Hippos, orcas and other animals attacking movie protagonists

Sharks aren’t the only killer animals on the prowl on movie screens this year. There are also killer hippos, orcas, spiders and snakes at the cinema.
“Hungry,” released in late June, features a rampaging, killer hippopotamus in the Louisiana bayou. Reviews from critics have been mixed, but these types of movies are made for fans of the genre not high-brow snobs.
Coming this fall is the killer orca movie “Black Tides,” starring John Travolta. It is directed by Renny Harlin, who also directed the recent shark-attack movie “Deep Water.”
Due out on Oct. 2 is “Beware Boiúna,” which is about a legendary killer snake in the Amazon rainforest. In Brazilian folklore, the Boiúna (which translates to "Black Snake") is a massive, menacing river serpent.
Also due in October is the movie “Whalefall,” starring Josh Brolin. It involves a scuba diver swallowed by an 80-foot, 60-ton sperm whale.
October will also see the release of “Crawlers.” Here’s the synopsis: Quarantined residents of an infested apartment complex find themselves in a fight for their lives against deadly, venomous spiders rapidly spreading throughout the building.

Related article:

Shark-attack movies are getting more ridiculous (June 30, 2026)

Shark-attack movies are getting more ridiculous

It wouldn’t be summer cinema without shark-attack movies. But some of the new movies are playing more for laughs than scares.
“Water Park Shark” is a B-movie horror comedy from Anthony C. Ferrante – the director behind the famously ridiculous “Sharknado” franchise. The plot involves great white sharks breaching a water park in Cape Cod, Mass. It’s due out on July 3 on Amazon Prime Video.
“Sorority Shark Attack” reportedly is set for a streaming video release later this year. It features Robert Carradine (“Revenge of the Nerds”) in one of his final film roles before his death in February.
“Thrash,” which premiered April 10 on Netflix, also generated as many laughs as scares. The plot has a pack of hungry bull sharks invading a flooded coastal town in South Carolina during a hurricane. To make matters worse, the initial storm surge breaks open a massive commercial tanker truck carrying animal blood.
Here’s the plot of “Chum,” released on June 5: “A newlywed couple joins friends on a Mediterranean yacht excursion, only to find themselves caught between a predatory shark and a psychopathic killer in their midst – transforming a sun-drenched escape into a fight for survival.”
“Chum,” starring Alice Eve, received terrible reviews.
Another recent shark-attack movie was “Deep Water,” starring Aaron Eckhart. It involves an international flight that crashes in the Pacific Ocean, and the passengers and crew must work to survive a group of circling sharks. Released on May 1, the film received mildly positive reviews from critics.
Coming soon are “The Devil’s Mouth” and “The Bay,” both of which feature sharks attacking tourists in Thailand.
“The Devil’s Mouth” stars Kathryn Newton and Lana Condor and is set for release on Amazon Prime Video on July 29.
“The Bay” stars Francesca Eastwood and is due for release on July 17 in select theaters and on digital video on demand.
Next year will seen the release on Netflix of “Under Paris 2,” the sequel to “Under Paris” (2024), which featured a giant shark in the Seine. Yeah, totally believable.

‘The Wizard of Oz at Sphere’ was amazing. But what’s next?

The reimagined version of the classic MGM musical “The Wizard of Oz” at the Sphere in Las Vegas is an amazing experience. And it makes you wonder: What could the innovative surround-experience theater do with other old movies?
I watched, rather, experienced “The Wizard of Oz” at the Sphere earlier this month. The beloved 1939 film was digitally upgraded into an immersive movie that dazzles the senses. It fills your field of vision, allowing you to look up and around in the worlds of Oz and Kansas.
It also whips up the wind and blows leaves for the tornado sequence and drops foam apples when the angry apple trees are throwing fruit at Dorothy. Robotic butterflies and flying monkeys also cruise above the audience during their scenes. Plus, the seats rumble and there are other effects.
“The Wizard of Oz at Sphere” has sold 2 million tickets since it bowed on Aug. 28, 2025, raking in more than $260 million in ticket sales, the Hollywood Reporter said.
So what’s the next classic film to get the Sphere treatment? Some have suggested “Star Wars” or “Jurassic Park.”
But I think a good one would be the classic movie musical “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971). I’d pay to see that at the Sphere.
Meanwhile, Sphere Entertainment Co. on Jan. 18 announced its intent to build a second U.S. Sphere venue, using a smaller-scale design, at National Harbor in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It will have 6,000 seats vs. about 18,000 seats at the Las Vegas Sphere.
The company had earlier announced plans to build a Sphere arena in Abu Dhabi.

Photos: Promotional art for “The Wizard of Oz at Sphere” (top); artist's depiction of the Sphere at National Harbor.

One of the most special projects of my career, #WizardofOz at @SphereVegas.

Don't miss the chance to see this 1939 classic reimagined with the power of AI from the brilliant teams @GoogleCloud & @GoogleDeepmind. 🌈🦁🧹 https://t.co/lOS69qoneW pic.twitter.com/IMWwheVyZZ

— Sarah Kennedy Ellis (@saykay) August 29, 2025

Wizard of Oz, inside of Glinda”s bubble really takes you there.
Sphere Las Vegas put a lot of thought into this remake and hit a home run. #vegas #wizardofoz
video credit SphereLV pic.twitter.com/8P25DQzShh

— Vegas Uncomped (@VegasUncomped) August 31, 2025

pic.twitter.com/1Jfx1W0NTT

— Mike (@DizzllinMotion) January 11, 2026

The Wizard of Oz World Premiere at the Sphere on 8/28/25. Rating the most iconic moments of this brand new Las Vegas show experience. #vegas #lasvegas #vegasstarfish #wizardofoz #sphere pic.twitter.com/2CiJhatgRC

— Jen G. (@vegasstarfish) August 30, 2025

The Sphere Experience featuring The Wizard Of Oz was wild! The flying monkeys were intense! #LasVegas #TheSphere #WizardOfOz #HaveFun pic.twitter.com/SIEZt4SRpz

— FUNTIFFX (@AbstractTiffany) October 14, 2025

The difficulty of making a clean list of notable post-apocalyptic movies

I’ve been a fan of post-apocalyptic movies since seeing the original “Planet of the Apes” movie as a child. And back in 2019, I started to compile a list of such movies. But it hasn’t been easy.
The main reason why is the different ways that people define post-apocalyptic settings.
Many lists you find on Internet Movie Database (IMDb) and Letterboxd are cluttered with movies that take place before or during apocalyptic events. They also add movies that occur in dystopian futures where there may have been a world war or other cataclysm many years before but society has recovered to a large degree.
I think of post-apocalyptic movies as those depicting people struggling to survive after Earth has been devastated by world-altering events. That includes environmental disasters, nuclear war, pandemics, alien invasions, flesh-eating zombies and more.
With some movies, it is hard to tell if the events are isolated to a region or are worldwide in nature.
On my list, I leave out movies that take place in space or in post-apocalyptic settings on other planets. I also ignore those that take place in fantasy worlds.
I focus on full-length, live-action movies. So I don’t include short films or animated movies.
A list of post-apocalyptic movies would be easier to compile if it focused solely on U.S. theatrical films. But with the rise of streaming video services, consumers have access to many more productions. That includes made-for-TV movies, international films and those produced for streaming services like Netflix.
A lot of those movies are little-seen or poorly reviewed. Some cheapo productions, mostly rip-offs of the Mad Max franchise, have their cult followings. But many are just plain awful.
My main list of notable post-apocalyptic movies currently includes 250 titles. (See below.) Even among those, some are questionable. I focused on those notable enough to have reviews on Rotten Tomatoes or Wikipedia pages.
However, I’ve tallied 556 other movies that didn’t meet my qualifications of post-apocalyptic cinema. A lot of those are junky films that clutter up Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services.

Related articles:

The complete post-apocalyptic movie list (Updated Dec. 3, 2025)

Photos: A selection of little-known post-apocalyptic movies: “Road Wars - Max Fury” (2024), “Mad Sheila” (2016, China) and “Apocalypse Z - The Beginning of the End” (2024, Spain).

2025 was a quiet year for post-apocalyptic movies

Movies set on a post-apocalyptic Earth have been a popular subgenre, but this was a quiet year for such films. But things look to pick up next year.
Last year brought new movies in the “Mad Max,” “Planet of the Apes” and “A Quiet Place” franchises.
The biggest film in the subgenre this year was “28 Years Later,” the latest in the U.K. zombie franchise. It was met with generally positive reviews, garnering 89% favorable ratings from review site Rotten Tomatoes.
A spin-off movie, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” is scheduled to hit theaters on Jan. 16.
Also coming out in early 2026 is “Greenland 2: Migration.” It will be in theaters on Jan. 9. The first movie in the asteroid-apocalypse franchise, “Greenland,” came out in 2021. Stars Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin return for the new film.
In addition to those sequels, Daisy Ridley will star in a zombie survival thriller called “We Bury the Dead.” It’s due to hit theaters on Jan. 2.
Still to come this year is “The Great Flood,” which will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 19. The South Korean sci-fi disaster film unfolds as a catastrophic flood submerges the world.
What follows is a list of post-apocalyptic movies from 2024 and 2025 year to date, with their Rotten Tomatoes scores.

Recent post-apocalyptic movies

Arcadian (2024), 78% positive revenues, Certified Fresh
Azrael (2024), 71%
Badland Hunters (2024, South Korea), 67%
Breathe (2024), 14%
Die Alone (2024), 81%
Elevation (2024), 55%
The End (2024), 56%
Furiosa; A Mad Max Saga (2024), 90%, Certified Fresh
Humane (2024), 72%
Kalki 2898 AD (2024, India), 77%
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), 80%, Certified Fresh
Outside (2024, Philippines), 80%
Parvulos (2024, Mexico), aka “Párvulos: Children of the Apocalypse,” 88%
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), 86%, Certified Fresh
Werewolves (2024), 49%
28 Years Later (2025), 89%, Certified Fresh
40 Acres (2025), 89%, Certified Fresh
Afterburn (2025), 0%

Related articles:

Big-budget post-apocalyptic movies returning to cinemas this summer (March 31, 2024)

Animal attack movies continue to excite audiences

Moviegoers enjoy a good animal attack movie, with shark attack movies the overwhelming favorite.
It’s a popular subgenre of action and horror movies. Sometimes they are combined with other genres such as war and crime dramas. Other times, they have a darkly humorous tone.
Upcoming animal attack movies include “Anaconda,” an action comedy about a giant killer snake, of course. It’s a remake/homage to the original “Anaconda” (1997), which starred Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz and Jon Voight. The new version will be in theaters on Dec. 25.
Meanwhile, “Primate,” about a killer chimpanzee, is due out on Jan. 9.
What follows is a list of animal attack movies from the past three years. I also included the type of animal involved as well as the movie’s Rotten Tomatoes critics score.
I left off those with supernatural, sci-fi or fantasy aspects, such as bringing back extinct animals like megalodons and dinosaurs.

Recent animal attack movies and miniseries:

The Bayou (2025), alligators, no consensus
Beast of War (2025), great white shark, 90% positive reviews
A Breed Apart (2025), wild dogs, 18%
Cocaine Bear (2023), black bear, 65%
Coyotes (2025), coyotes, 59%
Dangerous Animals (2025), sharks, 87%
Deep Fear (2023), sharks, no consensus
The Flood (2023), alligators, 37%
Infested (2024), spiders, 95%
Into the Deep (2025), sharks, 27%
The Last Breath (2024), sharks, 31%
No Way Up (2024), sharks, 36%
Out Come the Wolves (2024), wolves, 64%
Something in the Water (2024), sharks, 46%
The Swarm (2023), orcas and other sea creatures, 70%
Under Paris (2024), sharks, 64%

Earlier articles:

Animal attack movies are popular summer fare (June 30, 2024)

Animal attack movies are a staple of summer cinema (Aug. 28, 2022)

Photos: Movie posters for “Coyotes,” “Anaconda” and “Primate.”

‘Fallout’ video games, TV show are popular subjects for porn parodies

The “Fallout” video game series and television show on Amazon Prime Video have inspired at least five porn parodies to date.
Some are full-fledged porn movies while others are cosplay porn videos.
But they aren’t the only post-apocalyptic entertainment franchises that have received the porn parody treatment.
The “Resident Evil” video game series and movies have been the subject of at least four porn parodies.
“The Last of Us” games and TV show have been mocked in two porn parodies.
And even the Japanese manga series “Attack on Titan” and its anime adaptation has been lampooned in a porn parody in 2024. (“Attack on Titan - Mikasa Ackerman and Historia Reiss - A Porn Parody.”)

‘Fallout’ porn parodies:

This Ain’t Fallout XXX (2016)
Fallout, A XXX Parody (2017)
Fallout - Lucy (2024)
Fallout, A XXX Parody (2024)
Fallout Screw Vegas (2024)

‘Resident Evil’ porn parodies:

Resident Evil, A XXX Parody (2024)
Resident Evil 4, A XXX Parody (2024)
Resident Evil - Jill Valentine, A Porn Parody (2024)
Resident Evil - Ashley Graham, A Porn Parody (2025)

‘The Last of Us’ porn parodies:

The Last of Us, A XXX Parody (2019)
The Last of Us Part II - Ellie (2023)

Photos: Promotional photos from “Fallout” porn parodies.

Actresses who have played Snow White in European movies

In my last post, I listed actresses who have played Snow White in U.S. movies and TV series.
Now I’m going to take a look at actresses who have played Snow White in European movies. To a one, they are beautiful women, unlike the recent casting of Rachel Zegler in Disney’s upcoming “Snow White” feature film. (Exhibit 1: See top photo of Italian actress Rossana Podestà in “7 Golden Men” from 1965.) Zegler isn’t ugly, just rather mid.
This list is based on research done by Wikipedia and Internet Movie Database (IMDb).

Actresses who have played Snow White in European movies

• Marianne Simson, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” aka “Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge” (Germany, 1939)
• Rossana Podestà, “The Seven Dwarfs to the Rescue,” aka “I sette nani alla riscossa” (Italy, 1951)
• Raili Mäki, “Snow White and the 7 Dudes,” aka “Lumikki ja 7 jätkää” (Finland, 1953)
• Elke Arendt, “Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge” (West Germany, 1955)
• Doris Weikow, “Schneewittchen” (East Germany, 1961)
• Marie Liljedahl, “The New Adventures of Snow White,” aka “Grimm’s Fairy Tales for Adults” (West Germany, 1969)
• Zeynep Degirmencioglu, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” aka “Pamuk Prenses ve 7 Cüceler” (Turkey, 1971)
• Natalie Minko, “Schneewittchen und das Geheimnis der Zwerge,” aka “Snow White and the Secret of the Dwarves” (Germany, 1992)
• Cosma Shiva Hagen, “7 Dwarves – Men Alone in the Wood” (Germany, 2004) and its sequel “7 Dwarves: The Forest Is Not Enough” (Germany, 2006)
• Nagisa Shirai, “Blanche Neige” (France, 2009)
• Macarena García, “Blancanieves” (Spain, 2012)
• Lou de Laâge, “White as Snow,” aka “Blanche comme neige” (France, 2019)

Photos:

Marianne Simson

Rossana Podestà

Raili Mäki

Elke Arendt

Doris Weikow

Marie Liljedahl

Zeynep Degirmencioglu

Natalie Minko

Cosma Shiva Hagen

Nagisa Shirai

Macarena García

Lou de Laâge

Rachel Zegler joins long list of actresses who have played Snow White

The casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White in Walt Disney’s upcoming feature film was controversial in part because that movie would have you believe that she’s more attractive than evil queen Gal Gadot. Clearly the magic mirror on the wall is lying or blind.
Zegler is cute but she’s no statuesque beauty like Gadot.
Some say Zegler was a diversity hire for the part because she’s mixed race, half Latina, and not lily white like the German fairy tale. But I don’t think it would have been an issue if Disney had just cast a knockout beauty as Snow White.
By that measure, the most controversial casting as Snow White should have been Camryn Manheim in “The 10th Kingdom” (2000). She’s definitely not a beauty queen.
Zegler joins a long list of actresses who have played Snow White. I’ve put together a list of actresses who have played the character in U.S. movies and TV shows. There’s also been quite a few European productions. In Germany, her character is called Schneewittchen.

Actresses who have played Snow White in U.S. movies and TV shows

• Marguerite Clark, “Snow White” (1916)
• Carol Heiss, “Snow White and the Three Stooges” (1961)
• Elizabeth McGovern, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” episode (1984) of “Faerie Tale Theatre”
• Sarah Patterson, “Snow White” (1987)
• Monica Keena, “Snow White: A Tale of Terror” (1997)
• Camryn Manheim, “The 10th Kingdom” (2000)
• Kristin Kreuk, “Snow White: The Fairest of Them All” (2001)
• Ginnifer Goodwin, “Once Upon a Time” (2011-2017)
• Kristen Stewart, “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012)
• Lily Collins, “Mirror Mirror” (2012)
• Eliza Bennett, “Grimm’s Snow White” (2012)
• Shanley Caswell, “Snow White: A Deadly Summer” (2012)
• Stephanie Bennett, “Descendants” (2015)
• Lauren Parkinson, “Avengers Grimm” (2015)
• Jennifer Mischiati, “Snow White’s Christmas Adventure” (2023)
• Rachel Zegler, “Snow White” (2025)

I previously wrote about actresses who have played Snow White back in 2017 and included photos of some of the women. Check out “Actresses who have played Snow White in U.S. movies and TV shows.”

Photos: Rachel Zegler as Snow White (top); poster for Disney’s “Snow White” (2025), scheduled for release on March 21.

Halls of fame for hot dog eating, salami and character actors

Here are a few more unusual halls of fame that exist only online.

Hot Dog Eating Contest Hall of Fame

Nathan’s Famous has an online hall of fame for winners of its annual hot dog eating contest held on July 4 in Coney Island, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City.
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Hall of Fame has only seven inductees because of repeat champions. Joey Chestnut has won the male competition 16 times. Miki Sudo has won the female competition 11 times.

Salami Hall of Fame

Oceanside, Calif.-based Olli Salumeria, a maker of authentic Italian-style salami, announced the Salami Hall of Fame in September 2023.
The salami maker described the hall of fame as “a digital celebration of iconic restaurants, delicatessens and specialty grocers around the country that are elevating the status of salami through creative menu items and retail offerings.”

Character Actor Hall of Fame

The Carney Awards honor those actors who disappear into their characters. Carney Award recipients are entered into the Character Actor Hall of Fame.
The most recent inductees included Jessica Walter, Joe Pantoliano, James Cromwell, Joe Morton and Bruce Greenwood.

Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame

The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame is a website that celebrates our favorite athletes from the world of movies and television, but only those who do not exist in the “real world.”
Inductees include Rocky Balboa, Crash Davis and Happy Gilmore. (See also Wikipedia article.)
Podcaster Kirk Buchner created the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame in 2013.

Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a sister site to the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame, also created by Kirk Buchner.
Inductees include Spinal Tap, the Blues Brothers and the Monkees.

Photo: Nathan’s Famous hot dog display (Nathan’s Famous)

Sexy Halloween costumes in 2024 say ‘Beetlejuice’

This year’s sexy Halloween costumes from Yandy.com include a lot of getups inspired by the hit horror-comedy movie “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
Popular movies always feature prominently in Yandy’s Halloween costume lineup. Last year, the big theme was “Barbie” and in 2022, the big theme was “Top Gun.”
As usual, Yandy dances around trademarks with clever naming. Some costume names include “Beetle Bombshell Costume,” “Got the Juice Costume” and “Beetle Bride Costume.”

Photos: Yandy.com.