A Grab Bag of Horror News, 16 to 22 Feb 2025

A selection of things that caught our attention in the world of horror this week

Bite-Sized Horror News

Vale

Condolences to family, friends, and fans of Italian screenwriter Rossella Drudi. Drudi scripted or co-scripted dozens of horror movies from the 1980s to the present, including Troll 2, Rats: Night of Terror, and Hell of the Living Dead. RIP.

Horror Book Bits

Dark Horse Books is releasing an updated art book edition of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In.
A movie tie-in edition of Adam Cesare’s Clown in a Cornfield releases on 1 April 2025.
Clarence Hammond’s short horror story Final Boarding is getting a movie adaptation.
Tim Waggoner is writing the Terrifier 3 movie tie-in novel.
Stephen King’s and Richard Chizmar’s Gwendy trilogy is now available in a 656-page omnibus edition.

Horror Movie Morsels

Creepypasta The Third Parent is getting a movie adaptation.
The Gorge is apparently the biggest movie launch in Apple TV+ history.
Heart Eyes made more money in its second weekend than its first.

Horror TV Treats

Yellowjackets, Season 3, Episode 1, is Paramount’s “most-streamed episode in series history”.
Italian horror classic Phenomena (known as Creepers in the US) is being adapted into a horror teen drama.

Horror Game Goodies

Weird survival horror game Golden Light is available for free on Steam until 24 Feb 2025.

Horror Festival Fare

Year-round immersive horror experience Universal Horror Unleashed opens on 14 August 2025.

“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us.”
William Golding, Lord of the Flies

Writing Horror

Some places accepting submissions

Elder Things Expeditions anthology (Hiraeth Publishing)
Pays: 8 cents per word for the first 3000 words and 3 cents per word thereafter
The anthology explores three sections of time in exploration of Antarctica leading to revelations about the nature of the denizens, normal and paranormal, residing there.
Submissions close: 31 Mar 2025

Foofaraw anthology
Pays: 1 cent per word
Looking for: Stories that align to one of these two definitions of ‘foofaraw’: 1. A great fuss or disturbance about something very insignificant, 2. An excessive amount of decoration or ornamentation, as on a piece of clothing, a building, etc.
Submissions close: 31 Mar 2025

Horror novels (Burial Books)
Pays: One time payment + royalty percentage
Looking for: Horror novels over 60,000 words
Submissions close: 31 Oct 2025

Upcoming submission calls

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores
Pays: 8 cents per word for new fiction, 2 cents per word for reprints
Looking for: Science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form from around the world
Submissions open 1st and 2nd day of every month

Cosmic horror novellas by BIPOC authors (Sobelo Books)
Pays: $500 advance + royalties
Submissions open 1 Mar and close 31 Mar 2025

“There is no folly of the beast of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of man.”
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick or, The Whale

Trailer Horror

A taste of things to come.

Horror TV Trailers

Wolf King. Animated werewolf horror. A young commoner comes of age and learns he’s the last of a long line of werewolves and heir to the throne. Netflix, 20 Mar 2025

Horror Movie Trailers

Armed. Robot horror. A cold war era robot hunts a group of veteran marines who have stolen a shipment of weapons from the military. VOD, 4 Mar 2025

Bring Her Back. Supernatural horror. A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother. Cinema, 30 May 2025

Butcher’s Bluff. Slasher horror. College film students seek to capitalize on the dark twisted urban legend of the Hogman as the subject of their thesis film. VOD, 11 Mar 2025

Cannibal Mukbang. Food horror. Mark becomes smitten with the outgoing and mysterious Ash. But as his feelings for her intensify, so does his unexpected submersion into Ash’s biggest love: the wild world of mukbang. VOD, 25 Mar 2025

Clown in a Cornfield. Clown slasher horror. Kettle Springs is already dying, but Frendo, a symbol of the town’s success, decides to speed up the process. Cinema, 9 May 2025

Don’t Get Eaten. Zombie apocalypse horror. Noah is having great luck with his zombie survival online video channel, until an actual zombie apocalypse disrupts his plans. VOD, 4 Mar 2025

Marshmallow. Summer camp horror. At a secluded summer camp, a mysterious figure begins stalking the camp and the young campers embark on a perilous journey to confront their deepest fears. Limited release, 11 Apr 2025

Nazi Zombies. Zombie horror. A group of friends practicing witchcraft near a WWII burial ground accidentally awaken a band of Nazi zombies. Release date TBA

Silent Zone. Zombie apocalypse horror. A resourceful teen and her protector fight for survival, testing the limits of hope and loyalty. VOD, 7 Mar 2025

There’s a Zombie Outside. Psychological horror. Having once found solace in art, a man whose identity is intertwined with cult cinema soon begins to have issues distinguishing fact from fiction when he believes he’s seeing a monster from his movies for real. VOD, 4 Mar 2025

The Wild. Psychological horror. After the death of their friend, Emilia, Finn, and Lucey attempt to reconnect on an annual camping trip, but things grow increasingly strange and uncomfortable in the isolated forest as their friendship unravels. VOD, 7 Mar 2025

Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Cosmic horror. A renowned dream scientist is called to Arkham Asylum to study a strange case of split personality. VOD, 4 Mar 2025

Horror Game Trailers

The Bornless. Lovecraftian horror. Fight against other players, summon demons, acquire powerful weapons, upgrade a Safehouse, and master the dark arts of Black Magick to survive. PC playtest, 1 Mar 2025

Dreadzone. Survival horror. In a quarantine zone, scavenge for resources, craft tools, build shelter, and survive against dangerous animals, zombies, mutants, and other survivors. Steam, Apr 2025

Static Dread: 15 Nights at the Lighthouse. Lovecraftian horror. Embody a lighthouse keeper and guide ships to safety via radio. As sailors trust in the guidance provided, survive the horrors of the abyss to not allow the shadows to consume them. Demo available

“Fear is a hungry beast. The more you feed it, the more it grows.”
Kerri Maniscalco, Stalking Jack the Ripper

A Selection of Horror Books Released this Week

6 horror books this week. Themes: Supernatural, ghost, sci-fi, creature, and historical werewolf horror

See: A Selection of Horror Books Released, 16 to 22 Feb 2025

“The man was hit in one eye by a stone, and that eye turned inward so that it looked into his mind, and he died of what he saw there.”
Patricia A. McKillip, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

A Selection of Horror Movies Released this Week

7 horror movies this week. Themes: Supernatural, psychological, western, and home invasion horror

See: A Selection of Horror Movies Released, 16 to 22 Feb 2025

“Because inside me is a beast that snarls, and growls, and strains toward freedom… and as hard as I try, I cannot kill it.”
Veronica Roth, Insurgent

What We Were Thinking About this Week

Agate Way by Laird Barron (novelette, Reactor Magazine)
The Collector by Laura Kat Young (novel)
The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden (novel)
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (novel)

“We shall all have to be judged according to our works, whether they be towards man or towards beast.”
Anna Sewell, Black Beauty

And Now For Something Completely Different

SMBC Comics on Instagram

Horror-Themed Shopping

See the FearSome Fiction shop for horror designs available on a wide variety of T-shirts, tanks, sweatshirts, and hoodies, as well as bags, notebooks, phone cases, pillows, duvets, blankets, bath mats, and more.