Articles by Emily Garbutt

Technology

Director of cult horror hit Prevenge is turning one of Shakespeare's most famous comedies into a scary movie: "I don’t see why it couldn’t be revisited with how terrifying and odd everything happens in it"

Alice Lowe, the director of cult horror hit Prevenge, is turning her sights to an Elizabethan classic for her next project: she's adapting William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream into a horror movie. "I wanted to make a classic and it struck me that Midsummer Night’s Dream, which I know so well, is always made in the same way over and over," Lowe told Deadline. "It’s so genuinely funny. But also fey and fairies and blah blah blah. But I don’t see why it couldn’t be revisited with how terrifying and odd everything happens in it, and how the undercurrents are actually so dark and strange." Per Deadline, Lowe will write, direct, and have a key (but not lead) role in the film. She also starred in her previous two outings as writer-director: the 2016 slasher comedy Prevenge, about a pregnant widow who's convinced her fetus wants her to go on vengeful killing spree, and the 2024 time-travelling rom-com Timestalker. Shakespeare's original play follows several interlinking plots, including the marriage of the Duke of Athens to the Queen of the Amazons, a complicated love quadrangle between four lovers, and a group of actors rehearsing for a play. These three groups all end up in a forest inhabited by fairies, who wish to manipulate the humans for their own amusement. The play has been adapted for the big screen many times, most famously in 1999. This version starred Christian Bale, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Stanley Tucci. Lowe's take on A Midsummer Night's Dream doesn't have a release date yet. While we wait for more updates, check out our guide to the best upcoming horror movies still to come in 2025.

Technology

Stranger Things showrunner says the Netflix finale's theatrical release is something he's "dreamed about for years", but only recommends going if "you don't mind crying in front of strangers"

Stranger Things co-showrunner Ross Duffer is encouraging fans to go see the season 5 finale in theaters – but only if they're OK with crying in front of strangers. "The finale. Theaters. New Year’s Eve," Duffer wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of the drawing Lucas and Max used to ask each other on a date in season 4 (you can check it out below). "This is something my brother and I have dreamed about for years. If you don’t mind crying in front of strangers, GO. And if you’re in LA… maybe we’ll see you there." Matt Duffer previously revealed that the series finale is "around two hours," but, despite being feature-length, it didn't look like the episode was going to get a theatrical release. "A lot of people – a lot, a lot, a lot of people – have watched Stranger Things on Netflix," the streamer's chief content officer said earlier this month. "It has not suffered from lack of conversation or community or sharing or fandom. I think releasing it on Netflix is giving the fans what they want." Luckily – for the Duffer brothers and fans alike – Netflix seems to have walked back that decision and the show's final ever episode will be hitting screens in AMC theaters and other chains in the US. Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, Winona Ryder, and David Harbour are all returning for Stranger Things' final season, alongside some new additions, including Terminator star Linda Hamilton. Stranger Things season 5 arrives on Netflix in three parts on November 26, December 25, and December 31. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the other best shows on Netflix.