Movies
Stephenie Meyer Talks How ‘Twilight’ Almost Didn’t Happen
The popularity of the Twilight books is a complete mystery to it’s author, Stephenie Meyer. She originally wrote it for herself, a 29-year-old mother of three, but it’s no mystery to the hundreds of thousands of fans. The popularity of the book series is so huge that even we were compelled to cover the film here at Bloody Disgusting. While we know it’s not a straight up horror film, it does have vampires, and some bloodletting. TWILIGHT may be a nice gateway for a younger generation of horror fans, something dark to pique people’s interests. With that, we went to the press junket for the film TWILIGHT, which opens in theaters this Friday, November 21st. Meyer was her usual charming self, re-answering questions that hundreds of fan websites have covered.
A few years back Meyer sold the rights for the movie to a different company, she realized that they we not going to do the book justice, and almost didn’t renew the rights to anyone.
“It was a horrifying experience, I had realized that it could go wrong, and that it could be done badly, that they would do something that had nothing to do with the [original] story, that was shocking to me.”
The book and film are about a high school girl named Bella falls in love with a vampire. The new couple leads a rival vampire clan to pursue them and attempt to force her to decide if she, too, wishes to become one of the undead.
When Summit wanted the rights, Meyer was wary but agreed after getting it in writing that they had to stick to the fundamental elements of the story.
“Tthe vampires have to have the same basic rules as the vampire world I’ve created, which means no fangs, no costumes, they have to sparkle in the sunlight, the characters have to exist by their present names and you can’t kill anyone that doesn’t die in the book.”
When she was finally able to screen the final product she explains, “So many scenes looked the way I had envisioned them, it was partially creepy and partially wonderful. … I think the acting in this movie is something special.”
An interesting note was about how much involvement she had with the screenplay. The filmmakers and the company behind the film at Summit asked for her input on the script, they incorporated about 90% of her notes.
“One thing I insisted on keeping true to the book is “the lion and lamb” line,” Meyer tells us at the junket where she revealed even more. “I actually think that the way Melissa [Rossenburg] wrote it sounded better for the movie, it was just a little more relaxed, but the problem is that that line is actually tattooed on people’s bodies, which I don’t approve of by the way…“She continues, “If you take that line and change it, that’s a potential backlash situation.”
The Fans in this case were certainly helping Meyer in her decision-making, but what is it about vampires that so many people are connecting with? Meyer explains her theory.
“I am not a vampire fan, and never have been. I don’t do horror, I’m an enormous scaredy cat, Hitchcock is about as much as I can handle, and I love it, but anything more then that and you’re not going to see me in the theater. It’s widely out of character for me to write about them [vampires].
“Besides myself, it seems that everybody really loves to be scared, in a controlled environment, horror movies do really well, it’s a big industry, people read a lot of scary books, I’m just missing that gene.“
This week brings the next installment in the M3GAN Universe, plus a critically acclaimed queer horror movie, two new shark attack movies, and even a Lifetime Original clown thriller.
Here are the new horror movies that released July 27 – August 2, 2026!
Fresh out of theaters, queer supernatural horror film Leviticus is now available on Digital from NEON. Writer-director Adrian Chiarella makes his feature debut with Leviticus.
Joe Bird (Talk to Me) and Stacy Clausen star as star-crossed teenage boys who must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.
Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak) co-stars alongside Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie (The Nightingale), and Davida McKenzie (Silent Night).
“Leviticus is a strong debut with an incisive voice at the helm,” Meagan Navarro wrote in her review out of Sundance. “We care deeply about Naim and Ryan’s survival, making Leviticus a tense, atmospheric, and claustrophobic vision of young love in a hateful world.”
Just in time for the annual Shark Week festivities, brand new shark attack horror movie The Devil’s Mouth debuted globally on Amazon Prime Video this past Wednesday.
Kathryn Newton (Abigail, Lisa Frankenstein, Ready or Not 2), Lana Condor (Pretty Lethal), Nico Hiraga, Gavin Casalegno, Tommi Rose, and Tayme Thapthimthong star.
In the film, “Five friends set out on one last adventure along Thailand’s stunning coast, eager for a final thrill before life in the real world begins. They sign up for a guided swim through a remote cave system known as The Devil’s Mouth, a natural wonder that’s as breathtaking as it is unforgiving. Deep inside the labyrinth of narrow waterways, their journey takes a terrifying turn when they discover that a freak storm the week before flooded the caves with sea life.
“The creatures died in the fresh water, but something survived… and it’s hunting them now— fast, silent, and deadly. Every corridor they round is overflowing with anxiety, and every wrong turn becomes a deadly encounter. As panic spreads and their sense of direction slips away, the group begins to fracture.
“Trust erodes, fear takes over, and survival becomes a savage game. In the suffocating darkness, every choice could be their last as they learn that to make it out alive, sacrifices must be made.”
Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare, Imaginary) directs the shark attack movie from a script he revised from Aja Gabel (“Sunny”) and Myung Joh Wesner (“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew”).
And speaking of new shark attack movies, Aura Entertainment brought director Jesse V. Johnson’s Above & Below to select theaters beginning Wednesday. Check local listings.
30 feet below. 10 minutes of oxygen. 1 apex predator.
In shark attack horror movie Above & Below, “Friends embark on a dream vacation of parties and diving, but their trip takes a terrifying turn when criminals attack them at sea.”
This one looks like every other shark movie that’s been released in the last several years, but it’s armed with something that puts it a fin above the competition. Oscar nominated actor Antonio Banderas stars in Above & Below, with the cast also including Christina Ochoa, Laura Marano, Timothy V. Murphy, Louis Mandylor, Jess Liaudin, Ryan Bertroche, Ramiro Alonso, Diego Llinás, Rodrigo Poisón, Mario Tardón, and Donncha Tynan.
Anthony Steven Giordano wrote the screenplay.
Pregnancy nightmare Son of Sara aims to be the next generation’s take on the horror classic Rosemary’s Baby, and it’s now available on Digital at home from Saban Films.
In Son of Sara, “A pregnant woman’s cravings turn sinister as her estranged boyfriend’s return coincides with a terrifying secret about the life growing inside her.”
The film stars Chloe Van Landschoot, Tymika Tafari, Garret Hnatiuk and Jane Moffat.
Canadian filmmaker Houston Bone directed Son of Sara.
There’s something seriously wrong with the newborn in dark fable Nightborn, the new horror movie from Hatching filmmaker Hanna Bergholm. It’s now streaming on Shudder.
In Nightborn, “With dreams of starting a perfect family, Saga and her British husband Jon move to the isolated house where she spent much of her childhood, deep in the Finnish forest. But as soon as their baby is born, despite the reassurance of all around her, Saga knows there’s something terribly wrong with her son. As their marriage starts to crack, Jon struggles to support his wife, but only Saga suspects the terrible truth about her newborn.”
Seidi Haarla (Compartment No. 6) and Rupert Grint (Knock at the Cabin, “Servant”) star in the Shudder horror film that’s been described as “a visceral, gripping and terrifying dark fable about motherhood and unconditional maternal love.” The movie’s cast also includes Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey and John Thomson.
Nightborn is inspired by Nordic folklore.
“Hanna Bergholm’s audacious sophomore follow up to Hatching delivers tension and shocking moments surrounding parenthood and self discovery — with a touch of humor,” said Shudder’s Emily Gotto. “We are thrilled to share Nightborn with audiences.”
Every so often, Lifetime premieres an original thriller that grabs hold of our attention and forces us to tune in. And they’ve got another one headed our way this weekend: Killer Clown.
Inspired by real stories, Killer Clown is a psychological thriller that explores trauma, memory, and gaslighting through the lens of a woman confronting the truth about her mother’s murder.
Premiering Saturday, August 1 at 8pm ET on Lifetime, Killer Clown stars Sara Paxton (The Innkeepers, The Last House on the Left, Weapons)! Watch the official trailer below.
Here’s the full plot synopsis: “Decades after witnessing her mother’s brutal murder at the hands of the Killer Clown, Elizabeth Helmer (Sara Paxton) remains haunted by the crime that shattered her childhood. When she begins investigating the long-unsolved cold case, Elizabeth becomes the target of a terrifying copycat stalker, forcing her to confront painful memories she has spent a lifetime trying to escape.
“As she searches for answers alongside her father Reed (David Cubitt) and husband Dan (Hamza Haq), Elizabeth uncovers a tangled web of family betrayal and long-buried secrets.
“As she closes in on the truth, Elizabeth must separate fact from manipulation and fight to survive before history repeats itself.”
Following Saturday night’s premiere, Killer Clown streams next day on the Lifetime app.
Killer Clown is directed by Annie Bradley and written by Katie Boland.
After multiple delays, Blumhouse Atomic Monster finally launches M3GAN Universe spinoff movie SOULM8TE directly onto Digital platforms this Saturday, August 1.
Lily Sullivan (Evil Dead Rise, Monolith) stars alongside Claudia Doumit (“The Boys”). The spinoff is described as a ’90s-style erotic thriller with a “new technological twist.”
David Rysdahl also stars in SOULM8TE.
The film follows a man (Rysdahl) who acquires an Artificially Intelligent android (Sullivan) to help him cope with the recent loss of his wife. In an attempt to create a truly sentient partner, the man inadvertently turns a harmless lovebot into a deadly soulmate.
Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother) directs. The filmmaker rewrote an original draft from Rafael Jordan (Salvage Marines), based on a story by James Wan, Ingrid Bisu and Jordan.
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