A dysfunctional family isn't a particularly original source of horror, and Hereditary doesn't blow the genre open with some revolutionary new take. It's just gripping, white-knuckled, old school horror that never, over more than two hours, lets you get comfortable for long, despite the familiarity of its themes and tropes.
How do you deal with grief? It's different for everyone, and if you've never experienced a major loss, you can't really know how you'll respond. Some people blame themselves; others lash out at loved ones; some people close up and just try to keep it together. The reactions of the Graham family--Toni Collette's Annie, Gabriel Byrne's Steve, Alex Wolff's Peter, and Milly Shapiro's Charlie--run the gamut when Annie's mother (Peter and Charlie's grandmother) dies. The tragedy slowly unravels them, but it's not the only factor, and they're not free from blame themselves.
Hereditary takes its major cues from classic horror movies like The Shining and Rosemary's Baby. In terms of contemporaries, it has plenty in common with The Babadook. The Grahams' house, full of dark wood paneling and darker hallways, is impeccably designed for maximum claustrophobic horror. A treehouse glimpsed from bedroom windows, lit space heater red, resembles nothing more than a smoldering furnace, summoning thoughts of cremation. Like all great horror, Hereditary is full of tiny details, foreshadowing, and hints that give it a sense of inevitability. It will benefit from multiple viewings.
That's if you have the constitution. Hereditary isn't a gratuitous slasher or gore fest, but it will test your mettle nevertheless. Its structure is unpredictable for a horror movie; every time you think the build-up will finally give way to all-out terror, the movie instead dips into another tense lull. There's no slow build to a chaotic final act, because it's all build, and it never lets up.
Hereditary can feel slow at times, but it always snaps you back to attention. At one point in my screening, the woman sitting next to me screamed, "Oh, god, no!!" at the top her lungs--and that was in the first act. When it's over, there's no catharsis. You won't gratefully let out a huge breath you didn't know you were holding. You'll still be holding it as you leave the theater.
The horror doesn't come from jump scares, of which there are very few. It's more the sense of reality coming undone--of forces beyond control manipulating the characters into acts of self-destruction. Hereditary isn't overly concerned with its own metaphors, but it does leave things open to interpretation.
Nuanced performances from the leads sell every moment of it. Wolff turns in a very different performance than in last year's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, while Milly Shapiro hides a lot of complexity behind her distinctive mask of a face. She plays a 13-year-old girl, but you're never quite sure how much she knows--whether she's in on the overarching plot, or simply another victim of it. Ann Dowd supports by doing what she does best--layering meaning and menace under things that sound benign on the surface, much as she does in The Handmaid's Tale. As the bereaved family matriarch, Collette plays out all possible versions of the story at once: Is this all really happening, or is it a grief-induced breakdown? Does she love her family, or hate them, or a little bit of both?
As the supernatural scares become more prominent, those questions get harder to answer. But it's a gradual shift. Afterward, you won't know quite how to process what you've just seen. But if you love great horror, you'll be dying to see it again.
In professional wrestling parlance, a "squash" is a blatantly lopsided match. Usually short in length and painful looking, a squash establishes the winner as an unbreakable monster. Often, a booker will place a title contender in multiple squash matches to demonstrate that he or she is a legitimate threat to the champion.
As for the loser of a squash match? His job is to look like a chump; the worse he looks, the better his opponent looks. And some wrestlers, like the Brooklyn Brawler, have made a career out of consistently losing and putting over their opponents.
Here are 7 of the most embarrassingly one-sided matches in WWE history. We're not including the matches where the loser showed some resilience and grit, like John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Summerslam 2014. We're also not including matches like Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus at Wrestlemania 28 or Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016; these should have been competitive, back-and-forth fights, but they ended in some flukey, auspicious manner.
The matches in this gallery are the humiliating ones--the matches that already looked horrible on paper--where the loser was reduced to a joke.
1. The Rock vs. Erick Rowan
The Rock was not advertised as an in-ring performer for Wrestlemania 32. But midway through his promo at the pay-per-view, the lights went out and the Wyatt Family stalked to the ring.
The Rock has a selfish tendency to verbally insult his opponents over things that are true. This is considered poor form in professional wrestling because a promo is supposed to promote a "must-see" match. If you make your opponent look like a fool, who's going to pay money to see him fight?
Instead of putting the Wyatt Family over as a trio of scary cult followers, Rock referred to Bray Wyatt, the "Eater of Worlds," as the "Eater of Hot Pockets," and he referred to Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman as "inbred Duck Dynasty b****es."
He then proceeded to Rock Bottom and pin Rowan in six seconds--a WrestleMania record. On his podcast, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin expressed his sympathy for Rowan, who was placed in a difficult situation that gained him nothing.
"It didn't do anything for The Rock," said Austin. "It certainly didn't do anything for Rowan, so what's the deal? I don't think the match needed to happen. It was not of consequence."
Bob Backlund was a beloved, decorated WWE Champion, whose prime lasted from the late-'70s to the mid-'80s. In the mid-'90s, Backlund returned to the active roster, this time as a deranged heel who would snap over perceived insults and assault people.
At Survivor Series1994, Backlund beat Bret Hart to win the WWE Championship after Bret's brother, Owen Hart, interfered in the match and guilted their mother to throw in the towel. But make no mistake; there was no way that Backlund, at his age and with his current gimmick, looked or acted like a dominant world champion. Three days later, he faced Diesel in a title match at WWE's spiritual home, Madison Square Garden.
Just look at the above photo. Is there any doubt of who would or should win this? Diesel kicked Backlund in the stomach, Jackknifed him, and pinned him to clinch the title. It only took eight seconds.
It was humiliating for Backlund, but the old veteran sold his beating like a professional. According to Diesel, he crawled up the aisle to the dressing room to demonstrate his pain. Diesel was very grateful for that.
3. Brock Lesnar vs. Zach Gowen
When Brock Lesnar debuted in 2002, WWE Creative booked him to be a monster, and he drew a ton of heat by destroying beloved, significantly smaller babyfaces like Jeff and Matt Hardy. But this match between Lesnar and Zach Gowen seemed extremely classless, even by early-'00s WWE standards. Not only was Gowen as skinny as a twig, but he only had one leg--the result of an amputation due to cancer.
The match, and its aftermath, was an awful bloody affair. Gowen actually won by disqualification, but that's a laughable outcome. Lesnar "broke" Gowen's leg, slammed him outside the ring, and even smacked him in the head with a steel chair, all while taunting Gowen's mother sitting by ringside.
The following week, just for good measure, Lesnar grabbed Gowen by his wheelchair and threw him down a flight of stairs.
4. Big Show vs. Jamie Noble
The running joke on the Big Show is that he's turned heel and face so many times, everyone has lost count. This particular squash of Jamie Noble was during one of Show's heel phases in 2008.
Jamie Noble, realizing he was hopelessly outmatched, delivered a kick to Big Show's testicles, disqualifying himself. But the beating continued; Big Show kept sinking in body blow after body blow until Noble was spitting blood onto the mat. The memorable part of the beatdown was the quiet crowd reaction; suddenly, it wasn't fun anymore.
Show would go on to have long, fruitful career. Noble would sustain a severe back injury in a match with Sheamus in 2009, which sent him into early retirement.
5. Sable vs. Marc Mero
Marc Mero was brought into WWE as a good guy, and his wife, Sable, accompanied him to the ring. This makes little sense; why would a good guy need a sexy valet? Traditional booking dictates that the sexy valet manages the heel; she can make the women jealous, and make the men envious of Mero. Still, WWE moved ahead with the idea, and pretty soon, Sable eclipsed Mero in popularity.
Eventually, Mero turned heel; he became a jealous man who wanted Sable to cover up. And in May 1998, Sable and Mero, a man who outweighed her by over 100 pounds, squared off against each other. Technically the bell never rang, even though the referee was officiating. But the segment ended with Sable power bombing Mero before leaving the ring. Mero, to his credit, was an incredible sport behind the scenes and had no problem letting his wife be the star.
6. ECW vs. Colin Delaney
This was a sick joke, spread out over the course of weeks. Colin Delaney was a pale wisp of a man, and when he debuted on WWE's ECW brand, he was matched up against a different monster every week or two. They would all pummel him into paste in mere minutes.
It was dark, but funny. Tazz would interview Delaney before each of these confrontations and show a highlight reel of the previous weeks' carnage. Every week, Delaney would look more and more injured; by the time he reached Morrison and Miz, he was covered and bandaged from head to toe with athletic tape.
Fortunately, Tommy Dreamer ran in to save Delaney from Morrison and Miz. It was with Dreamer that Delaney would finally win his first WWE match.
It was Wrestlemania XII, and Triple H, then known as a snotty blue blood named Hunter Hearst Helmsley, was booked to fight the Ultimate Warrior. Once seen as the heir apparent to Hulk Hogan, Warrior had been gone from the company for several years at that point, and WWE wanted to pick up right where they left off.
The entrances took longer than the match. Triple H's only attacks were at the very beginning of the engagement; he performed a Pedigree on Warrior, and Warrior completely no-sold it; he popped right back up and started pandering to the crowd. Warrior then performed all of his signatures, one after the other, before pinning Triple H by kneeling on his chest.
In the years afterward, Triple H didn't have many nice things to say about The Ultimate Warrior. "Probably one of the most unprofessional guys I've ever stepped into the ring with," Triple H said in an interview. But time heals all wounds; it was Triple H who pushed for the Ultimate Warrior to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, only days before he died.
When it comes to figuring out how successful a movie was with audiences, the box office returns are normally a pretty good thing to research. However, once upon a time, there was another way to figure out how big of an impact your film had.
During the 1980s and 1990s, a slew of movies were adapted into cartoons to further appeal to kids. After all, if your movie becomes a cartoon, you can make more toys to sell, and more toys equals more money. And while most of the animated series made perfect sense--of course Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures made a great cartoon--others were a bit questionable. The very idea of a Rambo cartoon is puzzling.
GameSpot dug back through cartoon history to dig up the best and craziest cartoons based on old movies for your viewing pleasure. How many of these did you watch? And what did we miss when it comes to your favorites? Sound off in the comments below!
1. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1995-2000)
You might not remember it, but Ace Ventura: Pet Detective ran for three seasons over five years. After two years on CBS, it took a nearly two-year break before jumping to Nickelodeon for its final 15 episodes. Surprisingly, there was also a computer game based on the cartoon--but not on the movie.
Image: Warner Bros. TV
2. The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991)
This is the gold standard of cartoons adapted from movies. The Real Ghostbusters--which also became Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters for a time--ran for seven seasons and turned the movies into an even more kid-friendly adventure. It also led to a massive toy line.
Image: Sony Pictures Television
3. Extreme Ghostbusters (1997)
This sequel to The Real Ghostbusters introduces a new crop of heroes, with Egon returning as the lone original. Taking advantage of the late-'90s obsession with the word "extreme," this new Ghostbusters was anything but. However, it was a fun, short-lived way to expand the Ghostbusters animated universe.
Image: Sony Pictures Television
4. Back to the Future (1991-1992)
While Back to the Future Part III was a pretty definitive end for the franchise, that didn't stop them from making a cartoon, following Marty, Doc, Doc's Family, and Einstein the dog. Naturally, Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox did not return to voice their characters, though the former did appear in live-action segments at the beginning and end of each episode. What may surprise you, though, is both Mary Steenburgen (Clara Clayton Brown) and Thomas F. Wilson (Biff Tannen) did reprise their roles for the animated series.
Image: NBCUniversal Television Distribution
5. Clerks: The Animated Series (2000)
This one is weird for a number of reasons. Based on the Kevin Smith movie, this was not a cartoon for children. It saw the return of practically the entire Clerks cast, plus the addition of Alec Baldwin as rich weirdo Leonardo Leonardo. It was also canceled after two episodes by ABC. However, six episodes were produced and eventually released on DVD.
Image: Buena Vista Television
6. Beetlejuice (1989-1991)
If you watch Tim Burton's Beetlejuice movie, which can be pretty graphic, it may be surprising that they turned it into a children's cartoon. That said, the animated Beetlejuice series ran for four seasons and even got its own line of toys. As you can probably guess, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder did not return to voice their characters.
Image: Warner Bros. TV
7. The Karate Kid (1989)
Instead of a fighting tournament, The Karate Kid sends Daniel LaRusso and Mr. Miyagi on an adventure around the world to find a magical shrine, with a new sidekick joining their quest. The cartoon is such an insane departure from the movies, that it should come as no surprise it only lasted a single season. Thank goodness for Cobra Kai.
Image: Sony Pictures Television
8. The Mummy: The Animated Series (2001-2003)
While based on Brendan Fraser's The Mummy movie, this cartoon centers on the 14-year-old son of the main characters, as their family is chased around the world by Imhotep.
Image: NBCUniversal Television Distribution
9. Dumb & Dumber (1995-1996)
Yet another Jim Carrey movie adapted into an animated series. It follows the film, continuing the adventures of Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas as they continued to be incredibly stupid. Now, though, they have the purple beaver as a sidekick. Why not?
Image: Warner Bros. TV
10. Jumanji (1996-1999)
Though based on the original movie, the Jumanji animated series has a lot in common with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In this cartoon, two kids are sucked into the game's jungle on each turn and have to solve clues to go back home. While there, they befriend Alan Parrish--played by Robin Williams in the movie--and explore the wild with him.
Image: Sony Pictures Television
11. Police Academy: The Animated Series (1988-1989)
This is another bizarre example. The original Police Academy film was rated R by the MPAA. The sequels that followed ranged from PG-13 to PG, but basing a cartoon for children on a Rated-R movie is a risky bet--though it's one that happened a few times in the '80s. It worked well enough to earn the series 65 episodes and an extensive line of toys, though. It should be noted that the Zed action figure dropped his pants, if you were wondering how classy these toys were.
Image: LBS Communications
12. RoboCop: The Animated Series (1988)
RoboCop is an incredibly graphic and vulgar film, filled with violence. Yet, somehow, it got two cartoons. The first only ran for 12 episodes, but its very existence is remarkable. Naturally, it wasn't as violent as the movie.
Image: MGM Television
13. RoboCop: Alpha Command (1998-1999)
The second RoboCop cartoon was far more successful, with a higher-quality animation style earning it 40 episodes before it was canceled.
Image: MGM Television
14. Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990-1991)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure lends itself perfectly to an animated series and this cartoon is a lot of fun. However, what's most notable about it is the cast. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter voiced their characters in the first season. The second season saw the duo replaced by two actors that were also going to star in a live-action adaptation that was canceled after seven episodes. The animated series was then dropped.
Image: MGM Television
15. The Mask Animated Series (1995-1997)
The last cartoon based on a Jim Carrey movie on this list but perhaps the craziest. This series crossed over with the Ace Ventura cartoon, creating some kind of shared Carrey universe. In the crossover, the green mask gets attached to Ace Ventura's butt. That is not a joke.
Warner Bros. TV
16. Men in Black
Though based on the Men in Black film, the animated series takes place in an alternate timeline where Agent K doesn't retire and have his memory wiped. He and Agent J are joined by Agent L, who was introduced at the end of the first movie, as they fought aliens invading the planet.
Image: Sony Pictures Television
17. Rambo: The Force of Freedom (1986)
As you've seen thus far, making cartoons out of adult movies was commonplace in the 1980s. However, even this is taking things to the extreme. First Blood and Rambo: First Blood Part II are intense and unsettling action movies about a Vietnam War veteran that goes on killing sprees. Yet somehow, they were adapted into an animated series that saw Rambo lead a team of heroes around the world to fight an evil organization known as S.A.V.A.G.E. And in case you're wondering what that's short for, it's Specialist-Administrators of Vengeance, Anarchy, and Global Extortion.
Image: StudioCanal
18. Godzilla: The Series (1998-2000)
If the world needed anything, it's a cartoon based on the 1998 Godzilla movie starring Matthew Broderick, right? In this animated series, the giant lizard teams with Broderick's character and a group of environmental crusaders (and a robot, of course) in a fight against other mutant monsters. Somehow it lasted two seasons.
Image: Sony Pictures Television
19. The Oz Kids (1996-1997)
What happens when The Wizard of Oz and Muppet Babies gets mashed up? The Oz Kids! In the series, Dorothy is a mom, and it's her two kids, along with Toto Jr., that go on adventures to Oz. Once there, they meet up with the kids of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and more. If you're wondering how the Scarecrow and Tin Man managed to have kids, you are not alone.
Image: Walt Disney Television
20. The Robonic Stooges (1977-1978)
Imagine a world where the Three Stooges are so popular that they get a cartoon set in the future, where they are bionic superheroes. It exists, and it's as crazy as it sounds. Unfortunately, by the time the show was in production, the original Stooges had died, leading to them being voiced by other actors.
Image: Warner Bros. TV
21. Street Fighter (1995-1997)
This peculiar adaptation is based on a mix of the arcade game and the live-action movie. In it, Col. William F. Guile leads his team of Street Fighters around the world as they work undercover to defeat M. Bison and his criminal empire the only way they know how--through martial arts.
Image: Discotek Media
22. Alienators: Evolution Continues (2001-2002)
Evolution, starring David Duchovny, Seann William Scott, and Julianne Moore, was not a box office hit or a critical darling. And yet, somehow, it was turned into a cartoon. Of course, with a name like, Alienators: Evolution Continues, the animated series wasn't very obvious about its status as a sequel to the film. However, in the United Kingdom, it was known as Evolution: The Animated Series.
It was a rough year to be a TV fan. The 2017-2018 TV season left the streets littered with the bodies of characters you both loved and hated. Whether it was iconic villains that finally put up their final fight or the heroes viewers have been cheering on for years, seemingly nobody was safe.
In the end, though, these are the stories that get told on TV. Not everyone makes it out alive in most action and drama series. If the stakes aren't real, it's a lot harder to get invested in the journey. GameSpot went back through the year in TV to pick out what we believe are the 30 biggest TV deaths this season. Some made us cry, other made us cheer. And yet, there were also some that simply left us scratching our heads.
Come along as we look back on a year of TV and say goodbye to the characters that have taken their final bow--at least for now. After all, there are some shows that kill people all the time, only to find ways to resurrect them later.
1. Quentin Lance (Arrow)
It came as little surprise that Paul Blackthorne was leaving the show, once it was announced he had a new series this fall. Still, the death of Quentin Lance was a rough one on Arrow. After being on the series from the beginning, the former police officer that worked his way up to the mayor's office was an integral piece of the show when he was gunned down by Ricardo Diaz in the Season 6 finale.
Image: The CW
2. Jerome (Gotham)
For four years, Gotham has led fans to believe that Jerome, the murderous psychotic circus castoff was becoming the FOX show's version of the Joker. As Season 4 came to an end, though, the truth was revealed in Jerome's death. He was about as Joker as you could get until his unhinged twin brother Jeremiah came into the picture. With Jerome now dead, Jeremiah is primed to rule Gotham.
Image: FOX
3. Butch (Gotham)
Butch has been a constant on Gotham since the very beginning. He was muscle for Fish Mooney, an enforcer for Penguin, anything Tabitha Galavan wanted, and, eventually, Solomon Grundy. That's what makes his death in the Season 4 finale so difficult. While Penguin's justification for killing him--retaliation against Tabitha for killing his mother seasons earlier--made sense, seeing Gotham's favorite thug take his final bow was difficult. Then again, this is Gotham and he could always somehow rise from the dead… Again.
Image: FOX
4. David (Scandal)
A show like Scandal couldn't end without at least one major death, right? That poor target was David Rosen. Long seen on the show as one of the few people in Washington, D.C. that weren't corrupt, it makes sense that one of the most evil--Vice President Cyrus Beene--poisons and kills him in one of his final acts on the show.
Image: ABC
5. Rip Hunter (Legends of Tomorrow)
Rip Hunter's role on Legends of Tomorrow has been confusing, at best, since Season 1. Though he initially led the team of misfits, he was technically a villain in the show's second year, before heading up a rival time traveling team in Season 3. Still, even though he never had any real stability as a character, it was always nice seeing him. Thankfully, Legends is a show that constantly alters its own timeline, so it's not impossible for him to show back up someday.
Image: The CW
6. Damien Darhk (Legends of Tomorrow)
Once again, Arrow-verse fans think they've seen the last of Damien Darhk. The villain made lives miserable and killed Laurel Lance during Season 4 of Arrow, before his own death. Time travel brought him back to the present on Legends of Tomorrow, though, where he became a primary antagonist for the team during Seasons 2 and 3. However, now he's dead again and presumably for good. Truth be told, you can only put this universe of heroes against the same bad guy for so long before it gets boring. So while his death is major, it's also somewhat welcome. You had a good run, Damien.
Image: The CW
7. Simon (The Walking Dead)
One of Negan's most trusted associates was anything but. When Simon realized he had a chance to steal his boss's crown and run the Sanctuary, he took it, without looking back. Unfortunately for Simon, Negan is a cockroach that will never die. So when the boss made a comeback, Simon's days were numbered. He attempted a coup, failed, and paid for it with his life. In the end, he became nothing more than a walker strapped to the gates of the Sanctuary.
Image: AMC
8. Carl (The Walking Dead)
It's the latest in a long line of deaths that did not sit well with fans of The Walking Dead. Losing Carl completely changes the DNA of The Walking Dead, as the show continues to veer away from the comics it's based on. Now, with Andrew Lincoln leaving next season, it seems like an even worse idea. Carl would have carried on in Rick's place.
Image: AMC
9. Nick (Fear the Walking Dead)
Losing Nick meant losing a lot of what makes Fear the Walking Dead special. As one of a few remaining original characters, he was the imperfect warrior constantly struggling to make a better life for those he loved. He survived drug addiction, several instances of near-death, and somehow found love in the apocalypse. And still, in the brutal world this show and The Walking Dead are set in, nothing is permanent. He was gunned down by a scared child, bringing his character to a shocking conclusion.
Image: AMC
10. Chase Graves (iZombie)
Will viewers miss Chase Graves? Not likely, as he was a real jerk. The head of the zombie-controlled corporated Fillmore Graves wanted a zombie apocalypse that played by his rules paid for it with his life. Of course, his rules were barbaric, and he fell victim to his own head-smashing guillotine, so it's rather poetic.
Image: The CW
11. Astrid (Vikings)
The fight between Ivar's and Lagertha's forces saw many deaths in the Vikings mid-season finale. None hurt as much, though, as Astrid at the hands of the woman she loved. Astrid begged Lagertha to kill her so she would not give birth to Harald's child, marking the end of the love affair between the two shield-maidens.
Image: History
12. Halfdan the Black (Vikings)
As with Astrid's death, Halfdan's demise was rather emotional. He and his brother Harald found themselves on different sides of the Kattegat civil war, during which Harald killed his sibling by cutting him down with a sword. There was no ill will between the two, however, as Harald promised to see his brother in Valhalla.
Image: History
13. Jack (This is Us)
Jack dying was never really a secret on This is Us. Fans knew it was coming for two seasons, but were never sure of how it happened. That question drove a number of conspiracy theories about the series. In the end, it was faulty wiring in a Crock-Pot sparking a deadly fire that took Jack's life.
Image: NBC
Tom (The Blacklist)
He survived a failed spin-off, but Tom Keen was still unable to make it out of Season 5 of The Blacklist alive. He was stabbed and strangled trying to keep Liz alive, and when she awoke from her coma ten months later to learn that, it was one of the show's most heartbreaking moments.
Image: NBC
15. Skinner (The X-Files)
As with most things on The X-Files, the death of Walter Skinner is confusing and possibly not real. During the Season 11 season finale, Skinner is run over by a car driven by the nefarious Cigarette Smoking Man, who leaves him for dead. While he could potentially survive in a future season of the show, star Gillian Anderson's public stance that she's done with the series leaves more X-Files in doubt. At this point, it might be safe to say Skinner is likely dead and buried.
Image: FOX
16. Cigarette Smoking Man (The X-Files)
Another murky death during the most recent X-Files season. In a fit of rage, Mulder shot CSM multiple times, seemingly killing him, before kicking him into a lake. It's as final a moment as the character has ever gotten. That said, it's not like this nefarious monster hasn't been killed on the show before.
Image: Fox
17. Monica Reyes (The X-Files)
As CSM sped toward Skinner, with Agent Reyes trying to stop him, the former FBI agent fired off several shots at the car, one of them fatally wounding Reyes.
Image: FOX
18. Midge (Riverdale)
It wouldn't be Riverdale is somebody wasn't being killed. That said, it's hard to believe the show murdered Midge in such a public and graphic way--especially given how prominent a character Midge is in Archie Comics. That image of her stabbed to death on the stage of Riverdale's high school musical is one that's not going away anytime soon.
Image: The CW
19. Lucifer (Supernatural)
How do you kill the devil? Well, on Supernatural all it takes is Dean Winchester. After Lucifer escaped to the real world in the Season 13--yes, 13--finale, he came to blows with the Winchesters, and it was Dean who finally put him down once and for all.
Image: The CW
20. Leo Fitz (Marvel's Agents of SHIELD)
Agents of SHIELD can be a very tough show to follow. In its fifth season, Fitz and Simmons were finally married--sort of. In truth, the Fitz that married Simmons was actually from the future. He stuck around and, by the end of the season, was killed when a building caved in on him. Of course, given that this if future Fitz, the modern day version is still floating out in space somewhere waiting to wake up. Unfortunately, that version of the character has no idea he's married, which could make for an awkward Season 6.
Dead or Alive 6 is on its way. An announcement trailer dropped on the eve of E3 2018, showing off a few of the fighters, arenas, and new combos that will be included. The game is coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC in early 2019. Dead or Alive 6 will be the first in the franchise to release exclusively on current generation hardware, and it shows.
The Dead or Alive franchise has always boasted impressive graphics, but Dead or Alive 6 appears to feature the most realistic visuals yet. The trailer for the game, which debuted on IGN, shows off how characters make different facial expressions in response to attacking, defending, dodging, or being hit. A more haggard look and bloody wounds appear on fighters who suffer a nasty combo, and delivering a flurry of blows will leave a combatant covered in sweat.
Visuals aren't the only aspect that's getting a makeover. Although Dead or Alive 6 features the same system of complex combat that appeals to fighting game veterans, it introduces two new mechanics to aid beginner players: Fatal Rush and Break Gauge. These new special combos let players pull off devastating attacks with very little practice. Mastering the perfect timing for these attacks will still prove challenging though, providing an extra incentive for more advanced players to learn the ins and outs of these new moves.
So far, only Kasumi, Hayate, Hayabusa, Helena, Jann Lee, and Zack have been confirmed for Dead or Alive 6. However, according to director and producer Yohei Shimbori, more familiar faces are on the way, as well as some brand new fighters that players haven't seen before.
The lineup of speakers for the E3 Coliseum event at E3 2018 has been revealed, and it contains some really big names. People speaking or presenting at the three-day event include Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima, The Last of Us: Part II director Neil Druckmann, Xbox boss Phil Spencer, Bethesda executive Todd Howard, Fortnite lead Donald Mustard, and EA Star Wars creative director Amy Hennig.
You can see the full descriptions for each panel here on the Coliseum website; a schedule for all three days can be seen below. One of the most high-profile panels is "The Making of Fallout 76," which will see Howard discuss the development of Bethesda's much-anticipated upcoming game. Additionally, Howard will answer questions from the audience. This takes place at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET on Tuesday, June 12.
Outside of gaming, the big-name guests include Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky, actor Jack Black (who will inevitably say he wants to work on another Brutal Legend), Avengers: Infinity War co-director Joe Russo, Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood. Kojima and Vogt-Roberts will appear on a panel together to presumably discuss the new Metal Gear Solid movie, which Vogt-Roberts is directing.
All E3 ticket-holders can get in to the talks and presentations on a first-come, first-served basis. The event is held at The Novo in LA Live, which is right next door to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Coliseum runs June 12-14, and it is produced in partnership with E3 organizer the ESA.
The majority of the panels will be streamed on Twitch, Mixer, Twitter, and YouTube. GameSpot will have a lot of exclusive programming as well on our own stages, so keep checking back for lots more on E3 2018 in the days ahead.
E3 Coliseum 2018 Schedule
all times PT
Tuesday, June 12
10 AM - 11 AM -- Revenge of the NPC: Video Games' Influence on Westworld
11 AM - 11:45 AM -- The Last of Us Part II
11:45 AM - 12:15 PM -- Rage 2
12:15 PM - 12:45 PM -- Interactive Magic with Penn Jillette and Randy Pitchford
1 PM - 1:30 PM -- The Music of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
1:30 PM - 2 PM -- Jason and Ted: Back to the Future of Gaming
Even though Sony's PS4 conference might be towards the end of the tidal wave of news from E3, there's still quite a lot to expect from this year's press briefing. Sony's conference is focusing around four different titles, but there's still sure to be some surprises along the way.
If you can't catch the livestream, which we're hosting here on GameSpot, you can catch all the updates as they happen in our liveblog on this page. We'll give you all the news and updates you need to know about, from the smaller announcements, to the big ones too, and talk everything Sony.
Sony's conference will begin Monday, June 11 at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET (2 AM BST / 11 AM on June 12), so make sure to come back then to follow along as we liveblog and catch all the biggest reveals. When the show wraps up, we'll have a roundup of all the biggest headlines so you can catch up with all the news in one place.
For now, check out our hopes for the games we expect to see more of at this year's show.
The wave of E3 2018 briefings kick off Saturday with EA's big show in Hollywood. Called EA Play, the show is expected to bring big news on EA's biggest upcoming games like Battlefield V and Anthem, as well as the suite of EA Sports titles. Of course, we're also expecting surprise game reveals.
If you can't watch the livestream, which we're hosting here on GameSpot, you can follow along with all the news in our liveblog here on this page. We'll be giving you a blow-by-blow rundown of all the big announcements and everything else that EA shows off and talks about.
EA Play kicks off at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET on Saturday, June 9. So come back then to follow along with our liveblog and get all the big news about EA. After the show wraps up, we'll have a roundup of the big news stories so you can catch up with everything all in one place.
For now, you can check out GameSpot's breakdown of two of EA's biggest upcoming games: Battlefield 5 and Anthem.
E3 2018 is almost upon us, and with it comes a wide array of press briefings. This year a new publisher is entering the mix, as Square Enix has announced its very own presentation to highlight its upcoming library. Among those are franchise heavy hitters like Kingdom Hearts 3 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
We're hosting the livestream of the event here on GameSpot, but if you can't watch it for yourself, you can follow this liveblog instead. We'll make sure you're kept up-to-the-minute on all the big reveals and announcements, along with anything else Square Enix talks about.
Square Enix's presentation starts on Monday, June 11 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Come right back here at that time to follow along with our liveblog to get all the latest news from Square Enix. Once the show is finished, we'll also be rounding up all the news stories in one place for your reading convenience. Check out the full conference schedule to plan out when to check in for our other livestreams and liveblogs.
While we patiently wait, check out all we know about some of Square's biggest games.
Bethesda's E3 2018 briefing kicks off on Sunday, marking the third such presentation in a weekend chock full of them. We know that Rage 2 and Fallout 76 are on the docket. Both were announced just weeks before E3 and so far have been kept largely mysterious. Bethesda has promised its biggest showcase ever, though, so we expect to see more surprises in store.
We're hosting the livestream on GameSpot, but if you can't watch that you can follow along with all the news here on our liveblog. We'll keep you posted on all the big announcements and trailers as they're happening.
The Bethesda showcase starts at 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET on Sunday, June 10. Stop by then to follow along with the liveblog. If you miss out, we'll have a roundup summarizing all the announcements in one place to catch you up.
Until then, take a look at GameSpot's breakdowns of the two games we know for certain will be there: Rage 2 and Fallout 76.
Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference takes place on Sunday, June 11, and if you can't watch the livestream or prefer news via text, we'll have a liveblog for you to follow along with. Come back to this page on Sunday to see a blow-by-blow breakdown of all the big news and reveals.
The Microsoft E3 2018 briefing begins at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. We don't know how long it'll run for, but it's likely to be between 1-2 hours. Microsoft is trailing Sony when it comes to hardware sales and mindshare, so it will be interesting to see what surprises the company may have up its sleeve.
Microsoft has said it has a lot in store for E3 2018, but we don't know what to expect from the event itself. The Forza series rotates between Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon, so 2018 would be a Horizon year if that schedule continues. There are also rumours of a Xbox game-streaming service, while Halo fans are hoping to hear about what's next for Master Chief's journey. It wouldn't be an E3 press conference if there weren't surprises, too.
After the Xbox briefing wraps up, fans can visit the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles to play upcoming Xbox games. Microsoft will also have a presence at the Los Angeles Convention Center itself, but this will be primarily focused on Mixer.
GameSpot will be seeing and playing the upcoming Xbox games, and we'll report back with written and video news updates and previews as the show goes on.
Microsoft's press conferences follows EA's on Saturday. Later on Sunday, Bethesda will host its own show starting at 6:30 PM PT / 9:30 PM ET. Ubisoft and Sony follow on Monday, and then Nintendo on Tuesday. Here is the full E3 2018 press conference schedule.
The E3 show floor is open June 12-14. Keep checking back in the days ahead for lots more on E3 2018.
Ubisoft's E3 2018 press conference takes place on Monday, June 11. It will be held at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, and we'll bring you a livestream so you can watch the entire event. If you can't watch or prefer to get updates in text form, we are also liveblogging the show right here.
The event kicks off on Monday at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST / (6 AM AEST June 12), so come back then to this page to see our blow-by-blow coverage of the event.
Ubisoft's E3 2018 briefing will bring news on The Division 2, Beyond Good and Evil 2 and Transference, and we'll have another glimpse at the toys-to-life game Starlink: Battle for Atlas. Skull & Bones will make an appearance too, even though the pirate sim game has been delayed. We are also expecting some surprises; potentially a new Splinter Cell. Ubisoft is also working on an Avatar game with James Cameron, so we might see some of that at E3.
Ubisoft's conference takes place the Monday before the show floor opens, but it's far from the only event planned. The week is jam-packed with presentations from the likes of EA, Microsoft, Sony, Bethesda, Square Enix, Nintendo, and more. Be sure to check out our full E3 2018 schedule to keep track and plan your watching.
By Anonymous on Jun 08, 2018 11:03 pm E3 2018 is just around the corner, but an ad for Just Cause 4 has already appeared on Steam, shortly before getting removed.
Hitman 2 is official; publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment revealed the game during a pre-E3 stream on its site. We've learned a few details about the game. It will be a direct sequel to Hitman, but unlike the previous title, which featured regular updates to its story via live content, Hitman 2's story will be revealed all at once on the day of launch (though there will still be some additional DLC, like new locations, released over time). Check out the reveal trailer below.
Hitman 2 will feature "hyper-detailed sandboxes full of living, breathing environments." During the reveal stream, its developers hinted that interacting with environments and objects would play a bigger role and "everything in the environment can be deadly." It features multiple international locations, but it will highlight Miami and an in-progress motorsport race that form a key part of the game's story.
For the first time, this Hitman game will be a direct follow up to the previous one. The story will delve deeper into Agent 47's past, and get closer to Agent 47 and Diana's story than before. You embark on a mission to hunt the Shadow Client and unravel his militia for good, but after revelations about Agent 47, "nothing will ever be the same."
Hitman 2 will also bring co-op to the game. Sniper Assassin mode allows you to jump into the Hitman series with another player and work together to take down targets. The mode can also be played by a single player and is available now for those who pre-order the standard, Silver, Gold, or Collector's editions of Hitman 2. Get a look at Sniper Assassin mode in action in the video below.
The game releases on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 13 (Gold and Collector's editions get you into the game on November 9). Standard, Silver, and Gold editions of the game are available for pre-order now, with the Collection's Edition coming soon. For more of the latest news and updates, follow GameSpot's full E3 2018 coverage.
The Joker is the most famous supervillain in the world. His popularity and ubiquity have netted him a spot in pop culture canon that will never be stripped away, putting him firmly in the upper echelons with characters like Darth Vader and Jason Voorhees. You can distill him down to his most basic components: purple outfit, green hair, and giant, terrifying grin, and he'll still be recognized, even by a person who's never picked up a comic or sat down to watch a movie like The Dark Knight.
It's that status that made the announcement of a Joker solo movie pretty much inevitable. He's just too famous to not get the feature film treatment in this day and age--even though he really, really doesn't need it.
The thing that makes The Joker as popular as he is today is also the problem: He's a prism more than he is a character. His single most defining trait is his ability to transform into whatever Batman isn't, based on whatever the story may need--a nice little skill that makes him endlessly and impossibly elastic for both the needs of the narrative and, perhaps more importantly, the needs of his fans. No one's interpretation of The Joker is ever wrong, because no one's interpretation of The Joker is ever completely right.
That elasticity means that, as far as supporting characters are concerned, he's the total package. No matter how specialized and expansive Batman's rogues gallery becomes, the Joker is always going to be a step ahead of the rest just by virtue of his ability to fill any gaps in any lineup. But isolated by a spotlight? Things start to crumble fast. A prism without anything to refract is just another chunk of glass.
In a solo context, is the Joker a murderer with a fixation on clowns? Is he just another petty thief in Gotham City? A mob boss? An asylum escapee turned serial killer? A sociopathic but ultimately comical ne'er-do-well? Who knows? He's certainly been all of those things and then some across the last 60-some-odd years. And what about his origin story? Is he a two bit crook who suffered a chemical accident in a run in with Batman? A regular guy who snapped? A cosmic wraith who represents the greater force of entropy in the universe? No one can really say for sure. In many ways, he's all of those things--he specifically needs to be all of those things, because that's what keeps his clown car running.
The Joker isn't a character whose presence in a story demands answers to these questions. That's not what keeps him going. Instead, he thrives on prompting more questions. That's what makes him such perfect support for other characters' stories--while Batman will always represent concrete black-and-white and the absolute idealism of his vigilante code, the Joker will always represent the lack thereof. But stripped of that context and put under a microscope all his own, he becomes shapeless and void.
Of course, there's also the matter of the cliches at hand. Fans love to critique Batman movies for their endless repetition, gunshots and pearls hitting the ground in Crime Alley, but next to the origin story, the looming thread of the Joker has never not been present. From Romero to Ledger, live action Jokers have smeared their grease paint stained hands across Batman media for decades, with Leto's tattooed and "modern" interpretation just the latest entry in the pantheon.
We may have yet to get a full movie with a Joker who wears silver teeth and has the word "damaged" literally stamped on his forehead, but we already know who he is, the same way we've always known who he is. We've reached the point where the endless permutations of this endlessly permutatable character have started to deliver diminishing returns. Unlike Batman, who sustains repetition by consistency, The Joker keeps momentum by having none--he can't be observed for too long in any one state or he starts to overstay his welcome and lose his mystique.
Even a 90-minute popcorn crunching romp would just be too long to risk; it would require too many answers be given to unanswerable rhetoricals, would ask for too many mysteries to be solved, and would see too much close inspection of a character whose heart beats in the margins and on the periphery. Like trying to look at a bug under a magnifying glass and accidentally lighting it on fire, a Joker solo film will likely go down in superhero movie history as gratuitous at best and a nail in the coffin of a struggling film franchise at worst.
There are certainly ways to sneak past the complications of a Joker oriented outing that don't explicitly put him in focus--source material inspiration like Joker by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo that, essentially, show The Joker's presence in the city by way of his effect on bystanders. Ultimately pulling Batman into the mix might also be a good way to go. Peppering in elements from other Gotham-based stories like Gotham Central, which can zoom in on members of the GCPD, might also be a potential solution and a way to create a movie that Joker centric in name only.
Though maybe a nice catastrophic burial is the only way the Clown Prince of Crime will ever be allowed to rest away from movie theatres and reboots for the next couple decades--and in that case? Let's just get this over with.
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E3 2018 is just around the corner, but an ad for Just Cause 4 has already appeared on Steam, shortly before getting removed.
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