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To celebrate the delicious onslaught of Horror coming our way in 2022, here are some of our favorite projects that we’re most excited to see. SCREAM Starting the year off with a swing and stab is the return of the ghastly Ghostface. This meta-slasher franchise finds a new start with a more diverse cast boasting Melissa Barrera (In the Heights), Jenna Ortega (Netflix’s upcoming Wednesday Addams series), and Mason Gooding (Love, Victor.) Release Date: January 14, 2022 TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE Fresh off of working on Don’t Breathe 2, filmmaker Fede Álvarez penned the latest Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Alvarez did wonders with his indirect Evil Dead reboot in 2013, so all eyes are on the Uruguayan filmmaker as he ventures into another revered film series. This Netflix release serves as a direct sequel to the 1974 original. Release Date: February 18, 2022 NOPE Keke Palmer (Scream TV series) is taking her outspoken love for Horror to the big screen for Jordan Peele’s first directorial effort in over three years. Nope is shrouded in secrecy, much like the production of Us (2019) before its own release. Release Date: July 22, 2022 IN LIVING HORROR Promising to be “drenched in lore and Black culture,” this new series from creator Britt Banks recently surpassed its crowdfunding goals. Filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry even shared their Seed&Spark campaign online, adding to the buzz around this project. Release Date: Unknown BITTER ROOT Despite the name, Regina King’s comic book adaptation promises to be a sweet monster movie set in 1924 amid the Harlem Renaissance. King’s production is described as “Get Out meets Blade, the Vampire Hunter.” Release Date: Unknown SALEM’S LOT Every nightmare that filmmaker James Wan touches turns into gold. Wan, best known for creating franchises like The Conjuring, Saw, Insidious, and last year’s Malignant, now has his sights set on a new Stephen King adaptation. Release Date: Unknown HELLRAISER Audiences will be visited by an other-wordly evil later this year when the franchise is rebooted for Hulu. At the center of this film is actress Jamie Clayton (Sense8) stepping into the iconic role of Pinhead. Clayton’s casting was a frequent topic of conversation last year, as she is the one of the first Trans women to ever play such a prolific legacy role. Release Date: Unknown

Horror has lost a unique visual storyteller behind the camera. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was tragically killed on the set of the film Rust. A prop weapon, fired by actor Alec Baldwin, fatally struck Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Brandon Lee suffered a similar fate when a prop weapon fired a bullet fragment directly at the actor on the set of 1994’s The Crow, thus ending his life. Many have taken to social media to speak in favor of stricter safety policies for film sets. Hutchins was voted a Rising Star of 2019 by The American Society of Cinematographers. Her filmography included 2 independent Horror features: 2019’s Darlin’ and 2021’s The Mad Hatter. For a glimpse at her unique work, check out the trailer for The Mad Hatter:

If you say Nia DaCosta’s name 5 times in the mirror, you might just summon a box office champion. DaCosta’s Candyman sequel surpassed expectations, hooking audiences for a debut atop the box office last weekend with over 23 million. History has been made with DaCosta now being the first Black woman director to EVER top the domestic box office. Candyman also boasts the largest opening weekend for any horror film directed by a woman. Only Ava DuVernay has ever had a higher domestic box office opening for A Wrinkle in TIme with 33 million. However, A Wrinkle in Time still technically debuted at number two it’s opening week. While DaCosta’s achievement is worth celebrating, it’s a pretty embarrassing reflection of the industry as a whole that it took so long for a Black woman director to top the box office. All in all, Candyman’s 23 million bodes well in pandemic times, especially with the newest wave of local restrictions due to the Delta variant surge. Candyman took a risk by not being available for streaming or video-on-demand services, unlike most theatrical releases in the past year. Surely, being produced and co-written by Oscar winner Jordan Peele helped the project’s numbers regardless. Director Nia DaCosta is already working on her next blockbuster feat with Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels, which is set to reunite her with Candyman actress Teyonah Parris. Here’s hoping DaCosta is summoned once more for a potential Candyman sequel.

Queerness catches eyes. A stolen glance between women or momentary touch between men can easily be sensationalized as “otherness” on display. The thin line between fear of the other and fascination is an age-old narrative. In a genre like Horror that subverts taboos and revels in exploitation, it’s unsurprising that this gaze has been abused and overused. Better known as Queerbaiting, this intentional tactic is often utilized for the sake of selling a film. In a recent episode of American Horror Stories (The Naughty List), a group of influencers purposely attempt to queerbait their audience. Here’s a look at how the practice lives on in Horror. Take, for example, the shirtless camaraderie depicted in The Covenant. When Ghostface is finally revealed in Scream, the male killers embrace intimately. Even the sensual undertones in 1987’s The Lost Boys depict a type of commercialized teasing. At the center of the original Fright Night from 1985 is a layer of ambiguity surrounding the vampire’s sexuality. However, that’s not to confuse Queer coding with Queer baiting. Baiting is often superficial while coding provides an enriched subtext. Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge notoriously straddles both. If truly diverse LGBTQIA+ characters and actors weren’t disproportionately misrepresented in the media, then Queerbaiting might be a more forgivable sin. After all, exploitation has definite art value (here’s looking at you, Rocky Horror Picture Show.) As aforementioned, Queerbaiting is anything but new. In fact, even many literary details of Bram Stoker’s Dracula sensationalize sexuality. Slowly but surely, things are changing as more diverse voices take command. Karyn Kusama’s 2009 movie Jennifer’s Body flips the script by giving women characters actual incentive to preform Queer acts that are all too often reserved for the male gaze. American Horror Story/Stories is a cesspool of Queerbaiting, with straight actors like Aaron Tveit and Matthew Morrison leaning fully into outrageously homo-erotic scenes. One big difference here is that this baiting is a signature mark of gay creator and showrunner Ryan Murphy, which largely changes the context of these scenes. At the same time, Murphy is responsible for bringing some of the most three dimensional LGBTQIA+ characters to life on television. Ultimately the keys towards a more exciting storytelling landscape are diversity, inclusion, equity, and complete autonomy. Then we can get rid of old, burnt-out bait and be lured in by a prize truly worth celebrating instead.

Jinkies! Mindy Kaling addressed the haters and trolls harshly challenging her role as Velma Dinkley in a Scooby Doo prequel series. Announced back in February, this HBO Max show will focus on Velma’s origin story and is aimed at adult audiences who grew up with the character. When visiting Late Night with Seth Meyers, the multi-hyphenate creative took some time to address those concerned with changes to the character. “When it was announced that I was going to do the voice of Velma, people were really supportive and happy…” Kaling began. “And then it was announced about a month ago that the Velma character would be reimagined as South Asian and people were not happy.” She went on to describe the negative reactions before quipping back, “I just couldn’t understand how people could imagine a really smart, nerdy girl with terrible eyesight who loved to solve mysteries could NOT be Indian. Like there are Indian nerds. It shouldn’t be a surprise to people.” Kaling will be starring in and executive producing the new series, so she went on to assure fans that Velma is in loving hands. “...We gotta be really careful with this character, which we will be because we really love her.” Watch the interview below and catch Mindy Kaling on Monsters At Work on Disney+.

The ornate doors to Murder House have swung wide open, and a familiar silhouette lurks inside. These iconic haunted hallways have returned for the debut of American Horror Stories. That’s right - STORIES. Where American Horror Story offers season-long plotlines, each episode of Stories unveils self-contained tales. What awaits viewers in this two-part series premiere is that trademark AHS contemplative fun with some glaring issues that will rub many the wrong way. Show creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck have repeatedly broken ground on television as allies to marginalized groups. Their work on Glee, Pose, and the Half Initiative (https://www.halfinitiative.com/about) forged an undeniably impactful path towards modern diversity and inclusion in the industry. Nevertheless, it would be remiss to ignore the...Matt Bomer of it all. For years, Murphy has faced criticism for repeatedly casting a very specific type of traditionally handsome lead equipped with green eyes and dark hair. Even Vanity Fair took notice when an American Horror Story: Hotel crew member couldn’t tell the cast apart. This issue carries on into Stories’ first two episodes, which star a predominantly white cast. Models like Paris Jackson and Kaia Gerber make it hard to imagine that looks weren’t prioritized in this soap opera-esque cast. Adding insult to injury, the first murder victim of the episode is a Black woman. From that point on, 99% of the POC characters here don’t make it out alive. Sorry to the ambitious therapist who dedicates her afterlife to helping the white main characters. Sorry to the contractor whose only crime was picking the wrong house to work on. Sorry to the clique of girls that lived and died serving their “friend’s” orders. We hardly knew any of you. Reshaping the Rubber Man narrative into a Queer teenager’s journey through a violent, sexual awakening feels appropriately brazen. Sierra McCormick (Some Kind of Hate, VFW) conveys a genuine angst that channels relatable frustrations of the young and misunderstood. Matt Bomer and Gavin Creel are given an arc that feels thin with joyless melodrama. One positive AHS staple that appears here is the infamous Halloween episode. A night out gone wrong at an ethereal Griffith Park makes for unmatched Horror eye-candy. Over the course of these two episodes, the show satiates the desire for campy and stylish fun true to the AHS formula. There’s no major risk here compared to its cable counterpart, which may just serve as a double-edged sword. Regardless, we could all use these contemplations of shame, guilt and curiosity.

Time itself is a cold-blooded killer in M Night Shyamalan’s newest thriller Old. Both inventive and pensive, this film shows that even a seasoned Director can make space for successful growth. A sunny beach day brilliantly serves as the unusual setting for this macabre outing into the unknown. Aesthetically, this movie succeeds in creating effective daylight terrors similar to Ari Aster’s Midsommar. As these characters navigate a scenario straight out of a Twilight Zone episode, enthralling world-building and suspense take center stage. Aging and time seem to provide unadulterated nightmare fuel for Shyamalan, who explored similar themes in 2015’s The Visit. Old expands on themes present in its source material (the graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederick Peeters) such as vanity, sexual innocence, capitalism, corporate greed, racism, and infidelity. This mesmerizing chaos is ultimately undercut by a banal ending more reminiscent of feel-good popcorn fodder rather than a mature thriller. However, in a time when health coverage disparities are making headlines, it seems especially pertinent to make Big Pharma the true underlying villain. Mexican star Gael Garcia Bernal and The Omen’s Nikki Amuka-Bird provide the film’s most grounded characters with believable common sense. Lovecraft Country fans will surely recognize the bewitching Abbey Lee in this role that will inspire many 2021 Halloween costumes. Hereditary’s Alex Wolff continues amassing Horror credits with this playful turn as 15 year-old Trent. For what feels like the billionth time this year, we see yet another “good cop” character seemingly absolved just by being played by a Black actor. We appreciate the diversity, but for the love of all things scary - PLEASE STOP ROMANTICIZING POLICE. More creative resolutions are deeply needed in the genre. Old topped domestic box office waves collecting over 16 million dollars in its opening weekend alone for the number one spot. What did you think of Shyamalan’s latest?

July is Disability Pride Month - a celebration of individuality and diversity in every sense of the word. Disability is a wide spectrum that includes neurological differences as well. Recent studies have shown that people with disabilities have had significantly less media representation in the past few years. Cinema has a long history of demonizing characters with disabilities or altogether ignoring them. In fact, recent studies have found that people with disabilities and especially QUEER people of color with disabilities have been “nearly invisible” recently. In Horror specifically, tropes like the “circus freak” are often damaging to societal views towards these communities. It’s important to celebrate authentically written characters and creatives with disabilities in the industry. Here’s just a few actors making a difference in representation across the Horror genre: Jyoti Amge - American Horror Story: Freak Show (Primordial Dwarfism) Millicent Simmonds - A Quiet Place / A Quiet Place Part II (Deaf) Milly Shapiro - Hereditary (Cleidocranial Dysostosis) Gaten Matarazzo - Stranger Things (Cleidocranial Dysplasia) Jamie Brewer - American Horror Story: Murder House (Down Syndrome) Keep this list growing! Who would you add?

Once you’re locked in your theatre seat, there’s no escaping the non-stop extravaganza that is Escape Room: Tournament of Champions. Like an actual escape room, this movie puts spectacle before story. Polarizing visuals distract from lapses in common sense. An upscale bank, sinking beach, and toxic cityscape are just a few of the backdrops that dazzle as stars in their own right. As an audience member, you’re only invited to witness these puzzles, but never play. You’re distinctly watching these characters navigate challenges without the information to play alongside them. Although the story arc connecting Tournament of Champions to its predecessor feels shallow, a member of the returning cast absolutely rules the game. Taylor Russell and Holland Roden make the most of this lackluster story, inflating moments with convincing emotional urgency. Both have Horror titles under their belts, with Russell starring in Freeform’s Dead of Summer and Roden being known for Teen Wolf, Lore, No Escape, and Channel Zero. Non-binary actor Indya Moore (FX’s Pose) makes their first entry into Horror as memorable influencer Brianna. At the end of this game is an unresolved ending. The most rewarding prizes are the playful challenges and mysterious sets uncovered along the way. Tournament of Champions may not be a feat of cinema, but it is a fun thriller worthy of those willing to play the game.

Horror is changing into a colorful landscape. The International Screenwriters Association (ISA) hosted us along with top industry filmmakers, writers, and creatives for a discussion on intersectional diversity in horror. American Horror Story: 1984 / Pose actress Angelica Ross, Horror Noire executive producer / writer / educator Tananarive Due, Ronald / Thicke filmmaker Britt Banks, and Jasmyne Peck, director of development at Black Film Allegiance all joined us for an insightful, needed dialogue. Our panel explored topics of representation, allyship, and communal fears. Tananarive gave stellar advice on writing outside of your comfort zone. Angelica emphasized the importance of “building while you’re climbing” while also teasing her involvement in American Horror Story’s 10th season. Jasmyne suggested an important critique on praise of allyship. Britt even shared their own personal connection to A24’s Midsommar. We’re grateful for all of our engaging panelists and the gems they dropped during our hour-and-a-half discussion. None of this would be possible without our supportive partners at the ISA and our eager audience. Add your own color to the conversation by commenting and subscribing via YouTube. Catch the full video above.

It’s alive...again! After COVID-19 drastically affected last 2020’s Halloween offerings,the availability of vaccines have allowed us to plan for another season of screams together at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights. Officially set for September 9th - October 31st, this event has already announced three new mazes taking over the theme park. First off, we get to see the Bride of Frankenstein finally take the spotlight in Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives! This marks only the 3rd maze in Horror Nights (USH) history that focuses on a woman character. La Llorona and Buffy & Angel Hellmouth Haunt are the only other haunts in that exclusive club. Universal teases that the Bride is taking matters “into her own bloody hands” while trying to reanimate Frankenstein’s monster herself. She’ll also take on the Bride of Dracula in a thrilling face-off. Get a taste of the blood-soaked chaos with the teaser below: Next up is the Horror Nights debut of a franchise that dominated screens last year: Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House. Nightmarish figures like the Bent-Neck Lady and The Tall Man will come alive like never before. Beware the Red Room and watch the teaser below: Lastly, Universal is bringing back the 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as inspiration for a new maze that guides you through the iconic Sawyer house. Pack your bags for Texas and peep the teaser below: Tickets are on sale now at https://hollywood.halloweenhorrornights.com

Our prayers are answered with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, a film that just might absolve sins of the franchise’s past. Director Michael Chaves (who helmed the culturally out-of-touch The Curse of La Llorona) takes the reins of the universe created by James Wan (Saw, Insidious, Dead Silence) for a redeeming directorial venture. From the start, The Devil Made Me Do It is incredibly self-aware with a lengthy homage to The Exorcist. It drags a bit, but the reverence is appreciated. Conjuring fans will find an aesthetically familiar world with retro prints and high hairdos. The pacing hits a sweet spot in the first act, benefitting from being the third entry in the series. There’s no over-explanation nor crowded narrative. Commentary on the fine line between obsession and fascination helps steer this franchise into new territory. Our beloved Warrens are back, played charismatically by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson. Wandavision’s Julian Hilliard steals EVERY scene. We’re gonna have a talk with his parents about letting him go to prison to visit a possessed murderer though. John Noble’s unsettling voice helps make his character a welcome addition to The Conjuring mythology. Thankfully, the cringe-worthy choices (ex: centering white characters) that plagued The Curse of La Llorona are absent here. However, Chaves’ blindspots are evident. Returning actor Shannon Kook is given the bare minimum. The only Black characters are public servants lacking any real agency. Casting Black actors in police roles (ex: Spiral, A Quiet Place Part II) feels almost like Hollywood’s bizarre reaction to socio-political issues affecting Black communities. As with any popcorn flick, there are also smaller, run-of-the-mill issues. The Devil Made Me Do It loses focus of the real-life court case about halfway through. There’s an animated corpse that inspires an arguably fatphobic sequence. Also, Eugenie Bondurant’s The Occultist stalks slowly for eerie effect, but it's hard to ignore how counterproductive this ends up being. She might have succeeded in her plot had she just ran to defend her altar instead of walking slowly. For all its faults, the film is still a welcome steer in a frightening new direction. Most fascinating is always the true events behind these stories. Considering the length of the Warrens’ career, we can only pray for more.

Megan Thee Stallion is no one-trick-pony. In the age of hip-hop dominance, one of its key players is turning to horror in creative pursuit. The Savage rapper opened up about her very own horror screenplay via her Variety cover story earlier today. “It’s gonna be something that definitely blows your mind. You’ve never seen it before,” teased Meg. The ferocious leader of the hotties(what she calls her fans) has spoken publicly about her goal to work with Get Out and Us visionary Jordan Peele. Fans wanting a taste of Meg’s horror can feast their fangs on her original series, Hottieween. The 2019 short series is directed by Teyana Taylor and features some of Megan’s greatest hits. Fingers crossed that we get new music with that horror flick!

Filmmaker Justin Simien is brushing up new horrors with his film Bad Hair. After debuting at Sundance Film Festival in January, this horror comedy will be headed to Hulu for streaming. Deadline reported that the streamer purchased the flick for “north of 8 millon” earlier this year. Bad Hair boasts an all-star cast including Vanessa Williams, Lena Waithe, Laverne Cox, Robin Thede, Kelly Rowland, Blair Underwood, and more. Simien’s credits include both the Dear White People film and series. Expect this fresh piece of horror to hit Hulu on October 23rd. Check out the star-studded, pop-culture infused trailer below.

Young Hollywood is showing a promising interest in horror. Actor Evan Alex, best known for his dual role as Jason / Pluto in 2019’s Us, revealed he’s working on his very own horror script. “I’m working on my own project. I’ve talked to Jordan [Peele] about it. I’ve talked to him about the horror and about how I want this to be a little like Game of Thrones,” shared Alex. The child actor seems to be in good hands as Jordan Peele’s projects hold a reputation of massive financial and critical success. Think he might be too young to sell his script? Think again. Last year, comedy Little debuted in theaters worldwide. The project was created by Marsai Martin at the mere age of 10 years old before being sold to a major studio. Martin touts the title of youngest executive producer ever at the age of 14, but 12 year-old Evan just might set a new precedent.

The Scream family just got a little bit bigger. Melissa Barrera, best known for her starring role in Vida, has joined the all-star cast of the fifth Scream installment. Audiences will see a lot of this Mexican actress in 2021 when Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights adaptation hits big screens. UPDATE: Jenna Ortega, known for shows like Jane the Virgin & You as well as movies like Insidious Chapter 2 and Iron Man 3, has also been cast in an unknown role for the film. Ghostface fans rejoiced earlier this month when Courtney Cox announced her return to the horror franchise. Courtney and Melissa join David Arquette as the flick’s only confirmed cast members. Neve Campbell shared in May that she was in talks to reprise her own role in the long-running film series. David, Neve, and Courtney starred in the first Scream film in 1996. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (last year’s Ready or Not) will helm the project. UPDATE: The killer thriller has been postponed to release in January 2022.

Time for new tales...again. Visionary director Spike Lee is returning to executive produce Tales from the Hood 3 along with filmmakers Rusty Cundieff and Darin Scott. The stand-alone anthology cult-classic got new life (or death) as a franchise with 2018’s sequel, Tales from the Hood 2. Candyman star Tony Todd is set to bring his signature chilling voice as the star of the project. Tales from the Hood is reputably distinct from most horror fare by tackling socially relevant themes within the Black community. In a time of amplified demand for Black art, we’re rooting for this to get the audience it deserves. The film drops for digital download and Blu-ray just in time for Halloween on October 6th. Cable network Syfy will also air the anticipated horror movie. Check out the trailer below for more thrills and chills.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th - October 15th) with us as we pay tribute to Hispanic creatives in horror. Today, let’s salute Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Álvarez for making horror a little more colorful. Fede made his directorial debut reimagining a cult-classic by co-writing and directing 2013’s Evil Dead. Serious themes like addiction and loss were front-and-center, adding new life to the campy franchise. 2014 saw Fede helm an episode of Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn TV series. We then witnessed the director tackle a more grounded tone for his critically-praised original, Don’t Breathe (2016). Fans of the tension-inducing film will be happy to know the script for a follow-up is now complete. Next up, Álvarez is behind another mammoth title as he’s set to direct the newest Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.

Nia DaCosta’s Candyman has been stung by another release delay. After building anticipation since it’s announcement in September 2018, the new Candyman has been postponed to an unspecified date in 2021. Universal and MGM had already postponed the feature twice this year due to global COVID-19 restrictions. Businesswise, the new release date makes sense considering this would be Monkeypaw Productions’ first major film release since 2019’s massive blockbuster Us. The delay comes as little surprise in a time when most theatrical projects have dismal box office returns due to the pandemic. Thanks to Candyman’s epic scope and relevant theming, the flick seems a perfect fit for a theater experience (as opposed to VOD.) Please wear a mask and social distance so that we can return to the movies together safely.

One type of horror we DON’T support? Erasure. With Bisexuality being misrepresented by media (when represented at all,) it’s easy for Bisexual+ narratives to be ignored. Annually, GLAAD helps counter this by dedicating one week to the Bisexual+ community to highlight their experiences and celebrate their resilience. Everything culminates with #BiVisibilityDay - TODAY! Let’s keep it real - there’s not a lot of of Bisexual+ characters in horror, but we rounded up a list of some of our favorite supernatural spooks. These portrayals aren’t perfect(many are products of their time,) but these fan-favorites create a demand for more queer narratives in film and TV: Lucifer Morningstar / Played by Tom Ellis / Lucifer Jennifer Check / Played by Megan Fox / Jennifer’s Body John Constantine / Played by Matt Ryan / Constantine Will Drake / Played by Cheyenne Jackson / American Horror Story: Hotel Willow Rosenberg / Played by Alyson Hannigan / Buffy the Vampire Slayer