Horror Report

Category: horror

  • Scream 7 weekend

    Scream 7 weekend

    The long-anticipated next installment in the legendary franchise has arrived, and as expected, the reactions are all over the place.


    Critics? Not impressed. Early reviews have been rough — some calling it excessive, others saying it leans too heavily into shock value.
    Fans? A very different story.


    Rotten Tomatoes is hovering around 77% from audience scores, which tells you everything you need to know about the divide. Horror has always been that genre where critics and fans rarely sit at the same lunch table. And honestly… when have they ever fully agreed on Scream?


    Financially, though? This thing came out swinging.
    The film already pulled in $7.8 million, which is reportedly a franchise record for that particular preview window. It’s now poised to land somewhere between $40–50 million by the end of the weekend.


    That’s not nostalgia money.
    That’s “we showed up” money.
    Now here’s the part that matters.
    A big opening doesn’t automatically mean the movie is good. We’ve all seen horror films open hot and disappear faster than a teenager in the third act.


    But it also doesn’t mean it’s bad.
    People have been clamoring for more brutality. More gore. More risk. For years, fans said the franchise was getting too safe, too self-aware, too polished. Well… from what’s being said, they got their wish.


    The question now isn’t whether it delivers blood.
    It’s whether it delivers staying power.
    Will people still be talking about it in three weeks?
    Will it spark debate?
    Will it create a new iconic scene?
    Or will it simply be remembered as “the gory one”?


    Opening weekends are adrenaline.
    Longevity is legacy.
    And that’s something you can’t measure in a Friday night number.


    For now, it’s a Scream 7 weekend.
    And whether you’re going for the kills, the chaos, or just to see if Ghostface still has that magic… the only real verdict comes after the crowd leaves the theater and the conversation begins.
    Let’s see if this one sticks.

  • From Scream to snooze: 7th movie lampooned by film critics and audiences

    From Scream to snooze: 7th movie lampooned by film critics and audiences

    The reviews are now coming in after the Embargo is lifted and they’re bad. Some of the lowest ratings of the entire Scream series on Rotten Tomatoes currently exist with critics lampooning the film such as The Daily Beast calling it shockingly terrible.

    The

    Hollywood Reporter‘s review was one of the more negative takes on the new film, writing, “The overfamiliarity would be more palatable if the dialogue were as fresh and funny as it was in the early installments, or if the kills were more creatively staged. But there’s a rote quality to the proceedings that makes Scream 7 feel like a slog despite its high body count and copious gore.”

    The film is probably largely review-proof, with the movie expected to open around $60 million globally for the second-best start in the franchise..

    But just because it may have a successful box office doesn’t mean it would be a good movie.

  • Pro-Palestinian groups are urging a boycott of SCREAM 7

    Pro-Palestinian groups are urging a boycott of SCREAM 7

    This reporting is from the Hollywood Reporter:

    Dozens of pro-Palestine protesters marched outside the Los Angeles premiere for Scream 7 on Wednesday night.

    Some demonstrators could be seen waving Palestinian flags, while others were holding signs that read “Cancel Paramount+” and “Stand For Free Speech Boycott Scream 7.” The group could also be heard chanting “Boycott Scream 7” and “Free, free, free Palestine,” while some played drums and trumpets.

    The premiere took place at the Paramount Studios lot; however, the protests could only be faintly heard from the red carpet, where the film’s stars, like Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, were posing for photos.

    MORE..

    About 25 demonstrators were seen positioned around the lot with flags, drums and bullhorns. They were heard chanting phrases like “Paramount, Paramount, what do you say?” and “Palestine will live forever!”

    The protest was led by Entertainment Labor for Palestine, CODEPINK LA, Musicians for Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles. The activists on the scene were also pro-Melissa Barrera, the actress who has been vocal in her support for Palestine.


    In November 2023, Spyglass Media Group slashed Barrera from reprising her role in the seventh installment of the film after she expressed support for Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war. The production company behind the film said in a statement that they had “zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form” and dropped her.

  • ‘undertone’ being released into theaters that will make it sound great

    ‘undertone’ being released into theaters that will make it sound great

    Written and directed by breakout horror filmmaker Ian Tuason, undertone follows the host of a popular paranormal podcast who becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.

    More from their press:

    “undertone plunges audiences into a terrifying soundscape and partnering with A24 to bring this chilling cinematic experience to Dolby Cinema allows audiences to experience every whisper, silence, and scream in Ian Tuason’s film,” said Jed Harmsen, VP & General Manager of Cinema & Group Entertainment, Dolby Laboratories. “Immersive Dolby Atmos sound will reveal greater details in each scare in this auditory horror film while the precision of the Dolby Vision picture quality provides sharper clarity in the darkness, making a suspenseful experience like no other.”

    Dolby Cinema early access screenings will take place on March 9, prior to the nationwide theatrical release in other formats on March 13.

    Fans can see the film early with tickets here: https://undertone.movie/. 

  • You will enter the back rooms in 2026

    You will enter the back rooms in 2026

    The concept of the Backrooms has always been really cool. For some horror fans, it’s been a very niche genre .. very eerie, very visible, very visceral, and very visual. There’s something about the quiet hum of the Backrooms that’s unsettling, yet somehow calming.


    A lot of people actually use Backrooms videos to fall asleep at night, playing them endlessly on a loop on YouTube. Others just have a weird version of comfort from seeing the Backrooms because they feel like they’ve been there before. There’s something oddly familiar about those yellow walls and fluorescent lights. It taps into something subconscious.


    Now that concept is heading to the big screen.


    The upcoming film Backrooms is scheduled for theatrical release on May 29, 2026. It’s being released by A24 and directed by Kane Parsons, the same creator behind the viral YouTube series that helped bring the modern Backrooms mythos into mainstream horror conversation.


    Parsons originally began creating the Backrooms shorts as a teenager, and yes — he was just 19 years old when he was hired to direct the feature adaptation. That alone is kind of incredible. The screenplay was written by Roberto Patino and Will Soodik, and the cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, Lukita Maxwell, and Avan Jogia.


    The film reportedly centers on a therapist whose patient disappears into a mysterious dimension beyond reality and she enters that bizarre, endless space to find them.


    This movie may not necessarily be a huge hit. But it definitely has its share of people who are looking forward to it. We’re hopeful that it will be a hit because we’ve always loved the concept as much as other people have too.


    Plus, we’re in a new era of horror. A new era of movie-making. Just the idea that the person who created this film was 19 while this was being filmed for a 21st-century release and that’s really cool.


    Before one o’clock, of course, he can’t have any champagne to celebrate a wide release. At least not legally.
    But we should all celebrate new directors and new people in the industry and also homages to a really cool horror genre.


    Because whether you find the Backrooms terrifying or comforting… that hum is about to get a lot louder.

  • Flanagan will have a different Mist Twist

    Flanagan will have a different Mist Twist

    You know the story, the Stephen King book and movie about the main Town swallowed by a strange mist. And if you saw the movie you remember the Terrible ending. Mike Flanagan is poised and ready to remake the film and push it in a new direction.

    In a series of posts on BlueSky, he said that his adaptation is going to be different from what people already saw and he’s going to go his own way. Everywhere Mike Flanagan goes we actually follow.

    “The Mist is going to be great. If there wasn’t an excellent answer to why, I wouldn’t do it.” He continues in a follow-up post, “I love Darabont’s film, and there’s zero point in remaking it. Which is why I’m going in a different direction.”

    He wrote further, “This isn’t a retread. The differences start page 1.”

    “And FWIW, I got the same ‘but why’ comments for Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, House of Usher, Carrie, The Exorcist, even Ouija: Origin of Evil,” Flanagan said. “Also got it for Life of Chuck. I’ve been lucky so far in my career to only take on projects I’m really excited about.”

    This was really exciting and we can’t wait

  • You can’t hate Hader horror

    You can’t hate Hader horror

    Bill Hader will write, direct, and star in the upcoming horror film They Know, based on an original story he created with his “Barry” collaborator Duffy Boudreau.


    They Know centers on a divorced dad (Hader) who grows suspicious that his ex-wife is secretly dating a mysterious man — someone who seems to be having a strange and unsettling influence on their children.


    This sounds pretty exciting.


    When comedians go the horror route, it can be magical. We’ve seen it before. The late, great Robin Williams stunned audiences in One Hour Photo,  a performance that proved just how thin the line can be between charm and menace.
    And there’s something about Bill Hader that, despite the comedy, is somewhat creepy. He has this ability to take humor to a level where it almost becomes frightening. There’s a precision to his performances — especially in darker moments — that makes you uncomfortable in the best possible way.


    That’s why this could turn out to be something special.


    If he leans into that unsettling edge while maintaining his emotional depth, They Know could be a consequentially wonderful horror film.
    Looking forward to it.

  • Silence of the trans

    Silence of the trans

    According to an article in the Hollywood Reporter, the folks behind the classic thriller said “there’s regret” when it comes to their portrayal of the sexually confused serial killer Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill.

    “There are certain aspects of the movie that don’t hold up too well,” said Ted Levine, who played Buffalo Bill. “We all know more, and I’m a lot wiser about transgender issues. There are some lines in that script and movie that are unfortunate.”

    “It’s unfortunate that the film vilified that, and it’s f***ing wrong. And you can quote me on that.”

    When discussing the adaptation of Buffalo Bill from the pages to the silver screen, producer Edward Saxon explained, “From my point of view, we weren’t sensitive enough to the legacy of a lot of stereotypes and their ability to harm.”

    Fans of the film are fuming on social media about the commentary being made by the makers of the film…

    Transgenderism was on the fringes of society 35 years ago, so I think we could all forgive filmmakers for not having every subtle nuance of the community represented in their film or how society would view people who are transgender in 2026..

    The vast majority of moviegoers actually didn’t even make the connection between Buffalo Bill and transgenderism.. He was a sadistic killer in the film.. and Anthony Hopkins ate people. Horror..

    Ted Levine himself: “I didn’t play him as being gay or trans,” he said. “I think he was just a f***ed-up heterosexual man. That’s what I was doing.”

    Also people point out that those debating this now are missing the point of the book and the film–and if they would have read the book, this could be viewed very differently..

    Jame Gumb failed the psychological evaluations that are requirements for sex reassignment surgeries. Because he wasn’t trans; he was a psychopath. The care he needed wasn’t surgery it was mental health help. Thats the whole point.

    And some posts on X have showcased a 1991 litigation of this issue on television then and the reaction then..

    https://twitter.com/lylegoodale/status/2022874021508108500

    And it is true.. there were lots of articles and news coverage of this in 1991..

    This could be a moment in time where history shapes up differently than how it was looking contemporarily.. but clearly for those of us who lived through 1991, this new article seems to be a bit odd given the big debate that actually DID OCCUR 35 years ago..

  • Mike Flanagan will take on THE MIST

    Mike Flanagan will take on THE MIST

    Yet another Stephen King related movie from the amazing Mike Flanagan!

    Flanagan will direct and write the screenplay, which is based off King’s 1980 novella of the same name.

    There is no news yet on release date or cast , but Deadline confirms that Flanagan’s The Mist will indeed be another collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures, and that Flanagan will produce through Red Room alongside Tyler Thompson and Spyglass’ Gary Barber and Chris Stone. Alexandra Magistro will also executive produce for Red Room.

  • UNDERTONE seems the perfect tone for Friday the 13th

    UNDERTONE seems the perfect tone for Friday the 13th

    A new movie coming out on March 13th .. which, incidentally, is a Friday. Perfect timing .. is Undertone. It looks to be a really cool psychological horror movie about a podcast.


    Undertone follows Evy, the co-host of a paranormal podcast who has built her brand on skepticism while her partner leans into belief. When Evy returns home to care for her dying mother, she begins receiving a series of mysterious audio recordings from an anonymous source. The recordings, said to be captured by a married couple experiencing strange phenomena in their home, contain unsettling sounds that defy easy explanation.


    As Evy listens to each new file, the line between the recordings and her own reality begins to blur. The noises seep into her waking life, triggering paranoia, obsession, and a creeping sense that something is not just being heard… but responding. Rather than relying on gore or traditional jump scares, Undertone appears to lean heavily into atmosphere and sound design — turning audio itself into the weapon. It’s psychological horror rooted in suggestion, implication, and the terrifying power of what we can’t quite understand.


    This movie looks really good. It has a great tone, a strong concept, and the potential to be something special. One of my favorite liminal horror films of the last 20 years has been Pontypool. That movie centered on a radio host during a strange outbreak, where words themselves began to unravel and reality started slipping through language. The horror wasn’t about gore or blood, it was about the ticking time bomb of strangeness inside your own brain, the kind you can’t quite process.


    The trailer for this new film seems to carry a bit of that same energy .. and hopefully a lot more. The idea of a podcast serving as the framework for a modern horror story feels incredibly timely.

    We’ll avoid walking under ladders and crossing paths with black cats on Friday the 13th… but we definitely won’t be avoiding this movie.