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This ad-supported platform brings together a broad library that’s perfect for fans of offbeat films, nostalgic TV, and hard-to-find gems.

If you’re searching for a streaming service that’s both free and packed with personality, Shout! Factory TV should be on your radar. Known for its collection of cult classics, retro TV shows, niche movies, and free live TV channels, this ad-supported platform brings together an eclectic library that’s perfect for fans of offbeat films, nostalgic TV, and hard-to-find gems. With access through both Prime Video and online, Shout! Factory TV is a great option for those who love discovering under-the-radar treasures without spending a dollar to do it. Whether you’re in the mood for a classic horror flick, a vintage comedy, or an animated cult favorite, keep reading to see if Shout! Factory TV is the right niche free streamer for you.

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Big screen Westerns might've been falling out of favor at the U.S. box office in 1965 (thus paving the way for Spaghetti Westerns to become a surprise sensation when Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy rode into movie theaters throughout the course of 1967), but television Westerns were still swaggering their way to strong ratings thanks to "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," and the hybrid Western/spy/sci-fi series "The Wild Wild West." And with "Rawhide" finally drawing to a close that year (thereby allowing its star Clint Eastwood to become a modern Western star), there was suddenly room for a new, sudsy, ranch-bound saga about scheming landowners and warring heirs.

"The Big Valley" whooped it up for a solid four-season run, running out of steam in 1969 at around the same moment the television Westerns began going the way of classical big screen oaters. Until then, viewers were hooked on the doings at the Barkley Ranch,...

These are frightening times. Of this, there is no doubt. We may even believe there’s never been more to fear. And for some populations, that’s true. But humanity has always lived in frightening times.

Since we first cast shadows onto cavern walls, we’ve made things to fear. Over time, those shadows evolved into performers donning masks, authors putting ink to paper, and filmmakers harnessing technology to project our nightmares onto the screen as we returned to our cave-dwelling roots to sit in the dark with others. We are a horror people. And as the world has gotten scarier, horror has been there to reflect back our fears.

The rise of Hollywood and independent filmmaking in the 20th century created a lasting dialogue between what we see in the fear-seeking news, and what films are made in response. Early American horror movies of the mid-1920s and 30s,...

A mutant stalks the Earth when the body of a dead astronaut is used as an alien incubator … Meanwhile, people are being attacked by giant leeches … It doesn’t get any more revolting (or entertaining) than that in this ‘50s creature double feature from producer Roger Corman and Emmy-nominated director Bernard Kowalski (Hot Car Girl).

Night of the Blood Beast (1958)—with an extensive restoration, a new 4K scan from original 35mm archival elements—and Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)—newly restored in HD—will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on 12th November 2024, in a special collector’s two-disc edition from Film Masters.

Night Of The Blood Beast (1958)

Astronaut John Corcoran (Michael Emmet) dies upon returning to Earth following a space mission, but mysteriously comes back to life! As the scientists at a remote space research station investigate Corcoran’s revival, they discover that a parasitic, alien lifeform is utilizing...

A late addition to the Universal Monsters canon, Jack Arnold's "Creature from the Black Lagoon" was released in 1954, a full 23 years after the premiere of Tod Browning's classic adaptation of "Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi.

Some might argue that the Universal Monsters had already established itself with "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1915), "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1923), and "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925), but I feel it wasn't until Carl Laemmle Jr. took over the monster arm of Universal in 1931 that the canon would officially form. Within the next 15 years, Universal would churn out 25 monster movies that existed within the same continuity, making it the Marvel Cinematic Universe of its day. Indeed, just like in the MCU, the characters frequently met one another in epic crossover films like "House of Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula."

"Creature from the Black Lagoon" came when the classic Monster canon was more or...

Film Masters, a group of historians and enthusiasts who seek to keep old films from falling into disrepair, have repaired another one. Night Of The Blood Beast, one of director Roger Corman’s many, many schlocky B-movie bills, has been remastered in 4K and will be available on Blu-Ray this November. If you’ve heard of this at all, it’s because it has its own MST3K episode — well, that’s actually on the disc, along with the restored original, a full commentary track by Tom Weaver and The Weaver Players, and even the silent 8Mm cut for home projectors (that was once a thing!) Astronaut John Corcoran (Michael Emmet) dies upon returning to Earth following a space mission, but mysteriously comes back to life! As the scientists at a remote space research station investigate Corcoran’s revival, they discover that a parasitic, alien lifeform is utilizing his body...

RiffTrax, the entertainment and live event company founded by a trio of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” stars, has struck a distribution deal with indie streamer Nebula.

The pact will see RiffTrax bring its existing views as well as new originals to the platform, a streamer which is majority owned by a collective of Nebula creators.

Beginning Oct. 5, RiffTrax will launch its weekly “Saturday Cinema” series on Nebula, beginning with the release of five shorts including commentary. This week’s release is a version of “Night of the Living Dead” with their classic RiffTrax-style commentary.

Founded by “Mystery Science Theater 3000″ alums Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett in 2006, RiffTrax is an entertainment company producing content with “MST3K”-type commentary for films across genres.

RiffTrax has a library of over 1,000 titles and has produced five primetime television specials for the National Geographic Channel, two apps and an official game, “RiffTrax: The Game,...

"An actor can do whatever they want as long as they mean well when they do it."

Christopher Tung Shieh, or Chris Grace as he's more widely known, is an actor, comedian, vocalist, and the fat, gay child of immigrants. Our readers likely recognize him as a certifiable, "Hey, that guy!" character performer on comedy TV, including his roles as Jerry on "Superstore," the wrestling coach on "PEN15," and more recently, as himself on the Dropout shows "Um, Actually," "Play it By Ear," "Dirty Laundry," and "Make Some Noise." But listing credits can not and should not ever be treated as the totality of a person. We are not what we do. Who we are is defined by so much more than that. But exactly who is the person whose job is to pretend to be someone else? How does one be true to themselves when they must curate how...

For a while now, Universal has been trying to make a cinematic universe based on classic movie monsters, and it hasn't been going very well, as anyone who saw the 2017 remake of The Mummy with Tom Cruise can tell you. But there have been some hits, like 2020's The Invisible Man, and the studio is forging ahead with films about the Wolf Man, Dracula and Frankenstein's monster in the offing.

Some of them look pretty promising; surely Guillermo del Toro can turn out an interesting Frankenstein movie, for instance. Now, Universal has drafted another battle-tested filmmaker to remake water-logged horror movie The Creature From The Black Lagoon: James Wan, who's had a big hand in horror franchises like Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring, not to mention the recent hit M3GAN. Obviously, the guy knows how to pack 'em in. He belongs in the MonsterVerse.

Actually, Universal is calling this the "Dark Universe,...

Initially announced to be in development at Netflix in June 2022, a new Ghostbusters animated series is officially happening! This great news was announced on Aug. 12, and we couldn't be more excited about it. Below, we shared everything we know so far about the upcoming Netflix original.

The highly successful Ghostbusters franchise consists of movies, TV shows, video games, board games, comic books, etc. Its most recent installment was the supernatural comedy film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which starred Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, Celeste O'Connor, and many others. In this film, we saw veteran Ghostbusters team up with the new ghost hunters to save the world from an evil force.

With the addition of Netflix's new Ghostbusters animated series, it will be marked as the third animated series in the franchise as well as the third TV show in the franchise overall. The other...

Who is Netflix going to call? Ghostbusters! After the latest film in the franchise became a huge streaming hit on the platform, Netflix has officially given the green light to an upcoming Ghostbusters animated series, as Variety reports.

The new animated series in the expansive film and television franchise has been in the works since 2022, when word of its development was first announced. Likely, the success of the two latest movies, Afterlife and Frozen Empire, tipped the series over the edge.

Netflix's as of yet untitled animated series becomes the the third animated Ghostbusters series following 1986's The Real Ghostbusters and 1997's Extreme Ghostbusters. The former produced 140 episodes while the latter produced just 40. Netflix hasn't revealed an episode count for season 1.

While the show has become official, exact details on its plot haven't been revealed either. According to Variety, the tone of the series will mirror that of Afterlife and Frozen Empire,...

Two years ago, we heard that Ghostbusters: Afterlife writer/director Jason Reitman and his co-writer Gil Kenan (who ended up directing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) would be executive producing a new Ghostbusters animated series for the Netflix streaming service. Now Variety has broken the news that Netflix has officially given a greenlight to this series, and Elliott Kalan has boarded the project as writer, showrunner, and executive producer. Kalan has previously worked as the head writer on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, wrote for the Netflix revival of Mystery Science Theater 3000, co-hosts the podcast The Flop House, and wrote the Marvel comic book series Spider-Man and the X-Men.

Plot details are still under wraps, but Variety’s sources have told them that “the 3D animated series will be tonally in line with the recent Ghostbusters films.” It’s also not clear which characters this show will be focusing on.

Originally announced two years ago, a brand new “Ghostbusters” animated series has been officially given the green light over at Netflix this week, Variety reports tonight.

The website notes in their report tonight, “In addition, Variety has learned that Elliott Kalan has boarded the project as writer, showrunner, and executive producer.”

Elliot Kalan served as the head writer for Netflix’s version of the classic series “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” and he was also formerly a writer for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”

“Exact plot details are still under wraps, but sources say the 3D animated series will be tonally in line with the recent Ghostbusters films,” Variety also previews.

Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) will produce for Sony Pictures Animation.

The Ghostbusters franchise has of course made a mark on the world of animation in the past, with “The Real Ghostbusters” in the 1980s and “Extreme Ghostbusters” in the 1990s.

Netflix has greenlit the animated “Ghostbusters” series first announced in 2022, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. In addition, Variety has learned that Elliott Kalan has boarded the project as writer and executive producer.

The show was first reported to be in development at the streamer back in June 2022. Exact plot details are still under wraps, but sources say the 3D animated series will be tonally in line with the recent “Ghostbusters” films.

As previously reported, the series hails from Sony Pictures Animation, with Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan of Ghost Corps, Inc. onboard as executive producers. Reitman and Kenan recently co-wrote the live-action features “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” with Reitman directing the former and Kenan directing the latter. Production on the series will be handled by Netflix and Ghost Corps, Inc., which is based at Sony’s Columbia Pictures.

Reps for Netflix and Sony did not immediately respond to Variety’s request comment.

"Hot Rod" is one of those movies that really has come into its own since its original release. The movie served as the cinematic coming out party for The Lonely Island, aka Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer. Unfortunately, it was something of a flop when Paramount Pictures released it in the summer of 2007. But audiences have since allowed it to achieve cult status, embracing its many outlandish jokes, elaborate comedic set pieces, and hidden gags. The story of one of those hidden gags is, as it turns out, infinitely better than the gag itself.

On a recent two-part episode of "The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast," the gang broke down "Hot Rod" in great detail. It's the perfect example of why "SNL" fans should be listening to this podcast. On the episode, the gang explained how on Earth a poster for an obscure, real comedy called "The Whoopee Boys...

One of the more unusual creative choices made for Roland Emmerich's 1998 film "Godzilla" was to make it into, essentially, a comedy. In its structure, "Godzilla" is a straight-up adventure blockbuster, replete with the trappings of city-sized destruction and international mayhem that Emmerich typically handles with such aplomb. In its tone, however, "Godzilla" is light and breezy, and focuses on the human character Nick Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick) and his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, the aspiring reporter Audrey (Maria Pitillo). Audrey feels stymied in her career by a lascivious, egotistical boss Charles Caiman (Harry Shearer) who implies that he'll give her a promotion in exchange for sexual favors. One might also notice that Caiman's secretary is played by actress Nancy Cartwright.

Insulted and disgusted by Charles, Audrey instead takes to the streets of New York with her cameraman Animal (Hank Azaria) hoping to catch footage of the rampaging iguana monster stalking the streets.

Jenny Mollen’s and Jason Biggs’ next date night will likely capture more attention than usual.

The actors, husband and wife, on Saturday will attempt to revive a cable-tv mainstay for decidedly new purposes. When “Dinner & A Movie” debuted on TBS in 1995, it did so in an era when cable had yet to gain its fullest traction. A male-and-female duo gabbed and quibbled about movies such as “Breakfast Club” or “Fargo” and scarfed up gourmet snacks before throwing to a commercial. In return, executives hoped, viewers would stick around longer than they might otherwise. In 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery, TBS’ corporate parent, wants to use a retooled version of the show — off the air since 2011 — to throw a spotlight on everything from the company’s movies to the chefs from its Food Network.

When Biggs and Mollen watch “Aquaman,” they will do so accompanied by a seafood extravaganza created by a popular Food Network personality,...

Exclusive: This year, comedian Adam Ray has something special in store for his June 16 birthday — the introduction of his third special, Like and Subscribe, which will debut on YouTube on that date before arriving on VOD platforms June 18.

Filmed in Madison, Wi, the special comes at a time when Ray’s popularity has reached new heights, in part due to his success with a satirical take, in full prosthetics, on daytime talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw — as seen in his digital series, Dr. Phil Live!. Produced by 800 Pound Gorilla Media, his new hour covers everything from awkward flight to his rapper brother-in law, Disneyland etiquette, and his childhood dream.

Currently picking up close to 20,000 new YouTube subscribers per month, and over one million views the week of new releases, Ray has garnered over 50 million views across multiple platforms since the launch of Dr. Phil Live! in August 2023. The consummate character actor,...

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will be taking movie-goers back to the post-apocalyptic wasteland as envisioned by Mad Max franchise mastermind George Miller this weekend – but if you want to watch some more post-apocalyptic wasteland in the comfort of your own home tomorrow, May 24th, Shout! TV has you covered. They will be airing a marathon called Obscury Road, showing cult classic post-apocalyptic movies all day long!

The Obscury Road marathon will be airing on Shout! TV; as well as the Shout! TV app on Roku, Android, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV; and the following digital streaming platforms – Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, Local Now, Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, LG Channels, available on LG Smart TVs, Fubo, and Xumo.

Comic Crusaders provides the programming schedule, with the times in Pt:

10Am: Warlords of the 21st Century (Battletruck)

12Pm: Dune Warriors

2Pm: Wheels of Fire

4Pm: Deathsport

6Pm:...

Oddly before watching Ghosts In The Machine (2016), I had viewed a news story on a new small retro video store in Burbank, California catering to giving people the nostalgic tape experience similar to vinyl records. This idea is essentially the plot of Ghosts In The Machine (2016) aka The House Of VHS in which six people find an old Vcr in an abandoned French house. The machine turns out to be magical and a curse. A title change for this film with no ties to musical albums, songs or other works.

The script gives the impression that this was either an idea cast aside or one that was lying around and cobbled together from a shorter work. Treading the same ground as The Ringu series, Mystery Science Theater 3000 (which I detest) of wisecracking older films and the theme has now taken over by the ‘Found Footage’ genre in the vastly superior V/H/S franchise.

Chaos reigned at the Brussels premiere of “Love Lies Bleeding” on Saturday, after a barrage of homophobic and misogynistic comments during the screening led to a mass walkout followed by retaliatory protests and a police response. More than 60 queer women stormed out of the regional premiere once the screening turned toxic, while screening organizers claim at least three instances of physical violence.

“Things spun wildly out of hand,” attendee Elina Fischer tells Variety. Calling their experience “traumatic and horrible,” Fischer adds: “We were afraid for our lives, because the kinds of people who say such things during a film screening are the kinds of people who assault us. So we got scared and had to get out.”

After premiering to critical acclaim out of Sundance and Berlin, Rose Glass’ A24-produced thriller has yet to see wide release in Francophone Europe – making the recent screening at the Brussels International Fantastic...

The Penn & Teller: Fool Us Fast channel joins a growing list of linear streams available on the CW Network website. (Screen capture by The Desk)

The CW Network launched its first free, ad-supported television channel this week — a stream dedicated to one of its original programs.

The channel offers a marathon of the CW Network original “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” and is available to stream via the CW Network website.

Earlier this year, the CW Network soft-launched a new free, ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) platform on its website, which includes around four dozen streaming channels operated by the E. W. Scripps Company, FilmRise, Lionsgate and other programmers.

In addition to Penn & Teller: Fool Us, the CW Network website includes Fast channels like Game Show Central, Ion Plus, Laff More, Grit Xtra, Scream Factory TV, Ebony TV, Bounce Xl and Love Nature, along with marathon channels showing re-runs of the Carol Burnett Show,...

Struggling to recall the last time the internet seemed like a force for good in the world? Yancey Strickler can cite the exact date: March 13, 2013.

That’s the day that Kickstarter’s co-founder and former CEO Strickler and writer/director Rob Thomas launched the “Veronica Mars” Movie Project on the then-four-year-old crowdfunding platform. Within 11 hours, tens of thousands of “Veronica Mars” fans opened their wallets to quickly hit the $2 million goal to bring Thomas’ low-rated high school detective series starring Kristen Bell as the eponymous teen gumshoe back from the TV graveyard as a feature film, which opened in theaters 10 years ago on March 14, 2014.

“It was just love — that’s what it felt like,” Strickler told IndieWire about being in the room with Thomas when the “Veronica Mars” campaign launched, and the fan-raised funds rolled in en masse. “There was a documentary crew there filming; the cast kept calling us,...

Created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco, Toonami is a late-night programming block that helped introduce Japanese animated series to audiences in the West. First launched in 1997 on Cartoon Network, the block continues to this day on Adult Swim and is responsible for expanding the animated palate of multiple generations, myself included. Originally, Toonami was hosted by Moltar, a former supervillain from the 1966 animated series "Space Ghost" (not to be confused with "Space Ghost Coast to Coast"), but was replaced three years later by Tom (short for Toonami Operations Module). Tom wasn't just a host; he also came with his own lore and storyline from episode to episode, similar to the way the robots on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" also have backstories and character arcs.

Tom was a way to usher in a new era of Toonami, kicking off his transmission with an episode of "Sailor Moon R." Fans loved Tom,...

The Unpacking Peanuts podcast reaches its 100th episode this month, and they’re asking fans to share in the celebration.

“We’ve been so lucky to watch our audience grow, especially over the past few months,” says podcast host Jimmy Gownley. “It’s nice to be able to celebrate this milestone with so many other Peanuts fans.”

Unpacking Peanuts has also found chart success in recent months. “We were the number two visual arts podcast in the US,” said producer Liz Sumner. “And high ranking in a number of countries worldwide. It’s a testament to the work of Charles Schulz.”

The 100th episode will drop March 5, 2024. “Hopefully we are just getting started,” said Gownley.

Unpacking Peanuts is a podcast hosted by New York Times Best-Selling author Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Harold Buchholz (Executive Producer and writer of Mystery Science Theater 3000), and Michael Cohen, who bring not only their...

The Universal Monsters are one of the fundamental building blocks of the horror genre in Hollywood as we know it, where just about every horror film ever made can be related back to one of their many creep shows. Sometimes this connective tissue is thematic, but often it's an overt homage to the monstrous titular character.

We've spoken before at /Film about the best Invisible Man films you haven't seen, but now is the time to rank the best of the best from the entire multiverse of invisibility films. And I mean the entire multiverse. True-to-form horror, slapstick farce, raunchy sex comedy, and family-friendly romps are all fair game on this list, so allow me to be your guide into the land of invisible people as I rank the top 20 from worst to best.

Read more: The 15 Best Horror Franchises Of All Time, Ranked

20. The Erotic Misadventures Of The Invisible...

Stars: Jonah Ray, Ryan Kattner, Kiran Deol, Randee Heller, Alex Winter, Jon Daly, Thomas Lennon, Kumail Nanjiani | Written by Mike Benner, Jared Logan, Charles A. Pieper | Directed by Josh Forbes

Revolving around two things many of us know all too well, neighbours from hell and writer’s block, Destroy All Neighbors is an over-the-top exercise in splatstick from director Josh Forbes and writers Mike Benner, Jared Logan and Charles A. Pieper.

William Brown makes his living as a sound engineer at Industrial Sound & Magic, helping to bring other people’s music to life. Currently, it’s the obnoxious Caleb Bang Jansen, “Emerson, Lake and Palmer? It sounds like Emerson getting buttfucked by Lake and Palmer.”

But when it comes to his own Prog Rock album, he’s stuck in a rut. While his girlfriend Emily believes in him, everyone else around him seems to exist only to stifle his efforts.

Night Swim has begun its run in theaters with $1.5 million in previews.

The horror pic, from Blumhouse and Universal, is the first new nationwide release of 2024 and is tipped to open to $9 million or more in North America. That may not be enough to topple Christmas musical Wonka from the top spots.

Directed by Bryce McGuire’ Night Swim is adapted from a 2014 short film he made in collaboration with Rod Blackhurst. The 98-minute film is about a haunted pool, which has left some reviewers with their heads in their hands. “And when the most chilling line in a movie is ‘There’s something wrong with that pool!’ it’s all too easy to imagine the barbs on a future episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000,” writes The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck.

Fortunately for the filmmakers, horror fans don’t necessarily pay attention to reviews.

The story begins with flashback...

Unless you don’t know how to swim, swimming pools simply aren’t scary. Sure, some of them can be pretty gross, depending on how well their owners maintain them. And if bugs or other creatures die in them, that can be disgusting. But mostly they seem like a nice place to relax on a warm summer day. That’s the main problem with Bryce McGuire’s feature about a haunted swimming pool, adapted from a 2014 short film he made in collaboration with Rod Blackhurst. Despite the filmmaker’s best efforts to drum up suspense via the usual jump scares, Night Swim turns out to be just as silly as it sounds.

The short that provided this film’s inspiration had a running time of under four minutes, which sounds exactly right. Unfortunately, the feature version runs 98 minutes, its simple premise gussied up with a backstory mythology that isn’t...

In our jaded present, it’s hard to imagine that there was once a time when film audiences took the “based on a true story” claim seriously. At this point, we’re all fully aware that artists sometimes have to embellish the truth in order to prove a point – and sometimes simply to entertain. In fact, the very act of creating a faux-reality to tell a story has since evolved into an artform in and of itself. While Ruggero Deodato is often credited with having invented Found Footage with 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust, the truth is that the genre and its current off-shoots have been slowly creeping into existence since the early days of cinema.

Pioneers like Benjamin Christensen (1922’s Häxan) and surrealist Luis Buñuel (1933’s Land Without Bread) were already experimenting with the idea of combining fact and fiction in convincing pseudo-documentaries, and that’s not even mentioning Orson Welles...

What’s most shocking about the fact that it’s been 35 years since Mystery Science Theater 3000 began its run on Ktma in Minneapolis-St. Paul is the fact that it’s been only 35 years. Sporting a premise that’s gained added resonance since Covid redefined what it’s like to watch movies in isolation, the series has existed long enough—and in enough iterations—as to feel almost impervious to time, endlessly redefining itself as technology and media consumption mutate and grow, and, more frequently, as circumstances necessitate.

While the show’s hook—a human and their robots joke their way through bad movies—suggests a cynical outlook, its overriding imagination leaves room enough to enjoy both the films being watched and the jokes made at their expense. The classics that MST3K has yielded far exceed the limitations of this list’s format—to say nothing of the multitude of grace notes contained within,...

Against all odds, "Mystery Science Theater 3000" manages to keep surviving thanks to a dedicated fanbase who never gets tired of seeing awful, old movies get mocked relentlessly. After the show disappeared for awhile, a crowdfunding campaign in 2015 promised to bring it back with a vengeance, and Netflix jumped on board to bring it to the masses in 2017, ending an 18-year hiatus. After that, creator Joel Hodgson got fans to help fund the show's 13th season, as well as the creation of the Gizmoplex, a dedicated website and distribution platform to give fans more new episodes of the show. Season 13 was released last year, and it even made it over to the "MST3K" channel on PlutoTV. Now, Hodgson is hoping to come back for more.

Today, Joel Hodgson announced a new crowdfunding campaign to help make "Mystery Science Theater 3000" season 14. This new campaign is being launched under the show's new in-house crowdfunding platform,...

You never knew exactly what you would get when "The Twilight Zone" began. The series — produced and largely written by celebrated Emmy-winning writer Rod Serling — was a loose collection of fantastical tales. Some were supernatural, some were science fiction. Some were comedies, and some were scary as hell.

It should come as little surprise that the "scary as hell" episodes are among the most memorable installments of the series. William Shatner's desperate screaming that there's a man on the wing of the plane in "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" was instantly iconic, and repeatedly remade. Agnes Moorehead silently fighting off an invading force of tiny homicidal aliens in "The Invaders" was strange and shocking, and seemingly set the stage for future "tiny monster" horror movies like "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and "Gremlins."

But perhaps no "Twilight Zone" episode is more overwhelmingly terrifying than the one about a little kid with godlike powers.

Today is the second and final day in Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. Get a jump-start on holiday shopping for the genre fan in your life (or treat yourself!) with slashed prices on horror 4K Ultra HDs and Blu-rays ranging from classics to recent releases.

Many of yesterday’s deals are still active, along with a slew of new ones.

Here are the top horror and genre-adjacent highlights from the Prime Big Deal Days event…

4K Ultra HD Collections:

Us / Get Out – $17.99 Back to the Future: The Ultimate Trilogy – $23.74 Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection – $94.99

Individual 4K UHDs:

Color Out of Space – $9.96 Godzilla (2014) – $9.99 Godzilla vs. Kong – $9.99 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – $9.44 No Time to Die – $9.49 R.I.P.D. – $9.49 Glass – $9.99 The Mummy (2017) – $9.99 Bumblebee – $9.99 Ghost in the Shell (1995) – $10.19 Warcraft – $10.44 The Invisible Man (2020) – $10.99 A Clockwork Orange – $10.99 Jurassic Park – $10.99 Inglourious Basterds – $10.99 Knives Out – $11.89 Moonfall – $11.89 The Cabin in the Woods – $11.99 Highlander – $13.30 The Green Knight...

There’s no shortage of brilliant detectives in novels, film and television, but one of the greatest — or at least the one with the fanciest facial hair — is Hercule Poirot. The Belgian investigator, created by Agatha Christie, has appeared 33 novels, more than 50 short stories, and has been played by a variety of iconic actors.

But for whatever reason, Poirot has only sporadically appeared on the big screen, with many of his earliest movie appearances being lost to time, while some of his other noteworthy adventures were rewritten as vehicles for Christie’s other beloved creation, Miss Marple.

Here we take a look at the various theatrically-released adventures of Hercule Poirot, from the 1930s to today, and see which of his mysteries were truly worth solving.

Photo credit: Columbia

Honorable Mention: “Murder By Death” (1976)

Neil Simon’s wacky spoof of the supersleuth genre, directed by Robert Moore, features an all-star cast...

Emanating from their studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, The History of Bad Ideas sees hosts Jason, Jeff and Blake talk about all things geeky on their podcast. Whether it’s rumours of the latest comic book movies, debating who really is the worst villain of all time, discussing the latest comic issues or just wondering about life in general, you are sure to have a fun time with them! In theory.

If you haven’t listened to the show before – why not? – you can check out previous episodes of The History of Bad Ideas podcast on iTunes and look out for new episodes here on Nerdly each and every week…

Episode 506: Grandma’s Mattress!

The Hobi gang is back with only 60% of the hosts this week as they review the Flash film (finally!), Jason saw Tmnt: Mutant Mayhem, Bryan is excited about the relaunch of CNN Plus, and we list...

We all know Mystery Science Theater 3000 as the show in which a human host and a couple of robots make fun of bad movies. According to in-universe lore, the movies come via mad scientist members of the Forrester family, who test the sanity of a human subject by forcing them to watch terrible films. The humans — beginning with Joel Robinson (series creator Joel Hodgson), followed by Mike Nelson (Michael J. Nelson), Jonah Heston (Jonah Ray), and Emily Connor (Emily Marsh) — fight back by riffing on the films, a task made easier not just by the robot sidekicks Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo, but also by the genuine awfulness of the movies.

But MST3K didn’t always have mockery in mind as its central premise. As seen in the recently-unearthed early episodes recorded for Minneapolis public access channel Ktma, Joel spent more time enjoying Invaders from the Deep and Revenge...

In the Marvel vs. DC debate, it's important to remember that the latter had a headstart of several decades. Some of DC Comics' most popular characters were introduced on the page in the late 1930s and early 1940s, allowing them to stand at the very base of the pop culture firmament. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman both enjoyed massive success on the page and on the screen before the hotshot company Marvel entered its Golden Age in earnest. Marvel's star characters Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, et al, didn't hit shelves until the early '60s. While Marvel found its footing, Batman was starring in one of the best superhero movies ever made. 

In cinemas, it took Marvel equally long to find a toehold. Films like "Superman" and "Batman" were overwhelmingly huge for decades, while Marvel had to be content with the success of "The Incredible Hulk" on television.

Angel Studios has repaid 6,678 individual crowdfunding investors at a 20% profit for their contributions to “Sound of Freedom,” the studio said Thursday.

In a statement, Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon said: “6,678 Angel Guild members have now received $1.20 for every $1 they invested into the launch budget for ‘Sound of Freedom,’ and we are thrilled to be able to get funds back to them in three months. The Angel Guild is key to our theatrical strategy and paying out as quickly as possible is always our first priority.”

The faith-based studio’s thriller about a rogue government agent tracking child traffickers in Colombia has grossed $173 million at the domestic box office, a colossal success for a project of its provenance. “Sound of Freedom” was completed in 2018 under a distribution deal with a Fox subsidiary, but was shelved after the Disney acquisition, and eventually sold to Angel, producer of “The Chosen.”

The global hit...

The Toronto International Film Festival will honor one of Canada’s own, Montreal native Shawn Levy, with the inaugural Norman Jewison Award, also named after another Canadian great filmmaker.

The Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award is presented by The Budman Family, and recognizes Canadians in the film industry who have made a global impact with their careers. The awards presentation will take place at the TIFF Tribute Awards gala fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 10, at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

Levy originally set about pursuing a career in acting, attending Yale University. He turned to directing and received an Mfa from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1994. One of Levy’s first acting gigs was the low-budget horror 1987 movie, Zombie Nightmare, which got poked at on an episode of Comedy Central’s Mystery Science Theater 3000. He cut his teeth directing wise with teen dramas like Nickelodeon’s The Secret...

In the 20 years of its existence, Shout! Factory has expanded from home entertainment releases into music and theatrical distribution, working with filmmakers as diverse as John Carpenter, Mel Brooks, Roger Corman and Shekhar Kapur. Now, in recognition of its growing mandate, the company is changing its name to Shout! Studios.

The switch marks a two-decade transformation that occurred in a counterintuitively subdued fashion given the company’s emphatic moniker, but perfectly reflects its pedigreed but unassuming origins.

“It was impossible to come up with a name,” says Shout! CEO Garson Foos, who formed the company with his older brother Richard and Bob Emmer, fellow Rhino Records alums. “We wanted something active, and Shout! hearkened back to our music roots with the Isley Brothers song.”

Over the years, Shout! has become a standard bearer — indeed, a factory — for high-quality, bonus-material-rich home video releases, offering filmmakers not only a format that enshrines their work,...

I love movies more than just about anything else in the world, but if anything is going to rank higher on my personal hierarchy of needs, it's the promise of free stuff. The economy is in shambles and my rent just went up, so needless to say, I am all about anything that doesn't come with a price tag. We here at /Film have been preaching the gospel of Pluto TV, the free ad-supported streaming television (Fast) provider with thousands of titles in their library and specialized channels of constantly running programming, for years.

If you long for the days of turning on the TV in the middle of the afternoon on a Sunday and watching whatever it is the cable programming gods decided for you, this is the closest thing to capturing that feeling. Want to watch a horror movie? There's a channel for that. Hoping to check out...

Jackie Chan contains multitudes.

Although many American filmgoers know Chan best for his Hollywood blockbusters and family-friendly fare, his profound impact on global cinema cannot be denied. A martial arts master who has battered his body for decades doing his own stunts in his signature comedic style, Chan has acted in over 150 movies, making him one of the wealthiest and most globally recognizable stars of all time.

With martial arts films having a moment in the spotlight in 2023, with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” landing the Best Picture Oscar and “John Wick: Chapter 4” becoming a series-high box office sensation, it’s fitting that Shout Select has released their two part “Jackie Chan Collection” Blu-ray box sets, which are a great starting points for novices and worthy purchases for die-hard fans as well.

The first set, which was released in January and covers his work from 1976 – 1982, which ranges from lively...

When Jim Mallon's "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" was released in theaters back in 1996, many noted that it had a shorter running time than a single episode of the show on which it was based. "MST3K" ran for two hours, or 92 minutes with the commercials removed. The movie, in contrast, was an incredibly brief 77 minutes. This was in spite of an arch premise that needed to be explained to the audience, and multiple "host" sequences.

As it so happens, the original cut was much longer.

For the uninitiated: "MST3K" was a two-hour program that debuted on public access TV in Minnesota in 1988, and aired on Comedy Central and then the Sci-Fi Channel from 1989 to 1999. It has since been revived a few times and runs to this day on its own streaming service, the Gizmoplex. "MST3K" was typically scheduled late at night, recreating the experience of watching randomly programmed B-movies on after-hours network TV,...

Exclusive: Shout! Factory on Wednesday announced their promotion of longtime senior executive Michael Ribas to Senior Vice President of Marketing and Product Management.

Most recently serving as Vice President of Marketing, Ribas has been with Shout! Factory since 2003, prior to that holding editorial and product-management positions at the San Francisco company, WetFeet.

In his elevated position, Ribas will report to CEO Garson Foos and EVP of Strategy and Digital, Gene Pao, continuing to collaborate closely with both executives on big-picture strategy supporting the company’s long-term growth. While leading marketing and product management strategy for all initiatives and properties apart from kids and family entertainment, he will continue to oversee advertising, corporate branding, convention and trade-show activations, digital streaming, theatrical rollouts, partnerships, product management and social marketing for Shout! Factory, Shout! Studios and Shout! TV. He’s also in charge of the marketing and promotion of Shout!’s Mystery Science Theater 3000 franchise,...

On April 25th, Severin Films delivers Worldwide Blu-ray premieres of two of the most infamous titles in ‘80s EuroCult Sci-Fi, Bloody Disgusting has exclusively learned today.

The titles? Alien From The Abyss, directed by Antonio Margheriti, and the Restored Director’s Cut of Extra Terrestrial Visitors from writer/director Juan Piquer Simón!

Both 4K restorations also include the U.S. debuts of long-form documentaries on their respective filmmakers. Here’s everything you need to know about both of these releases…

Alien From The Abyss

For one of the final films of his legendary career, director Antonio Margheriti headed to the Philippines to deliver “the perfect ‘80s Italian popcorn flick” (Mondo Digital): When environmental activists attempt to expose an evil corporation (led by Charles Napier of Supervixens and Rambo: First Blood Part II fame) dumping nuclear waste into the local volcano, they’ll instead discover graphic gore, exploding miniatures and...

Filmmakers Launch Kickstarter for Demon Squad 2 A feature-length sequel to the popular and well-reviewed Demon Squad, featured on season 13 of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Fighting Owl Films’ recently launched Kickstarter campaign for Deadwatch: Demon Squad 2 has received a warm reception from fans! This is the sequel to Demon Squad, the well-received 2019 film that was …

The post Filmmakers Launch Demon Squad 2 appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Thomas Smith’s Demon Squad 2 has launched it’s Kickstarter campaign. This is the sequel to Demon Squad which was featured on the revived cult-classic TV series,Mystery Science Theater 3000. Paranormal investigators Nick Moon and Daisy O’Reilly return for a haunted house mystery filled with monsters and magic. But things don’t go quite as you might …

The post Demon Squad 2 Kickstarter Begins appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

If you’re a Gen X or “geriatric” millennial Star Wars fanatic, you probably have a story related to the contortions you had to go through to get your hands on the notorious only-aired-once 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special.

Freshman year. My college roommate Andrew brought back a bootleg tape — there has never been a legitimate release — given to him by a guy who knew a guy at his regular comic shop. We watched with breathless anticipation that turned to quizzical horror — a generational rite of passage.

Today, you can go to YouTube and take your pick from among several Star Wars Holiday Special uploads, at least one of which has remained up for seven years and has 3.6 million views. So much for taboo. So much for resourcefulness. So much for magic.

Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak’s new documentary A Disturbance in the Force captures a lot of what was...

As reported by the New York Times, on March 8, 2023, prolific B-movie filmmaker Bert I. Gordon passed away at his home in Los Angeles. He was 100 years old. 

Bert I. Gordon is a name many may not be familiar with unless they were prone to visiting drive-in theaters in the 1950s, staying up late and watching monster movies on Uhf TV in the 1980s, or were paying attention to "Mystery Science Theater 3000" in the 1990s. Gordon was the director behind such low-budget classics as 1955's "King Dinosaur," 1957's "The Amazing Colossal Man," its sequel from the next year, "War of the Colossal Beast," the 1965 outsized J.D. flick, "Village of the Giants," the 1976 H.G. Wells adaptation, "Food of the Gods," and the 1976 giant ant film "Empire of the Ants." One might note that all the films listed above involve giants of some stripe. One might also want to take note of Bert I.