold to make it to the next day.

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The Evil Dead

The quintessential cabin in the woods horror film, The Evil Dead helped revolutionize the horror genre by showcasing a brutal, bloody, and utterly terrifying adventure of a group of college kids who are hunted down by a supernatural presence in the middle of the woods. Widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films ever made, the film at its core is indeed a film about a group of tourists who venture to a cabin, and everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. Director Sam Rami exploded onto the scene with one of the most important and genre-defining films of all time with The Evil Dead .

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The Shallows

One of the surprise hit horror films of the 2010s, The Shallows is a perfectly paced and executed venture into terror, paranoia, and sharks! When a woman finds herself stranded in the middle of the ocean with a great white shark looking to take a bite out of her, she must navigate the waters of this strange land and do whatever it takes to survive. Isolation, desperation, an paranoia creep in every crevasse of this spine-chilling movie, and much like Jaws before it, after watching The Shallows , audiences will never want to go in the water again.

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During a romantic getaway in the remote woods, a lovely young couple finds themselves the prey for a vicious and malicious attack of modern youth gone wild. Showcasing the dangers of group gang mentality and the lengths individuals will go to get what they want, Eden Lake is an utterly terrifying and vicious film that shows the world that nothing is scarier than a group of deranged and bitter teenagers.

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A breakup film wrapped in a cult film wrapped in a tourist horror movie, Midsommar has quite a few layers to unpack throughout its nearly three-hour runtime, but an epic the likes of which horror rarely receives presents itself beautifully. When traveling to Sweden with her boyfriend and his group of college friends, Dani audiences quickly realize that something far more sinister is afoot here and that no one can be trusted. Nothing is scarier than seemingly everyone out to get you, and in this brilliant paranoid thriller, everyone is.

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I Spit on Your Grave

Sometimes, isolation doesn't truly mean you are alone, and I Spit on Your Grave showcased this in spine-chilling effect as one of the vilest, most disturbing, and shocking horror films of all time. A hybrid of revenge and tourist horror films, I Spit on Your Grave is not an easy watch, but one that will leave a resounding impact on audiences. The hunted becomes the hunter in this chilling and ultra-violent film of violating the wrong woman.

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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

A remake of arguably the greatest film the world has ever seen, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is arguably the perfect tourist horror movie. A group of young travelers venture to rural Texas but while driving through, they come across a corrupt police officer who has made it his mission to make their life a living hell. Throw in cannibalism, and everyone's favorite skin-wearing killer Leatherface, and one of the scariest films of all time is born.

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The stereotypical tourist horror movie has dumb characters that do dumb things that the audience can relish in seeing them get just desserts, and there is no finer example of this than Turristas . A film that relishes in swiftly and vengefully dishing out justice to those who continuously break the rules, Turistas showcases that just because you are guests in a far away land, that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want and is the ultimate warning for those who think they can.

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Cabin Fever

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Akin to the massive horror hit The Descent, The Cave also follows a group of individuals who travel into a remote undisturbed underground ecosystem, but instead of seeking thrills, this group is seeking science. On the hunt for a new species that is rumored to be dwelling deep under the world, this may not be a vacation, but the group of biologists is undoubtedly tourists in this strange new world, and the deeper they explore, the most they realize exactly how far out of there element they are.

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The Descent Part 2

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Black Water

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The best horror movies in every subgenre of horror. Whether it's evil dolls, terrible vacations, or anything in between, we've got a list for it.

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The Tourist – Series Review (4/5)

Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard | Feb 1, 2024 | 4 minutes

THE TOURIST on Netflix / HBO Max is a new series starring Jamie Dornan and co-produced with BBC. It’s a truly wild ride of a mystery thriller. Full of twists and turns and the most quirky characters at every turn. Read our full The Tourist series review here!

THE TOURIST is a new HBO Max limited series that was co-produced with BBC. In fact, the series originally premiered in the UK on January 1, 2022. Jamie Dornan is the absolute star of this story in the title role.

ALSO READ Our review of The Tourist Season 2 >

The actual storyline plays out in Australia and you’ll meet the most amazing and quirky characters. From the beginning of this story, you’ll both be laughing and feeling the terror that the main character is experiencing. It’s a truly wild ride of a mystery thriller.

Continue reading our The Tourist series review below and find all six episodes on HBO Max now. On February 1, 2024, it is also available on Netflix in the US.

Jamie Dornan is The Tourist

When you look at the casting, you’ll see that Jamie Dornan ( The Fall series, Synchronic ) plays “The Man”. This is obviously due to the fact that the core plot is all about him losing all his memories after a car crash. Or rather, he is forced off the road by a truck in the middle of the Australian outback.

When he wakes up in the hospital, he has no ID or phone to help him figure out who he is. However, since Jamie Dornan was born in Belfast and uses his real accent in The Tourist , it’s clear that he isn’t an Aussie. So far, so good.

The series has six episodes and by the end of episode two, you’ll hear his name. However, you should (and will) continue to doubt all the information you come across. Just like “The Man” is ultimately forced to. It seems impossible to truly trust many. If anyone!

The Tourist – Review | HBO Series | Jamie Dornan

Danielle Macdonald shines!

Along with Jamie Dornan as “The Man” (or simply, “The Tourist”), there is another actor carrying the main elements of the plot in this series. It’s the mesmerizing and heartwarming Danielle Macdonald who plays Helen Chambers. A traffic cop who is in training to become a detective.

Danielle Macdonald is absolutely magical in The Tourist . Every single scene with her just made me either smile or get teary-eyed. From the first time we see her and she’s fumbling and quite insecure, she won me over.

You might recognize Danielle Macdonald from the Netflix movie Dumplin’ (2018) where she played the title role. Also, she was in the Netflix horror movie Bird Box (2018) which became a worldwide mega-hit

MORE DANIELLE MACDONALD She also played a key role in the amazing Netflix series Unbelievable based on a true story >

Overall, the HBO Max series The Tourist really is chockful of the most quirky, enigmatic characters at every turn. Often portrayed by actors you’ll recognize such as Damon Herriman. He portrayed Charles Manson in both Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood .

Also, the Icelandic actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson ( Cursed ), who is as big as a house. He is perfect as an American cowboy type. Shalom Brune-Franklin ( Roadkill series ) plays a very important role in “The Man” figuring out more about his identity. Well, maybe. You’ll see!

Watch The Tourist on HBO Max now – on Netflix later!

The Tourist was written by Harry Williams and Jack Williams. The two previously worked on various TV series as both writers and producers. They created the BBC crime-thriller series Liar (2017-2020) and produced a series such as Fleabag . A series that certainly also excels at having quirky characters.

The six episodes in this limited series are divided by two directors. These directors are Chris Sweeney ( Back to Life series on Showtime ) and Daniel Nettheim ( Broadchurch , Ash vs Evil Dead ). They each directed three episodes of this BBC and HBO Max series.

If you enjoy a good mystery full of twists, turns, and very entertaining characters, then you do not want to miss out on The Tourist on HBO Max. It’s a real treat and a genre-hybrid in all the best ways.

The Tourist is out on HBO Max from March 3, 2022. From February 1, 2024, season 1 will be added to Netflix in the US, and season 2 will come to Netflix on February 29.

Writers: Harry Williams & Jack Williams Directors: Chris Sweeney, Daniel Nettheim Cast: Jamie Dornan, Danielle Macdonald, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Damon Herriman, Alex Dimitriades, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Kamil Ellis

In the miniseries, a British man finds himself in the glowing red heart of the Australian outback being pursued by a vast tank truck trying to drive him off the road. An epic cat and mouse chase unfolds and the man later wakes in hospital, hurt, but somehow alive. Except he has no idea who he is. With merciless figures from his past pursuing him, The Man’s search for answers propels him through the vast and unforgiving outback.

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About The Author

Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!

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With summer just around the corner, the idea of pausing life’s stress for a getaway to somewhere new is quite tempting. Whether the destination is a beautiful beach or a remote cabin, sometimes it’s fun to be a tourist -- unless one ends up at, say, the Overlook Hotel, where visitors just might lose their minds.

Despite the optimistic allure, being a tourist comes with a certain vulnerability. Spending time in unfamiliar places, tourists may rely on help from strangers or easily get lost -- not to mention the distance from family, friends, or even rescue teams in case the worst of the worst happens. The vacation setting is absolutely essential to many horror staples, from classics like The Evil Dead to recent films such as Midsommar .

Revenge (2017) - 6.4

Coralie Fargeat's debut feature, Revenge , redefines the rape-revenge genre through the story of a weekend getaway gone wrong. A private home in the desert, once an oasis for vacation, quickly becomes a place of terror after rape and attempted murder leaves our protagonist stranded in the desert.

Related: 10 Horror Movie Characters That Get The Most Satisfying Revenge

Unlike some of its exploitative predecessors, Revenge tells the story of a woman who survived both sexual assault and a murder attempt without gratuitous filming of the assault itself. Instead, the story of Jen, the survivor, is the focus. Jen is smart, driven, and bold as she enacts her well-deserved vengeance that ruined her weekend away.

Eden Lake (2008) - 6.7

Like many classic horror movies, Eden Lake takes place in the wilderness near a body of water. On a camping trip, a young couple comes face-to-face with a group of teens who seem intent on wreaking havoc. As the film progresses, the couple becomes entangled in the death of a gang member that may end up threatening their own lives.

Eden Lake masterfully builds tension thanks to director James Watkins' effective use of twists and quick pacing. This survival thriller combines wilderness survival with senseless violence that feels all too real at times, making it a truly harrowing film to watch. Everyone has been scared by a noise in the forest at one time or another and Eden Lake reminds its viewers just why that is.

Us (2019) - 6.8

Jordan Peele's sophomore feature, Us , takes place at the scenic Santa Cruz Beach, where the Wilson family takes a much-needed family vacation. Their trip takes a dark turn, though, when a murderous family turns up at their doorstep and they look ... exactly like the Wilsons, but with red jumpsuits.

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As the "tethered" attempt to eliminate their doppelgängers, deep themes of wealth inequality, race, and privilege emerge in the most terrifying fashion as the Wilsons fight for their lives. What starts as a chill beach vacation with family friends becomes so much more with Peele's expert use of symbolism and rich storytelling.

The Cabin In The Woods (2011) - 7.0

In The Cabin in the Woods , a group of college students venture to a secluded cabin in a dense forest for their time off and what starts as a tongue-in-cheek horror comedy evolves into a meta examination of the horror genre. Tropes are turned upside down and nothing is what it seems as the stakes become increasingly higher throughout the film.

Complete with a drop-in from sci-fi-horror legend, Sigourney Weaver , The Cabin in the Woods is a fan favorite in the horror community. The references to classic films like The Evil Dead and the atirical commentary on the genre take these attractive people stuck in a creepy cabin movie from pure camp to genre classic.

Midsommar (2019) - 7.1

Rather than the classic wilderness or lake setting, Midsommar takes place in an idyllic community in the lush countryside of Sweden. The audience follows Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh) and her friends as they participate in the midsummer festival celebrated by an ancestral commune. Dani deserves a vacation - she recently experienced tremendous loss due to the murder-suicide of her immediate family.

Ari Aster's second film, Midsommar is a brightly lit, floral-imbued horror film that doesn't hide its scares behind shadows and nightfall. Instead, viewers feel everything in full effect with a clear view of the horrors in the ethereal setting. The remote location is both part of the appeal and a contributor to the terror, as it makes escape and returning home quite difficult. Florence Pugh's performance paired with Aster's strong artistic vision makes Midsommar a must-see for horror and non-horror fans alike.

The Descent (2005) - 7.2

Spelunking is certainly not the most popular vacation activity, but it does make for a terrifying horror movie. The Descent begins as a group of six thrill-seeking friends descend into a cave in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina. Little do they know, they are not the only beings in the cave and there's no exit in sight.

Related: 10 Best Horror Movies Directed By Women, According To IMDb

The Descent is suspenseful from start to finish, from the dramatic relationship dynamics to the constant threat of death. In a way, the unraveling friendship drama is mirrored by the descent into the caves, where emotions and fear fester. Rather than heart-to-hearts, this friend group ends up fighting for their lives. Whereas Midsommar gives reason to fear the light, The Descent will rekindle a fear of darkness in just about anyone.

House (1977) - 7.3

House follows seven schoolgirls on a vacation like no other. They travel to one of their aunt's homes which turns out to be possessed by the strangest of spirits. This experimental film from Nobuhiko Obayashi uses practical effects, color, and unnerving music to make an eerie yet enjoyable cinematic experience.

House mixes horror with comedy in some of the most creative ways, from a floating head to a hungry piano. House as a viewing experience is akin to a vacation itself since it feels otherworldly and exciting, some of the same feelings one gets in a new location. Contrary to negative reviews, House was well-received by viewers and is now an official selection of the Criterion Channel.

The Evil Dead (1981) - 7.4

From the opening sequence, The Evil Dead is immersive as the shaky camera twists and turns, showing views of a forest scored by suspenseful music. Nearby, a group of college friends drives to a cabin in these very woods for a break from the day-to-day. Evil forces have other plans, though, pushing these friends toward their demise.

Known for being exceptionally gruesome, Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead was a box-office hit that garnered criticism for its X-rated violence and gore. The film is made even scarier by how normal the setting feels. The woods and plain cabin seem like they could exist anywhere, The Evil Dead takes away the comfort of familiarity and replaces it with fear. Still, The Evil Dead went on to be known as a cult classic whose influence is seen in horror staples like The Cabin In The Woods.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - 7.4

Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is yet another horror classic with a vacation element. Tourist-turned-final-girl Sally (Marilyn Burns) visits her family's old hometown and meets Leatherface, one of horror's most infamous villains. Wielding a chainsaw and a mask made of human skin, Leatherface attacks Sally's brother and anyone else in sight in this gritty feature.

Even with its low budget, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had a massive impact on the horror genre. It originated some of the most well-known horror tropes and techniques like showing a large, faceless killer from a distance, using power tools as murderous weapons, and more. Spawning numerous sequels and inspiring popular horror filmmaker Wes Craven , the influence of this disturbing slasher can still be seen today.

The Shining (1980) - 8.4

The Shining takes place at The Overlook Hotel, where a couple and their young son take up residence during the off-season as a sort of working vacation. Whether the cause is evil spirits or cabin fever, Jack loses his grip on reality and becomes increasingly violent after witnessing a series of strange things around the vacant hotel.

The Shining is a haunting tale of madness that continues to spook viewers as they rewatch the original and tune in to the recent sequel, Doctor Sleep (2019) . Much of the film's cultural staying power comes from its intricacies and ambiguity, leaving plenty up for interpretation, such as the debate of whether the film's events are the results of ghosts, madness, or both. Stanley Kubrick's take on Stephen King's novel, The Shining, is hands down one of the most well-loved horror movies.

NEXT: 10 Classic Horror Movies That Hold Up According To Reddit

The Shining (1980)

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Is "The Tourist" the Greatest Scifi Movie Never Made?

The Tourist featured secretive alien refugees and tentacle sex, attracted the interest of Quadrophenia director Franc Roddam, and inspired concept art by HR Giger. Despite being called a masterpiece by some, this strange science fiction noir was never actually made.

The screenplay for The Tourist was written by Clair Noto and, like a darker, sex-charged Men In Black , revealed a secret alien world in Manhattan, including a secret alien club call the Corridor, where various aliens from all over the universe meet, have sex, and commiserate about being stuck on Earth. Grace Ripley, a beautiful corporate executive who happens to be an alien in disguise, seeks a way to get back to her home planet while being drawn into the bizarre world of the Corridor.

In 'The Tourist,' A Clumsy Game Of Cat And Mouse

Ella Taylor

Average Joe Meets Femme Fatale: Angelina Jolie, left, plays the mysterious Elise, who gets Johnny Depp's American tourist, Frank, into hot water when she leads her enemies to believe he is someone else. Peter Mountain/Sony Pictures hide caption

The Tourist

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Running Time: 103 minutes

Rated PG-13.

With: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Rufus Sewell

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'Burn This Letter'

Credit: Sony Pictures

'I'm Elise'

'Who Are You People?'

Throw a ton of money, two marquee names, a glam Venice location and a prime holiday release at a filmmaker whose Hollywood reach exceeds his grasp, and what do you get? In all likelihood, better box office than The Tourist deserves, followed by a brisk DVD run and early oblivion.

In 2006, German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck struck gold with The Lives of Others, a capably made, superbly acted bit of nonsense about a ruthless Stasi agent who converts to humanism after a revelatory afternoon spent listening to Mozart. The movie did well with audiences and won, among scores of other awards, an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, which in turn brought von Donnersmarck his first studio assignment. The result is The Tourist , an awkward jumble of half-assed thriller and lumbering romantic comedy, less competent by a wide margin than The Lives of Others. It's also a whole lot sillier, though not in a good way: von Donnersmarck, to put it charitably, has only the dimmest grasp of the fluid, breezy rhythms of a Hollywood action picture, and he seems ill at ease with the glitz required to carry off a studio love story.

Angelina Jolie's glamour doesn't need a lot of accessorizing, but just to be sure, Von Donnersmarck decks her out in Brigitte Bardot hair and Sophia Loren raccoon-eyes to play Elise, a mystery Brit with a passable command of French and Italian phrasebook greetings. She sits around fancy European cafes, smirking enigmatically, seemingly serene in the knowledge that she's under randy computer surveillance by assorted bumbling cops from European Interpol, supervised by a nervous nellie (Paul Bettany) in London.

For no apparent reason, Elise puckers up the famous Jolie lips and plants a lingering smooch on the lips of a dorky American named Frank, thus triggering what is commonly described in studio production notes as a deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Gamely played by Johnny Depp in an unhelpful knave-of-hearts bob, Frank is, so he says , a math teacher from Wisconsin who's tooling around Europe to mend a broken heart.

Perhaps that's why, when confronted by La Jolie in a champagne negligee in a ritzy Venice hotel room, Frank spends the night on the couch in his striped jammies. Then: "You're ravenous," he tells Elise when she appears dolled up for dinner, only to confess that she too pines for a lost love. "Do you mean ravishing?" she asks. "I do," he replies, mouth agape. " You're ravenous," she says, and whisks him off to a candle-lit dinner.

Mistaken Identity? Paul Bettany, left, plays Agent Acheson, who interrogates Frank (Johnny Depp) about what's up. Peter Mountain/Sony Pictures hide caption

Mistaken Identity? Paul Bettany, left, plays Agent Acheson, who interrogates Frank (Johnny Depp) about what's up.

With banter like this -- the script is credited to the very odd combo of von Donnersmarck, Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote The Usual Suspects , and Julian Fellowes, who writes tony British costume dramas like Gosford Park -- the smart money perforce has to be on the plot. Enter the villain (Steven Berkoff), whom we know is up to no good by the fact that he is Steven Berkoff, by the murderous glint in his glassy blue eyes, by a sharp acceleration in the strings sawing away on the soundtrack, and by the whispered news that he "owns most of the casinos and brothels between here and Nervous Bisque." (Novosibirsk, I'm guessing.)

There follows a lot of inept scampering across scenic rooftops and toppling into the churning waters of the Venice canals as Frank and Elise fall in love, hotly pursued by posses of burly chaps talking into their wrists. Mostly, though, there's a lot of scenic boating with Elise in regal silhouette at the helm, and a swank ball or two with Elise in slinky silks and laces and stuff. In due course, it is revealed that no one is who or what they say they are, and we are invited to have a good-humored chuckle about that.

And really, there's not much more to say about a movie whose funniest line goes to a hotel desk clerk -- except to suggest that before Mr. von Donnersmarck tries to make another thriller-slash-caper-slash-romantic-comedy, he may want to hunker down and watch either version of Ocean's Eleven.

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Jamie dornan in hbo max’s ‘the tourist’: tv review.

The actor plays an amnesiac in a deadly race to figure out his identity in this six-hour slice of Australian pulp fiction.

By Daniel Fienberg

Daniel Fienberg

Chief Television Critic

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Content bloat on cable and streaming is such an apparently incurable epidemic that even shows that play as lean and mean genre exercises are stuck oozing outside of their deserved boundaries — as if once there’s no marketplace for an idea to be conveyed at 90 minutes, might as well just go forever.

Something like Netflix’s True Story , which would have been an arthouse hit as a brisk John Dahl-directed theatrical thriller, instead became an instantly forgotten Netflix series, because that’s how it could get produced. Significantly better on every level, but still in need of a robust trim, is HBO Max ‘s The Tourist . Ideally, this would have been an Outback-set B-movie probably helmed by somebody like Phillip Noyce. Instead, it arrives on streaming as a six-hour drama replete with illogical misdirects, a second half that’s far less engaging than the first and a disappointing assortment of false conclusions.

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Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the tourist.

HBO Max continues stealth drops of some of the best drama mini-series on television. Last year highlights included “The Head” and “ Station Eleven ,” and they start 2022 strongly with the fantastic “The Tourist,” a twisty tale that plays like an Aussie version of “ Fargo .” With sharp dialogue, clever plotting, and career-best work from Jamie Dornan and Danielle Macdonald , this is a great little thriller, a show that constantly keeps you guessing and entertained in equal measure.

The “ Belfast ” and “ Fifty Shades of Grey ” star plays an unnamed man (at least for a while) who is driving through the very remote Australian outback. He stops at a station to use the bathroom, banters with the guy behind the counter, and hits the road again. Looking in the rearview mirror, he sees a truck gaining on him with remarkable speed. The Man twists off the road to avoid it and the trucker follows, revealing through a POV from his cab that this is very intentional—he’s trying to kill this tourist. They race through the desert until The Man’s car crashes. He wakes up in a hospital with no memory of who he is or how he got there.

Enter a small-town officer named Helen Chambers (Macdonald), engaged to an awful man named Ethan ( Greg Larsen ) and thrust into a mystery about who this handsome Irishman is in a hospital bed. When The Man finds a note with a time and a location in his pocket, he heads to a small town called Burnt Ridge, where he meets a woman named Luci ( Shalom Brune-Franklin ) who might know about his past, ends up crossing paths with a sociopath ( Ólafur Darri Ólafsson ) who clearly wants him dead, and gets a phone call from a man who’s been buried underground. And then things get even weirder.

Created by the people behind the excellent “ The Missing ” (which aired stateside on Starz), the writing on “The Tourist” is a metronomic back and forth between reveals and how those reveals propel the narrative in a new direction. Pushing their way through all the chaos are Dornan and Macdonald, both phenomenal. Dornan finds a quirky, unsettled way to play a man who doesn’t know who he is without resorting to the cliché of the lost soul. If anything, he leans into more of a blank slate interpretation of amnesia, playing a guy who’s more open to what comes next because he can’t remember what came before. And Macdonald is charming and so incredibly likable that she becomes the heart of a show that can be cold at times.

Echoes of “ Memento ” and “Fargo” aside, “The Tourist” also has its own quirky personality. Some of those quirks get a bit extreme in late-season episodes in ways I can’t spoil, but the show is never boring. It’s a reminder that the Dornan who was so great in “ The Fall ” is still out there, and I hope it leads him to more bizarre, challenging roles like this one. There’s an argument to be made that there’s an even-better 100-minute movie in this six-episode mini-series, but that’s not the world we’re in right now. A story like this has a better chance to be told in the TV system than the mid-budget film one, and the writers don’t drag their feet or spin their wheels like so many streaming thrillers. They’re constantly moving our hero forward, keeping us uncertain about his past and even his moral center.

Some will argue that “The Tourist” gets too convoluted and I’ll admit that I enjoyed the playful uncertainty of the first half of the season more than the intensity of the second half. Although the show does get deeper in how it unpacks lies we tell ourselves and those we listen to from other people. It turns out that everyone on "The Tourist" has a secret or two, and almost all of them could use a car accident to reset the hole they've dug for themselves.

I'm not sure how intentional it is but the show never stopped reminding me of some of my favorite early Coen films—the noir danger of “ Blood Simple ,” the open roads of “ Raising Arizona ” (and a bearded hunter who seems unkillable), Macdonald’s very Marge Gunderson character—and yet these nods to greats are embedded in a breakneck plot that never slows down enough to distract from its own inspired storytelling. Take the trip.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

The Tourist (2022)

360 minutes

Jamie Dornan as The Man

Danielle Macdonald as Helen Chambers

Shalom Brune-Franklin as Luci

Damon Herriman as D.I. Lachlan Rogers

Alex Dimitriades as Kostas

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Billy

Greg Larsen as Ethan Krum

Chris Sweeney
Daniel Nettheim

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‘Tourist Trap’ Remake in the Works from Producer Barbara Crampton! [Exclusive]

Every year, hundreds of young people travel the country… and disappear. 45 years after the release of cult classic Tourist Trap , Bloody Disgusting has exclusively learned this weekend that horror legend Barbara Crampton ( Re-Animator, You’re Next, Jakob’s Wife, Suitable Flesh ) will be producing an upcoming remake of the 1979 horror movie!

Alliance Media Partners has acquired the rights to Tourist Trap , and Crampton, the company’s Vice President of Production & Development, will be producing the new take on the classic.

Crampton is producing with Bob Portal , Managing Director & Head of Production at AMP.

The original Tourist Trap was directed by David Schmoeller.

In the film, “ A group of young friends stranded at a secluded roadside museum are stalked by a masked assailant who uses his telekinetic powers to control the attraction’s mannequins.”

Chuck Connors played the villain Mr. Slausen, the owner of tourist trap Slausen’s Lost Oasis. The ill-fated friends, well, they all get turned into mannequins, making for one wild finale.

Meagan Navarro wrote about Tourist Trap here on Bloody Disgusting, “This slasher with a supernatural twist brings the nightmare fuel in the form of deeply unnerving mannequins. Mannequins are already terrifying, with their life-like appearance and vacant eyes. But what if they unhinged their jaws and made eerie sounds as they closed in on their victim for the kill? You get one of the creepiest slashers hailing from the golden era of the sub-genre.”

You can watch the original 1979 movie’s retro trailer below. You can stream the film on various platforms right now, including Shudder, Tubi, Peacock, Freevee and AMC+.

And stay tuned for more info on the Tourist Trap remake.

Horror films under the Alliance Media Partners label include Old Man, The Seed, The Wretched, Jakob’s Wife, Amulet, The Endless, The Pale Door , and last year’s Suitable Flesh .

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

5 Deep Cut Horror Movies to Seek Out in June 2024

‘oddity’ poster spotlights creepy mannequin ahead of tomorrow’s trailer debut.

Writer/Director Damian Mc Carthy made his feature debut with the Irish horror movie Caveat in 2021, currently available to stream on Shudder, and his follow-up, Oddity , intends to get even creepier. Today, we’ve got an exclusive first look at the poster ahead of tomorrow’s trailer debut, which highlights the film’s ultra-creepy mannequin.

Get ready for this wooden mannequin to invade your nightmares when Oddity releases in theaters on July 19, 2024 .

In Oddity , “When Dani is brutally murdered at the remote country house that she and her husband Ted are renovating, everyone suspects a patient from the local mental health institution, where Ted is a doctor. However, soon after the tragic killing, the suspect is found dead. A year later, Dani’s blind twin sister Darcy, a self-proclaimed psychic and collector of cursed items, pays an unexpected visit to Ted and his new girlfriend, Yana. Convinced that there was more to her sister’s murder than people know, Darcy has brought with her the most dangerous items from her cursed collection to help her exact revenge.”

Gwilym Lee, Carolyn Bracken, Tadhg Murphy, Caroline Menton, Steve Wall, Jonathan French , and Joe Rooney star in the supernatural revenge chiller.

Producers include Katie Holly, Laura Tunstall, and Evan Horan.

The film was one of the most buzzed about Midnighters out of this year’s SXSW. I wrote in my review out of the fest, “ Like Caveat , Oddity sets its strange murder mystery in a creepy, isolated home and employs an unsettling mascot to signal the paranormal. Oddity even teases the fate of some of Caveat ’s characters. But Mc Carthy’s latest sets itself apart with its fixation on superstition and a winsome macabre sense of humor. The pared-back storytelling lets its horror elements and dual performances from Carolyn Bracken shine.”

Get a peek at the new poster below ahead of tomorrow’s trailer reveal, and stay tuned for more on this freaky film from IFC Films and Shudder.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Tourist’ On Netflix, Where Jamie Dornan Plays A Man Without His Memory Trying To Outrun His Past

Where to stream:.

The Tourist

What would you do if you lost your memory? Not just what you had for breakfast, but all sense of who you are and who is in your life? Then you find out that someone really, really wants to see you dead? That’s the idea behind the new Netflix series, which originally ran on HBO Max back in 2022.

THE TOURIST : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Scenes of the arid environment in the Australian Outback. A tiny car drives down an empty road.

The Gist: A man (Jamie Dornan) stops for gas; he’s wearing a generic “AUSTRALIA” tourist t-shirt. He has no idea why the attendant at the station makes him sign out for the bathroom key. We see him come out the back door of the bathroom, next to the Dumpsters.

As he’s driving on the seemingly empty road in his tiny Mazda, a massive tractor trailer bears down on him. When the tractor trailer rams the man’s car, he realizes it’s not just an aggressive driver. After a long chase over some rough terrain, the man thinks he’s gotten away from the truck, when the truck slams into him, causing the tiny car to roll over a few times.

The man wakes up in the local hospital, surprisingly not severely injured. However, he has no idea who he is or what he was doing. He doesn’t even remember his own name. He can recall a song title when he’s in an MRI machine, but that’s about it.

A friendly local cop, Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald), goes to his room to take a statement. She is a bit uncomfortable with the man’s lack of memory, but ends up being reassuring to an extent. The only thing he finds in his possessions is a note to meet someone the next day at a diner in a nearby town. Helen says she’ll look into that.

We follow Helen home and see that, like most of us, she has issues with her weight, not the least of which is exacerbated by her fiancé Ethan (Greg Larsen) and their upcoming wedding.

Another thing we see is someone buried underground. Desperate to get out of whatever box he’s been put in, he tries to call someone on his phone, but no one is answering.

The man goes outside to get air, but gets lost inside the hospital, scaring him senseless. He decides to check himself out of the hospital the next day, against medical advice, because he needs to go to that diner and find out just who wanted to meet him there. Helen understands why he wants to do it, and gives him a bus ticket to get there.

At the diner, he meets a waitress named Luci (Shalom Brune-Franklin), who seems to be fascinated by his amnesia. When she spills lemonade on him, she takes him out to where there are bathrooms. Just then, there’s an explosion, right in the booth where he was sitting. He wonders aloud why in the world someone is trying to kill him.

Pictures from a disposable camera found at the crash site help him retrace his steps, as well as video from the gift shop he visited. It brings him back to the gas station and its bathroom. He doesn’t find out his name though, as he signed the key sign-out sheet as “Crocodile Dundee.” But he finds something else; a stuffed koala that he hid next to the Dumpster. Much to his surprise, it starts ringing.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Take the movie Memento and cross it with the quirkiness of the first season of the Fargo series, and you’ve got the vibe of The Tourist.

Our Take: The Tourist , written by Harry Williams and Jack Williams ( The Missing, Fleabag ) looks like it’s a complex show with a twisty plot, but when you really take a close look, it’s pretty straightforward. Dornan’s character has no idea who he is; all he knows is that someone wants to kill him. With the help of Helen and others, he’ll try to piece things together before those that are after him, including Billy (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson), the whistling man who almost squashed him in the tractor trailer, catch up to him.

In the first episode, The Tourist evolves from what seems like a thriller to a more personal narrative. It’s why we get involved in Helen’s life when she’s off-duty. In a Weight Watchers-style meeting, she claims she doesn’t like her body, even though everyone is yelling about body acceptance. But it also feels like she’s more there because of her fiancé than anything else. So even though Helen knows her name, who’s in her life and what she does, she also hasn’t found herself. Plus, she seems to be made to feel guilty about just about everything.

Perhaps as she gets more involved in the life of Dornan’s character, the more she will figure out who she is. At least that’s what we hope, because Macdonald is utterly charming as Helen, who is very much in the vein of Allison Tolman’s portrayal of Molly Solverson in the aforementioned Fargo. She’s good at her job, even if she’s a bit green, but also is a friendly and helpful sort who needs to help herself most of all.

There is definitely a bit of a sense of humor running the first episode, but the Williamses aren’t trying to make the show quippy. The humor is there when people seem to be fascinated with Dornan’s character’s amnesia, though he assures them it’s no picnic. The humor creeps in along the edges of the show, but it does just enough to ease what is a pretty serious and grim performance by Dornan.

There is one twist near the end of the episode that we won’t spoil here, but it does make us wonder if, as things get more complicated for Dornan’s character (notice we haven’t named him yet, because the character has none as yet), the plot will become more convoluted. We hope not, as it seems the straightforward manner in which this story is being told suits The Tourist just fine.

Sex and Skin: Nothing in the first episode.

Parting Shot: When the stuffed koala starts ringing, the man digs out a burner phone and answers it. When the man who’s buried starts yelling in relief that he answered, the man says, “Uh, who’s this?”

Sleeper Star: Shalom Brune-Franklin does some compelling work as Luci, and we know that she’s much more involved in this story than most of the first episode lets on.

Most Pilot-y Line: Nothing we could find.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The Tourist hooked us in with its story, plus the performances by Dornan, Macdonald and Brune-Franklin. Let’s hope the story continues to be interesting as the season goes on.

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com , VanityFair.com , Fast Company and elsewhere.

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The 13 Worst Zombie Movies, Ranked

The 13 worst war movies, ranked, ‘close encounters of the third kind’ is returning to theaters, but there’s a catch.

Twist endings are a tricky proposition. When executed successfully, they give the film a bravura finish that will have people talking for years to come. But that's rare. More often than not, they leave the audience confused and frustrated. The Tourist is a charming albeit forgettable trifle of a film that chooses to throw an unnecessary and maddeningly stupid twist at the audience. It's a twist ending that not only blows up in the movie's face, but blows it's face clean off, turning a pretty veneer into a mangled pile of "Are you kidding me?' and "That makes no goddamned sense."

The film begins with the financial crimes unit of Scotland Yard trailing Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie), the most beautiful, confident, and well-attired woman in the world. Possessing the beauty of a goddess and a look that screams "I will never have sex with you," Elise is trying to throw the cops off her trail so that they'll stop chasing her husband, Alexander Pierce, a mob banker who stole billions from his boss. The British government is in on the chase because 744 million of that amount belonged to them (why the mobster has that money is never explained). Despite their surveillance, Pierce is still easily able to communicate with Elise through letters and he informs her that she needs to find a stranger with his height and build so that the cops (who don't know what Pierce looks like) will trail the poor stranger. It's an elaborate set-up for what seems like a minor diversion.

On a train from Paris to Venice, Elise chooses her stooge by sitting across from Frank (Johnny Depp), Wisconsin's handsomest yet charmingly-befuddled community college math teacher. Frank is, naturally, beguiled by the mysterious Elise but it turns out that the cops aren't the only one after Pierce. The mobster (Steven Berkoff) and his goons are also chasing down Pierce and because of a case of mistaken identity, they're now after poor Frank. It's a charming premise that begins to lose steam as director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck seems more interested in capturing the beauty of Venice rather than developing the characters or devising exciting chase scenes.

But up until the twist, The Tourist is a satisfactory diversion. While the visuals make The Tourist ultimately feel more like a tourism video for Venice (provided you're ridiculously wealthy) than an attempt to better tell the story, Depp and Jolie acquit themselves well at their roles. Jolie's confidence is staggering and you can see the joy Elise takes in grabbing an entire room's attention with nothing more than a grin. It's also nice to see Depp playing an everyman rather than the bizarre outsider he usually portrays. Frank is a charming character and he gets solid laughs every time he speaks Spanish as if it were Italian.

And then the film makes its twist and ruins just about everything that came before. I'm going to have spoil what happens in order to explain why it's so bad, so if you're still interested in seeing the movie, please stop reading now.

Okay, so here's the twist: Pierce is actually Frank. Midway through the film, we learn that Elise is actually working for the financial crimes unit but has been suspended. She was working undercover in order to reveal the financial misdeeds being conducted by Pierce on the behalf of the mob, but instead she ended up falling for him. At the end of the film, Frank reveals to Elise that he's actually Pierce. And since he's got the money, the two get away with it.

The twist makes no sense. Even if we assume that Elise doesn't know Frank is Pierce until the end of the movie (and it's possible she could have known from the beginning when you consider how poorly the twist is implemented and explained), his actions make no sense. In order to avoid the cops, he puts himself and Elise in the crosshairs of the mob. Furthermore, their behavior towards each other is inexplicable. "Frank" is trying to woo Elise so Pierce is actually testing his wife's love even though she cares for him enough to follow any instructions he sends her and doesn't seem to care about her career or that he's a thief. The twist turns Frank from a lovable everyman caught in larger-than-life circumstances to a manipulative schemer who was playing everyone from the start.

Perhaps we could derive a modicum of pleasure from Frank's deceit if we saw how he was pulling the strings the whole time. Most movies with a twist ending like to show you how clever they are and will cut back to all the clues showing that you should have figured it out from the start, you gigantic dummy. The Tourist doesn't even bother. Instead, Elise makes a quip about Pierce's new face, and they set sail with all the money they stole. No flashbacks or even a cursory argument of how Pierce chose to deceive her and make her his puppet. In the end, Frank's a liar, Elise is corrupt, they get rich off stolen cash, the cops decide to drop the case, and they all lived happily ever after. That's not a bad ending for a biting satire on post financial-crisis America, but it's a miserable way to close out what's mostly a light-hearted romantic thriller.

32 Of The Worst Remakes In Hollywood History

We liked these better the first time.

We are not against the idea of remaking a movie and believe some are as good, if not even better, than their predecessors, particularly because they managed to stand on their own by bringing something new to the table. Unfortunately, those types of remakes are merely a dime a dozen, while the rest end up being shameless carbon copies or simply fall short of the original’s quality by lacking any imagination. With all due respect to any audiences who may enjoy these films for one reason or another, the following are our choices for movie remakes that failed to uphold the legacy of what came before.

Psycho (1998)

For as many great horror movie remakes as there actually are, Gus Van Sant’s version of Alfred Hitchcock ’s 1960 classic, Psycho , is not considered one of them. Reason being: the Vince Vaughn-led thriller copies one of the all-time best horror movies almost shot-for-shot and has since been deemed a prime example of why filmmakers should avoid that approach.

Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac in Guess Who

Guess Who (2005)

Guess Who stars Bernie Mac as a Black man who takes an immediate dislike to his daughter’s (Zoë Saldaña) boyfriend ( Ashton Kutcher ), particularly because he is white. This race-swapped update of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner throws out the commentary on diversity — which was deeply important for its time and still moving today — in favor of generic comedy that lazily rips off Meet the Parents .

Mark Wahlberg and Helena Bonham Carter in Planet of the Apes

Planet Of The Apes (2001)

It is really not much of a surprise that most of the least-liked Tim Burton movies are remakes, especially his Mark Wahlberg -led take on 1968’s sci-fi classic, Planet of the Apes . Critics and audiences noticed how the director’s signature style is completely missing from the clumsy narrative of the otherwise visually impressive reimagining, but cited as the biggest flaw is the nonsensical attempt to change the ending.

The Wicker Man (2006)

Neil LaBute’s update of the chilling 1973 cult favorite, The Wicker Man , has had its fair share of rewatches, but only to bask in Nicolas Cage’s hilariously unhinged performance as a cop searching for a missing girl on a mysterious island. No one watches it because they find it at all scary or narratively tight and, especially, not for LaBute’s reinvention of Summerisle’s Neo-pagan community as a vitriolic matriarchy.

Taxi (2004)

Not enough American audiences know about the original Taxi (not to be confused with the 1970s sitcom) — a 1998 French action-comedy from writer Luc Besson about a bumbling cop with a poor driving record enlisting a cabbie to help him catch a notorious gang. Most only know about director Tim Story’s version starring Queen Latifah as the driver and Jimmy Fallon as the cop which was deemed low on laughs and lackluster in action.

Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie in The Tourist.

The Tourist (2010)

Starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie , The Tourist is a thriller about a man unwittingly chosen to pose as a woman’s lover, who is a wanted criminal, in Venice, Italy. The film is more famous today for Ricky Gervais’ incessant roasting of its convoluted plot line at the Golden Globes and less for being an English-language adaptation of the 2005 French film, Anthony Zimmer .

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Meet Joe Black (1998)

Director Martin Brest’s update of 1943’s Death Takes a Holiday is a prime example of a not-so-great movie with a great concept , being that the Grim Reaper ( Brad Pitt ) takes human form and falls for the daughter (Claire Forlani) of his latest victim (Anthony Hopkins). Unfortunately, Meet Joe Black mainly suffers from an unnecessary three-hour runtime that makes it a chore for many to watch.

Black Christmas (2019)

The first remake of Black Christmas from 2006 is not nearly held in the same regard as Bob Clark’s 1974 holiday horror movie classic , but has been retroactively viewed as a fun, underrated slasher by many. However, the egregiously ham-fisted social commentary and convoluted plot of Blumhouse’s attempt at an update has likely robbed itself of the same potential.

RoboCop (2014)

Director José Padilha’s reimagining of Paul Verhoeven’s futuristic classic, RoboCop , attempts to give Joel Kinnaman’s portrayal of Alex Murphy more of a personality post-upgrade. Ironically, the overall film lacks much of a soul, in addition to the biting satire that made the 1987 original stronger than your average action film.

Godzilla (1998)

Hollywood’s first attempt to Americanize pop culture’s most famous Kaiju, literally, does not have enough meat on its bones, with the titular creature being reduced from a beefy behemoth to a frail cross between a raptor and a T-Rex. What Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla really suffers from, however, is an over-reliance on childish humor and astonishingly stark lack of any real tension or urgency for a disaster movie. At least the soundtrack was good, though.

Jackie Earle Haley in A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

With brilliant performances by horror movie icons Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger and Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson, A Nightmare on Elm Street was an instant slasher classic that never bore a need for an update. Some might say that Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley at least tried to give a worthy performance as the sinister dreamweaver, but few believe the filmmakers tried to live up to the legacy of Wes Craven’s classic with this unimaginative nightmare that almost forced star Rooney Mara into early retirement.

The Women (2008)

Director George Cukor’s adaptation of Clare Booth’s play, The Women was hailed as a clever satire of gender dynamics with razor-sharp wit and wonderful performances by the likes of Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. Despite an all-star cast including Meg Ryan, Jada Pickett Smith, Annette Bening, and more, writer and director Diane English’s modernized take was criticized as being, well, the quite opposite of its predecessor’s quality.

The Fog (2005)

Despite crafting one of the greatest remakes of all time with The Thing , many of John Carpenter’s movies have been cursed with updates of lesser quality, with The Fog being one of the most widely reviled examples. Critics and audiences agree that there is not a shred of originality or genuine suspense in director Rupert Wainwright’s take on the story of a coastal town terrorized by the ghosts of shipwreck victims.

Swept Away (2002)

From writer and director Lina Wermüller — the first female Best Director Oscar nominee — 1974’s Swept Away is an Italian rom-com starring Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato as castaways who unexpectedly fall in love. Nobody expected — or wanted — to see Madonna lead a remake directed by her then-husband, Guy Ritchie, who later called the experience of releasing the critical and commercial failure “painful.”

Prom Night (2008)

The original Prom Night from 1980 — starring reigning Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis — may have its fair share of slasher movie cliches, but it was one of the first to pioneer those tropes. However, the remake from nearly three decades later — starring Brittany Snow as a high school senior stalked by a maniac from her past — has absolutely no excuse.

Rollerball (2002)

While not quite remembered as a classic today, the James Caan-led Rollerball was praised in 1975 for its unique attempt at satirizing corporate influence through a story about a deadly sport in a dystopian society. Director John McTiernan’s version — starring Chris Klein, LL Cool J, and Rebecca Romijin — was criticized for choppy editing and a non-sensical story, let alone the removal of the original’s social commentary.

Get Carter (2000)

Michael Caine stars in the acclaimed 1971 crime thriller Get Carter as a London mobster seeking vengeance for his brother’s death. People have questioned why the Oscar-winner agreed to appear in the widely panned Americanized update starring Sylvester Stallone in the title role and some have suspected it was the paycheck.

The Haunting (1999)

What makes the 1963 adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House one of the best haunted house movies is its more nuanced and cleverly ambiguous approach to the source material. Director Jan de Bont’s The Haunting , however, throws all psychological complexity out the window in favor of a generic ghost story with cheesy scares.

Malin Akerman and Ben Stiller in The Heartbreak Kid

The Heartbreak Kid (2007)

The late Charles Grodin gives one of his best performances in the hilarious, bittersweet 1972 rom-com classic, The Heartbreak Kid , as a man who meets the woman of his dreams while on his honeymoon with his wife, whose emerging flaws lead him to regret the decision. Peter and Bobby Farrelly teamed up with Ben Stiller for what was ultimately deemed a less funny and more grating imitation of director Elaine May’s original.

Flatliners (2017)

Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners from 1990 was a pretty good thriller exploring the complexities of death, but critics also agreed at the time that the film did leave room for improvement. Most critics would also agree that Niels Arden Oplev’s modernized version — in which original star Kiefer Sutherland also appears — did not fulfill its potential by not taking advantage of its philosophical themes and not applying any imagination to its “scarier” moments.

Down To Earth (2001)

Fun fact: the Academy Award-nominated Heaven Can Wait — starring co-writer and co-director Warren Beatty as a football player put in the body of a slain millionaire after he is taken too soon — was already a remake of 1941’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan . With Down to Earth , Chris Rock reimagined the story from the point of view of a struggling comedian, but to far less acclaim.

The Amityville Horror (2005)

One of the most famous horror movies based on a true story is the 1979 adaptation of Jay Anson’s book, The Amityville Horror , which chronicles the Lutz family’s alleged account of living in a house that was the site of a grisly murder. Director Andrew Douglas’ remake with Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George tells the same story but with little to no story amendments and far less effective scares.

Steve Martin looking at his arm in shock in The Pink Panther.

The Pink Panther (2006)

There is a chance that Steve Martin could have been a great successor to the role of bumbling inspector Jacques Clouseau had the script for director Shawn Levy’s reboot of The Pink Panther lived up to his talents. Instead, the comedic caper resorts to the lowest hanging fruit for every gag and makes Martin’s Clouseau hopelessly incompetent beyond redemption.

One Missed Call (2008)

Director Takashi Miike’s thriller One Missed Call — in which people receive voicemails foretelling their own death — did not receive very good reviews in 2004. However, it has been retroactively regarded as a classic when compared to Eric Valette’s remake, which was even more harshly criticized for being a boring mess worth hanging up on.

Marlon Brando in The Island Of Dr. Moreau

The Island Of Dr. Moreau (1996)

The main reason why the 1977 adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau received mixed reviews was its understandable struggle to craft convincing makeup effects on its human-animal hybrid characters. That was clearly not the issue with the mid-1990s update, which suffered from countless infamous on-set issues — from Marlon Brando refusing to learn his lines to director Richard Stanley’s firing — that were chronicled in the 2014 documentary, Lost Soul .

Death Race (2008)

Producer Roger Corman’s cheesy dystopian B-movie, 1975’s Death Race 2000 , stars the likes of David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone as contestants in a cross-country car chase where murder is encouraged. Paul W.S. Anderson’s Jason Statham-led update reduces the title and reimagines it as a gritty prison drama, but was still regarded as more of an over-the-top mess.

Conan The Barbarian (2011)

Jason Momoa is a great choice to fill Arnold Schwarzenegger’s shoes in the title role of Conan the Barbarian . Unfortunately, Marcus Nispel’s interpretation of the story proves to be an uninspired farce in the eyes of its critics.

Halloween (2007)

Fans of the Halloween movies might agree that writer and director Rob Zombie’s reimagining of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic is not even the franchise’s weakest and even earns points for some inventively brutal kill scenes. Yet, its attempt to humanize Michael Myers — a killer originally envisioned as nothing more than a force of pure evil — is seen as a mistake by most.

Keanu Reeves in The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008)

We will give director Scott Derrickson credit for attempting to darken the source material by reimagining The Day the Earth Stood Still as an indictment of humanity’s ignorance of environmental warnings. Unfortunately, the execution of the remake — starring Keanu Reeves as Klaatu — lacks all that made the original interesting.

Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005)

Less a remake and more another adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic novel, director Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory does boast many wondrous visuals. Yet, it still pales in comparison to 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , particularly for Johnny Depp’s uncomfortably creepy performance as the eccentric chocolatier.

All The King’s Men (2006)

Updating a black-and-white Best Picture Oscar winner from 1949 into a modern color feature with a star-studded cast — including Sean Penn and Kate Winslet — would seem like a slam-dunk success. However, writer and director Steve Zaillian’s adaptation of author Robert Penn Warren’s influential political drama, All the King’s Men , was criticized for Penn’s over-the-top performance, an incoherent story, and other flaws that led people to give it the dreaded “Oscar bait” brand.

The Ladykillers (2004)

Despite, arguably, surpassing 1969’s True Grit with their 2010 version, most agree that Joel and Ethan Coen’s The Ladykillers vastly pales in comparison to the original 1955 comedic crime film starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers. Say what you want about Tom Hanks’ eccentric lead performance, but he may be the funniest element in this middling story of criminals who meet their match in their feisty landlady (Irma P. Hall).

Let these films be a lesson of what not to do when updating a previous work of art for modern cinema.

Jason Wiese writes feature stories for CinemaBlend. His occupation results from years dreaming of a filmmaking career, settling on a "professional film fan" career, studying journalism at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO (where he served as Culture Editor for its student-run print and online publications), and a brief stint of reviewing movies for fun. He would later continue that side-hustle of film criticism on TikTok (@wiesewisdom), where he posts videos on a semi-weekly basis. Look for his name in almost any article about Batman.

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15 Terrifying Movie Toys That Give Us Nightmares

E very child and former child on Earth has, at some point or another, played with a toy. They've probably done so quite a bit. So what is it about toys that can be so terrifying?

Maybe it's the unmoving plastic faces, whether they be attached to a dolly or a nightmarish Cabbage Patch Doll. Or maybe it's the fact that, when there's one, there are almost always quite a few more. That means the film's protagonists, whether they're adults or children, can be overrun by the things. There are quite a few movies out there featuring creepy, freaky toys, and they're not all voiced by Brad Dourif.

The Dummies in Tourist Trap (1979)

Tourist Trap has become a substantial cult favorite, and given the film's bizarre PG rating it's not surprising it gradually built a large following. The film's ace in the hole is the seemingly-protagonistic but ultimately antagonistic performance from The Rifleman 's Chuck Connors.

Like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre , Tourist Trap is a movie that lives and dies on its tone. Every corner seems as though it's hiding the next doll-faced monstrosity. And, if it isn't one of those a-little- too -realistic mannequins, it's some sort of cackling booby trap.

RELATED: How M3GAN Stands Out from Other Scary Dolls in Horror Movies

The Clown in Poltergeist (1982)

Tobe Hooper's (and Steven Spielberg's) Poltergeist is a masterpiece of an introductory horror film, but it's a masterpiece of an introductory horror film that gave any number of kids any number of nightmares. This is primarily due to two scenes: The clown and the mirror.

The mirror scene is the film's biggest gross-out moment, and it's astonishing how well the practical effects have aged. Then there's the clown, which grabs little Robbie Freeling from behind after hopping on top of his bed (which the audience doesn't see). It's one of the best jump scares from the 1980s, not just because it's legitimately scary, but mostly because it's less gimmicky than most, instead favoring the methodical approach. It's easy to see how the scene has inspired M3GAN producer James Wan, who has cited the film as a direct influence on his killer doll obsession .

The Elderly Couple's Dolls in Dolls (1987)

The single most underrated creepy doll movie of all time, Dolls was directed by the late Stuart Gordon, of Re-Animator and From Beyond fame. Also behind it was Puppet Master 's Charles Band, whose Empire Pictures (his first theatrical distribution company) released the film alongside other minor horror classics such as Ghoulies .

The eerie film takes place in an elderly couple's English countryside mansion. An... eccentric couple, Gabriel and Hilary Hartwicke have an obsessive affinity for both toys and the concepts of both good and evil. So, when two parents and their little girl show up on the doorstep, they allow them inside. Then comes businessman Ralph (a wonderful performance from Stephen Lee, who also starred in RoboCop 2 ) and his two temporary female compatriots. Before long, it isn't just the Hartwickes who are showing quirky life, but their doll collection as well. Dolls is the kind of movie where only bad characters perish, and they could have avoided such a fate were they only to learn a simple lesson.

The Garbage Pail Kids in The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987)

1987's The Garbage Pail Kids movie is to 2023's Barbie what Bad Dreams is to A Nightmare on Elm Street . Widely deemed one of cinema's worst (a fair title), the late '80s nightmare factory that is Garbage Pail Kids (certainly the movie, perhaps the IP as a whole) is one of the more mean-spirited properties to make a lot of money.

That said, the IP's profitablity only extended to the merchandise, because absolutely no one saw the Movie . Even putting aside the intentionally ugly visages of the title characters (not to mention their bone-chilling voices), The Garbage Pail Kids is a flat-out hideous movie, and it's a baffling mystery as to both who it's for and who thought it would do anything outside of flop.

Chucky in Child's Play (1988)

If there's a famous killer toy franchise, it's Child's Play . The brainchild of Don Mancini, Child's Play and it's antagonistic doll Chucky (really serial killer Charles Lee Ray) have gone on to become top-tier icons of horror, but it's interesting to imagine whether that would be the case were the knife-wielding Good Guy doll not voiced by Brad Dourif.

The honest answer is "Not a chance." The strength of Dourif's vocal work in the original film (and all else that's followed, Dourif never gives it less than his all) was enough to make Chucky the stuff of nightmares for many young people (and maybe not so young people as well). Admittedly, the original film's voodoo-heavy plot isn't as interesting as, say, the family dynamic of Child's Play 2 , but Chucky is a ridiculously impressive practical creation. And, for whatever reason, he's never looked quite as intimidating as he did in the original 1988 film (which is also substantially buoyed by terrific leading performances from Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, and young Alex Vincent).

Blade in Puppet Master (1989)

The cash cow that's assuredly helped keep Charles Band's Full Moon Features going, the Puppet Master franchise suffers from awful narratives and worse performances, but benefits from some legitimately creative designs for the evil puppets. This is especially true of Blade, who is almost certainly the biggest horror icon Band ever blessed horror cinema.

There are 14 Puppet Master films, but the only one to really have any recognizable faces is the original (e.g. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 's William "The Bles-sing " Hickey and American Graffiti 's Paul Le Mat. Naturally, with so many films, it's necessary to change the lineup every now and then, and for the most part Puppet Master has, always being careful to replace one interesting antagonist with another. But then there are the staples, most of whom debuted in the original.

Dolly Dearest in Dolly Dearest (1991)

While Dolly Dearest didn't score the best reviews at the time of initial release, it's gone on to become something of a minor cult classic. And, even if just taking the titular antagonist's appearance into account, it's easy to see why.

Like Chucky, Dolly is possessed. But, instead of a serial killer, Dolly houses the spirit of Satan himself. As the film progresses, Dolly's appearance becomes more and more lifelike, and she looks every bit as scary as the red-headed Good Guy. Dolly Dearest also benefits from a great cast, including Pet Sematary 's Denise Crosby and Men in Black 's Rip Torn.

The Evil Residents of Toyland Warehouse in Demonic Toys (1992)

Like Puppet Master , Demonic Toys is one of many low-budget horror films to come from Charles Band's Full Moon Features. Unlike Puppet Master , Demonic Toys did not go on to become a long-lasting franchise that continues to this day. That said, they got a crossover with Tim Thomerson's Dollman .

The plot follows a female cop just after her partner (in more ways than one) is killed by a pair of gun dealers. She wounds them, but they escape into Toyland Warehouse. She follows and, before long, some of the creepiest toys (the film has impressive creature effects for such a low budget) come to life. Admittedly, not much about the movie's increasingly bizarre pregnancy-related plot works, but the movie's good for a few low-rent chills.

Sid's Creepy Playthings in Toy Story (1995)

Some argue that Toy Story 's Sid isn't so much a villain as he is a tragic figure . Fair enough, it's pretty obvious he's a latchkey kid who hasn't seen his parents in (given the state of his domicile) what appears to be months.

All that stewing and building anger was going to go somewhere, and the combination of lighting fireworks and creating monstrous little mechanical hobgoblins was apparently the way to go. But, Sid needs to take into account the fact his toys have caused countless nightmares...though, really, that'd probably produce nothing but a smile.

Pinocchio in Pinocchio's Revenge (1996)

It's a toss-up between which version of Pinocchio is scarier, the one in 1996's offbeat slasher film Pinocchio's Revenge or the one in Disney's live-action 2022 remake of their own original. But the edge goes to the extra-wooden rendition in Pinocchio's Revenge , a sibling film to Child's Play if ever there was one.

Like Child's Play , the movie follows a child and her growing connection to a doll. But this doll has an even bigger name brand attachment than the Good Guy Doll. And, unlike the Good Guy, it doesn't need the spirit of a serial killer planted inside of it to become a sinister little monster. Pinocchio's Revenge is very average, which is understandable given its direct-to-VHS nature, but at the very least it has a whopper of an ending.

The Commandos and Gorgonites in Small Soldiers (1998)

Like Men in Black and Godzilla , there's something distinctly '90s about Gremlins director Joe Dante's Small Soldiers . Sure, that's natural considering it was released during the decade, but there's just something about Small Soldiers that makes it a wonderful timepiece (even if it is hard to ascertain just what age demographic for whom the film was made). Tonally, Dante's film is both pretty in line with his dark sense of humor and scattershot all the same. But, it has to get a lot of credit for the excellent special effects, the genuinely frightening commandos (led by the perfectly-cast Tommy Lee Jones' Chip Hazard), and the creative designs of the heroic Gorgonites.

The film's true ace in the hole is casting. Like Jones, The Naked Gun 's George Kennedy, legendary full back Jim Brown, Ernest Borgnine, western legend Clint Walker, and Bruce Dern all sound like they're members of a particularly vicious posse, which the Commando Elite very much is. The Gorgonites are similarly well-voiced, with comedic actors Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Jim Cummings all providing their unique pitches to the little things' wild noises, while Frank Langella provides the voice of Archer who, unlike his pals, speaks in full concise sentences. Then there's the whose who of '90s icons. Kirsten Dunst, Kevin Dunn, Denis Leary, David Cross, and the late, dearly missed Phil Hartman all contribute in-person performances.

RELATED: Small Soldiers 2 Fan Film Imagines a Sequel for the Modern Era

Tiffany in Bride of Chucky (1998)

Ronny Yu successfully injected some life into both the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th sagas with Freddy vs. Jason . But, five years before he was doing that, he was breathing (even better) life back into the Child's Play franchise with Bride of Chucky .

The importance of Jennifer Tilly's Tiffany to the Child's Play franchise can't be overstated. Without her, Chuck was dead in the water after Child's Play 3 , full stop. There's a reason her presence has continued, especially in the TV series. Still, the less said about Seed of Chucky the better.

Lotso Huggin' Bear in Toy Story 3 (2010)

Ned Beatty was one of the 1970s, '80s, and '90s hardest-working and most well-respected actors. And, fortunately, his deep Southern voice was put to good use in animated works later in life.

This was done most notably in Toy Story 3 , where he played the hurt and soured Lotso Huggin' Bear (though his similarly antagonistic role as John, mayor of Dirt, in Rango is very solid as well). Lotso works as a villain because he's essentially a mob boss. He's capable of striking others, and doesn't shy from doing so, but more often than not he gets his many begrudged allies to do his dirty work for him. And the fact that he's gotten to this point via abandonment and abuse is sadly relatable for many, making him an objectively superior villain even to the more straightforward-nasty Sid in the original film.

Perchta in Krampus (2015)

Michael Dougherty's Krampus wasn't a crossover hit at the box office, but it did do better than many might fairly expect. With a grim sense of humor and terrific performances from the cast, all of whom play members of an incredibly dysfunctional family begrudgingly joining for what will ultimately be many of their final Christmases.

Why won't they make it to next year? Because not only do they have to take on Krampus (the anti-Santa), but his crew of sadistic cackling toys as well. For instance, the flying Perchta, a witch who proves to be a headache for the characters at several points throughout the film.

Der Klown in Krampus (2015)

As mentioned, Krampus is loaded with intimidating baddies. And, oddly enough, one of them manages to be even more horrifying than the title character himself.

Specifically, the attic-dwelling Der Klown. If being a frills-wearing clown (that lives in an attic) wasn't scary enough, his Predator-like expanding lower mouth (brandishing row after row of teeth) will be.

15 Terrifying Movie Toys That Give Us Nightmares

Disney World Ditches Orlando: New Theme Park Location Revealed

in Disney Parks

The image features a composite of two landmarks: on the left, Cinderella Castle at Disney World in Orlando during twilight, and on the right, the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge illuminated at night, reflected in the water.

Rumors and reports have been swirling for months when it comes to Disney’s next expansion, and now, we have more details about the magical theme park that may emerge from “Down Under”.

A crowd of people gather around the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of Cinderella's Castle at Disney World. The castle is adorned in blue and gold spires, while the people wear various casual outfits, enjoying the lively atmosphere of the park.

While Walt Disney envisioned Disneyland as an ever-evolving haven of imagination, even he couldn’t have predicted the global phenomenon that The Walt Disney Company would become. Though Disneyland has seen significant growth, with recent additions like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the creation of Disney California Adventure, there’s a clear intention for further expansion.

This commitment to growth is evident in Disney’s recent announcement. As the company stated : “The Walt Disney Company is developing plans to accelerate and expand investment in its Parks, Experiences and Products segment to nearly double capital expenditures over the course of approximately 10 years to roughly $60 billion, including by investing in expanding and enhancing domestic and international parks and cruise line capacity.” While a portion of this investment will support Disney Cruise Line, a significant focus will be placed on park growth and development to increase capacity.

“We’re incredibly mindful of the financial underpinning of the company,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. “The need to continue to grow in terms of bottom line, the need to invest wisely so that we’re increasing the returns on invested capital, and the need to maintain a healthy balance sheet are all crucial aspects for a variety of reasons. However, the company is confident in its ability to absorb these costs while continuing to grow profitability and explore innovative ways to return value and capital to our shareholders.”

Bob Iger presenting at the D23 Expo 2019

Sharing Disney’s vision for the future, Josh D’Amaro, Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, emphasized the vast potential for storytelling across their parks. D’Amaro stated, “We have a wealth of untapped stories to bring to life across our business. Frozen , one of the most successful and popular animated franchises of all time, could have a presence at the Disneyland Resort. Wakanda has yet to be brought to life in our parks. The world of Coco is just waiting to be explored. There’s a lot of storytelling opportunity.”

Further fueling the excitement for upcoming expansions, Bob Iger recently confirmed the arrival of a new Avatar land at Disneyland Resort. Moreover, he hinted at the resort’s potential to accommodate not just one, but seven additional themed lands, leaving fans eager to see Disney’s vision unfold.

With $60 billion being poured into the theme parks, many have been wondering if more theme parks will be built, especially with the expansions that we are seeing within the Universal theme parks, with Epic Universe competing against Walt Disney World, the new Universal theme park being developed in the U.K, Universal Kids being built in Texas, and Universal Horror Unleashed being created in Las Vegas as a permanent horror experience.

Mickey Mouse holding an Australian flag in front of a fairytale castle at Disneyland.

Fueled by a recent announcement in September to significantly boost investment in Parks and Experiences, The Walt Disney Company is reportedly considering various locations for potential park developments. This expansion seeks to nearly double capital expenditures over a decade, reaching a staggering US$60 billion (approximately AU$90 billion).

While initial reports indicated investments would focus on existing attractions across Asia, Europe, and North America, utilizing 1,000 acres of existing land, Werribee, a Melbourne suburb, emerged as a possible contender for a new theme park. However, Wyndham City Council swiftly dismissed any such plans, stating they had not been contacted regarding a “Disney-style” park within their municipality.

This development was followed by a counterpoint from David Limbrick, an upper house MP. Citing “exhaustive research” into potential southern hemisphere locations for a Disney theme park, Mr. Limbrick narrowed down his shortlist to three potential sites.

Daily Mail shared David Limbrick’s location choices:

“They are so good I cannot easily split them. To prove it is a small world after all, it turns out the best locations are in my electorate,’ he said. ‘Unlike in other parts of Melbourne, Disney would be welcomed with open arms in south east Melbourne. We have tens of thousands of families with kids who are looking for things to do and a great workforce who would love to live and work close to home. “This is the only logical place for the happiest place on Earth,” Limbrick said.”

While the prospect of a Disney theme park coming to Melbourne has sparked excitement, local experts offer a more nuanced perspective. Acting Mayor Nicholas Reece publicly stated on Tuesday that “if Disneyland was going to go anywhere, it makes sense for it to be somewhere in greater Melbourne.” However, significant hurdles may stand in the way of this possibility.

Dr. Jessica Pallant, a marketing lecturer at RMIT University, believes a Disney theme park in Melbourne is “unlikely” in the near future.

“As much as it would be a draw,” she acknowledges, “there are substantial challenges to overcome.” Dr. Pallant points to the strategic location of existing Disney parks outside the US, situated in major tourist hubs like Paris and Hong Kong. Melbourne, she argues, lacks the same level of global tourist traffic to justify such a park. “Geographically, we’re simply too far,” she adds, “and the current population density might not be enough to sustain it without a significant tourism influx.”

Furthermore, Dr. Pallant questions the availability of suitable land within the Melbourne metropolitan area capable of accommodating a large-scale Disney park.

Adding to the skepticism, a tourism industry insider anonymously expressed the “high unlikelihood” of the state government offering the financial incentives typically demanded by Disney for such projects.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Pallant acknowledges the persistent allure of a Disney park in Melbourne. “Rumors will likely continue,” she predicts, “as Disney is unlikely to actively dispel them.” “The idea of Disney magic in Melbourne is undoubtedly aspirational,” she concludes.

While the immediate prospects may be uncertain, the discussion highlights the potential economic benefits and complexities associated with such a large-scale development.

However, the question arises: is Australia also a hotspot for theme parks?

The answer is nuanced. While Australia might not yet rival giants like the United States or Orlando, Florida, it boasts a growing theme park scene, particularly concentrated on the east coast. These parks offer a unique blend of international franchises and experiences celebrating Australian culture.

Here’s a breakdown of some of Australia’s most popular theme parks:

The Gold Coast, in Queensland, is undoubtedly the heart of Australia’s theme park scene. This sunny region boasts several world-class parks catering to diverse preferences:

Dreamworld: Australia’s largest theme park, Dreamworld offers a thrilling mix. Adrenaline junkies can conquer the heart-stopping Giant Drop and Tower of Terror II, while families can enjoy the scenic Dreamworld Express or encounter cuddly koalas in dedicated animal exhibits.
Warner Bros. Movie World: Movie buffs can step into their favorite Warner Bros. franchises. Take a daring flight with Superman, join Scooby-Doo and the gang for a spooky adventure, or be entertained by the classic antics of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes crew.
Wet’n’Wild Gold Coast: Escape the heat with a refreshing splash at Wet’n’Wild. This water park features heart-pounding slides like the Tornado and AquaLoop for adrenaline seekers, alongside relaxing options like the lazy river and the family-friendly Massive Blast.
SeaWorld: Immerse yourself in the wonders of the ocean realm at Sea World. Witness awe-inspiring shows featuring dolphins, whales, and seals. Learn about vital marine conservation efforts and explore interactive exhibits showcasing the wonders of the underwater world.
WhiteWater World: Another water park paradise, WhiteWater World offers thrilling slides, pools, and attractions. Take a daring plunge on the Wedgie, experience the weightlessness of the Green Room, or test your teamwork skills on the Wipeout.

The gate for Warner Bros. Movie World blocked off by dozens of iconic WC characters

While the Gold Coast takes center stage, Australia offers theme park experiences elsewhere:

Aussie World (Sunshine Coast): This Sunshine Coast park offers a mix of rides, shows, and wildlife encounters. Take a flight on the Aussie World Pterodactyl Flyer, experience the rush of the Dingo Dash coaster, or learn about fascinating native Australian animals at the Australian Wildlife Experience.
Luna Park Sydney & Luna Park Melbourne: Offering a classic amusement park experience, Luna Parks in Sydney and Melbourne feature iconic rides like Ferris wheels, Wild Mouse roller coasters, and spooky Ghost Trains. These parks are ideal for a nostalgic family outing.

The Australian theme park scene is experiencing growth, with existing parks expanding and new developments on the horizon. While competition from established giants like Orlando remains, Australia’s unique blend of international franchises and local experiences positions it as a rising star in the theme park world.

Where would you like to see Disney expand in the world?

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Bill Pullman Had 10 Days to Prep, 30 Days to Film ‘Murdaugh Murders’

Jim hemphill.

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Although Pullman has shown his dark side before in movies like “Lost Highway” and “Surveillance,” “Murdaugh Murders” represented an additional degree of difficulty in that the actor had to emulate a figure well known to millions of people — though not, ironically, to Pullman himself. When his agents sent him the script, he had no idea who Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina attorney found guilty of murdering his wife and son, was and wasn’t particularly interested in playing him. “Then I read the script, and there was something in the dialogue,” Pullman told an audience at a recent American Cinematheque event honoring his work. “It turns out that a lot of it came from transcriptions.” Pullman credited screenwriter Michael Vickerman with skillfully incorporating real-life dialogue from Murdaugh’s case and recreating its rhythms in scenes that were fictionalized. “The scenes all kept that tenor, that crazy syntax, and I started to take a look at that and thought this would be a good journey. We had to do it fast, but it would be worthwhile.”

THE MURDAUGH MURDERS, from left: Lauren Robek as Margaret Murdaugh, Curtis Tweedie as Paul Murdaugh, Bill Pullman as Alex Murdaugh, (aired Oct.14-15, 2023). photo: ©Lifetime / Courtesy Everett Collection

For Pullman, the trick was to play Alex’s contradictions without revealing more than the real Murdaugh did since, as Pullman notes, he had everyone around him fooled. “The people that were around him for all these years never saw anything that was there underneath the surface,” Pullman said. “And these were not dumb people. They just believed he was their lifelong friend and a fun guy to hang out with.” Over the course of the movie, Murdaugh’s appearance changes considerably, something Pullman had to suggest in the way he carried himself, given that the tight schedule meant he didn’t have time to gain or lose a considerable amount of weight. Working in close collaboration with the wardrobe designer as well as his hair and make-up artists, Pullman managed to give the impression that his body had completely transformed even though the effect is often just a sleight-of-hand of movement and costuming.

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Bad Monkey Season 1 Streaming Release Date: When Is It Coming Out on Apple TV Plus?

By Ritika Singh

The Bad Monkey Season 1 Apple TV Plus release date is around the corner and viewers are wondering when they can start streaming the drama series. The story follows Andrew Yancy, a former Miami Police Department officer who is now a health inspector, on his wild adventure. But in a shocking turn of events, he has taken on a case involving a human arm, which opens the door to a lot of drama and secrets. It is partially based on Carl Hiaasen’s book of the same name.

Here’s when the show is coming out on Apple TV Plus.

When is the Bad Monkey Season 1 Apple TV Plus release date?

The Bad Monkey Season 1 Apple TV Plus release date is on August 14, 2024.

Andrew Yancy’s life has changed drastically as he goes on from being a sharp police detective to a restaurant inspector in Southern Florida. However, he realizes he needs to step back in his investigating shoes as he comes across a human arm exported by tourists. Yancy realizes that only he can catch the culprit and takes the matter into his own hands. The viewers are in for a thrilling ride as the ex-cop will interact with a number of eccentric characters walking into the evil world of corruption consuming Florida and the Bahamas.

The star cast features Vince Vaughn, Michelle Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Meredith Hagner, Rob Delaney, Natalie Martinez, L. Scott Caldwell, Ronald Peet, John Ortiz, and many others in key roles. Bill Lawrence is the developer and co-producer of the series.

When is Bad Monkey Season 1 coming out via streaming?

Bad Monkey Season 1 is available to watch via streaming on Apple TV Plus on August 14, 2024. Viewers will be able to stream it at this time.

Current Apple TV Plus subscribers will be able to watch the series when it airs, and if you haven’t already subscribed to the service, you can do so below:

Apple TV Plus

$9.99 per month

Free trial: A seven-day free trial is offered. Apple TV Plus is also included for three months when you purchase an Apple device and redeem the offer within 90 days. Users can also share Apple TV Plus with their family, as up to five family members can be added to their subscription.

Bad Monkey’s official synopsis reads:

”A detective turned restaurant inspector in Southern Florida is pulled into a world of greed and corruption after a tourist finds a severed arm while fishing. And yes, there’s a monkey. ”

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A writer who believes in writing simple yet creative stories which appeals every section of the audience. Ritika is a movie and series buff who enjoys watching content from mainstream to niche with a specific liking towards Hindi Cinema. There is a firm opinion that good movies can make lives better.

Shawn Levy is ‘Top Choice’ to Direct MCU's Next Avengers Movie

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The ASUS Zenbook S16 laptop boasts an ultra-thin design and AMD's latest AI chip

It comes with an all-new cooling system..

ASUS unveiled a bunch of new laptops at this week’s Computex tech expo in Taipei, including a Zenbook refresh. The Zenbook S16 is as sleek and well-designed as ever, but comes with a spate of iterative improvements and a couple of major updates.

It's equipped with AMD's Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, announced just hours ago . That chip promises improved laptop AI performance with 50 TOPS of processing power, triple AMD's previous laptop hardware. That makes it suitable for Copilot+, meaning Qualcomm isn't the only game in town for Microsoft's AI assistant.

One thing worth pointing out is that this laptop is extremely thin and light for a 16-inch model, clocking in at just over three pounds with a thickness of just 1.1cm or 0.4 inches. The cooling system has also been revamped, with a new top vent and an ultra-thin vapor chamber. Better laptop cooling is always much appreciated.

It still features the same signature aluminum ceramic coating as found with last year’s Zenbook 14X , but ASUS changed the name of the finish to, wait for it, Ceraluminum. What a portmanteau!

There’s a 16-inch 3K OLED touchscreen with a max refresh rate of 120Hz. The 78Wh battery makes it a great option for all-day use and the six-speaker setup from Harman Kardon will certainly pump out the jams. It also supports Wi-Fi 7, includes up to 2TB of solid-state storage and can be specced out with up to 32GB of RAM.

The ASUS Zenbook S16 starts at $1,400 and is now available to pre-order at Best Buy in white or gray colors.

Steve Dent contributed to this report.

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COMMENTS

Turistas (2006)
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