Horror Industry News — Friday, May 1, 2026

Sony/Columbia; Cregger says the film lives alongside Resident Evil 2 and minimizes traditional zombie set-pieces in favor of “weird creature” mechanics and evolving antagonists; film emphasizes game-like rhythm, weapon progression and resource scarcity across escalating set pieces.

Lionsgate and Blumhouse/Atomic Monster are rebooting the Blair Witch franchise with Dylan Clark set to direct and original star Michael C. Williams boarding as an executive producer; project is in development and positioned as a new entry rather than a straight remake.

$337K cost and four-day shoot for CJ ENM’s AI-powered horror feature The House; actors filmed on green screen while Google Imagen, Nano Banana and Veo generated every background and creature, framing the film as a proof of concept for slashing VFX budgets on effects-heavy genre work.

Consumers filed an antitrust challenge arguing the Paramount Skydance–Warner Bros Discovery tie-up would lessen competition across premium programming, national news and theatrical distribution; complaint cites prior Paramount takeover by Skydance and seeks injunction plus divestiture remedies under the Clayton Act.

Netflix has started production on Under Paris 2 in southern France with Alexandre Aja boarding to direct and Xavier Gens staying on as co-writer; original stars Bérénice Bejo and Nassim Lyes return and the franchise arrives off 102M+ Netflix views for the first film.

$111 billion Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery faces a fresh antitrust and 'viewpoint diversity' complaint filed by five consumers seeking to block the merger; plaintiffs argue consolidation will reduce competition and editorial independence while Paramount denies the suit's merit.

Neon distributing Damian McCarthy’s folk-horror hotel pic Hokum; Adam Scott leads in a tightly calibrated, atmosphere-driven film with standout production design, Colm Hogan DP, Joseph Bishara score and editor Brian Philip Davis shaping effective scares; McCarthy returns to thematic objects from his prior films.

Archive 81 (2022) supernatural mystery series is now streaming on Netflix and drawing renewed fan praise for slow-burn occult and found-footage elements; lack of renewal despite a self-contained season remains a fandom talking point that could influence streamer commissioning for similar genre anthology projects.

Two Brothers Pictures and Rebellion are co-producing a TV adaptation of BAFTA-winning game Atomfall with Harry and Jack Williams writing and Jason and Chris Kingsley EPing; the series will expand the game’s Lake District quarantine-zone mythology and lever the game’s 3.7M-player footprint to drive audience carryover.

Paramount has released the six-minute stop-motion/live-action short The Littles starring Violet McGraw online; the short is a previously acquired festival title that Paramount plans to expand into a feature adaptation.

Apple TV+ launches its 10-episode Cape Fear psychological horror series with a June 5 two-episode global premiere; showrunner Nick Antosca leads the project with executive producers Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg and cast including Amy Adams, Javier Bardem and Patrick Wilson.

Apple TV+ is building a long-term Cosmere franchise across film and TV after acquiring Brandon Sanderson's universe; project positioning aims to evolve from fantasy origins into a galaxy-spanning sci-fi epic and establish a major IP pipeline for the streamer.

Kevin Bacon boards Hulu pilot Southern Bastards, adapted from the graphic novels; project centers on a tenacious military vet played by Erin Kellyman confronting organized crime run by a character played by Tim McGraw, positioning the series as a crime-thriller with high-profile casting and production activity in Atlanta.

$24 billion in sovereign-fund equity committed to the Paramount takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery; Rep. Sam Liccardo urges the FCC to reject foreign-ownership approval citing national-security and press-independence concerns as the proposed funds would hold ~38.5% equity and push total foreign investment toward 50%.

$111B Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery takeover faces regulatory and labor friction; unions including the WGA and Teamsters have flagged layoffs and production impacts, potential DOJ/FTC review is automatic given the deal size and disclosed termination/penalty figures.

$643.1M Q1 revenue; net loss narrowed to $6.4M driven by 24M patrons and higher concessions; Cinemark is expanding PLF screens and pressing studios on theatrical windows amid studio consolidation talk and Netflix theatrical experiments.

Steve Hilton proposes a federal production tax incentive layered atop state credits with rates up to 60% and never below 40%, plus uncapped state credits and reserved allocations for indie mid‑budget productions; plan aims to reverse production exodus and would materially reshape U.S. competitiveness with Canada/UK/Australia on film shoots.

Cinemark narrowed Q1 net loss to $6M on $643M revenue as a stronger box office mix — including Paramount’s Scream 7, Sony’s GOAT and indie horror hits like Iron Lung — helped lift domestic grosses to $1.77B for the quarter; CEO Sean Gamble backed studios’ shift to a 45‑day theatrical window as a positive correction for smaller titles.

Wasserman is up for sale with bidders circling and a multibillion-dollar price tag on the table; the auction is reshaping representation stakes and signals consolidation pressure in the talent-agency market while regulators probe other entertainment gatekeepers.

Sony Future Filmmaker Awards shortlist confirmed; winners attend Sony Pictures Studios June program; Future Format winner announced (Innocent Yama Lamido) receives Sony imaging kit and program invitation.

Summer 2026 preview highlights a horror-forward slate including Damian McCarthy’s Irish shocker Hokum, Curry Baker’s TIFF-buzzed Obsession, André Øvredal’s Passenger (Paramount), and A24’s much-hyped Backrooms adaptation; positions horror as counterprogramming across the season and flags high-profile genre titles that could shift audience dynamics.

Indie title Dice of Arcana blends Baltaro-style roguelike mechanics with first‑person, narrative horror aboard a cursed caravan; demo shows finger‑losing stakes, collectible minis and dice, and strong worldbuilding that could position it as a standout in creepy tabletop-adjacent games.

Visit Films has lined up a Cannes sales slate including Sophia Takal’s thriller Act One (buyers screening ahead of Tribeca), SXSW and Sundance selections and documentaries with Magnolia attached for North America, positioning the company as a market conduit for indie festival titles.

Finestkind, produced by Taylor Sheridan and starring Jenna Ortega, is experiencing a streaming resurgence on Paramount+ across multiple Latin American markets; Ortega’s star power credited for lifting the film despite weak critical reception.

Apple TV+’s Widow’s Bay premieres as a 10-episode, tonal horror-comedy that establishes a cursed New England island mythos; Matthew Rhys headlines, Katie Dippold created the series, and the first two episodes set up fog-based supernatural threats and town-versus-outsider tension.

Criterion Channel adds out-of-print Criterion Collection audio extras for Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop (1987) to its streaming lineup; primary value is archival audio commentary resurfacing for cinephile and genre audiences ahead of the film's 40th anniversary.

Raven Banner acquires genre titles Deathgasm and I Am Thor for distribution; the boutique genre outfit expands its catalog with a gorey metal‑horror (Deathgasm) and a music‑doc (I Am Thor), signaling continued demand for festival‑to‑specialist distro buys.

Production has wrapped on The Farmer And The Shark, a feature documentary about Craig Kingsbury’s influence on Jaws; John Campopiano directs, Laurence Gornall’s Unannounced Film Company is handling worldwide sales, and the film is set for release later this year with the team highlighting the island community’s role in making Jaws a blockbuster.

Quiver Distribution has acquired worldwide rights to Kristian McKay’s Texas-shot horror thriller KillTrip; ensemble cast and summer release set for July 17, with Obscura Films producing and Stelio Savante brokering the deal.

Creature Commandos showrunner Dean Lorey says season 2 scripts are nearly complete and animatics are underway, teases the S02E01 title 'Starry Night' and confirms a beefed-up roster that keeps returning cast members and new creature designs as Warner Bros. Animation fast-tracks the season.

Monarch Season 2 ends with Kong and new Titan Co’cai (Titan X) clashing on Skull Island before the fight resolves in a maternal stalemate; Isabel Simmons’ weaponization of Apex neural tech is exposed and foils her plan, setting up Monarch Season 3 with Rodan teased and a reconstituted Monarch team led by Tim.

Netflix, Left Bank (Sony Pictures) and Screen Scotland launch a Dept. Q training programme creating 20 paid on-set trainee roles for Scottish crew on the hit series’ next season to boost local production pathways and address recent crew-location controversies.

AMC+ acquired U.S. rights to Crave's Yaga, securing North American streaming for the title and expanding AMC+'s genre slate; the pickup follows the Canadian release and signals continued U.S. demand for international horror/folklore-driven content.

Neon releases final character posters for Hokum as the film opens theatrically tonight; marketing push highlights Adam Scott and co-stars to support a specialty theatrical roll-out.

Hollywood is increasingly pushing movie promotion into gaming platforms like Fortnite and Roblox to drive engagement; Sawhorse co‑founder Nic Hill says majors are activating across these spaces, and Rockstar's GTA6 UGC rumors represent a major new opportunity for R‑rated and edgier titles.

Robert Kirkman argues manga readership funnels new customers to Image Comics because Image’s slate spans horror, sci‑fi and varied genres; Kirkman frames Invincible and Energon adaptations as catalysts for broader market growth.

Damien Fannon’s AI-themed horror Ivan premiered at Panic Fest and will screen at Grimmfest; poster exclusive debuts signal festival trajectory and genre positioning for tech-driven horror.

A24 teases deeper scares for Kane Parsons’ Backrooms with a new clip that hints at a stalking presence; Chiwetel Ejiofor leads as a furniture-store owner discovering a vast, escalating liminal maze alongside Renate Reinsve, Lukita Maxwell and Finn Bennett, with the film set to hit May 29, 2026.

Indie developer GPTRACK50 drops a new four-minute gameplay trailer for Stupid Never Dies showcasing 11 playable 'Styles' (demons, werewolves, vampires) and a theft-of-abilities mechanic; trailer positions the title as a genre-leaning indie with shape-shifting horror-combat appeal.