How A Classic Simpsons Episode Inspired One Of 2026’s Most Popular New Horrors

Posted on 02/06/2026 by Boris Clair

It turns out that filmmaker Curry Barker found inspiration from an unlikely source when he was putting together his hit horror movie Obsession.

A huge critical and commercial success, Obsession centres around two close friends whose lives are forever changed after one makes a wish for the other to love him “more than anyone else in the fucking world”.

When his wish comes true, things take a disastrous, and tragic, turn – with Curry getting the idea for his film from an iconic episode of The Simpsons.

Speaking to Triple J before Obsession’s release, the director explained that he had invited some friends over to watch an episode of the comedy It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, which he made a guest appearance in.

“Before the episode [aired] there was a Simpsons episode where [Bart] has a monkey paw, and he’s making wishes and stuff,” he recalled.

Of course, Simpsons fans will know already that he’s referring to the show’s second ever Halloween special, Treehouse Of Horror II, which includes a segment where the family travels to Morocco and buys a cursed monkey’s paw at a market, which grants their wishes with sinister consequences.

The Simpsons' brush with a monkey's paw was an unexpected inspiration for Obsession — The Simpsons’ brush with a monkey’s paw was an unexpected inspiration for Obsession

He continued: “I was just excited to see my Always Sunny episode, but it hit me right then and there on the couch that Obsession idea that I had would be perfect if it was a wish movie.

“And so I actually remember the moment, I remember being on the couch, and being like, ‘oh my god’ and writing. It down. And after that, I just kept developing and developing that idea.”

In a separate interview with Variety, he said that after watching the Treehouse Of Horror special, he got to “thinking that I’ve never seen a straight crazy horror” based on that concept.

“We’ve seen ‘be careful what you wish for’ tons of times,” he noted. “But we’ve never seen my version of it. I instantly started thinking about what I could do with that…”

For what it’s worth, the Simpsons episode in question is based on WW Jacobs’ short story The Monkey’s Paw.

After coming up with his concept, Curry had to come up with a way of conveying the wish on screen, ruling out using a monkey’s paw because, as he told IndieWire, the image was already “too recognisable”.

He then considered going with a “wishing well”, “shooting stars” and “a wishbone”, before deciding on creating his own device, the One Wish Willow.

Since its release last month, Obsession has become one of the year’s most popular new films, with an enviable critical score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and 4.2 stars from fans on Letterboxd.

Obsession is in cinemas now.

Hannah Waddingham Finally Sets The Record Straight On Wicked Movie Audition Rumours

Posted on 02/06/2026 by Boris Clair

Hannah Waddingham has responded to the rumour that she was, at one point, in the running for a role in the film adaptation of Wicked.

The Ted Lasso star got her start in musical theatre, racking up three Olivier nominations for her work in Spamalot, A Little Night Music and Kiss Me, Kate, as well as appearing in the film Les Misérables.

Because of her background in performing, word somehow got around online that Hannah had auditioned for the supporting role of Madame Morrible in Wicked, which eventually went to Michelle Yeoh.

However, while the British star has conceded she’d loved to have played the part on screen, she’s insisted she never actually auditioned – and by the time she got wind that the movie was happening, Michelle had seemingly already been cast.

“I didn’t!” she confirmed when asked by Variety about the rumours. “This is the funniest thing. We can put this to bed once and for all.”

The Emmy winner continued: “I would have loved to have been seen for that – but it was a fait accompli, as they say.”

Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible in Wicked

She also teased that there is one musical theatre role she’s dying to bring to the big screen, but she’s “keeping it under my hat because I want to do it”.

Hannah is currently gearing up to return to the role of Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, after a three-year absence, during which it was thought that the Apple TV+ sports comedy had already come to an end.

In that time, Hannah has made no secret of her hopes for Ted Lasso to return, with the new episodes reuniting her with co-stars Jason Sudeikis, Nick Mohammed and Brett Goldstein.

“We thought we’d mourned the loss, and now it’s rising from the dead,” she said last year, adding that she thought news of the show’s return was “amazing”.

Read Hannah Waddingham’s full interview in Variety here.

Sydney Sweeney Appears To Take Swipe At Critics Of Graphic Euphoria Scenes

Posted on 01/06/2026 by Boris Clair

While Sydney remained tight-lipped on the debate throughout the season, it seemed she had something to say about it all in a post shared on Instagram before the season finale aired.

Alongside a series of behind-the-scenes snaps from season three – including some of the more racy set-ups involving her character – Sydney said simply: “It’s called… acting.”

In the past, Sydney has repeatedly called out the “double standard” she has noticed around the way male and female actors who have appeared nude on screen are treated.

Back in 2022, she told The Independent: “When a guy has a sex scene or shows his body, he still wins awards and gets praise. But the moment a girl does it, it’s completely different.”

Elsewhere in the same interview, she also made a point of saying: “I’ve never felt like Sam [Levinson, Euphoria’s creator] has pushed it on me or was trying to get a nude scene into an HBO show. When I didn’t want to do it, he didn’t make me.”

He claimed: “In terms of the story that we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me.”

Critics Hail Russell T Davies’ New Channel 4 Drama As ‘Terrifying’ And ‘Unforgettable’

Posted on 01/06/2026 by Boris Clair

Bafta-winning screenwriter Russell T Davies has another critical hit on his hands thanks to his new show Tip Toe.

The unflinching new drama stars Alan Cumming and David Morrissey as two neighbours who find themselves in a feud that quickly spirals out of control with disastrous results, while diving into thorny issues like online radicalisation, prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community, misinformation in the digital age and generational conflict.

During a recent interview with HuffPost UK, Russell called Tip Toe an “urgent” and “necessary” reflection of a world that is “out of control” and “at war with ourselves”, which critics have certainly agreed with so far.

Ahead of episode one’s premiere on Sunday, reviews have near-unanimously praised the series – the latest TV offering from the creator of shows like Queer As Folk, Years And Years and It’s A Sin – which they’ve hailed as “chilling”, “devastating”, “terrifying” and “unforgettable”.

Here’s a snippet of what the critics are saying about Tip Toe…

“This is urgent, state-of-the-nation stuff from one of our shrewdest screenwriters […] Tip Toe isn’t just sobering; it’s visceral and chilling viewing for all queer people and everyone who loves and supports us.”

“At times it feels as subtle as a brick in the face. But when Davies steps down from his pulpit and lets his characters breathe, his storytelling is visionary, devastating, passionate and humane. And we should listen.”

“Alan Cumming is extraordinary in this terrifying, landmark queer drama […] While this series is a fiction, and one that makes its arguments with sledgehammer grace, it is sadly not absurd, or abstract.”

“Tip Toe, the latest gut-punching drama from Russell T. Davies – his first since the life-altering It’s A Sin – is an alarming, though not inaccurate, portrayal of what it’s really like to be unapologetically gay in a Britain that hates us […] Tip Toe is Davies at his most impassioned; a wake-up call that this is not a time to be complacent.”

“Television writers will tell you that they never want to come across as preachy, and that good drama should ask teasing questions and then step away. The sense in Tip Toe is that Davies is done with this kind of pussyfooting around, and is up for a scrap.

“It makes for a drama that takes wrong turns but is never less than bold and, in the round, deeply stirring. TV polemic is back, loud and proud.”

David Morrissey plays Clive in Russell T Davies' Tip Toe — David Morrissey plays Clive in Russell T Davies’ Tip Toe

“Tip Toe may be an extreme example of how frenzied that intolerance can become. Its dialogue, with long, culturally-charged monologues, can also be a little tiring. But it should be all of these things […] A word of warning, though, from someone who literally watches TV for a living: by the end, this is the most distressing series I’ve ever seen. It’s not rewatchable, but it’s unforgettable.”

“[Tip Toe] lacks the discipline that made his other state of the historical/future nation pieces, Years and Years or It’s a Sin, so powerful and moving, but the strands begin to interweave, momentum builds and if the extremity of the conclusion still doesn’t quite ring true, everyone has worked hard to get it as close to authentic and emotionally credible as possible.”

The first two episodes of Tip Toe are now streaming on Channel 4, with the final three following on Sunday 7 June.

Helen Mirren Voices ‘Love’ For Tom Hardy Amid Rumoured MobLand Drama

Posted on 29/05/2026 by Boris Clair

Dame Helen Mirren has shown her “love” for MobLand co-star Tom Hardy amid reports about his future in the show.

The two British actors appeared alongside one another in the Paramount+ crime drama, with filming on the second run of episodes having wrapped earlier this year.

However, over the last week, it’s been heavily rumoured that the Dark Knight Rises star will not be returning for season three.

Earlier this month, Variety reported that Tom “was not asked to return to the series” following supposed disputes with executive producer Jez Butterworth.

While not commenting on the rumours directly, Dame Helen did allude to the drama in an Instagram post shared on Thursday evening.

Posting a picture of Tom, she wrote: “Love you now and always […] Helen.”

Tom Hardy's future in MobLand currently looks unclear — Tom Hardy’s future in MobLand currently looks unclear

Comments had notably been turned off on the post, which was uploaded days after footage of Dame Helen being confronted by a pro-Palestine demonstrator over her past support of Israel was posted online.

On Thursday, Variety posted a follow-up piece suggesting that Tom had, in fact, not been fired from MobLand, citing an undisclosed “source close to production” who apparently told them that “the door is not closed for season three and things are being worked through creatively”.

HuffPost UK has contacted representatives for both Tom Hardy and the streaming service Paramount+ for comment.

The first season of MobLand premiered last year, quickly becoming one of Paramount+’s biggest shows.

As well as Dame Helen and Tom, the show also features big names including Pierce Brosnan, Paddy Considine, Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt and Bafta winner Toby Jones among its cast, with Guy Ritchie on both executive producing and directing duties.

While Tom’s return seemingly remains up in the air, shooting on the third season of MobLand is reported by Variety to be getting underway in the autumn.

Cynthia Erivo Says ‘Bodyguard’ Jokes After Wicked Premiere Incident Were Rooted In Racism

Posted on 28/05/2026 by Boris Clair

Cynthia Erivo is reflecting on the fall-out from an incident that took place at the premiere of the second Wicked film in Singapore last year.

In November 2025, Cynthia and her co-star Ariana Grande were attending the Wicked: For Good premiere when a man leapt over a barrier and grabbed the No Tears Left To Cry singer, before jumping up and down.

Viral footage of the incident showed the British performer stepping in to protect her co-star, which inspired jokes and memes referring to her as Ariana’s “bodyguard”.

However, in a new interview with Variety, Cynthia suggested that these jokes were evidence that society has not yet “come to terms with the insidious nature of how we view Black women”.

“I’m sure people will read this and think, ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, it’s not about that.’ But it is,” she said.

Cynthia continued: “That’s what was being made fun of. It was my physique; it was my shape; it was the fact that I was bald; it was about what I looked like. And because of that, there was this assumption that I was bigger than my co-star and so I had to be controlling or protecting, and that was my role.

“I would hazard a guess that it would not have been the same had it been the other way around.”

Later in the interview, Cynthia claimed that the incident in Singapore put her off campaigning for an Oscar for her work in Wicked: For Good.

She lamented: “I just felt like my humanity had been bastardised. I felt like something I did instinctively had been made to be something that it simply was not because of the way people see women who look like me, and because of the assumptions that are made, and I just didn’t want to be a part of that, really and truly.”

Cynthia added that people’s preconceptions about the second Wicked film being inferior to the first contributed to her not wanting to campaign for an Oscar.

In the end, Wicked: For Good was completely snubbed at the 2026 Oscars, despite the first film receiving 10 nominations (and two wins) a year earlier.

Speaking to Variety, Cynthia also spoke about the impact that the grueling Wicked promotional tour took on both herself and Ariana.

Read Cynthia Erivo’s full interview in Variety here.

Cole Escola Fuels Excitement For Their Much-Hyped Miss Piggy Movie In New Interview

Posted on 27/05/2026 by Boris Clair

Cole Escola has opened up about their personal connection with Miss Piggy, ahead of their new film about the Muppets icon.

During a new interview with Tatler magazine, Cole was asked what makes Miss Piggy such a favourite of theirs, to which they responded: “She’s so awful. She behaves in a way we all wish we could behave. And we all do sometimes behave.

“I think her needs and desires come from a place of pain. And I think that is something that strikes a chord in people. But I don’t think any of that is visible, or it shouldn’t be. It should just be funny and fun.”

“Her incredibly high opinion of herself and her self-esteem and self-assuredness – all of it is delicious,” the Oh, Mary! creator added.

Asked which real-life figures give “Miss Piggy energy”, Cole said their gut reaction was to say Donald Trump, before settling on Anna Delvey, the fraudulent fake heiress who inspired the Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna.

“Showing up to Fashion Week with the ankle monitor? That’s Miss Piggy,” Cole claimed. “She should be writing the movie, not me. She’ll run away with the money and not work, which is exactly what Miss Piggy would do.”

They also reacted to calls for Miss Piggy to play the lead on Oh, Mary! in the future, enthusing: “She’d be the best Mary. She really should have originated the role, but I was greedy.”

Cole’s interview in Tatler coincided with the news that they will be the next actor to portray the lead in the current West End production of Oh, Mary!, following Mason Alexander Park and Catherine Tate’s respective stints.

As well as writing Oh, Mary!, Cole originated the role both on- and off-Broadway, for which they won their first Tony in 2025.

Read Cole Escola’s full interview in Tatler here.

Rivals Star Recalls ‘Modesty Equipment’ Malfunction While Shooting Racy Shower Scene

Posted on 27/05/2026 by Boris Clair

The current season of Rivals very much started as it meant to go on when it returned to our screens earlier this month, kicking things off with a raunchy shower scene.

In the sequence in question, Victoria Smurfit’s Maud O’Hara was seen sharing a steamy shower with her husband Declan, played by Aidan Turner, in what was later reduced to a comedy of errors resulting in a scene-stealing EastEnders cameo.

Rivals’ robust approach to intimacy co-ordination is already well-documented, with Victoria telling fans at the Hay Festival on Sunday that both she and Aidan were required to wear “modesty equipment” for the shoot.

Or, at least, that was the plan.

“It was long, pink and a fucking plaster,” the actor said, as reported by The Times. “You take the plaster, you jam it on and hope it stays there.”

She continued: “I have to be honest with you – under a storming shower, it doesn’t stay there for long. You give up. You just realise that glue is not what it was in the 80s.”

Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner in Rivals' second season — Victoria Smurfit and Aidan Turner in Rivals’ second season

Victoria previously praised the show’s “fantastic” intimacy coordinators, who help facilitate its many, many sex scenes safely for actors and crew members, while promoting season one.

“Pretty much all of the characters have to de-robe at some stage, whether it’s for comedy, love or power, so we had two intimacy coordinators,” she told The Gloss.

“They were fantastic because, what I’d never realised before, was how much they bring to the camera angles and the story-telling. It’s not just to protect the actors; it’s much deeper.”

Similarly, she told Evoke: “The intimacy coordinators were amazing, all 27,000 of them because they were able to [explain], ‘This is what sells the story of the sex’, because each of the sex scenes for everybody is telling a story about the characters and how they function.”

As a result, the hardest part of shooting each of these scenes, she claimed, was worrying “how cold are we going to be in this outfit?”.

Rivals continues on Friday 29 May and 5 June, before taking a mid-season break and returning later in 2026.

Rivals Star Luca Pasqualino Claims He’s Still ‘Haunted’ By His Ted Lasso Audition

Posted on 26/05/2026 by Boris Clair

Rivals actor Luca Pasqualino has revealed he came close to landing a major role in a very different British show that has also gone on to become a huge hit internationally.

During a recent interview with HuffPost UK to promote the new episodes of the Jilly Cooper bonkbuster, Luca was asked if there was an audition he missed out on earlier on in his career that still “haunts” him today, to which he admitted that there was “definitely” one that came immediately to mind for him.

“One that I got really, really close to that sort of sticks out was Ted Lasso,” he explained, before sharing that he’d tried out to play striker Jamie Tartt in the Apple TV+ series.

“I got down to [the last few], went and met Jason Sudeikis, had two tests for it, and I was so close. But my friend Phil Dunster, he got the part in the end. And he was so good.”

Luca continued: “If you watch [something that you’ve auditioned for] and the person who gets it is really awful or whatever, it makes you feel worse.

“But [Phil] was so good, it’s like, ‘OK, fine, I get it. This is going to be an easier pill to swallow’.”

Critics Pull No Punches As Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Dated’ New Comedy Arrives On Netflix

Posted on 22/05/2026 by Boris Clair

When the trailer for the new Netflix comedy film Ladies First dropped, it quickly raised eyebrows, with some critics going as far as calling it “the worst movie trailer” the had “ever seen”.

And let’s just say the response isn’t any better now that the film has landed on streaming services, with a smattering of one- and two-star reviews.

Ladies First stars Sacha Baron Cohen as a chauvinistic CEO whose life is upended when he wakes up in a parallel world dominated by women.

Despite an all-star cast which includes Rosamund Pike, Fiona Shaw, Charles Dance and Emily Mortimer, the film is getting negative reviews across the board.

Critics are calling out the film’s subpar jokes, borderline-offensive gender politics and misuse of its talented British cast.

Here is what people are saying about Ladies First…

“In its attempt to become a one-stop shop for just about every form of nostalgia possible, Netflix has now decided to revive the dreadful British comedy of the 2000s.

The all-deciding algorithm has somehow deemed it necessary for a return to that cursed era with the release of Ladies First, a broad and chintzy new comedy that would have felt old hat even back then.

“It’s an excruciatingly unfunny high-concept thought experiment, imagining a world with flipped gender politics, that’s far too happy with itself and what it’s allegedly achieving to be passed off as just some charming throwback.”

“This a film that attempts to wring side-splitting laughter from the wacky, dystopian sight of, ho-ho, women taxi drivers, women paramedics and women changing tyres. Plus, equally hilarious are the scenes featuring, snicker snicker, men cooking, men hugging and men being interested in their children. Finger off the pulse? Just a bit.”

Critics definitely aren't laughing at Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy — Critics definitely aren’t laughing at Sacha Baron Cohen’s new comedy

“A dated battle-of-the-sexes comedy […] at a time when laws change daily to restrict women’s bodily autonomy, protect men from accountability and reinstate antiquated values that benefit a few at the expense of the many, sexual politics can feel more regressive than ever.

“But as uneven a playing field as women may face against men in their lives, relationships and careers, Ladies First is a movie that seems like it’s made less for this moment than one a few generations ago.”

“This comic tale of an arrogant, sexist male executive who gets his comeuppance when he hits his head and wakes up to find himself in a world dominated by women hits every satirical note you’d expect but provides more knowing chuckles than genuine laughs.

“An almost ridiculously overqualified cast of notable British thespians does their best to elevate the material of this Netflix comedy directed by Thea Sharrock but it’s heavy lifting.”

“The easy feminism of winks and role reversals quickly wears thin. Most of the movie takes place in Damien’s head after all, and much of its lessons are about his growth. Why does that sound so familiar?”

We're not sure what's happening in this scene from Ladies First and we're not sure we want to know — We’re not sure what’s happening in this scene from Ladies First and we’re not sure we want to know

“Sacha Baron Cohen is knocked unconscious early in Netflix comedy Ladies First, a film that only sometimes makes you wish the same for yourself.”

“Men and women both will find a number of alarming concepts in the gender-flipping comedy Ladies First not the least of which will be the idea of Sacha Baron Cohen as a romantic lead.

“He’s a terrific actor. Whether he has the animal magnetism to play opposite Rosamund Pike (who does?) strains credulity. But so does most of the movie.”

Ladies First is now streaming on Netflix.

WellnessMaster

Get The Latest News on Holistic Wellness

Tag Archives: Entertainment