Bite-sized horror news
Horror book bits
- Tim Waggoner’s official novelization of the new Crystal Lake TV series releases on 15 Oct 2026.
- Preorders are open for the audiobook version of Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In which is narrated by Joe Bob Briggs himself, with a release date of 15 Dec 2026.
- Blumhouse and IDW Dark are working together to produce comic book adaptations of Blumhouse movies. The first three will be The Purge, M3GAN, and Happy Death Day.
Horror movie morsels
- There might be a new live-action Ghostbusters movie on the way.
- Over the next 2 years, Severin Films and Hangtime International Pictures will be remaking a bunch of classic horror movies. The first one is a reimagining of Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond (1981).
- Preorders are open for the 30th Anniversary Edition of Scream (1996). The ‘evidence kit’ Amazon Exclusive includes a blood-spattered cordless phone that rings and plays lines of dialogue from the movie.
- Production has started on The Cannibal, a psychological horror movie centered around Ingmar Bergman.
- Michael Dougherty’s Sam: the Soul of Halloween project involves releasing new original Sam content including animated shorts, illustrations, artist collaborations, merchandise, and other small glimpses into Sam’s Halloween world.
- Godzilla Minus Zero will open in IMAX theaters 3 days earlier than in normal cinemas.
- 28 Years Later: Part III is “on the back burner”.
- The Paranormal Activity Broadway show has extended its run by another month, so it will now close on 28 Feb 2027.
Horror TV treats
- Ryan Murphy says he’ll begin filming his new vampire series, Brides of Blood, in December in Europe.
- Marvel Zombies will have annual Halloween specials on Disney+ over the next 3 years: The Winter Soldier (2027), The Fist of Khonshu (2028), and The Last Guardian (2029).
- A new Jack the Ripper-based TV series called Sickert is in development about an artist who becomes a person of interest in the murder investigation and starts doubting his own innocence.
- While you’re waiting for Twisted Metal, Season 3, check out the web series Sweet Tooth Presents on YouTube where Sweet Tooth talks about life in post-apocalyptic America.
Horror podcast pieces
- Bloody Disgusting’s new podcast, The Backrooms: Silverfish, launches on 13 Oct 2026.
Horror game goodies
- On 27 Oct 2026, players of Halloween: The Game can get a free Tower Farm map inspired by Halloween 5 and can buy Michael Myers from Halloween 5 and Halloween (2018), two new civilian characters, and a new Halloween costume pack.
- Amanda the Adventurer is getting a live-action movie adaptation.
Horror festival fare
- New York City’s ALZA Festival, 16–18 Oct 2026, includes 4 horror microdramas: Bite Club, Blood Surfer, Haunted, and Haunted By You.
Horror random remnants
- Variety’s second annual horror impact report highlights “the artists and industry insiders fostering and elevating spooky storytelling”.
“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”
― Arthur C. Clarke
Writing horror
Some places accepting submissions
Elegant Lich
Pays: 3 cents per word
Looking for: Fantasy stories. Stories do not need to feature liches (or other kinds of undead).
Submission close: 14 Oct 2026
Merrow anthology (Iron Faerie Publishing)
Pays: 40% of royalties split between all authors for 1 year
Theme: Tales of mermaids, merfolk, and the rich mythology of the sea
Submissions close: 15 Nov 2026
Daybreak anthology (Iron Faerie Publishing)
Pays: 40% of royalties split between all authors for 1 year
Looking for: Stories that combine gothic horror and paranormal romance elements
Submissions close: 28 Nov 2026
The Submission Pit
Pays: Monthly winner receives $100 + 50% of paid subscribers
Looking for: Speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror)
Submissions close: end of each month
Secret Horror
Pays: $1313 for one selected story
Looking for: International horror written from different parts of the world and the USA reflecting their unique culture and history
Submissions close: 15 Dec 2026
Dirty Martini: Fem Horror Noir Anthology (Grimalkin Press)
Pays: 8 cents per word
Looking for: Stories with noir and horror elements where women and other minorities are not portrayed in the stereotypical way
Submissions close: 31 Dec 2026
“I recognize terror as the finest emotion and so I will try to terrorize the reader. But if I find that I cannot terrify, I will try to horrify, and if I find that I cannot horrify, I’ll go for the gross-out. I’m not proud.”
― Stephen King
Trailer horror
A taste of things to come.
Horror TV trailers
Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches: Salem Coven [Season 3]. Witch. A new fight begins in Old Salem. AMC+, 30 Dec 2026
The Institute, Season 2. Psychological. The surviving kids are done running and must navigate new global dangers while being hunted. MGM+, 8 Nov 2026
Horror movie trailers
Apocalypse Z: New World. Zombie, Spanish. A disease spreads across the planet, transforming people into aggressive creatures. Manel takes refuge at home but soon has to leave for food, looking for safe places on land and sea. Prime Video, 30 Oct 2026
The Awakening. Creature, Columbian. An elite military unit ventures into a Colombian jungle, but what begins as a tactical operation quickly descends into a frenzied nightmare when a primeval force awakens. VOD, 10 Nov 2026
Christmas at the Kringles. Christmas, Comedy. The Seversons’ next-door neighbors celebrate Christmas year-round, but what begins as charming quickly turns unsettling. Cinema, 30 Oct 2026
Crossed, teaser. Extreme, Zombie. A group of strangers attempt to escape northward, away from the infected known as the Crossed. Release date TBA
Dead Format, teaser. Psychological. A collector grieving his father’s death finds a mysterious tape at his local video store and discovers that nostalgia can come at a terrible price. Release date TBA
The Exorcist: Martyrs. Supernatural. A rookie detective confronts a horrifying darkness that challenges her deepest convictions and tests everything she thought she knew about right and wrong. Cinema, 12 Mar 2027
Human. Supernatural. What she wanted: a little sexting before bed. What she’s going to get: a blood-drenched supernatural nightmare of horrors and heartbreak. VOD, 23 Oct 2026
The Last Temptation of Becky. Comedy. Now working as CIA field agent, Becky goes undercover in Poland to infiltrate a family of innkeepers running a tourist venture at Hitler’s WWII bunker. Cinema, 4 Nov 2026
Marrow. Survival. A vlogger invites her stalker onto her show knowing he may be a serial killer who’s been killing influencers. VOD, 3 Nov 2026
Mr Whispers. Found footage. An investigation into the disturbing mythology surrounding a long-abandoned cinema, where rumours, old recordings and whispered stories begin to suggest that something may still be lurking inside. US release date TBA
Horror game trailers
Blood Covenant. Survival. You and your crew are hazmat cleaners working the night shift at the abandoned Hargrove Psychiatric Institute. Scrub the blood. Seal the breaches. Collect the samples. And keep your voices down. Releases 2 Nov 2026
Haunted Paws. Ghost. Create your own puppies, explore a haunted mansion, solve puzzles together, and rescue your missing owner. Demo available now, release date TBA
Living Hell. Apocalypse. Navigate through a region where a collapsed ozone layer has exposed the city to devastating solar radiation, triggering terrifying mutations. Playtest available now, release date TBA
Trainwatch. Psychological. Manage the day-to-day operations of a quaint railway crossing while staying sober and showing your wife that change is possible. Playtest available now, releases 10 Mar 2027
“I am terrified by this dark thing / that sleeps in me; / All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Collected Poems
A selection of horror books released this week
12 horror books this week. Themes: Supernatural, psychological, haunted house, gothic, vampire, ghost, and dark fantasy horror
See: A selection of horror books released, 4 to 10 Oct 2026
“However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.”
― Stanley Kubrick
A selection of horror movies released this week
15 horror movies this week. Themes: Supernatural, psychological, grief, comedy, zombie, survival, creature, sci-fi, vampire, found footage, and Halloween horror
See: A selection of horror movies released, 4 to 10 Oct 2026
“All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
A selection of horror TV shows released this week
3 horror TV shows this week. Themes: Psychological, ghosts, and creature horror
See: A selection of horror TV shows released, 4 to 10 Oct 2026
“All the most terrifying ifs involve people. All the good ones do as well.”
― Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life
What we were thinking about this week
What we’ve been reading this week
Gordon B. White is creating Haunting Weird Horror by Gordon B. White (short story, Nightmare) – brilliant story
The Buried City by Boris Bacic (novel) – interesting start
The Returned by Jason Mott (novel) – a little slow to start
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: Halloween horror
All Hallows Eve by Ellen Datlow (editor)
“And what do you call the Grinch of Halloween?”
Pumpkin Seeds by Tyler Downs
“Ed always wondered how he’d die.”
This is Halloween by James A. Moore
“There were rumors, of course. Always rumors.”
The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman & Norman Prentiss
“…he still hasn’t fixed the noise I keep hearing in the walls at night.”
Dark Hallows II by Mark Parker (editor)
“The gate…the cemetery…the forest…something about it was familiar.”
Ghost Road Blues by Jonathan Maberry
“The last thing Billy said was, ‘Oh, come on…there’s nothing out there.'”
Mikey the Clown by Elisa D. Daniels
“I always bring my victims here because of the rumors. Rumors keep curious people away.”
“As a child, I read because books – violent and not, blasphemous and not, terrifying and not – were the most loving and trustworthy things in my life.”
― Sherman Alexie
Horror fun
Joe Flanders Comics on Instagram
Thanks for reading
Thanks for reading. Catch you on the other side.
Jayson
Psst … If you know someone who might like these emails, tell them to sign up here. It’s free.
