Bite-sized horror news
Horror book bits
- Keith Rosson’s vampire novel Coffin Moon is getting a TV series adaptation.
- David Dastmalchian’s Good Fiend Films has added a literature division called Good Field Lit. The first initiative is Buried in Books, a quarterly bookclub, with the first session to be held at New York Comic Con on 9 Oct 2026 where Dastmalchian will chat with authors Nat Cassidy, Tananarive Due, and Josh Malerman.
- The 20th anniversary edition of Tim Waggoner’s supernatural horror novel Like Death will be published by Crystal Lake Publishing, as will the new sequel, Like Death 2: Kill Them All.
- Joe Bob Briggs is getting his own monster-hunting comic book series with the first issue releasing in Dec 2026.
Horror movie morsels
- Jordan Peele’s No Drama initiative is back for seconds. Three $50,000 grants are up for grabs to filmmakers who deliver a short film script exploring two themes: Fear is universal and Monsters are personal.
- Gremlins 3 has been pushed almost 11 months into the future with a new release date of 6 Oct 2028.
- A Silent Hill reboot is on the way, but no one knows if it will be a movie or a TV series.
- Hell House LLC will screen in cinemas for the first time on 29 Oct 2026.
- The Crypt Keeper (from Tales from the Crypt) is hosting this year’s AMC FearFest programming event and he will have a “refreshed look, movement, and personality”.
- Screambox and Found TV will be co-streaming 25 found footage movies and 3 co-exclusive movies in early 2027.
- From 2 Oct 2026, a sing-along version of Buddy will screen in cinemas.
- In movie ratings news, Godzilla Minus Zero is the first in the franchise to receive an R rating and Whalefall has been rated PG-13.
- Congratulations to all the Fantastic Fest 2026 winners, including Bloody Tennis, Ghost in the Cell, The Cycle, and 5 More Minutes.
Horror TV treats
- The Munsters: The Complete Series limited edition Blu-ray collection releases on 25 Nov 2026. The bundle includes 14 discs, all 70 episodes in high-definition, movies, archival material, new audio commentaries, and a bunch of physical extras.
- In this year’sFamily Guy Halloween Special, Brian and Stewie end up in charge of Hell.
- Mike Flanagan says his version of Carrie is set in the present day rather than in the time it was written because “The themes we are exploring are relevant to today’s teenagers in such a profound way that wasn’t true when I was that age, much less when Stephen was, and just doing a period piece adaptation would have felt like re-reading.”
Horror game goodies
- Surprise! The Conjuring: Unspoken, releasing on Netflix in Oct 2026, is a stand-alone, cinematic, cloud-based game about a haunting at an inn.
- Zombie slasher Lollipop Chainsaw is getting an R-rated live action movie adaptation.
- The Early Access release of Saw: Genesis has been moved to Q1 2027.
Horror music moments
- Nekrogoblikon has launched a new horror comedy YouTube series called No One Survives. The first episode, No One Survives: An Uber Ride, is out now.
“We are now living in an age which doubts both fact and value. It is the life of this age that we wish to see and judge.”
― Flannery O’Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose
Writing horror
It’s not too late to sign up for Kristina Grifant’s 2-hour online workshop From Haunts to Screams: Writing a Short Horror Story happening on Sun, 11 Oct 2026.
Some places accepting submissions
Icarus anthology – Flame Tree Publishing
Pays: 8 cents/6 pence per word original stories, 6 cents/4 pence reprints
Looking for: Original stories with Icarus as the theme
Submissions close: 4 Oct 2026
Pandora anthology – Flame Tree Publishing
Pays: 8 cents/6 pence per word original stories, 6 cents/4 pence reprints
Looking for: Original stories with Icarus as the theme
Submissions close: 4 Oct 2026
Upcoming submission calls
Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores
Pays: 8 cents per word original fiction, 2 cents per word reprints
Looking for: Strong characters, thoughtful ideas, compelling storytelling, particularly works that blend science fiction, fantasy, mythic storytelling, and the strange or uncanny
Submissions open 1 Oct and close 2 Oct 2026
Short Story Substack, Oct 2026
Pays: USD $100 + 50% of subscription revenue
Looking for: Any genre, 6 to 10,000 words
Submissions open 1 Oct and close 31 Oct 2026
Sound & Color
Pays: $80 flash fiction up to 1500 words; 9 cents per word short stories up to 4500 words
Looking for: April 2027 issue: Sound & Color; June 2027 issue: Nighthawks
Submissions open 1 Dec 2026 and close 31 Jan 2027
“Write as the wind blows and command all words like an army!”
― Hilaire Belloc, The Path to Rome
Trailer horror
A taste of things to come.
Horror TV trailers
Bite Size Terror. Anthology. Seemingly harmless encounters, desires, and decisions take terrifying turns. Tubi, 2 Oct 2026
Yaga. Supernatural. Have you been naughty? AMC+, 23 Oct 2026
Horror movie trailers
Apocalypse Z: New World. Zombie. The Canary Islands have become Europe’s last refuge following the outbreak of the TSJ virus. When a special mission sets out for the mainland in search of vital supplies, Roberto joins the team with questionable intentions. Prime Video, 30 Oct 2026
Beware Boiúna, final trailer. Snake. Deep in the Amazon, a medical mission spirals into a fight for survival when Boiúna, a colossal ancient predator, awakens to reclaim her domain. Cinema, 2 Oct 2026
Charlie Shaw’s Revenge. Clown slasher. A group of workers preparing for the re-opening of a remote adventure park, find themselves stalked by a silent killer. Prime Video, 2 Oct 2026
Clayface, final trailer. Body. One man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster. Cinema, 23 Oct 2026
Clown Panic. Documentary. In 2016, South Carolina children spotted clowns in the woods and reports spread across America, causing lockdowns and probes. Hulu, 12 Oct 2026
Day Drinker. Psychological. A private-yacht bartender encounters a mysterious, onboard guest and they become entangled with a criminal figure and connected in ways no one saw coming. Cinema, 26 Mar 2027
Devour. Werewolf vampire cannibal. An all-girl heavy metal band faces a warlock, cannibals, vampires, and a werewolf in a remote town. VOD, 13 Oct 2026
Gnomes. Creature comedy. In a small Australian town, an ancient gnome queen awakens and turns harmless garden gnomes into a bloodthirsty horde. Stan, 8 Oct 2026
Gremlins 3. Creature horror. Cute little creatures transform into uncontrollable monsters. Cinema, 6 Oct 2028
Hallowarrior. Halloween post-apocalyptic. A girl scavenges the wasteland for supplies on the eve of Halloween. Her lonely holiday ritual is interrupted by the arrival of a savage gang of raiders. Shudder, 16 Oct 2026
R.L. Stine’s Pumpkinhead 2. Halloween. A new Pumpkinhead curse awakens in Redhaven. Tubi, 9 Oct 2026
Slayground, official promo. Found footage. The lead suspect in a mass killing escapes custody and goes on the run to clear his name while a manhunt closes in around him. Release date TBA
The Teenage Vampire. Vampire. After moving into a guest house in the Hollywood hills, Sandra discovers the main house is occupied by vampires and the area around is a haven for the undead. VOD, 27 Oct 2026
Vampire Carnival. Vampire. A grieving woman is drawn to a mysterious traveling carnival which is a gateway to a hidden world where vampires feed not on blood, but on human despair. Cinema, 7 Oct 2026
V/H/S/Mixtape. Found footage anthology. Four stories that each put a unique spin on the terrifying relationship between sound and fear. Shudder, 9 Oct 2026
Horror game trailers
Code Exit. Sci-fi survival. Pantheon is a futuristic city swallowed by darkness and ruled by a rogue AI. Survive an adaptive pursuer that learns from every mistake. Release date TBA
Dark Trip. Gothic. Use wicked biomachinery, strange art, and your own hallucinations to solve an eerie crime. Demo out now
Don’t Pick Up. Psychological. Wanted: a reliable technician who follows the rules, handles sensitive information with discretion, and does not ask questions. Fix the phones. Don’t look too closely. Demo available now
Dust till Dawn. Paranormal. You’re now the newest maid of a too-quiet Japanese village. Your duties are simple: answer cleaning requests, zen out while you restore each location, and try not to ask too many questions. Releases 2027
Pera Coda. Episodic murder-mystery. A murder the authorities want buried. A conspiracy of gangsters, businessmen, and corporate power reaching into organized crime. Every conversation is evidence. Every silence is a choice. Releases 2027
“Hammett gave murder back to the kind of people that commit it for reasons, not just to provide a corpse; and with the means at hand, not hand-wrought dueling pistols, curare and tropical fish.”
― Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder
A selection of horror books released this week
28 horror books this week. Themes: Supernatural, psychological, ghosts, monster, slasher, dark fantasy, southern gothic, technology, survival, medieval, cosmic, witch, and extreme horror
See: A selection of horror books released, 20 to 26 Sep 2026
“Look around, investigate, and write. Don’t waste your time on the obvious things. Write about what disturbs you, particularly if it bothers no one else.”
― Kathryn Stockett, The Help
A selection of horror movies released this week
9 horror movies this week. Themes: Psychological, technology, splatter, comedy, ghost, documentary, and slasher horror
See: A selection of horror movies released, 20 to 26 Sep 2026
“I’m simply interested in what is going to happen next. I don’t think I can control my life or my writing … I’m startled that I became a writer.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
A selection of horror TV shows released this week
3 horror TV shows this week. Themes: Supernatural and horror trivia
See: A selection of horror TV shows released, 20 to 26 Sep 2026
“I spoke fire, laughed smoke, and madness spilled forth from my inspiration.”
― Arthur Holitscher
What we were thinking about this week
What we’ve been reading this week
Plant Lady by Minyoung Kang (novel)
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman (novel)
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones (novel)
Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (novel)
The Work of Smith House by P.C. Verrone (short story)
What we’ve been recommending this week
Did you know I recommend one horror book every day of the year on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter?
This week’s horror book recommendations
Theme: Space horror
Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
“Please, please let this work. I need this to work.”
Blindsight by Peter Watts
“Most people would say it started with the Fireflies, but they’d be wrong.”
Nether Station by Kevin J. Anderson
“Four years later the probe signal returned.”
Salvation Day by Kali Wallace
“The Earth was behind me, but I could still feel it. It hadn’t yet let me go.”
Contagion by Erin Bowman
“Help is light-years away.”
A Graveyard of Stars by Joseph Sale, Lee Mountford, & Dan Soule
“They say that the ghost story died as far back as the Twentieth Century… They are wrong.”
Station 3 by Paul E Cooley
“Subsurface ocean,” he said aloud. “Below 200 meters of ice.”
“A Chinese poet many centuries ago noticed that to re-create something in words is like being alive twice.”
― Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy
Horror fun
Matthew Ryan Roberts (bonebagcomics) on Instagram
Thanks for reading
Thanks for reading. Catch you on the other side.
Jayson
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