SFX - September 2022

100 Pages·2022·128.4 MB·English

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FEATURES RED ALERT
76 THE SANDMAN
Dreaming a little Dream of Neil.
34 STAR WARS: 54 STRANGER 8 LOCKE & KEY
ANDOR THINGS 78 PREY
Closing the door on Joe Hill’s
A short time before a long time The delectably demonic Vecna magical property. Many moons ago, the great
ago in a galaxy far, far away… shares his beauty secrets. franchise first came to the land
10 RESIDENT
of men.
42 GAME OF 60 ELLA BALINSKA ALIEN
THRONES: HOUSE 81 LUCK
Game on with the star of the Harry walks among us once
OF THE DRAGON
new Resident Evil show. more in season two. A teen searches for a lucky
Keeping up with the Targaryens penny. Good luck with that.
62 AEON FLUX 20 DAY SHIFT
as the prequel saga arrives.
92 BATMAN:
The thong remains the same as Jamie Foxx’s blue-collar
48 THE LORD OF FORTRESS
we celebrate the ’90s ’toon. vampire hunter slays ’em.
THE RINGS: THE
Sadly not a crossover with
RINGS OF POWER 66 RF KUANG 22 THREE
Christopher Lambert’s VHS
THOUSAND YEARS
One show to rule them all? The author of Babel isn’t lost rental classic.
OF LONGING
You’d hope so at that price… in translation.
94 STRAY
George Miller pours out the
djinn in his latest. Play as a cat and earn bonus
42 points for licking your bum.
26 TALES OF THE
WALKING DEAD REGULARS
Consider it a selection box of
decomposing body parts.
96 BLASTERMIND
REVIEWS
A probe of extraterrestrial
origin. No abduction necessary.
70 NOPE 98 TOTAL RECALL
What saucery is this? Jordan Remember when our world
Peele makes contact. seemed saner than Eightball’s?
3
SEPTEMBER 2022 | SFX MAGAZINE |
GET IN TOUCH!
First Contact SEPTEMBER 2022 | Issue 356
Future PLC, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA
Editor
Darren Scott
(DS)
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Editor-at-large US Editor
Nick Setchfield (NS) Tara Bennett (TB)
A dino’s
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ISSN 1358-5959 Management
Managing Director, Games and Ents
OUT OF THE PARK Matthew Pierce
Design Director
Simon Maynard
Mike Garner, email Jurassic World Dominion is enjoyable. Just Head of Art & Design
Rodney Dive
a little thing… the dinos are free-roaming yet they still end
Director of Group Finance
up at what is, for want of a better way of describing it, On Westworld season four: Oli Foster
another park. They had enough leads to do most of the film The impact of character
all over the world, showing how different countries were death has lost all
SFX (ISSN 1358-5959) September, issue 356, is published monthly with an extra issue
dealing with it. Just seems like a real missed opportunity. significance when you can in December by Future Publishing, Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA, UK.
The US annual subscription price is $171.60. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent
SFX: Covid restrictions were possibly an issue… revive them as a host. nAapmpleicda Wtioonr ltdo CMoanitl aaitn ePre rIniocd., icca/ols BPBoTst 1a5g0e- 1P5r i1c8e3sr dis SPte, nJdamingai caat , BNroYo 1k14ly1n3 , NUYS A11.256.
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Roland Robinson, email Congrats on the wonderful SFX issue We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed,
certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this magazine was sourced
devoted to queer genre content. This was long overdue – and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and
socioeconomic standards.
a very wonderful and multicoloured issue. reseArlvl ecdo.n Nteon ptsa r©t o2f0 t2h2i sF mutaugrea zPinueb lmishayin gb eL uimseitde,d s toorr pedu,b tlirsahnesdm uitntedde ro lric reenpcreo.d Aulcl erdig hint sa ny way
without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company
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SHORT NEW WORLDS Loved Stranger Things S4, and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept
any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact
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Keith Tudor, email I really enjoyed the first few episodes of but with every question this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We
are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine
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My only complaint is that there’s only ten episodes this doesn’t feel the same. luicnelenssse eosth sehrawlli sbee sltiaabteled ,f oarn dlo rsess oerr vdea tmhaeg reig. hWt eto a sesduitm, aem alel nudn,s aodliacpitet da llm sautbemriaisl siiso fnosr. publication
season, although the knowledge that season two is currently @HorusDin
“Just dig your fingernails into your palms until they bleed”
filming helps.
HIT THE ROAD? Get in
touch!
Paul Drinkwater, email Why don’t you do a feature on visiting
filming locations such as Devils Tower from Close
Encounters Of The Third Kind? Email
I’ve visited the States quite a few times and been to quite [email protected]
a lot of filming locations – some not worth the 200 mile Facebook
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| SFX MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2022
WELCOME

Rants & Raves
Inside the SFX hive mind
“Prepare
DARREN SCOTT EDITOR yourself for
Warp 10 Captain’s Log
RAVES excitement!”
San Diego Comic-Con was a blast.
Absolutely great to be back in the room again.
The events and activations were top notch –
coming face to face with Walkers and the Star
Trek cast over two nights was quite something.
Saw the first episode of Gremlins: Secrets Of
The Mogwai – viewers are in for a treat!
RANTS
Let’s get more studios back at SDCC too
next year please – there’s so much genre
“content” out there and the fans want to see
it represented!
IAN BERRIMAN DEPUTY EDITOR
RAVES
Excited about seeing The Wrath Of Khan on
the big screen (it’s reissued on 2 September).
I’ve waited 23 years for a new sci-fi/horror
film by David Cronenberg, and finally it’s
almost here (Crimes Of The Future, 9
September). Though if it turns out he’s not
available for interview, my heart may break.
Speaking of horror auteurs, it’d be nice if
Dario Argento’s Dark Glasses (screening at
Frightfest) is a return to form.
RANTS
Frustrating how belated the announcements
about US shows coming to UK services are.
Incidentally: From, Lodge 49 and La Brea are
now available via Sky Sci-Fi, AMC UK and
Paramount+ respectively…
As I write this I’m 35,000ft above the United States of
JONATHAN COATES ART EDITOR
America, flying back from San Diego Comic-Con with
RAVES
Thankfully last season’s heart-wrenching and only a few short hours before this issue of SFX goes to
brutal finale hasn’t lessened the appeal of For
the printers. Talk about cutting it fine! But, you know,
All Mankind in season three. Still one of my
all-time favourite sci-fi shows. we’re an efficient bunch of Doozers so “the moment has
Hope Andor puts Star Wars back on track!
been prepared for”. What a week!
SDCC really is a life-changing experience. This
ED RICKETTS PRODUCTION EDITOR
was my second time attending – thank you very much
RAVES
I know a lot of people have given up on Covid – and it’s such a joy seeing the streets of the
Westworld as being too complicated, but to
city absolutely filled with fans, all celebrating a love
me it has always seemed like a rare example
of a series being properly plotted out from the of pop culture entertainment. And those panels and
beginning. The creators said from day one that announcements! You can check out the extensive
five seasons was the goal.
coverage over at gamesradar.com and, of course, our
RANTS
As far as I know Martin Scorsese hasn’t made very own Twitter and Instagram @sfxmagazine, as well
a musical, so I wonder which other director
as read more on shows like The Rings Of Power and
Joker 2 will rip off “pay homage” to?
House Of The Dragon in these very pages. We’ll also
NICK SETCHFIELD EDITOR-AT-LARGE have more for you in the next issue as a slew of new
RAVES season shows start to arrive.
A treat to see the ’60s Dalek movies back on
There’s truly something so exciting about the
the big screen. We don’t talk enough about
how incredible those Skaro landscapes are shared experience of being with fellow fans as news of
– one of cinema’s most evocative alien worlds. upcoming films and series are announced, as well as
Happy the Fantastic Four movie finally has
knowing that we’ll get to bring all these things to you
a release date. Now announce the casting so
everyone can get the bitching out of the way. in the magazine over the coming years. Though I admit
I do wonder how we’re going to fit in all in the mag,
TARA BENNETT US EDITOR
let alone get time to watch them… The geeks truly did
RAVES
inherit the Earth, and for that I’ll always be grateful.
Paper Girls is a treat. The adaptation of the
comic is cast perfectly and you can see Cliff Stay safe and we’ll see you in four weeks!
Chiang’s influence in the look of the show.
One of my animation favourites, Primal, is
T
UN back for a second season. It’s just as brutal,
O
M viscerally and emotionally, as ever.
A
R
A
P
5
SEPTEMBER 2022 | SFX MAGAZINE |

SEPTEMBER
2022
NEWS //// INTERVIEWS //// INSIGHT //// VAMPIRES!
20
DAY
SHIFT
It’s slay for pay in
Jamie Foxx’s new
action-packed
vampire movie
8 12 26
LOCKE & KEY PREDATOR TALES OF THE
WALKING DEAD
Time to close What a massive
those magical doors hunt! The tables have The world of the
for good as the turned for the deadly Walkers just got bigger
Netflix series comes aliens in the new than ever with a new
to an end. Sob. Marvel comic. anthology series.
7
SEPTEMBER 2022 | SFX MAGAZINE |
“Look at this
LOCKE & KEY’S SECOND SEASON
little idiot in
saw the Locke siblings – Tyler (Connor
his stupid hat.
Jessup), Kinsey (Emilia Jones) and
Ha!”
Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) – embracing their
destinies as keepers of the mystical keys. These
objects of power allowed them to vanquish
their fiendish foe, Dodge (Laysla De Oliveira),
who had taken the form of Kinsey’s love
interest, Gabe (Griffin Gluck).
Showrunners Carlton Cuse and Meredith
Averill wanted the third and final season to be
rooted in family, to explore what these
supernatural artifacts actually represent and
to raise the stakes even higher than ever.
“The Lockes always claimed the keys as their
own,” Averill tells Red Alert. “The reality is
they are made of demons. We enjoyed digging
into that complication, this idea that they can
be used for good, but they can also be used for
bad. And there’s the notion that the Lockes’
duty was to restore order to the world after the
Black Door, a gateway to another realm, had
been opened.”
When the show returns, Tyler has left.
His girlfriend Jackie (Genevieve Kang) had
previously died in his arms after being
possessed by a demon. That has crushed his LSHOWoRUNNEcR EXCLkUSIVE ing Up
spirit. And, since when an individual becomes
an 18-year-old adult they lose their link to
magic, Tyler made the choice to lead a normal
life away from the Lockes. But duty calls…
“We will eventually see Tyler come back and
be torn between these two worlds: committing
to a new life or reclaiming his legacy as a
Locke & Key’s showrunners
reveal the final battle of good
versus evil
Locke,” Averill says. “Also, how does that Plenty of trouble still lies ahead. Eden
challenge his relationships with his siblings, (Hallea Jones) summoned Frederick Gideon
particularly Kinsey? We think that relationship (Kevin Durand), a former captain of British
Nina Locke
is so strong, so it was about being able to write soldiers in colonial Massachusetts, who was
discovers
that story and how they are not quite able to possessed by a vengeful demon. The greatest
the Snow
connect in the same way. It’s kind of threat the Lockes have ever faced, Gideon is
Globe key.
heartbreaking, especially for her.” hell-bent on collecting the keys for his own
nefarious purposes. And while Dodge proved
Kevin Durand
MADE OF DEMONS to be a master manipulator, Gideon has no
as Gideon:
In Tyler’s absence, Kinsey must step up. She patience for subtlety.
he’s a right
assumes more of a leadership role. As for Bode, “In some ways, that can make Gideon more
wrong ’un.
he’s never truly processed his feelings of guilt dangerous because he won’t hesitate to do
over losing his dad. So when a new man enters what needs to be done,” says Averill. “Even as a
his mum’s life, Bode isn’t exactly thrilled. In the mortal, he had the power to open up the Black
meantime, the youngster begins to actively Door for the very first time. Then he was hit by
search for new keys – with disastrous results. a demon bullet.
“Bode finds a new key in episode two,” Cuse “You have this powerful mortal, combined
says. “He is enjoying mastering the keys, but with this demon bullet, and that makes him the
that confidence gets him in a lot of trouble. most formidable villain yet.”
That will have some dangerous consequences Outside of the characters and family drama,
for our kids. He’s still the same old Bode, but a major component of the series are the keys.
he’s wrestling with more this season.” A variety of them have been hidden – and
8
| SFX MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2022
“Look, it is not
a girly diary,
it’s a journal.”
“We collaborated with creator Joe Hill on
the creation of the Snow Globe Key,” Averill
adds. “That came from his amazing, insane
brain, both in designing what that world looked
like and the execution of it. That came out
really well.”
Cuse (Bates Motel, Lost) and Meredith (The
Haunting Of Hill House, Star-Crossed) aren’t
exactly novices when it comes to series finales.
With Locke & Key, the two were seeking to find
emotional closure for the characters, while
rewarding the audience for the fantastical ride
they have taken.
“In a world where shows are rebooted
constantly, would we be thrilled in five, 10, 15
years to come back to see what all our Lockes
are up to? Absolutely,” Averill says. “So we
wouldn’t ever want to tie everything up with
such a bow that it was impossible to untie.
“At the same time, we wanted a satisfying
and surprising ending to our story. And to make
you cry. I feel we accomplished that.” BC
Locke & Key is on Netflix now.
Bode Locke
is apparently
having a whale
of a time.
We collaborated with
creator Joe Hill on the
creation of the Snow
Globe Key
found – throughout the Locke ancestral home.
Familiar ones such as the Anywhere Key and
the Chain Key come into play again. But two
new keys, that figure prominently, could soon
emerge as fan favourites.
“The Timeshift Key was fun this year,” Cuse
says. “The idea that there is a key that allows
you to move around in time… Everyone is
talking about the dangers involved in using it,
and then we do see the consequences. The keys
are at their best when they can do something
amazing, but the thing that they do also has
consequences.”
A new comic book series, World War Key, is still in the works, with 37 issues planned.
9
SEPTEMBER 2022 | SFX MAGAZINE |
SHOWRUNNER EXCLUSIVE
Holding
The
Baby
Resident Alien
gets some new
visitors in the
second half of
season two
Suddenly,
Harry’s
surrounded
by kids.
THE MID-SEASON CLIFFHANGER FOR alien of his kind, which sounded like it was a major
Resident Alien’s second season had alien Harry warning. Sheridan says there will be a lot more when it
Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk) in the woods with comes to the alien storyline in this new block of episodes.
Asta (Sara Tomko), who had just saved him from the bullet “Coming into episode nine is akin to a human who
of some mystery bad guy. D’Arcy (Alice Wetterlund) suddenly has someone else’s baby left on their doorstep,”
arrived to see the aftermath of Asta’s expert marksmanship, Sheridan laughs about Harry’s new predicament. “[The
with Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) soon to arrive. story] does such great work for Harry building his
The return of the series on Syfy in the US for eight new emotional template. Having a baby in your life,
episodes will have the secrets of Patience, Colorado getting whether it’s your own, or whether someone
more complex and layered, including Harry tracking a baby leaves it on your doorstep, does an awful lot to
alien that’s on the loose. Executive producer/showrunner you emotionally.
Chris Sheridan tells Red Alert that the action “Watching Harry take the next step of his
picks right up where they left off. humanity, learning that next level of love,
“It did create a really good launching point which is that deep love for something helpless,
into the second half of the season, and a really like a child, and realising that you’re a
great cliffhanger,” Sheridan says of the big caretaker now, and how that accelerates your
dinner party episode where secrets were humanity… It’s going to be interesting but also
spilled and a dead body resulted. “This fun to watch Harry go through that.”
is very much a new season, though it’s It should also prove wryly amusing watching
thematically connected to the first half of Harry having to tangle with a small version of his
season two.” own species, given that human children like Max
In New York City, Harry was gifted the alien (Judah Prehn) and Sahar (Gracelyn Awad Rinke)
egg and only part of a dire message left by another already vex him so much. Sheridan laughs. “Harry is
10
| SFX MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2022