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Good morning,
We made it. October.
The one month of the year when buying twelve pumpkins, watching murder movies before breakfast, and putting a skeleton on your front porch doesn't require an explanation.
For the next 28 days, we're not weird.
Everyone else is just finally catching up. 🎃
🩸TODAY’S TERROR — THE NAME GAME
You’re walking through a restaurant when someone lights up.
“Oh my God! How ARE you?”
You know this person.
You absolutely know this person.
You have had conversations with this person. Possibly dinner. There may have been a wedding involved.
Their name?
Gone.
Not almost there gone. Witness Protection gone.
So now the performance begins.
“HEYYYYY!”
Big smile. Warm hug. No names. Names are dangerous.
They ask about your job. You ask about theirs. They remember your spouse’s name. Your kids’ names. Possibly your dog’s thyroid condition.
You remember...
Dave?
No. Definitely not Dave.
Maybe Susan?
It’s a man.
Then the nightmare escalates.
Your spouse walks over.
“Oh, honey,” you say, suddenly realizing introductions have rules.
Your mystery friend smiles expectantly.
Your spouse waits.
Somewhere, a clock begins ticking.
And you have exactly three seconds to decide if this is a good time to fake a stroke.
Today’s Terror: When the monster knows your name... and you don’t know his.
🩸RECENT HORROR NEWS
A YouTube Horror Short Is Becoming a Feature
Portrait of God is officially leveling up. Dylan Clark's viral horror short is being developed as a feature, with Chase Infiniti set to star. The project has moved from Universal to Lionsgate, and Clark will direct, with Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi producing.
From YouTube short to Peele and Raimi, some of you are now lamenting the free YouTube Faceless Channel training we offered last month. No worries, we’ll offer it again soon.
The Crypt Keeper Lives!
AMC's FearFest has brought back the Crypt Keeper, with original voice actor John Kassir returning and effects legend Greg Nicotero rebuilding the puppet through KNB EFX. Nicotero also directed the new host segments.
An actual puppet. Practical effects. Original voice. It's almost like somebody remembered horror fans have standards.
Horror Filmmakers Descend on Hollywood
The 26th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival kicks off October 6 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood and runs through October 15, giving indie horror filmmakers another major place to get their work in front of audiences and industry eyes. Opening night features the world premiere of road-stalker thriller The Night Driver.
Ten days of independent horror filmmakers chasing their dreams. And occasionally chasing someone through the woods.
Joko Anwar Leaves Fantastic Fest With a Prize
Indonesian filmmaker Joko Anwar's Ghost in the Cell took the Horror Features prize at Fantastic Fest 2026—and conveniently arrives in U.S. theaters this weekend.
Winning the festival and opening in theaters the same week? That's what we call killing two audiences with one movie. We’ve got a recap and trailer for you below.
🩸 WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???
This coming Sunday, T-Bone and I will be hosting our Welcome To Spooky Season Celebration, and some of you still haven’t signed up to join us. But who’s pointing fingers? ☝️… There’ll be fun, games, a surprise guest, but most importantly, there’ll be me and my son with our wicked sense of humors. Ready to usher in Spooky Season with some horror silliness? Be Our Guest Sunday October 11th at 5PM EST / 2PM PST.
To find out more CLICK.
🩸TAKE THE GRUDGE POLL
🩸NEWSWORTHY NUMBER
650
There's more than 650 hours of horror packed into AMC's 30th-anniversary FearFest celebration this October.
That's a little over 27 straight days of horror.
October has 31.
So technically, you still have four days to shower. 😈
Name the movie below
Name the movie. Answer at the bottom ⬇️⬇️⬇️
🩸HORROR IN THEATERS.
Ghost In The Cell — (Oct. 2nd) Limited Release. In this Indonesian horror/comedy a malevolent spirit spreads terror through a brutal prison, slaughtering inmates in gruesome fashion. The escalating horror forces rival gangs and corrupt guards to unite for survival… A prison movie where getting shanked may not be your biggest problem. Trailer
Appofeniacs — (Oct. 2nd) The use of AI technology reaches its most violent and bloody conclusion after a series of deepfake videos are unleashed into the world… just what we need, a horror movie where deleting the app probably won't help.
Beware Boiuna — (Oct. 2nd) A medical mission ventures deep into the Amazon and awakens Boiúna, an enormous ancient predator that apparently doesn't accept their insurance. Trailer
Resident Evil — (Sept. 18) Zach Cregger (Barbarian, Weapons) takes his swing at the legendary franchise with an entirely new story starring Austin Abrams as a medical courier who picks one spectacularly bad night to go to work… It’s earned over $205 million worldwide so far… Who says zombies are dead? Get it? 🤡 Trailer
Family — (Sept. 25th) Limited Release. A 10-year-old girl starts to believe her parents are trying to kill her. Convinced a sinister spirit is to blame, she spirals into a haunting fantasy world that mirrors her deepest fears… Family, you can’t live with em, you can’t murder em without consequences. Trailer
Coming Soon
Other Mommy — (Oct. 9th) A grieving family encounters a sinister maternal presence that has very specific ideas about who should be raising the children… Helicopter parenting just got an upgrade. Trailer
She Saw Us — (Oct. 9th) Four friends, trapped in a remote house haunted by the lingering presence of a vengeful witch and her terrifying creation—a two headed doll… Annabelle’s evil-er twin?
Crawlers — (Oct. 16th) Quarantined residents of an infested apartment complex find themselves in a fight for their lives against deadly, venomous spiders rapidly spreading throughout the building… There’s a joke in here about how many spiders you eat in your sleep, isn’t there? Just watch the trailer. Trailer
Keep an eye out for
Clayface — (Oct. 23rd) Body horror film based on the character from DC Comics… The Riddler’s “he’s different” cousin. Trailer
Stiletto — (Oct. 30th) An exotic dancer named Lyric who seeks revenge and protects her community from a masked serial killer on the one-year anniversary of her sister's murder.
The Demoness — (Oct. 31st) This is not the Angelina Pakhomova starer of the same name released last year. Andrew de Burgh’s film boasts good reviews. A succubbus protagnoist makes this one sound really different… FYI, an earlier version of the film has already been released on Prime.
Here’s Why Experts Say to Ditch Your Old Cutting Boards
Before you prep another meal, here’s what you need to know:
Plastic boards shed microplastic particles into your food with every cut.
Wooden boards trap moisture and food residue, the perfect breeding ground for hidden bacteria and toxic mold that transfers to your food.
🩸HORROR TO WATCH ON STREAMERS
What’s Worth The Watch — a mix of hidden gems, buzzy titles, comfort horror, underseen picks, and classics worth revisiting
“He Didn’t Clock Out!”
Infirmary — Streaming On: Shudder
A security guard disappears during his first night working at an abandoned psychiatric hospital, leaving behind bodycam footage of what happened. The Shudder Original arrived October 2.
We've all had bad first days. Most don't become found footage.
“Ash Has Left The Building”
Evil Dead Burn — Streaming On: HBO Max
The latest Evil Dead bloodbath has officially made the jump from theaters to streaming, arriving on HBO Max October 2.
Perfect for anyone who thinks the appropriate amount of fake blood is yes.
“Nothing Says October Like Family Trauma!”
Hereditery — Streaming On: Hulu
Ari Aster's cheerful little reminder that sometimes the things passed down through a family are considerably worse than your grandfather's watch. It's currently among Hulu's October horror offerings.
Watch with Mom.
Actually... don't.
“Netflix Has Entered the Haunted House!”
Crimson Peak — Streaming On: Netflix
Guillermo del Toro gives us ghosts, murder, forbidden romance and one of the most gorgeous haunted houses ever constructed.
Come for Tom Hiddleston…
Stay because the house is bleeding.
Comfort Horror Pick Of The Week
“Sometimes Dead Is Better!”
Pet Sematary (1989) — Streaming On: Tubi
Few things say cozy October viewing like Fred Gwynne warning you repeatedly not to do the thing—followed by everyone immediately doing the thing.
Old-school Stephen King, autumn atmosphere, practical effects and one very unfortunate family decision.
It’s comfort horror because sometimes you want your nightmares to feel familiar.
🩸FINAL SIP
Spooky Season is here.
Enjoy these 31 glorious days of social acceptance.
We'll go back to worrying everyone in November 👀
Horror Movie Trivia Answer: The Descent
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