Bite-sized horror news
Horror book bits
- Tim Winton’s post-apocalyptic novel Juice is getting a movie adaptation.
- Supernatural crime graphic novel Bone Parish is getting a TV series adaptation.
Horror movie morsels
- Voting is open in the 2026 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Ballot and closes 15 Jul 2026.
- A new cut of Backrooms, subtitled Everything Must Go, opened in cinemas on 3 Jul, containing 16 more minutes of footage.
- Viral meme Siren Head is getting a movie adaptation.
- If you bought movies from the StudioCanal catalog through the PlayStation Store, you won’t be able to watch them after 1 Sep 2026. See the list of movies affected.
- Alex Kister will be directing the movie adaptation of his YouTube horror series The Mandela Catalogue.
Horror TV treats
- Director Carl Rinsch has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after his conviction for defrauding Netflix over a never-completed sci-fi series White Horse about a humanlike species that rebelled against its creators.
Horror podcast pieces
- The Strange Stories podcast is launching a tabletop RPG called Strange Stories – The Roleplaying Game.
Horror game goodies
- Rumor is that Microsoft’s upcoming staff layoffs might mean the end of the Marvel Blade video game.
- Patreon members will get early access to an update that adds around 70,000 words of new and remastered content to horror mystery visual novel Scarlet Hollow.
Horror music moments
- A second song – The Ferryman – from John Carpenter’s upcoming album is on YouTube. The album is an accompaniment to Carpenter’s upcoming graphic novel, Cathedral.
Horror festival fare
- The final wave of movies for Fantasia Film Festival takes the lineup to 125+ features and 200+ shorts, plus awards, workshops, and other events. The official opening movie is Her Private Hell and the official closing movie is Freaks Part II.
“Don’t just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person.”
― Epictetus, The Art of Living
Writing horror
Some places accepting submissions
Apex Magazine
Pays: 8 cents per word
Looking for: Dark, weird, and beautiful speculative fiction – horror, science fiction, fantasy, and slipstream.
Submissions close: 31 Jul 2026
The No Sleep Podcast
Pays: $60 flash fiction (up to 1199 words), $250 stories 1200+ words
Looking for: All things horror
Again anthology – Sans Press
Pays: €200
Looking for: Short stories of any genre that respond to the title and/or cover art
Submissions close 4 Aug 2026 or when 2000 submissions are received
Sweet Screams anthology – Grimalkin Press
Pays: 8 cents per word
Looking for: Horror stories centered around themes of sweetness, baking, cooking, desserts, and the unsettling things that can exist beneath comfort, nostalgia, celebration, or indulgence.
Submissions close: 15 Aug 2026
Agita Magazine
Pays: USD 5 cents per word
Looking for: Weird (horror, dark sci-fi, otherwise weird) stories on the theme of Music.
Submissions close: 14 Jul 2026
Upcoming submission calls
Dirty Martini anthology – Grimalkin Press
Pays: 8 cents per word
Looking for: Stories that blend feminist themes with noir’s traditional bleak, cynical, and pessimistic tone
Submissions open 1 Oct and close 31 Dec 2026
“You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose.”
― Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
Trailer horror
A taste of things to come.
Horror movie trailers
Alterity. Sci-fi horror. Inside an abandoned mall, a ghost hunt goes wrong and unravels a government secret never meant to be uncovered. Cinema, 7 Aug 2026
The Devil’s Mouth. Creature horror. Five friends sign up for a guided swim through a remote cave system but their journey takes a terrifying turn when they discover that a freak storm flooded the caves with sea life, but not all of the creatures died in the fresh water. VOD, 29 Jul 2026
Gator Face. Alligator cult horror. A Florida vacation becomes a blood-soaked fight for survival when a group of friends are hunted through the swamps by a savage cult that feeds its victims to ravenous alligators in the name of an ancient reptilian god. VOD, 15 Sep 2026
Her Private Hell, new trailer. Serial killer horror. A troubled young woman searches for her father after a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis. Cinema, 24 Jul 2026
Junction Row. Psychological horror. A recovering addict leaves a fringe housing compound for a better life, but when she learns her girlfriend has gone missing, she returns and encounters much more than just menacing drug dealers. Premieres at Fantasia Film Festival
The Leaching. Psychological horror. Vivian wakes up with no memory in a grave and has to piece together the nightmarish truth while being tormented by the undead, a giant leech monster, and her “father”. VOD, 7 Jul 2026
Unholy Night. Supernatural horror. Gino’s traditional family Christmas Eve turns into a bloody battle for survival when his long-dead grandma drops by. Release date TBA
Werwulf. Werewolf horror. In the Medieval English countryside, a creature stalks the night, preying on any who come across its path. Cinema, 25 Dec 2026
You’re Dead to Me. Slasher horror. Three high school seniors skip prom for a secluded weekend party, but their escape turns terrifying when they learn one of their classmates has been brutally murdered. VOD, 7 Jul 2026
Horror game trailers
Clairvoyage: The Lighthouse. Time-loop puzzle horror. Return to the same ten minutes to restore the lighthouse before a ship hits the rocks. Release date TBA
Keykruncher. Keyboard horror. You’re fused to a desk in an assessment room with a scrambled keyboard, a gumball machine, and IT waiting at the end of the hallway. Press the correct keys on your real keyboard to KRUNCH matching keycaps in-game. Release date TBA
Late Order. Cooking horror. At a cursed 24/7 diner, every night means new rules and unsettling events. Demo available on Steam
Photomaly. Anomaly horror. Take over your late father’s photography studio and carry out photoshoots of strange customers, maintain your studio, and keep an eye out for things that don’t seem quite right. Demo available on Steam
Providence. Psychological horror. Investigate a long-abandoned asylum, solve environmental puzzles, uncover dark secrets, and make choices that shape the outcome. Release date TBA
Uncanny Tales: The Watcher. Episodic horror. As the new reserve caretaker, patrol the territory in your rugged 4×4, check the phototraps, and monitor the area using surveillance cameras. But remember: you are not the only one watching. Releases 6 Aug 2026
“The love of books is among the choicest gifts of the gods.”
― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A selection of horror books released this week
12 horror books this week. Themes: Supernatural, psychological, extreme, and sci-fi horror
See: A selection of horror books released, 28 Jun to 4 Jul 2026
“I cannot sleep unless I am surrounded by books.”
― Jorge Luis Borges
A selection of horror movies released this week
7 horror movies this week. Themes: Supernatural, psychological, ghosts, sci-fi, survival, and slasher horror
See: A selection of horror movies released, 28 Jun to 4 Jul 2026
“people can die of mere imagination”
― Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
A selection of horror TV shows released this week
2 horror TV shows this week. Themes: Serial killer and dystopian horror
See: A selection of horror TV shows released, 28 Jun to 4 Jul 2026
“Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark.”
― Kate DiCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux
What we were thinking about this week
What we’ve been reading this week
Endless is the Night by Shawn Brooks (novel)
Cherry Kills by Sean Thomas McDonnell (novella)
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (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: Séance horror
The Last Séance by Dean Rasmussen
“I need a séance… for my daughter.”
Affinity by Sarah Waters
“I was never so frightened as I am now.”
Goddess of Filth by V. Castro
“Five of us sat in a circle doing our best to emulate the girls in The Craft…”
Toady by Mark Morris
Transcendence by Katrina Kimball
“Thank you for joining me here tonight as we connect with our loved ones on the other side.”
The Seances by Michael Richan
“I’ve never had a contract, he thought. That’s not how I do it.”
The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford
“I hate being dead people.”
“A book is a gift you can open again and again.”
― Garrison Keillor
Horror fun
Thanks for reading
If you want more horror articles, you might like to visit my website, FearSome Fiction.
Thanks for reading. Catch you on the other side.
Jayson
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