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Whether or not you believe in the real-life Ed and Lorraine Warren, it can't be argued that their movie counterparts have been successfully scaring audiences since 2013's The Conjuring.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have brought gravitas to the roles of husband-and-wife paranormal investigators across The Conjuring 2, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. And now they're back with The Conjuring: Last Rites, which — counting the spinoffs and sequels of Annabelle and The Nun — makes for the ninth installment in this sprawling spooky franchise.

Michael Chaves, director of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Nun II, takes the helm of The Conjuring: Last Rites. Set in 1986 Pennsylvania, this scary sequel centers on the case of Jack and Janet Smurl, who suffered the notorious Smurl haunting. As the story goes, a demon plagued their home for years. So, who better to call than the Warrens?

As teased in the trailer above, this dastardly demon brings destruction to the Smurl family. And the evil entity in The Conjuring: Last Rites is not new to Ed and Lorraine. It's a wickedness they've faced before. Now, it's back and after their daughter, played by Mia Tomlinson. This premise is sure to bring fresh scares and terror to this film series, so brace yourself for goosebumps.

The Conjuring: Last Rites opens only in theaters Sept. 5.

LinkedIn has joined the throng of social media platforms and companies silently removing protections for LGBTQ users, amid an increasingly dangerous time for transgender communities across the country.

The networking site removed a line from its hateful conduct policy that explicitly prohibited the misgendering and deadnaming of transgender individuals. Open Terms Archive first reported on the change, which was not announced publicly.

SEE ALSO: TikTok adds parental blocking and well-being 'missions' to its safety features

In the eyes of LGBTQ advocacy groups, explicit protections such as these are considered the bare minimum for companies seeking to protect LGBTQ users, and are used as a barometer in assessing a platform's willingness to protect historically underrepresented groups. According to GLAAD's annual Social Media Safety Index, which scores major platform policies on how they address anti-LGBTQ online hate, harassment, and disinformation:

Every platform should have public-facing policies that: protect LGBTQ people from hate, harassment, and violence on the platform; prohibit targeted misgendering and deadnaming on the basis of gender identity; prohibit content promoting so-called 'conversion therapy;' prohibit advertising content that promotes hate, harassment, and violence against LGBTQ individuals on the basis of protected characteristics; explain the proactive steps it takes to stop demonetizing and/or wrongfully removing legitimate content and accounts related to LGBTQ topics and issues; and explain its internal structures to best ensure the fulfillment of its commitments to overall LGBTQ safety, privacy, and expression on the platform.

In addition, LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft, removed mention of "race or gender identity" from its list of protected "inherent traits" that are monitored for potential harassment. These are the first changes to the hateful conduct policy since 2023, according to Open Terms Archive.

In a statement to Engadget, a LinkedIn spokesperson said the change doesn't reflect a difference in the company's "underlying policies," reiterating: "Personal attacks or intimidation toward anyone based on their identity, including misgendering, violates our harassment policy and is not allowed on our platform." They did not provide explanation as to why the wording was removed completely.

LinkedIn is just the latest to roll back previously strong protections. Most notably, Meta completely overhauled its hateful conduct policy to allow users to post previously banned divisive and harmful rhetoric — including the use of phrases such as "mental illness" and "abnormality" when discussing gender and sexual orientation — in the name of free speech. Meta's own independent Oversight Board called for the removal of discriminatory language in the company's updated policy. Advocates have called the move, and others like it, a direct attack on marginalized groups, a potential threat to public health, and even a "precursor to genocide."

With its treasure trove of ridiculous gags and a deadpan masterclass from Liam Neeson, The Naked Gun proves to be an inspired reboot of the classic Leslie Nielsen film series. So what was the secret to bringing The Naked Gun's inspired stupidity to life?

SEE ALSO: ‘The Naked Gun’ review: Liam Neeson is a comedy genius in this brilliantly stupid reboot

According to the actors, complete and total seriousness.

"To play each scene seriously, that was certainly a note for myself," Neeson, who plays Frank Drebin Jr., told Mashable in an interview.

"You have to play it seriously in order to be funny," added Pamela Anderson, who stars as femme fatale Beth Davenport.

Paul Walter Hauser, who plays Ed Hocken Jr., agreed, highlighting the importance of separating the characters' comedic circumstances with the actual emotions they're feeling.

"I try not to think about what is actually being said," Hauser explained. "And Liam, if you turn it on mute, he does look intense, and it looks like it could be an action film. Then you hear what he's saying, and you'll lose your mind laughing."

Check out the full interview above to hear more from the cast of The Naked Gun, including how Priscilla Presley, star of the original, sent Anderson a note before filming, and how Saturday Night Live legend Phil Hartman influenced Hauser's performance.

The Naked Gun is now in theaters.

If the internet loves anything, it's cute animals. But now, in the age of AI, you cannot trust the animal videos you see online.

You might've seen a recent viral video featuring bunnies jumping on a trampoline, seemingly captured via a home surveillance camera. It's adorable. And fake. Completely and totally fabricated via artificial intelligence.

Here's the AI video in question. It was seemingly first posted on TikTok by @rachelthecatlovers with the caption: "Just checked the home security cam and… I think we’ve got guest performers out back! @Ring.”

That video has racked up a whopping 203 million views on TikTok. Tech-focused site 404Media first pointed out that it was generated by artificial intelligence. As the site spotted, you can clearly see one of the bunnies spontaneously disappear in the midst of a jump, and the background of the video appears to be very static.

Still, the AI video does a really good job of disguising itself. For one, it's made to look like night-time surveillance footage, which means it's easier to hide AI artifacts and low quality. Second, it does look pretty good and incorporates sounds that seems to be real — bugs in the distance, springs squeaking as the bunnies jump. Third, it even tags Ring to make it seem like it was captured by a real camera. But it is, in fact, fake, even if it did fool lots of folks.

Ever since Google Veo 3 was released, it's become easier to make convincing AI videos with sound.

People are getting a little freaked out that they got fooled by AI, something they thought only happened to other, more gullible people. "This is the first AI that has ever got me," read a top comment. "[How] is this not real," read another. "A few years ago I was laughing at my mother for believing ai," read another.

The bunny video — while possibly the most believable — is far from the only AI-generated animal video to go viral. There seems to be a whole genre of fake videos of people cleaning barnacles off of whales, for instance.

Or here's a mash-up of all the silly, fake doorbell-cam footage of animals. Faux surveillance footage of animals seems to be a new genre of AI slop, unfortunately.

So if you see unbelievable animal footage out there, then maybe don't, you know, believe it.

Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis is one of this century's most confounding movies, a sci-fi epic that draws on Roman history, incorporated a live performance element in certain screenings, and featured a character named Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza).

But if you think Megalopolis is crazy — and it is, undoubtedly so — then you might be even more surprised by the story of its production. That's where Megadoc comes in.

SEE ALSO: 'Megalopolis' trailer pulled for using fake quotes from critics

Directed by Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas), Megadoc serves as a fly-on-the-wall look at the making of Megalopolis and Coppola's creative process. The documentary, which will premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival, features interviews with Coppola, along with input from Eleanor Coppola, Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Nathalie Emmanuel, Dustin Hoffman, Giancarlo Esposito, Chloe Fineman, Shia LaBeouf, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Talia Shire, and Robert De Niro.

The first teaser for the film gives a very, very small taste of what to expect from Megadoc, including Coppola declaring, "No one I'm working with realizes how weird a movie this actually is."

Other than that, Megadoc's teaser isn't quite ready to spill its behind-the-scenes secrets just yet. Still, the information that is public about the production of Megalopolis is intriguing enough to act as its own teaser.

Megalopolis was Coppola's passion project for decades. When he couldn't find funding, he financed the film himself, spending $120 million. (It took in just over $14.3 million at the global box office.)

Production on the film proved tumultuous, with Coppola often shifting shooting plans on the spot. He fired Megalopolis' visual effects team, and many other members of the crew departed soon after.

Several female extras on the film also alleged that Coppola behaved inappropriately with them onset. Extra Lauren Pagone sued Coppola for civil battery and civil assault, as well as negligent failure to prevent sexual harassment. Months before Megalopolis' theatrical release, Variety also published a video of Coppola's alleged sexual misconduct, along with accounts from his accusers. Following the release of that article, Coppola sued Variety for libel, seeking $15 million in damages.

Following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Megadoc will open in select theaters Sept. 19.

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), about 90 million Americans snore, and around 37 million of them do it regularly. In more serious cases, snoring can take a real toll on your sleep quality. And when your sleep suffers, so does everything else.

Samsung has just launched the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7, which might be some of the best folding phones at the moment. But if you don't feel like going for a foldy boi just yet, the old reliable Galaxy S25 Ultra is back to one of its lowest-ever prices.

GuliKit is now offering the Elves 2 wireless gamepad. It's an surprisingly high-end controller with an affordable $30 price tag, though it's most notable for its Switch 2 wake-from-sleep functionality, which other third-party gamepads currently lack.

South Park's Season 27 premiere didn't just stir up controversy — it stirred up big ratings for Comedy Central and Paramount+.

SEE ALSO: 'South Park's Trump-bashing Season 27 premiere has the White House fuming

According to a statement from Paramount, the episode, which featured a scene of President Donald Trump in bed with Satan, as well a hyperrealistic deepfake of a naked Trump, scored 5.9 million cross-platform viewers across Comedy Central and Paramount+. These numbers come from Nielsen, which defines the total number of viewers by global watch time divided by run time over the course of the first three days the episode was out, from July 24 to July 26.

The episode also earned South Park its biggest linear season premiere share since 1999 and was up 68 percent from from its Season 26 premiere. In addition, the episode brought in South Park's best season premiere rating since 2022.

The premiere went viral on social media as well, with Paramount claiming it's the "#1 most social episode ever for South Park." #SouthPark trended on X for over 12 hours (five of which were spent in the top spot), and at the time of writing this, the Trump deepfake PSA has raked in 4.4 million views on YouTube.

Following the premiere, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers bashed South Park in a statement sent to Variety, Rolling Stone, and The Hollywood Reporter among other outlets.

"This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention," Rogers said in the statement. "President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history – and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak."

For a "fourth-rate show," though, it's clear people are watching.

The new Corsair AI Workstation 300 is an AI-optimized ultra-compact workstation that is incredibly small but powerful. This is basically enterprise-class performance packed into a tiny 4.4-liter form factor.

With Gen 4 NVMe SSDs having been on the market for a few years by now, a lot of them are a very affordable purchase, and even more so when there are deals happening. Right now, you can get a 2TB NVMe SSD for your computer for just $115, a little more than what a 1TB unit would otherwise cost you.

Buying a phone can sometimes be more stressful for Linux users than other people. Does the phone respect your free software values? Does it let you customize it in all the ways we want? If you’re wrestling with these questions, you’ve come to the right place.

Amazon is investing in Fable Studio, the startup best known for a viral AI-generated South Park knockoff.

According to Variety, Amazon's investment (the amount of which was not disclosed) is going towards the startup's new streaming platform, Showrunner, which the company describes as the "Netflix of AI." Specifically, that means a streaming platform that lets users create shows with Showrunner's generative AI model.

In 2023, Fable Studio published a research paper about its SHOW-1 model that trained on South Park episodes and subsequently posted a 20-minute South Park-style clip entirely written, voiced, and illustrated by generative AI. Part of the video's virality was because it was posted during the SAG-AFTRA strike, which dealt with writers and actors negotiating protections against studios use of AI. The video was created without the permission of the South Park creators. Fable asserted in the research paper that it was an "experimental, non-commercial endeavor aimed at exploring the potential of artificial intelligence, voice synthesis, and deep learning technologies."

But now, Fable has launched a commercial endeavor with Showrunner that went live on Wednesday. The idea is for users to become the creators by generating their own animated shows or inserting scenes and characters into existing shows. Fable CEO and co-founder Edward Saatchi told Variety the company is pursuing partnerships with Disney and other Hollywood studios to license their IP for the platform.

The existing shows created by Showrunner include a Silicon Valley satire called Exit Valley that looks like Family Guy and a show called Everything Is Fine that has a Tim Burton-esque quality. It's unclear whether this is the result of licensing partnerships with copyright holders or from training data acquired without permission. Mashable has contacted Fable Studio for comment.

Showrunner is live in alpha mode on showrunner.xyz and Discord. Saatchi told the outlet that the platform is free to use and watch videos, but will eventually charge $10 to $20 a month for credits for users to want to generate new content.

Battlestar Galactica stands out from other sci-fi shows of the era as much darker, especially when compared to the original show of the same name. Despite that, it also stands out as one of the most compelling sci-fi series of all time. Here are some of the best episodes.

A love triangle has been rich terrain for cinema of late, ranging from the tender Past Lives to the hot-as-hell Challengers to the clever Materialists — and that's just from married screenwriters Celine Song and Justin Kuritzkes!

But if you're looking for more sweetness with your spice, we recommend The Threesome. Directed by Chad Hartigan, this comedy scripted by Ethan Ogilby begins with some threeway sex, but spins into a funny and heart-filled tale of love, friendship, and the chaos of figuring out adulthood.

Set It Up's Zoey Deutch and The Little Mermaid's Jonah Hauer-King star as Olivia and Connor, two friends who've been doing the will-they-won't-they dance for a while. Then they meet the winsome Jenny (Ruby Cruz), and embrace the three-way chemistry for a night of casual group sex. But things get complicated when both women get pregnant, and the wider world all of a sudden knows about their private encounter.

I saw The Threesome out of its SXSW World Premiere and was charmed. This comedy embraces the messiness of modern love while never making its lusty lovers come off as clowns. Instead, it's an empathetic comedy that's equal parts warm and naughty. Plus, on top of the great chemistry of its three leads, The Threesome has got a supporting cast that includes Jaboukie Young-White, Josh Segarra, Robert Longstreet, Arden Myrin, Kristin Slaysman, Allan McLeod, and Julia Sweeney.

The Threesome opens in theaters on Sept. 5.

SAVE $38: The Marvel Legends Series Iron Man electronic helmet is on sale for $61.99 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $99.99. That's a 38% discount, and the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Marvel / Hasbro Marvel Legends Series Iron Man electronic helmet $61.99 at Amazon
$99.99 Save $38.00 Get Deal

Not to shock anyone, but Halloween is exactly three months away. Yes, somehow summer is coming to a close, and we'll soon be chest-deep in everything pumpkin-spice and then Halloween. If you're a Marvel fan, and you haven't decided on your costume for 2025, Amazon just decided for you, thanks to today's deal.

As of July 31, the Marvel Legends Series Iron Man electronic helmet is on at Amazon for $61.99, marked down from the normal price of $99.99. That works out to a savings of $38 for a 38% discount. It's also the lowest price Amazon has ever offered by a long shot.

SEE ALSO: Welcome back, Skelly: Home Depot finally unveils its 2025 Halloween collection

Sure, you could go with a basic Iron Man mask, but this Hasbro helmet includes light effects that'll make your costume come to life. As part of the Avengers Endgame movie collection from the iconic toy brand, the premium Iron Man helmet has a light-up visor which will illuminate Iron Man's eyes. Plus, it comes with a dimming feature.

Hasbro also considered the fit and comfort when designing the Iron Man helmet, making it adjustable for a better fit on more heads. The hinge at the top of the helmet is useful when opening or closing the helmet.

While it's on sale for the lowest price ever and way before the last-minute push to get a Halloween costume arrives, snag the Marvel Legends Series Iron Man electronic helmet from Amazon while it's just $61.99. Come October, you'll be set to win the costume contest.

Ollama is a command-line application for running generative AI models locally on your own computer. A new update is rolling out with some impressive improvements, alongside Ollama’s own desktop application for easier use.

Windows 10 is on the verge of its death. Mainstream support will end in October 2025, and some people will be able to enjoy a brief extended support period that will only give you updates up until 2026. By then, though, it will get harder—and NVIDIA will make it a lot harder.

SPEND $50, GET A $15 CREDIT: As of July 31, Amazon shoppers get a $15 credit when they spend $50 on household essentials, like cleaning supplies, batteries, laundry gear, insect traps, and more.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Free $15 Amazon credit With $50 purchase of household essentials Get Deal

You have to buy household essentials anyway, so why not get some free money while you stock up?

As of July 31, when you purchase $50 worth of household essentials at Amazon, you'll get a $15 credit back. Just load up your Amazon cart with items from the promo page until you reach the $50 threshold. The offer will then automatically be applied at checkout and, once shipment is complete, you'll receive an email from Amazon letting you know that a $15 credit has been added to your account. You can use the credit on anything you want.

The list of products included in the promotion is lengthy, so there's a pretty high chance it includes items you regularly use and need to stock up on. Just to give you a little taste, there's STEM bug traps, Clorox wipes, Kleenex, toilet paper from many brands, dishwasher detergent, laundry pods, paper towels, baby wipes, all-purpose cleaners, batteries, trash bags, Ziploc bags, and so much more. I scrolled for 10 minutes and still didn't reach the end of the list.

It's worth noting that Target is running a similar deal, but you need to be a Circle member (which is free to join) to score the free gift card. With this Amazon promotion, you (surprisingly) don't even need to be a Prime member. You will, however, need an Amazon account to check out and receive your credit.

During a July 31 Nintendo Direct livestream, Nintendo teased a ton of upcoming games for the Switch 2 (and some titles for the Switch 1 as well). The event focused on Nintendo's partners, featuring games from companies such as Sega, Ubisoft, and EA Sports.

Perhaps the most exciting moment of the event came when Nintendo unveiled a new trailer for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. This hotly anticipated game is set in Hyrule (duh) and tells the story of “the canonical events that led to the Tears of the Kingdom game.” Nintendo says this game will be released sometime in the winter, with more details to come.

To watch the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment trailer, skip to 10:55 in the Nintendo Direct YouTube video. Plus, keep scrolling to learn about all the new games coming to the Switch 2 this fall and winter, most of which are available for preorder now.

The event featured teasers of upcoming titles like Hela, where you get to play as an adorable mouse and witch's familiar on a journey to heal his beloved mistress. We also got teasers for beloved titles like Apex Legends, Borderlands 4, and the Yakuza franchise.

Nintendo Direct: New titles coming to the Switch 2 A teaser from the 2026 title 'Hela'. Credit: Nintendo / YouTube

During the livestream, we learned about over a dozen games that will soon be available on the Switch 2, Switch 1, or both consoles. Some of the games are remakes of beloved titles (Yakuza Kiwami), while others have already been released for other consoles or PC gamers (Star Wars Outlaws).

From the weird to the wild to the familiar, here are the titles you'll soon be able to play. And if you still haven't gotten your hands on the Switch 2, we have more good news: Our long national Switch 2 inventory nightmare may finally be over. Simply put, it's a lot easier to find the Switch 2 in stock.

• Chillin by the Fire - July 31

• Apex Legends - Aug. 5

• EA Sports Madden 26 - Aug. 14

• Star Wars Outlaws - Sept. 4

• Cronos: The New Dawn - Sept. 5

• Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac - Sept. 26

• EA Sports FC26 - Sept. 26

• Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles - Sept. 30

• Borderlands 4 - Oct. 3

• Plants vs. Zombies Replanted - Oct. 23 

• Persona 3 Reload - Oct. 23

• Yakuza Kiwami 2 - Nov. 13

• Yakuza Kiwami - Nov. 13

• Battle Beyond the Limit — Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO - Nov. 14

• Octopath Traveler 0 - Dec. 4

• Hela - coming in 2026

• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales - coming in 2026

You can preorder most of these games now at the My Nintendo Store.