Entertainment
The Raunchy 80s Comedy Slasher That George Clooney Wants You To Forget
By Brian Myers
| Updated
The 1980s introduced horror fans to scores of slasher franchises and stand-alone movies that have been cemented into history by way of ravenous cult followings. Whether it’s Jason Vorhees chasing a victim through the woods with a machete, Freddy Kruger stalking them in their dreams, or the Tall Man crossing dimensions to capture their souls, the gore and violence (with a little bit of humor) captivated audiences and kept them returning to the screen time and again.
With so many genre films from that era, it’s easy to imagine how some otherwise great films can be forgotten. One particular movie, 1987’s Return to Horror High, is an excellent example of a film that deserves another look. The horror-comedy packs in everything that makes these films so great and comes with the bonus of co-starring a young George Clooney.
From the opening, audiences are hit with the sick and twisted humor that sets the pace for the remaining 90+ minutes. Called onto the scene of a multiple murder, a police investigator exits his vehicle and barks at a uniformed officer, “How many?” “Six or seven. Maybe eight,” she responds to him. “What’s the matter, can’t you count?” he snaps back. “They’re not exactly all together, sir,” she quips with a straight face.
Bloody sheets covering multiple bodies are scattered across the lawn of what is soon to be revealed as a local high school. The lone survivor of the massacre, a screenwriter named Arthur, is interviewed by investigators.
As his story unfolds, audiences begin to understand that the shocked filmmaker was part of a group that had set up camp in the school, which was the site of a series of grisly, unsolved murders several years before. Arthur and the rest of the film crew were in the midst of making a movie based on the killings from years prior, and decided that filming on location at the actual high school where they occurred would give the project a more realistic edge.
As the film progresses, Arthur’s story takes the investigators through a gory sequence of events that eventually unravels the grotesque truth behind the present-day killings as well as the unsolved murders from the past. One by one, the film crew is picked off, leading audiences to believe that the original killer has returned. (Spoiler alert: Clooney’s character is the first to die off, 13 minutes into the film).
The remaining death scenes won’t disappoint gore fans. One victim is lured to a sand pit and pulled into it by unknown hands. Another finds himself cut to pieces by the blades of an industrial fan. Want to see a teacher get dissected by a masked assailant? Return to Horror High has you covered. Bodies hacked to pieces and flushed down toilets? Death by javelin? The film’s killer has methods of murder and torture that could well give Freddy and Jason a run for their money.
The film is more than just young adults getting offed on camera, though. Good special effects makeup and an eerie cinematic score accompany some well-timed jump scares and low-brow humor. Add the handful of creative on-screen deaths and an ending with two unexpected plot twists, and you get the sum of a gory movie that’s well worth the viewing time.
Return to Horror High is a genre entry filled with multiple horror movie tropes, without a doubt. Cheesy dialogue, low-budget special effects, and quirky one-liners were all par for the course in this era of cheaply made splatter films, and this example doesn’t stray far from that formula. But the well-timed humor and the terror are set in tandem with one another, creating a near-perfectly balanced horror comedy.
Surprising to some might be the level of acting presented in a movie with such a minimal budget. Clooney’s efforts shine through the blood and gore, helping to pave the young actor’s path to becoming one of Hollywood’s leading men in the coming decades.
The film also shows audiences a multitude of other familiar faces, some before they became stars, others long since their cinematic or small-screen peaks. Maureen McCormick, over a decade after her Brady Bunch character Marcia brushed her hair for the final time, plays a supporting role as a police officer.
Anyone who watched the 70s/80s sitcom Alice will recognize the actor who played the title character’s son, Philip McKeon. Rounding out the cast are Alex Rocco (The Godfather, Lady in White), character actor Andy Romano (How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, Hill Street Blues), and pro wrestler-turned actor Pepper Martin (Walking Tall, Superman II).
RETURN TO HORROR HIGH SCORE
You can stream the 1987 horror comedy Return to Horror High for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Everything we know before the official Aug. 12 reveal
Before you know it, Google is going to announce some new Android flagship phones. Of course, there’s already info out there about them. Time to brush up.
The Pixel 11 lineup launch is all set for Aug. 12. This year, as with last year, we expect four new phones:
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Pixel 11 Pro
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Pixel 11 Pro XL
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Pixel 11 Pro Fold
Let’s focus on the Pixel 11 Pro for now, as it’s going to be the more premium. What does Google have up its sleeve this year with the Pro-grade Pixel phone?
We asked you to predict what Apple will do next. See the results and find out how to get a shot at winning an Apple Watch!
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Release date, price, and that Amazon leak
As previously stated, Google is going to officially unveil all of these phones at an event in New York City on Aug. 12. Mashable will be attending the launch event — Jimmy Fallon hosted last year’s event, you may remember — and we’ll be reporting live. Presumably, as with past years, the phones will be on store shelves and in customers’ hands just a couple of weeks afterward.
Thanks to RAMageddon, everyone is bracing for price increases with every major tech product, and rightfully so. Google has not yet told us the prices of these phones, but a recent and fairly extensive Amazon leak that seemed legitimate enough pointed to a $1,099 starting price for the Pixel 11 Pro. That would be a $100 price increase over the Pixel 10 Pro. Meanwhile, the Pixel 11 Pro XL (the XL model is usually basically the same phone, but bigger) is said to start at $1,299, another $100 price hike year-over-year.
Speaking of that Amazon leak: 9to5Google spotted draft Amazon listings for the Pixel 11 lineup, revealing a lot of early details:
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The listings could include placeholder information, but the overall gist looks legit.
What is Pixel Glow?
We don’t expect any massive design changes this year. Google has helped keep expectations low by actually posting a short video that shows the phone, weeks before the Aug. 12 event.
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One thing that stood out, however, is the presence of a small, colored light in the camera bar that wasn’t there on the Pixel 10 Pro. This is rumored to be part of a new “Pixel Glow” system that will use colored lights to convey basic phone notifications while the Pixel is lying down on its face. If you want to know that someone texted you even though you’re focusing on something else and would rather not look at the screen, that’s what this is for.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Design and colors
Ultimately, the short teaser video doesn’t show much, but it does reveal one more fact: The Pixel 11 Pro’s basic design hasn’t changed much from last year. It still has a horizontal, oval-shaped camera bar on the back, and is still otherwise a normal-looking smartphone.
As for colors, leaks suggest the options this year will be:
Those don’t sound like the most vibrant colors in the world, but that sort of thing has become par for the course for “Pro” smartphones in recent years. If the Amazon leak spotted by 9to5Google proves true, the Pixel 11 will have more interesting color options, at least.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: Rumored specs
Between the Amazon listings and another leak on Telegram from an account called MysticLeaks, this is the best idea we have about the Pixel 11 Pro’s specs prior to the unveiling:
The only real differences between the regular Pro and the XL, as far as leaks are concerned, are the display and battery size. Those same sources suggest a 6.9-inch display and a 5,115mAh battery on the XL, but everything else should be the same. That’s how Google has done it in the past, too.
Believe it or not, those specs actually contain at least one notable downgrade from the Pixel 10 Pro. Prior Pixel Pro devices only came with 16GB RAM, so if Google is offering a 12GB variant, that would be a somewhat significant change. It’s possible and perhaps even likely that the 12GB models will be tied to lower amounts of storage, so if you want 16GB, you may need to shell out for a 512GB or 1TB model this year.
Google Pixel 11 Pro: What about the cameras?
Last but not least, the Pixel Pro phones always have better camera specs than the base models. It’s one of the main reasons to get the Pro, even though Google did start including a telephoto lens on the base model recently.
Last year, the Pixel 10 Pro had a 50MP main lens, with matching 48MP ultra-wide and telephoto lenses. We don’t yet know what the camera modules for the Pixel 11 Pro will measure in at, but it would be a shock if they were downgraded at all from those figures.
Speaking of downgrades, though, the big Amazon leak suggested the Pixel 10 Pro will have a 13MP selfie camera. After the 48MP front camera on the Pixel 10 Pro, that would be an unpleasant surprise. We’ll see if that actually pans out, or if the leak was wrong.
Remember: Mashable will be reporting live from Made By Google on Aug. 12, so check back for the latest Pixel 11 Pro news.
Entertainment
Google Pixel 11: Every rumor, leak, and confirmed fact ahead of Made By Google
Samsung just announced a bunch of fancy new phones, but don’t relax just yet. Google has a big product launch just around the corner too, and we’re keeping a close eye on the latest Pixel 11 leaks, rumors, and official teasers.
The Android maker has already confirmed that it will announce the next batch of Pixel phones in August. That means we have just a matter of weeks until the follow-up to the Pixel 10 lineup is unveiled, so you’d better get prepared in the meantime. Here is everything we know about the Google Pixel 11 right now.
Google Pixel 11: Release date and price
The first part of this is easy because Google isn’t keeping the Pixel 11 launch window a secret. At 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 12 in New York City, Google is holding a Made By Google event where the Pixel 11 lineup will be shown off for the first time, and Mashable will be there reporting live.
Last year’s event was hosted by Jimmy Fallon, for some reason, so you never know what to expect this time. You can watch Made By Google live on YouTube, or follow the news as it happens on Mashable. The phones should be on store shelves or in your hands less than a month after that.
As with last year, we expect to see four phones: the base Pixel 11, a Pro and Pro XL model, and a Pro Fold model.
Regarding price, we live in a RAMageddon world, so it sounds like there may be some mild price increases in the works. We don’t know the official figures yet, but a recent Amazon leak (which we will return to throughout this piece because, holy mackerel, what a leak!) gave us these figures:
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Google Pixel 11: $899
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Google Pixel 11 Pro: $1,099
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Google Pixel 11 Pro XL: $1,299
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Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: $1,899
Unfortunately, all of those are increases year over year compared to the Pixel 10. The Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pro XL are all $100 more to start than they were a year ago. Meanwhile, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, if this leak is to be believed, will cost $400 more than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Ouch.
Google Pixel 11: What’s up with Pixel Glow?
Before we get into detailed (and unconfirmed) specs for each device, there’s basically one noteworthy design change that we expect to see across all four devices this year. According to both leaks and some imagery on Google’s own pre-order page, Google is going all-in on something called Pixel Glow with the Pixel 11 series.
In terms of design, that means the horizontal camera bar seen on previous Pixel phones will change a little bit to accommodate a new multi-colored light module. This module will use lights of different shades to notify you of things like incoming messages, presumably while your phone is turned over and you don’t feel like looking at a screen.
Mashable Light Speed
Google actually gave everyone an official sneak peek at Pixel Glow a couple of weeks before the event. In a brief teaser video that shows part of a Pixel 11 Pro, you can see a small, multi-colored light in the camera bar. While the video is very brief and vague, it’s clear from the video that we are looking at Pixel Glow.
Google Pixel 11: Base model rumored specs
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The aforementioned Amazon leak included since-removed store pages for each device in the Pixel 11 family, with colors and specs galore. Let’s start with the base Pixel 11, whose array of color options has been reported with different names, but basically comes out to black, gray, pink, and green. Another leaker called MysticLeaks posted a bunch of alleged specs on Telegram.
Based on both of these leaks, these could be the specs for the base Pixel 11:
It’s worth noting that there are some small discrepancies between what Amazon posted and what MysticLeaks reported for all of these devices, especially regarding display resolution and battery size. When in doubt, this article is going by what was posted on Amazon.
The display, battery, and selfie camera specs all come from the Amazon leak, while the Tensor G6 chip would make sense as the natural follow-up to the Tensor G5 chip in last year’s Pixel flagships. At the time of publication, there don’t seem to be any credible leaks regarding the other camera specs for the base Pixel 11, aside from what’s listed above.
None of the above is horribly surprising or all that different from the Pixel 10, either. All signs are pointing to a pretty incremental upgrade cycle in 2026, Pixel Glow aside.
Google Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL: Rumored specs
Google is also reportedly planning on two Pro variants, as in previous years. The color options here are reportedly called Olive, Obsidian, Canyon, and Fog. Here is what both Amazon and MysticLeaks had to say about the regular Pixel 11 Pro:
And here are the reported specs for Pixel 11 Pro XL. The XL is usually just a bigger, slightly improved version of the Pro:
The main attraction here, at least as it relates to year-over-year changes, is that Google seems to be offering a new 12GB RAM variant of the Pro devices. Prior to this year, they just came with 16GB RAM. Perhaps models with less storage capacity will only come with 12GB this year as a way to save money on the manufacturing end of things.
Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Rumored specs
Google isn’t folding from the competition.
Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable
Lastly, Google is making another foldable this year, if every leak is to be believed. Here are the reported specs for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, which could have color variants called Obsidian and Olive:
This is the one we know the least about, sadly. Given Samsung’s recent excellence in the foldable field and the rumored price increase for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, it’s going to have to do a lot to impress in a crowded market. We’ll find out together on Aug. 12.
Remember: Mashable will be reporting live from the Made By Google event, so keep checking back for the latest Pixel 11 news, leaks, and rumors.
Entertainment
New York sues Kalshi, claiming its unlicensed gambling
On Friday, New York state filed a lawsuit against prediction market platform Kalshi, claiming that it’s operating as an “unlicensed gambling business.”
The Office of Attorney General Letitia James found that Kalshi is an illegal prediction market that exposes New Yorkers to “serious personal and financial risk,” according to a press release. The lawsuit seeks fines, the forfeit of all illegal gains, and restitution to members.
The suit claims that Kalshi’s prediction markets meet the legal definition of gambling “because the outcomes of the events on which its users are betting are uncertain and outside the control of the bettor or hinge on a game of chance.” But the platform hasn’t obtained a license from the New York State Gaming Commission. It also states that Kalshi is available to adults aged 18-20, while New York law requires users to be at least 21 to bet on sports.
“Kalshi has chosen to ignore New York’s gaming laws, which exist to protect consumers, prevent problematic gambling, deliver funding for critical public services, and ensure that every company plays by the same rules,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in the press release. “This choice has consequences, and working closely with Attorney General James, New York is taking action to stop this illegal behavior and bring Kalshi into compliance, because no company is above the law.”
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“No matter what they call themselves, prediction markets like Kalshi are gambling platforms, plain and simple. By ignoring our laws, Kalshi is running an illegal operation and harming New Yorkers in the process,” James said in the press release. “We are taking them to court to uphold our laws and protect New Yorkers.”
Friday’s lawsuit comes after New York sued Coinbase and Gemini for similar allegations in April. It also comes after Kalshi sued New York state in Oct., according to CNBC, following New York’s Gambling Commission’s cease-and-desist letter to the company. A judge denied the company’s request for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order against the commission in July.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), an agency of the federal government, has now sued New York, as it considers prediction markets to fall within its jurisdiction. “Rather than seek reasoned answers from the courts, Letitia James and New York seek to force an unprecedented, sudden shutdown of prediction markets nationwide,” CFTC chairman Mike Selig posted on X. “The [CFTC] has already sued to stop this and will continue to defend its jurisdiction.”
“It’s sad to see this type of political theater from the leadership in our own state,” a Kalshi spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. “States can’t just shut down a federally licensed exchange… We love New York, we love New Yorkers, and New Yorkers love our product.”
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