Modern office perks: In-house therapy. Several large firms in the law and banking worlds have begun offering in-house therapy to help employees navigate stress stemming from work, home, and health issues, rather than relying on the interpersonal relationships these employees have with their managers, the Financial Times reports. Large law firms Hogan Lovells, Linklaters, and bankers JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have made therapists and counselors available in-office and remotely — giving the employees a sense of support and some relief to managers who are not properly trained to handle such matters. By 2022, 30% of US companies were ready to offer in-house therapy.

It’s not exactly a selfless good deed — and there are some questions about conflict of interest: Therapy has provided companies with feelers to gauge problems within the establishment, without breaching confidentiality. By doing so, they are able to uncover overarching problems from several sessions to take back to company seniors. In-house therapy pioneer (who have been offering therapy since the 70s) Bank of England’s resident psychotherapist and senior staff counselor explains that she and her team are “fully immersed in the culture and environment” that the employees are involved in and are able to give more insightful and effective help with that knowledge. However, some employees have reported finding difficulty being transparent with their therapist, who also sees their line manager, causing concerns about the confidentiality of these services.

A penchant for horror: Hollywood studios are pushing for more horror movies to hit theaters as viewers’ appetite for the sinister and macabre seems to be growing, according to the Wall Street Journal. In 2022 alone, spooky movies yielded a whopping USD 676 mn in the US alone — 9% of total box office sales, the article reports.

The movies don’t cost much to make: Huge bottomlines from low-budget features are prompting more industry execs to lean towards the genre. Blumhouse Productions’ M3gan, for instance, grossed USD 175 mn since its release in January in the US. Psychological thriller Smile — which only cost USD 17 mn to make — earned USD 217 mn.

But industry leaders know this success is fickle, as the genre has gone through many “boom and bust” cycles with audiences typically losing interest when horror movies feel rushed and commercial with tired themes, redundant characters, and unsophisticated, predictable writing.

So the genre is evolving: With more elaborate plotlines, better character development, and even composition — with female leads in movies like Barbarian finally being portrayed as more than hapless, vapid victims — good horror movies are giving audiences what they crave. The genre’s momentum is more likely to stay the course when the movies are written intelligently because viewers expect it: Unlike the 1980s slashers, movie aficionados expect more today, the WSJ quotes Warner Bros co-chair Mike De Luca as saying — particularly if they’re going to plan a trip to the theater.

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