The devilish Jester is back with a vengeance, and this time, he’s raising the stakes, officially unveiled to the public on August 20, 2025, the trailer for The Jester 2 delivers all the dark magic and dread fans could ask for. Flickering candlelight, twisted illusions, and the eerie grin of a supernatural trickster all come to life in a premiere that already feels like an invitation to pure terror.
Created by writer–director Colin Krawchuk, whose original viral shorts spawned a cult feature, the sequel plunges viewers deeper into the twisted mythology of this supernatural slasher icon. In our Macabre Daily interview at Midsummer Scream, Krawchuk explained how he grounded the Jester’s menacing energy in folklore, drawing inspiration from the Irish tale of Stingy Jack, while raising his anxiety to brutal new heights. “We wanted to see the Jester lose his cool… become desperate, more dangerous,” Krawchuk revealed.
Not just a trailer drop, The Jester 2 transforms into a horror event. DREAD and Fathom Entertainment have partnered to deliver an exclusive theatrical experience: two nights only, September 15 and 16, with added value in the form of a behind-the-scenes featurette showcasing cast interviews, on-set footage, and the inner workings of the illusions themselves.
The film widens its roster with familiar and new faces joining Michael Sheffield’s iconic Jester. Kaitlyn Trentham, Jessica Ambuehl, and Dingani Beza step into the carnivalesque darkness alongside the fearsome performer.
A horror pic told from the perspective of a heroic pooch, Good Boy premiered its official trailer — and we’d argue that perhaps Best Boy is a more apt title. In the frightening first-look clip, a caring canine displays fear, worry and care with aptly timed barks and whines as he attempts to protect his loved ones.
Per the logline for the supernatural thriller from AMC Networks’ IFC Films (now rebranded to Independent Film Company), “A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.”
Helmed by Ben Leonberg, who co-wrote alongside scribe Alex Cannon, the movie aims to flip the script on the haunted house genre, perhaps bringing to mind another recent entry, Steven Soderbergh’s Presence (2024), a psychological thriller told from the eyes of a watchful, eerie home.
Starring Larry Fessenden, Arielle Friedman, Shane Jensen, Anya Krawcheck, Stuart Rudin and Leonberg’s trusted puppy Indy, the project was acquired by Shudder for distribution in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand following its premiere at SXSW in March, as Deadline previously reported exclusively.
Following warm reception at its sold-out premiere at SXSW (and the “Howl of Fame” award for Best Canine Performance for Indy), Good Boy continued on the festival circuit at Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans, where it expanded from one to three screens to satisfy audience demand, earning an honorable mention for Scariest Feature Film. The film was also screened at Calgary Underground Film Festival.
“I think everybody who has had a pet has wondered or maybe worried why their dog was barking at nothing or staring at empty corners. We kind of wanted to explore that as just a core engine of the movie and spin it into a haunted house movie,” Leonberg told Deadline at SXSW Studio. “They say don’t work with kids or animals for a reason … the solution to that challenge was to build a production entirely around him.”
We all know the classic zombie formula – flesh-eating hordes, apocalyptic survival, and an ever-dwindling group of humans trying to hold it together. But when Asian filmmakers tackle the undead, things get a little… different.
From jumping vampires to surreal bureaucracy and train-bound nightmares, let’s dive into how Asia puts its own terrifying, bizarre, and often genius spin on zombies.
India: Bollywood’s Short-Lived Zombie Experiment
Zombies never had a home in Indian horror. Traditional myths revolved around rakshasas (demons), bhutas (ghosts), and naginis (snake spirits) – but reanimated corpses? Not so much.
That changed in 2013, when Bollywood decided to cash in on the global zombie craze. The result?
Go Goa Gone – A zombie comedy about three office workers who attend a party in Goa, only to find themselves in the middle of a drug-fueled zombie apocalypse, courtesy of Russian gangsters.
But Bollywood’s big zombie push ended as quickly as it began. Other planned films, like Rise of the Zombie and Rock the Shaadi, either bombed at the box office or were never completed.
The one exception? Tamil cinema’s Miruthan (2016) – a more traditional zombie thriller featuring a traffic cop fighting off hordes of the undead. It’s not Bollywood, but hey, it’s something.
For now, though? Bollywood says “no thanks” to zombies.
China & Hong Kong: Jumping Vampires and Bio-Zombies
Forget zombies – the undead of Chinese folklore have a very different vibe. Meet the jiangshi, aka jumping vampires.
The Jiangshi Myth: In ancient China, it was believed that if someone died far from home, their body needed to be brought back for burial. Taoist priests would “reanimate” them, but because of rigor mortis, they could only hop.
This led to an entire subgenre of horror-comedy films, with brave Taoist monks fighting hopping corpses using peachwood swords, sticky rice, and mystical spells.
Mr. Vampire (1985) – The definitive jiangshi film, blending martial arts, horror, and slapstick humor. It was so successful it spawned an entire franchise.
But as Hollywood-style horror took over, jiangshi faded into obscurity. Instead, Hong Kong turned to modern zombies, with films like:
Bio-Zombie (1998) – A grimy, hyper-stylized take on the genre, featuring video pirates, smugglers, and a zombie outbreak set in a shopping mall.
In recent years, Taiwan has taken things even further into insanity with films like:
Zombie 108 (2012) – A chaotic mix of crime, gore, and horror set in the streets of Taipei. Zombie Fight Club (2014) – A wild mix of apocalyptic horror and brutal action – yes, it’s exactly as ridiculous as it sounds.
Hollywood may have given up on hopping vampires, but China and Taiwan? They continue to find new ways to make zombies even weirder.
Japan: Zombies, But Make It Absurd
Japan’s approach to zombies is… well, different. While traditional folklore leans more toward ghosts and demons, modern Japanese horror took a completely unique route.
Stacy (2001) – A surreal, disturbing film where only high school girls become zombies, leading to a bizarre mix of horror and tragedy. Big Tits Zombie (2010) – Yes, that’s the real title. This grindhouse-style film features stripper samurais fighting the undead. Because Japan. Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead (2011) – Just when you thought things couldn’t get weirder, here comes a zombie movie about parasites and toilet humor.
But it’s not all madness – Japan has also experimented with zombie satire.
Tokyo Zombie (2005) – A deadpan comedy where two slackers train in jiu-jitsu while fending off a zombie apocalypse. I Am a Hero (2015) – Arguably Japan’s best zombie film, mixing terrifying undead with an emotionally gripping story.
And then there’s One Cut of the Dead (2017) – a genre-bending masterpiece that starts as a low-budget zombie flick before turning into one of the smartest meta-horror movies ever made.
If there’s one rule in Japanese zombie cinema, it’s that there are no rules.
South Korea: The New Kings of Zombie Horror
If one country truly revitalized the zombie genre in the past decade, it’s South Korea.
While early Korean zombie films were rare and often experimental, everything changed with one director: Yeon Sang-ho.
Train to Busan (2016) – The game-changer. A high-speed, action-packed, emotional rollercoaster that turned zombies into a nationwide phenomenon. Seoul Station (2016) – An animated prequel exploring the societal breakdown before Train to Busan. Peninsula (2020) – A sequel that leaned more into post-apocalyptic action, drawing comparisons to Mad Max.
Why did Train to Busan hit so hard?
The train setting is iconic – every Korean knows the Seoul-to-Busan route. It’s not just about zombies – it’s a brutal social commentary on class, selfishness, and survival. The zombies are fast, terrifying, and relentless, unlike the slow-moving undead of Western horror.
With Train to Busan’s massive success, Korean zombie films exploded:
The Wailing (2016) – A blend of supernatural horror and zombie terror, filled with creeping dread. #Alive (2020) – A quarantine horror-thriller about a survivor stuck in his apartment during a zombie outbreak. Kingdom (2019-2021) – A Netflix series set in medieval Korea, combining period drama with zombie horror – and it’s brilliant.
With Hollywood already working on a Train to Busan remake, it’s clear: South Korea now owns the modern zombie genre.
Final Thoughts
From hopping jiangshi to bullet-train horror, Asian cinema has taken zombies in directions that Hollywood never could.
India dabbled in zombies, then abandoned them. China and Hong Kong made them hopping, bizarre, and bioweapon-fueled. Japan turned them into pure, unhinged chaos. South Korea made them terrifying, emotional, and internationally iconic.
One thing is clear – if you want a fresh take on the undead, look east.
What’s your favorite Asian zombie movie? Let’s hear your picks in the comments!
Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus), Tut Nyout (“The Witcher: Blood Origin”), and Ben Wang (Karate Kid: Legends) form the Four Musketeers in a new clip from The Long Walk.
Based on the first novel Stephen King ever wrote, the film walks into theaters on September 12 from Lionsgate.
In a dystopian United States ruled by a totalitarian regime, 50 young men enter an annual walking contest in which they must maintain a speed of at least three miles per hour or risk execution. The contest ends when only one walker remains alive.
Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Constantine) directs from a script by JT Mollner (Strange Darling).
Garrett Wareing (“Manifest”), Charlie Plummer (The Clovehitch Killer), Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit), Jordan Gonzalez (“Pretty Little Liars: Origin Sin”), Joshua Odjick (Welcome to Derry), Josh Hamilton (“The Walking Dead”), Judy Greer (Halloween), and Mark Hamill (The Life of Chuck) round out the cast.
Lawrence produces with Roy Lee (IT, Doctor Sleep), Steven Schneider (Insidious, Paranormal Activity), and Cameron MacConomy (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes).
As is the tradition these days, Frank L. Baum’s kids classic The Wizard of Oz is getting a dark, low-budget reimagining in the shape of Wicked of Oz.
Directed by Aaron Mirtes and written by Mirtes with Nathan Illsley, based on an idea by James Cullen Bressack and Scotty Mullen, the film traps Dorothy Gale in a savage land where she faces a blood-drenched death everywhere she turns.
A freak tornado pulls Dorothy (Kenzie Wynne) into the wicked world of Oz just in time for the down-on-her-luck Kansas farm girl to confront Glinda, a starving cannibal who finds herself all out of Munchkin meat. Things go downhill from there, as Dorothy goes head-to-head (literally) against a skull-cracking Scarecrow, a Tin Man whose hobby is to collect still-beating hearts and a Cowardly Lion who pleases his master by ripping apart anyone he sees. Oz becomes Ooze as Dorothy – armed with scavenged weapons – battles her way through hordes of psychotic enemies until she finally happens upon her ultimate nemesis, the Wicked of Oz. Above and below are first-look images.
The pic also stars Chelsey Fuller as Glinda, Patrick Sharn as The Wizard, Destinee Monét as Toto, Zach Lazar Hoffman as The Cowardly Lion, Brad Belemjian as The Scarecrow and Carson Butcher as The Tin Man.
“The creative team behind Wicked of Oz — genre veterans James Cullen Bressack, Scotty Mullen, Tom Malloy and Aaron Mirtes — combine credits that span everything from Mel Gibson action thrillers to Sharknado,” said Messina. “Together with our wickedly talented cast, the film offers no songs, no rainbows – just blood and bodies piling high onto the Oz sky. Its ferocious fun for every fan of gore.”
Art the Clown is back—and this time, he’s bringing holiday cheer… in the bloodiest way possible. Terrifier 3 delivers exactly what fans want: gore, twisted humor, and absolute mayhem, all wrapped up in Christmas lights and body parts.
But does it live up to the brutality of Terrifier 2? Let’s find out.
The Setup: A Holiday Horror Nightmare
Set on Christmas Eve, Terrifier 3 takes us back to Miles County, where the town is still recovering from Art’s last massacre. Sienna (Lauren LaVera) is trying to move on, but something tells her Art isn’t finished—and she’s right.
Cue snow-covered streets, twinkling lights, and festive carols… all drenched in blood.
Art’s return isn’t just more of the same—he’s leaner, meaner, and more creative than ever. And if you thought his kills were brutal before? Oh, you’re not ready for what’s coming.
What Works: Christmas Carnage Done Right
✔ Art the Clown is still terrifying. David Howard Thornton delivers another nightmare-fueling, silent-but-deadly performance. ✔ The kills are INSANE. Christmas decorations become deadly weapons, and one particular Christmas light kill is already iconic. ✔ Lauren LaVera’s Sienna is a total badass. She’s not just surviving—she’s fighting back, and it’s glorious. ✔ The twisted holiday setting. Watching brutal horror unfold against a cozy, festive backdrop makes it even more disturbing.
Where It Falls Short
✖ Not for the faint of heart. The violence is pushed to the absolute extreme, which will divide audiences. ✖ Some story beats feel familiar. While Terrifier 3 expands on its lore, some moments rely on franchise tropes.
Final Rating: 4/5 – A Holiday Slasher for the Ages
Terrifier 3 is a slasher fan’s dream come true—ultra-violent, darkly funny, and packed with some of the wildest kill scenes in horror history. It’s pure, unapologetic horror insanity, and Art the Clown cements himself as one of the genre’s most disturbing villains.
If you loved Terrifier 2, you’ll be obsessed with this one. Just don’t expect a “safe” Christmas movie.
Prepare for Jurassic dread in the jungle, Primitive War, an Australian sci-fi action-horror film, charges into theaters today, August 21, 2025. Directed by Luke Sparke, this blood-soaked feature drops soldiers into the Vietnam War where dinosaur predators lurk in every shadow. Based on Ethan Pettus’ novel, it’s war horror turned prehistoric nightmare.
Why It’s Terrifying:
• Vietnam War meets dinosaur chaos: A recon unit on a rescue mission stumbles into a valley where extinction forgot to apply, and horror rules.
• All-star cast: Jeremy Piven, Tricia Helfer, Ryan Kwanten, and Nick Wechsler bring human vulnerability to this savage battleground.
• Hard-hitting horror director: Sparke brings brutal suspense and raw grit—and Jeremy Piven even likened him to “an Aussie Spielberg” for pulling off a high-concept film on indie spirit.
• Wide release today: Fathom Entertainment is rolling this one out across U.S. theaters, just in time for summer madness.
