Michael Costigan

Michael Costigan’s fingerprints are all over some pretty wild rides in modern cinema, honestly. Let’s talk about Stoker first. That flick came out in 2013, and wow, it’s not your average family drama. It’s dark, unsettling, and kind of beautiful in that offbeat way. You’ve got India Stoker, this weirdly intense teenager dealing with her dad’s death, and then her mysterious uncle shows up. The whole thing spirals into this creepy psychological cat-and-mouse game, packed with secrets and enough tension to snap a piano wire. It’s moody, stylish, and leaves you questioning who’s really the villain. Now, jump to Ghost in the Shell, 2017. Based on the Japanese manga, the movie goes sci-fi with Scarlett Johansson as Major, a cyborg with a human brain. The visuals are pure eye candy—neon cityscapes, cybernetic upgrades, all that jazz. The plot’s layered with questions about identity, memory, and what makes us human. Sure, there was plenty of chatter about casting, but you can’t deny it’s a feast for the senses, with a vibe that’s both slick and haunting. Then there’s Prometheus from 2012. Ridley Scott back in the Alien universe but with a fresh twist. A crew heads to a distant planet looking for humanity’s creators, and, predictably, things go sideways—monsters, existential dread, gooey alien stuff, you name it. The film’s got that epic, ominous energy, asking big questions about life and the universe, while still delivering the kind of horror and sci-fi spectacle fans eat up. Costigan’s work? Definitely not boring, that’s for sure.