All The Fears About Strange Tales of Liaozhai: Lanruo Temple Are Revealed With The Final Trailer

The upcoming Strange Tales of Liaozhai isn’t a simple anthology as far as _ is concerned!

Strange Tales of Liaozhai- Lanruo TempleLight Chaser Animation

As the date nears for Strange Tales of Liaozhai: Lanruo Temple to hit theatres, fans of this studio’s works will finally get to know more about the book Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Amazon link). This work contains many short stories, and we finally have confirmation of which tales are being adapted. They are:

  • The Taoist Priest of Laoshan Mountain: A classic zhiguai story about a wandering Taoist encountering supernatural threats.
  • Princess Lotus: A spirit romance centered on a flower fairy—echoing themes of love across realms.
  • Nie Xiaoqian: A melancholic ghost tale where a female specter falls in love with a scholar—the inspiration behind many film/TV adaptations.
  • The Painted Skin: A chilling demon tale where a beautiful woman is revealed to be a monstrous spirit.
  • The Daughter of Magistrate Lu: A supernatural courtroom fable where a magistrate in the afterlife judges the dead.

The main narrative, set at Lanruo Temple, will incorporate each of these works. This historical building sits on the Yangtze River, and locals call it a “little-known travel destination.” With the final trailer out, with subtitles, fans from around the world have a better idea about what’s going on. Although it primarily focuses on one tale, it’s easy to tell there’re multiple stories involved.

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Updates on Light Chaser Animation’s Next Film, Curious Tales of a Temple or should that be Strange Tales?

Whatever title Light Chaser Animation’s Curious Tales of a Temple uses for this year’s release, let’s hope this anthology of shorts will be just as scary too!

Curious Tales of a Temple Teaser PosterRelease Date:
July 12, 2025

Light Chaser Animation might want to stick to one name for their next film rather than come up with variants. When I was checking in to see if there’s any new content for Curious Tales of a Temple, I found Strange Tales: Lan Ruo Temple too! That’s mostly because this studio is using both and listed the latter as an alternate title. I suspect that a different translator is figuring it out every time a new video is offered.

I prefer the original, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (which was used in the announcement trailer) from which this latest is taking ideas from.

When there are over 100 short stories contained within, to decide on which tale to adapt may well be with less than six pieces–or they’ll come fast and furious, told during one summer’s night over a campfire. Whatever the case, I’m excited about this take and hope there are plans for an international release. The last two films got a very limited run; even though I had to wait, I finally saw Chang’n and White Snake: Afloat. When I checked in on who is distributing, it seems to be some from a Chinese company rather than Well Go USA.

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Don’t Open It Now! Save Mad Cave Studios Ghostbox For October Release.

Family secrets may well be tucked away in Ghostbox, an upcoming title from the creative team of Mike Carey, Pablo Raimondi and José Villarrubia!

ghostbox comic book coverWhile some people are preparing for some summer fun, publishers have plans set for All Hallow’s Eve! While that’s two seasons away, I’m even considering what’s coming out and want to be eager for. And with a title like Ghostbox, I can’t help but wonder if this team is taking inspiration from the legend of the Dybbuk box?

Now that’s one storage unit I dare not want to open! Following the announcement are the preview pages.

From the Press Release:

Mad Cave Studios proudly presents Ghostbox, a gripping supernatural thriller from New York Times bestselling author Mike Carey (Lucifer, The Girl With All the Gifts) and celebrated artist Pablo Raimondi (X-Factor, Sacred Creatures), with colours by José Villarrubia (Sweet Tooth, Mirror). Blending mystery, urban horror, and emotional suspense, this original graphic novel unboxes trauma, family secrets, and the supernatural forces we inherit.

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When The Beasts of Burden Omnibus Collection Unites Man’s Best Friend and Mysterious Allies Together…

Whether it’s cuteness or our family dog and cats are fighting the supernatural, these pets aren’t your typical beasts of burden in this omnibus graphic novel collection!

Beasts of Burden Omnibus Collection CoverAvailable to preorder on Amazon USA
Release Date: Feb 18, 2025

The Beasts of Burden Omnibus collection is here, and I’m ready to play with every one of these cats and dogs again. When this eight-time Eisner Award-winning comic book series perfectly offers supernatural goings on as folklore defines it, I’m ready to go investigating along with them!

I have been following their exploits ever since The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, and to see them appear in other titles, like Dark Horse Presents and Hellboy means good things. But to obtain every work they appeared in can be hard. That’s because there is no consistent release schedule.

I do not fault creators Evan Dorkin (Milk & Cheese), Jill Thompson (The Sandman), and Ben Dewey (Autumnlands) for it. In order to construct the right stories, they have to examine the legends too. And when the previous collections ranged from hardcover to soft, trying to decide on which edition to own can be tough! But as a die-hard, I’ve been buying the singles, collections and any other merchandise I know of to show my appreciation, and one day hope the team have new tales planned.

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Everything You Want to Know About Ghost Cat Anzu’s Release But Were Afraid To Ask Get Answered Here!

Just when fans of anime thought Ghost Cat Anzu is difficult to catch, a plan has been hatched to deliver it to streaming rather than home video release right away. But we got the deets for both, including the limited edition that will soon be available in Japan.

Ghost Cat Anzu Movie PosterGhost Kat Anzu is one of those movies I really want to see, and sadly, it had a very quick and limited run. If there’s any more screenings to come, that’s because the theatre has specifically made a request for it. I do not blame GKIDS, the North American rights holder, for making it tough to see.

The issue lays with the people who make the call on what to program for movie theatre chains like Cineplex, Alamo Draft house and the like. They do have to abide by a minimal length of time it can get played, and sometimes they err on the side of fewer than more because they are unfamiliar with the product. There’s other factors in play too, and that’s a can of worms I won’t get into.

As I make my monthly investigation on where this cat has disappeared to, I found good news! He’s going to manifest online for subscribers to Apple TV or Prime Video. People can place a “pre-order.”

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When Ghosts of Red Ridge Love to Linger ‘Round, There’s No Gold To Find In Them Thar Hills

The Ghosts of Red Ridge may not be all that frightful, and just what’s delightful for this holiday release is that it leans on all the motifs that define a Western more than the other.

Ghosts of Red Ridge Blu-Ray CoverWell GO USA
VOD Release Date: Dec 3, 2024

Being a Sheriff isn’t easy. And when the ​Ghosts of Red Ridge visit Dunlap (Owen Williams) every night, the big question he has is who are they, what do they want, and why him? This gentle supernatural thriller takes place in the Old West, and although it moves slowly at first, I’m enjoying the character interactions. There’s something wild and woolly which makes this film by Stefan Colson (director) and Brandon Cahela (writer) feel like a spaghetti western.

A few conventions exist, like the stock music and familiarly garbed good guy and bad guy. The only difference here is that ghosts are involved and are tinged in blueish grey. Also, they look like they were from The Ring! In this movie, they behave differently, and are mostly appearing to one individual. Since day one, he’s questioning his sanity since he doesn’t understand what they want, and why him? I couldn’t help but be reminded of Ghost Wars because both towns look like they are trapped in Limbo.

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