A Horror-Adjacent Film Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (dir by Steven Spielberg)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oh, hi, Indy. You’re back! I really enjoyed rewatching and reviewing Raiders of the Lost Ark at the start of October. Let’s take a look at Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!

Hey, there you are, played by Harrison Ford! And let’s see, that title card says that this film is taking place a year before Raiders, so I already know you’re going to survive whatever trouble life throws at you. Wow, Kate Capshaw sure is overacting as that blonde singer. I hope she’s just going to be here for the opening of the film. I mean, seriously, Indy, everyone knows that you love Marion Ravenwood. Oh look, you’ve got a kid assistant! His name is Short Round and he is played by Ke Huy Quan, who years later is going to give one of the best Oscar acceptance speeches of all time. Okay, that shootout at the start of the movie went on a little bit too long and apparently Kate Capshaw is going to be in the entire film, but still, there was some fun action. Harrison Ford is one of those actors who can make just about anything enjoyable… or, at least, he was. He seems really grouchy nowadays. The plane crash was nicely handled. Where is this taking place, Indy? I guess you’re in India now? And your mission is to recover a sacred stone and free a bunch of kidnapped children from a nearby mine? That’s not bad! I like the fact that Indiana seems to really care about helping out the villagers. The stakes aren’t quite as high as with Raiders, but you really can’t get much higher than finding the Lost Ark of the Covenant. This should be a good, old-fashioned adventure movie and…

OH MY GOD, HE JUST RIPPED THAT GUY’S HEART OUT OF HIS CHEST!

Listen, I’m not here to make the argument that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a horror film. It’s not. It’s an adventure film, a thrill-ride with big sets and that classic Indiana Jones music and an extended chase sequence that feels like it was conceived specifically so it could be adapted into a hundred theme park roller coasters. Even more so than Raiders of the Lost Ark, it’s a throwback to the serials of the past, with Indiana, Short Round, and Willie (that’s Kate Capshaw’s character) running into another cliffhanger every fifteen minutes or so. It’s a fun adventure movie, made when Harrison Ford was at the peak of his abilities. If the story doesn’t resonate quite as strongly as either Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade, it’s still far more memorable than those bland siblings known as Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny.

That said, I would argue that the film is definitely horror-adjacent. This is a film that features Amrish Puri as a Thuggee priest who reaches into a man’s chest and removes his still-beating heart. In loving close-up, the heart continues to beat in the priest’s hands while the man squirms behind him. This is a film in which even Indiana is briefly possessed by otherworldly magic. Indy gets into a fight on a conveyor belt and not only does he have to avoid his opponent’s fists, but he also has to deal with terrible back pain because a little brat is poking a voodoo doll. I always used to blame my back pain on my boobs, but now I’m at least 65% convinced that the true culprit is someone with a magic Lisa doll.

Of course, the thing that really keeps this from being a horror film is that it’s a prequel. It takes place before Raiders of the Lost Ark, so we all know that Indy is going to make it out of the Thuggee mines and he’s not going to get his heart ripped out. For true horror to work, you have to feel like anyone could fall victim to whatever the story’s threat may be. We know Indiana’s going to be safe because he has to save the world from the Nazis in a year. We know Short Round’s safe because he’s a kid. And we really don’t care whether or not Willie’s safe.

Apparently, that heart removal sequence was so controversial that it led to the creation of the PG-13 rating. Without that rating, the original Red Dawn would have been rated R and a lot of teenagers would not have gotten a chance to cheer the destruction of the communists. As a country, we owe a lot to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

 

Horror Film Review: Zodiac (dir. by David Fincher)

Posted on by Arleigh

“Just because you can’t prove it, doesn’t mean it’s not true.” — Robert Graysmith

There’s a particular kind of dread in watching capable people do everything they can and still come up short. That’s the feeling David Fincher taps into throughout Zodiac, a movie where a promising lead can be almost as unnerving as a dead end. Every possibility raises hopes, invites scrutiny, and threatens to pull someone deeper into a mystery that refuses to settle. Released in 2007, it’s a remarkably absorbing thriller about a serial killer, but it’s just as interested in the people left sorting through his damage. Catching him is the goal. Living with the failure to catch him becomes the story.

The film approaches the Zodiac investigation through three men with different relationships to the case. Newspaper cartoonist Robert Graysmith, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, becomes fascinated by its puzzles. Crime reporter Paul Avery, played by Robert Downey Jr., follows it professionally, while police inspector Dave Toschi, played by Mark Ruffalo, works to build a prosecutable case. James Vanderbilt’s screenplay, adapted from Graysmith’s books Zodiac and Zodiac Unmasked, lets their paths overlap without making them a conventional crime-solving team. They share information and frustrations, but their responsibilities, methods, and personal stakes aren’t interchangeable. That distinction gives the investigation texture.

Although Zodiac isn’t a typical horror movie, its story and themes firmly belong in serial-killer horror. The fear comes from more than what happens at individual crime scenes. This is an entire region being terrorized by someone whose next move nobody can reliably predict. His letters extend that fear into homes and workplaces, keeping the possibility of another attack alive. The authorities appear almost helpless to provide reassurance, despite their efforts. Fincher doesn’t reduce that helplessness to incompetence. The disturbing point is that people can work diligently, follow procedures, and pursue credible leads without gaining the power to prevent another killing.

The early attacks make that threat feel horribly concrete. Fincher doesn’t treat the victims as disposable figures whose only purpose is to establish how dangerous the killer is. There’s an uncomfortable attention to their vulnerability, especially during the Lake Berryessa sequence. Its daylight setting strips away the familiar suggestion that darkness is what makes a place unsafe. Everything is visible, yet visibility offers no protection. The pacing is agonizing because it allows the situation to become clear without offering an escape from it. Rather than making the violence exciting, Fincher makes it something you want desperately to interrupt.

Once the film turns toward the investigation, it finds suspense in the distance between a discovery and a usable answer. Handwriting comparisons, witness descriptions, phone calls, and jurisdictional obstacles become compelling because their consequences are clear. A detail might matter enormously, but only if someone can verify it or connect it to something stronger. Fincher gets you invested in that process without making it look smooth. Information arrives late, recollections complicate things, and apparent breakthroughs lose their shape. The movie keeps generating momentum, then showing how easily that momentum can disappear. Progress is possible, but it’s never secure.

Ruffalo gives that uncertainty a persuasive human center. His Toschi is smart, engaged, and occasionally funny, but he isn’t presented as a detective whose instincts automatically outrank the evidence. He can suspect someone without possessing what he needs to move forward. Ruffalo makes that limitation frustrating without turning every setback into a speech. A tired expression or clipped response often carries the scene. His performance also gives the procedural material an emotional foundation: this isn’t paperwork for its own sake. It’s the work standing between an investigator’s conviction and the possibility of holding someone accountable.

Downey’s Avery brings a looser, more abrasive rhythm to the film. He’s comfortable with a cutting remark, and his humor initially makes him seem insulated from the ugliness he covers. Gradually, that apparent insulation wears thin. Downey lets the character’s wit remain recognizable even as the confidence behind it becomes less convincing. It’s an effective performance because the deterioration doesn’t feel like a separate dramatic subplot pasted onto the investigation. It grows out of his involvement. Avery’s trajectory also makes Graysmith’s increasing enthusiasm uneasy to watch. One man is getting pulled in while another shows the damage that involvement can leave behind.

Gyllenhaal handles Graysmith’s transformation with similar care. His curiosity starts out as something approachable: he likes puzzles, notices details, and wants people to take his observations seriously. Those qualities don’t vanish when his interest becomes obsession. They simply stop having sensible limits. Gyllenhaal makes it easy to understand the appeal of another conversation or another possible connection, even when the cost becomes obvious. The family scenes matter because they expose what the investigation can obscure. Time spent chasing the case is also time taken from people who need him, and being sincere doesn’t make him less capable of neglect.

Fincher’s control is evident in how naturally the movie makes years accumulate. The period setting feels functional rather than decorative, and the changing dates gradually become reminders of how much life this investigation consumes. Even the suspense changes character. Early fear of an attack develops into anxiety about what might have been missed or misunderstood. The basement sequence brings those feelings together beautifully. Graysmith goes looking for information, only to find himself questioning the safety of the room he’s standing in. It’s a genuinely frightening scene built around uncertain knowledge rather than a clear, visible threat.

The deliberate approach does have drawbacks. The volume of names and disputed details can become tiring, and viewers looking for a steadily escalating chase may find the later stretches repetitive. The shift toward Graysmith also sacrifices some of the balance that makes the earlier sections so engaging. There’s another tension worth keeping in mind: the film’s dramatic investment in a suspect isn’t the same as definitive proof. Its storytelling can make an interpretation feel persuasive without resolving every doubt. That distinction matters in a movie so concerned with how easily the desire for an answer can outrun the available evidence.

What makes Zodiac exceptional is that it never lets the investigation become separate from the lives carrying it. The suspense isn’t only about whether someone will find the right clue; it’s about what another year of searching will do to them. Fincher delivers frightening scenes, excellent performances, and an engrossing procedural, but the cumulative effect is more troubling than any single moment. The killer doesn’t need to remain constantly on-screen to dominate the movie. His absence leaves room for suspicion, fear, and unfinished business to spread—and for everyone else to discover how little control they have over where it ends.

Brad reviews A CHINESE GHOST STORY II (1990), starring Leslie Cheung & Joey Wong!

Posted on by Bradley Crain

Last year during Horrorthon, I reviewed the 80s Hong Kong classic, A CHINESE GHOST STORY. It took me a while, but I finally got around to watching the sequel this week. This was my first viewing of the film, and while I tried to keep my expectations in check, I hoped it would be a worthy follow-up to a film that I thoroughly enjoyed.

A CHINESE GHOST STORY II opens on scholar Ling Choi San (Leslie Cheung) just after the events of the first film. He’s depressed about losing his ghost lover Siu-sin (Joey Wong), but he doesn’t have a lot of time to focus on that, because he immediately finds himself arrested by bounty hunters and thrown in jail. Escaping jail just before his execution, Ling accidentally steals a horse belonging to Taoist priest Chi Chau (Jacky Cheung). This turns out to be a good thing, because Chau is an expert when it comes to fighting demons and ghosts, something that will come in very handy later. That night, while staying in an abandoned house, Ling and Chau are attacked by a gang of rebel warriors disguised as ghosts. Two of the rebels are sisters Moon (Michelle Reis) and Windy (Joey Wong again), a dead ringer for his lost love. Enraptured by this woman, Ling and Chau join the sisters in their quest to rescue their father, Lord Fu (Lau Siu-Ming) from the imperial army led by Swordsman Hu (Waise Lee). But this will not be easy as along the way they will take on a tall drooling demon, an evil sorcerer who’s taken the form of a Golden Buddha, and finally a giant demon that looks like a flying centipede. If they can somehow survive all of this, will Windy still marry the man she is betrothed to, but has never met? Or will she give her heart to Ling, who she has fallen in love with?

This sequel finds us back in the world of scholars, priests, warriors, sorcerers, demons and ghosts, but it takes a different approach than its predecessor. While the original presented many outrageous fantasy and horror elements, it never lost sight of the romance at its center. With the sequel, director Ching Siu-tung goes balls-to-the-wall with the fantasy action, horrific demon creatures, and silly comedy, so much so, that it barely slows down long enough for any meaningful romance until near the end. The film is filled with the kind of wirework, acrobatics, and supernatural mayhem that made Hong Kong fantasy action cinema so much fun during this period. The 80s monster special effects are somewhat goofy, but that’s part of the charm, and there’s so much energy and imagination on-screen that I found myself marveling at what I was watching. You just don’t see movies like this anywhere in the world these days. There’s no way to predict what insane image might show up on screen next.

It’s fun seeing Leslie Cheung return as scholar Ling. He’s not cool like some of my favorite Hong Kong film heroes played by actors like Chow Yun-fat and Lau Ching-wan. He’s actually a bit of a goofball, but that’s a part of his appeal. He’s not a fearless action hero, but he’s very brave in the way that he always puts the safety of others in front of himself. Joey Wong is still so beautiful, and even though she’s playing a different character this time around, she and Cheung still have a strong chemistry when the movie slows down long enough to focus on their relationship. Jacky Cheung is an excellent addition to the cast as Chi Chau. He brings real determination and likability to the role, while also being very funny. I’m not always a big fan of Jacky’s over-the-top performances, but he nails this one. And after he was so good in the original, it brought a big smile to my face when Wu Ma showed back up for the big climax with the flying demon centipede.

While the movie has a lot going for it, I personally didn’t enjoy A CHINESE GHOST STORY II quite as much as the original. While I still liked the characters and the fantastic action, my favorite part of the first one was the beautiful romance at its core that made me truly care about what happens to the characters. This sequel ups the ante with action, comedy and spectacle, but skimps on the more intimate character relationships that made the first film so special. They do try harder near the end, but it was a case of too little too late. Without the same emotional impact as the original, you could say that the film brings amazing sizzle, but just not as much steak.

Still, I’m not going to complain too much about a movie that gives me golden age Hong Kong fantasy fun, and ultimately, A CHINESE GHOST STORY II is a worthy follow-up to a Hong Kong classic. I enjoyed spending another couple of hours in this world. It may not be as romantic or emotionally satisfying as the original, but it still delivers wild, inventive entertainment in spades. And after all this fun, you never know, I may not wait an entire year before diving into A CHINESE GHOST STORY III!

Check Out These “Spirited” Photographs!

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Haunted Lane by Melander and Brother

In the 19th century, so-called spirit photographers would use double exposures as a way to add ghosts to their pictures.  Some were honest about their technique but many others made a fortune by conning the bereaved by claiming to have the proven that the spirits of their loved ones were still with them.

Here are some spirit photographs from the 19th century:

Unknown Photographer

By William Hope

William Hope

William H. Mumler

David Brewster

By Edward Wylie

 

Bonus Horror on the Lens: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (dir by John S. Robertson)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Ever since the birth of film, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been a popular subject for adaptation.  Not only does the classic story of a good doctor who unleashes his evil instinct via potion serve as a potent metaphor for everything from sexual repression to drug addiction, but the dual role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has provides an excellent opportunity for an actor to show off.

The first film adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is believed to have been made in 1908.  Two more version followed in 1912 and 1913 and then, suddenly, 1920 saw three different film versions.

The best known of the 1920 version is our film for today.  This version is best remembered for John Barrymore’s powerful performance in the title role but it also holds up remarkably well as a work of cinematic horror.

Horror on the Lens: The Lodger (dir by Alfred Hitchcock)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

A serial killer known as “The Avenger” is murdering blonde women in London (which, once again, proves that its better to be a redhead).  And while nobody knows the identity of the Avenger, they do know that the enigmatic stranger  (Ivor Novello), who has just recently rented a room at boarding house, happens to fit his description.  They also know that the lodger’s landlord’s daughter happens to be a blonde…

Released in 1927, the silent The Lodger was Alfred Hitchcock’s third film but, according to the director, this was the first true “Hitchcock film.”  Certainly it shows that even at the start of his career, Hitchcock’s famous obsessions were already present — the stranger accused of a crime, the blonde victims, and the link between sex and violence.

Also of note, the credited assistant director — Alma Reville — would become Alma Hitchcock shortly before The Lodger was released.

Peter Medak, RIP

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I just saw the news that the British director Peter Medak has passed away at the age of 88.  While he wasn’t a household name, Medak has a very interesting filmography.  He directed Peter O’Toole to an Oscar nomination in 1972’s The Ruling Class.  He directed one of the better films about the Kray Brothers, The Krays.  He worked in television and did a few episodes of Homicide.

He also directed one of my favorite horror films,  1980’s The Changeling.  The Changeling features one the best seance scenes that I’ve ever seen.  Here it is:

Peter Medak, RIP.

Song of the Day: Kiss Me Dracula by Claudio Simonetti, featuring Silvia Specchio

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s song of the day comes from Dario Argento’s massively underrated vampire film, Dracula 3D.

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films: October 28th

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 or more Shots from 4 or more Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots from 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

4 Shots From 4 Horror Films

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

Horror of Dracula (1958, dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)

The Skull (1965, dir by Freddie Francis, DP: John Wilcox)

Shock Waves (1977, dir by Ken Wiederhorn, DP: Ruben Trane)

Here Are The 36th Annual Gotham Nominations

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Don’t be alarmed but the first of the precursor award nominations were announced yesterday.  The Gothams aren’t exactly the most reliable of the Oscar precursors and a lot of the potential Oscar nominees aren’t even eligible for a Gotham but, if you’re a low-budget indie film looking to score a Best Picture nomination, winning a Gotham is a nice way to start Awards Season.

(Winning seems to be the key here.  As James Gray can attest, just getting a nomination doesn’t do much.)

Here are the 36th Annual Gotham Nominations.

Best Feature

Clarissa

Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri, directors; Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri, Theresa Park, Nicholas Weinstock, producers (NEON)

Club Kid

Jordan Firstman, director; Michael Bloom, Alex Coco, Galen Core, Ryan Heller, producers (A24)

The Debut

Jesse Eisenberg, director; Jesse Eisenberg, Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, producers (A24)

Dreams in Nightmares

Shatara Michelle Ford, director; Naima Abed, Shatara Michelle Ford, Pin-Chun Liu, producers (Lunette Films)

The Invite

Olivia Wilde, director; Ben Browning, Megan Ellison, David Permut, producers (A24)

Josephine

Beth de Araújo, director; Beth de Araújo, Josh Beirne-Golden, Gemma Chan, David Kaplan, Josh Peters, Jordan Rapaport, Mark H. Rapaport, Robina Riccitiello, Marina Stabile, Channing Tatum, Crystine Zhang, producers (Sumerian Pictures)

Mouse

Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson, directors; Bonnie Comley, Pierce Cravens, Steven A. Jones, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Stewart F. Lane, Abigail Rose Solomon, Alex Thompson, Alex Wilson, producers (Independent Film Company)

Paper Tiger

James Gray, director; Andrea Bucko, Leonardo Maria del Vecchio, Gary Farkas, James Gray, Anthony Katagas, Andrea Leone, Raffaella Leone, Marco Perego, Carlo Salem, Rodrigo Teixeira, producers (NEON)

Primetime

Lance Oppenheim, director; Ari Aster, Fred Berger, William Iannaccone, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Lars Knudsen, Brighton McCloskey, Robert Pattinson, producers (A24)

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Jane Schoenbrun, director; Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, producers (MUBI)

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

Bassam Tariq, director; Babak Anvari, Bassam Tariq, Lucan Toh, producers (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best International Feature

All of A Sudden

Ryusuke Hamaguchi, director; Julien Deris, David Gauquié, Kosuke Oshida, Yuji Sadai, producers (NEON)

Ben’Imana

Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, director; Samantha Biffot, Pierre-Adrien Ceccaldi, Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Marie Epiphanie Uwayezu, producers (Alexander)

Blue Heron

Sophy Romvari, director; Ryan Bobkin, Sara Wylie, Sophy Romvari, Gábor Osváth, producers (Janus Films)

Everytime

Sandra Wollner, director; David Bohun, Lixi Frank, Viktoria Stolpe, producers (1-2 Special)

Fatherland

Pawel Pawlikowski, director; Edward Berger, Lorenzo Gangarossa, Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Mieli, Ewa Puszczynska, Dimitri Rassam, Jeanne Tremsal, producers (MUBI)

Filipiñana

Rafael Manuel, director; Bianca Balbuena, Jeremy Chua, Omar El Kadi, Bradley Liew, Rafael Manuel, Alex Polunin, Nadia Turincev, producers (Kino Lorber)

La Gradiva

Marine Atlan, director; Inès Daïen Dasi, producer (1-2 Special)

Minotaur

Andrey Zvyagintsev, director; Charles Gillibert, Nathanaël Karmitz, Marco Perego, Andrey Zvyagintsev, producers (MUBI)

Possible Love

Lee Chang-dong, director; Lee Joon-dong, Lee Chang-dong, David Levine, Chadwick Prichard, producers (Netflix)

Tender Loving Care

Mike Leigh, director; Georgina Lowe, producer (Bleecker Street)

Best Documentary Feature

Closure

Michal Marczak, director; Monika Braid, Rémi Grellety, Karolina Marczak, Michal Marczak, Katarzyna Szczerba, producers (1-2 Special)

A Fox Under a Pink Moon

Soraya Akhlaghi, Mehrdad Oskouei, directors; Siavash Jamali, Mehrdad Oskouei, producers (Kino Lorber)

NAZA

Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, directors; Harry Davies, Lindsay Poulton, James Wilson, producers (NEON)

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

David Greaves, director; Anne de Mare, Liani Greaves, producers (NEON)

You Can See Everything

Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, directors; Maggie Ambrose, Tatiana Bears, Jack Davis, Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, producers (A24)

Best Director

Ryusuke Hamaguchi, All of a Sudden (NEON)

Sandra Wollner, Everytime (1-2 Special)

Andrey Zvyagintsev, Minotaur (MUBI)

Jane Schoenbrun, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (MUBI)

Mike Leigh, Tender Loving Care (Bleecker Street)

Breakthrough Director

Sophy Romvari, Blue Heron (Janus Films)

Jordan Firstman, Club Kid (A24)

Aleshea Harris, Is God Is (Amazon MGM Studios)

Marine Atlan, La Gradiva (1-2 Special)

Joel Alfonso Vargas, Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

John Early, Maddie’s Secret (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Original Screenplay

Everytime, Sandra Wollner (1-2 Special)

La Gradiva, Marine Atlan, Anne Brouillet (1-2 Special)

Possible Love, Lee Chang-dong, Oh Jung-mi (Netflix)

Tender Loving Care, Mike Leigh (Bleecker Street)

Wild Horse Nine, Martin McDonagh (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Adapted Screenplay

All of a Sudden, Ryusuke Hamaguchi (NEON)

Clarissa, Chuko Esiri (NEON)

The Invite, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack (A24)

Minotaur, Simon Lyashenko, Andrey Zvyagintsev (MUBI)

Primetime, Ajon Singh (A24)

Outstanding Lead Performance

Mahershala Ali, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (Amazon MGM Studios)

Gillian Anderson, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (MUBI)

Jeon Do-yeon, Possible Love (Netflix)

John Early, Maddie’s Secret (Magnolia Pictures)

John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine (Searchlight Pictures)

Ian McKellen, The Christophers (NEON)

Julianne Moore, The Debut (A24)

Sophie Okonedo, Clarissa (NEON)

Andrew Scott, Elsinore (Focus Features)

John Turturro, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (Sony Pictures Classics)

Outstanding Supporting Performance

Tom Courtenay, Queen at Sea (Greenwich Entertainment)

Esmé Creed-Miles, Sense and Sensibility (Focus Features)

Penélope Cruz, The Invite (A24)

Adam Driver, Paper Tiger (NEON)

Andrew Garfield, Artificial (NEON)

Skyler Gisondo, Primetime (A24)

Sandra Hüller, Fatherland (MUBI)

Kate O’Flynn, Tender Loving Care (Bleecker Street)

Tao Okamoto, All of a Sudden (NEON)

Channing Tatum, Josephine (Sumerian Pictures)

Breakthrough Performer

Adia, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (Amazon MGM Studios)

India Amarteifio, Clarissa (NEON)

Guitarricadelafuente, La Bola Negra (Netflix)

Colas Quignard, La Gradiva (1-2 Special)

Mason Reeves, Josephine (Sumerian Pictures)

Gotham Audience Award

Backrooms

Kane Parsons, director; Kori Adelson, Michael Clear, Dan Cohen, Chris Ferguson, Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, Roberto Patino, Osgood Perkins, Jenno Topping, James Wan, producers (A24)

La Bola Negra

Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, directors; Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, producers (Netflix)

The Drama

Kristoffer Borgli, director; Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen, Tyler Campellone, producers (A24)

The Invite

Olivia Wilde, director; Ben Browning, Megan Ellison, David Permut, producers (A24)

Michael

Antoine Fuqua, director; John Branca, John McClain, Graham King, producers (Lionsgate)

Obsession

Curry Barker, director; James Harris, Haley Nicole Johnson, Christian Mercuri, Roman Viaris, producers (Focus Features)

Project Hail Mary

Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, directors; Ryan Gosling, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Rachel O’Connor, Amy Pascal, Aditya Sood, Andy Weir, producers (Amazon MGM Studios)
You Can See Everything

Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, directors; Maggie Ambrose, Tatiana Bears, Jack Davis, Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim, producers (A24)

The winners will be revealed on November 30th, 2026.