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Welsh director Gareth Evans is best known to cult movie fans as the man behind the 2011 Indonesian action movie The Raid: Redemption and its 2014 sequel The Raid 2. These thrilling, violent, and incredibly-choreographed martial arts epics made much of what passes for Hollywood action seem anaemic in comparison and marked Evans out as one of modern cinema’s most exciting new talents. Evan’s latest movie is Apostle, a Netflix Original which seems him move from martial arts madness into dark horror territory.

While this might seem like a left-turn for Evans, anyone who saw Safe Haven, his co-directed entry into the 2013 anthology film V/H/S 2 will know that he has serious horror chops too. Apostle is set in 1905, and stars Legion‘s Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson, a man with a mysterious past who is dispatched by his wealthy family to the fictional island of Erisden, several miles off the British coast. His sister Jennifer has been seemingly kidnapped by a religious cult who have set up home on the island and is being held there for ransom. Richardson enters the community undercover, and attempts to discover what has happened to Jennifer.

Apostle is very much a movie of two halves. The first plays out more like a spooky mystery than a straight horror movie, as Richardson becomes part of this deeply religious society. The movie takes its time in introducing the main characters–there’s Malcolm (Michael Sheen), the wild-eyed leader of the cult, his daughter Andrea (Lucy Boynton), Quinn (Mark Lewis Jones, Malcolm’s thuggish right-hand man, and a pair of young lovers, whose secret affair will ultimately have terrible consequences for the whole community. For the most part, we see events unfold through Richardson’s eyes as he starts to plan his sister’s rescue.

But while the the true horror of Apostle doesn’t unfold for some time, Evans makes it clear early on that something is very wrong on Erisden. Why must the new arrivals all leave a jar of their own blood outside their doors at night? Who is that long-haired figure we glimpse wandering around the village? And who exactly is this unnamed “god” that the cult members are worshipping? Evans, who also wrote the script, keeps on cranking the tension, as Richardson realises the Malcolm knows there is an intruder on the island and that time is running out.

The movies also deals with questions of faith and divinity, as Richardson’s own troubled history is revealed, and the actions of this outsider community begin to mirror traumatic events in his own past. Evans is careful to give the key characters well developed back-stories and manages to raise our sympathies for characters initially perceived as “villains.” The acting is strong, in particular Stevens and Sheen, both of whom deliver powerful, charismatic performances. The acting style is deliberately theatrical rather than the more naturalistic approach usually expected from contemporary stories, which suits the movie’s setting and period dialogue perfectly.

Richardson’s attempts to free Jennifer kickstart the frankly insane second half. If the main influence of the first half is creepy British folk-horror films like The Wicker Man, then the rest simply tosses everything else into the mix. The movie leaves the realm of the “real” and embraces the supernatural, throwing in some horrific torture, surreal, nightmarish imagery, and even a couple of bone-crunching fights along the way. The movie’s willingness to embrace an increasingly crazy storyline might not be for everyone; while the movie certainly doesn’t turn into a comedy, it does becomes exaggerated and seriously over-the-top with the gore.

Nevertheless, Evans deserves credit for not playing it safe and refusing to take his movie in a more formulaic direction. It’s a great looking film too, with Matt Flannery’s cinematography bringing out the stark beauty of the island landscapes, and the droning, unsettling music helping create a sense of other-wordly terror. It’s inevitable that this throw-it-at-wall approach will create elements that don’t always work; the climactic scenes feel a little rushed and choppily edited, and even at 130 minutes, there are plot points that seem a little under-explained. But in an era of generic, formulaic horror, you’ll won’t see another movie quite like Apostle this Halloween. A cult movie in every sense of the word.

Jeremy Saulnier has been quietly establishing himself as one of the most talented independent filmmakers for several years now. His witty horror comedy debut Murder Party was followed by 2013’s intense revenge thriller Blue Ruin, which demonstrated his skill at combining a dark and compelling character drama with often upsetting violence. The stakes were raised even higher by 2015’s brilliant, savage punk rock siege movie Green Room, and while some fans were disappointed that he ultimately dropped out of helming all of True Detective Season 3, the bleak, ambitious Netflix movie Hold the Dark will further his reputation.

The film is based on William Giraldi’s 2014 novel, with a screenplay by Saulnier’s regular collaborator Macon Blair. It’s set in the small town of Keelut, deep in the Alaskan wilderness, where young mother Medora Slone (Riley Keough) is coming to terms with the the abduction of her child by a pack of wolves. This is the latest in a series of wolf attacks on the town’s children, so she contacts renowned wolf expert and writer Russell Core (Westworld‘s Jeffrey Wright) to track and kill the animal that took her child. Meanwhile, her husband Vernon (a terrifying Alexander Skarsgård) is serving in Iraq, but an injury sends him home, where a dark, bloody reckoning over the death of his son is inevitable.

Saulnier is a master at establishing mood. From the the moment Core arrives in Keelut, we know something is very wrong–something unspoken–and that things are not what they seem. The sparse script and Keough and Wright’s underplayed performances add to the unease. These are people who are clearly not used to talking much, and the long silences that accompany their initial encounters deftly create the sense that something very bad is about to happen. Core sets out into the wilderness to track the wolves, but it’s what he discovers when he returns after that first day that really kickstarts the plot.

While both Blue Ruin and Green Room were small scale, claustrophobic thrillers that used limited casts and locations to tell simple stories, Hold the Dark is a far bigger, more ambitious project. The arrival of Vernon around the 30 minute mark quickly expands what initially seemed like a simple movie. The cast widens to include the superstitious locals and the neighboring police force, and Saulnier takes us beyond the boundaries of Keelut to explore this entire region. The stunning cinematography and droning music help create an environment that is unforgiving and almost otherworldly. And while nothing actually supernatural happens, at times Hold the Dark feels like a horror movie, as Medora tells Core about the terrifying darkness that lurks in the wilderness and the local people talk of possession by wolves.

Saulnier refrains from explaining too much and the movie is steeped in ambiguity; because of the sparse dialogue we are often left to try work out the character motivations through their actions rather than words. In the case of Vernon, a terrifying, vengeful father who can only express himself through violence, this is not always easy. There are hidden, unspoken secrets that are hinted at but never fully expanded on, and the ending is far from the tidy resolution expected from a more conventional thriller.

That’s not to say Hold the Dark is always a slow-paced, open-ended mystery. Saulnier might like his narrative ambiguity, but he also loves to deliver visceral action. Fans of his previous movies won’t be surprised to learn that this new one contains some of the most shocking scenes of violence you’ll see this year; Saulnier never revels in the gore and much of it is quickly cut, but the sudden, random way that the most brutal violence erupts keeps things tense throughout. Most notably, there is a harrowing, brilliantly-directed shoot-out sequence in the middle of the movie, in which a team of inexperienced cops are pinned down by an adversary with a machine gun.

Hold the Dark is a mysterious, uncompromising movie that won’t be for everyone. It’s very dark–there is little humor, and with the exception of Jame Badge Dale’s police chief Donald, the bleak tone keeps us from feeling much sympathy for even the “good guys,” let alone Skarsgård’s psychotic Vernon and his accomplices. The violence is strong and the movie leaves as many questions as it starts with. But for those who like their thrillers to provoke and challenge as well as thrill, it’s an impressive achievement that won’t be quickly forgotten.

Epic Games has released the patch notes for Fornite’s 6.10 update, which is rolling out on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android now. The major new addition to the Battle Royale mode is the Quadcrasher, a two-seater vehicle that has a boost function. This vehicle is perfect for smashing through structures, so will no doubt become key to securing those Victory Royales. The update also adds a new “Events” tab, where players will find in-game tournaments.

The patch also makes a variety of tweaks to the way the game performs and plays. For those on a PlayStation 4 Pro, Fortnite will now display at 1440p instead of 1080p when plugged into a 4K TV. In the weapons and items department, Port-a-Fortress has been disabled while Epic figures out an issue with it. Guided Missile, meanwhile, no longer fires the wrong direction, which is nice, and players will no longer permanently attach to a Supply Drop when grappling to it.

For those that want to see what’s new with Save The World, check out the patch notes. The full Battle Royale changes can be found below, along with a video showing off the Quadcrasher.

Limited Time Mode: Disco Domination

What’s New?

• Reduced all bandage spawns by 50%.
• Removed all Common weapons.
• increased the variability of where you can spawn by 30% along your sides storm circle.
• Brought in the side dance floors closer to the Storm edge.
• Reduced max respawn distance by 20%.

Weapons + Items

• The Port-a-Fortress has been disabled as we work to resolve some issues related to this item.
  • Drop rate for Port-a-Fort increased from 3.05% to 4.89% while Port-a-Fortress is disabled.
    • The goal is to keep the drop rate of Port-a-Fort the same as if both items were enabled to help with the completion of Challenges.

Bug Fixes

• Guided Missile no longer fires the wrong direction
• Players will no longer permanently attach to a Supply Drop when grappling to it.
• Attempting to fire while reloading the Double Barrel Shotgun will no longer interrupt the animation.
• Weapon equip animations no longer skip when simultaneously attempting to sprint and target.

Gameplay

• Quadcrasher
  • Seats two players.
  • You build boost just by driving. Unleash that speed with the hotkey once you’ve filled your boost meter.
  • Smash through buildings while boosting.
  • Boost off ramps or cliffs to catch sick air.
  • Launch players into the air by smashing into them.
• You can now view and change Edit Controls separately from Combat and Build Controls in the controller menu.
• PS4 controller lighting will match player marker color.
• You can now set building mode sensitivity for controllers in the options menu. It is a multiplier on the default controller sensitivity and allows up to a 2x increase.
• Controller sensitivity slider in the options menu now allows for more than 10 values.
• Added an option to Builder Pro that allows for building as soon as you switch to the piece, instead of selecting first and then placing. This allows for faster building without a preview.
• Added an option that allows for edit hold timing to be adjusted.
• Opening the Emote Picker with a controller will happen when the button is released, while holding the button will replay the emote that was last played.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed inconsistencies with the damage trap not triggering properly.
• Allow slight movement when using a consumable with Sprint by Default enabled. This will help match how it works without Sprint by Default enabled
• Fixed problem with character orientation getting stuck after falling off the island in a vehicle.

Events

• Tournaments can be found inside of the new ‘Events’ tab available in game. This tab will host a variety of online competitions which are open to everyone. Jump in and explore!
  • Each tournament has a series of scheduled dates and times that the competition will be run. A carousel of all upcoming competitions and times will be available for browsing, so you can plan and practice.
  • Every scheduled session is a completely clean slate with all players starting on an equal footing at the beginning of play.
  • Compete over the course of several hours to earn points by eliminating multiple opponents or surviving against the competition.
  • Players are matched against opponents with similar scores during the session.
  • Score enough points during any scheduled event session and you’ll earn a golden pin for that tournament!

Performance

• Weapon replication optimization for dedicated server to reduce load during rapid weapon switching.
• We’ve made CPU performance optimizations on Switch across all threads. This results in a smoother gameplay experience and fewer hitches.
• Improve multi-threading during heavy physics simulation.

Audio

• Celebrate with style. The music selected in your Locker will now play after getting a Victory Royale!
• Remove the Doppler effect from the audio when players are gliding.
• Added an in-air loop to Grenade Launcher projectiles so you can spatialize where they’re coming from.
• Improved Grenade Launcher bouncing audio.
• Reduced volume of medium-range Grenade explosion sound.

Bug Fixes

• Cube ambient sounds no longer randomly play in the middle of matches.
• Sequential explosion sounds no longer interrupt each other.
• Added missing audio to the Compact SMG and SMG medium/distant fire sounds.
• Audio ‘pops’ no longer occur when emote music loops.
• Re-added the audio cue that plays before a new wave of Supply Drops start appearing.

UI

Bug Fixes

• Fixed some touch issues for the controller mapping screen on Switch.
• Fixed a bug where the player’s banner in the top bar would not update when changing the banner in the locker.
• Made the reticle hidden when skydiving.
• Fixed issues with the display of the on-screen map and inventory inputs.
• Fixed issues with touch functionality on the map for the Nintendo Switch
• Resource buttons no longer cancel auto-run.

Art + Animation

Bug Fixes

• Cosmetic items that change in some way over the course of a match are now marked as “Reactive” in-game (e.g., a harvesting tool that changes as you get eliminations).
• Fixed visual display issues with cosmetic music items..
• Animation pops no longer occur while in the air after using the Chiller trap.

Replay System

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue causing the first replay not be selected in the replay browser.
• Fixed the nameplate distance slider not working.
• Fixed an issue where firing guided missiles would start with the camera facing the wrong way in replays.

MOBILE

• Major performance improvement for devices running Android 7 or earlier.
• Memory improvements on iOS devices.
• The first weapon you pick up will now auto-equip itself on mobile.
• Touch control input now has smoothing enabled.
• Tapping selected buttons on the build quickbar will once again build the selected build piece.
• All elements in the Mobile HUD should now be placeable/movable in the HUD Layout Tool.
• Updated visuals for independent Quickbar slots in the HUD Layout Tool.

Bug Fixes

• Drag and dropping on the Quickbar will no longer select the thing you drag. Players can now adjust their inventory without interrupting other actions.
• Fixing a bug causing some touch input to fall through the settings screen to gameplay.
• Fixing edit button visibility issues when crouching on Mobile.

Actor Oscar Isaac, who plays the brash pilot Poe Dameron in the Star Wars series, has shared some new insight on the upcoming Episode IX. Speaking to IndieWire, Isaac said director JJ Abrams, who also directed The Force Awakens, is giving the actors more freedom to improvise. Isaac described the shoots, at least the ones he’s been involved with, as being “looser” than on The Last Jedi and The Force Awakens.

“The way they’ve been shooting it right now is looser than it’s been for the last two times,” Isaac said, adding that he was specifically talking about more improvisation. “It does feel like a relief to get on set and feel like, ‘Oh, we can try things.’ It’s a testament to J.J. coming back and feeling confident. There’s less pressure for it to be right. We just want to make a good movie and have a really good time while doing it.”

Episode IX is due out in December 2019, and it’s the third and final instalment in the new trilogy that began with The Force Awakens. A new trilogy of films directed by The Last Jedi‘s Rian Johnson will follow after that. Outside of the main series, additional standalone spinoffs are also expected.

Also in the IndieWire interview, Isaac addressed the negativity among some Star Wars fans about The Last Jedi. “Luckily, since I’m not directing it, producing it, or distributing it, I don’t have to worry so much about fan expectations,” he said. “Also, not all fans have the same expectations.”

Isaac said he’s observing a similar response to the new Star Wars movies as the prequel trilogy from George Lucas. “People had very strong feelings, but there wasn’t as much of an organized way to speak out about it,” he explained. “People that run blogs and websites need content. So it’s like, ‘There’s some content!’ Five people on Twitter. Hundreds. Whatever it is. Then you make it into a story.”

In other news, Lost and Lord of the Rings actor Dominic Monaghan will play an unspecified role in Episode XI.