Popular social media platforms and video streaming services pose serious risks to user privacy, with children and teenagers most at risk, the Federal Trade Commission found in a report published Thursday.

The report, which stretches more than 100 pages, details the data, advertising and recommendation-system efforts by these companies, and how they rely on information about users to sell ads. Users also “lacked any meaningful control over how personal information was used for AI-fueled systems” on the companies’ platforms, according to the report.

“While lucrative for the companies, these surveillance practices can endanger people’s privacy, threaten their freedoms, and expose them to a host of harms, from identify theft to stalking,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a press release...

"The Bureau of Meteorology is shifting the way it communicates about climate phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña, because global heating is making predictions based on the past less reliable.

This week the bureau kept the country on a “La Niña watch” and said if the climate system in the Pacific does develop, it’s likely to be short-lived and weak.

Historically, La Niña events – where warmer waters gather to the north of Australia – have been associated with cooler and wetter conditions from across north-western Australia to the south-east. El Niño events are often warmer and drier.

But Dr Karl Braganza, national manager of climate services at the bureau, said climate change and the amount of heat being added to the oceans made those old relationships less reliable.

Climate change may not have “broken” them, he said, “but the number of times when the climate is inconsistent with what we saw in the past will only increase”...

"Summer has increased by an average of 36 days across Spain over the last 50 years.

Spain is slipping into a desert climate, according to a new study into the relationship between global heating and drought.

The Mediterranean country is clearly on the frontlines of climate change in Europe. Now researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona have delved deeper into its climate vitals.

By 2050, they predict that rainfall will decrease by up to 20 per cent compared to current levels. This would tip Spain from a temperate Mediterranean climate into a steppe- or even desert-like one, as per the Köppen system which divides the world into five different climate zones based on plant growth.

“The warming process resulting from climate change has been very pronounced in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, representing a true hotspot,” the researchers write..."

"French director Alexandre Aja has been known as a member of the horror helming fraternity called the “Splat Pack,” named for the extreme violence in their films. Certainly, many of his pictures, from the 2003 breakthrough Haute Tension and the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes, to his exceptional, and most successful film to date, 2019’s Crawl — in which a family is trapped in the crawl space of their home as alligators surround them during a Category 5 hurricane in Florida (a personal favorite of Quentin Tarantino) — have proved his chops as a genre filmmaker. Now, he steps up to another level with a less gory and more psychological thriller style of film, Never Let Go, in which Halle Berry stars as a mother of twin boys who is traumatically haunted by her own lifelong demons, which she passes on to them in their remote house deep in the woods...

... At every turn Aja keeps us on the edge of our seats with an exceptional skill to create bone-chilling scares out of almost nothing. The emphasis here is not on piling up the bodies or following the usual tropes of the horror genre, or his own bloody cinematic past, but rather keeping it for the most part (yes, there are a couple of gross-outs) in the psychological realm. Fear is a very strong weapon. Clearly, Momma has issues and it is driving her family apart and diminishing the control she wields.

Both Daggs and Jenkins are outstanding in their film debuts, as natural as kid actors can get, and they really have to carry this film throughout.

Cinematography by Maxime Alexandre and editing by Elliot Greenberg really add to the lush remote look of this film set in the middle of nowhere. It all grabs you by the throat — the best horror film I have seen this year..."

"Horror fans are in for a treat as a sneak peek of the upcoming slasher thriller Last Straw. The film, set to hit select theaters and digital platforms on September 20, 2024, looks to be a night of heart-pounding suspense and terror.

Produced by Shout! Studios, Last Straw is a rural, small-town horror that blends classic slasher thrills with a gripping, tension-filled narrative. Directed by Alan Scott Neal in his directorial debut, the film stars Jessica Belkin (American Horror Story: Hotel), Taylor Kowalski (Snowfall), and Jeremy Sisto (Thirteen, Clueless).

The story centers around a young waitress working the overnight shift at a desolate roadside diner. When a group of masked assailants begins to terrorize her, the quiet night quickly turns into a brutal fight for survival. With no help in sight, she must outwit her attackers and fight back if she hopes to make it through the night alive..."

"In Wes Craven’s “Scream” — not quite the definitive horror movie but certainly the definitive account of horror fandom — final girl Sidney famously responds to the question of whether she likes scary movies with a resounding no. “What’s the point? They’re all the same,” she says through the phone to the movie’s slasher. “Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door.”

Her complaint acts as a clever joke about the stale state of the mainstream slasher genre that Craven was riffing on (and unintentionally revived) through his tongue-in-cheek meta spin. But it’s also a nod toward the less-than-flattering viewpoint that gatekeepers and non-horror aficionados have toward the genre, as a playground for cheap and easy B-movies and formulaic jump scares.

In Wes Craven’s “Scream” — not quite the definitive horror movie but certainly the definitive account of horror fandom — final girl Sidney famously responds to the question of whether she likes scary movies with a resounding no. “What’s the point? They’re all the same,” she says through the phone to the movie’s slasher. “Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door.”

Her complaint acts as a clever joke about the stale state of the mainstream slasher genre that Craven was riffing on (and unintentionally revived) through his tongue-in-cheek meta spin. But it’s also a nod toward the less-than-flattering viewpoint that gatekeepers and non-horror aficionados have toward the genre, as a playground for cheap and easy B-movies and formulaic jump scares. Related Stories 'Separated,' a documentary by Errol Morris Errol Morris’ Hard-Hitting Documentary ‘Separated’ Should Be Released Before the November Election HAPPY DEATH DAY, Jessica Rothe, 2017. ph: Patti Perret. ©Universal Studios/courtesy Everett Collection Blumhouse Brings Screams to Theaters with AMC’s BlumFest

Anyone who dives into the history of horror will know that that’s certainly not the case. Rooted in silent cinema classics like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” and “The Phantom Carriage,” the horror genre encompasses campy creature features, exploitative shock fests, cerebral psychological terror, vomit-inducing flesh-and-spine-bursting Cronenberg creations, mournful ghost stories, modern “elevated horror,” and a dozen other microcategories beyond films about a stalker with a knife and a grudge. And that’s not to discount the slasher films that offer something rivetingly new and original.

What makes a horror film a part of the genre thus has relatively little to do with its actual content and everything to do with what it provokes within its audience. Making a truly scary movie — one that burrows into your mind and delivers a sense of unease that can’t be forgotten — is a task that requires much more skill behind the camera than it is often given credit for, and the best horror movies have a craft to them that stands up to any auteur project or Oscar Best Picture winner. It’s no surprise that the genre has such a passionate, devoted following of film geeks that regularly turn out for new releases — when a horror movie is great, there’s no experience quite like it.

In building IndieWire’s new list of the greatest horror movies ever made, we opted to omit some films that straddle the nebulous line between the horror and thriller genres (so you won’t find “The Silence of the Lambs” here, to get a particularly major example out of the way), at least for now. We paid attention to films that paved the way for the genre and for filmmaking as a whole, as well as to modern classics that bring something new and brilliant to the canon today. What every film on this list has in common is that their horrors are more than just boogeymen and spirits projected upon a silver screen, but a conduit into which deeper real-life fears are made manifest. From social discontent to primal fear of the unknown, horror is a genre that reflects on humanity’s most potent paranoia, and the eternal darkness that rests within us. Read on for our list of the 75 greatest horror movies ever made..."

"Nearly three in four of us will face extreme weather changes within the next two decades, a new study predicts.

"In the best case, we calculate that rapid changes will affect 1.5 billion people," says physicist Bjørn Samset from the Center for International Climate Research (CICERO) in Norway.

This lower estimate would only be reached by dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions – something that is yet to occur.

Otherwise, CICERO climate scientist Carley Iles and colleagues' modeling finds that if we continue on our current course, these dangerous changes will hit 70 percent of Earth's human population.

Their modeling also suggests that much of what's to come is already locked in.

"The only way to deal with this is to prepare for a situation with a much higher likelihood of unprecedented extreme events, already in the next one to two decades," explains Samset.

We've already lived through examples of these extremes..."

"Few genres have evolved as drastically as horror. We’ve come a long way from the old-school, practical scares of creature features and haunting psychological slow burns, but there’s still plenty to learn from the B-movies of old.

That’s especially true in an era that values IP above all; when it comes to finding the next franchise, no story is off-limits. Remakes and sequels are more prevalent than original ideas, and classics like William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill have joined a growing list of stories ripe for recycling. The 1950s film starred horror legend Vincent Price in one of his most famous roles, and has been remade before, with mixed results. Whether another addition to the franchise is necessary is, as always, a question worth asking, but the team behind a new adaptation might find a way to justify it..."

"Netflix has a tendency to release international horror films with no fanfare and often without even a trailer to promote them, but have no fear because we’re always paying attention.

On that note, the latest movie from Indonesian master of horror Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slaves, Impetigore, Nightmares & Daydreams), Grave Torture is now streaming on Netflix!

In Joko Anwar’s Grave Torture, “When a violent act kills her parents, Sita vows to debunk the idea of supernatural torment after death — a fixation that leads her on a dark quest.”

Here’s the full plot synopsis from the film’s Wikipedia page:-

“After both of her parents became victims of suicide bombings, Sita became distrustful of religion. Since then, Sita’s goal in life has been only one: to find the most sinful person and when that person dies, Sita wants to go into his grave to prove that the torment of the grave does not exist and religion is not real. However, of course there are dire consequences for those who do not believe”..."

"This post contains spoilers for "Harper's Island."

The horror anthology model is pretty commonplace in our current landscape, its core appeal lying in shifting tones and narrative motivations, along with a ton of variety to offer. Anthologies are not a brand-new phenomenon, as their enduring popularity can be traced back to shows like "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" or Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" series, proving that even the earliest days of network television held space for such a format — on the condition that the show could sustain good ratings. When "Harper's Island" premiered on CBS in April 2009, it was marketed as a horror/slasher series that would go on to follow the anthology format in the second season, replete with new characters and a fresh setting. Unfortunately, these plans did not come to pass, as the 13-part limited event received dwindling ratings as the episodes progressed — with a season-wide average of 4.8 million — leading to its eventual cancellation..."

"There is something so enjoyable about watching a horror movie from the 1970s. Many have become so beloved and memorable that it only takes words or even to mention a few key characters to recognize which one instantly. These horror flicks were trailblazers of their time, and many of them still are. But, no matter what, they're perfect from beginning to end.

Some of the greatest, most rewatchable horror films ever are from the '70s. In a decade that saw the release of classics like Halloween, The Exorcist, and Jaws, is it any wonder why this decade is featured so often on many horror fans' lists of "favorite horror films of all time?" It was a fun era to be a horror fanatic, and it certainly had big hitters, many of whom are perfect right from the opening scene until it cuts to black. In honor of this thrilling decade for the horror genre, here are ten of the most perfect horror movies of the 1970s, ranking them on how compelling and entertaining they are all the way to the end..."

"There used to be a very big difference when talking about independent horror and mainstream horror. The latter would often be much more tame, with a goal of maximizing the audience, therefore maximizing Box Office. Indie horror would often be darker, going for moments that would stick with you long after the credits roll. But as society has shifted into this different entertainment landscape, there’s more of a desire than ever for something wholly unique. Mostly in the sake of profit. Thinking outside of the box is rewarded as it’s all about grabbing attention. It’s why a film like Longlegs can come out and absolutely light the world on fire. Because filmmakers are being forced to take risks in an attempt to get people to the theaters. Audiences are tired of the same old, same old..."