Horror Report

Tag: horror

  • Married to a box office bust! There goes the Bride

    Married to a box office bust! There goes the Bride

    Sometimes a movie just sort of appears out of nowhere and you realize Hollywood expected it to be a big deal, but the audience never really got the memo.


    That seems to be what happened with The Bride!, the new Frankenstein-inspired film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. On paper, the movie had some things going for it. The Gyllenhaal name carries weight in Hollywood, the source material comes from one of the most famous monster stories ever created, and studios have been trying for years to find a way to revive the old Universal-style monster movies for modern audiences. But when the film actually arrived in theaters this weekend, the numbers told a very different story.


    The film opened to roughly $7.3 million domestically, with another $6.3 million internationally, bringing its global opening weekend to around $13.6 million worldwide. That would be fine for a small horror movie, but The Bride! reportedly cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 to $90 million to produce, which suddenly makes that opening weekend look extremely rough.


    What makes the situation even more interesting is that many people, including horror fans, seemed genuinely confused about what the movie actually was. The trailers presented it as a strange mix of gothic horror, romance, and what almost looked like an art-house style period piece. That might work for a smaller experimental film, but it is a harder sell when you are spending blockbuster-level money.


    The marketing also did not seem to find its audience. Personally, I only saw a few ads for it, and even then it was not clear what niche the film was trying to target. Was it meant to be a serious monster movie, a dark romantic drama, or a stylized reinterpretation of the classic Bride of Frankenstein story? The messaging never quite landed.


    To make matters worse, the movie opened against more broadly appealing releases, including a major animated film that dominated the weekend box office. That kind of competition is always risky, but it becomes even more dangerous when the film you are releasing already has a somewhat unclear identity.


    In the end, The Bride! might become one of those films that finds a second life later on streaming, where audiences sometimes embrace unusual projects that struggled in theaters. But at least for now, the opening weekend suggests this was a big-budget gamble on a very niche idea, and it is one that did not quite connect with audiences the way the studio probably hoped.

  • Fans shutter at Shudder as Joe Bob Briggs airs his final show

    Fans shutter at Shudder as Joe Bob Briggs airs his final show

    For many horror fans, Shudder and Joe Bob Briggs have almost become synonymous over the past several years. Since “The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs” launched in 2018 as a one-night marathon event, it quickly grew into the platform’s flagship program, hosting hundreds of cult and horror films and building a fiercely loyal fanbase along the way.

    That’s why the recent announcement that the show’s regular run has come to an end caught many viewers completely off guard. While Shudder has confirmed that Joe Bob will return for several special events throughout the year, the traditional season format that fans have grown used to is apparently finished.


    The surprise nature of the announcement has led to some frustration among fans online. Many subscribers have openly admitted that Joe Bob’s show was the primary reason they signed up for Shudder in the first place, and for them the end of the regular series feels like losing the platform’s main attraction. As a result, social media and horror forums have filled with people claiming they plan to cancel their subscriptions, believing that Shudder made the decision to cancel the program rather than simply restructure it.


    At the moment, there’s no official confirmation of any behind-the-scenes conflict or controversy. The most likely explanation appears to be that the show is transitioning into a special-event format, something that would allow Shudder to continue featuring Joe Bob while reducing the cost and complexity of producing full seasons built around licensing dozens of films.

    Still, the lack of a clear explanation has left plenty of room for speculation, and horror fans tend to be very protective of the things they love.
    Joe Bob is one of the most quintessential characters in modern horror and he’s been around for a long time.

    Clearly fans took to him years ago and continue to do so, and if the ship goes down they’ll go with it.

  • SCREAM 7 wins one for the Ghostface

    SCREAM 7 wins one for the Ghostface

    So much for the Rotten Tomatoes.. the bad reviews.. the critics be damned. SCREAM 7 has made enough money that people are now clamoring for a SCREAM 8!

    The film is expected to scare up around $60 million by the end of the weekend, far surpassing Scream VI’s franchise best opening weekend of $44 million.

    Scream 7 also saw the best opening day/previews for the franchise at $28.8M.

    Pre-sale tickets happening before review embargo was lifted most likely helped.

    Pre-sales were heavy with 53% of the audience buying their tickets within the last week or a week ago..

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.