Horror Industry News — Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Shudder greenlit production on season two of Hell Motel, subtitled Murder at Red Mountain, with Devon Sawa starring and Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter returning as showrunners; Shaftesbury produces with Ontario and Canadian tax incentives participating, strengthening Shudder’s anthology franchise and Canadian production pipeline.

Canadian-Hungarian co-pro Controllers boards Cassian Elwes and Veronica Ferres as producers with Telefilm Canada support and Myriad Pictures handling international sales; Adam Azimov makes his feature directing debut on this atmospheric, intimate horror-thriller about sisters isolated after an outbreak who fear infected 'Controllers' capable of manipulating others via touch.

Andy and Barbara Muschietti are steering HBO's It: Welcome to Derry to expand Pennywise's world with a more explicitly anti‑fascist, politically charged bent; the siblings leverage their It feature success to reframe the mythology for serialized TV.

Globoplay boards and will co-produce Ex Machina Studios’ eight-episode AI-enabled sci-fi series Space Nation with Marco Weber and Martin Weisz attached as co-creators and Weisz directing all episodes; Utopai Studios will supply an AI production engine (PAI Pro) and K5 International handles worldwide distribution at Cannes.

$750K production budget; Focus paid $15M at TIFF to acquire Curry Barker’s Obsession; indie horror surged to beat Michael on Monday with strong Monday legs and an A- CinemaScore, fueling studio interest that led Barker to deals with Paramount and A24 and work with Aaron Paul.

Kane Parsons’ Backrooms has been transformed from internet creepypasta into an A24-produced feature, illustrating studios’ appetite for meme-origin IP and the mining of internet-native horror for mainstream theatrical releases.

Philip Barantini boards Netflix's remake of The Getaway with Peter Craig writing; the creative team is weighing a return to Jim Thompson's darker novel ending, which would shift tone away from prior film adaptations.

Balboa Productions, led by Sylvester Stallone, is adapting J.D. Barker’s 4MK book series for screen development; project positions Barker’s horror-thriller IP for a studio/producer-driven adaptation and adds a recognizable production banner to the property.

Agent Kim Reactivated will simulcast on Netflix and SBS starting June 27, 2026; 10-episode action-thriller adaptation of webtoon Manager Kim stars So Ji Sub and is positioned as a Korean-to-global licensed property with weekly episodes through July 25.

Sam Raimi boards a remake of 1978’s psychological horror Magic with writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon attached, raising creative questions about tonal fit given Raimi’s penchant for gore versus the original’s slow-burn dread and signaling studio interest in reviving lesser-known genre IP.

Tubi; Warner Bros. Animation and OLM producing Yokoso Scooby-Doo!, the franchise’s first original anime series starring Frank Welker and Matthew Lillard; exclusive to Tubi in North America and Cartoon Network internationally, set in Japan with new characters including Scooby’s uncle Daisuke-Doo.

Disney’s Disney Channel/Disney+ franchise Zombies expands with Zombies 5: Secrets of the Sea; original stars Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly shift to executive-producer roles as production prepares to begin in New Zealand for a 2027 debut and the story introduces mermaids to Rayburn.

Christopher McQuarrie writing and directing King Conan with Arnold Schwarzenegger set to return; production eyeing to begin filming next year and revives the sword-and-sorcery IP after decades of development stalls.

Netflix is remaking the 1972 action thriller The Getaway with Philip Barantini directing and Peter Craig writing; the project reunites Netflix with a proven auteur and leans into high-profile genre remakes, signalling continued streamer investment in prestige action IP.

Mass layoffs and executive reshuffle at Disney extend into Marvel; multiple VP+ roles cleared and Dan Buckley exits Marvel Comics while Brad Winderbaum and David Abdo assume expanded franchise/publishing responsibilities, signaling a strategic consolidation of creative and franchise oversight across Disney's IP portfolio.

Felicia Prinz exits Verve after 13 years to join Range Media Partners as a Partner and manager in its Film/TV division, bringing multiple scripted TV clients and strengthening Range Studios’ scripted television pipeline alongside recent hire Nishika Kumble.

California IATSE Council and AFM Local 47 endorsed Mayor Karen Bass, citing her work to streamline permitting, expand film/TV tax credits and bring productions back to L.A.; unions position the endorsement ahead of the June 2 primary as production-friendly policy leverage for local industry infrastructure.

$34.5 billion acquisition of Cox by Charter; deal set to close mid-2026 pending final state approval with integration plans to roll Spectrum consumer branding and bundle ad-supported streaming into pay-TV packages to boost customer lifetime value.

Skybound hires an editor and promotes a VP while Prana DMS launches a Crowdfunding Division staffed by two comics veterans, signaling staffing investment in IP development and alternative financing routes that could lift genre projects into production pipelines.

Google unveiled Gemini Omni Flash, a video-focused generative-AI model that claims physics-aware, conversational video generation and avatar voice synthesis; capabilities could materially affect low-budget VFX, indie horror previsualization, and virtual production workflows while raising governance and IP questions for studios and guilds.

Disney confirms Hulu will continue as a standalone US app and will not be shut down; profile syncing between Hulu and Disney+ rolls out May 19, 2026, with a unified streaming UX and backend migration planned for 2026, signaling major platform consolidation moves that affect distribution for genre catalogs.

Disney is consolidating Hulu into Disney+ on one back-end with a unified app rollout slated for 2026; bundle subscribers will be able to sync profiles and Hulu content will be accessible via Disney+ while Disney says there are no current plans to immediately sunset the standalone Hulu app.

Quebec’s SODEC signed a cooperation pact with Film Fund Luxembourg to streamline co‑production, financing and cross‑border development between the two territories; agreement aims to facilitate access to reciprocal incentives and markets.

Advocacy/opinion piece arguing to reinstate fin‑syn rules to break vertical integration and rebuild the indie production ecosystem; positions policy reform as a structural remedy for consolidated studio/platform dominance with major implications for indie genre producers if enacted.

Roku launches a creator-focused hub and expands FAST channel partnerships to deepen creator-first programming and ad-supported distribution; move broadens FAST inventory and offers creators new monetization and discovery pathways on Roku's platform.

Telefilm-driven shift toward “audience‑centred” policy is reframing Canadian screen funding; argues audience strategy must move from checkbox exercise to early-stage, community-led positioning that pairs distribution pathways to cultural purpose and market opportunity.

Paramount’s Passenger opens May 22, 2026; first clip shows a brutal van-related scare from André Øvredal’s demonic stalker thriller starring Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell and Melissa Leo, reinforcing Paramount’s spring horror slate.

Sundance Midnight selection Saccharine blends ghost-story beats with contemporary body horror; Natalie Erika James directs Midori Francis in a film about a diet drug made from human ashes that opens May 22 in theaters via Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Hysteria Fest unveils first-wave programming including Midwest premiere Ugly Cry, world premiere Hag, a Japanese horror focus, and a slate of world premieres and repertory screenings; festival growth signals rising platform for underground genre films and cross-border programmer interest.

Cannes 2026 spotlight on five YouTube creators positions creator‑led short‑form filmmakers as an emerging funnel for genre talent discovery and festival programming; signals Cannes’ widening hunt for new voices in horror.

Ryota Kondo boards summer shoot for horror Afunruparo in Hokkaido; Synca Creations producing with completion slated for February 2027 and the film leaning into Ainu-linked folklore and a 'sawari' spiritual contamination premise, positioning Kondo as a rising J‑horror director after Missing Child Videotape.

Paramount's Passenger, directed by André Øvredal, rolls out a tense clip ahead of its May 22 theatrical debut; studio backing and Øvredal's horror credentials keep the title on buyers' radars for box office and post-The Autopsy momentum.

Controllers, produced by the teams behind Infinity Pool and Dust Bunny, greenlights Adam Azimo's feature debut as a post-outbreak psychological survival horror about a family in isolation; producing pedigree positions it for festival play and indie genre sales.

Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell lands as a bruising cyberpunk-sci‑fi horror that dazzles visually but flattens character work; leads include Sophie Thatcher, Dougray Scott, and Kristine Froseth and NEON is handling distribution visibility.

Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord boards Sebastian Stan in a challenging lead role; Cannes screening positions the Norway-set domestic nightmare as a procedural moral-thriller about child protective services, cultural clash, and bureaucratic surveillance.

December 18, 2026 wide theatrical launch for Avengers: Doomsday; Russo Brothers directed, Michael Waldron and Stephen McFeely wrote, Kevin Feige and the Russos producing; stacked returning cast includes Downey Jr. and Evans plus Hemsworth, Pugh, Mackie and more; film described as a “complete reinvention” and will be immediately followed by Avengers: Secret Wars due Dec. 17, 2027.

Dan Aykroyd debuts Soulhider, a supernatural/alien-themed novel set for October 27, 2026 from HarperCollins; the book leans into Aykroyd’s long-standing interest in the paranormal but contains no film/TV adaptation deal yet.

Adam Cesare’s Mercy House is being re-released this Halloween with new cover art by Matt Ryan Tobin; Bloody Disgusting is debuting the artwork ahead of the novel’s relaunch, reinforcing Cesare’s ongoing visibility in the horror publishing-to-screen pipeline.

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival gameplay trailer showcases the Genesis Configuration as a combat-and-puzzle mechanic emphasizing gruesome executions and environment manipulation; the game launches later this year on PS5, Xbox Series and PC, extending the franchise’s transmedia presence.

Frank Beddor is launching ‘The Looking Glass Wars: House of Cards’ on Steam this summer as part of a multi‑format rollout for his trilogy’s 20th anniversary, with veteran designer Lee Thomas developing the deck‑builder and Automatic Pictures/Automatic Publishing steering simultaneous plans for comics, an artbook Kickstarter, a West End musical and a UK TV adaptation.

Tribeca Film Festival unveils a limited-edition poster highlighting its Escape from Tribeca midnight genre strand as the 25th festival ramps up; move spotlights Tribeca's increasing commitment to horror and midnight programming as a buyer/market signal.

Red Barrels releases Season 6.1: Prime Time update for survival-horror game The Outlast Trials, expanding its Television Studio setting and new Reagent mechanics; ongoing live-service drops sustain player engagement and monetization runway for the franchise.

The Summoning, an indie creepypasta anthology also titled The Summoning of Baby Blue, sets a June 5 VOD release via Brainstorm Media and centers on teens summoning an urban-legend entity while a babysitting gig unravels into survival horror.