Horror Industry News — Monday, April 13, 2026

More than 1,000 industry creatives — including Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Stiller and Kristen Stewart — signed an open letter urging regulators to block Paramount Skydance’s proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, warning mass consolidation would cut productions and jobs.

Plus M Entertainment confirmed NEON will distribute Na Hong-jin’s Hope in North America; the Cannes competition slot and NEON’s track record position the film for a festival-to-theatrical launch and wider U.S. exposure.

Damian McCarthy says he has a script and plans to make what he calls the 'ultimate haunted house horror movie' next, following the theatrical release of his latest film Hokum (in theaters May 1 via Neon).

Ruby Modine and Richard Harmon star in the 1980s-set horror-thriller A Most Delightful Game, now shooting in British Columbia; the film marks Boman Modine's theatrical directorial debut and also features Karin Konoval.

Brussels Fantastic Fest will premiere Oddities featuring horror icon Adrienne Barbeau; Rue Morgue’s Michael Gingold provided exclusive poster and photos coverage ahead of the festival screening.

Genre curator Kier‑La Janisse is expanding her Spectacular Optical imprint into theatrical, streaming and home‑video distribution — launching this month with Christopher Morris’ A Year in a Field and partnering with Severin Films for U.S. home‑video distribution while also commissioning restorations (Melody, Pure Shit, Doomed Love) and acquiring folk‑horror Arcadia.

Dark Horse and Wizards of the Coast will publish a four-issue Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft miniseries (issue #1 on Aug 19) written by Bram Stoker Award winner Amy Chu with art by Ariela Kristantina and colors by Arif Prianto.

Michael Cerveris's psychological thriller Basic Psych arrives on VOD April 21 via Filmhub across Apple TV, Prime Video and Fandango at Home, expanding indie distribution via digital platforms.

Warner Bros. has optioned Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower for a feature film with Melina Matsoukas attached to direct, reviving studio interest in Butler adaptations after an earlier A24/Bradley version stalled — positioned as a provocative, socially conscious dystopian drama.

Netflix appears to have halted development on both an animated feature and an event series based on Brian Jacques' Redwall IP (under a 2021 deal with Penguin Random House Children’s U.K.); Patrick McHale had left the project earlier and neither Netflix nor the publisher have formally confirmed cancellation.

Netflix will premiere an adult animated adaptation of the comic Powers in 2026 with Brian Michael Bendis writing the pilot and Michael Avon Oeming involved in visual development; Dark Horse Entertainment is producing and Netflix aims for a mature, grounded superhero/crime procedural approach.

Netflix will launch The Boroughs, a supernatural series produced by the Duffer brothers, May 21; teaser shows Alfred Molina’s grieving lead encountering mysterious creatures and joining a band of seasoned misfits (Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman, Denis O’Hare) to uncover a dark secret in a gated retirement community.

Blood Yolk, a psychological horror thriller about a woman returning to a decaying family farm to find her missing mother, opens in select theaters and on digital June 11 via Persimmon; Bloody Disgusting is running an exclusive trailer.

Dark Atlantic Studios released the first trailer for Strawstalker, a tongue-in-cheek found-footage horror feature from writer-director George Henry Horton — Indie Rights will release the film later this spring.

Point-and-click horror adventure Cult Vacui launched on Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store and itch.io (with a free demo available), continuing the recent revival of indie point-and-click horror games.