A Grab Bag of Horror News, 30 Mar to 5 Apr 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 author J. Smith. Smith published over 29 books during her career, but was best known for The Vampire Diaries, which was also adapted into a TV series. RIP
Condolences to family, friends, and fans of actor Val Kilmer. Kilmer’s horror movie roles included The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), The Thaw (2009), The Traveler (2010), Twixt (2011), and Seven Below (2012). RIP.

Horror Book Bits

IDW Publishing is providing some comic book shops the chance to receive exclusive covers for the new Godzilla comic book series. The covers will be limited edition and will include the comic book shop’s logo and Godzilla destroying the shop.

Horror Movie Morsels

Production on Oswald: Down the Rabbit Hole has been delayed indefinitely.
In The Black Phone 2, The Grabber seeks revenge from beyond the grave.
Funko is releasing new shark, Quint, and Matt Hooper Pop! figures for the 50th anniversary of Jaws.
The Philippou brothers have two scripts for the Talk to Me sequel, but haven’t yet decided which one to use. Whichever one they choose, the sequel is still a few years away.
Nine years after announcing a Lights Out sequel, David F. Sandberg now says it’s unlikely to happen.
Shudder is undertaking a year-long celebration for their 10th anniversary. The celebration kicks off with their annual Halfway to Halloween. They’ll also be taking the show on the road with fan events and activations.

Horror TV Treats

Dexter: Original Sin is getting a second season.

Horror Festival Fare

Check out the Calgary Underground Film Festival movie and event lineup. The festival runs from 17 to 27 April 2025.

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Writing Horror

Some places accepting submissions

It Was Paradise (Reckoning Press)
Pays: 15 cents per word
Looking for: Stories that confront the horrors of a world devastated by catastrophes
Submissions close: 22 Jun 2025

It Came From the Trailer Park: Vol 5 (Three Ravens)
Pays: Royalties
Looking for: Creature-feature, horror-comedy with a “Creep Killer Clown” twist
Submissions close: 1 Jul 2025

Upcoming submission calls

Dracula Beyond Stoker, Issue 7: Mina Harker
Pays: 5 cents per word
Looking for: Stories exploring who Mina is beneath the surface
Submissions open 1 May and close 20 Jun 2025

“There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they'll take you.”
Beatrix Potter

Trailer Horror

A taste of things to come.

Horror TV Trailers

Black Mirror, S7, trailer 2. Six new episode titles revealed. Netflix, 10 Apr 2025

The Eternaut. Alien apocalypse horror. After a deadly snowfall kills millions, a group of survivors fight against a threat controlled by an invisible force. Netflix, 30 Apr 2025

Horror Movie Trailers

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

The Cursed Tapes. Supernatural horror. Clint watches some home movies that reveal his father’s discovery of, and attempts to contain, a malevolent entity. VOD, 8 Apr 2025

Daydreamers. Vietnamese vampire horror. The tale of two opposite and estranged brothers, Nhat and Marco. Both are vampires. Nhat is a daydreamer, vowing to never devour human blood again. Marco is a rebel who fully embraces his vampirism. Cinema, 2 May, VOD, 3 Jun 2025

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. Animatronic horror. Anyone can survive five nights. This time, there will be no second chances. Cinemas, 5 Dec 2025

Forgive Us All. Western zombie horror. In a post-apocalyptic world where a biotech virus has transformed humans into violently deranged cannibals, a bereaved mother who has lost everything shelters in an isolated mountain cabin while teetering on the edge of giving up. Release date TBA

M3GAN 2.0. Doll horror. Two years after M3GAN’s rampage, her creator, Gemma, resurrects her to take down Amelia, the military-grade weapon who was built by a defense contractor who stole M3GAN’s underlying tech. Cinemas, 27 Jun 2025

Primitive War. Dinosaur horror. In 1968 Vietnam, a search and rescue team hunt for a missing platoon through the primordial depths of an isolated valley. Release date TBA

The Ruse. Supernatural horror. When the in-home caregiver assigned to an elderly patient mysteriously vanishes, Dale rushes to the remote seaside home, only to be forced to deal with supernatural occurrences that seem to plague the home. Release date TBA

The Severed Sun. Folk horror. In an isolated religious community, Magpie kills her abusive husband, awakening a supernatural beast. She becomes an outcast and, as the beast unleashes bloody carnage, a brutal witch hunt begins, tearing the community apart. VOD, 16 May 2025

Horror Game Trailers

The Dark Rites of Arkham. Lovecraftian horror. Detective Jack Foster investigates a gruesome ritual murder that took place in a sealed room. The case gets even darker when he finds out it is related to three witches who escaped the Salem trials in 1693, and a conspiracy that could put an end to the world as we know it. Release date TBA

Nietzsche’s Shadow. Psychological horror. A narrative adventure that takes you into the mind of Friedrich Nietzsche as he wanders the Swiss Alps collecting fragments of his final work while confronting his own shadow. Release date TBA

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
Rudyard Kipling

A Selection of Horror Books Released this Week

5 horror books this week. Themes: Supernatural, slasher, and small town horror

See: A Selection of Horror Books Released, 30 Mar to 5 Apr 2025

“A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.”
Italo Calvino, The Uses of Literature

A Selection of Horror Movies Released this Week

11 horror movies this week. Themes: Psychological, sci-fi, haunted house, slasher, zombie, and survival horror

See: A Selection of Horror Movies Released, 30 Mar to 5 Apr 2025

“A word after a word after a word is power.”
Margaret Atwood

A Selection of Horror TV Shows Released this Week

3 horror TV shows this week. Themes: Supernatural and animated dinosaur horror

See: A Selection of Horror TV Shows Released, 30 Mar to 5 Apr 2025

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums

What We Were Thinking About this Week

In An Alley Behind It All by Robert Nazar Arjoyan (short story, Cold Signal Magazine)

Is it Downhill After 50(+) for Women in Horror Part 1 by Stephanie Ellis (article, Horrortree)

“She had always wanted words, she loved them; grew up on them. Words gave her clarity, brought reason, shape.”
Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient

And Now For Something Completely Different

Mark Parisi 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.