News Horrorstor Grady Hendrix’s Horrorstör Movie Adaptation Finally Gets a Writer and Director Nine Perfect Strangers alum Jonathan Levine will write and direct By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on February 25, 2026 Grady Hendrix Photo Credit: Library of Congress Life, CC0 Comment 0 Share New Share Grady Hendrix Photo Credit: Library of Congress Life, CC0 Grady Hendrix’s novel, Horrorstör (read an excerpt here), has been on quite a journey in Hollywood. It was optioned soon after it was published in 2014 by Gail Berman, who looked to make it into a television dramedy on Fox. That project faded away, though it came back to life in 2020 when New Republic Pictures picked it up for a feature adaptation. We haven’t heard much about it since then… until today, when The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that the adaptation is very much alive under New Republic Pictures, and that Jonathan Levine (Nine Perfect Strangers, Tell Me Lies) is on board to write a script and direct. For those not familiar with Hendrix’s book, Horrorstör takes place in a Cleveland store named Orsk, which certainly doesn’t resemble a Swedish big box store that sells great meatballs. The store has some supernatural things happening in it, and a group of employees working the night shift try to figure out what’s going on, with sinister results. Several of Hendrix’s works are in development for adaptation or have been adapted. Prime Video, for example, turned his My Best Friend’s Exorcism into a film in 2022, and other projects reported to be in development include his short story, “The Blanks,” The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, How to Sell a Haunted House, and the short story, “Ankle Snatcher.”   The project is still in its early days in spite of being in development for almost twelve years, so there’s no news yet on if/when this iteration will make it to production, much less a theater near you. [end-mark] The post Grady Hendrix’s <i>Horrorstör</i> Movie Adaptation Finally Gets a Writer and Director appeared first on Reactor.

Books book reviews In the Planetary Doghouse: Edward Ashton’s After the Fall Edward Ashton’s latest explores human–alien social dynamics. By Sasha Bonkowsky | Published on February 25, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share I’ve read three of Edward Ashton’s books: Mickey7, The Fourth Consort, and now After the Fall. All three feature pathetic schmucks of men who find themselves subservient to a much larger alien. Not in a sexy way—these aren’t those kinds of books. No, Ashton is interested in exploring the political and social dynamics of human–alien interaction, and After the Fall is just the most explicit about it. Our protagonist John, you see, is an alien’s pet. He doesn’t think of himself that way. He’s a “bondsman,” or an “employee,” a human who works for a grey named Martok. He just doesn’t have any rights, and if he speaks out of turn or dares lie to a grey, he’ll get his head smashed in. Such is the sad state of all humans nowadays. After some apocalyptic catastrophe (‘the Fall’) a hundred years ago, the greys arrived in their colony ships and set up civilization in a small corner of the ruined Earth. Out of sheer magnanimity, they took in the remaining humans and created a system where the two species could live in harmony, so long as humans remember their great failure and don’t step out of line. That’s how the greys tell it, anyway, and John, crèche-born and raised, has no reason to doubt. Man, those humans, huh? The asymmetry of John’s relationship with Martok becomes clear when the grey—a wannabe “entrepreneur” with a string of failed businesses behind him—puts his bond up for collateral against an eye-watering loan. Martok has a vision. Humans might have been self-destructive and brutish, but they had an innovation the greys lack: leisure capacity! Martok hopes to turn an abandoned lakeside cabin into this Earth’s first full-service getaway resort, and if he fails, it’s John’s neck on the line. Along the way to the cabin, Martok picks up another bondsman, a twelve-year-old girl named Six with dangerous ideas about what humans used to be like (and who might just be his replacement), and John makes his own life worse by accidentally implying the incompetent Martok is really a mafia enforcer. Greys who can commit violence are highly valued because of a strange quirk in grey biology: When agitated or incensed, greys become absent, losing control of themselves and generally wreaking havoc. Only a rare few can go about killing or maiming without losing all rational faculty, and they’re hired out at exorbitant prices. Unfortunately, Martok is far too bumbling to be an enforcer, so John’s got to figure out another way to deal with the greys who get sent out to Martok’s fledgling resort accompanied by sinister requests for “minor correctives” or “full treatments.” A solution to his problems—or really, just another problem for our poor beleaguered man—presents itself when he encounters the feral humans who live in the woods. Up until this point, we’ve assumed John is a baseline human. Sure, he’s weak, he’s small enough relative to a grey that Martok can cuddle him against his chest, he’s intimidated by the tall pine trees of his new scenery—but that’s just how Ashton likes to write them. Isn’t it? But Dana and Tanner, the bow-slinging feral humans, are two feet taller than John at least, with both muscle and viciousness that he lacks. Turns out, John’s domesticated. Buy the Book After The Fall Edward Ashton Buy Book After The Fall Edward Ashton Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget The most apt comparison—the one After the Fall is shot through with, including on the book’s cover—is that of wolves and dogs. The greys haven’t flattened out John’s nose like a pug yet, but maybe it’s only a matter of time. John and Dana are only a few generations removed from one another, but the greys’ biological acumen and breeding programs have already diverged them significantly. Bondsmen and ferals differ psychologically, too: The créche nursemaids condition bondsmen to be repulsed at the thought of hurting greys to ensure they don’t step out of line. I happened to be reading After the Fall at the same time my partner was reading Christopher Buehlman’s The Daughters’ War; that novel’s goblins prove just how evil they are by having human farms, populated by overlarge, unintelligent humans made for the harvest. The same for The Matrix, whose robot overlords are using humans as batteries, or The Twilight Zone way back in 1962 having humans raised for food. So it’s perhaps unique how sympathetically the greys are treated in After the Fall—imperfect but nuanced, with various political factions among them jockeying for power, and certainly not universal villains. If the story took place among the most powerful greys, or during the time of the mysterious Fall, that attitude might be different. But although Dana, Tanner, and Six have (unsurprisingly) a human-centric view of the Fall—the greys conquered Earth when their ships arrived, and the ferals are living out a heroic resistance on a planet rightfully theirs—the truth doesn’t seem so simple. And Martok is a nobody in grey society, far from the levers of power and comparatively kind to John; he certainly benefits from grey dominance, but it’s hard to blame him for it. Ashton likes situations like these, on the fringes of society where the rules bend—and, more specifically, where the sharp strictures of who we expect to hate break down. Mickey from Mickey7 is trained to kill the aliens that populate the frozen planet of Niflheim, but after surviving a freak encounter he learns maybe they don’t deserve to die; Dalton Greaves, stuck in the alien queen’s palace of The Fourth Consort with the enemy soldier Breaker, becomes friends with him and even shares Breaker’s grief over the death of his partner. The setup of After the Fall makes readers expect to hate the greys, to treat them as alien conquerors, but the precariousness of grey society and Martok’s genuine good nature slowly undermines that feeling. Now, to me, John and Martok’s relationship never rises to the level of found family or buddy-cop routine. No matter how good Martok is to John, or how much he might earnestly ask John for business advice, there’s simply too much of a power imbalance between them. Cheery feelings will only take you so far when one partner owns the other. But it doesn’t have to be those things. After the Fall is classic Ashton, comedic, bizarre, and thoughtful in equal measure, poking at complicated questions of humanity and our own relationships with one another at the same time it cheers on John’s compounding bad decisions that keep the novel rolling. The most important takeaway? In the end, human pets are probably more trouble than they’re worth.[end-mark] After the Fall is published by St. Martin’s Press.Read an excerpt. The post In the Planetary Doghouse: Edward Ashton’s <i>After the Fall</i> appeared first on Reactor.

News Mortal Kombat 2 New Mortal Kombat II Trailer Takes Itself Too Seriously Fighting with laser beams is very serious business, guys By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on February 25, 2026 Screenshot: Warner Bros. Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Warner Bros. The latest Mortal Kombat II trailer is out, and I confess it leaves me confused. The first trailer released had some expected camp to it; this one, however, features scenes of a verious serious film about saving the world and shots of Karl Urban as Johnny Cage seeming to regret his choice to be in this movie at all. Those who know the video game franchise know that the fighting should be kinda fun. And perhaps the movie is! The first trailer seems to suggest that, while this one decidedly does not (though we do see lots of characters shooting laser beams, so that’s something). For those who need a refresher on the games and/or the premise of the film, here’s the synopsis for Mortal Kombat II: This time, the fan favorite champions—now joined by Johnny Cage himself—are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders. What’s also interesting is that this sequel film seems to move far away from the first Mortal Kombat movie in this latest iteration of the franchise. That film starred Lewis Tan as Cole Young, and while Tan is listed as being part of the film, he doesn’t show up at all in this trailer. Speaking of the cast, there are a bunch of great actors in Mortal Kombat II. In addition to Urban and Tan, the film stars Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada. The movie is set to come out in theaters on May 8, 2026. Will the movie be good? Or will it be… something else? Check out the trailer below and decide for yourself. [end-mark] The post New <i>Mortal Kombat II</i> Trailer Takes Itself Too Seriously appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts Young Adult Read an Excerpt From The Dragon and the Sun Lotus by Amélie Wen Zhao A decade ago, the Kingdom of Night began the war against the Kingdom of Rivers… By Amélie Wen Zhao | Published on February 25, 2026 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from The Dragon and the Sun Lotus, the second part of Amélie Wen Zhao’s young adult Three Realms duology, publishing with Delacorte Press on March 3. A decade ago, the Kingdom of Night began the war against the Kingdom of Rivers, ravaging the lands and releasing mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—to roam free, drinking the souls of mortals. Now the mó have made it beyond the magical wards of the immortal realm—the Kingdom of Sky—and will not stop until the entire world falls to darkness.Àn’yīng is determined to banish the mó to their realm and return the mortal realm to peace. But a stunning betrayal has turned the tides of this war: Her handsome rival from the Immortality Trials and the man she was falling in love with, Yù’chén, is now the enemy. Yù’chén is half mó, his mother none other than Sansiran, the Demon Queen of the Kingdom of Night… and the monster responsible for killing Àn’yīng’s father.There is one hope for the future, though. The boy in the jade—Àn’yīng’s lifelong mystery guardian and heir to the last mortal Emperor—Hào’yáng. Àn’yīng and Hào’yáng must join forces to rally an army that stretches across realms, from the Four Seas of the Dragons to the Phoenixes of the Golden Desert. But first, Àn’yīng must awaken to the immortal power slumbering in her own veins. Àn’yīng Xī’lín Village, Central Province, Kingdom of Rivers Another roar rips through the air. Overhead, She of the Moon-Frosted Sea dances before Qióng’qí, engaging the beast in battle, her silver, serpentine form cutting against its mass of darkness. Suddenly, the dragon lets out an anguished cry—one so foreign and yet so human in its heartbreak. As she lifts her head in the direction of the battle waging behind me, a terrifying pain sears across my chest. My hand darts to the jade pendant at my collarbone. Hào’yáng. Fleet and Striker are in my hands, their power becoming an extension of me as I pivot, adrenaline and spirit energy thrumming through my blood, my hands and feet in a harmonious weave. Táo’wù towers over a patch of rubble. Amidst wood splinters and stones and tile is a figure in gold. Hào’yáng is kneeling, which strikes me as horribly wrong, yet as I close the distance, I make out his hand clutched to his side—and how his gold armor and white shift are stained red. Táo’wù lets out a roar of triumph. It rears on its hind legs, swordlike claws heavy enough to crush entire houses, and leaps for Hào’yáng. Something cool and hard presses against my collarbone. I stumble, momentarily thrown off-balance. Then I reach into the folds of my wedding gown and draw out a sword. It’s more slight than other longswords, made of a metal I cannot place: one that glows a soft blush, the color of sunrises. Its hilt, a deep-green woven through with veins like a leaf, warms beneath my fingers as I lift it. Somehow, in my hands, it is as light as a feather… and it rests in my palms as though it has always belonged there. I have seen this blade, on many occasions. I know with a bone-deep recognition, what it is: It’s Lady Shī’yǎ’s lotus, transformed into its sword form. My skin begins to dance with light, pouring into the weapon, as I leap into the air and lift it over my head. Then I plunge it through Táo’wù’s tusked, open maw. The hellbeast’s scream fractures the ground as it reels back, crashing into a nearby house. Overhead, the seam splitting the skies trembles, the scythe moon and night stars within rippling like the surface of a lake. I land by Hào’yáng’s side. He kneels, sword driven into the ground before him, other hand clutching his side to stem the flow of blood. “Àn’yīng?” he rasps as I kneel before him, patting him down to check for more injuries. “I’m here,” I tell him. “I’m here, Hào’yáng.” He blinks rapidly, and I’m close enough to see my reflection in his eyes—the lotus’s light dancing over my skin and radiating from me. “You’re… beautiful.” A sob bubbles in my chest, which I turn into a laugh. “You tell me this now? When my wedding gown is ruined and our banquet destroyed?” He slumps against me. His breathing is shallow, fast, and I am suddenly more terrified than words can describe as I hold him. Buy the Book The Dragon and the Sun Lotus Amélie Wen Zhao Buy Book The Dragon and the Sun Lotus Amélie Wen Zhao Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget I press my fingers to my lips and whistle. From somewhere nearby comes a responding whinny— followed by a roar. Hào’yáng’s grip tightens against my back. “Go,” he breathes. “They’re after me. Go, Àn’yīng.” Beyond us, Táo’wù is stirring from the wreckage of a house. Behind us, the ground shakes as Qióng’qí closes in. Yet the world seems to slow and fall away as I hold my boy in the jade. There are a handful of moments in life when the meaning of destiny becomes clear. As Hào’yáng’s blood warms me and his life energy ebbs away, my mother’s words to him come back to me: Your life will be a vessel through which the good of the Kingdom of Rivers is governed. Your heart and your soul will be buried under this vast decree beneath the Heavens, child. There will be no space for love or a life for you. And yet, Hào’yáng is here with me, so alive and so human. To most, he is the heir and the captain, cold and distant and powerful—yet to me, he is so much more. He is my guardian in the jade, with the warmth in his eyes reserved only for me, the rare smiles I’ve come to love coaxing from him, lighting my skies like a glimpse of the sun. He is my political ally: When his brows crease, his gaze goes unfocused and a calculating look appears in his eyes, a look I’ve come to recognize when his brilliant mind is at work. And then there are the parts of him that have threaded into my heart like the currents of a sunlit river. The Hào’yáng whose touch stirs those tides, whose gaze sets my world on fire like the sun burning flames into the sea. The one whose kiss slammed the waves of an entire ocean into my chest. If he must hold the weight of realms on his shoulders now and for the rest of his life, I will not let him do so alone. As She of the Moon-Frosted Sea stops before us, I clasp his chin between my hands, forcing his eyes to meet mine. “I’m not going anywhere without you,” I tell him, and without waiting for a response, I hoist him onto the dragonhorse’s scaly back. I loop my brocade belt around her and strap Hào’yáng down. Then I slide on behind him and we’re off, gaining speed as we rise into the air. Behind us, roars of the two hellbeasts follow us into the night. Red seeps from Hào’yáng onto the dragonhorse’s scales. I brush a thumb along the hilt of my birth mother’s lotus sword, feeling the grooves of its etchings against my skin, an ancient calling that might have been the start of my destiny. “We make for the immortal realm tonight,” I say, glancing to the distant horizon. She of the Moon-Frosted Sea’s ears twitch back to me; her scales ripple dimly in the cloud-swathed night as she gallops. I grip my lotus sword tightly, its blade trailing an aurora glow through the darkness. “My mother’s lotus vessel has recognized me. It’s time I declare myself as Yī’lín Shī’yǎ’s heir and summon her army.” Excerpted from The Dragon and the Sun Lotus, copyright © 2026 by Amélie Wen Zhao. The post Read an Excerpt From <i>The Dragon and the Sun Lotus</i> by Amélie Wen Zhao appeared first on Reactor.

News Yaga Heated Rivalry Star Hudson Williams’ Next Role Blends Yogurt, Mysteries, and Baba Yaga It’s called Yaga, but not in the John Wick sense of Baba Yaga, exactly By Molly Templeton | Published on February 25, 2026 Image: Sabrina Lantos/Crave Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Sabrina Lantos/Crave Yes, you read that right. Hudson Williams has signed on to a new series called Yaga, the title of which is somewhat telling. Clearly it has some link to the folkloric witch, right? Yes. It does. But it also involves yogurt, and mysteries, and Carrie-Ann Moss. Yaga, which is being produced by Heated Rivalry‘s Canadian streamer Crave, is based on the play of the same name by Kat Sandler. Sandler will be writer and showrunner on the eight-episode series, which stars Williams, Moss (Jessica Jones), Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek), and Clark Backo (The Changeling). Reid stars as private investigator who comes to a small town to look into—sorry, I have to quote this bit: “the disappearance of the young heir to a yogurt fortune.” A YOGURT FORTUNE. That’s where Williams comes in; he plays said heir. Backo is a local detective, and Moss is “a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men.” According to Variety, “As the investigation deepens, the play mixes whodunit suspense with fairy-tale elements, using the Baba Yaga legend to explore power, gender, ageism, and the way ‘wicked women’ are portrayed in stories.” In a statement, Sandler said, “Yaga has evolved from myth to stage to my first greenlit series, reclaiming the wicked witch and reshaping her as an incendiary feminist antihero for our time.” Williams’ involvement in the adaptation has apparently sent print copies of the play flying off the (digital) shelves. At 8:57 (PST) this morning, Variety ran an article saying the print edition was back in stock on Amazon, but as of this writing, it’s gone again. (It’s still the top bestseller in “Canadian Dramas and Plays,” though, and you can buy the ebook.) The series is already in production, and I for one can’t wait to learn more about yogurt heirs.[end-mark] The post <i>Heated Rivalry</i> Star Hudson Williams’ Next Role Blends Yogurt, Mysteries, and Baba Yaga appeared first on Reactor.