News

Henry Zaga Says Now is the Perfect Time to See ‘The New Mutants’

Published

4 years ago

August 28, 2020

For Henry Zaga, the fact that The New Mutants is finally hitting theaters after a three year wait seems almost like a dream.

“At some point, I was like, is this a marketing stunt? Is there any movie at all?” Zaga said, laughing, in an interview with iHorror this week. “We’ve been so excited for three years. If anything I think the delays have only gotten fans more passionate and more excited about it. It’s basically become an urban legend on its own. It’s my first movie in theaters so it couldn’t be more weird and awesome at the same time.”

Not only is this Zaga’s first film getting the theatrical treatment, but it’s also the fulfillment of more than one dream.

He admits he did not grow up reading The New Mutants, but was a fan of the X-Men cartoons and anything that involved Spider-Man and Batman. Like many kids, he grew up wanting to be super-powered, fighting criminals and taking down the bad guys.

What he didn’t expect was for the movie to check off more boxes than he first imagined.

Henry Zaga’s Sunspot in full-power mode in The New Mutants.

“I was even talking to Charlie [Heaton] about it after we watched it in March and you forget things,” he explained. “Like, I didn’t totally forget it but for a minute I blanked that I spoke Portuguese in the movie. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I am speaking my native language, playing a Brazilian person in a superhero Marvel movie. This is so awesome!’ So, I think that the ten-year-old in me went really crazy for a moment.”

Zaga also appreciated that his character Roberto da Costa aka Sunspot was a layered character that gave him more to dig into while playing the role.

For those unfamiliar, da Costa’s powers emerge, unfortunately while he is with his girlfriend in Brazil resulting in the girl’s death. When we meet him in the film, he is terrified of himself, but he hides it behind a veneer of jokes and bravado.

“I think a lot of people will see themselves in my character because we all make mistakes that we’re not even to blame for and we have to live with them,” Zaga pointed out. “We can’t live in spite of them, we have to live with them and they’re a part of who we are and our story. So, without giving too much away, Roberto uses fake confidence to really hide a very sensitive, broken side of his love-craving 17 year old self.”

As the actor’s description of da Costa might explain, much of the horror of The New Mutants is born from the unresolved issues of these mutants’ pasts before they arrived at the hospital. Over-powered teens trying to navigate adolescence with abilities they don’t understand and cannot fully control naturally lends itself to a scarier story.

“Josh [Boone] put it beautifully,” the actor said. “We never tried to make a horror movie. The comics are scary. Our history is scary. There’s no other way of doing this movie except to show our young side with the teenage years and the horror aspect just comes naturally. We’re too powerful for our own good. Can you imagine lighting yourself on fire every time you kiss someone? Bad stuff would happen. It’s really more of a necessity than a gimmick.”

Henry Zaga as Roberto da Costa and Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin in 20th Century Studios’ THE NEW MUTANTS. Photo by Claire Folger. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Still, there were moments on set, filming in an abandoned mental hospital, that sent chills down Zaga’s spine from time to time.

In particular, he says, from time to time, when he was in a quiet corner by himself between takes, there was a noticeable smell that would seemingly come from nowhere.

“It was just like a punch in the gut,” Zaga said. “It was almost like something is looming. It’s weird how smell affects you in that way. It creeps into you before you even notice it. I was like, oh yeah, we are in a place that people have died in and have a tough time in. It’s not okay. We’re in a real, abandoned mental hospital. So that would be the punch in the gut for me.”

Despite the creepy location, the actor says he wishes he could go back and relive the experience of making the film. His time with his fellow cast members and the experience of working with director Josh Boone is one he won’t soon forget.

He also thinks that all of the delays and various setbacks have actually managed to bring the film to theaters at the perfect time.

“I’m glad it’s coming out in a moment where we’re understanding this pandemic a little more,” Zaga said. “We understand the guidelines a little better. We couldn’t’ have released this in April of this year. In a weird way I think it’s coming out at a perfect time. We’ve been quarantining so long and these characters in the movie are quarantining in a secret institution in the middle of nowhere. Maybe the world is finally ready for us.”

We here at iHorror are certainly ready to see The New Mutants, and it’s out in theaters today! Check out the character video for Henry Zaga’s Roberto da Costa below and let us know if you’ll be watching in the comments.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

17 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

19 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.