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ISSUE 204 Oct ’21

STACK Issue 204 OCTOBER 2021 “Bet Will Smith ain’t gotta deal with this.” LOONEY TUNES, SPACE JAM and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. Mild themes, animated violence and coarse language

ISSUE 204

Oct ’21

ISSUE 204 Oct ’21

THE GREAT OUTDOORS Health and fitness wearables • Massage guns • Cameras for your outdoor adventure

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ISSUE 204 OCT

CONTENTS

2021

FILM & TV 6 Take 5 7 Malignant 8 Old 10 Snake Eyes 12 Free Guy 14 Space Jam: A New Legacy 16 Jack In A Box 17 Doctor Who: Web of Fear 18 Imprint Films

WELCOME In 1996, Warner Bros. released Space Jam . With Michael Jordan at the head, the film was embraced by ‘90s kids as a classic. 25 years later NBA superstar, LeBron James, leads the sequel and this month in STACK we chat with director Ryan Coogler about bringing Space Jam: A New Legacy to the big screen. Elsewhere in movies, James Wan returns with Malignant and Doctor Who fans will be eagerly awaiting the Web of Fear . Life Tech is brimming with tech for the great outdoors including wearables and cameras. We also dig deep into the best personal massages to ease those aches and pains. In music we talk funky stankface with Baker Boy, evolving your sound without losing your essence with Duran Duran, and flapjack artillery with MOD CON, plus give the skinny on fresh LPs from Sam Teskey, Client Liaison, and Tirzah. Finally, it’s time to pull on the boots for the annual sports blockbuster, FIFA 22 . We also go full zombie blasting mayhem in Back 4 Blood and the updated Nintendo Switch makes its way in-store. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

20 Out This Month 22 New on 4K UHD LIFE TECH

26 Life Tech Intro 28-36 Wearables 38-44 Health and wellbeing 46-48 Workout headgear 50-58 Cameras for the great outdoors 60 Motorola Edge 20 Pro 62 What’s New at JB MUSIC 68-76 The Music Room: Interviews, notable reviews and more 78 Feature: The biggest sackings in band history 80 AlbumTales: Beautiful Garbage (2001) 82 Feature: Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres 84-85 Cover story: The Beatles’ Let It Be (2021 reissue) 86-71 STACK Record Club

Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & TV Editor Scott Hocking Music Editor Zoë Radas Games & Online Editor Amy Flower Creative Director Gary Siewert Movies Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Sachi Fernando Music Consultant Mike Glynn

Marketing Manager Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Bob Jones, Gill Pringle Contributors Anthony Horan, Glenn Cochrane, Bryget Chrisfield, Jeff Jenkins, Simon Lukic, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira, Adam Colby,

Dan Nicholson, Alex Deutrom, Bec Summer, Tim Lambert, Stephen Farrelly Social Media Manager Imogene Lewis-Granland Production Manager Craig Patterson Correspondence STACK 33 Jessie Street, Richmond, VIC 3121

88 This Month at JB 89-91 Album reviews GAMING FLIP MAG AND READ FROM BACK 4 Take 5/Game Changers! 6 Fast Forward/Q5 8 FIFA 22 10 Back 4 Blood 12 Nintendo Switch OLED 13 Accessorise Now! 14 STACK Recommends 16 Out this month

RATINGS GUIDE

Parental guidance recommended

Recommended for mature audiences

Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15smust beaccommpaniedby a parent or adult guardian

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General

Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2021 All rights reserved. All material appearing in this publication is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material or advertisement. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Scribal Custom Pty Ltd. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. Whilst care has been taken in the research and preparation of this publication, the publishers, writers or anyone else associated cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or hardship arising from the content contained herein or reliance therefrom, howsoever caused, and it remains your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any such content. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or the editor. By the very nature of this publication, things change daily and we cannot take responsibility for any changes or inaccuracies that occur subsequent to going to press.

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What’s one of your all-time favourite films or TV series, and why? My all-time favourite has got to be Ghostbusters . All versions are amazing, but I think that the first and second are untouchable. Incredible cast, ground-breaking special effects and a chart-topping soundtrack to boot.

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Do you collect movies andTV series?

Absolutely! I have a library of DVDs and Blu-Rays to keep me entertained. The quality and reliability of physical media meets all my expectations when it comes to playback time.

The vast range of 4K movies for sure, and the amazing customers that are eager to hunt down a high-quality copy of their favourite film that they can own, or give as a gift to someone special.

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to edit remotely – I got back into the movie again," he explains. "But that time away, where I could come back and reassess the film, was useful. It allowed me to look at it with new eyes and see where I might be giving my cards away too much.” Wan admits that Malignant ’s evil entity, Gabriel, is inspired by the director’s early love of Giallo films, and the traditional Giallo villain with black gloves and black coat. “I’ve been a big fan of Giallo since I was a teenager, and it's very evident, even with my first film, Saw , where you can see the shades of directors like Argento or Bava in there. Honestly, even when I make a film like Aquaman , you can see that Argento and Bava are still in my head. I’m like, ‘Get out of here you guys!’" he laughs. "So that’s always in me. I joke that you can take the boy out of horror but you can’t take the horror out of the boy, which is the case here. So Malignant really is a culmination of all the stuff that I love. I don’t refer to it as a genre-bender, I refer to it as a genre- blender – my head being that blender! I have absorbed all these themes and the juice that it spews out at the other end is this movie, Malignant. ” As for the biggest celluloid inspiration for this new film? Wan reckons it would be 1978 Faye Dunaway mystery-thriller, Eyes of Laura Mars . “In the late '80s and '90s, there was a short period of thrillers where the heroine sees things through the point of view of the killer; for some reason they have a psychic connection with the killer," says Wan. "And I love that sub-genre, and I don’t think there’s enough of that today – it's completely dead, actually. “So I’m excited to see if I can revive that genre with Malignant ,” he promises. As with all his films, his style taps into the things that scared him the most growing up. “For me, its always the simplest thing like a door creaking open; you’re sleeping at night, and then the door opens but nothing comes out. No monster, no boogieman – but the door in the darkness creaks open, and that’s all you hear. And I find that inspires the imagination, especially when it's mixed up with mine!

After years of investing in successful horror franchises like Insidious , Saw and The Conjuring , JamesWan was ready to try something new in the genre. Words Gill Pringle

D irector James Wan's excitement was evident when he spoke to STACK on the eve of the release of his new horror film, Malignant , starring Annabelle Wallis. “With something like The Conjuring , when you’re basing it on people who are still around – and they were, when I made the first Conjuring films – you have to be respectful,” explains the Australian filmmaker. “But when you’re doing a film that you’ve cooked up from scratch, you really have the freedom to take the characters anywhere you want. There’s no limitation, so I feel like Malignant wants to break outside of that box and go against the system. It’s a genre movie, but it’s also very punk to some degree. “I love the gritty horror-thriller genre, and after many years away from it, I felt it was time to return to my indie roots, to the harder-hitting horror-thrillers of Saw and Death Sentence ," he continues. "After Aquaman and between the Conjuring and Insidious films, I felt like I needed to cleanse my palate, and step outside of the superhero and ghostly arenas to try something different. I wanted to do something original and bold. Malignant is very much inspired by the kind of movies that I grew up watching, like a loving throwback to the ‘80s and early ‘90s style of horror-thrillers, but to do it my way,” he says, pointing to the great horror-maestros Dario Argento, Brian De Palma, Wes Craven and David Cronenberg. “So I wanted to take this opportunity to try stuff that I haven’t done

Director JamesWan on set

I felt it was time to return to my indie roots

before, like exploring new themes and stories while experimenting with a different aesthetic. Who knows when I'll get the chance to try something like this again?” Filmed pre-pandemic, Wan was left spinning his heels, unable to edit the film until restrictions eased. “So, I went off and I did some gardening, and played some beer games, and later – when we were allowed

Malignant is in cinemas Oct 21.

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her face, she vainly attempts to conceal the changes with makeup, but her efforts are for naught. Terrified by what’s happening to her, she struggles to maintain a grip on her sanity. “She believes, or has been told, that all she has is the way that she looks," explains Lee. "As she starts to lose that, she’s frightened and in pain. What’s happening to her is happening at such a rapid pace, she doesn’t have the tools to deal with it. She just can’t figure out how to cope.” Lee’s experience in the highly scrutinised world of high fashion gave her unique insight into her character’s psyche. “Because of my past and my present, I have a strong relationship to the way that I look, and how I move through the world, and what that has done to me and for me,” she says. “It’s a complicated relationship. Chrystal has just reinforced that. She should make me feel terrified, but I have so much empathy for her. I care for her so much.” Filmed on location in the Dominican Republic last year during the pandemic, Old also features Australian actress Eliza Scanlen ( Babyteeth )

STACK caught up with director M. Night Shyamalan ( Signs , The Sixth Sense ) and Aussie star Abbey Lee to discuss new high-concept thriller, Old . Words Gill Pringle SIGNS OF AGEING

I n a youth-obsessed society, few actresses would willingly volunteer to look older than they are – especially on the big screen, where such images might haunt them forever. But there’s always exceptions, and Old director M. Night Shyamalan was thrilled when Melbourne’s own Abbey Lee rose to the challenge. Unlike most of the director’s previous films, which have typically been filmed close to his Pennsylvania home – The Sixth Sense, Glass and The Village all fit this category – Shyamalan’s Old is set at a tropical resort. There, we quickly learn that something is wrong in paradise, when guests at a secluded beach discover they are ageing rapidly, reducing their entire lives into a single day. “Abbey was incredibly game to do anything, and never complained once. She was stunning,” the director says of the former supermodel, who bowed out of the runway in 2012 to focus on her acting career. (Lee's major feature debut was George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road , of 2015). Audiences may well be surprised by Lee’s total lack of vanity in Old , in which she portrays Chrystal, the vacuous wife of Rufus Sewell’s surgeon, Charles. “As you know, she was a Victoria’s Secret model, and studied acting and went through this movement of her life," Shyamalan says of Lee. "I was very taken with her ability to be committed, professional, nuanced and risk-taking. She would do these incredible takes and just be completely abandoned, without any protection at all,” says Shyamalan, whose psychological thriller also features Gael Garcia Bernal ( Mozart in the Jungle ), Embeth Davidtz ( Army of Darkness ), Alex Wolff ( Hereditary ) and Aaron Pierre ( Underground Railroad ).

“Abbey certainly wasn’t trying to make herself look beautiful,” he adds. “We had amazing actresses that auditioned for that part, and she won it by being so specific and amazing. I’m stunned by her performance, and I really wish her the best.” Chrystal is described in great detail as “the sort of woman who turns heads when she walks into a room – she knows she’s beautiful and she takes great pains to maintain her flawless figure. For someone whose self-worth is so inextricably bound up with her appearance, the passage of time can become a powerful enemy.” It's understandable then that the role wasn’t a stretch for Lee, who has reinvented herself as an in-demand actress, appearing in Office Christmas Party, The Neon Demon , and Emmy- nominated HBO series Lovecraft Country. “I think what I liked most about the script is that it’s a dissertation on the collapse of time,” she says. “There’s a really beautiful balance of panic and reflection.” Although Chrystal is only 33 when Old opens, “already, she’s got this little devil on her shoulder, that beast of ageing, saying, ‘You’re not 20 anymore,’” says Lee. “I understand what that is, and I can feel her so deeply in me. This happens to so many women around the world.”

Gael García Bernal and M. Night Shyamalan on location

and New Zealand’s Thomasin McKenzie ( Jojo Rabbit ), all handpicked by the director. The film is based on Pierre-Oscar Levy’s graphic novel Sandcastle , and Shyamalan hopes his big screen adaptation is more thought- provoking than it is alarming. “There’s a beauty to our definitions of life, like ‘this happened to me’ or ‘this thing defined me’," he says. "And when time is moving so fast, everything that was amazing or tragic or horrible that happened to you, it doesn’t really define the movement of your whole life.” While many of the director’s previous films are based on original ideas, he had help sourcing Levy’s book, which was, in fact, an unusual Father’s Day gift from his daughters. “They’re pretty great at curating stuff for me. They point out poetry or novels or graphic novels that they think I might like," he says. "They’re very aware of the dissonant things or the philosophical things that interest me, so this graphic novel was totally on point."

Determined to attract attention, Chrystal dons a brilliant marigold bikini to sunbathe during her day on the beach, preoccupied with taking selfies – until peculiar forces begin to transform her body into something very far removed from youthful beauty. As wrinkles fan out like spider webs across

• Old is out Oct 27

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kind of like layering in all of the usual actor-y prep work that you do, like scene analysis and breaking everything down. Oh, and the Japanese culture and the samurai influence – Robert [Schwentke, director] was a huge lover of Japanese cinema. So all of those things just go into the mix.” Having risen to fame as the star of Warrior , Koji says that shifting from television to film wasn’t a big stretch. “There’s not much difference, and it depends on the director. TV though, with Warrior you have to be fast, man, because TV is on a much smaller budget, and you’ve got to get through ten episodes of filming in a short time.” With the previous two G.I. Joe theatrical films – The Rise of the Cobra (2009) and Retaliation (2013) – having received a lukewarm response, Koji eagerly reassures fans that the new film should be considered a fresh start. “Yeah, it’s a reboot, a revival and a refresher. It’s a new beginning, man – a completely new spin on it.” With rumours of a potential G.I. Joe franchise crossover with five other Hasbro properties – including Transformers, Rom and Micronauts – gaining traction, Koji was somewhat reluctant to spill any hot goss on the pending HasbroVerse, offering with a grin, “I can’t really speak about that. I think it’s teasing. Yes, it’s teasing stuff for the potential. And I know there are talks of things and I think it’s early days. I’m sure that some mastermind is twiddling his fingers with some plan, but yeah…” And as Snake Eyes is poised for release, the

STACK chats with actor Andrew Koji about taking on the character of Storm Shadow in Paramount’s action-packed reboot, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins . Words Glenn Cochrane

T he HasbroVerse is on the rise, and as the other two major superhero universes duke it out, the wheels are in motion to bring together some of Hasbro’s most iconic toy lines. The Transformers franchise is already well established, and following two previous G.I. Joe films, the series is about to be reinvigorated with an all-new chapter telling the story of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, two ninja warriors whose alliance dates back to the original toy line in 1984. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins tells the story of these brothers-in-arms and how they were trained by the ancient Japanese ninja clan, Arashikage, before being recruited to the G.I. Joe team. Of course the history of the characters has had them at odds with each other throughout the years, and their story is one of a complex relationship. Andrew Koji (HBO’s Warrior ), who plays Storm Shadow, sat down with STACK over Zoom to discuss the upcoming film, revealing that he didn’t have any G.I. Joe toys as a kid and had to embark on his own exploration of the character. “I grew up more with video games, and some toys, but we had Action Force in England, and that wasn’t the same. So I had to do some research once the role came in,” he admits.

With a history spanning the initial toy line to the cartoons, animated films and comic books, Koji’s work was cut out for him – a task he

describes with amusement. “It wasn’t all on the page,

• Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins is out Oct 20

and it was definitely a deep dive because the script is the starting point, but then there was still work to be done," he explains. "When I got the early draft of the script, it was still

finding itself. We wanted to know what was the best thing to do with the characters, and the universe as a whole, with the tone and setting and everything. “So yeah, you do the deep dive and figure out what is useful and what is not, and I think the main thing with this being an adaptation with a modern spin on it, you basically have to find the soul and the essence and the spirit of the characters.” Curiously – and appropriately – it was a G.I. Joe super-fan who helped him connect with Storm Shadow. “I got the basic spirit of the

character by talking to fans, and one fan in particular who was a Storm Shadow fanatic, was my main resource for that,” he says. “And once I figured it out, it was

development of a follow-up was announced back in May. When asked about what the future holds for Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, Koji was again expectedly tight-lipped. “Oh no, I think we have to wait until this comes out first, man. Because they do listen to the audience reaction. So, they’ll find that out and they’ll listen to that. I mean, there are some things in the works, but I think you’ve got to take one step at a time.”

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Ryan Reynolds with Jodie Comer

“Guy is definitely a descendant of Tom Hanks in Big and Buddy the Elf. The innocence. The boy inside the man. That’s the spirit of our protagonist,” says Levy, whose films include Night at the Museum and Date Night . Indeed, Reynolds’ sweetly naive character is in stark contrast to his acerbic blockbuster alter- ego, Deadpool. “My default is just pure trash on the inside, so this was slightly new for me. There’s

READY PLAYER ONE

Director Shawn Levy (right) withTaikaWaititi

something really wonderful about playing Guy, who is like a four-year-old adult,” he says. Jodie Comer’s character exists in both the real world as Millie and in the video game as Molotov Girl, and if audiences are used to seeing Comer pull off many of her own stunts in Killing Eve , then she admits her skills are no match for a video game character. “Molotov can flip and do all these crazy things but I think her essence comes from the real person, which I really loved. I tried to do as many stunts as I possibly could, but I had a wonderful stunt double, Hayley, who did the real badass stuff,” she says. Both Levy and Reynolds were sent the script at the same time in 2018. “We thought it was good, a big idea about a background

Ask Ryan Reynolds the inspiration for Free Guy – the hilarious new action-comedy about a bank teller who discovers he’s actually an NPC (non-player character) inside a brutal open world video game – then his answer is simple: Back to the Future . Words Gill Pringle ‘I t’s a movie that both Shawn [Levy, director] and I worship. We’re standing on the shoulders of giants here obviously,” odds for Free Guy hitting all the right marks, are well stacked. Moreover, some of the video gaming world’s most influential

character in a video game who realises that his whole life is inside a game,” the director recalls. “But when we met, all of our critical conversations became about theme. It was very much about, ‘Oh, you live in a world that is violent, unfair, unequal…You don’t need to be a spectator to a world that is sh–ty. You can be a participant in change. You can have agency and empowerment in the way that your world is reshaped’,”

says Reynolds, who plays the eponymous Guy, aka blue shirt guy, in Levy’s pastel-hued video- verse. Not that there’s any specific similarities between the two films. “It’s more of a feeling that we were aiming for – so when you walk out of this movie, you’re walking on air. You have a feeling of elation and it’s an absolute fastball of joy while still dealing with subject matter that can be challenging,” he adds. Co-starring Taika Waititi as slightly dim megalomaniac video game boss, Antoine, opposite Stranger Things ’ Joe Keery and Killing Eve ’s Jodie Comer as game developers, the

figures drop in for cameos including Imane “Pokimane” Anys, Lannan “LazarBeam” Eacott, Seán William “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Daniel “DanTDM” Middleton. “The film also tackles authorship and the idea that we can step out of the background and be a

• Free Guy DVD/Blu-ray is out Sept 29

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adds the director. “So back in 2018, we felt like those were resonant themes. But to be here today, thinking about those themes of impacting your world. Themes of class. Themes of the inequality in social structures – it’s unbelievable to me how much more relatable and applicable they are now than even a year or two ago.” Both Reynolds and Levy are adamant that Free Guy is a meta-comedy to be enjoyed by gamers and non-gamers alike. “Even though it’s set in a somewhat nihilistic video game world, I wanted the movie to be the opposite of nihilism,” insists Levy.

force of change and collectively shape and shift society in certain ways. And I think that the NPCs in our game world in the movie represent

a lot of what we’re seeing, not just in 2020, but over the last century,” says Reynolds. When Levy joins us, he has his own list of Free Guy influences including Ready Player One , The Matrix and The Truman Show , in terms of a secondary reality, with a little Edward Scissorhands , Big and Elf for good measure.

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“It’s a story with a lot of scope that has predicaments you wouldn’t necessarily see coming. This film exists at the intersection of entertainment in a way that’s so incredible. But at the end of the day, it’s a father/son story,” adds Coogler. As the film opens we learn about the hard work and sacrifice it takes to be the greatest basketball player of all time – and meet with a version of LeBron who is frustrated that his younger son, Dom (Cedric Joe), does not adhere to his own strict work ethic, preferring to play and design video games. The family’s struggles make them easy prey for egomaniacal digi-villain, Al G. Rhythm (Don Cheadle), who lures LeBron and Dom into the server room. There he essentially kidnaps them, sucking them into his digital domain and forcing them to go head-to-head in a basketball showdown involving a wacky and wonderful array of Looney Tunes characters. As a long-time amateur basketball player, Cheadle thought he’d died and gone to heaven at the prospect of playing ball with one of basketball’s all-time greats, although his hopes were quickly dashed when they got on set. “I would have loved to have the opportunity to play around with LeBron but, at the same time, if LeBron had injured himself on our set because he was just goofing around with some actors – that would have been very bad," says the Oscar-winning Cheadle. "So I’m fine with how it all turned out. I played basketball very hard for 20 years straight, so it was time to hang up the gym shoes for sure." While LeBron has long been eyeing a show business career, his good friend and business partner Maverick Carter believed Space Jam: A New Legacy to be just the right project. “This story landed in a place that I truly believe LeBron – as an actor, as a basketball player, as a human, as a father, as a son – is uniquely positioned to be at the centre of," he says. "It’s a totally new film that really has a message and deals with issues that the world can relate to." In the quarter century since the original film’s release, James, 36, has ascended to the top of his game on the court. “It’s an honour for me to be a part of the Space Jam world, to be able to reintroduce it to kids today and show them how unbelievable the Looney Tunes are, and how great our sport of basketball is, as well,” he says. “There are also some things in this movie that will catch a lot of people off-guard. That’s what’s exciting about it.” Cheadle believes the film lives up to its name, establishing an entirely new legacy. “This is different in every way, other than the main character being forced to play basketball. It’s a family story, and a story about a kid finding his way and following his own path. Of course, it still centres around the greatest basketball player of his time, and a game that’s taking place in a fantastical world – but I think this one is about deeper things."

Twenty-five years after basketball legend Michael Jordan starred in animated action comedy Space Jam, there’s a new basketball icon in town. Four- time NBA champion LeBron James carries on the torch with Space Jam: A New Legacy . Words Gill Pringle

L eBron James always felt a special connection to the original film. “When I was 12 years old, I needed inspiration where I was growing up,” says the Ohio-born legend. “Michael Jordan was one of those people who gave me inspiration, along with my mother. When I think back on watching Space Jam , always having a love for Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes – and then you add Michael Jordan, one of my favourite inspirations growing up? It felt like it was a match made in heaven for me.” “LeBron has an endearing quality to him that a lot of athletes of his caliber just don’t have,” says Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, who executive produced this new

iteration of the film. “Everybody respects what he’s done on the basketball court over his career. It’s just really exciting for him to be the star of this film, for him to be the vehicle of people’s reintroduction to these characters.

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character he has created. “We had made a film called The Curse of the Witch's

Doll , and the distributors that we were working with at the time were quite keen to make something that was similar. And we were really keen not to do that," he says. "Or at least, if we were to do that, we would bring something completely different to the table. So we started looking into different forms of dolls, and this idea of a jack-in-the-box just kind of came up [pun intended]! Looking into the backstory and the true origin of the jack-in-the-box, there's theories of it starting in England as a demon trapped in an old boot, and there's all these different and interesting legends that we kind of put all together. And, yeah, we threw some 'creepy clown sub- genre' into it. Before you know it, you've got a unique twist on a genre.” The very nature of a jack-in-the-box lends itself to horror, with the anticipation of the musical toy bursting open unexpectedly giving Fowler the perfect method of building suspense and jump scares. In his film, the monster within is a grotesque demonic clown which, after crawling out of the box, presents as a tall, lurking spectre. “It went through many forms," Fowler explains. "Early on we considered whether it was a Chucky type of thing, and the doll itself came to life, and I was never a fan of that. I wanted this larger-than-life monster to come out of this box, and create some terror. I'm really pleased with how it all turned out.” As the end credit scroll reveals, the Fowler name is stamped all over The Jack in the Box , with the production seemingly a family affair. When asked about the dynamics behind the film and production company Fowler Media, he proudly explains how tight-knit the scenario is. “Yeah, yeah, it really is," he smiles. "Essentially, this business is my four core family members. Myself and my wife – who does the casting – and I write and direct. My father is a producer, and he's also incredibly talented at building things – he built the box. My mum started doing the catering on Witch's Doll , and it wasn't the plan to keep going, but she's got a background in catering. So she's fantastic!” he adds with a laugh. “So I just kept working with them, and before we knew it, we re-branded Top Notch Productions to Fowler Media. It is a core family business and that's something that's fairly rare, and it's quite nice. And I think people that work with us appreciate that. We're getting a reputation for being a nice friendly set with a very friendly working environment, which is great.”

• The Jack in the Box is out Oct 13

British filmmaker Lawrence Fowler talks to STACK about his second picture, The Jack in the Box . Words Glenn Cochrane

T wo ever-reliable hallmarks of exploited by up-and-coming filmmakers for decades. From the iconic legacies of Child's Play and Stephen King's IT to the tackier schlock entries like Demonic Toys and Killer Klowns From Outer Space , the playing field is open for all to play. They are tropes which offer the horror genre are clowns and killer dolls, which have been

themselves to whosoever dares capitalise on their

the-box toy, which contains a demon hellbent on devouring six human souls. It is a tried and true formula, and Fowler eagerly wears his influences on his sleeve. STACK caught up with Fowler over a Zoom chat, where the director discussed the sinister origins of these creepy little toys, how his family is integral to what he does, and what the future holds for the gnarly and monstrous

potential to scare, and British filmmaker Lawrence Fowler is the latest director to take a stab with his sophomore feature film The Jack in the Box .

Lawrence Fowler

Arriving to DVD in time for Halloween, the story follows Casey, an employee of a local museum, who discovers that there's more than meets the eyes to a recently donated jack-in-

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have this one sit within five other live action episodes. And that was a big consideration for us, and it partly drove why we wanted to go down the route of motion capture and using a 3D tool. You've got natural, moving humans in the live action episodes, and we wanted something that was animated but also fit in with those. And ultimately, it was also a huge consideration for us to think: 'What does this moment mean for episodes four, five and six?" Not only did introducing 3D animation to the series enable the overarching storyline to flow as succinctly as possible, but it also afforded Boys and his team the advantage of accessing the characters in ways that weren't possible for the original production. "We wanted something that really brought out the distinction in all of these actors," he elaborates, alluding to the fact that the audio

Until now, TheWeb Of Fear was the incomplete fifth serial of the fifth series of DoctorWho from 1968. For 45 years all but the first episode were missing, until they were discovered in Nigeria in 2013 by renowned television archivist Philip Morris. In the process of returning the episodes to the BBC archives, the third one disappeared, and is believed to have been stolen for its value. It has never been located. Words Glenn Cochrane T hanks to the creative minds at Shapeshifter Studio in New South Wales, that long-lost episode has been

is lifted from the original recording. "They're wonderful. They're fun and they're all doing their own thing, and we wanted to be able to bring those nuances out. And motion capture and 3D is the natural way to approach that while paying tribute to those actors. I mean, there's things we can do now that they would have done then, if they could. For example, our explosions can be as big as we want them to be. We can play with camera angles in a way that their pedestal cameras couldn't. Just things like that, where you get a bit of extra play by doing it in animation." For the first time ever, the complete Doctor Who: The Web of Fear is available to own in all its glory on Blu-Ray and DVD. Says Boys: "We kept the fans in our minds the entire time, and we wanted to do right by them. The Web of Fear is fun. It's charming. It's nostalgic. And it [will] probably attract a whole new fanbase, which is awesome as well."

reconstructed and restored with the use of breathtaking 3D animation, thus bringing the full story arc to completion and giving fans the closure they've been so eagerly anticipating. Director Adam Boys recently spent time with STACK via Zoom, discussing his love of Doctor Who and the experience of being tasked with such a daunting assignment. "I got into Doctor Who via a crush, actually," he says with amusement, "She recommended that I get into Doctor Who , and started me with new Who . And to be honest, I was hooked instantly. I loved Christopher Eccleston, and I don't know if it's an unpopular opinion, but I think he's one of the best. The old Who was something I found a bit later, although David [Devjak], who runs the studio, is a big, big fan, and grew up on the early stuff." The Web of Fear marks the studio's third Doctor Who project, having previously worked on visual effects and composites for the previous incomplete episodes, The Tenth Planet and Fury FromThe Deep (as featured in other serials). Needless to say, Adam is no stranger to the Whoniverse, and he reflects on the BBC's involvement and the freedom bestowed upon him as Director. "Because we've done a lot of work on the

composites and effects, and the mastering and grading on the 2D animation for previous episodes, it's a dream of ours to work on this," he says. "And the BBC were wonderful. The feedback was supportive, and we were trusted and given free reign, which was great. It allowed us to be able to make directorial choices to get the momentum happening." Unlike the previously animated reconstructions, The Web Of Fear marks the first 3D animation for Doctor Who , a creative direction which, Boys explains, was fundamental to creating a fluent bridge between episodes.

"One of the challenges we had with this one, compared to Fury FromThe Deep – which was a full, six-episode recreation – was that we had to

• Doctor Who: The Web of Fear is out now

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For the Average Joe it’s October, but for a very passionate group of people known as 'Horror-hounds', it’s actually Halloween Month. So, huge props to Studio Canal, who are embracing theWitching Hour by prying open the Hammer Horror vault and serving up a delicious collection of titles to delight the most fevered of horror tragics. Let’s take a look at what’s on the slab (in alphabetical order, to align with your collection). Words Glenn Cochrane NEW FROM HAMMER HORROR CLASSICS

visually spectacular films, Dracula: Prince of Darkness also features a very young Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, who was tearing up the international stage long before most of us fell in love with him in The Castle (1997). Do not let the PG rating of The Mummy’s Shroud (1967) deter you, because this Hammer Horror movie might just be one of

the most disturbing and nightmarish depictions of 'The Mummy' to date. Before Brendan Fraser and Tom Cruise were diggin’ up Egyptian corpses, Shakespearean actor John Phillips was raising the

dead in spectacular fashion, with a genre twist which sees the story exploit a more slasher-driven narrative. This is essential viewing for any horror nut and is worth it alone for the absolutely terrifying imagery of the mummy itself. Like a hideous cross between Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz and Grandpa from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , it is the stuff of nightmares. If you ever wondered what inspired the iconic look of George Romero’s zombie characters, then look no further than Plague of the Zombies (1966). With their flecked, grey skin and milky-white eyes, the walking dead from this gem laid the foundation for the explosion of zombie

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

B ased on the classic novel by celebrated author Dennis Wheatley, The Devil Rides Ou t (1968) was directed by Hammer trailblazer

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) is another Lee/Fisher collaboration and is

Terence Fisher, who clocked up a whopping 29 features for the studio. Widely considered to be amongst Fisher's best films, The Devil Rides Out stars Christopher Lee – whose name you can also expect to see repeated in this article – and Charles Gray ( Diamonds Are Forever, The Rocky Horror Picture Show ). The film has Lee’s character investigating the occult when it appears that a friend’s son has been seduced by a local Satanic cult. Chock-full of sinister markings, devil worship and black magic, the film is a must-have for all self-respecting horror fans, and kicks off a sensational lineup of titles.

perhaps best known as the movie where Dracula has no lines. As in, no lines whatsoever. Arguably Christopher Lee’s most celebrated character, his Dracula is

films to follow, and remains a seminal title of the genre. With the black magic of voodoo as its

crux, the story tells of an epidemic in a small Cornish village in the

resurrected when his ashes are mixed with the blood of an English tourist. Dressed as dapper as ever, he drinks his way through travelling Englishmen faster than a German through beers at Oktoberfest, and occupies the screen bigger and bolder than ever. Held as one of Hammer’s most

late 1800s, which leads to the discovery of a town secret that’s steeped in corporate greed. This clever and intriguing movie pre- dates the famous “braaaains” zombie trope

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and dabbles in classic Haiti lore of old. Not only stylish and viscerally arresting, it's also wonderfully acted and perfectly paced. The story of The Quartermass Experiment was broadcast as a television serial in 1953, and influenced many popular future titles including The X-Files , 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien . Hammer Horror’s series of Quartermass films peaked with their 1967

and fictionalised account of Grigori Rasputin, the mystic holy man whose stranglehold over the Russian royals in the early

must be stopped before the death count keeps mounting. Incredibly creepy and atmospheric, The Reptile is highly regarded amongst horror historians, and makes for a wonderful companion piece to The Plague of the Zombies . Finally, TheWitches (1966) is a surreal and spine-chilling story about a woman whose own horrors at the hands of African witch- doctors lead her to believe that witchery is afoot back home in England, and her line between reality and fantasy is

1900s is the stuff of legend. Taking advantage of the more sensational aspects of Rasputin’s mythology, the film has Lee as the imposing titular figure, dishing magic upon the royals like Doctor Strange on a bender. Lee considered this performance to be amongst his best and there’s no doubt that the role's power-hungry and sex-driven persona is unlike anything he’s done before or since. As you work your way through this amazing collection of Hammer Horror films, you may get a sense of deja-vu when you arrive at The Reptile (1966). Filmed back-to-back with The Plague of the Zombies , the production used most of the same locations as well as its cast and crew. The result is a familiar-looking film with a new story, that might have been influenced by the work of H.P. Lovecraft. When people of a small Cornish township begin to die under mysterious circumstances, it’s discovered that something scaly

entry Quartermass And the Pit , which possibly paved the way for stories from Stephen King and George Lucas, with its horror-infused science fiction leanings. The story remains faithful to its source

soon blurred. Not to be mistaken for the equally thrilling1990 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches , this Hammer classic is a mesmerising descent into madness, made all the more

material, and depicts the excavation of a spaceship near the London Underground, which alters the known origins of mankind. This unique entry in Hammer’s catalogue makes it a must for all, and might be considered as the original (and possibly superior) Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Christopher Lee cuts a historical figure in Rasputin The Mad Monk (1966), a horrific

compelling by a strange and eclectic production design.

• The Hammer Film Classics Remastered is available October 20 from JB Hi-Fi. PRE-ORDER NOW

and monstrous lives amongst them, and

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OUT THIS MONTH OCTOBER

MOVIES & TV SHOWS

GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE Marvel franchise alumna Karen Gillen leads a femme-powered cast in Gunpowder Milkshake , playing a young assassin who

THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR: S1 The second, standalone entry in Mike Flanagan's The Haunting anthology follows American au pair Dani (Victoria Pedretti),

has to bury the hatchet with her mum in order to save a young girl. Who's her mum? A former crackerjack assassin herself, played with total relish by Lena Headey. Noir-licked and neon-lit,

who gains employment at the eponymous English estate – but it takes just one night of eerie talismans, sudden spectres and the children's warnings to confirm that Bly Manor has a very sinister past, which could well be seeping into the present.

this is a gorgeous-looking good time.

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THE TWILIGHT ZONE: SEASON 2 Season 2 of Jordan Peele's acclaimed reboot presents 10 creepy and twisted stories: there's Jimmi Simpson ( Westworld ) as a man whose

WAR OF THE WORLDS: SEASON 2 This gritty reimagining of H. G. Wells' classic novel delivers more stirring performances from veteran character actor Gabriel Byrne,

hallucinations drive him to horrific actions, Jenna Elfman ( Dharma & Greg ) and Christopher Meloni ( Law and Order: SVU ) as a couple

and breakout star of Normal People Daisy Edgar-Jones. Emily (Edgar- Jones) continues to explore her cyborg connection, the aliens make

who discover an oddly familiar alien lifeform, and Topher Grace ( BlacKkKlansman ) as a lovestruck man in a timeloop.

bold moves, and the swapping of allegiances (with one deadly deception) keep scientist Bill (Byrne) and his faction alert.

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THE FLASH: SEASON 7 Team Flash have their work cut out for them in Season 7; while Iris is still trapped in the Mirror Dimension created by diabolical quantum engineer Eva McCullough

THE BLACKLIST: SEASON 8 Having achieved consistently adoring acclaim throughout seven seasons, The Blacklist returns with a wildly entertaining and action-

crammed Season 8. FBI Agent Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) finally gets to the heart of informant Reddington's (James Spader) secrets, which flings the two of them into one another's crosshairs in totally

(Efrat Dor), Flash (Grant Gustin) and his posse manage to create a new, artificial Speed Force – but soon have to contend with its accompanying, possibly more

potent Forces: Strength, Sage and Still.

unanticipated, electrifying ways.

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NOTORIOUS NICK Born with a partial left arm, Nick Newell had plenty of reasons to stay away from contact sports. But in 2011 – having already

POSSESSION Feast your eyes upon Isabelle Adjani's Best Actress-winning performance (Cannes '81) as Anna, wife of Mark (Sam Neil), and the pair's increasingly bonkers and blood-spattered break-up! This

mastered wrestling and jiu-jitsu – Newell began a career in the most intensive professional combat sport there is: MMA (mixed martial arts). Cody Christian ( Teen Wolf ) plays Newell in this moving

sensual psychological horror was a commercial failure upon its release in 1981 by late Polish director

Andrzej Zulawski, but has thankfully achieved cult classic – and Blu-ray deserving – status.

and inspirational real life story.

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FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: SEASON 6 Lennie James continues his celebrated turn as hard-headed zombie apocalypse survivor Morgan Jones, who – at Season 6's

ZONE 414 Guy Pearce knocks it out of the park as private investigator David Carmichael in this dystopian neo-noir, which also stars Matilda Lutz ( Rings ) as a sentient cyborg

opening – has been left for dead with a gaping gunshot wound, courtesy of brutal Pioneers leader Virginia (Colby Minifie). Meanwhile there are desperate scenes and vendettas amongst the settlements,

with some great wigs and a savage stalker, and an almost- unrecognisable Travis Fimmel ( Vikings ) as the creator of Zone 414 , a city of robots. For fans of Ex Machina and Blade Runner.

and the walking dead are never too far afoot.

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