With Hollywood shut down due to strikes from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), production of upcoming shows and movies is shut down. This includes festivals, film premieres, press tours, and even the upcoming Emmys in September.
The writer’s strike began at the beginning of May, with the actors guild joining just last week. Both unions share the same reasons for striking. This includes getting paid a living wage to meet basic needs, receiving higher residuals (financial compensation paid out to actors whenever TV shows or movies they’ve appeared in are replayed on streaming and syndication), and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be regulated to protect talent and writers’ jobs from being completely taken over. For the first time in more than 60 years, Hollywood actors and writers are on strike simultaneously, with no signs of ending anytime soon.
The End Is Not Near
SAG-AFTRA’s president Fran Drescher said a vast majority of actors “are just working people just trying to make a living, just trying to pay their rent, just trying to put food on the table and get their kids off to school.” She added that everything that we, as consumers watch, are “filled with people that are not making the big money.” $27.73 per hour is how much the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported as the average pay for California actors in 2022. However, the BLS noted in the data that actors aren’t paid full-time year-round due to the nature of the job.
With no end date in motion, we’ve come up with a series of lists of entertainment to watch until production begins again. Take a look below at our list of five fantastic horror films that will make you a fan of the genre if you’re hesitant. There’s a little something for everybody on this list, with paranormal thrillers that will have you jumping out of your seat to psychological horror films that have you questioning your own sanity.