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Psychological horrors terrify us. Not with jump scares and gore, but by seeping deep into our dark and twisted insides. As the audience, we are left not exactly spooked. More like utterly unnerved.

It’s a form of storytelling that inspires so much creative layering and nuance, that even those who are normally horror averse can find something to sink their teeth into.

Just what makes these movies so compelling? The answer to that is obvious when we look in the mirror.

The foundational formula for this horror subgenre is simple: Start with mystery, incorporate elements of horror and be sure to add a dash–or five–of disturbing psychological components. Anything from mental illness to extreme cult practices, it’s all fair game in this world.

Instead of monsters, ghosts and chainsaw-waving hillbillies, the victims in psychological horror are often fleeing from more insidious types of darkness: trauma, society and human nature itself. Unlike a fun, campy slasher flick (no offense Jason and Freddy), the “evils” of psychological horror are what we universally face on a daily basis, at least on an emotional level. One might not ever find oneself physically turning into a demon bird ballerina like Natalie Portman in “Black Swan,” but most of us have felt the specter-like presence of perfectionism.

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Because psychological horror movies take on real human evils, the scary appeal is often timeless. Take, for instance, the dark side of celebrity worship, as seen in “Misery.” That movie was made more than 30 years ago and still delivers a gut punch. Or in “Rosemary’s Baby,” one of the first psychological horrors ever made popular. Gee, I can’t imagine how the terror of a woman not having body autonomy can have relevance in this day and age…

When society is the story’s villain, life-threatening danger is disrupting the status quo. You know, like not being a proper housewife, as with “Stepford Wives.” Or being poor, like in Netflix’s biggest show ever, “Squid Game.” Its theme about the “games” we are forced to play in an often capitalist, money-driven world transcends language. After all, who hasn’t felt victimized and utterly trapped in a society out to get them?

Other times, trauma is the relentless ghost of the genre. And the story takes a more heartfelt approach, as with Netflix horror king Mike Flanagan’s “Haunting of Hill House.” His captivating story is really a family drama, about siblings haunted by death who cannot escape the grips of grief. To survive, they have to process what really happened. That’s a journey many of us face.

Psychological horrors are the ultimate scary movie.
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Psychological horror can expose us to the real-life atrocities of humanity in a way that we can’t ignore, inspiring real change. There’s no better modern-day example of this than Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” a film that views racism through the lens of a comedy horror. In his screenwriting tips, Peele suggests, “When writing comedy or horror, know that both present the truth. Use writing projects to dig you out of your own fear and darkness. Use that fear to learn how to scare the audience.” The truth in the case of “Get Out” is the very real, still-existent racism, even in post-Obama America, and the fear Black Americans have of losing their identity.

The film went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, proving the profound power horror can have when it carries emotional substance.

Basically, what I’m saying is this: As Halloween approaches, and you find yourself looking for the next scary flick to watch, why not give yourself some real nightmare fuel? The darkness of the human race will continue to evolve and change over time, and psychological thrillers will evolve alongside it. So you’ll never run out of options. Plus, they’ll leave you with an intense, all-consuming type of dread in a way that not other horror genre can’t.

Isn’t that what the holiday is all about?

Each year on Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil—aka the world’s most famous groundhog—peeks his head out and determines whether winter will last another six weeks or not based on whether he sees his shadow. There’s a whole ceremony for the event and everything. (Ah, the hilariously bizarre things we people do for fun.)

Phil now has competition in the adorable animal prediction world, only instead of a groundhog, we’ve got Noodle the ground-dog.

Noodle is a 13-year-old pug who really, really loves the ground. So much so that on some days, he simply refuses to get up off it, which has turned him into a viral daily prediction sensation.

On his TikTok channel, Noodle’s owner shares the senior puggo’s decision about what kind of day it’s going to be based on whether he “has bones” that day or not. If Noodle gets propped up and decides to stay standing on his own four feet, it’s a “bones day.” If he gets picked up and immediately flumps back down onto the ground, it’s a “no-bones day.”

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We’ve all had no-bones days—probably lots of them during the pandemic. And now we have some cosmic canine permission to just let those days be what they are.

Here’s Noodle on a bones day:

Bones day = a productive, positive, life-is-on-our-side kind of day. We’re up. We’re ready to go. Bring it, universe, cuz we’re ready.

And here he is on a no-bones day.

No-bones day = let’s stay in bed because we’re not ready for the world and the world isn’t ready for us.

The whole fun of keeping up with Noodle, though, is not knowing which kind of day it’s going to be. It’s the same reason thousands of people show up to watch Punxsutawney Phil look for his shadow. The anticipation is the thing.

Well, that and the funny commentary from Graziano after Noodle either stands or slumps.

“It’s a bones day on Monday, you guys. This is so exciting—you know what to do!” Graziano said after Noodle stood briefly to kick off this week. “You’ve got to treat yourself today. The Japanese fried chicken you were going to get for lunch? Get the curry to dip it in. All those festive gourds? Buy ’em! That raise you deserve but haven’t asked for yet? You totally deserve it. Ask for it! You’ve gotta treat yourself today!

Noodle has become such a viral phenomenon that people have started making Noodle fan videos.

This fan video even includes an original song.

Amazing. And look at Noodle’s tongue. Clearly, it’s a no-bones day.

People are loving checking in with Noodle as if they’re checking a daily horoscope—so much so that someone who isn’t even Graziano created a Twitter account just to announce whether is a bones day or a no-bones day.

No bones today. Let your boss know.

— Does Noodle Have Bones (@NoodlesBonesDay)
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Graziano adopted Noodle when he was 7 1/2 and they’ve been good friends ever since.

“He’s a silly old pug. He’s got such a personality,” Graziano told the Boston Globe. “You know, every dog is the best dog. Like, everyone’s dog is the very best dog who’s ever been? But I have to say Noodle is the very best dog that’s ever been. He’s got such a big personality.

“I never thought this would be like a fortune-telling thing,” he added. “It was never anything like that. It was literally just to see if he is ready to go on a walk or not. And then people all of a sudden were like ‘Well it’s a no-bones day‚ so I can’t do anything,’ and I was like, yeah that’s kinda how it goes.”

Indeed. That’s how it goes, which is why Noodle makes the perfect pandemic mascot. Thanks for sharing him with us, Jonathan Graziano. (You can follow them on TikTok here.)

Iconic Motown singer-songwriter Edwin Starr once asked us, “War, what is it good for?”

As it turns out, war can be good for anything! From small business to freedom itself, all is fair. At least it is to Fox News.

The conservative news network has used the word “war” so many times, The Recount created a hilarious—if not savage—compilation video, with the caption: “The war on Christmas is just the tip of the iceberg. Get ready for the #FoxeverWars.”

The video racked up a total of 46 “wars”. Yes, 46. That was not a typo.

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Welcome to the Foxever Wars

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The usual suspects were there: a war on wealthy Americans and Republican governors, a war on men, white men, and conservative women, a war on Christianity. The last one I find ironic. No offense, but doesn’t Christian doctrine dictate a constant war between good and evil anyway? Oh, and to be fair, there’s also a war on Judaism.

Things pretty much escalated from 0 to 100 after that. Both parents and children are in a war, as well the suburbs. I guess cities are now a war-free zone, who knew?

Holidays? Forget about it. Christmas and Thanksgiving are back-to-back wars.

Think inanimate objects are safe? Guess again! There’s a war on cars! A war on straws! A war on styrofoam!

How’s this for logic? Cows + dogs = war. Cats were not mentioned. Therefore, cats = peace. Every cat person already knows this, but now everyone knows.

The food pyramid is practically a battlefield, having a war on meat, soda, appetizers, and … wait for it … hot dogs. That one was my personal favorite.

Even though Fox also declared a war on fun, reading the amusing comments to this video proved that fun has indeed survived the trenches.

Like one twitterer who shared their buyer’s remorse, saying “I wish I knew there was a war on Christmas again, I just finished my shopping.”

One person wrote on Twitter, “I would relish in a hot dog war.” It brought me great joy.

“Let’s not forget the war on Beatty, the war on Buffett, and the war on G. Harding,” another word play lover wrote.

Another person even brought in a very appropo “Star Wars” reference. Hilarious.

Seriously, if you’re looking to get drunk fast, make this a new drinking game while watching Fox News. That might be considered a war on your liver, but hey, the word has now lost all meaning anyway.

Night Teeth (Netflix film) — Debby Ryan and Lucy Fry play the lead-character vampires of this film, but there are also vampires played by Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney, so you know what that means: any human in their sights is in big trouble. That includes a college-student-turned-chauffeur, Benny (Jorge Lendeborg, Jr.), who’s tasked with driving the two primary vamps around to parties, where they can get their thirst on. Can Benny stay alive, can he save Los Angeles, and can he possibly do both things? Talk about a guilty pleasure of a movie.

Found (Netflix film) — This documentary follows teen American girls who somehow discover that they’re cousins by blood. This leads to an online-meeting that turns into a real-life journey, wherein the teens travel to China for answers and adventure. It’s an emotional journey but a rewarding one.

Stuck Together (Netflix film) — Seven families who are stuck during Parisian lockdown endure the best and worst of each other over the course of three months. Man, this should inspire everyone who can get to the country side to do so, stat.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (CW, 8:00pm) — Sara and Ana have hatched a plan, and Nate’s in impersonation mode, all while Hoover scores some lucrative tickets, and everyone wants to make it to Manhattan.

Batwoman (CW, 9:00pm) — Alice and Batwoman’s team-up might not last too long if things don’t go right in this episode, which involves Killer Croc’s murderous rampage in Gotham.

The Wonder Years (ABC, 8:30pm) — This reimagining adopts a different perspective (from the Fred Savage-starring original show) with the focus on an African-American family and their home base in 1960s Montgomery, Alabama. Don Cheadle narrates the usual tween ordeals and also the experience of being part of a Southern Black family. This week, Dean really doesn’t want to go to the church lock-in, but he also wants to have his first kiss. Conundrum.

American Horror Story: Double Feature (FXX, 10:00pm) — Mamie’s forced to make a bold move, as all of the characters face off against hte future.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — Issa Rae, H.E.R.

In case you missed these streaming picks from last Wednesday:

Dopesick: Season 1 (Hulu series) — Michael Keaton (who is still the greatest Batman in history, so don’t mess with him in any role) finally comes to TV beyond cameo mode. Here, he takes on Big Pharma as a physician whose patients are dying off amid an opioid epidemic, and Rosario Dawson portrays one of the heroes who want to take the makers of Oxycontin down. The title of the source material (Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America, the book by Beth Macy) tells you a lot, but this trailer promises an intense ride, and the cast includes Michael Stuhlbarg and Kaitlyn Dever, who’s all over TV now and making Justified‘s Loretta proud here.

Just Beyond: Season 1 (Disney+ series) — This horror-comedy anthology bases itself on R.L. Stine’s BOOM! Studios comic book series of the same name. Expect plenty of supernatural journeys (with a personally affecting touch) through alternate dimensions with witches, aliens, and ghosts onboard.

For the fourth time in LeBron James’ four-year tenure as a Los Angeles Laker, they dropped their regular-season opener. This time, it came at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, 121-114, and kicked off the LeBron-Anthony Davis-Russell Westbrook Era with a loss.

The former two were spectacular and the best players on the floor, combining for 67 points. They looked every bit the superstars who guided Los Angeles to a title fewer than 13 months ago. Westbrook, though, as the newest member of this trio, did not. He struggled to the tune of eight points on 4-of-13 shooting, four assists and four turnovers.

Some of it was his responsibility. Seven of his 13 field goal attempts were jumpers, a few of which were ill-advised, early clock pull-ups. These are not conducive to maximizing his offensive impact anywhere, independent of context.

Other portions were outside of his control. Head coach Frank Vogel elected to start DeAndre Jordan and 23 of Westbrook’s 35 minutes were spent alongside Jordan or Dwight Howard. Sixteen of them were spent alongside two of Jordan, Howard and Davis.

Worst of all, he was paired with Rajon Rondo for seven minutes and during that span the Lakers were a minus-15. Rondo did not resemble a rotation-caliber guard on a contender last season and he certainly didn’t challenge that sentiment yesterday. Even ignoring that, trotting out Westbrook next to him in the backcourt simply doesn’t benefit either of them or the team and prevents Rondo from proving my hypothesis wrong.

For a guard in Westbrook who’s best with space around him and shouldn’t be relied upon to shoot outside the paint, Los Angeles sure constructed lineups that ran counter to such a concept.

With Rondo in the fold, the two former All-Stars took turns commandeering the offense and relegating the other to spot-up duties, a job for which they’re unqualified. A high ball-screen for Westbrook shouldn’t feature Rondo as a release valve shooter. If Rondo is going to maintain a rotation spot, Vogel has to separate him and Westbrook. And if Westbrook is going to fully succeed as a Laker, Vogel has to separate him and Rondo. Possessions like these are just frivolous, imprudent efforts.

Part of the reason so many of Westbrook’s minutes were shared with an ill-suited veteran center in Jordan or Howard is because the Lakers do not play Davis as a center full time. Their goal and his goal is to avoid the constant rigors that transpire as a full-time 5, while also enabling him to be a ball-hawk defensively and attack mismatches as a scorer. There are exploits to Davis at the 4, even if he and Los Angeles are optimized when he’s a center.

I understand why Davis isn’t deployed at center more during the regular season and save it for the playoffs. But I also now wonder if the balance must shift because the team’s third-best player would so significantly benefit and more quickly integrate to a new setting. About 22 of Davis’ 39 minutes (56 percent) came without Jordan or Howard on the floor. Westbrook was present for roughly 12 of them.

Increasing his workload at center from 56 percent to, say, 75 percent, assuming he’s comfortable with that physically, would free up space for Westbrook and the offense. Davis as a 4 would be more serviceable if Jordan or Howard were viable rotation bigs, but neither really is at this stage of their careers and they both struggled Tuesday.

Davis’ dominant play-finishing slots aptly next to Westbrook, who ranked third in assists at the rim between 2018-19 and 2020-21, per PBPStats, and routinely spoon-feeds big men inside. Although Davis isn’t the 5 here, this play provides a vision of how Westbrook’s interior passing chops and his finishing prowess can harmonize if Westbrook consistently draws attention near or in the paint:

Yet on other occasions, the ways Davis as a 4 limits Westbrook’s on-ball creation manifested. He should not be resigned to catch-and-shoot responsibilities, which was the case a bit too commonly Tuesday. An intermittent spot-up three from Davis isn’t a deathknell offensively, but simply seems like a poor allocation of collective talent in general.

Replacing Jordan with Malik Monk (who admittedly struggled yesterday), Trevor Ariza (when healthy) or Wayne Ellington (also, when healthy) in the starting unit would empower Davis to be the roll man in snug ball-screens for Westbrook or inhabit the dunker spot to occupy helpers when the former MVP posts up.

While the initial results for Westbrook’s stint offensively were discouraging, game one was not without some encouraging examples process-wise. He parlayed his anti-gravity off the ball into attacking runways and his explosiveness off the catch remains so sudden and overwhelming. At this point, it’s cliche, but he has to embrace cutting. Instilling its value into him is paramount. Success followed when he was either primed to rip off the catch or sliced into the defense before the ball even swung his way.

The Lakers didn’t go to their cheat code of the LeBron-Davis empty corner pick-and-roll much, yet the outline of how Westbrook can benefit from the attention that action commands was evident. Second-side pick-and-rolls for him when the floor is properly spaced might also become a reliable tool when Los Angeles streamlines its rotation and some of their now-injured guys return. The correct lineups and play calls are necessary for this star-laden experiment to work, but Monday certainly provided glimpses of how that success could manifest.

Beyond what the opening night loss laid out, the Lakers should also scheme more sets involving Westbrook as a screener for Davis or James, particularly snug pick-and-rolls inside the arc. According to Cleaning The Glass, Los Angeles’ rim frequency against the Warriors was a pitiful 26 percent. Some of that is surely tied to insufficient floor-spacing. But a team who saw James, Davis and Westbrook play 113 of a possible 144 minutes should mash its way to the rim more than that and better catering the Xs and Os and rotations to those three guys can help accomplish this.

Similarly, if Davis and Westbrook do see more time together without another big on the floor, empty corner pick-and-rolls should spike in volume, especially in early offense, which is where Westbrook is best equipped to handle possessions.

The pace of last night’s game was a breakneck 112.5. For reference, the Washington Wizards led the NBA in pace last season at 104.67. I’m curious how sustainable that is for a veteran-laden squad. Promoting open-floor reps with Westbrook out there is prudent, but if the offense looked murky at that pace, a regression to the mean could spell a bit more trouble before daylight arrives.

Monday was the first meaningful data point along a journey of many required to assess the Russell Westbrook Experience in Los Angeles. This one, while confounding and frustrating on the surface, looks more optimistic underneath. There’s certainly work to be done, both from the coaching staff and Westbrook himself. There’s also probably a cap to growth, given his shaky jumper and inconsistent decision-making offensively. But there is absolutely substantial, attainable growth to be actualized that might have this random night in October as nothing more than the ground floor of a profitable exercise.

On Wednesday morning, trans Netflix employees and their allies in the company walked off the job and took to the streets for the “‘Stand Up in Solidarity” rally, which hopes to improve the streaming service’s efforts at listening to trans voices before airing content like Dave Chappelle‘s controversial The Closer special. After two weeks of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos defending the special, the company has reversed course as Sarandos has admitted he “screwed up” his handling of the growing controversy. Netflix also voiced its support for the rally and said that it will “respect the decision of any employee who chooses to walk out.”

In a notable move given the show’s popularity on the streaming service, Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy issued a statement supporting the walkout:

I stand with every employee at Netflix using their voice to ensure a safe and supportive work environment. I’ve seen firsthand how vital television can be when it comes to influencing the cultural conversation. That impact is real and works both ways: positively AND negatively. Transphobia is unacceptable and harmful. That isn’t a debate.

Due to logistical issues, the event could not be held directly in front of Netflix offices, but it took place nearby. At least 100 protestors attended, including Transparent creator Joel Solloway, who loudly stated that a trans employee should be placed on “the Netflix f*cking board,” according to Deadline. The Netflix employees were also met by pro-Chappelle supporters, which led to a few minor scuffles after a Chappelle supporter attempted to crash one of the speeches.

You can see photos from the “‘Stand Up’ in Solidarity” rally below:

(Via Dan Levy on Twitter, Deadline)

As the 2021-22 NBA regular season approaches and training camp winds down across the league, we’ll be taking a look at the player on each team that holds the key to unlocking their potential. For the Portland Trail Blazers, that player is newly acquired forward Larry Nance Jr.

In late August, the Blazers were part of a three-team deal, with many focusing heavily on the decision by the Cleveland Cavaliers to acquire Lauri Markkanen. Within that swap, Portland turned Derrick Jones Jr., along with a draft pick, into Nance, aiming to upgrade the team’s frontcourt. That move came on the heels of the Blazers posting the NBA’s second-worst defensive rating last season, allowing more than 1.15 points per possession.

Portland’s roster, headlined by Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, is not constructed in a way that inspires defensive belief. However, the Blazers truly cratered a year ago, especially when a deploying a second unit that featured Carmelo Anthony and Enes Kanter. Nance can’t and won’t fix everything, but the Cleveland Cavaliers were nearly eight points better per 100 possessions defensively when Nance was on the floor a season ago. On top of that, Nance is highly versatile, with the ability to play both forward spots and even flash to center if and when new Portland head coach Chauncey Billups wants to send a small-ball unit onto the floor.

Since leaving the Lakers in his third season, Nance has been off the radar nationally, but his maturation defensively has been notable, and he is also a positive offensive player. The 27-year-old has posted a 58.8 percent true shooting mark across the past two seasons, developing into an adequate three-point shooter and keeping pressure on the opposition near the rim. Nance is a capable rebounder on both ends, and he should help the Blazers to unlock lineup versatility surrounding Lillard, McCollum, and Norman Powell.

It remains to be seen as to what kind of role the Blazers envision for their newly-acquired forward, but the price Portland paid seems to indicate lofty expectations. The Blazers do have starting-caliber forwards in Powell and Robert Covington, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Nance garner starts at the power forward spot, in addition to his role as a super-sub that checks multiple boxes. It would be fair to say that Portland also had real belief that Jones could help them in a similar way a year ago but, in short, Nance is far more accomplished and proven in his role, and the Blazers acquiring an upper-tier defender at that spot cannot be overlooked in the team’s quest to make life better for Lillard while winning at a high level.

It’s still early and many of the movies on the list haven’t been released to the public yet, but Variety‘s list of Best Picture 2022 predictions is topped by Belfast. The black-and-white film is a “story of love, laughter, and loss in one boy’s childhood, amid the music and social tumult of the late 1960s,” according to the official plot summary. It sounds like the most Best Picture-y movie ever — but it also looks very good. Both things can be true, as another black-and-white historical drama proved nearly 30 (!) years ago.

Belfast is directed by Kenneth Branagh, who has called it “most personal film” yet (yes, even more than Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit). “The leaving of Belfast was definitely the most critical life event for me, because it was wrapped up in violence and disruption. It resulted in a profound change. Life was really never the same again for me. It affected many, many people in profound ways that reverberate to this day,” he told the BFI.

Belfast, which stars newcomer Jude Hill as Branagh’s nine-year-old surrogate, Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, and Colin Morgan, opens on November 12. Also, in case you were wondering, Variety‘s Best Picture predictions list also includes Jane Campion’s fantastic looking The Power of the Dog, King Richard with Will Smith as Venus and Serena Williams’ dad, Dune, and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s tick, tick… Boom!.

2018 saw Connecticut group Ovlov return with TRU, their first album in five years. They’re not taking as long between albums this time, though, as Buds is set for release in November. They announced the project last month, and today, they share a new preview of it, “The Wishing Well,” which sounds like a not-too-distant relative of early-2000s Death Cab For Cutie.

The band’s Steve Hartlett told Stereogum the song is about “how much I dislike the way some people respond to something a person with mental health issues might have done wrong, whether it be cops, all the way to the employees at your favorite ‘DIY’ venue in Brooklyn, NY.”

He also spoke about the nature of the new album, saying, “I definitely feel like this album is a bit poppier than anything else we’ve released. Hoping that pays off literally and figuratively [laughs]. […] I’ve just always loved pop music. I always felt like Ovlov was pretty poppy in general. Everything can always be poppier in my opinion. I don’t know. I just wanted this one to be different than the first two. There’s definitely some songs on there that don’t sound like Ovlov songs to me, but we made them that way. We made them sound as Ovlov as possible.” On that front, he described “The Wishing Well” as “a bit out of our realm.”

Listen to “The Wishing Well” above.

Buds is out 11/19 via Exploding In Sound. Pre-order it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cyberpunk 2077 was supposed to be a Game of the Year contender when it first hit consoles. Instead, it quickly became a game infamous for bugs and was removed from the PlayStation store before eventually returning. To make matters worse for CD Projekt Red, the developers of the game, they were later hacked.

Between trying to fix Cyberpunk, get the game back on the store, and recover from a very serious hack, it’s safe to say that CD Projekt hasn’t had much time for other projects at the moment. This is why it shouldn’t be a surprise that the next-generation versions of Cyberpunk, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, are being delayed.

Cyberpunk really couldn’t be much more of a disaster for its developers. The plan for the game was always to release it on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One then release the next-generation version for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S owners at a later date. Anyone who already owns the game and those consoles has still been able to play the game because they have backward compatibility, but those players will receive a free next-gen upgrade when the PS5 and Series X/S versions are officially available. It has now been more than a year since Cyberpunk‘s release and we still don’t have an exact date on when the upgrades will release, just that it’s going to be coming in 2022.

Once these upgrades do come out, the next-gen versions will likely be the best versions of the two games to date, but it has to be frustrating for everyone that it’s taken this long to create an upgrade for modern consoles. On the plus side, a delay will hopefully mean the games will release in a finished state this time around.