Eerie, Indiana themed shoes in pink

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Can you spot all the Eerie references?

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Dash X fanart by GrantedPlaneArt

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I really like the red glow surrounding him. I don't know why, it just kinda fits to me.

Z Nation Season 4 trailer:

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Per SyFy.com:

SYFY’s bonkers zombie series Z Nation is returning for a hotly anticipated fourth season on Friday and the first trailer has finally made its way online. Prepare for a “New 'do. New life. Bigger Balls.”

Season 4 looks to bring back the series’ trademark humor in spades (Zombie Ball!) as it kicks off with a twisty time jump. The 13-episode fourth season sees Murphy (Allan) and Warren (Smith) alive and kicking in Zona, the “zombie-free playground for billionaires,” while the rest of the gang are facing off against the mutated Z Virus and the unkillable “MAD-Z’s.”

Produced by The Asylum, Z Nation hails from co-creators Craig Engler and Karl Schaefer (who also serves as showrunner) and stars Kellita Smith, Keith Allan, DJ Qualls, Anastasia Baranova, Russell Hodgkinson, Nat Zang, Joseph Gatt, Emilio Rivera, and Matt Cedeño.

Propelling Season 4 forward is Warren’s fiery dream of a “black rainbow and flesh-eating black rain” that looks to make the old Zompocalypse feel like a cakewalk. The gang will also be facing off with Jugalo zombies and searching for the zombified President of the United States. Now, doesn’t all this sound like sweet, Z Nation music to your ears?

1428Elm on Bruce Dern

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Bruce Dern comes from an atypical Chicago family. With his pedigree, it is interesting that he chose a career in the arts. According to IMDB, his paternal grandfather served as the US Secretary of War from 1933-1936.

Ivy league educated, Dern went to the Choate School. After graduation, he entered the University of Pennsylvania as a journalism major. However, a career as a newspaper scribe was not meant to be because he dropped out to pursue a career in acting.

Part of a group of insanely talented thespians, Jack Nicholson and Karen Black to name a few, Dern honed his craft acting as the villain in a slew of B movies during the 60s. He is known for portraying more psychopaths than Anthony Perkins. Now, that is impressive.

Although being a working actor for many years, 2013 saw him being rediscovered by director Alexander Payne. That inspired bit of casting resulted in an Oscar nod and countless award nominations for his turn as Woody Grant in Nebraska.

With a resume as vast and varied as Dern’s it comes as no surprise that he has ventured into the land of horror. So, as it is customary here on the ledge, we take a look at some of his efforts in the genre starting with The Incredible 2 Headed Transplant.

The Incredible 2 Headed Transplant (1971)

It doesn’t get more B movie than this title. Bruce plays Dr. Roger Girard, a scientist who is working on transplanting heads. Of course, an accident occurs and he gets to bring his experiments to fruition with wait for it……disastrous results.

This movie also starred Pat Priest of The Munsters fame and Casey Kasem the golden voice of the iconic American Top 40 radio program. It is also written by James Gordon White who did the Ray Milland and Rosey Grier classic, The Thing with Two Heads.

The Burbs (1989)

A bizarre comedic thriller directed by Spielberg disciple, Joe Dante and starring Tom Hanks, The Burbs has become somewhat of a cult classic. The plot revolves around the residents of Hinkley Hills and their belief that their new neighbors, the Klopeks are murderers.

Dern plays veteran Lt. Mark Rumsfield. The action starts when Bonnie Rumsfield finds a lost dog in the neighborhood that turns out to belong to an elderly neighbor. Knowing that the neighbor wouldn’t deliberately let his dog run amok, Ray (Tom Hanks), Rumsfield and Ricky Butler played by horror veteran, Corey Feldman go to his house to investigate.

To me, this entire movie seemed like a comedic cousin to the great Twilight Zone episode, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. Neighbors turning against one another and suspecting the worst makes for a potent mix of one-part Hitchcockian thriller and one-part farce.

His performance is spot on and he proves himself quite adept at bringing the laughter. This is something that he is not readily known for since he is usually cast as a psychopath or other type of “heavy.”

Swamp Devil (2008)

A Canadian horror film, this little gem is directed by David Winning and it is part of the Maneater series. Bruce plays Howard Blaime, the former sheriff of a town called Gibbington. Unfortunately, some grisly murders have taken place and the likely suspect is him.

His daughter returns home to do some amateur sleuthing to prove her father’s innocence. With the help of her boyfriend, they dig deep to discover something may be lurking in their hometown. There is an interesting scene dealing with vines that is eerily reminiscent of Evil Dead.

Dern, of course, is perfectly cast and lends his considerable talents to this funky little creature feature. While this may not be the best film ever, it is still worthy of consideration for the horror list.

The Hole (2009)

Another Joe Dante effort, this film is shot in 3-D. Bruce Dern plays the character of Creepy Karl in this little chiller. Two brothers unite in their efforts to find out why an enigmatic hole in their basement is a portal to your worst apprehensions and nightmares.

In this role, Dern clearly shines as the weirdo who used to own the house where the brothers reside. Akin to Walt Gorney in Friday the 13th, he functions as the harbinger who warns the kids not to mess around with the evil inside that hole.

Bruce is at his best when he can let his inner crazy shine. He is always a pleasure to watch on screen and imbues his roles with such conviction that you believe he might be half a bubble off plumb in real life.

Tool Box Murders 2 or Coffin Baby (2013)

Dern stars as Vance Henrickson in the sequel to the 2004 movie, The Tool Box Murders. The story is about a young woman who is kidnapped and then forced to watch the torture and murder of several people. There is even a scene depicting cannibalism.

Not for the faint hearted but for fans of gruesome horror, this is the type of film that sticks with you. Although Dern has a cameo, he makes it memorable. Which just goes to show you that there are no small parts.

Bruce Dern is truly a versatile character actor and one of the best that Hollywood has ever produced. At eighty-one years of age, he is still working consistently and keeping busy. Hopefully, we will continue to be graced with his unique screen presence for many years to come.

Mick Garris, Joe Dante, David Slade and more set for horror anthology Nightmare Cinema

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Deadline is reporting that Cinelou Films and Good Deed Entertainment have enlisted genre filmmakers Mick Garris, Joe Dante, David Slade, Ryuhei Kitamura and Alejandro Brugues for the horror anthology Nightmare Cinema.

The feature will follow a “series of down-on-their-luck individuals who enter the decrepit and spine-chilling Rialto theater, only to have their deepest and darkest fears brought to life on the silver screen by The Projectionist (played by Mickey Rourke) – a mysterious, ghostly figure who holds the nightmarish futures of all who attend his screenings. By the time our patrons realize the truth, escape is no longer an option.”

“I love being able to bring together visionaries of horror cinema from all around the world with their personal perspectives about what scares you,” said Garris, who is producing with Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton and Joe Russo. “This is a project I’ve been working on for some time and I couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with Cinelou and Good Deed to share with everyone.”

“We’re excited about Nightmare Cinema,” added Canton. “When Mick Garris brought us the opportunity to collaborate with a group like this, it was easy to get behind. Horror has become an industry strength again. When you look around at recent successes of films like It or Get Out, it’s obvious there’s a hungry audience out there that can’t be ignored.”

In addition to the feature, it’s also said that a TV series is in development, which would be in the vein of classic anthology shows such as The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt.

Gremlins 3?

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For years now, we've been hearing word of a possible reboot of the Gremlins franchise, but Warner Bros. just can't seem to crack that particular nut. Or they just don't feel properly motivated to make the movie happen because plenty of filmmakers have pitched their ideas for Gremlins 3. One such filmmaker is Max Landis (Chronicle), (American Ultra) who actually has an awesome idea for a found footage version of Gremlins.

The prolific and outspoken screenwriter appeared last year on the Talkhouse podcast. Per Bloody Disgusting, somehow, Max Landis' pitch went largely unnoticed but it is really worth a look for those who want to see Gremlins 3 happen. The best part? He's actually pitching the idea to Gremlins director Joe Dante. The basic premise is that a kid gets a pair of Mogwai for Christmas one year. One nice and the other not quite as nice. As is usually the case with Mogwai, things start out on a pleasant note.

"If you got a Gremlin for Christmas, you would be filming it all the time...For the first act of the movie it's like a cute, animal YouTube thing."

Max Landis does have a pretty solid reason for making Gremlins 3 as a found footage movie. What kid wouldn't be filming every second of the cute creatures? If you had Gizmo, wouldn't you? As one would expect, eventually, the Mogwai wind up getting wet, which leads to some chaos. What would a Gremlins movie be without a bunch of scary creatures running around wreaking havoc?

"The second act is, you know, eat after midnight, there's way more of them, is like a disaster movie, except for very funny and wacky as the Gremlins begin to be everywhere...the town spins out of control."

In his pitch, Max Landis clarifies that there would be references to Gremlins and Gremlins 2, as the kid would be researching the creatures online and discover some of the events from the first two movies. So this would take place in the same universe as the first two movies and not be a full-on reboot. As for the third act? His idea is pretty perfect.

"In the third act of the movie, the Gremlins get the camera."

Once the Gremlins get the camera, things go extra crazy and the perspective totally changes. Max Landis lays it all out very well in the video and it sounds like a total blast. So where does Gremlins 3 stand right now? Last we heard, original writer Chris Columbus has written a very dark script for the movie which he hopes will get made, but don't hold your breath. In the video, Max Landis says that when he pitched the idea, Warner Bros. indicated they had no plans on rebooting Gremlins anytime soon. For now, you can check out his full found footage pitch for Gremlins 3 for yourself below.

Joe Dante's the Howling comes to BluRay in the UK

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Ask any devout horror fanatic to name a werewolf movie off the top of their head, and they’ll probably tell you An American Werewolf in London. Ask them for another, and The Howling won’t be far behind.

Finally, after all these years, Joe Dante’s seminal snout-stretching classic (that spawned a litany of awful sequels) is getting the high definition treatment in the UK! Courtesy of StudioCanal, the film arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Download on October 9, sporting over an hour of new special features. You can pre-order it now from Amazon UK.

To celebrate the release, here’s a glimpse of Cut to Shreds — a featurette that offers an editor’s perspective on Rob Bottin’s legendary effects work. Enjoy!

Joe Dante And Mick Garris Talk 'Gremlins,' 'Hocus Pocus' Sequel And 'Nightmare Cinema'

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Horror veterans Mick Garris and Joe Dante have given us some of Hollywood’s best nightmares and most iconic genre movies – Dante’s films alone have made almost $500 million at the worldwide box office, unadjusted for inflation.

Now, the two are reteaming, along with three other standout filmmakers, for the highly anticipated, Nightmare Cinema. It’s an anthology of five short horrors which all share a common thread and protagonist played by Golden Globe-winner and Oscar-nominee Mickey Rourke.

I caught up with Garris and Dante to discuss Nightmare Cinema, why Hollywood sees horror as big box office business again and for their takes on the legacies and futures of Gremlins and Hocus Pocus.

Simon Thompson: Nightmare Cinema is an anthology that you have been working on for a decade. With the change in distributions models and growth of platforms, which could work in your favor?

Mick Garris: I hope you're right. The idea for Nightmare Cinema originally came to me right after Masters of Horror ended. I thought it would be great to do something international in scope and do an anthology with a different story in a different country with a different director from each of those countries. I guess my ambition exceeded everyone else, I also thought of it as being an umbrella for a series of feature films, each one is a self-contained 90-minute movie for theatrical release, and eventually, it morphed into this. It took 10 years to get the Nightmare Cinema concept together and we finally found our Angels in Good Deed Entertainment and Cinelou who financed this rather adventurous idea which we ended up shooting entirely in town with two American directors, one Cuban, one Japanese, and one British of whom live in Los Angeles.


Joe Dante: Like you say, everything has changed especially the delivery systems and what gets made and what it gets made for that, it's a different landscape out there. However, one thing that seems to have always been popular it is horror films. The idea of not having to sustain a feature story for 90 minutes is also very liberating, the idea of having to keep a story going for all that time can cancel out some of the more interesting short stories that became so popular on The Twilight Zone and Outer Limits. I've done a couple of these anthology movies, my third movie was The Twilight Zone Movie, a bunch of stories put together and with sort of a framing story around them - it's the framing stories that are actually the kicker. The challenge is, of course, to try to be able to tell stories that are interesting and diverse within a framework that that makes sense to me to the audience. In this case, you know it was Mick's idea to do a haunted movie theater with a possibly malevolent projectionist who was showing people stories of their lives that may or may not have already happened.

ST: Episodic films have always been popular but do you think that one reason they are so popular again now is that people's attention spans are so short these days?

JD: I think there's some truth to that. I think the audience's attention span has been fragmented by, frankly, the invention of remote controls even before cell phones. It used to be that in order to change the channel, people would have to get out of their chairs to do it by hand, there were a lot of shows that were popular simply because they were following another show and people were too lazy to change the channel. People now are watching while multitasking so typing or doing something else or clicking around to see what else is on and it's difficult to hold them. That's one of the great things about movies in the theater for me is that you know you've put your money down, you've put yourself in your seat and you get to sit there and look at the screen and it's all dark with nothing else to look at so you do get the audience's attention. I think the idea of telling a story that resolves itself fairly quickly is probably more attractive than it was before.

ST: A lot of studios are reticent to put out horror films, is it fair to say that many don't know what to do with them?

MG: It's true that the studios don't like or understand horror and can't tell a good horror movie from a bad one. There are some exceptions with some of the executives who do care about it but that's a relatively new phenomenon. I think the best you can do is make a really good movie and people who are passionate and knowledgeable about how to make a horror film. There are a huge number of horror film festivals around the world today and that's a great proving ground where you can get the buzz to go. In the case of Nightmare Cinema and what I did with Masters of Horror was to do my best to recruit the best possible people in the genre who know this stuff and encourage them to do whatever they want without interfering. There wasn't a bunch of studio notes to make it more like some other big hit, more like IT or more like The Purge or more like Insidious. It's a crapshoot but this project is something that did not have a giant budget and had a lot of passion. Here five filmmakers who had stories they wanted to tell and delve into it because nobody was telling them they couldn't. That was the whole basis for Masters of Horror and the basis for Nightmare Cinema which I hope comes to create more demand for more Nightmare Cinemas either as feature films or as a TV series which we're trying to get going as well.

ST: I was going to ask if that is something that you've looked at?

MG: Yes, very much so. My original concept of this was as a television series but we've found that its best voice right now is as a feature film. The idea of an anthology series where you do offer the best filmmakers in the genre from around the world the opportunity to tell their stories their way, I'm hoping we will have the same sort of luck that we did with Masters of Horror. We pitched it to three people, all three of them said they wanted it and the first one who said, in the room, 'That sounds great. When can we start?' we went with. Maybe we'll have the same fortune once we're finished with the movie.

ST: We are going through something of a renaissance with horror. Is that because attitudes, from audiences and studio executives, are changing and they are taking it more seriously?

JD: I think horror films are often a reaction to the world around them. If you go back into the history of various countries and look at the politics and look at what was going on socially you see it reflected in the horror films because people are afraid they're afraid for their lives, they're afraid for their future, they're afraid for their children. I have to say that the times we're living in right now are certainly as fraught with fear since the scariest time that I remember as a kid which was the 50s. I regret to say that we are in a position where I think there are a lot of people who are now experiencing that kind of fear.

UMLConnector reviews Gremlins 2

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“Gremlins 2: The New Batch” is quite possibly the only narratively sound and comprehensible movie that makes the audience member wonder: “What did I just watch?”

Set in New York City in the technologically wondrous Clamp Tower, Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) finds Gizmo, the pet Mogwai he had in the first “Gremlins” movie. As per the events in the first movie, the Mogwai multiply, turn into ravenous and destructive creatures and wreak havoc on the technological wonderland that is the movie’s setting.

“Gremlins 2” shares several aspects that the first movie had, both positive and negative. It has an array of colorful characters, a location that is well developed to the point of being a character in and of itself and wonderful, dark comedy. It still has the issue of the nonsensical rules in regards to the Mogwai and there is a little sloppiness to the writing in terms of coincidental plot-progression moments and a potential source for drama between Billy and his girlfriend Kate (Phoebe Cates) that has almost no stakes in the movie.

As aforementioned, “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” is a baffling movie to watch, not just because of the ridiculous nature of it, but because it somehow manages to pull everything off without stopping the story or just being a cluster of nonsensical ideas.It seems impossible, but somehow a movie with a genetic research lab, a technologically eccentric building, Gremlins drinking vials of scientific formulas that turn them into an assortment of things from a vegetable to a bolt of electricity and a full out Gremlin-performed rendition of the John Kander and Fred Ebb song “New York, New York” manages to work extremely well.

Criminologist and physician Cesare Lombroso was evidently correct when he said, “Genius is one of the many forms of insanity.”

What helps to tie the movie together are the varying colorful and well-developed personalities that litter the world of Clamp Tower. Alongside Billy, Kate and Gizmo, Billy’s neighbors from the first movie Murray Futterman (Dick Miller) and his wife (Jackie Joseph) return. The new characters include the building’s owner and eccentric billionaire Daniel Clamp (John Glover), the overly orthodox chief of security Forster (Robert Picardo), Billy’s boss Marla Bloodstone (Havilland Morris), insane genetics scientist Dr. Catheter (Christopher Lee) and a monster movie show host who longs to be a television journalist named Grandpa Fred (Robert Prosky).

While the first “Gremlins” was more of a dark comedy, “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” is an all out absurdist comedy. The tone is a lot more light-hearted, and it makes self-referential jokes about not just itself, but the state of film in general. For example, Gremlins attack a person who begins to question the Mogwai rules, especially the one that says that they cannot be fed after midnight. In a way, it is the movie punishing the character for even pointing out how little sense it makes while at the same time telling the audience to not think too much about it.

The tone and the absurd ideas allow for the movie to have a lot of fun with itself. Watching all the eccentric characters interact with one another is always entertaining. There is a lot of creativity with the design of the creatures, especially when they drink the formulas and shift into different kinds of Gremlins and all of the crazy ideas spliced together is insanity of the best sort.

“Gremlins 2: The New Batch” is a movie with no right to be as good as it is, and everything stated above should be evidence to prove that point. Somehow though, the movie is good, courtesy of its well written and wacky characters, and thanks to what must have been sheer insanity on the part of the filmmakers.

Final grade: A-

Could Gremlins 3 be a prequel?

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He’s not involved, so he’s likely only hearing it from his spies at the Burbank compound, but “Gremlins” director Joe Dante ponders whether the recently announced reboot could actually be a prequel to the 1984 film.

It’s just a thought. An inkling. But he could be right.

The film’s original writer Chris Columbus, who the rights have reverted to, has hinted in the past that the film will connect to the original film – but we all just assumed that meant it would be a sequel, with all the gang (Billy, Kate) joining Gizmo on a latter day adventure.

But Dante, who directed the first two films in the series, suggests – in a yak with Forbes – it mightn’t be a sequel.

“I think the reuniting of the cast is highly unlikely. Perhaps a Gremlins prequel might be something they will do but I don’t know as I was not asked to be involved”.

If he’s on the money, that sucks.. I think we’d all love to see Zach Gallighan and Phoebe Cates reprise their roles from the classic original— If only to pass the baton (the baton being Gizmo) to some other poor sod.

Here’s what we want Warner : Fresh, frightening but familiar .. a meeting of the old and new. Give us a new hero, but also bring back Billy. And if there’s money in the budget, license some “Snow White” clips again.

Here’s to some concrete intel on the storyline of the new film soon.

Bustle on the Hocus Pocus remake

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Whether you want it or not, a Hocus Pocus TV movie remake is coming to a television near you, courtesy of the Disney Channel. There's no word yet on when this TV remake will premiere; in fact, there's not a whole lot we currently know about the project, leaving fans with a whole lot of questions. But the whether the original Hocus Pocus cast appears in the remake is, perhaps, the most important one.

While the original Sanderson sisters, Sarah, Mary, and Winifred, are straight-up iconic, it's unlikely we'll see Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Bette Midler reprising their roles. Deadline reported that the Hocus Pocus remake will have an entirely new cast. Knowing that this isn't a sequel, but a remake, it makes sense that the originals wouldn't be back. This is for a new generation of kids who need their own Sanderson sisters, as hard as that is to admit.

This new version of the movie will be written by Scarlett Lacey, a writer and producer on the E! series The Royals. And this remake was something that one of the film's original co-writers Mick Garris — who wrote the script with Joe Dante — teased in a recent interview with Forbes, saying there have been "rumors of a Hocus Pocus sequel for the last 10 years that will not die."

Garris said that he "heard they are developing the script, I haven't been involved in it but I think there will be a sequel it might be for Disney Channel or Freeform or ABC. I think it will be for television but I hear that it is moving ahead." According to Deadline, the new Hocus Pocus will be a "reimagining," not a sequel — just another reason why Parker, Midler and Najimy won't be back. Though, let's be honest, it would be great to see one if not all of these witches return for a cameo.

The director for the movie has not been announced yet, but it's unlikely Hocus Pocus' original helmer Kenny Ortega will be back, since the new movie is looking to move in a new direction. He's reportedly not currently involved with the remake. That being said, it's still early in the process and Ortega has been a staple of the Disney Channel since his work on the mega-hit High School Musical. Disney may eventually decide to add a little bit of his magic into the mix. Especially since the movie's original producer, David Kirschner, who also produced The Addams Family, another Halloween classic, will be back.

Another question that anyone who loves Hocus Pocus and watches it every year around this time wants to know is whether the Sanderson sisters will be singing "I Put A Spell On You"? On the one hand, Hocus Pocus wouldn't be Hocus Pocus without it. On the other hand, who could sing it as well as Bette Midler?

It's such a classic that there's always a question of whether it can actually be redone. Maybe they have to pick another witchy song like "Do You Believe In Magic?" from the Lovin' Spoonfuls or go completely modern and have these witchy women sing Bruno Mars' "24K Magic." If they throw in a few of Mars' moves, they're bound to put a spell on anyone.

For those that aren't under the spell of this announcement, though, think of it as an excuse to rewatch Hocus Pocus. Who knows? This time around, it may convince you that a remake isn't such a bad idea. After all, it gives you a chance to dream cast everyone's favorite cat-turned-total hunk, Thackery Binx.

Hocus Pocus beauty products

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If you're secretly one of the Sanderson sisters at heart, we've just discovered a glorious collection of beauty products that should be added to your arsenal as soon as humanly possible. Wonderland Magic Bath Co. makes a handful of Disney-themed bath time goodies (see: a body cream that actually smells like that heavenly pineapple whip sold at the theme parks). We discovered that the online company has gotten into the Halloween spirit with some magical Hocus Pocus-themed options. Below is actual footage of our reaction to finding out this fan-freakin'-tastic news.

The Hocus Pocus collection includes three items — body cream, whipped body scrub, and shower frosting — in two different scents. The "It's Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus" scent has the aroma of apple cider doughnuts, while the "Sanderson Sistas" one smells like a mixture of spices, cranberry, apple, and pumpkin. Yum! These are most definitely Fall-approved.

Sistahhhs, are you ready to make your skin more luminous than the black flame candle? Browse through some of the adorable products ahead to pick your favorite one!

Okay but realistically, I could just drain the life out of some kid, right? Gotta be easier.

New Sabrina the Teenage Witch TV show

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It’s not a bunch of hocus pocus. The one character from the Archie Comics universe that fans wanted to drop by Riverdale most will be heading to The CW as the star of her own show. Deadline reports that the network has been developing a Sabrina the Teenage Witch reboot under the name of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She’s not in the TGIF comedy block anymore.

The latest iteration of Sabrina the Teenage Witch could potentially act as Riverdale’s companion series for the 2018-2019 television season, though specifics are far from being locked down. However, the same team that updated Archie and turned him and his friends into a 2017 sensation will helm Sabrina. CW extraordinaire Greg Berlanti will produce, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa will write, and Lee Toland Krieger will direct. But what can we expect from the narrative of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? Much like the murderous twist of Riverdale, things are about to get dark for Sabrina Spellman, and it’s going to be magical.

Forget what you know about Sabrina the Teenage Witch because the new and reimagined version of the comic classic takes a page from the spellbooks of The Craft, Charmed and even Buffy the Vampire Slayer. According to Deadline, the Sabrina companion series will pick up with the dark story of Aguirre-Sacasa’s 2014 comic book series of the same name. The Chilling Adventures would trade wise-cracking black cats and a pair of zany aunts for a coming of age tale toiling with horror elements, the occult, and Sabrina’s half mortal-dom.

Although the source material finds Sabrina growing up in the 1960s, The CW’s take would most likely fast forward to present day in order to pair with Riverdale. With the scarce information that’s currently available on the pilot, it already sounds like a series worth watching, given that the winning formula of its Archie predecessor courses through its fabric. But let’s hope The CW tightens the title to something much cleaner in the event the network picks up the pilot to series.

During the first season of Riverdale, fans fervently hoped for a cameo appearance from Sabrina, but whether due to casting hold ups or a lack of space in the 13 episodes, the teen witch never appeared. While it remains to be seen if Sabrina will pop up in the upcoming second season, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to introduce the character, in some shape or form, before the potential offshoot premieres. And that begs the question: Will the series exist in the same universe?

It’s hard to imagine that Riverdale will ignore the existence of the spooky teen from the other side of the river. After all, the first season hinted at the supernatural — or, at the very least, strange — happenings going on next door to the town with pep (even though that zombie fan theory never panned out). But should Sabrina appear on a series that has so far been tethered to reality, does that mean Riverdale must bend its rules and believe in magic? If anyone will welcome a teen witch with open arms, it’ll be Veronica.

Mae Martin at SoHo Theatre, London

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There is something very refreshing about Mae Martin; she’s a charming and strangely compelling stage presence, like a funny sprite.

Watching her spin her odd, confessional tales about her past life, you’re supremely relaxed but also, somehow, on the edge of your seat. It may have something to do with the fact that she started gigging aged 13, performing in her school uniform while pretending to smoke a cigarette.

At 30 she is, improbably, already 17 years into her career and it shows. Nor is she one of those comedians who hasn’t lived enough to have anything to talk about except phones and social media, although she has good jokes on both. (Of the recent run of protest marches, she admits to spending most of her time “trying to find the Instagram filter that makes it look like I care”.)

In Dope, for which she was nominated for Best Show at this year’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards, she examines her addictive personality. A chance remark from her mother Wendy – in previous shows, a source of much deadpan hilarity – leads her to wonder why she has never been able simply to like things but always love them.

This compulsion has taken various forms in her life up to this point, starting with a childhood crush on Bette Midler (she went to see Hocus Pocus at the cinema 12 times) which morphed into a teenage obsession with comedy, and one sketch troupe in her hometown of Toronto in particular; she went to see them 160 times.

After that – and this is where the show takes an unexpectedly dark turn, which Martin handles with the lightest of touches, as if she’s talking about an embarrassing dinner party or a bad date – comes her spiral into cocaine addiction, drug-dealing and rehab, aged 15.

It’s shocking and uplifting, vulnerable and consummately controlled all at once. More recently, her craving has been for monogamy, not all of it particularly healthy. There is, one suspects, a whole other show there.

Addiction is a smart shaping device which leaves plenty of scope for agonisingly cringey teen anecdotes, as well as insights into adulthood (“You experience more and feel less”), technology, science and romance. A winning hour from a talent who is hitting the top of her game.

PopSugar lists 21 amazing Hocus Pocus tattoo ideas

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Sorry, Hocus Pocus fans, but you're not really dedicated until you've got a Thackery Binx tattoo. At least, that's what we have come to believe after discovering the world of body art inspired by the classic '90s Halloween film! A permanent tribute to your nostalgic favorite is a fun way to keep Halloween alive all year long, and these 21 tattoos are the perfect place to start for inspiration.

Which one is your favorite? While we're partial to the Sanderson sisters portraits, each one of these is incredible! Time to run amok, amok, amok in the tattoo parlor.

Hocus Pocus nail art ideas...

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The one time I went to a nail salon, I spent most of it trying not to flinch when they rubbed that scrapey sponge on my fingers. For some of these, though, I'd consider trying it again.

"Hocus Pocus" nails are here, and we are swooning because: appropriate!

Halloween season is upon us in just a few days, which means it's time for us to circle back to our obsession with the Sanderson Sisters from the iconic Disney film.

This year, you can do more than watch the movie for the millionth time and wear Sanderson sister costumes. How about a manicure to celebrate the season in real style? Here are 14 "Hocus Pocus"-themed nail designs to use for inspiration.

New Eerie, Indiana fanart by GrantedPlaneArt

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Ah, Simon Holmes, I’m sorry that I draw Dash X more than you. You’re such a precious boy