Bad Bug's Pop Picks For June

Hello, all you beautiful Bad Bugs! We missed last month’s Pop Picks because of all the NSFW hubbub, but we SWEAR that we were rotting our brains with pop culture goodness the whole time to stay in fightin’ shape! So let’s not waste another second, huh?

This one had been on our radar for a while, so when it dropped on HBO Max recently, we were stoked. As with a lot of flicks, we went in almost completely blind. So, how was it?

Ho. Lee. Hell, this one was fun!

So, what can we tell ya without giving too much away? Well, the IMDB tagline gives you the bare bones plot: “A woman takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building's history of disappearances. She soon realizes the community is shrouded in mystery.” And the chatter on the internet has largely boiled down to: “Kill Bill - but for horror”, which we can totally get behind. The trailer below gives away quite a bit more, so watch at your own discretion if ya wanna be surprised.

We CAN tell you that the action and blood spray are so over-the-top (in an absolutely delightful way) that you may think you’re watching an Evil Dead flick. We can also let you know that the cast is superb, with lead actress Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2, Joker) proving to be a formidable action star. And they absolutely STACKED the cast of the hotel workers and residents: Patricia Arquette (Severance, Nightmare on Elm Street 3) plays the matron of the aforementioned high-rise, The Virgil, with Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) and Tom Felton (li’l Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies) being just two of the residents of this cursed building.

If you’re looking for non-stop, crazy fun…this is the one for you. I mean, just for the eyeball chase scene alone. ‘Nuff said.

Everyone’s been talking about Apple TV’s amazing new show - and with good reason! Few have walked the razor’s edge between comedy and supernatural mystery so well, allowing for both dread-inducing horror moments and belly laughs aplenty. And the fact that an actual Google search for Widow’s Bay comes up with the following at the top of the results?

Chef’s kiss. Seriously, their promo team gets extra points for that alone.

And the IMDB tagline barely gives anything away, so kudos on that as well: “A skeptical mayor leads the superstitious residents of a cursed New England island.”

So, what can we tell ya without too many spoilers? Well, this thing makes pit stops at a lot of the popular horror sub-genres along the way. You want a cursed coastal town? Check. How about a creepy clown-faced serial killer from the days of yore? Double check. A grizzled old man warning of impending doom, and just a dash of unkillable slashers? Chickety-check and then some! This is a pastiche of every horror staple we grew up on, and it does it all incredibly well.

And the CAST! Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys - The Americans, The Beast In Me) just wants his little seaside town to be the next Martha’s Vineyard…if it wasn’t for that pesky curse! And of course, the crazy old coot, Wyck (played by the wonderful Stephen Root - Office Space, Dodgeball, Newsradio), constantly yelling about the curse, probably doesn’t help. But the real breakout role of the show is the mayor’s assistant, Patricia (Kate O’Flynn - My Lady Jane, Everyone Else Burns). Her transformation from a shy office lackey at the start of the series to the person she proves herself to be by the end of the season is beyond remarkable.

Okay, we’ll stop gushing now. But seriously, why aren’t you watching it right now? Go on. Scoot!

Izzy Monet will be back for more futuristic action soon, so make sure to follow the pre-launch so you can grab a copy! Written by Scott Wilke and illustrated by Cari Salviejo.

AstroWitch: Volume 1 - There’s less than a week left to grab this collection of the first four issues of this amazing series, so don’t miss out! Written by Ruben Romero and Casey Bowker and illustrated by Alessandro Amoruso (Red Sonja, Vampirella).

Monster Girl Beach Party - The Horror! - Part 1 - And don’t forget, Jason Pell’s monstrous pin-up collection is back on Kickstarter for its 8th issue and running through the end of the month!

That’s it for now!

Bugs and Kisses,

The Bad Bug Crew