Watch Creeping Death on Screambox

Creeping Death comes from writer-director Matt Sampere who makes his feature debut with this Halloween horror movie. As mentioned earlier, it’s based on his short film of the same name.

The cast works well overall and the design and practical effects for the Celtic spirit Aos Si are all impressive. With the one big and unfortunate exception of the writer-director himself who plays Tim.

As good as he is at directing the rest of the cast, he does not work in front of the camera for me. Not at all. In fact, the movie only works briefly for me, when he isn’t on screen.

I love when a movie is made with passion, but it must be accompanied by talent. For this movie, there is passion and also talent, but someone needs to come in and “kill the darlings” because Matt Sampere isn’t quite able to do this himself.

This may sound harsh, but my intention is an honest and heartfelt recommendation. I think he could make solid horror movies as a writer and director, but not with himself in front of the camera.

Creeping Death is out on SCREAMBOX on September 10, 2024.

Ryan Seacrest’s first episode as the new host of “Wheel of Fortune” starts just like any other.

The audience chants the name of the long-running game show, the theme song plays and announcer Jim Thornton introduces the stars of the show. But this time, for the first time, the duo that enters arm in arm is Seacrest and “Wheel of Fortune” mainstay Vanna White.

Monday’s episode of “Wheel of Fortune,” which kicks off the syndicated show’s 42nd season, marks the beginning of Seacrest’s tenure as host of the nightly word puzzle series. He takes over for Pat Sajak, who quizzed wheel spinners for 40-plus years — the longest-running host of a nationally syndicated game show.

“Let’s have fun,” Seacrest said at the top of the show. Before introducing the contestants and getting the games started, the new host took some time to acknowledge what this new gig means to him.

“I still can’t believe my luck being here with you tonight to continue this legacy of this incredible show with all of you and, of course, my good friend Vanna White,” Seacrest said. “Thank you for the very warm welcome. Hosting ‘Wheel of Fortune’ is a dream job. I’ve been a fan of this show since I was a kid, watching in Atlanta with my family, and I know how special it is that ‘Wheel’ has been in your living rooms for the past 40 years and I’m just so grateful to be invited in. I also know I’ve got some very big shoes to fill so let’s play ‘Wheel of Fortune.’ ”

Anybody worried that this new era of “Wheel” would bring big, jarring changes will be pleased to know that almost everything is just as you remember. The only noticeable changes are the look of the set and that Seacrest does not use index cards when introducing the contestants.

Seacrest appeared genuinely happy to be there. Or at least, as genuine as a game show host can appear to be anything. His long career as a television host on shows like “American Idol” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan” has helped him hone a perfectly inoffensive charm that allows him to interact with contestants without detracting from their enthusiasm and letting them shine.

Whereas Sajak occasionally let slip some cranky uncle-type comments, especially in his later years, Seacrest’s banter is still a bit on the stiff side. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and one episode is too small of a sample size to make any definitive judgment. Guests Corina, Terry and Cindy also made for a good group of first contestants for the new host. They were charming, did not say or do anything outlandish and — without giving too much away — each had good and bad spins, as well as good and bad guesses.

All that is to say, Seacrest’s first “Wheel of Fortune” was a perfectly fine episode. His tenure on the show is off to a smooth start.