ARI ASTER

With the box office success of “Smile,” “The Black Phone" and his “Barbarian” this year, writer-director Zach Cregger says it’s clear that “original horror is working right now.”.

This week’s new entertainment releases include albums from Babyface, Arctic Monkeys and a Taylor Swift original, a documentary about the last known ship to bring African captives to the American South for enslavement and “Doc Martin” gets a proper farewell on Acorn TV.

It's premiere time for the film academy's long-awaited museum.

Cynthia Erivo, John David Washington, Eva Longoria, Zendaya and Awkwafina are among the 819 people who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. If they accept, which most do, those in the new class will have voting privileges at this years Oscars. A handful of actors from this years best picture winner Parasite, including Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Park So-Dam and Lee Jung-Eun, were also invited to join. The Academy said that 49% of the new invitees are international and represent some 68 countries. It has since surpassed those goals and continues to infuse membership classes with both women and people from underrepresented communities.

While the work of directors like Jordan Peele and Ari Aster has recently thrust the horror genre to a new level of respectability, this weekend the Nook reminds us of a time when the genre was looked down upon some would say rightly. With the exception of the opening film Tim Burtons supernatural comedy this triple feature captures the VHS-dominated horror scene of the 1980s., Stuart Gordons follow-up to, adapts another H.P. Lovecraft story and uses much of the same cast as his previous film. Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of Central Florida. Whether it's a one-time acknowledgement of this article or an ongoing pledge, your support helps keep Orlandos true free press

"Midsommar," from director Ari Aster, is about a young couple whose relationship is on the rocks. They decided to reconnect on a trip to Sweden for the annual Midsommar festival. The real Midsommar is a celebration to welcome the arrival of warm weather, and the festival goes back centuries. While the new movie may put the Midsommar festival in a horrifying light, the Swedish Council of America isn't too worried about people getting the wrong impression about the celebration. ... Is it capturing the realism of Swedish Midsommar?