Netflix, UTA & Tubi

Tubi announced a digital‑first horror slate built around creator IP — including Sofi Manassyan’s anthology Who Did It? (two seasons), Rock Squad entries (Abigail, Crimson Crest, Creepers) and CelinaSpookyBoo’s The Haunted Estate — signaling a creator‑led strategy to drive AVOD viewership.

Tubi has scheduled the RL Stine‑produced Pumpkinhead sequel for an October release on the AVOD platform, positioning the franchise entry as a Halloween‑season exclusive.

Karyn Kusama says a reinvented Jennifer’s Body sequel is actively being worked on with Diablo Cody writing, while Kusama is directing and producing The Terror: Devil in Silver (premiering May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder).

Protagonist Pictures has boarded international sales on SXSW-opening sci‑fi thriller The Saviors, which stars Adam Scott and Danielle Deadwyler and is being positioned for Cannes Marché with UTA and CAA representing North American rights.

Kitty Green is directing and wrote The Spacesuit starring Vanessa Kirby and Lewis Pullman; HanWay Films has boarded international sales while UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance will represent the pic in North America, with producers including James Schamus and Scott Macaulay — project positioned as a tense space-set thriller in development.

First teaser for Verity — a Colleen Hoover adaptation directed by Michael Showalter from a Nick Antosca screenplay — positions the film as a darker psychological/haunted thriller starring Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, and Anne Hathaway; theatrical release set for October 2.

Sam Rockwell, Marisa Tomei and Chris Messina are attached to Hellhound, a New York–set zombie comedy — casting signals an elevated ensemble indie/comedy-horror likely moving toward production but no distributor or budget disclosed.

Young actor Jack Dylan Grazer signed with Range Media Partners (exclusive), a move that reshapes his representation ahead of likely genre and franchise opportunities given his past horror-adjacent roles—no deal terms disclosed.

The piece re-evaluates Steven Spielberg–executive-produced Under the Dome as an underrated Stephen King TV adaptation, noting Brian K. Vaughan developed the series, led by Mike Vogel and Rachelle Lefevre, and that the pilot drew over 17 million viewers despite the show's uneven later seasons.

The Directors Guild extended Russell Hollander’s contract as national executive director through 2029; he’ll lead upcoming collective bargaining with the AMPTP and continues to shape guild policy after guiding negotiations through the recent strikes and pandemic-era production changes.

Sam Glynne is leaving UTA’s London office after 3.5 years as Global SVP of Branded Entertainment and plans to launch her own branded-entertainment company in the coming months.

The column argues antitrust/competition enforcement remains the dominant structural story reshaping streaming and studio strategy—coverage that signals regulatory pressure could drive more consolidation scrutiny, deal re-pricing and platform strategy shifts across the genre ecosystem.

The Australasian Horror Writers Association released finalists for the 2025 Australasian Shadows Awards across eight categories, signaling regional recognition for horror short fiction and highlighting authors likely to gain festival, press, or adaptation attention.

Universal has moved decisively on a project codenamed ‘Odyssey’ and Amazon is bringing sizeable production activity to Las Vegas — signaling studio deployment of tentpole resources and location-driven shoot volume but with no disclosed financials.

Digital i reports Australian Netflix viewing in 2025 was 96.4% non‑local content, signaling strong preference for U.S. and Korean imports and implications for local production investment and commissioning strategies.

IF Magazine’s April 2026 In Production wrap catalogs feature films and scripted series currently shooting across Australia, providing a production snapshot and potential leads for upcoming releases and co-productions.

A analysis piece profiles A24’s rise from indie distributor to VC-backed billion-dollar brand, noting its marketing tactics, ties to Josh Kushner, and recent moves into bigger-budget mainstream fare while retaining an aura that benefits its horror slate.

Unknown Waters Studio announced ICU – Intensive Care Unit 8, a single-player looping hospital horror game focused on observation and decision-based progression, positioning it among indie games inspired by titles like The Exit and attracting horror-gaming audiences.

Darnell Strom has been appointed to lead UTA’s U.K. office, a leadership hire that signals agency reinforcement in the U.K. market.

Locus’ weekly bestseller roundup shows genre titles (SF/fantasy) like James S.A. Corey’s The Faith of Beasts debuting strongly on multiple lists and a range of fantasy/genre paperbacks and hardcovers moving up or holding placement across NYT, PW and Amazon charts.

Grimmfest announced BIFA qualifying status for both shorts and features—films selected for Grimmfest now count toward the two-festival requirement for BIFA eligibility, boosting the festival's standing as a launchpad for UK indie genre filmmakers.

At EFM buyers and distributors flagged TikTok/#FilmTok as an accelerating discovery and marketing channel that’s reshaping pre-sales and SVOD acquisition strategies, with execs adapting release windows and festival strategies to account for short-form audience-driven hits.

‘Follow the Dark’ is a cerebral horror project exploring grief, parallel realities and survival preparing to launch a Kickstarter campaign—signal of indie horror financing via crowdfunding and a project positioned for festival/DIY distribution.

Damian McCarthy’s psychological folk-horror Hokum starring Adam Scott premiered at SXSW (March 14, 2026) and opens in U.S. theaters May 1, 2026 after near-simultaneous international rollouts beginning April 29; marketing will lean into slow-burn, Lynchian atmosphere.

Netflix has set a release date for a new sci‑fi survival thriller starring Wagner Moura — Collider teases the announcement (film title and platform-wide rollout implied) though the excerpt omits specific date and distribution details.

Netflix will premiere Louis Leterrier’s sci‑fi thriller The Last House (starring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura) on Aug. 7; script by Matthew Robinson and producers include Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping for Chernin Entertainment.

Netflix's Leave the World Behind is a localized apocalyptic/psychological thriller following two families cut off during a mysterious blackout; series centers on Amanda (Julia Roberts), Clay (Ethan Hawke) and G.H. (Mahershala Ali) and leans into tech-dependence anxiety and survival tension.

Production wrapped on supernatural thriller You Can't Leave in Dallas; Spencer Boldman (who is also an EP) and Paola Andino star, Scott Windhauser wrote/directed, and Guilder Cinema Group will release domestically in October 2026 with international digital windows planned for November 2026.

Production is underway in Northern Ireland on supernatural horror-thriller Hide and Don’t Speak, with Momona Tamada, Kaitlyn Kemp and John Hewson joining Tanner Buchanan, Garrett Wareing and Quvenzhané Wallis; Alexander J. Farrell directs for producers Range Media Partners and Mister Smith is handling international sales.

Production has begun on Amazon MGM’s culinary thriller Tyrant directed by David Weil, with new cast additions Paapa Essiedu, Hudson Williams, Omar Apollo and Nara Smith joining leads Charlize Theron, Julia Garner and Demi Moore on an L.A.-shot film produced by The Picture Company and Secret Menu.

Matthew Lillard credits nostalgia for reviving his career—notes recent genre credits include Five Nights at Freddy’s and Scream 7 and teases possibly reprising Shaggy in an upcoming animated Scooby project.

IFC and Shudder released new images for Saccharine — Natalie Erika James’ supernatural body‑horror about a medical student consuming human ashes — starring Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald and Madeleine Madden, with a theatrical release set for May 22, 2026.

Scream Factory TV will run a 'Half-O-Ween' horror marathon April 30–May 3 on its free streaming service, featuring titles such as Elvira’s Haunted Hills, Succubus, Sleepaway Camp, C.H.U.D. and Children of the Corn.

MOVIES & MANIA highlights the 1960/1962 cult Euro shocker Horrors of Spider Island (aka It’s Hot in Paradise) and notes Severin Films’ 2020 Blu‑ray restoration, with viewing options via free AVOD services and archival extras.

iHorror reviews ZombieCON Vol. 1 (SXSW premiere), praising its authentic fan-con setting and noting the film’s festival presence and SXSW audience reception as strengths for its indie horror profile.

The LA Times Book Prizes named winners across categories with genre-relevant winners including Silvia Park’s Luminous (SF/F) and Stephen Graham Jones’ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter (short fiction), signaling continued trade recognition for contemporary speculative and horror-adjacent authors.

Verity — a psychological thriller adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel written by Nick Antosca and directed by Michael Showalter — released its trailer; the film stars Dakota Johnson and Anne Hathaway, co-stars Josh Hartnett, and is scheduled to open October 2, 2026.

Prime Video and MGM+ are releasing Spider-Noir (linear on MGM+ May 25, Prime Video May 27), a 1930s-set live-action noir Spider-Man offshoot starring Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly with co-showrunners Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot and producers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal; the series is offered in both black‑and‑white and color cuts.

True Ronin Games released a demo for Eternal Haunt, a first-person survival horror title inspired by Amnesia and Japanese folklore (Kwaidan), positioning the project for indie-horror gamer attention and feedback ahead of full release.

Critical Reflex revealed three publishing projects — SOS Recordings (a haunting historical-mystery on Steam), Cucina Stellata (culinary horror), and Grobnopolis Last Days — with SOS Recordings adapting a real-life unsolved case and launching on Steam later this year.