Horror Industry News — Saturday, April 25, 2026

Blumhouse has acquired a stake in the Saw franchise from Twisted Pictures, consolidating Blumhouse's ownership/creative control of the IP for future franchise development — deal terms and price were not disclosed.

Warner Bros. unveiled a genre release slate at CinemaCon: The Conjuring‑adjacent The Revenge of La Llorona (Apr 9, 2027) from Santiago Menghini; Final Destination 7 (May 12, 2028) with co‑writer Lori Taylor‑Evans returning and rumors of Michiel Blanchart/A.J. Cook involvement; and Gladys (Weapons prequel) slated for Sept 8, 2028 with Zach Cregger attached as co‑writer/EP.

Universal moved the untitled Mummy 4 up to an October 15, 2027 Halloween release (previously May 19, 2028); Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah will reprise roles with Radio Silence directing.

A24 confirms Backrooms has officially wrapped (likely post-production) ahead of its May 29 theatrical release; Kane Parsons directed a rapid shoot last summer starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell, signaling fast-turnaround internet-IP horror moving to mainstream theaters.

Park Chan-wook will direct The Brigands of Rattlecreek, an original S. Craig Zahler screenplay starring Pedro Pascal, Matthew McConaughey, Austin Butler and Tang Wei—Zahler’s Bone Tomahawk pedigree signals a potentially brutal horror‑tinged western.

Parker Finn (Smile) is directing a remake of Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession for Paramount, with Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner attached as leads and photos showing production activity on the Paramount lot.

Pinnacle Peak Pictures is adding Biblical epic Daniel starring Mena Massoud to its Cannes sales slate (directed and adapted by brothers Daniel and Matthew Kooman) with a planned US theatrical opening later this year; the company will also market Panorama Pictures genre titles including the horror Mimics and sci‑fi titles Zoners and Matter Of Time.

The Kelvin-timeline Star Trek films grossed $1.19B combined but stalled due to development delays and creative missteps; Paramount is now pursuing a fresh reboot that will drop the Kelvin cast.

A MovieWeb feature praises Peaky Blinders’ casting—highlighting Cillian Murphy as the standout among a high-caliber ensemble that also includes Tom Hardy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Adrien Brody.

Henry Cavill is set to star as Connor MacLeod in a Chad Stahelski‑directed Highlander reboot for Netflix, with Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan reportedly attached—positioned as potential franchise material.

Alex Proyas' I, Robot (2004) returns to Hulu on May 1; piece frames the film as more resonant now amid AI debates and reiterates the movie's loose relationship to Isaac Asimov's source material.

RLJE Films and Shudder acquired Nyla Innuksuk’s alien-invasion feature Slash/Back for streaming/distribution, marking a genre pickup for the Shudder/RLJE slate with Innuksuk attached as the filmmaker.

Peacock posted a $432M Q1 loss and has lost over $11 billion since 2020; Comcast CFO says Q2 could be an inflection point as Peacock approaches profitability driven partly by sports rights.

Iran’s film sector reports major disruption: cinemas shuttered during key Nowruz season, industry infrastructure (guild HQ, historic cinemas, training centres) damaged in airstrikes, filmmakers detained or having assets seized, and leading figures (Asghar Farhadi, Golshifteh Farahani) urging international solidarity.

Tom Steyer used a Burbank roundtable to pledge state‑level antitrust tools and industry support (tax incentives, AI guardrails, post‑production credits) aimed at countering mega‑mergers like the proposed Paramount‑WBD deal and addressing California’s production/job decline; the piece notes $198M in recent state tax incentives within a $750M annual program.

Netflix reportedly acquired Ben Affleck‑backed AI startup InterPositive for ~$600M and has integrated the 16‑person team with Affleck as a senior advisor to embed filmmaker‑first AI tools into Netflix’s production pipeline for fixes like missing coverage and continuity, signaling potential VFX disintermediation and cost savings.

Industry newsletter analyzing Apple’s new CEO John Ternus and the strategic questions it raises for Apple TV’s high-spend prestige strategy and potential impact on TV finance and commissioning.

ComicBook notes Shueisha lists Chainsaw Man Volume 24 at 176 pages (12 more than expected), fueling fan speculation those extra pages could include new content, epilogue material, or a tease/announcement for Part 3 when the volume releases June 4, 2026.

Critical take argues Jordan Peele‑produced HIM underdelivered creatively but found streaming success on Netflix; article notes theatrical gross ($28M) vs. $27M budget and that Netflix placement pushed the title into the streamer’s Top 10 despite mixed reception.

Crunchyroll will stream MAPPA’s Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc on April 30 (Japanese and English dubs day-one), but remains silent on streaming plans for the record-breaking Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, which may be delayed due to extended theatrical runs or potential episodic edits for platform release.

Ben Leonberg's Good Boy — a 2025 haunted-house film shot from a dog's POV and distributed via Shudder/Hulu — is now streaming and being highlighted as a standout, unusual horror entry that took three years to film and features the dog Indy as a central performer.

SEC filing shows former Paramount president Jeff Shell’s 2025 compensation package totaled $60.7M (mostly stock awards); CEO David Ellison’s package totaled $63.2M and other top executives’ packages were also disclosed amid the Skydance‑Paramount integration and ongoing litigation tied to Shell.

A Spanish-language thriller has climbed to the top of Netflix's most-watched list, reigniting interest in international genre titles on the platform and highlighting continued global demand for non-English thrillers on streaming.

The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) has launched an immersive fund aimed at supporting U.S. Indigenous creators to develop immersive and interactive projects, representing a targeted financing source for underrepresented creators and new-format storytelling.

FilmLA will run a one‑year pilot starting May 1 to manage Manhattan Beach’s film permitting—streamlining the city’s process with FilmLA’s existing 16-jurisdiction system after Manhattan Beach revised fees and aligned policies with California’s Model Film Ordinance.

Blumhouse and James Wan’s Atomic Monster are expanding their annual marketing event 'Halfway to Halloween' for its third year—signaling continued franchise/brand activation and seasonal marketing push to drive mid‑year engagement for upcoming Blumhouse slate.

Fan-owned Legion M is launching a Legion M Theater Alliance with FilmFrog, rolling out with regional chain Cinergy and indie venues to run loyalty screenings, co-marketing and community activations aimed at boosting theatrical attendance and promoting Legion M titles to its 60,000+ investor-members.

PlayStation Store is discounting Frogwares’ Lovecraftian Bundle (The Sinking City Remastered + Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened) from $80 to $8 through May 7, timed ahead of The Sinking City 2’s release later this year.

2000 AD will publish its annual Sci‑Fi Special for 2026 (summer), featuring a Liam Sharp cover and new original stories — sustaining the magazine’s serialized sci‑fi/comics pipeline and creator platform.

Fangoria highlights Universal Fan Fest Nights, a themed fan event celebrating Scooby-Doo and Universal Monsters that offers fans immersive experiences tied to classic monster IP and genre nostalgia.

Fangoria shares archival material revealing an early draft of Stephen King’s Carrie where the telekinetic teen transforms into a horned/alien being, excerpted from the upcoming Monsters in the Archives book.

Samara Weaving and Sarah Michelle Gellar debated retiring the 'Final Girl' trope while promoting Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, with Gellar expressing frustration at typecasting after decades in genre work.

Sitges revealed the lineup for its Fantastic 7 showcase at Marche du Film—seven genre projects selected by major festivals aimed at attracting international co‑pro, sales and distribution interest at the market.

The Ice Tower won the top prize at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, signalling strong festival momentum for an international genre title and increasing its buyer visibility for distribution windows.

Bucheon returns for its 30th edition as a major Asian genre festival platform for horror, fantasy and sci‑fi premieres and marketplace activity — a key showcase for regional genre filmmakers and distributors seeking festival launches and sales exposure.

T-Series and Panorama Studios set the Malayalam psychological thriller Unmadham (dir. Kiran Das, screenplay by Shahi Kabir) for theatrical release Aug. 7; logline centers on a police constable reopening a cold case with apparent supernatural elements and a descent into frenzy.

Netflix has begun production in Atlanta on live-action series Scooby-Doo: Origins, written by Josh Appelbaum & Scott Rosenberg (Midnight Radio) with Berlanti Productions and Midnight Radio producing; series reimagines Mystery Inc.’s formation and is officially titled Scooby-Doo: Origins.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson confirmed he’s starring as the title lead in Robert Eggers’ period horror Werwulf, calling the reunion with Eggers an honor; Werwulf is slated for December release and follows Eggers’ Nosferatu collaboration.

Netflix is shooting An Innocent Girl in Bergen County for a 2027 release; Kerry Washington stars and EPs alongside James Marsden, Chloe East and Colman Domingo in a crime-tinged thriller about a young woman drawn into sex, power and murder — crews filmed a gas-station scene April 23.

Severin Films and Yellow Veil Pictures will release a four-disc Lucile Hadžihalilović box set on June 30 featuring INNOCENCE, EVOLUTION, EARWIG and THE ICE TOWER, with over four hours of special features and a 60‑page booklet; two titles are North American Blu-ray premieres.

Netflix's French horror series Marianne (2019) — created as an 8-episode supernatural horror about a writer whose fiction manifests in reality — continues to be celebrated by fans and holds a strong Rotten Tomatoes audience score, driving renewed viewing and discussion of international horror series on the platform.

Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, a time‑bending sci‑fi action comedy written and directed by BenDavid Grabinski and starring Vince Vaughn and James Marsden, is climbing streaming charts on Hulu/Disney+ and holds a roughly 75% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Found-footage horror Loner follows a vlogger’s isolated wilderness retreat that unravels into a haunting descent—festival/critic spotlight on a contained, POV-style horror feature.

Fangoria is championing the indie grindhouse slasher Frankie, Maniac Woman, now playing in select theaters, and includes an advanced screening Q&A that positions the film as a potential grassroots fan-driven hit.

Arrow Video announced upcoming 4K Blu-ray releases for Soylent Green and Falling Down, detailing special features and release formats — catalogue restoration/home-video news relevant to genre sci-fi preservation and AV market.

Escape Plan 2: Hades entered Netflix’s global Top 10 (No. 9) for April 13–19 with ~3 million views and 4.6M hours watched; the sequel skipped a U.S. theatrical release and was built to play stronger in international markets.

The trailer for Monkey's Magic Merry Go Round depicts a children's TV host plunged into a surreal nightmare; the film will stream exclusively on Screambox beginning May 19, 2026.

Season 03 Reloaded for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 arrives April 30 and adds a new round-based Zombies map called Totenreich alongside other Zombies-mode content and event drops.

CBR runs a genre-focused list highlighting eight horror game protagonists who were unprepared for their ordeals (titles include The Mortuary Assistant, Outlast/Miles Upshur, Exit 8 and others), underlining narrative design trends that favor vulnerability in survival horror.

Vertigo Games and developer Exkee set June 4 for the remake release of horror-puzzle classic The 7th Guest on PC (Steam/Epic), PS5 and Xbox Series, with Switch to follow later.

Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard (Poncle) launched April 21 on Xbox Series X and PC and is available day‑one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate; Microsoft Store lists a $10 price with a 20% Game Pass discount ($8) if purchased.