Friday, July 31, 2026

Warner Bros. is moving to mount its own Elm Street film to counter Paramount’s domestic-rights play; Lee Cronin is in talks to write, direct and produce. Warner only controls overseas rights, turning A Nightmare on Elm Street into a split-territory race to production.

Searchlight Pictures taps Final Destination: Bloodlines duo Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky to direct Desperation; the Stephen King adaptation pairs a supernatural Nevada mining-town setup with a long-awaited Raimi/King crossover.

Warner Bros. Discovery has taken A24’s 'Crystal Lake' for HBO Max across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, excluding the U.K. and Ireland. Peacock keeps U.S. rights on the 'Friday the 13th' prequel, which stars Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees and is due later this year.

$500M five-year renewal gives Netflix co-exclusive rights to 371 episodes and six spinoffs of 'The Walking Dead' across the UK, Italy, Australia, New Zealand and new U.S. territory rights; AMC+ keeps the franchise starting next year.

Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Madeline Brewer and Emory Cohen have boarded Parker Finn’s Possession remake at Paramount, joining Margaret Qualley, Paul Dano, Diego Calva and Callum Turner. The cult 1981 title is back in motion for a 2027 release, with the cast stacking proven genre names around Finn’s latest horror play.

Shudder has locked worldwide rights to Nightborn, Hanna Bergholm’s follow-up to Hatching; the Finnish horror title moves into the streamer’s pipeline after its competition bow.

Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil leans on 1980s set-piece DNA for Austin Abrams’ lead character; the Sony adaptation is locked for September 18, 2026 and keeps the reboot in active production mode.

Shudder picks up Mia-Kate Russell’s ozploitation horror feature Penny Lane Is Dead, a 1986 Australia-set splatter pic where a cupcake game turns deadly. The streamer adds another genre title as the film heads into its release path.

Rotterdam-feted folk horror Bokshi locks an Indian theatrical rollout for Oct. 9, 2026; Bhargav Saikia’s debut played Sitges, Neuchâtel and SXSW Sydney before landing local distribution.

TIFF: The Market runs Sept. 10-16 with Gary Oldman, Robbie Brenner, Curry Barker, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler among the first wave of speakers; the inaugural market is being positioned as a commerce hub alongside festival programming, including Obsession’s breakout profile.

Netflix is extending its sci-fi horror franchise with a live-action spin-off, another IP expansion play off a breakout genre hit. The move signals continued platform appetite for high-concept horror brands with built-in audience recognition.

Stan sets Aug. 13 for Natalie Erika James' Saccharine after Sundance; the body-horror feature has already cleared Sydney, a U.S./U.K. Shudder launch and a theatrical run via Maslow Entertainment.

Jason Voorhees lands in Hellbreak through a Jason Universe collaboration with Ghost Galaxy, Spin Master and Universal Products & Experiences; the crossover widens Friday the 13th’s licensing reach beyond screen content.

14M-subscriber Stromedy creator expands into film with independently produced psychological horror short built around a signature Stromedy Universe character; capital backs larger entertainment-project push.

Prime Video’s The Devil’s Mouth hit the streamer’s charts in 50 countries within days of its July 29 drop; FlixPatrol has Jeff Wadlow’s shark thriller top three globally despite a 38% critics score and 21% audience score.

Sony Pictures Classics is taking majority global rights to Andy Garcia's Cannes-premiered Diamond, leaving France, Germany, Italy and CIS outside the deal. CAA Media Finance handled the sale, with The Veterans overseeing international rights.

Fantasia will host the world premiere of Cape Fear’s final episode, a first for the fest’s screening of an American streaming series; Apple drops the finale the next day with Nick Antosca and Patrick Wilson on hand.

Fantasia marks its 30th anniversary with Justine Smith spotlighting the fest’s legacy and Canadian genre premieres, including Ancestral Beasts, Bowels of Hell and Yeon Sang-ho’s Colony.

HBO has ordered a five-episode limited series on the Louise Woodward trial, with Meghann Fahy starring, Susanne Bier directing and Matthew Barry writing. Production kicks off in August for a 2027 release, giving HBO a prestige true-crime play built around a case that once dominated transatlantic headlines.

Skybound and Wales Interactive are rolling out new $19.99 and $39.99 digital editions of Sker Ritual across Steam, Epic, PlayStation, and Xbox; the horror shooter has topped 2 million players worldwide.

Netflix US adds Revival on Aug. 24; the 10-episode license doubles as a renewal test, with the streamer signaling Season 2 is on the table if viewership and completion rates land.

MUBI is distributing Jane Schoenbrun’s slasher feature Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, produced by Plan B; Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder co-star in the meta-horror package.

Yellow Veil Pictures acquired David Kittredge’s documentary Boorman and the Devil, set for theatrical release August 28. Venice-premiering film revisits John Boorman’s maligned 1977 Exorcist II, which grossed just over $30 million versus the original’s $193 million, with Martin Scorsese among its defenders.

Amazon MGM is backing Heat 2 at $165M after Warner Bros. and a Sony/Paramount split fell apart; a $40M California rebate and a November start finally put Michael Mann’s sequel on track.

$105M damages claim lands after Netflix’s L.A. office lost an unencrypted Fortitude drive; the lawsuit says the theft compromised the film’s acquisition value, police response and awards push.

A24’s Mother Mary, starring Anne Hathaway as a pop icon and featuring songs by Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX and FKA Twigs, is heading to streaming; Mashable named it one of 2026’s favorite films.

Netflix is closing out 'Conversations with a Killer' with a Charles Manson installment later this summer, sealing the true-crime doc strand's final chapter with Joe Berlinger.

Bleecker Street has landed Zachary Wigon’s Victorian Psycho after A24 passed, giving Maika Monroe’s ultra-violent Gothic horror adaptation a fall theatrical release; Jason Isaacs and Thomasin McKenzie co-star.

NEON sets Alexander Ullom’s feature debut It Ends for Aug. 21 theatrical; the Gen Z horror hangout follows four college grads stranded on a road that keeps stretching into the void.

Mad Cave is launching Victoria Jaguar, a five-issue supernatural miniseries from Underworld creator Mark London with painted interiors by Marco Rudy; another horror-IP play from the comics side of the market.