A Grab Bag of Horror News, 12 to 18 Jul 2026

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 actor Sam Neill. Neill’s horror and horror-adjacent credits included multiple Jurassic Park movies and video games, Godzilla x King: Supernova (upcoming), The Triangle (2005), and Dead Calm (1989). RIP.

Horror book bits

Registration is open for StokerCon 2027 which celebrates 40 years of the Horror Writers Association in Pittsburgh, PA, from 10 to 13 Jun 2027. Joe Hill, T. Kingfisher, and Nancy Collins have all been announced as guests of honor, with another 4 to be announced later.
Preorders are open for coffee table book Aliens Expanded: The Making and Legacy of the Sci-Fi Classic. If you’re in the first 1,000 orders, your name will be included in the book’s “Egg Chamber” section.
Marvel Comics revealed more variant covers for their upcoming Midnight Universe comics. Midnight Spider-Man #1, Midnight Fantastic Four #1, and Midnight X-Men #1 release on 7 Oct 2026.

Horror movie morsels

Preorders are open until 9 Aug 2026 for Jaws Explored: The Ultimate Deep-Dive Documentary. You get a bunch of goodies including a Blu-ray, an 80-page companion book, and the chance to get your name in the credits.
The documentary about the making of Exorcist II: The Heretic, Boorman and the Devil, will have a limited cinema release in NYC on 28 Aug 2026 before expanding to other cities on 4 Sep 2026.
The 5th animated movie in the Hotel Transylvania franchise will be called The Haunting of Hotel Transylvania and will release in cinemas on 8 Oct 2027.
Paramount Pictures has bought the US theatrical rights to develop a new A Nightmare on Elm Street movie based on Wes Craven’s original screenplay.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Franenshteyn is the new name of the R-rated Director’s Cut of The X-Files Movie which debuts on Hulu on 14 Aug 2026.
Submissions for theDead Meat YouTube channel horror short-film competition open on 25 Jul and close on 24 Aug 2026. About 10 of the shorts will be included in a theatrically-released feature anthology.
The new Kong x Godzilla: The Ride opens at Lotte World Adventure in Seoul, South Korea, on 24 Jul 2026.
Trevor Henderson’s viral horror cat art Cartoon Cat is getting a movie adaptation.
Dread Central is hosting 2 special breakfast screenings of children’s TV show horror movie Buddy at San Diego Comic-Con on 24 Jul 2026.
The Hotel Gracery Shinjuku in Tokyo, Japan, has added a new Godzilla “special effects studio-style” concept room called Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Room to its Godzilla room offerings.
Preorders are open for a limited edition VHS version of supernatural horror movie In a Violent Nature.
Audiences at The Odyssey got to see an exclusive preview of upcoming supernatural horror movie Other Mommy.

Horror TV treats

To celebrate 10 years of Stranger Things, Netflix has a special VHS edition of Season 1 that includes collectibles and immersive experiences. And don’t forget the Season 5 themed haunted house at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights.
All 8 episodes of Crystal Lake will release on Peacock on 15 Oct 2026.

Horror music moments

Last month’s The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only LIVE event streams on AMC+ on 23 Aug 2026.

Horror festival fare

Killer Klowns from Outer Space will be part of Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights.
The 2nd wave lineup for Popcorn Frights includes an all-night marathon of “a secret lineup of genre oddities, forgotten gems, and delirious cult favorites, all united by one sinister theme: wishes gone horribly wrong”.

“Let the spirits guide you, but never let them take you.”

― E.J. Stevens, Spirit Storm

Writing horror

Crystal Lake Publisher and CEO Joe Mynhardt is running a 30-Day Short Story Workshop during Sep 2026 to help you “turn a rough idea into something submission-ready”. The workshop includes a complete pre-recorded craft curriculum, small-group live coaching, and the option to have your story personally edited by Joe. Cost USD $50.

Some places accepting submissions

Diabolical Plots
Pays: 10 cents per word
Looking for: Science fiction, fantasy, horror stories with a speculative element
Submissions close: 27 Jul 2026

Novellas – Death by TBR Books
Pays: 50% of net royalties
Looking for: Adult horror 20,000 to 35,000 words
Submissions close: 30 Jul 2026

Crooked Spine Issue 2: Wet Country
Pays: $20 + contributor copy
Looking for: Folk horror and water: Rivers, bogs, baptisms, and what surfaces when the rain stops.
Submissions close: 30 Jul 2026

Upcoming submission calls

Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores
Pays: 8 cents per word for new fiction, 2 cents per word for reprints
Looking for: Original science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch in writing, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form
Submissions open 1 Aug and close 2 Aug 2026

Diabolical Plots
Pays: 10 cents per word
Theme: Diabolical Rot. In addition to being centered around rot and rotting, submissions must have a speculative element
Submissions open 18 Oct and close 25 Oct 2026

“Two questions form the foundation of all novels: “What if?” and “What next?” (A third question, “What now?”, is one the author asks himself every 10 minutes or so; but it’s more a cry than a question.)”

― Tom Clancy

Trailer horror

A taste of things to come.

Horror TV trailers

Crystal Lake. Friday the 13th prequel. When two strangers start digging into Pam Voorhees’s past, a disturbing chain of events is set into motion. Peacock, 15 Oct 2026

Horror movie trailers

The Dog Stars. Post-apocalyptic horror. Hig and Bangley live on an efficient but isolated homestead in a brutal post-apocalyptic world, but when Hig receives a mysterious radio transmission, he ventures into the unknown in search of hope. Cinema, 28 Aug 2026

Don’t Move. Spider horror. A prehistoric arachnid terrifies a stranded group of campers. Cinema, 11 Sep 2026

Ferine. Psychological horror. A tragic event shatters a rich art collector’s life, awakening her primal nature. She destroys her privileged existence to build a new concept of family, leading her on a path of destruction and animalistic transformation. Premieres at Fantasia, 23 Jul 2026

Full Moon Rising: The Charles Band Story. Horror documentary. Charts the rise of the eccentric legendary B-movie producer/director Charles Band and his company Full Moon Features. Premieres at London FrightFest, 31 Aug 2026

Grin. Supernatural horror. Playing a mysterious old board game for the first time, a family believes the game has summoned a demonic entity that punishes those who have committed terrible sins. Release date TBA

Hellcat. Psychological horror. Lena wakes up in a moving camper trailer with a horrifying wound and is told by the driver that they have one hour to get to a doctor, or she’ll succumb to an awful fate. Shudder, 14 Aug 2026

I Know Where You Live. Psychological horror. Sarah thinks she’s found ‘the one’ until his flaws emerge. When she pulls away, chilling threats suggest he’s watching her from inside her own home. Tubi, 24 Jul 2026

Our Effed Up World. Sci-fi horror. When a mysterious entity crash lands in the woods, Sheri and her group of shitkicker friends are all that stands in the way of an insatiable, intergalactic hunger. Premieres at Fantasia, 18 Jul 2026

Rubberhead: The Life & Monsters of Steve Johnson. Horror documentary. A portrait of the life and times of one of Hollywood’s most prolific monster makers. Premieres at Fantasia, 23 Jul 2026

The Shug. Creature horror. An alcoholic, still haunted by a violent encounter with the Shug Monkey during his teenage years, reluctantly joins forces with a journalist and a paranormal YouTuber to investigate growing reports. Release date TBA

Sundown. Psychological horror. When Mary claims her dead husband is haunting her house, her estranged son arrives with his filmmaker friend and a spiritualist to prove that it’s all in her head. Release date TBA

Thingy. Supernatural horror. A remote house party becomes ground zero for a terrifying supernatural contagion. Screambox, 21 Jul 2026

Turning Point. Zombie horror. Trapped within the home of a zombie in transition, Margot and her partner in crime must find their way out before they become the ghoul’s first victims. Their only hope for survival is a bizarre neighbor with an expert knowledge of the undead and the flicker of humanity remaining in their mutating stalker. VOD, 25 Aug 2026

The Whisper Man. Serial killer horror. When his 8yo son is abducted, a widowed crime writer discovers a connection with a decades-old case of a convicted serial killer. Netflix, 28 Aug 2026

Woozy. Psychological horror. A man’s structured life to cope with mental health issues unravels when a horrifying apparition called Woozy starts tormenting him, forcing him to confront his fears. Premieres at Popcorn Frights, 7 Aug 2026

Horror game trailers

Imprinted. Supernatural horror. An audio restoration job becomes an investigation into the occult, as an elusive musician’s damaged cassette tapes are exhumed in northern Italy. Demo available on Steam

Meaningless Random Numbers. Psychological horror. Earn money through Random Number Generators but be cautious, God is watching. Release date TBA

Silver Pines. Survival horror. Fight nightmarish terrors and solve puzzles, while carefully managing your scarce resources to uncover the mysteries that could hold the key to redemption. Demo available on Steam

Undead Space. Sci-fi horror. Traverse semi-open regions of Mars to search for supplies, research abandoned facilities, and solve puzzles to get to the bottom of a catastrophic disaster. Demo available on Steam

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”

― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

A selection of horror books released this week

13 horror books this week. Themes: Supernatural, psychological, cursed movie, slasher, serial killer, ghost, amusement park, gothic, dark fantasy, and grief horror

See: A selection of horror books released, 12 to 18 Jul 2026