Director's Cut: Blood Countess

 

Blood Countess - Director's Cut

Genre: Biography / Horror

Director: Jennifer Kent

Writer: Clive Steinbeck

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Mads Mikkelsen, Mia Wasikowska, Michael Sheen, Sean Bean, Angela Sarafyan, Caleb Landry Jones, Rhys Ifans

Plot: Kingdom of Hungary - the 16th Century. Elizabeth Bathory (Jessica Chastain) presides over her castle with absolute authority. Beneath the great halls, torchlight flickers across vaulted dungeon walls where condemned prisoners await execution. Before they die, Elizabeth studies them. She orders a hand submerged in ice until it blackens, then another lowered into boiling water. A wound stitched shut one day is carefully reopened the next. She quietly records every observation in a leather journal while servants recoil around her. When the final prisoner dies, Elizabeth washes the blood from her hands with the same calm precision she brings to dinner. 

A feast celebrates another military victory by her husband, Ferenc Nadasdy (Michael Sheen). Surrounded by music and nobility, Elizabeth excuses herself when blood trickles unexpectedly from her nose onto her wine cup. Alone in her chambers, she studies her reflection as she brushes pale powder over fresh bruises beneath her eyes. Her fingers linger against the corners of her face before she angrily shatters the mirror. The next morning, a reputed witch named Lucia (Mia Wasikowska) is dragged into the castle in chains. Before anyone speaks, Lucia gently wipes the dried blood from Elizabeth's upper lip.

Lucia asks for her freedom in exchange for Elizabeth's life. Ferenc, amused by the spectacle but alarmed by his wife's worsening condition, grants the pardon. Lucia takes up residence within the castle, becoming Elizabeth's constant companion. She dresses her, tends to her baths, braids her hair, and sleeps in adjoining chambers. Their nightly conversations stretch until dawn. Gradually, the formal distance between mistress and servant disappears, replaced by lingering glances, quiet laughter, shared touches, and an intimacy neither woman acknowledges aloud.

Late one evening, Lucia leads Elizabeth into an abandoned bath chamber lit only by candles. A young maid from the castle, chosen by Lucia from among the household servants, waits silently beside a great copper bathing tub. The ritual unfolds almost wordlessly. Lucia opens the woman's throat over the basin while Elizabeth looks away, unable to watch until the warm blood begins filling the vessel. Only then does Elizabeth step forward, lowering herself into the crimson bath with trembling hands. She recoils at first, then slowly relaxes as Lucia kneels beside the tub, steadying her. By dawn, Elizabeth emerges looking visibly restored.

The hidden chamber becomes a sanctuary known only to the two women. As weeks pass, more young women disappear from the castle staff. When the household can no longer replace them quietly, Lucia begins selecting young women from villages surrounding the estate, promising positions in the Countess's household before they vanish behind the castle walls. The candles burn lower, the copper tubs fill deeper, and the rituals grow increasingly elaborate. Elizabeth no longer watches from a distance but performs the killings herself with growing confidence, opening veins with careful precision to preserve as much blood as possible before lowering herself into the steaming crimson bath. Afterwards she returns to her chambers transformed, drawing Lucia into a lingering embrace. Ferenc notices blood staining Elizabeth's sleeves, servants disappearing without explanation, and his wife's growing indifference toward him. Suspicion finally leads him to ask Monk Peter (Rhys Ifans) to investigate. Peter enters the bath chamber after it has been scrubbed clean. His eyes linger on stains that have soaked deep into the stone floor before he quietly assures Ferenc they are nothing more than herbal dyes.

Ferenc's health collapses with terrifying speed. His skin pales. His body convulses with fever. Elizabeth rarely leaves his bedside, cooling his forehead while Lucia silently watches from the doorway. After his death, mourners crowd the chapel while Elizabeth stands perfectly composed beside the coffin. That evening, she descends alone into the bath chamber. For the first time, Lucia remains outside as Elizabeth closes the heavy wooden doors behind her.

At Ferenc's funeral, Elizabeth appears younger than she has in years. Gyorgy Thurzo (Mads Mikkelsen), Ferenc's longtime friend, scarcely hides his admiration as he offers marriage under the guise of protection. Elizabeth answers with a smile that never reaches her eyes before walking away, leaving Thurzo standing before the assembled court. That night, Thurzo returns to the chambers of his longtime lover, Erzsebet Czobor (Angela Sarafyan). As they make love, Thurzo repeatedly whispers Elizabeth's name before catching himself. Erzsebet notices. She says nothing until afterward, when Thurzo bitterly recounts Elizabeth's rejection. Rather than comforting him, Erzsebet quietly asks what he intends to do about it.

Days later, Erzsebet walks the castle kitchens under the pretense of delivering gifts from neighboring nobles. She slips dried hallucinogenic mushrooms into a cask of herbs destined for Elizabeth's private table. Watching unnoticed from the shadows, Thurzo gives the slightest nod before disappearing. Over the following weeks, Elizabeth's meals and wine are carefully prepared by Lucia, unaware that the poison is already waiting among the seasonings. The hallucinations begin so gradually that even Elizabeth mistakes them for exhaustion.

Soon afterward, Elizabeth's certainty begins to fracture. During meals, she pauses over wine cups that seem to ripple on their own. Hallways appear impossibly long. Faces in portraits follow her. One evening, convinced someone is standing behind her, she turns suddenly and drives a pair of scissors into her seamstress's throat. The woman collapses across unfinished gowns as Elizabeth stares in frozen disbelief before quietly closing the chamber doors.

Lucia notices the strange mushrooms drying among the castle kitchens and immediately recognizes them. She confronts Elizabeth with the evidence, insisting someone inside the household has been poisoning her for weeks. Elizabeth, tormented by visions and no longer certain whom to trust, accuses Lucia herself of orchestrating the deception. Heartbroken, Lucia is ordered from the castle. As she waits outside the gates through the night, hoping Elizabeth will call her back, Thurzo and Erzsebet emerge from the darkness with armed riders.

Imprisoned beneath Thurzo's estate, Lucia is questioned for days. She is shown instruments of torture before they are used, each refusal answered with another wound. Even after her voice is taken from her, she refuses to sign a confession implicating Elizabeth. Left alone in her cell, she dies clutching the small charm Elizabeth once gave her.

Without Lucia, the rituals lose all restraint. Fires burn through the night beneath the castle. Young women continue disappearing from nearby villages, but now no effort is made to conceal it. Servants whisper of screams echoing through sealed corridors while frightened families gather outside the castle gates demanding the return of daughters who accepted work at the estate and were never seen again. Elizabeth wanders the halls in bloodstained robes, seeing Ferenc in empty rooms and Lucia at the end of dark passageways, only for both apparitions to vanish as she reaches them.

Reports of the missing women spread across Hungary until they reach King Mathias (Sean Bean), who orders Thurzo to investigate. Thurzo recruits Gabriel (Caleb Landry Jones), who delights in extracting confessions from Bathory servants. Prisoners are broken one by one on racks, beneath hot irons, and under the lash. Some confess to impossible crimes simply to end the pain. Others die without speaking.

When Thurzo finally marches on Bathory Castle with the King's soldiers, they find silence instead of resistance. The servants' quarters stand nearly empty. Deep beneath the castle lie ritual chambers where enormous copper bathing tubs still stand beneath blackened hooks and rusted chains. Dark stains cover the stone floors. Elizabeth's journals meticulously record her experiments alongside the names of household servants and young women brought from neighboring villages. Even the hardened soldiers hesitate as they realize how many disappeared within these walls. Thurzo walks through the chamber unable to tell where rumor ended and truth began.

Elizabeth is dragged before the crowd in chains, stripped of every title she once commanded. As the executioner binds her to the stake, Thurzo approaches while the gathering watches from a distance. He dismisses the guards and steps close enough that only Elizabeth can hear him. Looking into her eyes, he quietly admits that none of this ever had to happen. Had she accepted his proposal after Ferenc's funeral - had she taken him into her bed instead of humiliating him before the court - he would have buried every rumor, silenced every witness, and let her continue whatever horrors she wished behind the walls of Castle Bathory. Elizabeth laughs bitterly, disgusted that after everything he still mistakes obsession for love. The executioner lowers the torch. Flames climb the wood as Elizabeth never looks away from Thurzo. He is the first to break eye contact. As her screams are swallowed by the roaring fire, Thurzo turns and walks away into the smoke.

Now Showing: Darkness

 

Darkness

Genre: Sci-Fi/Suspense

Director: Osgood Perkins

Writer: Jack Slipter

Cast: Maika Monroe, Camila Mendes, Cara Buono, Lizzy Greene

Plot:  The camera moves slowly through a dense, dark forest lit only by a faint moonlight filtering through the branches of the trees. The atmosphere is freezing, the sound of the wind blowing through the trees is interrupted only by the footsteps of a little girl. A little girl of around seven wearing a red jacket that seems to be too big for her walks slowly, sinking into the fresh snow with each step while her labored breathing is visible in the cold air. The little girl walks slowly, hugging her jacket to seek warmth. A sudden noise behind her makes her jump. She turns sharply as the noise seems to be getting closer but she only sees shadows moving through the trees. Suddenly, a flash of bright light explodes in front of her, illuminating the forest for an instant. Joan closes her eyes, blinded by the light, and then everything goes out. The little girl begins to scream in despair calling for her parents. As she walks and tries to orient herself in the dark, panic overwhelms her as the noise behind her gets closer and closer. Something moves in the dark and just when it seems like something is about to grab her from behind, she snaps her eyes open.

The sound of an alarm clock echoes in the room. Joan (Maika Monroe), still breathing hard, realizes that it was just a nightmare, one of her usual nightmares. Joan, sweating, huffs deeply, trying to calm down. She turns to turn off the alarm on the nightstand as her gaze falls on a small night lamp turned on next to the bed where there is a stack of medical books among which the first one talks about the disease Joan suffers from called Achromatopsia. Joan's face can be seen relaxing slightly at the sight of the light and then she slowly gets up from the bed and heads for the bathroom. Joan turns on the bathroom light, and the room is bathed in a cold light as she walks over to the mirror and looks at her reflection. At this we see the world through Joan's eyes: the bathroom is devoid of color, everything appears in black and white. Joan runs her hands over her face, washing her face, and then looks up and stares at her eyes in the mirror for a moment.

The apartment, located in a residential neighborhood in Chicago, is furnished in a modern way, with clean and minimalist lines. However, the atmosphere is made special by the presence of numerous lamps and night lights distributed perfectly in every corner of the apartment. By doing so, there are no visible shadows and every possible dark corner is illuminated by a small warm and soft light. Joan stands on a chair with a concentrated face while she is busy placing another light on a high shelf. When the light is positioned exactly as she wants, she gets off the chair and turns it on. She steps back a few steps to check that the new light adequately covers the desired area. Then she nods with a big smile. Meanwhile, her best friend and roommate Sharon (Camila Mendes) watches Joan from the kitchen while holding a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. Although she tries to maintain a relaxed attitude, her face betrays a mixture of concern and understanding. Sharon looks down and shakes her head slightly, resigned, as Joan moves from the chair to the couch, turning on another small table lamp. Joan sits on the couch and picks up a book, checking once again that everything is properly lit. The room is bathed in a warm light without even a shadow visible.

The television, turned on to a local news program, is broadcasting in the background. The reporter is talking about strange weather phenomena and inexplicable blackouts that are affecting different parts of the city. Sharon, attracted by the news, looks up at the screen. Her face stiffens slightly, as she thinks about the consequences of a blackout in a house like theirs. Joan, on the other hand, is absorbed in reading the book and doesn't seem to pay much attention to what is being said on TV. Her mind is focused on the environment around her, checking every now and then with the corner of her eye that no lights suddenly go out. Sharon continues to watch the TV for a few moments, thinking, then approaches Joan, who however does not look up from the book. Sharon stops behind her, hesitates for a moment and then gives her a kiss on the head. The two start to chat and joke with each other and then get ready to go out to finish the last shopping and Christmas presents. In the meantime outside the window the sky appears gloomy with dark clouds that announce that perhaps a storm is coming.

The two girls, after spending the day out and about, return home with a pizza from the corner store. The apartment is quiet, lit by several night lights scattered around the house. After dinner, Joan sits on the couch, immersed in her book, while Sharon is busy washing the dishes while humming a song. The television is on, showing a program that neither of them is actually watching. Suddenly, without warning, all the lights in the apartment go out at the same time. The entire apartment is plunged into total darkness. Joan immediately stiffens, dropping the book. Her breathing becomes rapid and labored as panic begins to overcome her. In the darkness, her hand desperately tries to find the flashlight that she always keeps close to her, but she can't find it. Meanwhile, Sharon remains still for a moment, trying to understand what has happened. Then, slowly, she moves through the darkness toward the living room, trying to orient herself with her hands outstretched in front of her. A sudden clang of metal sounds like a plate falling, followed by the sound of something breaking. Joan, now in a panic, finally finds the flashlight and turns it on, but the light is dim and flickering. Joan stands up from the couch with both hands holding the flashlight, which is visibly shaking. The dim light partially illuminates the room, revealing only blurry shadows and indistinct outlines. Joan moves slowly toward the kitchen, looking for Sharon. Her steps are slow and uncertain, every sound amplified by the silence. Reaching the kitchen, Joan finds Sharon bending down to pick up the pieces of a broken plate. Sharon turns to her and they exchange a brief smile. Another sudden noise comes from the front door, as if something or someone has bumped into it. Joan whirls toward the door, the flashlight flickering toward the entrance, but the dim light fails to penetrate the darkness more than a few feet. Sharon approaches the door, trying not to make a sound, while Joan stays behind, frozen in terror. Sharon strains to understand what is happening and the noise repeats itself, this time louder, as if something is trying to get in. Joan takes a step back and suddenly, a piercing scream comes from outside. The two women remain still as the silence is broken by another noise, this time closer, just behind the door. Joan shines the flashlight towards the entrance, the weak light flickers, revealing only a dark shadow that moves furtively in the darkness but they realize that it is not outside but inside the house.

Sharon steps back a few steps stopping next to Joan and with her hand she touches Joan's arm to reassure her but both are scared and confused. At that moment there is another noise, this time coming from the living room. The two women turn sharply, Joan's flashlight follows the movement, but it only illuminates the void and the shadows on the walls. The noise repeats itself, louder and closer. Joan takes a step back, trying not to scream. Sharon looks at her, her eyes communicating a hastily made decision: she must act. Without saying a word, Sharon moves toward the kitchen, opening a drawer in search of a weapon. She finds a kitchen knife, grabs it with force, and moves back toward Joan. Sharon, knife in hand, slowly approaches the living room, trying not to make any noise, while Joan stays behind, the flashlight still flickering in her hand. The noise is now clearly coming from behind the couch.

Sharon slowly approaches, holding the knife ready to strike. Suddenly, a dark figure comes to life and moves rapidly behind the couch. Sharon screams, raising the knife to defend herself, but the figure strikes her with superhuman strength, knocking her to the floor as the knife slips from her hand, bouncing noisily across the floor. Joan screams in terror, as the flashlight falls from her hand and rolls away, extinguishing on impact. The apartment is now plunged into total darkness again, but a moment later a bloodcurdling scream fills the air. Joan, paralyzed with fear, crouches on the floor, covering her head with her hands, trying to block out the sounds and terror that surrounds her. She can't see anything, but she can feel the presence of something near her, something evil, moving in the darkness. Then everything stops and an unnatural silence falls on the room. Joan, terrified, remains still, listening to every little sound but the apartment is now immersed in total silence as if the danger has passed. Joan opens her eyes, but sees only darkness and desperately searches for the flashlight, but can't find it. Finally, she gets up and tries to orient herself in the total darkness.

She forces herself to move, fumbling for the flashlight she lost earlier. Her shaking hands touch the floor, but they can’t find anything. Suddenly, she hears a soft, almost imperceptible noise coming from the hallway. Joan stiffens, holding her breath. Something is moving in the darkness, something large, slowly approaching her. The footsteps are strangely rhythmic, as if the creature is taking its time getting closer. Joan forces herself to move silently toward the front door as her hands finally meet a smooth surface, the knife Sharon had lost earlier. In the pitch black, the girl advances with the makeshift weapon as she whispers Sharon’s name, her mind racing, trying to figure out what she’s up against. Suddenly, another noise comes from her left, and Joan whirls around, brandishing the knife. Something moves near her, a whisper in the darkness, and Joan screams, lashing out with the knife. A moment later, she hears a faint moan that she recognizes immediately: Sharon. She drops the knife, her hands shaking uncontrollably, and kneels, trying to find Sharon in the darkness. But Sharon is no longer responding.

Moments later, Joan is kneeling beside Sharon, her friend's body still, lifeless. Joan is paralyzed with grief and remorse, her blood-stained hands clutching her friend. Joan remains kneeling beside Sharon's body, her hands still clutching her friend's shoulders and visibly shaking as tears begin to roll down her face. Suddenly, a sudden whisper jolts Joan and brings her back to sad reality. Her mind, clouded by terror and pain, struggles to distinguish what is real from what could be the product of her imagination. Instinctively, she looks around, trying to perceive the source of the noise. The shadows surrounding the room seem to move near her as if they were coming to life.

With great mental effort, she forces herself to lift herself off the ground, removing her hands from Sharon's now dead body. Her movements are slow, almost mechanical, as she tries to maintain her balance in the midst of total darkness. Joan moves gropingly, desperately trying to find a point of reference in the midst of that darkness.

Finally, her hands touch the cold wall of the corridor. Joan follows her, slowly advancing towards the front door. Joan holds her breath, trying not to let fear overcome her as the whispers and noises are all around her.

Joan reaches the door, her shaking hands searching for the handle, but a sudden noise behind her makes her turn sharply. It is pitch black but Joan can clearly feel the presence of something, something slowly approaching. Suddenly, a flash of blinding white light fills the room. Joan instinctively closes her eyes, but the intensity of the light is so intense that it seems to pass through her eyelids. The creature, whatever it is, emits a low, menacing sound, a roar that makes the air around Joan vibrate. Joan then tries to open the door, but the handle seems stuck, immobile under her desperate grip. The light, suddenly, disappears, leaving her immersed in the deepest darkness once again.

Then, with a final effort, she manages to unlock the door and throws it open with force, throwing herself out of the apartment and finding herself in the hallway of the building lit by the dim light of the emergency bulbs. For a moment she stops under one of those lights that seem to give her some comfort until she realizes that they are slowly running out of power.

Joan runs without looking back as she reaches the stairs and runs down. Finally she reaches the entrance of the building and rushes out into the cold Chicago night. Outside, the city is wrapped in a strange calm and the streets are deserted despite the confusion in the street between empty cars and deserted shops. Joan, still shaking, almost thinks she is completely alone but does not dare to go back. The city is dark with a few flashes of light caused by some neon signs or other small random lights. She starts walking, without a precise destination until she sees in the distance a man walking staggering and definitely in a state of confusion. As he gets closer she notices that he has a shadow that follows him and seems to attack him and he reacts by punching and kicking the void without being able to see the enemy. She, managing to see the evil shadow, tries to warn the man but he is dragged away into a dark alley without being able to do much.

She stops almost confused and a moment later a hand covers her mouth and pulls her into a shop with lit candles with the window smashed by a taxi probably hours before. Also sitting on a chair is her daughter Jasmine (Lizzy Greene). The lady takes her hands away from her mouth introducing herself as Bette (Cara Buono) and good-naturedly scolds the girl about the fact that she was dazed in the street while everything is falling apart. The girl tries to explain what happened but the woman is busy looking for snacks for the girl and cleaning her from the blood. Joan takes a few steps toward the window and carefully opens her eyes and notices that through her black and white world caused by her illness she can see those shadows. From Jasmine and Bette's words she realizes that no one can see them.

Joan slowly steps back from the window. Bette watches her with an inquisitive look while Jasmine, the young teenager, remains seated in the chair with an expression of tired resignation. Bette approaches Joan and hands her a packet of crackers and a bottle of water, insisting that the girl sit down and eat something. Bette, noticing Joan's state, sits down next to her and tries to reassure her. She explains that everything started a few hours ago, with a sudden blackout followed by the appearance of the shadows. No one, except Joan, seems to be able to see them, but everyone senses their presence and danger. Joan, still shocked, tries to explain that due to a visual condition she sees everything in black and white, but those dark and evil shadows are clear to her eyes. Jasmine, curious, comes closer to listen better, while Bette tries to remain calm. Bette reflects on what Joan said, realizing that the girl's ability to see the shadows may be the only hope to understand how to avoid or deal with them. Although Joan feels overwhelmed by the situation, Bette insists on the importance of sticking together and finding a way to survive.

As they argue, Joan begins to hear a hissing sound coming from outside. The noise grows in intensity, causing Joan to tense, warning the others of the impending danger. Bette quickly stands up and closes the curtains of the broken glass case, leaving the room lit only by candles. Joan clutches the knife Bette gave her as she moves closer to Jasmine, offering almost silent protection. A cold wave sweeps through the room, extinguishing most of the candles. Joan whirls around, trying to see if there is anything in the darkness. Through her black-and-white vision, she notices a dark, indistinct figure slowly approaching.The creature makes a guttural sound, and Joan raises her knife, pointing it at the menacing figure. The creature suddenly lunges at her with surprising speed. Joan screams and plunges the knife into the darkness, but the creature seems to escape her, as if it were made of smoke. Bette approaches it but they both know that the danger is not over.

Suddenly, without warning, the shadow manifests itself again, this time with even more violent force. It materializes near Jasmine without the young girl having time to react. The shadow, wrapped in a halo of darkness, emits a chilling sound and launches itself at Jasmine, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her towards it with superhuman strength. Jasmine screams, trying to free herself, but her strength is useless against that evil presence. Bette tries to grab Jasmine to tear her from the shadow, but is struck by an invisible force that makes her fall backwards, hitting violently against the wall. Joan lunges at the shadow, brandishing the knife in both hands. Her hands are shaking, but her grip is firm. She strikes the shadow with all the strength she can muster. The knife seems to pierce the darkness as if it were thick, almost tangible, and Joan can feel a resistance beneath the blade. The shadow lets out a shrill scream that seems to shake the entire room. Jasmine is released from its grip and collapses to the floor, while the shadow begins to shake and writhe. Joan doesn't stop and continues to strike, sinking the knife into that dark figure, until the shadow explodes in a cloud of black smoke, which quickly dissolves into the air.

Joan remains there, kneeling on the floor, with the knife still in her hand while Jasmine slowly gets up as Bette hugs her daughter thanking Joan who appears with a determined face that she has never had in her life. The three women know that they can't stay there, they must continue to move, venturing into that Chicago night that seems to never end.

A Second Look: Assassin's Creed: New World Order

Welcome back for another edition of A Second Look with Jeff Stockton! In this segment I will take a "second look" at a past LRF release with a fresh set of eyes. 

With Assassin's Creed: Eternal finally giving LRF the adaptation fans had been waiting for, it felt like the right time to take A SECOND LOOK at the franchise's forgotten first attempt. The New Order follows Indonesian motorcycle racer Dodi "Brian" Mulyo (Yoshi Sudarso), who awakens inside an Abstergo facility after a mysterious accident and is forced into the Animus to relive the memories of Assassin ancestors spanning Indonesia's turbulent modern history. As Dodi uncovers the story of Anton, Satria, and the mythical Fruit of Immortality, he gradually learns that he may be the key to preventing Abstergo from reshaping the future. Back in Season 12, I found the film difficult to follow despite several impressively staged action sequences. Meirad Tako clearly had a knack for writing kinetic combat, but the characters were paper-thin, the performances rarely rose above serviceable, and James Cameron never found a coherent rhythm for the sprawling narrative. 

Ironically, The New Order looks even weaker now that Assassin's Creed: Eternal has demonstrated what a faithful adaptation of the games can actually be. The biggest misstep isn't the convoluted plotting anymore—it's how disconnected the entire production feels from the source material. Rather than embracing recognizable Assassins, Templars, or historical settings from the games, the movie invents almost everything from whole cloth, making the Assassin's Creed branding feel strangely ornamental. It repeats many of the mistakes of the Michael Fassbender film by focusing on an original protagonist while assuming the audience will care simply because the Animus is involved. Meirad Tako's action writing is still easily the film's greatest strength, but Cameron never finds the epic scale or mythic atmosphere the franchise demands, and the largely uneven cast—especially an overmatched Sudarso in the lead—never sells the emotional stakes. In hindsight, The New Order feels less like an adaptation and more like an unrelated sci-fi action film that happened to borrow the franchise's terminology. After finally seeing the property realized properly with Eternal, this first attempt is easier to appreciate as a learning experience than as a successful film.

Assassin's Creed: New World Order Link : https://www.lrfdb.icu/assassins-creed-the-new-order

Original Grade: C-

New Grade: D+

Top 10 Roy Horne Films - Redux

 

Sherman J. Pearson here for another Top 10. Writer Roy Horne is back with a new film - this time video game adaptation Assassin's Creed: Eternal. I've covered Horne's filmography before in a Top 10 list, but it's been just a few weeks shy of five years - so what better time than the present....

Top 10 Roy Horne Films - Redux

10. Perfect Blue

9. The Tower

8. Kite

7. Open Hearts

6. Wish You Here

5. Poison Ivy: Mind Games

4. Cecil

3. Poison Ivy

2. Natural Selection (w/ Chad Taylor)

1. Excalibur

Release: Assassin's Creed: Eternal

 

Assassin's Creed: Eternal

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Historical

Director: Edward Berger

Writer: Roy Horne

Based on the video game series

Cast: Jacob Elordi, Emma Mackey, Rufus Sewell, Marton Csokas, Lucy Fry, Dominic Cooper, Barry Sloane, Gemma Arterton

Budget: $143,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $197,768,189

Foreign Box Office: $223,337,222

Total Profit: $103,097,812

Reaction: After the first half of the season saw over half our films lose money at the box office, it is especially nice to start off Round 6 with a solid hit.

"Assassin’s Creed: Eternal smartly avoids the mistakes of the 2016 film by embracing the franchise’s mythology instead of fighting it. Edward Berger balances the modern-day conspiracy with the historical settings surprisingly well, and Jacob Elordi proves stronger casting than expected - particularly as Ezio - in a triple role. Emma Mackey also brings warmth and intrigue to both Lucy and Christina. The multi-timeline structure occasionally feels crowded, especially with Jacob Frye getting less room than Ezio, but the film captures the appeal of the games far better than previous attempts." - Cal Crowe, Washington Globe

"Assassin’s Creed: Eternal approaches familiar material with a seriousness that is both its greatest strength and its quiet limitation, framing the Animus as psychological inheritance rather than narrative novelty. Edward Berger’s direction lends the Renaissance Florence chapters a mournful elegance, but the Victorian London storyline feels more compressed and schematic, its thematic intent clearer than its dramatic impact. Jacob Elordi’s controlled, inward performance suits the film’s somber tone, though it sometimes keeps the audience at an emotional remove. Intelligent and handsomely made, Eternal is more contemplative than thrilling, offering a respectable, sometimes compelling experience that may be admired more than fully embraced." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

"The film clearly has good intentions and captures the "greatest hits" of the franchise's lore, it ultimately feels too jarring and crowded for a standard film. By attempting to compress decades of history and multiple protagonists into a single sitting, the narrative loses the emotional weight of individual arcs, like Ezio's revenge, in favor of a frantic, overstuffed pace." - J. Jonah Johnson, Variety

Rated R for violence and thematic elements

Game to Film: Assassin's Creed: Eternal

 

Welcome back for an all-new edition of Game to Film! This time around we are taking a look at the generations-spanning cast of Assassin's Creed: Eternal, an ambitious new adaptation of the hit video game franchise. Edward Berger (Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front) is behind the camera while Roy Horne (Tara's Wrath, The Hammer of Thor: The Frost War) has penned the adaptation.

Now Showing: Assassin's Creed: Eternal

 

Assassin's Creed: Eternal

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Historical

Director: Edward Berger

Writer: Roy Horne

Based on the video game series

Cast: Jacob Elordi, Emma Mackey, Rufus Sewell, Marton Csokas, Lucy Fry, Dominic Cooper, Barry Sloane, Gemma Arterton

Plot: Desmond Miles (Jacob Elordi) finishes his late shift at a New York City dive bar and heads out back to take out the trash. A van pulls up quietly. Two men move fast. Desmond realizes too late what’s happening and fights back on instinct, but he’s outnumbered. A stun strike drops him hard.

Desmond wakes restrained, being wheeled through a facility he doesn’t recognize. Warren Vidic (Rufus Sewell) walks beside him, speaking calmly, already framing Desmond’s situation as inevitable. Desmond demands answers. Vidic gives none that matter. Layla Hassan (Lucy Fry) runs medical scans under the sharp supervision of Melanie Lemay (Gemma Arterton). Daniel Cross (Dominic Cooper) watches from the side, studying Desmond. 

Desmond is brought into the Animus chamber and meets Lucy Stillman (Emma Mackey) for the first time. When they lock eyes, both feel a jolt of recognition neither can explain. It briefly rattles Lucy before she forces herself back into professional focus. Desmond pleads with her to tell him what's going on, but Melanie interrupts and tells Lucy to hurry up. Desmond is strapped into the Animus.

Vidic explains that Desmond's genetic memories are valuable, and his cooperation will make things easier for him. Desmond points out that they have kidnapped him. Vidic says it was a necessity. Layla suggests lowering synchronization levels due to neural strain. Melanie shuts her down immediately. Lucy catches Desmond’s eye and signals him to stay calm.

The Animus activates. Desmond's body locks up. Disjointed images flash - movement, rooftops, a body in motion. Lucy monitors Desmond's vitals. Vidic watches the synchronization climb with satisfaction. Desmond’s vision sharpens, his breathing steadies, and the memory takes hold. 

Desmond opens his eyes - and he is no longer Desmond Miles.

Florence, Italy - 1496

Ezio Auditore (Jacob Elordi) runs through the streets of Florence after a brawl. Guards shout behind him. He moves with instinctive agility, climbing, leaping, never thinking about consequences. Ezio pauses on a rooftop when he spots Christina Vespucci (Emma Mackey) below. Their eyes meet.Inside the Animus, Desmond’s heart rate spikes.

Ezio returns home to find his sister Claudia (Lucy Fry) waiting, frustrated by his recklessness. Mario Auditore (Marton Csokas), Ezio’s uncle, arrives unexpectedly and pulls Ezio aside. He warns that Florence is changing and that the Pazzi family is growing bolder. Ezio shrugs it off, uninterested in politics.

In a crowded market, Ezio witnesses Marco de Pazzi (Rufus Sewell) publicly humiliating a Medici supporter under the protection of armed guards. Ezio bristles and nearly intervenes before a stranger quietly stops him. The stranger is La Volpe (Barry Sloane), who warns Ezio that Florence’s real battles aren’t fought openly but in the shadows.

Ezio returns home to chaos. Guards flood the Auditore residence, tearing through documents and dragging family members away. Claudia pleads with them as Ezio is shoved aside, powerless. He hears accusations of treason but no explanations. Ezio is forced into the street as his father and brothers are taken in chains.

The memory jumps forward abruptly. Ezio pushes through a crowd gathered around a scaffold. By the time he reaches the front, it’s over. His father and brothers hang lifeless before the city. Ezio lunges toward Marco de Pazzi, but guards restrain him. Mario pulls Ezio away. Desmond’s vitals spike dangerously. 

Ezio flees Florence with Mario, who keeps them moving, refusing to explain until they’re safely away. Inside the Animus, Desmond steadies as the pace becomes purposeful. Lucy watches the sync stabilize, surprised by how quickly Desmond adapts once survival replaces panic. 

Mario brings Ezio to Monteriggioni and finally tells him the truth: his father Giovanni wasn’t just a banker, and the Auditore family has been part of a larger fight for generations. Ezio rejects it at first, unwilling to believe his father lived a double life. Mario brings Ezio into a hidden room beneath the villa. He opens a chest Giovanni kept sealed. Inside are three things: a damaged hidden blade bracer, a bundle of coded pages filled with strange diagrams, and a simple, unfinished Assassin’s mantle folded carefully beneath them. Ezio takes the blade, feeling its weight.

Ezio brings the bracer and pages to Leonardo da Vinci (Dominic Cooper), who immediately recognizes the craftsmanship and the code beneath the writing. Leonardo repairs the blade’s mechanism, restoring it to working order. Leonardo begins decoding the pages, revealing fragments of a hidden war beneath recorded history.

Ezio seeks out Paola (Gemma Arterton), who once sheltered Giovanni. She tests him without ceremony, forcing him to move unseen, to listen, to wait. Ezio struggles to slow down, still burning with rage. Paola makes it clear that strength without control will only get him killed. Desmond absorbs the lesson alongside Ezio.

Ezio returns to Florence and tracks one of the men connected to the Pazzi conspiracy. The confrontation is swift and deliberate. Ezio uses the hidden blade for the first time, ending the man’s life without hesitation. Inside the Animus, Desmond feels the moment land hard. This isn’t revenge. It’s commitment. Lucy watches the shift with concern. Vidic, monitoring remotely, is quietly pleased. The Animus glitches as Desmond absorbs too much. Outside the machine, his hand tightens involuntarily, mimicking the blade’s motion. Lucy ends the session before Vidic can intervene. 

Desmond wakes up, disoriented. Vidic enters and notes the successful synchronization. He treats Desmond less like a captive now and more like a resource that’s finally paying off. Otso Berg (Barry Sloane) arrives as head of on-site security - having been called in by Melanie now that Desmond is learning. Cross corners Desmond privately, warning him not to mistake Lucy’s kindness for safety.

Despite Lucy’s objections, Vidic orders Desmond back into the Animus. This time, the target isn’t Florence. Desmond is told only that another ancestor is relevant to the search. Melanie has Layla take Lucy's place running the Animus. Lucy stays close by though, eyes locked on Desmond. The Animus doesn’t return Desmond to Italy. Instead, the memory fractures and reforms. Berg steps closer to the glass, intrigued, as the new timeline stabilizes.

London, England 1868

Desmond comes to inside another body - Jacob Frye (Jacob Elordi). He barrels through a crowded street, chasing a gang lieutenant. In the Animus room, Lucy sees Desmond’s vitals spike in a new pattern. Layla notes the faster sync and flags behavioral variance. 

Jacob ducks into an alley to escape police attention and nearly collides with Evie Frye (Lucy Fry). She warns him that he's drawing too much notice and risking the Brotherhood's work. Jacob brushes it off. 

Jacob meets Pearl Attaway (Emma Mackey) while disrupting a Blighter operation tied to factory labor abuses. Pearl assures Jacob that the Blighters are run by Templars. She helps him escape after the attack. Henry Green (Marton Csokas) briefs Jacob on the larger problem: London’s industry is being consolidated under Maxwell Roth (Rufus Sewell), a Templar. Frederick Abberline appears, offering cooperation as long as bodies don't pile up too high.

Jacob crosses paths with Roth for the first time. Sensing the violence in Jacob's nature, Roth Jacob deeper into London’s underworld. Jacob strikes Blighter operations. Evie urges him to restrain from unnecessary violence, warning that Roth is baiting him into chaos. Jacob dismisses her concerns. 

Pearl helps Jacob move through factory districts. She expresses belief in his goal to hurt the Templars, but worries that he's going to die doing so. In the present, Melanie flags Desmond’s emotional spikes as evidence of “productive immersion.” Lucy pushes back, arguing the strain is compounding too quickly. Vidic sides with Melanie.

Jacob’s next strike succeeds, but innocent workers are injured in the fallout. Evie confronts him, furious that he ignored her warnings. Jacob defends himself, insisting sacrifices are inevitable. The argument rattles Desmond. Outside the Animus, he shifts violently.

Henry Green nearly dies during a Blighter retaliation. The cost hits Evie hard and finally gives Jacob pause. Pearl challenges him directly, forcing him to see the damage left in his wake. Lucy ends the session early, overriding Vidic’s protests. Desmond wakes shaken. Berg watches him closely, knowing Desmond is becoming more dangerous the more time he spends in his ancestors' memories.

Thrown back into the Animus, Desmond finds himself back in the memories of Ezio. He moves through Florence unseen. He studies the guards from a distance. La Volpe and Paola feed Ezio intelligence gathered from across the city about the plans of Pazzi. 

Ezio meets Leonardo briefly, who provides a final refinement to Ezio’s blade and deciphers another fragment of Giovanni’s notes. The pages hint at ancient artifacts influencing human history, though their nature remains unclear. Leonardo warns Ezio that knowledge always carries cost.

Ezio confronts Marco de Pazzi away from crowds, denying Pazzi spectacle or martyrdom. Ezio kills Marco quickly and without feeling. Florence stabilizes under Medici rule, and Ezio fades into the background. Lucy convinces Layla to end the session. 

Back in the streets of Victorian London, Jacob and Evie move through the streets quickly to meet Pearl and Henry. Pearl feeds them information that will expose Roth's corruption across factories and transport lines. Jacob confronts Roth with the evidence. Roth frames Jacob's actions as evidence that he should join the Templars and embrace chaos. Jacob refuses the invitation and attacks Roth. Jacob stabs Roth in the neck, leaving him bleeding out. Pearl and Jacob share a quiet moment.

Desmond wakes from the Animus feeling changed. Lucy notices the difference immediately. She runs him through some routine tests, and Desmond responds with heightened agility and responsiveness. Vidic enters with Melanie and Cross. Vidic confirms what they’ve been waiting for: Desmond can now access Assassin abilities without the Animus. Melanie orders Desmond transferred to a more secure location for the next phase of testing. Berg arrives to escort him personally. Lucy protests, but Vidic orders her to silence. Lucy gives Layla a look, which is responded to with a subtle nod. As Berg moves Desmond through the corridor, the lights flicker. Doors unlock unexpectedly. Layla has overridden the system just long enough. Lucy acts immediately, knocking out a guard and pulling Desmond free. Cross notices the breach too late. He hesitates, watching Lucy choose a side. Berg gives chase.

Desmond runs with Lucy keeping pace as best as she can. Berg nearly catches them, forcing Desmond to disarm him with fighting skills he didn't know he had. They reach a hidden exit. Layla seals it behind them and stays back, buying time. Lucy finally tells Desmond the truth: his ancestors weren’t just witnesses to history - they were shaping it. And Abstergo is searching for something ancient that Desmond can lead them to. As they disappear into the night, Berg watches from the corridor, bloodied.

Post-Credits: Warren Vidic stands before a dormant ancient structure sealed behind glass as Melanie Lemay joins him and notes that Desmond Miles has escaped and the operation will be deemed a failure. Vidic remains unconcerned, making it clear that the experiment was never about keeping Miles contained but about confirming that his bloodline could still respond to something buried in history.