Welcome to

It feels embarrassingly appropriate to me that my first issue as editor of Total Film should feature two 80s titans like Road House and Ghostbusters, both of which were unassailable staples of my youth. I can practically quote both verbatim after wearing out my VHS tapes.

So it was a massive thrill to talk to the stars of 2024’s Road House about their wild new remake, which smashes together Jake Gyllenhaal’s megawatt star power and Conor McGregor’s chaotic intensity, and grapples with a completely new way of filming fight scenes.

We’re also in the edit bay for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, and we’ve got in-depth features on game-changing sci-fi shows 3 Body Problem (from the creators of Game of Thrones) and Fallout (the next big video-game adap), plus a look at cult-favourite-inthe-making Abigail, while we’re getting pumped for Rose Glass’ Saint Maud follow-up, Love Lies Bleeding. I also interviewed Jack O’Connell, whose electric screen presence I’ve long admired.

It’s an eclectic mix of the thrillingly new and satisfyingly retro, star names and emerging talent, a blend I hope to continue during my time as editor. It’s hard to overstate the honour I feel to now be captaining the good ship Total Film (stepping into the boots of the mighty Jane Crowther, who continues to contribute). A devoted reader since issue 19 – featuring, um, Godzilla’s Maria Pitillo on the cover – and a staff member for more than a decade, I can promise to give it my all to create the best mag possible for you readers (and that young Road House/Ghostbusters obsessive who wouldn’t quite believe this has happened).

Enjoy the issue!