Good morning,
If you missed Saturday’s Ready or Not Trivia Night you missed a horrifically fun time. After getting off to a rocky start, the event rocked. My only regret is we held it on a holiday weekend, and that affected attendance. But we had so much fun we’re doing it again in July. No, not the 4th of July weekend. We learned that lesson the hard way. And on that enlightened note, read on…
🩸TODAY’S TERROR — THE GROUP TEXT TRAP
You send a quick “Haha, sounds good!” to a group chat… and immediately realize you accidentally responded to the wrong thread.
Now your dentist, your cousin, two serial killers and a mummy all know you just wrote:
“Honestly, I think she’s lying.”
Some horrors wear masks.
Others arrive with a text.
🩸RECENT HORROR NEWS
“Backrooms has officially opened the weird door.”
The internet nightmare you swore was fake is now very real. Backrooms hit theaters this weekend via A24, dragging liminal-space terror out of YouTube creepypasta and into multiplexes. Sleep tight next time you see fluorescent lighting.“Hollywood’s Obsession—This indie just broke Hollywood.”
Obsession posted the largest second week box office increase of modern times outside of Christmas, grossing a staggering $73m on a $750K budget. Maybe it’s time you got that camcorder out of storage.
“The Terror is back to ruin your emotional stability.”
AMC/Shudder’s The Terror: Devil in Silver has arrived, with Dan Stevens wandering into a psychiatric hospital where the staff may be worse than the patients. Because healthcare anxiety clearly wasn’t enough already.
🩸HAUNTED SUMMER VACATIONS
Norm’s Place
With Memorial Day behind us, it’s time to start planning the family’s summer vacation. We at The Grudge feel no true horror fan’s summer is complete without a visit to a real haunted house. So we’ve compiled a list of our top six haunted houses around America, each including a guided tour for your summer of exploration.
Starting next week, we’ll count them down with a little trip guide about each house. And good news, the first house on our list is open for overnight stays… if you dare.
🩸NEWSWORTHY NUMBER
$100 m 💀
That’s the jaw-dropping worldwide haul Obsession has reportedly crossed after being made for roughly $1 million. Horror once again proving that if you terrify people hard enough, profit follows.
🩸HORROR IN THEATERS.
Backrooms — (May 29th) It’s finally here. Backrooms brings the viral-liminal horror web series to the big screen… I hope it’s worth the wait. Trailer
Lucid — (May 29th) A struggling art student with severe creative block consumes a magical Lucid Dreaming Elixir… Where can I get that?
Pitfall — (May 29th) After a young man gets separated from his friends while in the woods, he falls into a 10-foot deep pit of spikes, impaling him through the leg, and leaving him trapped. He quickly learns that his fall was not an accident… Too easy.
Speed Demon — (May 31st) A priest and a nun battle a powerful demon and possessed passengers aboard a train that speeds out of control… Keanu Reeves anyone? Anyone?
Saccharine — (May 22nd) Hana, a lovelorn medical student, whose obsession with an extreme weight-loss fad involving human ashes draws the attention of a hungry ghost... This one made me hungry. Trailer
Passenger — (May 22nd) A paranormal creature feature… This one looks scary. Trailer
Obsession — (May 15th) Supernatural horror from director Curry Barker that has grabbed the horror world by the throat and won’t let go… I guess cursed toys are a thing now. Trailer
Coming Soon
Chum — (June 5th)
Kraken — (June 12th)
Scary Movie 6 — (June 12th) The Wayans Brothers send-up of recent horror movies... Not horror, not scary, but could be fun for horror fans Trailer
Leviticus — (June 19th)
Keep an eye out for
Evil Dead Burn — (July 10th) Another Evil Dead, Whoohoo!
Alpha — (July 10th) blending body humor with grief
🩸COSPLAY CORNER
This is one committed dude, all Halloweened out as Mama from Psycho for last year’s Midsummer Movie Madness virtual event. Why fans love it: a classic horror film plays on the left-hand side of the screen—the madness happens on the right. Next week I’ll show you another super committed fan. This one took it to an incredible limit. That’s next time. [Midsummer Movie Madness Coming Mid-Summer 2026]
🩸TAKE THE GRUDGE POLL
🩸HORROR TO WATCH ON STREAMERS
“Nuns. Demons. Bad real estate decisions.”
Streaming on: Netflix
If somehow you missed it, The Nun II just quietly climbed Netflix’s horror charts again. Gothic vibes, creepy corridors, jump scares galore, and proof that churches should maybe install brighter lighting.
“Sometimes the haunted house is just grief wearing boots.”
Streaming on: Shudder
Oddity remains one of the best under-seen horror films on streaming. Creepy wooden man? Check. Slow dread? Check. The kind of ending that makes you stare at the ceiling afterward? Also check.
“Your annual reminder that vampires are cooler than us.”
Streaming on: Max
Salem’s Lot is a solid comfort-horror pick if you’re in the mood for old-school creeping dread, shadowy windows, and the terrifying realization that curtains apparently offer no protection whatsoever.
“A robot bestie who chose violence.”
Streaming on: Peacock
M3GAN is still absurdly rewatchable. Horror? Comedy? Accidental camp classic? Yes. And honestly, she’s still less scary than most group texts.
“The apocalypse has never looked this sweaty.”
Streaming on: Netflix
With the zombie conversation heating up again, Train to Busan remains one of the best “if you somehow haven’t seen it yet, fix that immediately” horror watches on streaming. Fast zombies. Emotional damage. Zero chill.
This week’s recommendation if you only watch one: Oddity. Creepy, smart, genuinely unsettling—and criminally underseen.
🩸FINAL SIP
That’s it for this week.
The monsters are back in theaters, streamers are stocking up on nightmares, and the only safe place left might be…
Actually, never mind.
Hey! We’d love to hear from you—comments, questions, kudos. email us at: [email protected].
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