One shark movie is currently making a play at the Cannes market as it was recently reported that a third film in the 47 Meters Down series, titled 47 Meters Down: The Wreck, is launching its sales campaign. Johannes Roberts and screenwriter Ernest Riera return to co-write on that new installment, which will be directed by veteran horror director Patrick Lussier. Variety now reports on a new shark film that’s currently untitled that will be helmed by the director of the Christmas action movie Violent Night, Tommy Wirkola.

It is also being said that Phoebe Dynevor is currently in talks to star in the new shark film. Dynevor may be best recognized for her role in the first two seasons of Bridgerton as Daphne Bridgerton. She had also recently starred alongside Oppenheimer and Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s Alden Ehrenreich in the thriller Fair Play from 2023. That film was sold to Netflix in a massive $20 million deal after the film had premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Currently, the plot is being held tight in a shark’s jaw. However, the production is set to star swimming in Australia sometime this summer. Adam McKay and Kevin Messick will be producing the new shark film under their Hyperobject Industries banner.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, Tommy Wirkola would confirm that they are moving forward with a Violent Night sequel. “We’re talking about it,” Tommy Wirkola said, “and we’re just making deals and getting everything in order.” The director also confirmed that original screenwriters Pat Casey and Josh Miller will return to pen Violent Night 2, but that the team isn’t rushing to start shooting anytime soon. “We have time to really crack the script and figure out the story,” Wirkola said. “And we have some ideas, me and Pat and Josh and the producers, we’ve been talking about where we want to take it and what we want to see.” The director added that a few of the ideas that were cut out of the first movie, including the North Pole, Mrs. Claus, and the elves, are in play for the sequel, which he hopes will expand on the world and scope while keeping the same tone.

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Body horror fans, get ready for a new trip into shock cinema as Julia Ducournau, who directed the visceral horror films Raw and Titane, saddles up to release her third film, Alpha. Titane was a milestone for the filmmaker as she became the second woman director to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. FilmNation and Charades presented Alpha to potential buyers at the Cannes market, and Deadline is reporting that the indie studio Neon would come out with distributing rights to the film. It was recently reported that Golshifteh Farahani of the Extraction films and Tahar Rahim of Madame Web have signed on to star in Alpha.

Jean des Forêts and Amelie Jacquis of Petit Film will be on board as producers of Alpha. Joining them will be Eric & Nicolas Altmayer of Mandarin & Compagnie and Frakas Productions will be co-producing. Charades and FilmNation Entertainment are also handling sales in the rest of the world during the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier this month, FilmNation Entertainment and Charades provided the following statement: “Alpha is Julia’s most personal, profound work yet, and we are looking forward to a global audience discovering the story with as much excitement as we did. We can’t wait to bring the film to market in Cannes and to launch sales together for the first time and collaborate in this way.“ However, that’s all they would say about Alpha, as the plot details are being kept under wraps for now.

So, for an idea of what kind of film this might turn out to be, we can only look back at the films Ducournau made previously. Her first movie, Raw, had the following synopsis: Stringent vegetarian Justine encounters a decadent, merciless and dangerously seductive world during her first week at veterinary school. Desperate to fit in, she strays from her principles and eats raw meat for the first time. The young woman soon experiences terrible and unexpected consequences as her true self begins to emerge.

Then Titane told this story: Alexia is a dancer who, after being injured in a car accident as a child, has a titanium plate fitted into her head. Amidst a series of brutal and unexplained murders, her path crosses with Vincent, a firefighter desperately searching for his long-missing son, changing their lives forever.

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The episode of The Best of the Bad Guys focuses on the trio of killers from The Strangers. It is written, narrated, and edited by Mike Holtz.

Welcome to The Best of The Bad Guys! Where we rank the best of cinema’s worst villains. From their best kill to their best jump scares and even their French kissing abilities. What? Today, we’re talking about The Strangers. A trio of mysterious and sadistic murderers who like to show up in remote locations, toy with, piss off, and eventually murder human beings for absolutely no reason whatsoever. 

They return to their cabin in the middle of the night, only to be terrorized by three strangers with masks. Ten years later, the sequel, The Strangers: Prey At Night, blessed us with the same kind of dark trappings, only this time, backed by a great soundtrack of ironic scoring like Total Eclipse of The Heart and Kids in America by Kim Wilde as the trio slashes through a lovely family of four at a remote campground. 

Personally, I’m a fan of both movies. And find the first film to be a mean but necessary home invasion flick that makes all horror movies around it better by being as mean as possible. And what I mean by this is that The Strangers being so cruel and hopeless in its ending makes you just that much more nervous for the next few horror films you watch that may just do the same unless you’re watching a Conjuring spin-off or a recent Blumhouse film. We all know there’s nothing gnarly happening there.

While the second movie has a little bit more fun with itself, especially in the ending (which we’ll definitely be talking about today)…it was kind of genius to take a concept so seriously and put it under the lens of a more traditional slasher fare and had a little bit of fun with it while maintaining its teeth. I thought both films had their place in the world in their own ways. So, with that being said…. let’s start ranking these potato sack-wearing buttholes! We mentioned the Conjuring universe earlier, so let’s start with the best Strangers jump scare!

There is a metric butt-load of jump scares throughout the two movies, but many of them are done in a far more subtle fashion than what we’re used to in today’s paranormal-heavy film landscape. This one came to two specific moments for me, and the runner-up is going to be this moment in The Strangers Prey at Night. As Bailee Madison’s character Kinsey tries to take refuge in one of those pumpkin patch-type playground tunnels for easily pleased children, Michael Myers shows up and helps her murder her friend before weirdly gyrating all over the place….oh shoot, wrong movie sack man, then drives the truck up to the opening, prompting her to try to scream it away before realizing one of those wily f*cks are in the tunnel with her. This was an amazingly done jump scare, but it doesn’t take the cake today solely because the big dummies at the studio included it in the main trailer for the film, totally spoiling it. 

However, I forgot that upon my most recent rewatch, I can confirm its potency. I’m going to give the leading award here today for the closet jump scare in the original film. Liv Tyler hides in the closet in what should be one of the most by-the-numbers horror movie trope moments but is really elevated by some nice camera work and tension. All the focus here is on potato sack head, and you’re still staring into the part of the screen he disappeared at when suddenly dingus #2 comes out of the left side of the screen and scares the bejesus out of you. Love it. It isn’t a jump scare, but the creepiest moment in both has to be this scene, also from the original, where he first appears behind her in the living room. It’s a beautifully lit and framed shot where he stands there and watches her without her knowing whatsoever. It’s just so invasive. 

Speaking of invasive, how about The Strangers best kill? Well, I have an opinion, of course, but why don’t we ask our friend ole’ potato sack head himself, the Wrong Turn, Haunt, and, of course, Strangers Prey at Night actor….I give you the man who played “the man in the mask” himself…..Damian Maffei is on his favorite kill of the franchise. Damian is my favorite kill in Strangers Prey at Night. My favorite scene is when I get in the car with Pop and Mike. I sit down in the van with him, and he’s pinned to the seat because a plank of wood came through the window there. When I first read that scene in the script…that one stopped me there because I felt like this was the one. 

This is the whole reason I am doing the movie: to be able to take my time with this. In one scene, I could slow down and do it at my own pace. Kind of sets the pace for the scene and plays around with it. It really kinda makes something kind of harrowing. Kind of menacing. It really played out pretty much exactly as it did in my head. Played out really well in my head. I think we nailed that one. That was one time I kind of stuck with him and maintained eye contact. The music in there. It was pretty great. That’s my favorite one. That’s my favorite scene. I liked that one. I enjoyed doing it. I enjoyed doing multiple takes of it. Martin is screaming the whole time. Trying to maintain that panic and fear. It’s good stuff. Anyway, there you go. Oh, I’m Damian Maffei, by the way. I don’t know if I should have led off saying that. But I didn’t! 

Thanks, Damian! For the record, I really wanted to see the alternate ending of Prey at Night, where Damian’s character was still alive and came bursting into that hospital room all burned to a crisp. I also would have loved a third film with Damian, where the franchise shocked everyone by going full-on supernatural slasher with no explanation. But that’s just me. Anywho, for my personal favorite kill of the franchise, I WANT to say the pool scene….but he didn’t die, now did he? More on that later. My instincts tell me to go with the same scene as Damian (which I did not know before I wrote this), between Damian and the dad (played by Martin Henderson) in the truck, as he stabs Dad in the neck with a screwdriver and stares into his eyes while Cambodia by Kim Wilde plays.

Partly because I am a self-professed radio hog, and I totally get having to have the perfect song on before you handle your business. Also, because it’s just so darn uncomfortable, it almost makes you giddy. And I know how messed up that sounds. In the scene, potato sack man throws a cinder block at the vehicle Mike and his son Hoyt (played by Lewis Pullman) are in, and Mike very much so overreacts, crashing the vehicle into a trailer and inconveniently lodging a large piece of immovable wood into his own abdomen. In the words of Macho Man Randy Savage as Bonesaw from Spider-Man….” You ain’t goin’ nowhere.” The man in the mask then calmy enters the truck and searches through the radio for the perfect song to kill to. 

All while Mike is pleading in pain for his life and the life of his family. But he knows that’s not going to do any good once the man shows him the screwdriver-like thing he’s holding in his hand. The man slowly stares at him before stabbing him in the neck and excitedly watching the life leave his body. Damian did a great job in this scene using his body and eye movements to really creep you the f*ck out (bleeped).

Now, how about The Strangers MEANEST kill? Jesus H Shuff N’ Stuff, was that last one not the meanest? Oh, no. That title belongs to the end of the original film, where they murder Scott Speedman’s James Hoyt in front of the indecisive woman he loves. This scene just makes my heart ache. Not only have we watched these two suffer at the hands of this unholy triumvirate throughout the night….torturing them mentally more than physically, tricking them into shooting their own best friend in their face (although that kind of just happened, I think potato sack man wanted to axe that dude), and just being huge jerkoffs in general. Now, we have to watch as all their attempts to escape were for naught. 

The morning light has arrived but provides no solace. The strangers stand before them and begin to remove their masks, which, if you’ve ever seen a movie, you know that means you are absolutely about to die. If they aren’t scared of showing you their face, it typically means it’s going to be the last face you see. And for James quick draw McGraw Hoyt…..it was. This moment is breathtakingly messed up because they all know it’s coming. They slowly pull out a large kitchen knife and reveal it to the two of them as they hold each other and cry before he just unceremoniously begins stabbing him in the stomach as she’s forced to watch. Just brutal. That’s nearly Funny Games levels of meanness.

Honorable mention here goes to The Strangers Prey at Night scene where the mom, played by the beautiful Christina Hendricks, is killed in front of her daughter. As she helps Kinsey through the extremely inconveniently placed ceiling window in the camper, Dollface (played impressively by Gemma Ward) gets up in on her real close from behind and begins to stab her in the back multiple times, even twisting the knife just to be a dick. The scene is so heartbreaking because she was a good mom, and her poor daughter has to watch her sacrifice herself for her safety. And to such an unemotional psychopath in a mask to boot. I’m equally mad at this scene because she didn’t even fight back! Grab that toilet seat and start swinging, lady!

Well, now I’m just sad….let us move on to the coolest moment in The Strangers short filmography……I think we all know where we’re going here, right? It has to be the pool scene in The Strangers: Prey At Night. But first, I have to give a shout-out to a personal favorite scene as well: When the man in the mask is bested by Kinsey and experiences not only a gnarly car wreck but is lit on fire and explodes. First off, that look that he gives her here is demonic as hell. It’s kind of how my dog looks at me when I wake him up, and he’s half pissed and out of it.  But as Kinsey walks away like the badass she is, and you think the film is for sure toast…along with potato sack head…. the truck, fully engulfed in flames, starts driving towards her again, and he somehow, still alive, chases her to a bridge before removing a large shard of glass from his stomach and passing out for a moment. 

Look, I know this scene is probably some folks’ least favorite, eliciting laughter and eye rolls from the audience….’ there’s NO WAY that guy is still alive after all that!’ But again, I am a weirdo, and I just LOVE the idea of doing the unexpected in a sequel to an ultra-realistic movie, throwing caution to the wind and surprising an audience with a supernatural twist. Plus, it looked cool as f*ck (bleeped). So did the scene that followed when he’s Halloween IV style chasing her on the bed of a truck in an underratedly creepy atmospheric moment. But I digress. We all know the pool scene is best! What’s that? Is my shirt the best? Well, thank you…. here’s where you can get one.

First off, the neon palm tree lights illuminating the water is just a freaking vibe. When you add to that the musical stylings of Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart? It just takes it off the top rope. But there’s also a lot that happened story-wise here. We see the death of a Pin-up girl when she comes running at Luke and catches a well-earned golf club to the face before Luke goes full Zodiac on her, KILLING one of the strangers! We’ve never seen that before! When the man in the mask shows up, Luke even talks a little shit (after all, they did just kill his parents), and potato sack head goes full berserker mode with the axe. Luke finds his marbles and fights with the lead stranger for a while before a short chase scene takes place. The music even goes in and out as the two go in and out of the water before; sadly, Luke is dispatched with a knife in the back in the same way his mom was. Or was he? Spoiler alert HE LIVES! And so does this scene, in all of our minds, forever. 

Here is where I would usually talk about a villain’s best quote, but that’s a little difficult for a trio of folks who don’t have much to say for themselves other than “Is Tamara home?” (the answer is still no by the way and if she was home, she’d probably ignore you because you seem needy) and “Because you were home”, with maybe a “why not” or “you’re gonna die” thrown in there. They don’t divulge a lot of information about themselves, which leads me to what is most interesting about The Strangers. And that in itself is how mysterious they are. What do we know about these masked nutbars? They like to play with their food before they kill the hell out of it. The closest thing we’ve gotten to insight into who they are is at the end of the first film when they ask these nosey little bastard kids if they can have one of their sinning pamphlets, and one of them reassures the other: “It’ll be easier next time.” That. Is. It. These folks are very Michael Myers (pre-runes, trailer parks, or sibling explanation attempts) in that we have no idea what makes them evil or where that evil comes from. And I like it. Keep it that way! 

We’ll find out if they do just that in Renny Harlin’s upcoming trilogy, but for now, my friends, that is THE BEST OF THE BAD GUYS. Thank you for spending some time with us today, and please be sure to subscribe for more and check out our last two iterations of the series, where we covered both Damien Thorn and Freddy Kruger. And a special thanks to our friend Damian Maffei for taking the time to give us his thoughts in this video as well. You can see him in everything from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre video game as the voice of Johnny Boy or as Columbo in Mutilator 2. You can see me heading to the store right now to buy a weapon and a ring doorbell. Maybe some gummy bears. Just because it sounds nice, have a great day, everyone!

The previous episode of The Best of the Bad Guys can be seen below, along with a sample episode of one of our other shows. To see more, click over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!

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The Shyamalans are joining the Cronenbergs on making horror and thrillers a family business. While the patriarch, M. Night, has his own new project with the Josh Hartnett suspense film Trap, his daughter Ishana has taken up the mantle of mystery horror in the new film The Watchers. Warner Bros. Discovery has just released the new one-sheet poster for the film, is set to receive a June 7 theatrical release, courtesy of Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema.

The press release from Warner Bros. Discovery reads,
From producer M. Night Shyamalan comes The Watchers, written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan and based on the novel by A.M. Shine. The film follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist, who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night. You can’t see them, but they see everything.

The Watchers stars Dakota Fanning (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Ocean’s Eight), Georgina Campbell (Barbarian, Suspicion), Oliver Finnegan (Creeped Out, Outlander) and Olwen Fouere (The Northman, The Tourist). The film is produced by M. Night Shyamalan, Ashwin Rajan and Nimitt Mankad. The executive producers are Jo Homewood and Stephen Dembitzer. 

Joining writer/director Shyamalan behind-the-camera are director of photography Eli Arenson (Lamb, Hospitality), production designer Ferdia Murphy (Lola, Finding You), editor Job ter Burg (Benedetta, Elle) and costume design by Frank Gallacher (Sebastian, Aftersun). The music is by Abel Korzeniowski (Till, The Nun).

Speaking about his daughter’s work on Servant last year, M. Night Shyamalan told Entertainment Weekly, “She has slightly more of a fantasy bend than I do. She speaks in bolder colors than I do. The camera is more canted or more grotesque in showing someone scarier. The disadvantage of being an accomplished artist is that your experience starts working against you. I see less options, because I’ve done so many things. She doesn’t see that; for her, everything is possible. There are advantages and disadvantages to the levels of experience that we each have.” 

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Daredevil: Born Again may have been retooling, but from what is known, Deborah Ann Woll is set to return. It can be assumed that even with the revamped production, she will be playing a part of it, but the True Blood actress will also be starring in the upcoming horror film The Cycle. The press release from The Exchange for The Cycle has revealed that the thriller is set to be directed by Jordan Downey (The Head Hunter) and written by Downey and Kevin Stewart (The Head Hunter).

The plot synopsis reads,
In the film, when the body of a man missing for thirty-six years is discovered at the scene of a horrific crime, it’s up to his estranged daughter to unravel his dark past.

The film is produced by James Harris and Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions (The Fall, The Surfer), with The Exchange executive producing and handling international sales at the upcoming Marché du Film at Cannes. Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, will be handling distribution in the US and Canada, UK and Ireland, and Australia/New Zealand. The film is in pre-production and looking to shoot later this year.

James Harris of Tea Shop has expressed his enthusiasm for the project, “We are so excited about The Cycle, Jordan has crafted such an original story that is gonna excite audiences. For us he has the ability to be the next great genre film maker and we can wait to make the movie.”

Deborah Ann Woll has been recognized for her versatility and depth on both the big and small screens. Rising to fame as the fiery Jessica Hamby in the HBO series True Blood, Woll further impressed audiences with her portrayal of Karen Page in Marvel’s Daredevil series, displaying a compelling blend of vulnerability and strength. Woll’s film credits include roles in Escape Room, Ruby Sparks, and Mother’s Day, solidifying her status as a dynamic talent in the entertainment industry.

Current titles from The Exchange include FRUITCAKE, starring Jennifer Garner, Rose Byrne and Octavia Spencer’s TOW, Orlando Bloom’s THE CUT, Anna Faris’ I, OBJECT, Peter Dinklage’s THE THICKET, Milla Jovovich and Luke Evan’s WORLD BREAKER, the recent Hot Doc’s participant THE WHITE MOUNTAIN, and horror TV series TALES FROM THE VOID.

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Earlier this month, an image cinematographer Christian Sebaldt shared on Instagram indicated that Final Destination 6 (which is going by the title Final Destination: Bloodlines) was finally, after years of development and a thirteen-year gap between sequels, heading into production. The next day, producer Craig Perry took to social media to confirm that Final Destination: Bloodlines is indeed filming, the aim being to get this one into theatres in 2025 – in time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of the original film. Now, it’s been revealed that the long anticipated sequel has officially wrapped principal photography. Once again, the announcement came courtesy of Perry. The film stars Brec Bassinger (Stargirl), Teo Briones, Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Richard Harmon, Anna Lore, Owen Patrick Joyner, Max Lloyd-Jones, Rya Kihlstedt, and Tinpo Lee. It also features the return of Tony Todd in his iconic role as William Budworth, who was in the first, second and fifth films.

What is Final Destination: Bloodlines about?

According to entertainment industry scooper Daniel Richtman, Final Destination: Bloodlines has the following synopsis: Just as she’s about to leave home for college, 18-year-old STEFANI, who’s been having horrific nightmares about dying in a tower accident in the 1960s, discovers that her dream is actually a premonition that happened to her grandmother, Esther, who thwarted death fifty years ago but is now running out of time. Stefani learns that though her grandmother thwarted Death (until she died in her 80s), and Death has been going after the would-have-been victims of that long-ago catastrophe, killing them off and then going after their children. Stefani and her family realize that their bloodline isn’t safe from Death, who will take them violently and gruesomely, in order, unless someone like Stefani figures out a way to stop it.

Jon Watts, director of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far from Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, is producing the film with Perry, Dianne McGunigle, and Sheila Hanahan Taylor. Watts also wrote the initial treatment, which was fleshed out into a screenplay by Lori Evans Taylor and Guy Busick. The directing duo of Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, who previously directed the 2018 film Freaks (starring Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern) and the 2019 live-action Kim Possible movie, are at the helm. I

Are you looking forward to Final Destination 6 / Final Destination: Bloodlines? What do you think of the cast that has been assembled for the film? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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Despite pretty good reviews (including ours), The First Omen underperformed dramatically at the box office this winter. It was meant to reignite The Omen franchise. Still, with a domestic total of just under $20 million, it seems unlikely it succeeded in this goal (although it made an additional $30 million overseas). Initially, The First Omen was intended to be released directly to streaming via Hulu before getting a theatrical bow, and now it’s finally making its way to the service. The movie is set to come out on Hulu on May 30th, only two days after its PVOD release on May 28th.

Notably, the film will be released on physical media, with a Blu-ray and DVD release set for July 30th. That’s a departure for Disney, who produced the film, as their horror breakout hit Barbarian has yet to come out on Blu-ray or DVD.

The First Omen served as a prequel to the Omen saga and starred Nell Tiger Free (of the Apple TV series Servant) as Margaret, a noviciate sent to Rome where she’s put to work in an orphanage before taking her vows. Once there, she’s approached by a defrocked priest, Ralph Ineson’s Father Brennan (who just signed on to play Galactus in Fantastic Four) and warned about a sinister conspiracy in the church revolving around a plot to produce the anti-Christ. It was meant to be an origin story for Damien, although the film made a small (but important) change to his origin, which made it controversial among fans.

While it didn’t set the world on fire in theaters, there’s a good chance The First Omen will find a more receptive audience once it hits streaming, where it was originally supposed to debut. If you missed The First Omen in theaters, will you be giving it a chance on streaming?

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Amy Adams has been in development with Nightbitch for over a year, but details have now started to surface as the neo-horror film has recently released a new poster from Searchlight Pictures. The film has been written and directed by Marielle Heller (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Nightbitch is based on a novel by Rachel Yoder. The film will tell the story of “a suburban mom thrown into the stay-at-home routine of raising a toddler. As she embraces the feral power deeply rooted in motherhood, she becomes increasingly aware of the bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be turning into a dog.”

Adams plays that possibly canine housewife. Scoot McNairy (Monsters) is also in the cast, playing her “oft-traveling husband,” while Mary Holland, who is best known for appearing in the Netflix release Senior Year and for co-writing and co-starring in Clea DuVall’s romantic comedy Happiest Season, takes on an unspecified role. The cast will also include Arleigh Patrick Snowden, Emmett James Snowden, Zoë Chao, Archana Rajan and Jessica Harper.

Coming to us from Searchlight Pictures and Annapurna, Nightbitch is produced by Heller, Adams, Anne Carey, Stacy O’Neil, Christina Oh, and Sue Naegle. Sammy Scher and Havilah Brewster serve as executive producers.

Yoder’s novel (pick up a copy HERE) has the following description: 
“One day, the mother was a mother, but then one night, she was quite suddenly something else… An ambitious mother puts her art career on hold to stay at home with her newborn son, but the experience does not match her imagination. Two years later, she steps into the bathroom for a break from her toddler’s demands, only to discover a dense patch of hair on the back of her neck. In the mirror, her canines suddenly look sharper than she remembers. Her husband, who travels for work five days a week, casually dismisses her fears from faraway hotel rooms. As the mother’s symptoms intensify, and her temptation to give in to her new dog impulses peak, she struggles to keep her alter-canine-identity secret. Seeking a cure at the library, she discovers the mysterious academic tome which becomes her bible, A Field Guide to Magical Women: A Mythical Ethnography, and meets a group of mommies involved in a multilevel-marketing scheme who may also be more than what they seem. An outrageously original novel of ideas about art, power, and womanhood wrapped in a satirical fairy tale, Nightbitch will make you want to howl in laughter and recognition. And you should. You should howl as much as you want.”

The film was originally slated for December 6, but the poster reveals that it will move up to sometime in the fall.

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Susan Backlinie, who made her debut as Chrissie Watkins, the first victim in 1975’s Jaws, has passed away at the age of 77.

Susan Backlinie’s role in Jaws cannot be understated, setting the tone for what might be dubbed the “first girl”, the initial victim that establishes the terror that will come throughout the rest of the film. Out for a late night swim in the nude, things turned dire fast for Chrissie Watkins, thrashing about the pitch black waters by a virtually unseen force. Backed by John Williams’s score – which Backlinie’s performance undoubtedly helped enhance (and vice versa) – the opening scene of Jaws remains at the peak of cinematic horror. Something that adds to this is also something many fans may not know: Susan Backlinie was an accomplished swimmer, a little backstory that would outline that indeed nobody is safe in the water.

Backlinie’s short but impactful performance in Jaws was also successful in part due to her having a passion for stunt work. She would later have credits as such on 1979’s The Villain and 1981’s Image of the Beast. She, too, had a one-off appearance on TV’s The Fall Guy, which centered around a stunt actor.

Outside of Jaws, Susan Backlinie’s onscreen accomplishments were few, although she did parody her iconic role later for Steven Spielberg in 1941. Other big screen credits include that same year’s The Grizzly and the Treasure and 1977 nature horror flick Day of the Animals, one in a huge wave of movies that tried to capitalize on vicious animals.

Despite her most memorable role, Susan Backlinie had a genuine love for animals, even working as a trainer. But no, Jaws did not make her afraid of sharks, once saying, “I was [once] in the water and turned around and a shark was just sitting there and looking at me. I went up to it and he just sat there and stared at me. I wasn’t scared.” Still, her big screen moment was tough to shoot, recalling, “They put a pair of cutoff jeans on me and hooked cables up to the side. At night I’d stop and think, “You know, that’s exactly what calls sharks to you: flailing, stopping, flailing.” I kind of felt like shark bait.”

What are your memories of the opening scene in Jaws? Leave your condolences for the late Susan Backlinie the comments section below.

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Camp Crystal Lake hasn’t been this busy in decades, yet, ironically, the waters are calm and there’s no killer stalking the grounds. When news came that Crystal Lake – an “expanded prequel” set to air on Peacock – was looking to be on the chopping block, fans of the Friday the 13th series saw a missed opportunity from A24 and Peacock to revive the long-dormant franchise. And while Crystal Lake may still be moving forward in some capacity, it has lost a key member of the team: producer Bryan Fuller. That’s a major blow for sure, and one that some prominent names in horror aren’t happy about.

Responding to Bryan Fuller’s announcement over just where he stood with Crystal Lake, Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer screenwriter wrote, “Bummin’ hard, so sorry I won’t be a part of what would  have been an epic Bryan Fuller show. Your pilot was so beautifully realized. A gorgeous portait of a mother unraveling in her grief. Not to mention bloody horrific! I was so looking forward to our hour long chase episode!”

Williamson isn’t the only one who read Fuller’s Crystal Lake. Another who had access is Cube and Haunter director Vincenzo Natali, who wrote, “I have read the first two episodes. @BryanFuller ’s Crystal Lake was well on its way to becoming another Hannibal-level reinvention that was simultaneously beautiful, sad, poetic, funny and horrifying. I mourn its passing.”

Most of us figured that Crystal Lake had such hope under Bryan Fuller, but now that we’ve seen reactions from his pilot’s scro[t, it’s even more disappointing that he won’t be involved with the project, especially if the series would have incorporated a psychological approach, as indicated in the reactions. At the same time, if we were to take an optimistic view, we don’t really know what we’d be missing since episodes weren’t even supposed to begin filming until the summer. As of now, it looks like A24 and Peacock will be stepping back to readjust their approach, which could lead to some interesting opportunities to explore the world of Friday the 13th.

What are your hopes for Crystal Lake now that Bryan Fuller is out? Does it still have potential? What do you want to see in the series?

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