Titled Project Shamrock: The Secret Origins of Michael Myers Exposed, Eisener’s take on the Halloween franchise finally unites the events of Halloween III and the events of the other movies in the Halloween franchise into a single cohesive universe. In Eisener’s mind, Michael Myers is just another twisted experiment from the folks over at the company Silver Shamrock.

What if the Michael Myers mask was actually a Silver Shamrock mask that turned young Michael into a cold-blooded killer? It’s a fan theory that I’ve seen tossed around on forums over the years, but Eisener’s short is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone actually bring that idea to life.

Jason Eisener previews, “Shot on 16mm & 8mm film, Project Shamrock is a my new Halloween short set in the 1960s, years before the events of Halloween (1978) and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).”

In the short, a recently discovered lost film reel with footage dating back to Halloween 1960 contains disturbing evidence that a young Michael Myers was once a subject of the Silver Shamrock Corporation’s top-secret experiments, conducted under the codename Project Shamrock.

Project Shamrock is presented as a reel that’s being presented for the first time. Give it a watch to discover the connection between Silver Shamrock, Michael Myers, and even the Cult of Thorn!

Directed, written, and edited by Jason Eisener, Project Shamrock is a not-for-profit fan film, shot over two days on 16mm and 8mm film in Dartmouth and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Producers are Jen Yamato and Ian Matheson, with cinematography by Andy Appelle (also co-producer) and production design/props/wardrobe/and SFX supervision by Katie McQueston. Music and sound by Andrew Gordon Macpherson. The short also features a SFX prosthetic head by Steven Kostanski.

The post ‘Project Shamrock’ – Jason Eisener’s Must-Watch Fan Film Connects ‘Halloween III’ to Michael Myers appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In fact, it’s something of a small miracle that the film’s mascot became a horror icon at all. Originally meant to be the protagonist of an animated school project that Dougherty created at NYU back in 1996, the live-action incarnation of Sam somehow climbed his way to the top of horror’s Mount Rushmore despite only having a single feature-length film under his belt.

Against all odds, the diminutive Soul of Halloween currently inhabits the same space as other genre giants like Freddy, Jason, and even Michael Myers. Sam costumes can be found in Halloween-adjacent shops everywhere, and don’t even get me started on the collectible figures (of which I personally own several).

If you ask me, a big part of this success is due to Sam’s appearances outside of Trick ‘r Treat, as both genre fans and Dougherty himself recognized the character’s potential as an ambassador for spooky season as a whole. That’s how word-of-mouth led to Sam becoming a seasonal licensing giant without the need for a studio-backed marketing budget. However, out of Sam’s many surprise appearances over the years, my personal favorite has to be the series of spooky shorts produced by the now-defunct FearNet back during the early 2010s.

With Sam undergoing a long-awaited renaissance through Dougherty’s ongoing multimedia project Sam: The Soul of Halloween, which aims to provide fans with a plethora of new shorts, artistic collaborations and merchandise, I think now is the perfect time to revisit some of the extra-cinematic appearances that helped to keep Sam alive in the public consciousness.

For starters, I think it’s worth explaining the concept of FearNet to some of our younger readers, as Comcast’s horror-focused network was something of a unique creature even back when it was new. Originally a cable TV channel launched in Halloween 2010, FearNet would almost immediately complement its analog programming with an accompanying website that streamed trailers, shorts, and even feature-length films.

This was years before the rise of streaming services as we know them today, which is why I’d argue that modern horror-centric networks like Screambox and Shudder actually owe a lot to FearNet’s pioneering use of viral marketing campaigns meant to engage with online genre fans. Of course, one of their most memorable campaigns had the company partner with Michael Dougherty in order to turn Trick ‘r Treat into the channel’s main attraction during spooky season.

Starting in October of 2011, FearNet would begin to air Trick ‘r Treat on loop, accompanied by pop-up trivia for a 24-hour period every Halloween. This seasonal marathon would ultimately help to cement the film as a holiday tradition that horror fans could look forward to every single year.

As a part of this deal, FearNet hired Dougherty to produce a series of atmospheric shorts that they could air throughout the year in anticipation of the Halloween event. Many of these shorts were written and directed by Dougherty himself, which is why I consider them to be an official part of the Trick ‘r Treat canon, though a few of them were helmed by other genre veterans like Dougherty’s frequent collaborator, Zach Shields.

From tongue-in-cheek videos about delusional dads celebrating Father’s Day with mannequins to Easter dinners from hell, not to mention the final batch of interconnected yarns reminding viewers to adhere to the rules of Halloween, these shorts ended up becoming just as beloved as the 24-Hour Trick ‘r Treat marathon itself. It may seem like an alien concept to folks who never experienced what entertainment was like before the rise of algorithm-based online advertising, but I swear that these promotional shorts felt more like tiny passion projects than corporate-mandated ads. Just take a look at this behind-the-scenes video if you don’t believe me:

And while horror fans were (and still are) disappointed with Lionsgate’s reluctance to greenlight a proper sequel to Dougherty’s film, it was still cool to see the character live on in other media as the marathon introduced this world to more horror fans with each passing year – at least until the untimely demise of FearNet in 2014.

My personal favorite of these yarns is probably Making Friends, where a lonely boy creates a Frankenstein-like companion as Sam encourages him from the sidelines, though I’m also partial to the melancholy vibes of The Day After, a rare piece of Halloween-related media that accurately captures the grief that comes with saying goodbye to the costumes and decorations for another year. And on a side note, the shorts also introduced me to the incredibly underrated Oregon-based dark electronic band Chromatics, with their Dagger Moon single becoming something of a spooky earworm that I looked forward to hearing in these shorts every year.

Despite the impeccable atmosphere and the sheer novelty of seeing Sam in live action again, I recognize that these shorts were mostly simple mood pieces. That being said, I appreciate how much work went into making them feel like a legitimate part of the Trick ‘r Treat universe. There are plenty of ideas here that could easily inspire full segments of a hypothetical Trick ‘r Treat sequel, and none of these micro-productions felt like made-for-TV bastardizations of the source material.

In a just world, we’d be on our fourth or fifth Trick ‘r Treat sequel at this point, but even if we never see a proper cinematic follow-up to Dougherty’s autumnal opus, FearNet’s Trick ‘r Treat shorts will always be there to remind us that not even development hell can kill the spirit of Halloween. And with Dougherty promising even more Sam-centric stories this year (including a 4K Remaster of Season’s Greetings), there’s never been a better time to be a fan of Trick ‘r Treat.

Now if you excuse me, I’m going to cozy up to my Sam plush and rewatch all of these shorts for the thousandth time.

The post ‘Trick ‘r Treat’: The Forgotten FearNet Shorts That Helped Turn Sam Into a Halloween Icon appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

How it works is that Google has compiled the top trending searches for different topics, with “trending” referring to the searches that had the biggest spike in interest over a period of time.

The top trending Halloween Costumes and top trending Horror Movies are of the most interest to us here on Bloody Disgusting, and there’s one movie that shows up on both lists: Casper Kelly’s killer unicorn horror-comedy Buddy. While Curry Barker’s Obsession likely didn’t make the top trending horror movies list only because it was released much earlier in the year and therefore the conversation has waned a bit, it’s represented in the list of top trending Halloween Costumes.

Kane Parsons’ Backrooms is also found on both lists this year.

First up, let’s take a look at the Google Frightgeist’s top trending horror movies…

1. Buddy
2. Other Mommy
3. The Whisper Man
4. Passenger
5. Brute
6. Insidious: Out of the Further
7. Resident Evil
8. Arachnophobia 
9. Hokum
10. Backrooms
11. Leviticus
12. Send Help
13. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
14. Ice Cream Man
15. Colony 

There are a couple notable surprises on this list, with Brute and Arachnophobia being particular standouts. Brute is referring to the indie film Brute 1976, which didn’t make much noise with its release earlier this year, while Arachnophobia is the only movie on the list that wasn’t released this year. It’s a 1990s classic, of course, though there have been recent talks of a remake.

And here’s the list of the Google Frightgeist’s top trending Halloween costumes this year…

1. Buddy the Unicorn
2. Needoh
3. Nikki from Obsession
4. Agamemnon from The Odyssey 
5. Lily Love Braids from Poppy Playtime
6. Oliver Tree
7. Verity from Minecraft
8. Carl from Dungeon Crawler Carl
9. Disco Scooby-Doo
10. Hazel Hook from Descendants
11. Captain Clark from Backrooms
12. Dolly Parton
13. Thragg from Invincible 
14. Kenny Rogers
15. Bowser Jr.
16. Princess Rosalina from Super Mario
17. Green Lantern
18. Michael Jackson from Thriller
19. Skeletor from Masters of the Universe
20. Cyclops from X-Men
21. Dumpling
22. Dr. Frank-n-Furter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
23. Viltrumite from Invincible
24. Nightcrawler from X-Men
25. Doctor Doom

Nikki and Bear from Obsession is the #3 trending search for Couples Halloween Costumes, while it’s interesting to note that Michael Myers made the list for Kids Halloween Costumes.

You can browse the full Google Frightgeist report right here.

The post Google’s Top Trending Halloween Costumes This Year Include Nikki from ‘Obsession’ and Killer Unicorn ‘Buddy’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

McDonald’s is bringing their iconic Boo Buckets back for Halloween on October 20, Snackolator reveals, but this year’s buckets won’t feature the classic pumpkins, ghosts, or witches.

This year, the McDonald’s Halloween Boo Buckets pay tribute to Disney’s iconic villains.

The following Disney Villains Boo Buckets will be available…

• Ursula
• Maleficent
• Scar
• Jafar
• Cruella De Vil 

Each bucket comes with stickers and the color of each bucket corresponds to the Disney villain featured in the artwork. Maleficent’s bucket is green, for example, while the Scar bucket is orange.

You can check out the full lineup of Disney Villains Halloween Boo Buckets below.

Look for these at your local McDonald’s from October 20 through Halloween.

The post This Year’s McDonald’s Halloween Boo Buckets Celebrate the Classic Disney Villains appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Omri Katz, Larry Bagby, and Tobias Jelinek dive back into their roles to recreate the early scene that sees teen protagonist Max (Katz) peddle through Old Burial Hill in Marblehead, where he’s accosted by bullies Ice (Bagby) and Jay (Jelinek). Watch below as the original film’s footage gets spliced with their present-day recreation.

They’re having a blast, interjecting bits of comedy into the classic scene. Katz’s line about smoking is likely a knowing wink to his 2022 interview with EW, where he confessed to being stoned during production. 

While the OG stars, along with Vinessa Shaw, are back in Salem to host their annual Buncha Halloween event and celebrate a Halloween classic, a third film is currently in development. Hocus Pocus 3 is officially in early development at Disney, with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy set to reprise their roles as the Sanderson sisters.

Hocus Pocus 2 director Anne Fletcher and writer Jen D’Angelo were attached to reunite on the threequel when initially announced in 2023, with D’Angelo commenting, “I’m hoping that we are able to explore every aspect of these stories and take these characters on a bunch of fun adventures. 3 is still very much in the early stages, we don’t really know what it is, but we’re exploring all options.”

The sequel is still in early development, though, so no word yet on whether Fletcher or D’Angelo are still attached. The Sanderson sisters aren’t going anywhere, though.

1993’s Hocus Pocus sees three 17th-century witches — Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker), and Mary (Najimy) — resurrected on Halloween to steal the life essence from the children of Salem, Massachusetts. The witches returned 29 years later in Hocus Pocus 2, with three high school students tasked with stopping the ravenous sisters from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallows’ Eve.

 

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A post shared by Omri Katz (@dankster_omz)

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For some reason, the frozen pizza brand has announced that this year they will be selling candy corn pizza. Tombstone announced, “Conjured in the spookiest corners of the internet, this Halloween season Tombstone proudly presents The Pizza Nobody Asked For. And frankly, we regret absolutely nothing. Introducing the limited-edition Tombstone Candy Corn Pizza, an unexpected flavor mashup from The Official Pizza of Halloween. Candy corn. On pizza. Hear us out… it’s weirdly good.”

“This sweet-and-savory creation combines the zesty flavor of Tombstone Pepperoni Pizza with one of Halloween’s most iconic (and debated) treats. Add a few pieces of candy corn or cover the whole pie. Your call… we’re not here to judge. Love it or hate it, this unexpected Halloween mashup might just make you reconsider… What Do You Want on Your Tombstone?. Trick? Treat? Terrible idea? You decide.”

Given how frequently Tombstone has celebrated Halloween in previous years with seasonal-specific branding, it’s hard to argue that they really are a frozen pizza intrinsically linked to October 31. And we can only assume at least one person had to taste a candy corn pizza, so it can’t be all that terrible, can it?

For $1.31, the Tombstone Candy Corn Pizza includes:

• One Tombstone Pepperoni Pizza or Tombstone 5 Cheese Pizza
• Candy corn, enough for topping your pizza however you wish
• Preparation instructions for creating your own (ahem) masterpiece

You might be thinking, “This just sounds like a normal pizza to put candy corn on,” and even if you’re right, $1.31 for a frozen pizza is still a steal. Tombstone promises:

• A sweet-and-savory Halloween combination you probably never thought you’d try
• Customize your slice with as much candy corn as you dare
• The perfect debate fodder for Halloween parties or spooky season celebrations

There will be three limited drops at 2 p.m. ET on October 2, October 9, and October 23.

Would you try the candy corn pizza? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Tombstone Is Selling Candy Corn Pizza for Halloween appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

One such similarity is the widespread use of iconic masks among slasher villains. From Jason to Ghost Face, the inclusion of eerie headwear, or at least some form of over-the-top makeup, has since become a mandatory part of telling a story within the genre. However, as prevalent as this aesthetic piece of the slasher puzzle may be, it’s hard to explain exactly why this idea became so widespread in the first place. I mean, if you question any modern filmmaker attempting to create an original slasher villain, they’ll likely tell you that their antagonist wears a mask because “that’s just how it’s done.”

Unfortunately, I’ve always been an inquisitive horror fan, so that dismissive answer never quite worked for me. So let’s dive down the slasher rabbit hole and attempt to understand exactly how villainous masks became such an important part of the genre.

Naturally, the idea of masked murderers predates slasher movies by centuries. After all, the most practical application of wearing a mask is to conceal one’s identity, so it stands to reason that criminals have always worn face coverings in order to avoid getting recognized. That being said, there’s also a much more ancient and esoteric tradition of masks, with nearly every culture on earth having some form of ritual or ceremony involving simulated faces.

In the world of fiction, the first major killers to incorporate masks into their outfits were actually both figures from early 1900s French literature. Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera used a theater mask to conceal his corpse-like demeanor (with this design later making it onscreen via the book’s many adaptations), and Allain and Souvestre’s pulp villain Fantômas comes remarkably close to fulfilling the modern stereotype of a masked sociopath with a penchant for over-the-top crimes.

We’d see several more examples of terrifying masks in both fiction and reality as the years went by, with images of real criminals like the Zodiac Killer and Texarkana’s Phantom Killer still haunting the public consciousness to this very day, but it would be a while before this trend really took off in the world of film.

If you really think about it, the first wave of proto-slashers didn’t actually wear masks at all. Characters like Billy from 1974’s Black Christmas and the Giallo killers that inspired him were usually depicted as murderous forces of nature concealed by clever editing and POV sequences rather than physical coverings. In fact, the same can be said of Norman Bates’ disguise in 1960’s Psycho, as that killer’s cross-dressing outfit was meant to be a red herring for the audience itself.

The two major exceptions to this rule came in the form of The Town That Dreaded Sundown and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. However, both examples featured sensationalist villains inspired by real-life killers – Ed Gein, who famously skinned freshly dead women in order to make masks and other articles of necrotic clothing in Leatherface’s case, and the aforementioned Texarkana Phantom in The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

It was only with the release of John Carpenter’s Halloween in 1978 that we’d see the first modern Slasher villain that included a mask as an important part of the character’s fictional mythology. As I’ve mentioned before in previous articles, I’ve always been partial to the interpretation that the hastily altered William Shatner mask that Michael Myers steals at the beginning of the movie is meant to symbolize that the boogeyman is dressing up as a “human being” for Halloween, which is also why the script refers to Michael as “The Shape” throughout his killing spree.

In a way, this take on Myers’ mask actually harkens back to the ancient origins of ritualistic face-coverings, which is another reason why the killer’s design struck a chord with so many viewers.

With the success of Halloween, filmmakers everywhere began using masks to signify that their villains had become more than human. The first Friday the 13th movie may have been more of a Giallo-inspired whodunnit, but the sequels immediately began experimenting with masks in order to create their own easily-recognizable horror icon. While Part II’s Jason was a bit too similar to Texarkana’s Phantom Killer, Part III’s hockey mask turned him into the face of the genre.

I think Jason is an especially great example of this because, though the hockey mask by itself doesn’t really mean anything for the character, the bone-white visage gives him an abstract resemblance to a skeleton. This is another reason why my favorite Jason design comes from that crossover comic where Ash Williams chainsaws half of his mask off and reveals a toothy undead grin that leaves Voorhees looking like the Grim Reaper. The less detailed face also reminds me of the design philosophy behind H.R. Giger’s Xenomorph, where the lack of discernible eyes makes it hard to tell if the creature is looking directly at you during any given moment.

In any case, the idea of using masks to elevate human killers to movie monsters would eventually be adapted by Masters of Horror like Wes Craven. The late director even claimed that he always envisioned the Ghost Face killers as becoming slightly superhuman once they had donned the iconic Fun World outfit, which I think is an appropriately meta philosophy for the Scream series.

As the years went by, folks grew up with the masked killer trend fueling their favorite scary movies, so it’s only natural that new generations of filmmakers would continue to emulate the elements that made their favorite Slashers so memorable. That’s how the cycle of nostalgia helped to keep this trend alive for so long, with most modern horror movies not even meaning for these masks to reference any specific film or character.

In fact, I’d argue that there’s more variety in the current slasher landscape than we ever saw during the genre’s “original” run. From The Grabber’s multi-faceted demon face to Little Death’s air-conditioning vent head, slasher masks have evolved into an art form in and of themselves, and I can’t wait to see where the genre takes these killer faces next.

The post The Hidden History of Slasher Masks: Why Horror’s Killers Hide Their Faces appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s not just dogs and cats this year, either. The collection offers an exclusive assortment of costumes, toys, treats and seasonal accessories for dogs, cats, reptiles and small pets.

Shop PetSmart’s Thrills & Chills pet costumes, treats and toys in stores and online here.

“Every pet has its own quirky personality, and the Halloween season is a chance for pet parents to show that off,” said Matt Byrnes, senior vice president of merchandising at PetSmart. “More pet parents are making their pets part of every Halloween tradition – from trick-or-treating together and posing for family photos, to keeping festive treats on hand for the pups who stop by their door. We created our 2026 Thrills & Chills collection to help them celebrate together with costumes, toys, treats and accessories for dogs, cats, reptiles and small pets.”

While the collection ranges more tradition, as seen below, there are classic horror offerings for your furry friend, including a Chucky-inspired Doll with Knife dog and cat costume along with Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and killer clown costumes.

Fan-Favorite Classic and Creepy Costumes

With colorful classics and spooky styles, find costumes that capture every pet’s personality.

• Pumpkin costumes for dogs and cats, small pets and reptiles
• Bat costume for dogs and cats
• Devil and angel costume for dogs and cats
• Glow in the dark skeleton sweatsuit for dogs and cats
• Dragon costume for dogs and cats
• Dinosaur costume for dogs and cats
• Creepy crawlers like spiders, scorpions and slithery snakes for dogs and cats, small pets and reptiles

Costumes from Iconic to Totally Hilarious

From pink cowboys to Highland cows, shop costumes inspired by pop culture personas or outrageously adorable picks that are sure to stand out.

• Pink cowboy hat and bandana set for dogs and cats
• Lobster costume for dogs and cats
• Princess costume for dogs and cats
• Cowboy rider costume for dogs and cats
• Banana costumes for dogs and cats and small pets
• Highland cow costumes for dogs and cats and small pets
• Hot dog costumes for dogs and cats, small pets and reptiles

Toys & Treats for Sweet Celebrations

Seasonally themed goodies for filling up the toybox and treat bowls, plus extras for four-legged trick-or-treaters.

• Giant bat plush dog toy
• Pumpkin cookie treats, pumpkin biscuits and bone hands treats for dogs
• Savory seasonal flavored dog treats like chicken wrapped biscuits and mummy meat sticks
• Vampire teeth dog toy
• Western inspired flatties for dogs including a cactus, horseshoe and skull
• Halloween-themed Chance & Friends plush toys that give back to pets in need

Celebrate & Save With Top Picks Under $10

Getting into the spirit is easier than ever with toys, treats, apparel and accessories for less than $10.

• “Tricks for treats” tee for dogs and cats
• “Gourdgeous” dog cookie treats inspired by pumpkins and candy corn
• Plush pumpkin, werewolf or bat dog toys
• Cat toys including a bat swatter, Halloween ball set, pumpkin wobbler or boot kicker
• Festive dog bandanas

Pets can visit the PetSmart salon for a special Halloween grooming package that includes a take home plush toy, pumpkin spice latte spritz and candy corn bandana. They can also attend special-themed playdates from Oct. 15 through Nov. 2 for more in-person fun.

The post PetSmart’s 2026 Thrills & Chills Halloween Collection Lets You Dress Your Pet As Chucky and Michael Myers appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The sports bar chain has launched its all-new Fright Feast Menu (why it wasn’t called Buffy-lo Wild Wings is beyond us), which features heaping helpings of garlic, with the chain claiming the new items are “a vampire-inspired lineup packed with bold, garlic-forward flavors designed to give fans a spook-tacular way to celebrate the season.” Gellar helped launch the new menu in a promotional video that you can see below. The menu is available now through November 9 at participating locations.

Here’s what the new menu includes:

The post Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals Vampire Slayer-Approved Halloween Menu at Buffalo Wild Wings appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A year’s worth, to be exact.

The nationwide search is open to anyone 21 and older in the US who can legally prove their name is Michael Myers. Eligible participants can enter for the chance to receive cash for a year’s supply of Voodoo Ranger beer along with a copy of Halloween: The Game. 

Slasher Manhunt will culminate in New York City on October 7 with Party Without Fear, a Halloween activation created in partnership with Halloween: The Game. Real-life Michael Myerses will be invited to Ray’s on the Lower East Side to show a valid ID for a special reward, while guests can enjoy Slasher IPA, game demos and exclusive giveaways.

“Being named Michael Myers has come with enough baggage, so we’re here with the beer,” said Kiron Chakraborty, Marketing Director of Voodoo Ranger. “We’re rewarding real Michael Myerses with a year’s supply of Voodoo Ranger because Halloween deserves to be celebrated, not endured. And when it comes to Halloween, there’s no better beer than Voodoo Ranger.“

Voodoo Ranger will reveal select winners and share their stories on October 19, Michael Myers’ birthday.

To enter, eligible Michael Myerses can visit https://www.voodooranger.com/contests/halloween.

Available in stores now, Voodoo Ranger has released a 12-pack titled the Halloween Hoppy Pack, and exclusive to the limited-time pack is a Slasher IPA featuring Michael Myers. Slasher IPA is Voodoo Ranger’s collaboration beer for the Halloween: The Game partnership, and you can only find it in the Hoppy Pack until supplies run out.

There are three cans of the citrusy Slasher IPA in the Halloween Hoppy Pack, along with three cans each of Voodoo Ranger IPA, Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, and Citrus Slayer IPA.

Slasher IPA is a 7.5% ABV beer. Drink (and slash) responsibly.

Find a Halloween Hoppy Pack near you on Voodoo Ranger’s website.

The post Voodoo Ranger Launches ‘Slasher Manhunt’ To Give One Real-Life Michael Myers A Year’s Supply of Beer appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This year’s AMC FearFest is extra special, as AMC has dug up the corpse of the Crypt Keeper and they’re forcing the beloved horror icon to HOST this year’s FearFest celebration all month!

It makes sense considering the classic HBO television series “Tales from the Crypt” is now streaming on the AMC-owned Shudder, and the series is also playing as part of FearFest!

With presenting sponsor BACARDÍ Rum returning for a second year, the long-running annual horror and genre programming event, featuring over 650 hours of iconic horror films, franchises, new series, specials and more, kicks off Thursday, October 1 on AMC and AMC+.

Here’s the full schedule for Kickoff Weekend – Thursday, October 1 – Sunday, October 4…

Thursday, October 1 – FearFest Halloween Kickoff Marathon: 

• 11am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
• 1pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 3pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 5pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Tales from the Crypt Marathon

Friday, October 2 –AMC Celebrates Insidious Marathon: 

• 8pm: Insidious (15th Anniversary)
• 10:30pm: Insidious: Chapter 2  
• 1am: Insidious: Chapter 3

Saturday, October 3 – Stephen King Marathon: 

• 6:30am: Graveyard Shift
• 8:30am: Pet Sematary
• 10:30am: Silver Bullet
• 12:30pm: Stephen King’s It Part 1
• 2:45pm: Stephen King’s It Part 2  
• 5pm: Christine   
• 7pm: It (2017)
• 10pm: Carrie (2013)
• 12:15am: Misery  

Sunday, October 4 – Slasher Sunday: 

• 12:15pm: Halloween (2007)
• 2:45pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 5pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 7pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode 103

Click here to unlock the complete AMC FearFest 2026 schedule.

The post AMC FearFest Kicks Off With ‘Halloween’ and ‘Tales from the Crypt’ Marathons This Thursday! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

With spooky season finally upon us, I’ve decided to celebrate by coming up with a list highlighting five of the most memorable Halloween costumes in horror movies for Spirit Halloween 2026 inspiration! From stylish slashers to oblivious children, there have been plenty of unforgettable getups in scary movies over the years, and I think it’s worth looking back at some of the classics.

For the purposes of this list,  Halloween costume is an outfit specifically worn in the spirit of the season, so no masked slasher outfits that are only meant to conceal the killer’s identity. That being said, this is obviously far from a definitive collection of all the coolest Halloween costumes ever put to film, so don’t forget to comment below with your own seasonal favorites if you think a particularly memorable one was overlooked.

With that out of the way, onto the list!

5. Run, Rabbit, Run! – House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

We all know that the Firefly family takes Halloween very seriously, but the celebration doesn’t stop with the family members themselves. Not only do they force guests to wear masks during their traditional Halloween dinner, but these victims are later forced to don cutesy animal costumes before being hunted down by the family like human livestock.

In Rob Zombie’s original film, Jennifer Jostwyn’s Mary is eventually forced to wear a comfy-looking white rabbit suit as she attempts to escape her demented captors during the flick’s infamous “Run, Rabbit, Run” sequence. This idiosyncratic outfit is accompanied by creepy imagery and an unforgettable soundtrack, and that’s why horror fans won’t be forgetting the costume any time soon.

That being said, I’d also like to give a shout-out to Baby Firefly’s iconic “Showtime” outfit from her surreal musical performance earlier in the evening.

4. Jesus Man – Satan’s Little Helper (2004)

Satan’s Little Helper is one of the most underrated slashers of the 2000s, with the horror-comedy somehow managing to capture the spirit of the season without breaking the bank with over-the-top costumes and decoration. Yet, despite the movie mostly focusing on dark humor and satirical jabs at desensitization to violence among children, there is one moment in the movie that actually disturbs me (if only because I was raised in a very religious family).

Towards the end of the flick, Satan Man swaps costumes in order to fool his next victims and his budding apprentice. One of these costumes happens to be an uncanny Jesus outfit complete with an expressionless mask. The visual here is eerie (not to mention blasphemous) enough, but the silence beneath the mask and the mean-spirited trickery behind the plan make this scene much spookier than anything that came before.

That’s why the Jesus Man costume makes it onto the list – though I’m also a fan of Dougie’s silly little devil suit.

3. Vampire Kid – Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

There are plenty of memorable costumes in Michael Dougherty’s beloved tribute to the Halloween season, and while I’m a huge fan of Anna Paquin’s ironic Red Riding Hood getup and even Sam’s homemade sackcloth suit, the one image that always comes to mind when I think of the film’s eerie costume designs has to be that one kid dressed as Dracula from the Halloween School Bus Massacre segment.

From the child’s awkward demeanor to the uncanny nature of his cheap mask and cape, this costume is already freaky even before the so-called “Vampire Kid” shows up again at the end of the movie as a rotting revenant hellbent on punishing Brian Cox for his crimes.

Here’s a fun fact: the Vampire Kid was brought to life by none other than Richard Harmon, the very same actor who would later go on to play the fan-favorite Erik Campbell in Final Destination: Bloodlines!

2. The Sheet Ghost – Halloween (1978)

One might argue that Michael Myers’ standard getup is already something of a Halloween costume since The Shape/Boogeyman can be interpreted to be using the William Shatner mask to disguise himself as a human being. However, the iconic mask and overalls are practically the character’s second skin at this point, and that’s why I’d like to highlight one of the legendary killer’s other memorable outfits.

During a particularly memorable scene in John Carpenter’s original movie, Myers sneaks up on P.J. Soles’ character by dressing up as a sheet ghost and wearing glasses belonging to the now-deceased Bob (John Michael Graham), thereby tricking the poor girl into thinking that her boyfriend is merely playing a mean-spirited prank on her. Not only does this scene turn one of the silliest and most low-effort Halloween costumes ever into a seriously terrifying visual, but it also proves that Michael has a dark sense of humor.

Of course, if you don’t agree with this one, there’s always the cheerful clown costume worn by Myers at the beginning of the film!

1. The Silver Shamrock Masks – Halloween III (1982)

I know it sounds like a cop-out to include three different costumes in the number one spot, but the fact is that I simply can’t choose between the Silver Shamrock designs first introduced in Tommy Lee Wallace’s divisive Halloween III: Season of the Witch. While the flick was originally criticized for its lack of Michael Myers, time has been very kind to what many genre enthusiasts now consider to be the definitive movie about All Hallow’s Eve itself.

In fact, I’d argue that the flick’s unique take on the Witch, Pumpkin, and Skeleton costumes is one of the most iconic uses of Halloween imagery ever put to film, especially when combined with the movie’s absurd take on Celtic mythology and the inherent dangers of the season.

Regardless, the Silver Shamrock theme song is so catchy that I’d still buy one of these iconic masks even if I knew they would later turn my brain into a gory pile of bugs.

Head to Spirit Halloween to assemble a costume inspired by this list and beyond. Find your local Spirit Halloween today!

The post Five Memorable Halloween Costumes in Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Many think that The Simpsons crawled so a series like Family Guy could walk, with the Seth MacFarlane-created series following The Simpsons‘ suit not just with the series proper, but also by delivering Halloween Specials. This year’s Halloween Special, “Happy Hell-o-ween,” has released a trailer, which you can view below. The new episode will premiere on Hulu on October 5.

Hulu describes this year’s special, “Brian and Stewie find themselves in Hell — not an annoying day, the actual underworld — paying for 24 seasons’ worth of bad behavior. When they manage to annoy even the Devil himself, they end up in charge.” Kieran Culkin guest stars in the episode to voice the Devil.

While Family Guy doesn’t have quite as long of a legacy as The Simpsons, the series has still managed to tally quite a few episodes devoted to October 31. Over 24 seasons, the series has delivered episodes like “Petergeist,” “Halloween on Spooner Street,” and “Peternormal Activity,” which either embrace the traditions of the holiday directly or pay homage to beloved horror movies.

Family Guy continues to entertain its die-hard fan base with razor-sharp humor, spot-on parodies, spectacular animation, and orchestra-backed original music. Since its debut in 1999, the series has reached cult status among fans, and its breakout star, a talking baby, has become one of the greatest TV characters of all time. Family Guy has racked up numerous awards, including an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series, only the second animated series in television history to be honored with such a distinction. Series creator and lead voice actor Seth MacFarlane (voices of Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, and Glenn Quagmire) was nominated for the 2021 Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance and won the 2016, 2017 and 2019 Emmy Award for that category. MacFarlane was nominated in was nominated in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018. Alex Borstein (Lois Griffin) won the 2018 Emmy Award in that same category and was nominated in 2013, 2019, 2023 and 2024.

Family Guy’s “Happy Hell-o-ween” premieres on Hulu on October 5.

Will you be checking out the new special? Let us know in the comments below!

The post ‘Family Guy’ Goes to Hell in New Trailer for This Year’s Halloween Special appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Hidden Valley’s Spooky Ranch Condiment and Dressing is a limited-edition Halloween ranch dressing with a bold black color from Fruit Juice and Cocoa, gluten free with no artificial flavors, available now for a limited time exclusively at Walmart for the Halloween season!

This marks Hidden Valley’s first ever limited edition holiday release.

The glow-in-the-dark packaging makes it a perfect addition to Halloween spreads, whether you’re dipping favorite snacks or drizzling it on pizza at the neighborhood Halloween party.

“Spooky Ranch takes everything fans love about Original Ranch and adds a little Halloween magic. With a haunting hue and glow-in-the-dark packaging, this twist on the flavor you love is the perfect way to bring some frightful fun to your favorite costume parties and fall festivities this Halloween season,” said Stacy Stokes, Vice President of Marketing, Hidden Valley Ranch.

Spooky Ranch is available now exclusively at Walmart with an SRP of $3.97, while supplies last.

Other fun food and drink products this Halloween include Fanta’s collaboration with Ghost Face, Pabst Blue Ribbon joining forces with Jason, and The Flavor of Fear from Blumhouse and Cheetos.

The post Hidden Valley Releases Pitch Black ‘Spooky Ranch’ for Halloween appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This October, Pluto TV is turning Friday nights into “fright nights” with a special Halloween lineup of Double Feature Fridays, its weekly movie night experience in partnership with Entertainment Tonight. Every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Pluto TV Spotlight, audiences can settle in for two films back-to-back, featuring thrilling thematic pairings of modern favorites alongside indie films making their free streaming debut on the platform, offering some familiar tricks and new treats for audiences this Halloween. Each week, Entertainment Tonight correspondent Emily Curl sets the stage with an original segment drawing from ET’s more than four decades of Hollywood access and archival interviews, giving exclusive access and bringing viewers behind-the-scenes of the films and stars before the movies begin.

OCTOBER DOUBLE FEATURE FRIDAYS LINEUP

October 2: Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & Kill Bill: Vol. 2 + The Last Victim — All Revenge Thrillers With Fierce Women Out To Survive And Settle The Score

• Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 – The Bride wakes up after a long coma. The baby that she carried before entering the coma is gone. The only thing on her mind is to have revenge on the assassination team that betrayed her – a team she was once part of. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, the two-part action epic stars Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, and Vivica A. Fox.
• The Last Victim – A Neo Western thriller set in the American southwest, following Sheriff Hickey trying to solve the worst case he has seen in his small town, likely caused by a violent local gang led by a fearsome criminal. The film stars Ron Perlman, Ali Larter, Ralph Ineson, and Tahmoh Penikett.

October 9: Smile + Rosario — Women Chasing Answers After Something Supernatural Latches On — And Won’t Let Go.

• Smile – After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic patient incident, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing terrifying visions. As the lines between reality and nightmares blur, Rose must confront her troubling past to escape her chilling new reality. The film stars Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, and Caitlin Stasey.
• Rosario – Trapped by a snowstorm with her estranged grandmother’s corpse, Rosario faces terrifying supernatural forces and a deadly family curse. The film stars Emeraude Toubia, José Zúñiga, and David Dastmalchian.

October 16: Jennifer’s Body + Vampires of the Velvet Lounge — Two Horror Movies With A Lot Of Bite! Both Put A Campy Spin On Seduction, Death, And Staying Young Forever…

• Jennifer’s Body – A possessed cheerleader gains an appetite for her male classmates. The cult horror comedy stars Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, J.K. Simmons, Amy Sedaris, Kyle Gallner, and Adam Brody.
• Vampires of the Velvet Lounge – A coven of vampires is hunting on dating apps where they meet vampire hunters and schedule dates. The nights that unfold are action-packed modern horror madness. Stars Mena Suvari, Dichen Lachman, Stephen Dorff, Rosa Salazar, and Tyrese Gibson.

October 23: A Quiet Place Part II + Diabolic — What Happens When You Can’t Outrun What’s Chasing You? One Family Has To Stay Silent To Survive. One Woman Has To Break Her Silence To Survive.

• A Quiet Place Part II – Following the deadly events at home, The Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path. This terrifyingly suspenseful thriller written and directed by John Krasinski stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe reprise their roles, with Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou joining the cast.
• Diabolic – A woman must return to the fundamentalist compound where she was raised after she is haunted by the vengeful spirit of a cursed witch. The film stars Mia Challis, John Kim, and Elizabeth Cullen.

October 30: Scream (2022) + Sleepwalker — Horror Mysteries That Prove No Matter How Far You Run, The Past Always Catches Up.

• Scream (2022) – 25 years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a terrifying new killer resurrects the Ghostface mask. The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, and Mason Gooding.
• Sleepwalker – Haunted by terrifying visions, Sarah’s sleepwalking episodes begin to intensify, accelerating her descent into darkness. The film stars Hayden Panettiere in her last on-screen project alongside Justin Chatwin, Beverly D’Angelo, Mischa Barton, Lori Tan Chinn, Laird Lacoste, and Corinne Sweeney.

New Double Feature Fridays pairings premiere every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Pluto TV Spotlight before joining the Double Feature Fridays collection on demand. The weekly series continues through the end of 2026 with more movie pairings spanning genres, stars and themes.

Which double feature are you looking forward to checking out? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Pluto TV’s Celebrates Halloween With “Double Feature Fridays” All October appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

HBO Max has debuted its upcoming slate of October releases, spanning all genres. In addition to debuting a variety of contemporary hits, the streamer will highlight a number of classics. Specifically in the horror realm, the streamer will include multiple installments of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Poltergeist, Trick ‘r Treat, and more. You can check out the upcoming horror releases below.

October 1

• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
• Coraline
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Final Destination 3
• Freaks
• Freddy vs. Jason
• Friday the 13th
• From Hell It Came
• Ghost Adventures, Season 31 (Discovery)
• House Of Wax
• House On Haunted Hill (1959)
• Indestructible Man
• Isle of the Dead
• Little Shop of Horrors
• Macabre
• ParaNorman
• Poltergeist
• Scooby-Doo
• Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
• The Black Scorpion
• The Cyclops
• The Exorcist
• The Leopard Man
• The Mummy (1959)
• The Mystery of the Wax Museum
• The Return of Doctor X
• The Seventh Victim
• The Shining
• The Walking Dead
• Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
• Trick ‘r Treat

October 2

• Strange: Junji Ito’s Tales for Sleepless Nights, Season 1
• The Torment, Season 1 (HBO Original Series)

October 4

• Get Jiro, Season 1 (Adult Swim)

October 9

• The Housemaid (Lionsgate)

October 11

• The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story (HBO Original Series)

October 29

• Cannibal Poet (HBO Original Series)

Which titles are you most looking forward to checking out? Let us know in the comments below!

The post HBO Unveils October Slate of Horror Programming for Halloween appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But the small screen is a different story…

Drew Barrymore channels her inner Casey Becker in a new Halloween-themed commercial for Chase Bank this spooky season, and Ad Week has brought the ad online for us all to enjoy.

Barrymore again gets a call from her old pal Ghost Face in the Chase commercial. Only this time, the man behind the mask is Kevin Hart. And he’s not interested in slicing and dicing.

Ad Week previews, “The campaign’s release precedes the 30-year anniversary of the first Scream movie. In the ad, Barrymore receives a phone call, mirroring the famous opening scene of the 1996 film. This time, however, the masked caller only has good news: that she had earned cash back with Chase Freedom, the financial company’s cash back credit card program.”

“It felt right to go big with this one,” said Wittney Rachlin, general manager at Chase Freedom. “We’re also celebrating the addition of new benefits to the Freedom Flex card, so we need to make that impact. When something from your past suddenly shows up in a new way, it gets a reaction. People want to talk about it, trade memories and share it with someone who will instantly get the reference. We wanted the commercial to create that kind of moment.”

Watch the new Scream tribute commercial below.

Do you like cash back?

Drew Barrymore spoofs SCREAM – Casey Becker wig and all – in a new commercial for Chase. pic.twitter.com/jmOcOYBTzj

— Bloody Disgusting (@BDisgusting) September 21, 2026

The post Drew Barrymore Gets Back into Character as Casey Becker for ‘Scream’ Parody Halloween Commercial appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

AMC has not only announced that Tales from the Crypt‘s The Crypt Keeper would serve as host of this year’s event, but also revealed its full schedule of programming.

The Crypt Keeper, the underground icon from the beloved ’90s cult-classic Tales From the Crypt voiced by John Kassir, will be the official host of this year’s FearFest to mark the 30th anniversary of the epic horror celebration. With presenting sponsor BACARDÍ Rum returning for a second year, the long-running annual horror and genre programming event, featuring over 650 hours of iconic horror films, franchises, new series, specials and more, kicks off Thursday, October 1 on AMC and AMC+.

Famed special effects master, AMC’s longtime creative partner and The Walking Dead director, Greg Nicotero (Creepshow, Guts & Glory) re-created the legendary puppet for a ghoulish refresh, leveraging his expertise in practical effects and creature design to update the Crypt Keeper’s signature look, movement, and personality for today’s audiences. In collaboration with AMC Global Media’s Content Room, the company’s in-house branded entertainment studio, Nicotero directed the Crypt Keeper segments for FearFest with John Kassir providing the signature cackle and wit that cemented the Crypt Keeper’s legacy.

“What a great honor and privilege to re-create this iconic character and get a chance to revisit some of his clever quips and puns with John Kassir again reprising his role,” Nicotero shared in a statement. “Having the chance to re-create Kevin Yagher’s amazing puppet at my studio KNB EFX and get the opportunity to ‘direct him’ in a series of FearFest spots was like going back in time and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.”

“FearFest has long been one of AMC’s most beloved horror traditions, and we couldn’t be happier to resurrect the Crypt Keeper as this year’s master of ‘scary-monies’ as we celebrate 30 years of FearFest. Revived by Greg Nicotero, a master of special effects and genre storytelling, the Crypt Keeper will give fans a fresh and wickedly fun gateway into our incredible horror library,” Kim Granito, chief marketing officer for AMC Global Media, added. “We’re also proud to partner once again with Bacardi, a brand that perfectly complements FearFest and our celebration of the spirit, creativity and community of horror fandom.”

Here’s the full AMC FearFest 2025 schedule…

Thursday, October 1 – FearFest Halloween Kickoff Marathon: 

• 11am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
• 1pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 3pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 5pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Tales from the Crypt Marathon

Friday, October 2 –AMC Celebrates Insidious Marathon: 

• 8pm: Insidious (15th Anniversary)
• 10:30pm: Insidious: Chapter 2  
• 1am: Insidious: Chapter 3

Saturday, October 3 – Stephen King Marathon: 

• 6:30am: Graveyard Shift
• 8:30am: Pet Sematary
• 10:30am: Silver Bullet
• 12:30pm: Stephen King’s It Part 1
• 2:45pm: Stephen King’s It Part 2  
• 5pm: Christine   
• 7pm: It (2017)
• 10pm: Carrie (2013)
• 12:15am: Misery  

Sunday, October 4 – Slasher Sunday: 

• 12:15pm: Halloween (2007)
• 2:45pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 5pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 7pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode 103

Monday, October 5 – Final Destination Marathon: 

• 8pm: Final Destination (2000)
• 10pm: Final Destination 2
• 12am: The Final Destination (2009)

Tuesday, October 6

• 5:45pm: Thir13een Ghosts  
• 7:45pm: Ghost Ship
• 9:45pm: Jeepers Creepers  

Wednesday, October 7  – Chucky Marathon:

• 3pm: Child’s Play 3  
• 5pm: Child’s Play 2  
• 7pm: Child’s Play (1988)
• 9pm: Bride of Chucky  
• 11pm: Seed of Chucky  
• 1am: Curse of Chucky
• 3am: Cult of Chucky

Thursday, October 8 

• 4:30pm: Stephen King’s It Part 1  
• 6:45pm: Stephen King’s It Part 2
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Carrie (2013)

Friday, October 9 – Run Michael Run Marathon:

• 1pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 3pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 5pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: Halloween (2007)
• 11:30pm: Halloween II (2009)

Saturday, October 10 – Creature Feature: 

• 11am: Leprechaun
• 1pm: Gremlins
• 3:30pm: The Fly
• 5:30pm: The Thing
• 8pm: Tremors
• 10pm: Lake Placid
• 12am: Cujo

Sunday, October 11 – Stephen King Marathon: 

• 7am: Silver Bullet
• 9am: Children of the Corn
• 11:15am: Misery
• 1:45pm: Christine
• 3:45pm: Carrie
• 6pm: It (2017)
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode104

Monday, October 12 – Nightmare on Elm Street Marathon: 

• 11am: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
• 1pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
• 3:15pm: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
• 5:45pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• 8pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 10:15pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
• 12:15am: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
• 2:15am: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

Tuesday, October 13

• 5:30pm: House of Wax
• 8pm: Thir13en Ghosts
• 10pm: Ghost Ship

Wednesday, October 14

• 6pm: Halloween (1978)
• 8pm: Christine
• 10pm: It (2017)

Thursday, October 15 

• 4pm: Halloween II (2009)
• 6:30pm: Halloween (2007)
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Ghost Ship 

Friday, October 16 – Friday the 13th Marathon: 

• 10am: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
• 12pm: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
• 2pm: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
• 4pm: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
• 6pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 8pm: Friday the 13th Part 2
• 10pm: Friday the 13th Part III 

Saturday, October 17  – Final Destination Double Feature 

• 7pm: Final Destination (2000)
• 9pm: Final Destination 2

Sunday, October 18 – Freddy vs Jason Marathon 

• 6:15am: Friday the 13th Part III
• 8:15am: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 10:15am: Friday the 13th Part 2
• 12:15pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• 2:30pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
• 4:30pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 6:45pm: Freddy vs Jason
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil in Silver Episode105

Monday, October 19

• 5pm: From Dusk Till Dawn
• 7pm: Tremors
• 9pm: Jeepers Creepers

Tuesday, October 20

• 6pm: Friday the 13th (2009)
• 8pm: Halloween (2007)
• 10:30pm: Halloween II (2009)

Wednesday, October 21 – Insidious Marathon 

• 7pm: Insidious 
• 9:30pm: Insidious: Chapter 2
• 12am: Insidious: Chapter 3 

Thursday, October 22 

• 5pm: Tremors
• 7pm: Lake Placid
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Final Destination (2000)

Friday, October 23

• 5:45pm: Carrie
• 8pm: It (2017)
• 11pm: Silver Bullet 

Saturday, October 24 – Fear the ’80s

• 7:30am: The Return of the Living Dead
• 9:30am: Cujo
• 11:30am: The Fly
• 1:30pm: Fright Night
• 4pm: The Lost Boys
• 6pm: Christine
• 8pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 10:15pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 12:15am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Sunday, October 25 – Halloween Marathon

• 10:30am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers  
• 12:30pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 2:30pm: Halloween (2007)
• 5pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode 106

Monday, October 26 – Friday the 13th Marathon: 

• 9am: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
• 11am: Friday the 13th : A New Beginning
• 1pm: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
• 3pm: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
• 5pm: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
• 7pm: Friday the 13th (2009)
• 9pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 11pm: Friday the 13th Part 2
• 1am: Freddy vs. Jason
• 3:15am: Friday the 13th Part III

Tuesday, October 27 – Nightmare on Elm Street Marathon: 

• 4:45pm: Freddy vs. Jason
• 7pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 9:15pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
• 11:15pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• 1:30am: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Wednesday, October 28 – Final Destination Marathon: 

• 6pm: Final Destination (2000)
• 8pm: Final Destination 2
• 10pm: The Final Destination (2009)

Thursday, October 29 

• 6pm: It (2017)
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Thir13en Ghosts

Friday, October 30 – Halloween on Halloween Marathon: 

• 4:30am: Halloween (1978)
• 6:30am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 8:30am: Halloween II (2009)
• 11am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
• 1pm: Halloween (1978)
• 3pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 5pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 7pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 9pm: Halloween (1978)
• 11pm: Halloween (2007)
• 1:30am: Halloween II (2009)
• 4am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Saturday, October 31 – Halloween on Halloween Marathon: 

• 6am: Halloween II (1981)
• 8am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 10am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 12pm: Halloween II (2009)
• 2:30pm: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
• 4:30pm: Halloween (2007)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 11pm: Halloween (1978)
• 1am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 2am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

Sunday, November 1 – Halloween Hangover 

• 6am: Christine
• 8am: Halloween (1978)
• 10am: The Terminator
• 12:30pm: Predator
• 3pm: Men in Black
• 5pm: Men in Black II
• 7pm: Jurassic World: Dominion

Are you looking forward to this year’s event? Let us know down in the comments!

The post AMC Releases Full Schedule of Horror Movies for FearFest 2026 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In a blog post over on the game’s official website this afternoon, Illfonic explains that their “efforts to continue improving Halloween: The Game aren’t slowing down” any time soon.

“Our community has done an outstanding job sharing their gameplay highlights, reporting pesky bugs, and providing ample feedback,” the team explains. “We built Halloween: The Game with this passionate, engaged community in mind and greatly appreciate your thoughtful commentary. In an effort to better set expectations with our players, we wanted to spend some time acknowledging some of the issues players have been experiencing since launch, provide status updates on fixes, and briefly discuss what’s next.”

The blog post goes on to discuss performance/stability/crash fixes that are in the works, such as players crashing when Loomis enters the match and players crashing at the end of single-player chapters, as well as issues with challenges, achievements, and trophies.

Illfonic details, “Our team aimed to deliver a robust, satisfying progression system with a strong suite of challenges on day one. As fellow players, we understand how important those rewards are to the overall gameplay hook. We’ve made enormous strides since our Early Access launch to address many of the issues impacting Challenges, Achievements, and Trophies, but we are aware of lingering problems causing frustration with our players. Chasing down, correcting, and tuning these remaining challenge-related pain points is a priority for our team.”

They note that bug fixes will be “an ongoing priority” for Halloween: The Game, and they’re particularly focused on balance adjustments for near-future updates for the slasher game.

“As with any asymmetrical horror title, maintaining the satisfying game of cat and mouse is essential,” they explain. “We want to ensure both Michael and Civilian gameplay remains engaging and we provide players with ample counters to the strategic problems other players throw their way. Players can expect consistent, carefully considered balance adjustments with future updates, starting with the Bob-shaped elephant in the room. Our team is planning a series of changes designed to reduce the excessive effectiveness of select perks and provide the Boogeyman with horrifying options to combat would-be Bob Squads. We feel that it should be more difficult to stagger Michael, especially after successive downs.”

When can we expect some of these changes? Illfonic teases, “We know players are eager to hear about what comes next for Halloween: The Game. We are currently targeting an update early next week designed to tackle a host of these known issues, bug fixes, and balance adjustments. Improving the foundational experience is incredibly important for our team as we prepare for larger gameplay updates and future content plans. In addition to next week’s patch, we are planning a Quality of Life update in early October that will provide more fixes and improvements.

“And with Halloween right around the corner, we have exciting plans to celebrate Michael’s big month with all of you.”

Read the full update over on the official Halloween: The Game website.

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ Developers Tease What’s Next… appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

From classics like Halloween, The Thing, and Pet Sematary to more contemporary titles like Midsommar, It Follows, and Drag Me to Hell, there’s something for everyone being celebrated at this year’s event. Additionally, each weekend will feature family-friendly horror to help jumpstart a horror fandom among younger audiences. Even better, Regal has listed ticket prices at $7.99 as opposed to traditional movie ticket prices.

Over at the Regal Unlimited subreddit, fans have compiled the current schedule of releases, which you can see below. Participating theaters and showtimes may vary by location.

October 1-7

• Thursday, October 1: The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
• Friday, October 2: The Shining (1980)
• Saturday, October 3: Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
• Sunday, October 4: The Conjuring (2013)
• Monday, October 5: Poltergeist (1982)
• Tuesday, October 6: The Haunting (1999)
• Wednesday, October 7: Crimson Peak (2015)

October 8-14

• Thursday, October 8: Tales from the Hood (1995)
• Friday, October 9: In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
• Saturday, October 10: Pet Sematary (1989)
• Sunday, October 11: Drag Me to Hell (2009)
• Monday, October 12: The Thing (1982)
• Tuesday, October 13: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
• Wednesday, October 14: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

October 15-21

• Thursday, October 15: Psycho II (1983)
• Friday, October 16: Candyman (1992) and Candyman (2021)
• Saturday, October 17: Scream 2 (1997)
• Sunday, October 18: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
• Monday, October 19: The Blob (1988)
• Tuesday, October 20: Evil Dead (2013)
• Wednesday, October 21: Dawn of the Dead (2004)

October 22-28

• Thursday, October 22: Cabin Fever director’s cut (2002)
• Friday, October 23: Midsommar director’s cut (2019)
• Saturday, October 24: Us (2019)
• Sunday, October 25: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
• Monday, October 26: Constantine (2005)
• Tuesday, October 27: The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
• Wednesday, October 28: It Follows (2014)

October 29-31

• Thursday, October 29: Christine (1983)
• Friday, October 30: Halloween (1978)
• Saturday, October 31: Trick ’r Treat (2007)

Family matinees are as follows:

• Weekend of Friday, October 2nd – Monster House (2006) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Weekend of Friday, October 9th – Goosebumps (2015) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Weekend of Friday, October 16th – The Monster Squad (1987) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Weekend of Friday, October 23rd – The Addams Family (1991) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Weekend of Friday, October 30th – The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) and The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Which titles are you most looking forward to checking out? Let us know down in the comments!

The post Regal’s Full “31 Screams on Screen” Schedule Released for October appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The team explains, “Since our Early Access launch, our team has been working hard to quickly address reported bugs, improve performance, evaluate game feedback, and refine the overall experience for players. We’ve already implemented various server-side adjustments, one hotfix, and our Day One Patch. With the release of 1.0.2, we are excited to deliver our second hotfix.”

“Today’s update tackles a wide range of issues affecting game performance and stability, player interactions, challenges, achievements, and Prestige, alongside numerous bug fixes and carefully considered balance adjustments,” Illfonic previews. “Thanks so much to everyone who’s jumped in and joined us in Haddonfield so far. We greatly appreciate all the feedback and remain committed to enriching the distinct horror sandbox of Halloween: The Game.”

Here’s the full list of Patch Notes 1.0.2 for Halloween: The Game… 

Crashes, Stability, and Interactions

Crashes and Stability

Patch 1.0.2 introduces numerous crash fixes and stability improvements across all platforms. We are collecting community feedback and investigating further optimization opportunities.

Xbox Series S

Our team is aware of performance and stability issues disproportionately impacting Xbox Series S players. We are actively working to improve visual fidelity, overall performance, and memory-related crashes. Players can expect additional focused fixes and improvements with an upcoming patch.

Interactions

We’ve made several fixes to issues that were impacting player interactions and interaction prompts disappearing. This is an ongoing process, and we will be continuously investigating issues of this nature. We appreciate any and all feedback related to player interactions

• Fixed several issues that were causing certain items to not be obtainable due to collision issues
• Fixed an issue where the interaction prompts could disappear after an NPC has moved the player out of position while the player in engaged in conversation
• Fixed an issue where the interaction prompts could disappear after a Civilian was affected by any collision while Grabbed
• Fixed an issue where the interaction prompts could disappear when the Fragile Hourglass was used on Michael while he is downed
• Fixed an issue where the interaction prompts for certain Escapes would disappear after repairing the Escape Car

Challenge, Prestige, and Achievements

We understand the frustrations players have experienced when it comes to specific challenges, achievements, and our Prestige system not functioning as intended. Our team actively investigated many of the biggest pain points our community was facing and worked to quickly address many of them with 1.0.2. The fixes introduced today make obtaining singleplayer challenges far more consistent, though we’ve identified additional ways to improve in-game messaging and the overall player experience, which we aim to address in future updates.

Various progression blockers for Passive and Progressive Challenges have also been corrected, alongside a fix for the issue preventing players from properly engaging with our Prestige Challenges. Thanks for all your patience and understanding. We’ll continue monitoring any other potential problems with challenges.

Challenges

• Fixed an issue where certain challenges that required the player to escort Residents to an escape were not being tracked properly
• Fixed an issue where certain challenges that required the player to survive a match were not being tracked properly
• Fixed an issue where the Killer Passive Challenge “Weight of the Mask” was not being tracked properly
• Fixed an issue where the Rachel Progressive Challenge “Superstitious Tools” was not tracking the properly based on the description
• Fixed an issue where the Rachel Progressive Challenge “Ward Off Evil” was gaining additional progress
• Fixed an issue where the Hatchet Progressive Challenge “Wheels Clipped” was not tracking properly
• Fixed an issue where the Kitchen Knife Progressive Challenge “Edge of the Blade” was not tracking properly

Story Mode Challenges

• Fixed an issue where the Prologue Challenge 6 was not being tracked properly
• Fixed an issue for Chapter 2 Challenge 6 where certain executions would count the player as alerting someone
• Fixed an issue for Chapter 4 Challenge 2 that would cause Lynda to immediately leave the bedroom after Bob has been killed
• Fixed an issue for Chapter 5 Challenge 1 where the flashlights were required to be completely drained to complete the challenge

Achievements/Trophies
Fixed several issues that were causing the following achievements/trophies to not track properly:

• Purist
• Close Quarters
• No Friend Left Behind
• Natural Observer
• Stalker

Prestige
• Reenabled Prestige Challenges
• Fixed an issue where an active Prestige Challenge was preventing players from entering matchmaking

Balance Changes

Our team has been incredibly excited to have more opportunities to hop online and play matches with the community following our official launch on Tuesday. It’s been rewarding watching players craft their own Perk Decks, construct their distinct Michael loadouts, and discover the layered systems of Halloween: The Game. For this patch, we wanted to make a few focused balance adjustments.

We’re continuing to carefully monitor gameplay balance between Michael and Civilians to ensure matches feel tense and satisfying for both sides. We are gathering community feedback, playtesting changes, and factoring in match data to make the best decisions focused on ironing out additional instances of imbalance. We greatly appreciate the passionate exploration and discovery that’s helping us further identify and address the most problematic encounters. Keep it coming!

Bloodthirst Early Game
Bloodthirst Tiers enable Michael to bolster his damage resistance, grab strength, melee damage, ability cooldowns, Shape Jump speed, and more to drastically increase his capabilities. We’ve made the following change to improve Michael’s early game effectiveness:

• Increased Michael’s base damage resistance
• Increased Michael’s Bloodthirst tier 1 and 2 damage resistance

Lethal Pitch Perk
The Lethal Pitch Perk was showing itself to be far too effective in its upper tiers. We’ll be carefully watching this perk and many others to identify further balance opportunities.

• Lowered the effectiveness of tiers 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Lethal Pitch Perk

Pocket Knives
With Pocket Knives being equippable as a Starting Item for Civilians, we’ve made the decision to reduce the total number of Pocket Knives and Icepicks available on each map. We want these items to feel valuable to players and provide rare opportunities for clutch moments of survival. We’ll continue monitoring the quantity and placement of these items as well.

• Reduced the amount of Grab Escape Items (such as the Pocket Knife) spawns across all maps and locations

General

• Fixes an issue where the escape car could behave erratically while escaping
• Fixed an issue where the Redeem button in the Redeem Code menu was not working properly when using a controller
• Fixed an issue where the facial animations would sometimes not play correctly on certain characters
• Fixed an issue where players would not obtain any XP when leaving the match as a Spectator

Civilians

• Fixed an issue where the Brimstone Fuse trait effect was being calculated incorrectly
• Fixed an issue where the Loomis Reinforcements Perk Card was not working properly
• Fixed an issue where Followers would close and lock doors on the player
• Fixed an issue where players spawning in as the Police would sometimes be missing dialogue and VOIP facial animations
• Fixed an issue where collisions could cause players in the vehicle to take several instances of additional damage
• Fixed an issue where the limited promotional “Regal” Eyewear was missing for Rachel

Killer

• Fixed an issue where it was possible to kill Michael while he is interacting with the Storm Cellar and Exit Gate
• Made improvements to the knockback animations for Michael when colliding with a high speed vehicle

Maps

• Fixed an issue preventing rain VFX from appearing correctly in Public Matches

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ Rolls Out Second Patch Update – Here’s the Full List of Changes appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The video game, however, doesn’t have the rights to use Jamie Lee Curtis’ actual likeness, so the game’s version of Laurie Strode looks a little bit different. But what you likely realized is that the game’s Laurie definitely SOUNDS like Jamie Lee Curtis, leading many fans to wonder if the actress actually did voice work for the game. Of course, that is not actually the case.

So who voiced Laurie Strode for Halloween: The Game? That’d be actress Chelsea Krause, who took to social media over the weekend to reveal that she’s the voice behind the game’s Laurie.

Krause writes on Twitter, “I’ve seen quite a lot of people asking- no none of the lines in single player or multiplayer are Jamie Lee Curtis. All of Laurie’s lines/screams/efforts for Halloween: The Game are me! Almost half of my sessions were me matching single player to the movie.”

“Matching Jamie’s tone, musicality, while still being a good actor was difficult but rewarding,” Chelsea Krause wrote in response to a fan. “Wanted to do right by her and all of you!”

Krause notes in another reply tweet, “I had to match voice, musicality, and add emotion so I’d do takes A LOT to get it right.”

Chelsea Krause has done voice work for many video games in recent years, including Starsand Island, The Necromancer’s Tale, Dune: Awakening, Go Home Annie, Realm of Ink, Kristala, Memento Mori, Path to Nowhere, Watcher of Realms, and A Night in Berlin.

She’s also been featured in various podcasts including Set Sail!, The Technomancy Project, Thank Goodness It’s Family, Ominous Thrill, Lucidus Somnia, The Love Talker, Close Your Eyes, When Tower Angels Fall, DragonElf, 7 Suspects, Age of Valor: Heritage, and The Oasis Transmissions.

Chelsea’s bio on her official website details, “Chelsea Krause (she/her/they/them) is a voice actor based in Los Angeles, California.

“Born and raised in south Louisiana, Chelsea has been acting since age twelve. She received a double bachelors in Theatre and Marketing from Southeastern Louisiana University. Chelsea has worked as a film and theatre actor from New Orleans to New York City.

“Chelsea has been doing voices and impressions since they were six years old. She knew voice acting was her desired path in life at fifteen but wouldn’t discover the resources to pursue it until later in life.​ Chelsea has leant her voice to video games, animation, anime, live action dubbing, voice matching, IVR, corporate narrations, and commercials.

“Chelsea is also a producer, writer, and actor for audio fiction podcasting.​ Her performance as Dr. Lauren Wood on The Oasis Transmissions has been nominated for two Audio Verse Awards. She and the cast of Lucidus Somnia also won best ensemble performance at the ISA’s in 2024. Her production company Imagination Swingset Productions has produced three 48 Hour Audio Drama Festivals and will have more works coming soon!

“Chelsea is also well known in the voice over community on TikTok where she does impressions, character breakdowns, and records talks to help train and encourage others to begin voice acting.”

Head over to ChelseaKrause.com to learn more about Krause’s career.

I’ve seen quite a lot of people asking- no none of the lines in single player or multiplayer are Jamie Lee Curtis. All of Laurie’s lines/screams/efforts for Halloween the Game are me! Almost half of my sessions were me matching single player to the movie.

— Chelsea Krause (@ChelseaMKrause) September 6, 2026

The post Chelsea Krause Voices Laurie Strode in ‘Halloween: The Game’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In celebration of the new launch, Angry Orchard has released a short 60-second Halloween commercial that features Sarah Michelle Gellar getting a call from her old pal Ghost Face!

Sarah Michelle Gellar of course appeared (and died) in Wes Craven’s Scream 2, and she’s playing herself in this fun little homage to the franchise’s past. Watch the short film below.

Now available in stores, the Thriller Pack from Scream and Angry Orchard features 12 cans of hard cider in total, with four different flavors that each feature fun Halloween names.

The full lineup includes…

• Caramel Apple Curse
• Headless Pumpkin
• Blood Orange
• Mystery Caller

It’s the Mystery Caller flavor that’s particularly special for Scream fans, as the can is emblazoned with the iconic Ghost Face mask. The mask is also featured prominently on the packaging for the Thriller Pack, which glows in the dark to make the mask pop even further. Additionally, you’ll find limited edition, 19.2oz cans of Crisp Apple & Imperial featuring Ghost Face.

Learn more over on Angry Orchard’s website now.

The post Sarah Michelle Gellar Reunites With Ghost Face for Angry Orchard Halloween Ad [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But first off, Illfonic has a special surprise for everyone who played in Early Access.

The developers have announced, “We’re granting 5,000 free Perk Points to every player who logged in to Halloween: The Game during Early Access (prior to 9 AM PST on 09/08/26).”

“We spent much of this past weekend monitoring your experiences, watching your hilarious gameplay highlights, sharing sandbox moments with players, and most importantly working to refine Halloween: The Game,” the team said in an official statement. “Our Day One Patch includes a host of critical fixes, balance adjustments, and gameplay improvements.”

Here’s the full list of Day One Patch Notes for Halloween: The Game… 

Crossplay

With 1.0.1, our team is excited to address the cross-play matchmaking issue players were experiencing during Early Access. Cross-play party members now follow their leader into a matchmade lobby instead of being kicked to the main menu or dropped from the party.

NPC Behavior

We are continuing to make improvements to overall NPC behavior and pathing. Below you will find the AI tuning introduced with 1.0.1.

• Improved NPC pathing to prevent instances where Police NPCs would get stuck in certain locations
• Improved NPC pathing to prevent instances where Residents would not be able to path into Escapes.

Challenges/Achievements

Patch 1.0.1 provides additional fixes to challenges and achievements that weren’t tracking properly. We understand how important it is for players to obtain the rewards they’ve earned and we will continue identifying outliers and implementing fixes with future updates.

Stamina Changes

We’ve been closely monitoring the balance between Michael and Civilians when it comes to Athleticism, Stamina, and the chase. We’ve implemented a handful of key adjustments to ensure Michael can consistently apply pressure to Civilians in the open while also addressing some notable disparity between lower and higher levels of Athleticism for Civilians.

• Increased Civilian Base Stamina Regen Delay Time
• Increased the Stamina Consumption caused by Evil Presence on affected targets
• Stalked targets are now affected by reduced Stamina Regen Rate and increased Stamina Regen Delay Time (amount dependent on the Stalk level)

Athleticism Levels 1-4:
• Exhausted Duration has been decreased, allowing Civilians with lower Athleticism to recover from the Exhausted state faster
• The delay before stamina begins regenerating has been decreased, ensuring quicker recovery between actions for Civilians with lower Athleticism
• Stamina Regen Rate has been increased so Civilians with lower Athleticism recover stamina faster

Athleticism Levels 6-10:
• Slightly reduced Max Stamina to maintain chase tension with Civilians with higher Athleticism
• Reduced Stamina Regen Rate of Civilians with higher Athleticism to balance player mobility

Escapes

Halloween: The Game is a nuanced horror title with many evolving layers. In an effort to ease the new-player experience and help Civilian players identify objectives, we’ve increased the range in which players uncover Escapes. We’ve also heard the general feedback regarding Civilian onboarding and are investigating other improvements.

• Civilians now discover Escapes from farther away

General

• Various Crash Fixes
• Made adjustments to end of match scoring to better balance Civilian and Michael win conditions
• Reduced the amount of force that vehicles apply to characters at low speeds
• Reduced the delay when with Perk related interactions in the Graveyard
• Increased the pre-match countdown for Public Match lobbies when the lobby is not yet full
• Increased Broken Down Car Max Health
• Fixed an issue where the achievement for completing Chapter 5 was not being awarded
• Fixed an issue where the NPC’s time to struggle free while grabbed was not properly scaling with difficulty in Story Mode
• Fixed an issue where related interaction prompts could disappear after using certain interactions
• Fixed an issue where grab executions could cause the victim to become alerted even if they had been unaware prior to being grabbed
• Fixed an issue where the variable weather system was not properly activating in Public Matches
• Fixed an issue where escaping at certain locations would not cause the character’s body to disappear

Civilians

• Each Perk Deck now has a limit of 2 copies of the same perk. Existing Perk Decks will have Perk Cards automatically un-equipped if over the limit
• Improved Civilian Melee attack animations when aiming downwards
• Increased the amount of XP required for the initial in-game perk rolls
• Fixed an issue where the in-game perk rolling menu may become stuck
• Fixed an issue where residents that are hidden in Hiding Spots were not appearing on Civilian minimaps
• Fixed an issue where the player would not resume weapon aiming after being startled

Killer

• Increased diminishing returns when blinding Michael more than once within a short period of time
• Increased the effectiveness of Detection Pulse for locating residents in Hiding Spots
• Increased duration of Stalk Markers on Stalked Civilians after line of sight has been broken
• Stalked targets now have an easier time struggling free when grabbed at Stalk level 1 and 2
• Fixed an issue where Shape Dash VFX would persist after exiting Shape Jump
• Fixed an issue where Michael would sometimes become invisible for other players under certain conditions
• Fixed an issue where Michael would not enter Shape Jump when using Reality Tear while getting up from a downed state

Maps

• Public Matches will no longer have maps repeat until cycling through every available map
• Increased amount of Repair Kits that spawn each match
• Fixed several locations where the interactions were inaccessible under certain conditions
• Fixed several Hiding Spot related collision issues
• Fixed an issue where dead bodies hidden in Hiding Spots could still be visible
• Fixed an issue where the wooden board escape blockers would sometimes disappear without being destroyed

Illfonic notes, “While we are pleased to roll out these changes, players can also look forward to additional updates and improvements in the near future. We are nowhere near done in Haddonfield!”

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ Day One Patch Notes – Here’s the Full List of Gameplay Improvements appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Stream the episode below. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and the Universal Monsters.This year? Hellraiser!

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Re-Animator, Darkman), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Manhunter, ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.

Facebook | Instagram | X | Patreon | Store

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ – First Impressions and Wicked Wishes [Halloweenies Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In fact, while Halloween enthusiasts in the real world have to deal with authoritarian Homeowners Associations and pesky laws preventing the use of human remains as undead lawn ornaments, Hollywood has been churning out plenty of memorable scares involving disturbing seasonal decorations. In honor of the 2026 spooky season finally rolling in, today I’d like to shine a light on five of the scariest Halloween decorations in horror!

As usual, this list is purely based on personal opinion. However, I’ll only be considering “props” that were actually displayed like real decorations on Halloween night – so no unrelated totems or corpses that just so happen to resemble classic decorations.

Don’t forget to comment below with your own favorites if you think we missed a particularly memorable example. With that out of the way, onto the list!

5. The Hanged Woman – Hell Fest (2018)

Hell Fest is an underrated slasher that deserved multiple sequels, as well as an unrated cut with more intense kills, and I will die on that hill. Of course, a big part of the entertainment factor here comes from the fact that the script was inspired by shockingly real stories about Halloween decorations from haunted attractions later turning out to have been actual dead bodies.

That’s why The Other’s first kill makes it onto this list, as this unfortunate lady-turned-prop serves as a gruesome shout-out to the flick’s real-world inspirations.

Here’s a fun fact: the film’s production designer, Michael Perry, actually worked on real haunts before -including Disney’s Haunted Mansion– with his expertise adding another layer of authenticity to an already spooky production. It also employed props, costumes, and scare actors from Netherworld.

4. Clown Mannequin – Hell House LLC (2015)

The story about the babysitter who gets creeped out by a family’s clown statue only to discover that the mannequin is actually a murderous home invader in disguise is one of my all-time favorite urban legends. That’s probably why I loved Stephen Cognetti’s take on this remarkably simple setup in his seminal found footage thriller Hell House LLC.

In the film, which is presented as a documentary about a haunted house attraction gone terribly wrong, there’s an unsettling troupe of clown mannequins lurking in the background of several scenes, with the main characters occasionally interacting with the eerie props and even implementing them in their planned haunt. The movie actually teases us with these mannequins for a really long time before finally admitting that one of the clowns is, in fact, possessed by a malevolent spirit, but it’s the build-up that makes this decoration so memorable.

3. Lollipop Scarecrow – Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Half the fun of revisiting Michael Dougherty‘s seasonal gem comes from immersing yourself in its delightfully spooky atmosphere, so it’s no surprise that Trick ‘r Treat contains some of the most memorable Halloween decorations to ever hit the big screen.

Yet, despite the flick’s copious amounts of jack-o’-lanterns and candy bowls, the scariest bit of prop scenery has to be our introduction to Sam’s vicious modus operandi. Enraged by her disrespect of Halloween tradition, the diminutive spirit of the season turns Leslie Bibb into one of the very decorations she was attempting to take down before the holiday was officially over.

The reveal also makes for a great jump scare, and that’s why it ranks so high on the list!

2. Fish Boy – House of 1000 Corpses (2002)

No one loves Halloween like Rob Zombie, so it makes sense that the celebrated goth rocker and independent filmmaker projected his own obsession with the holiday onto the infamous Firefly family.

Of course, a household comprised of madmen and serial killers wouldn’t limit themselves to store bought decorations, and that’s why Rainn Wilson’s unfortunate fate as the Fiji mermaid-inspired Fish Boy makes it onto this list. After all, if you have a thousand bodies lying around the house, you might as well do some arts and crafts with them when Halloween comes around!

1. Human Jack-O’-Lantern – Halloween (2018)

The human jack-o’-lantern is something of a horror trope in and of itself, with this especially gnarly decoration showing up in quite a few horror movies over the years. However, despite this having previously been a memorable addition to flicks like Terrifier and even the aforementioned Trick ‘r Treat, there’s no discussing spooky decorations in film without bringing up the definitive franchise of the season.

It’s a shame that it took so long for the Boogeyman to finally turn one of his victims into a bloody mockery of the most popular Autumn-themed ornament, but the disturbing effects work and eerie cinematography make this seasonal surprise one of the very best moments of 2018’s Halloween.

Head to Spirit Halloween to assemble decor inspired by this list and beyond. Find your local Spirit Halloween today!

The post 5 of the Scariest Halloween Decorations in Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Launched this past Friday in Early Access for those who pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe Edition, Halloween: The Game has a mini game feature that allows the characters to have sex!

Well, at least it did earlier this weekend…

How it worked was that when two civilian characters ended up in a closet together, one could “ask out” the other one. If both characters consented, it would trigger a mini game within the closet that allowed the characters to make love off screen. Sex is of course a staple of the early slasher movement, but it seems the unique mini game brought an unintended side effect along with it.

While most of the characters you get to play as in Halloween: The Game are Haddonfield teenagers, Donald Pleasence’s Doctor Loomis is also a playable character. And when a video went viral this weekend of Loomis having sex with a Haddonfield teen in a closet, well, it seems that Illfonic had no choice but to pull the “ask out” mini game feature out of the game entirely.

Illfonic hasn’t actually addressed any of this at this point in time, and it’s possible the mini game could be re-added to the game in a way that doesn’t allow anyone playing as Loomis to engage in any sexual activity. But it’s also possible the mini game never makes a return in any capacity.

We’ll let you know if we hear any official updates on this controversial feature.

UPDATE – 9/7/2026: 9:30am ET – Illfonic has released the following official statement: “Players may have noticed that our latest hotfix removed the Two-Person Power-Up minigame. This was due to an unintended issue that allowed end game reinforcement characters to engage with the minigame, which was a major oversight on our part. We have more content and minigames coming in the near future but current focus is our attention on immediate game needs.”

Halloween: The Game will be available to everyone (digitally) on September 8.

HALLOWEEN: THE GAME elimina su polémica mecánica de sexo en el armario, debido a las quejas de la comunidad.

La controversia estalló porque Loomis (unos 60 años) podía activar la escena con personajes de 17 años, como Laurie o Lynda.pic.twitter.com/XUK4jTUBCr

— TerrorActo (@TerrorActo_) September 6, 2026

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ Removes Controversial Mini Game Allowing Characters to Have Sex appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

That means horror fans have been brutally murdering innocent Haddonfield civilians all weekend long, and our social media feeds are flooded with gameplay videos detailing the good and the bad of the latest multiplayer slasher experience. As a civilian, you’re tasked with surviving one terrifying night. But as Michael Myers, you’re the one dishing out the brutal punishment.

Halloween: The Game finally gives fans of the franchise the opportunity to step into the mask and coveralls of Michael Myers and stalk and slash their way through Haddonfield on Halloween night, and we’ve come across a compilation video that shows off some of the many executions available to those who decide to play the game as John Carpenter’s iconic Shape.

From crushing a victim’s head with a motorcycle to impaling another through the mouth with a flamingo lawn decoration, the executions in Halloween: The Game are certainly a lot more gruesome than any of the kills in John Carpenter’s original horror classic. The game’s gory deaths remind us far more of the kills in David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy.

Once you grab hold of a victim, you’re able to execute a number of different fatalities, or you can throat-carry them to nearby items and use your surroundings for specialized environment kills. Of course, if you’d prefer, you can simply slash them up with an axe or a kitchen knife.

The choice is yours. Watch a killer compilation of Halloween: The Game executions below! And keep in mind that this is just a very small sample of the game’s most gruesome moments…

Read the Bloody Disgusting review of Halloween: The Game.

A bunch of executions from the Halloween video game pic.twitter.com/nvnKbA11qz

— GOREJIRλ (@GOREJ1RA) September 3, 2026

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ – Watch a Compilation of Brutal Michael Myers Executions appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For starters, John Carpenter’s original slasher classic is being re-released into 294 Regal theaters nationwide tonight, spanning 39 states and 91 markets. Here’s the full weekend lineup…

• Halloween (1978) — September 4
• Halloween II (1981) — September 5
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch — September 6

In the original classic, Michael Myers has spent the last 15 years locked away inside a sanitarium under the care of child psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis after brutally killing his sister, Judith. On the night of October 30, 1978, Myers escapes and makes his way back to Haddonfield — the night HE came home — turning a night of tricks and treats into something much more sinister for three young women, including Laurie Strode, the star-making role for Jamie Lee Curtis.

And then in Halloween II, while Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.

Finally in Halloween III, kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.

While it’s not uncommon for Halloween to play in theaters during spooky season, it’s not very often you get to experience Halloween III on the big screen. Don’t miss this opportunity!

Tickets for the Labor Day Weekend Halloween screening event are on sale now at regmovies.com and via the Regal app. A complete list of the 294 participating Regal locations is HERE. 

“There is nothing like watching Halloween the way it was meant to be seen, in a theatre, in the dark, on the big screen,” said Malek Akkad, CEO of Trancas International Films. “Nearly fifty years later, Michael Myers still brings audiences back to Haddonfield. Pairing this screening event with the launch of Halloween: The Game gives fans a whole weekend to celebrate the original film that started it all.”

“Halloween is the reason we do horror,” said Charles Brugardt, CEO at IllFonic. “Bringing the original 1978 film back to nearly 300 theaters the same week players can finally step into Michael Myers’ mask themselves felt like the perfect way to celebrate everything this franchise means to fans.”

Halloween: The Game is available for early access NOW and launches wide on September 8 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Store.

The post Original Three ‘Halloween’ Movies Returning to Regal Theaters Beginning TONIGHT! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The developers’ take on this pioneering slasher is more or less what you’d expect given their track record, utilizing a lot of the same mechanics, balancing systems, and item types that we’ve seen in their previous works (hello, trusty firecrackers!). However, Halloween: The Game is crucially more than a copy-and-paste job that merely relocates the action from Camp Crystal Lake to Haddonfield, Illinois and calls it a day. Instead, it finds a number of exciting ways to innovate and be uniquely Halloween.

The end result is by no means perfect, and is in dire need of refinement when it comes to the technical aspects (more on that later). Nevertheless, the core foundations are strong. With fresh twists on the tired killer-vs-survivor dynamic and a welcome emphasis on methodical stealth, it truly immerses you in “the night he came home” and feels like an authentic representation of its source material.

That’s what’ll hopefully give it an edge over its competitors and ensure it has legs beyond the coming spooky season.

Death Has Come to Haddonfield

Disregarding the knotted continuity and baggage of the wider franchise, Halloween: The Game is set on October 31, 1978, thus only dealing with the events of the very first movie. That means no Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, no Jamie Lloyd, no familial connection between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, and no sign of whatever that white horse was supposed to be in Rob Zombie’s version.

With it being just original recipe Halloween, and therefore a much cleaner canon, the game’s narrative framing couldn’t be simpler. Michael has broken out of Smith’s Grove Sanitarium and, compelled by sheer instinct, is drawn inexorably back to his hometown. There, he will attempt to satiate a (seemingly insatiable) biological imperative of his by prowling the suburbs and killing as many people as he can. There’s no greater motive at play. No detailed plan formulating behind his black, soulless eyes. No hint whatsoever of remorse. Only a single-minded compulsion to snuff out more lives.

If you’re the one roleplaying as the boogeyman in this scenario, then your objective is accordingly very straightforward. All you’ve got to do is rack up the largest possible body count and avoid getting detained by the authorities.

Conversely, if you’ve been cast as one of the four “civilian” players in the match, then you’ll be focused on preventing this senseless bloodshed and minimizing further casualties. That might sound like business as usual for this sort of thing, but — in a clever subversion that helps distinguish the experience from other asymmetrical titles out there — you’re discouraged from looking out for number one and number one only.

You see, while you’ll need to prioritize self-preservation to at least a certain extent, you’re also expected to protect the blissfully ignorant residents of Haddonfield and stop them from waltzing right into the pointy end of Michael’s kitchen knife, which is where things get a little more interesting.

Protecting Haddonfield Instead of Just Escaping

In addition to the four player-controlled survivors, each match here is populated by NPC fodder just going about their lives without a care in the world. They’re the babysitters nattering away on landlines, the minimum wage staff closing up shops, the athletes pumping iron in their garage-gyms, and the recluses who elect to spend Halloween night alone watching scary movies in the dark.

From Michael’s perspective, these sitting ducks won’t put up much of a fight and, when it comes to selecting his targets, he’s not going to discriminate between them and the wilier players who are likely to give him hassle. So, it’s your responsibility to increase the herd’s chances of survival and prepare everyone for what’s coming.

Doing so will require you to take on the mantle of de facto town crier and go from house to house alerting these oblivious members of the public to the terrible evil that is heading their way. Pending a successful QTE minigame, which determines how cogent your warnings are, they should eventually accept the dire situation, at which point they’ll put their fates entirely in your hands.

From there, you’ll be able to boss the NPCs around however you see fit. For instance, it might be prudent to arm them with weapons and have them join your immediate posse. Alternatively, you could urge them to call the police and help amplify your message, instruct them to secure their homes and wait until the cavalry arrives, or advise them to hide somewhere until you’ve managed to unlock an emergency exit.

On that note, getting everyone safely out of dodge is going to be your primary goal, and so you’ll need to hatch some kind of escape plan, be it unlocking a storm shelter, prising open a padlocked gate or repairing a getaway vehicle. Veterans of Killer Klowns and Friday the 13th: The Game will immediately recognize what’s being asked of them here and ought to be familiar with many of the basic steps involved.

Like in those games, it’s on civilians to agree upon a mutual extraction strategy, to scavenge for the requisite items needed to facilitate it, to nail the skill checks associated with said objects, and to slip away before the killer notices anything is awry. Even the specific interactions you’ll be performing are liable to induce a sense of déjà vu, with you filling up car gas tanks and replacing fuses to power up doors. It’s all stuff you’ve done a million times before, and it doesn’t take very long to get back into the swing of it.

Where it’s complicated somewhat in this instance, though, is that you’ve got to juggle these maintenance tasks with escorting the NPC lemmings to safety. Because even if every player-controlled character manages to elude Michael’s clutches, it won’t matter if he’s still able to slaughter the rest of the neighborhood unimpeded. As long as more corpses are tallied during the end-of-match census than living, breathing people, he still wins.

It’s a smart twist on the asymmetrical premise that fundamentally changes how you approach civilian gameplay. After all, you could have an easy getaway opportunity staring you right in the face but, if no fellow citizens are making it out with you, then it’s going to be a hollow victory. You’ll only find yourself spectating afterwards as your more diligent companions try to pick up the slack (or worse, as Michael takes out defenseless bots without any resistance).

Should you fall in the line of duty, on the other hand, your rescue efforts aren’t necessarily going to be in vain, and you can still be invested in witnessing the outcome of the match. Indeed, it can be kind of thrilling to hang around after death and watch rounds unfold from beyond the grave; curious to know if your contributions will posthumously cinch it for the good guys.

In short, Halloween: The Game is more of a team game than your typical asymmetrical horror, with you being incentivized to actually play the objective for once. There’s a true endorphin rush, as well as a generous XP allowance, that comes whenever you aid a large group in escaping. Meanwhile, you’ll be rewarded vanishingly little for hightailing it out of the danger zone early on and leaving everyone else to fend for themselves.

Becoming the Boogeyman

Incorporating this PvPvE system is perhaps the shrewdest decision IllFonic made here, as it allows them to organically encourage behavior that is conducive to better, livelier matches for everybody. Civilians, for example, have to constantly put themselves in peril and can’t just cower from the sidelines. Likewise, it’s not advantageous for the killer to incessantly grief his opponents, and he has to give them a break every now and then to go pick off a few NPCs. It helps ensure that the cat-and-mouse dynamic has a natural ebb and flow.

On the topic of Myers and his nefarious goals, the developers give you ample chance to learn the ropes of his playstyle via a 2-hour story campaign. It’s technically an optional part of the package, but you are prompted to do it upon loading for the very first time, and it’s recommended as the ideal test environment to get up to speed with all the various mechanics before you then graduate to public matches.

Functioning as a blend of prequel for, retelling of, and eventual epilogue to Carpenter’s film, this solo mode charts Michael’s transformation from anonymous mental patient, whose face is slyly obscured by camera blur, to inhuman shape. It does this over the course of six missions, with each nudging you closer to the events of the game’s centerpiece multiplayer.

Its propulsive opening has you busting out of the asylum — snapping the necks of unwitting orderlies as you go — before then taking you to the outskirts of Haddonfield, where you can get some practice stabs in and eventually procure Michael’s iconic coveralls and mask. From there, we then segue into the narrative beats of Halloween proper, experiencing them afresh from the antagonist’s standpoint.

There are inevitably some great fan service moments to be appreciated along the way, and we’re reticent to spoil any of those. Suffice it to say, you’re often at the scene of the crime and get to enact atrocities that we’re only implied to have happened off-screen in the OG movie.

Not to mention, there are meticulous recreations of famous scenes to admire, with the developers nailing shot compositions, character animations, musical stings and the textured feel of Dean Cundy’s cinematography. One bit, wherein the camera suddenly switches to a different POV, is an especially cool tribute to the original, and a nice surprise that Carpenter devotees will be pleased to discover for themselves.

A Campaign That Doubles as a Tutorial

Aside from offering a new perspective on the classic story, Halloween’s campaign mainly serves as a quasi-tutorial to better acquaint you with the boogeyman’s skillset. Those craving a meatier single-player experience might be disappointed to learn that it amounts to little more than a training ground for the multiplayer headline attraction. Yet this can still be enjoyed on its own terms, as you do get a more controlled and directed scenario than you would in a standard public match.

Owing to an ingenious conceit that has Michael gradually recovering from the effects of a Thorazine injection, administered to him at Smith’s Grove, the mechanics are introduced to you one at a time. As such, you get a dedicated period to experiment with each of them, figuring out their various uses and limitations, so that you can learn to slice and dice with the utmost precision.

Of these unique abilities, the one that you’ll come to rely on most is “Shape Jump”. A traversal power that allows you to literally disappear into the shadows (as long as you’re not in an illuminated area or somebody’s line of sight), this has you shifting into a kind of spectral wraith form that can move faster, remain completely invisible, and even phase through locked doors. It’s a clever in-universe explanation for Michael’s ability to seemingly teleport at will, and also compensates for the fact that the best he can otherwise muster is an unhurried stride at roughly the same pace of continental drift. You’ll be using it all the time to get from A to B, to keep up with fleeing victims and to orchestrate your own devious jump scares.

In addition to this, there’s “Detection Pulse” (a radial ping that highlights people in the immediate vicinity), “Blackout” (a kind of EMP that interferes with light sources and disables other nearby electronics), and “Killer Sense”. The latter is another absolutely vital ability that you’ll want to get to grips with as soon as possible. In a nutshell, it takes you into a first-person view and enables the “stalking” of targets from afar. Maintaining this creepy glare for long enough will build up a meter that, in turn, sees the object of your surveillance getting progressively easier to locate, more susceptible to ambushes, and vulnerable to incoming attacks.

Again, as with “Shape Jump”, it’s an elegant feature that makes you feel like you’re truly embodying the calm, patient adversary that lurked in the background of Carpenter’s frame. You know, as opposed to just some random blunt-force slasher.

Elsewhere, the story mode also gives you a comprehensive rundown of other important mechanics like executions, body disposals, and the game’s escalation system (which can bring heat down on Michael if he’s not suitably discreet). As you can probably tell, there’s an awful lot to wrap your head around, and this review isn’t the appropriate place to cover it all.

The point is that the tutorial does an excellent job of conveying all this information in digestible chunks, making you feel adequately prepared for your big debut online. In fact, we found ourselves wishing that there was an equivalent dress rehearsal for the civilian side of things. As it stands, you’re just thrown into the deep end when you cluelessly step into that survivor role for the first time, leading to all sorts of confusion and frustration arising amongst newbie teammates.

Playing as The Shape is a Satisfying Dream

The addition of extra objectives — similar to those featured in this year’s 007 First Light — gives you an excuse to play through the game’s story multiple times as well, so that you can explore all the different possibilities for terrorizing Haddonfield.

Some of these optional feats will have you coming back to unlock hidden kill animations, while others might challenge you to get through sections undetected or to fastidiously reenact scenes exactly as they occurred in the 1978 flick, rewarding both your cinephile knowledge and your stealth capabilities. For what it’s worth, it makes the campaign seem more like a collection of mini-sandboxes and less like a dry onboarding exercise for the multiplayer component. With that said, we certainly intend to revisit it at a later date and see what else we missed.

Of course, the solo campaign is only meant to be an appetizer for the main course that is Halloween’s online matchmaking. That’s where IllFonic expects you to put the real hours in, and we’re glad to report that it should be well worth your time once the kinks are ironed out (more on that in a moment).

Playing as Michael is every bit the intoxicating power trip you dream it will be. You feel like a legitimately menacing presence whenever you come face to face with another player, and sadistically toying with the NPCs is as enjoyable as in any traditional open-world title.

Staging your own little horror vignettes by exploiting all the game’s systems is an improvisational joy too. If you’re anything like us, you’ll squeal with uncontainable glee (make sure to turn off that proximity chat in such an eventuality) as you build anticipation for the kill: first cutting the power, then dispassionately watching your mark through a blackened window, leisurely pacing around the house, and finally closing the gap on them as they dial 911 in a flustered panic.

On one occasion, we used Shape Jump to startle another player with a jolt so well-choreographed that an outside observer might assume it was scripted. Relishing our victim’s subsequent freak out, we then decided to let them go so that we could savor the chase a while longer. Don’t judge us, it’d be out of character for Mikey to simply get the bloodshed over and done with!

On that note, we really appreciated how differently the shape is portrayed when compared to his most obvious IllFonic counterpart: Jason Voorhees. While the latter was an impulsive wrecking ball fuelled by white-hot rage, the developers understand that Michael requires a more measured and intentional approach. He’s not merely Jason with the hockey mask swapped out for a William Shatner cosplay. He’s more deliberate than that. His playstyle is all about biding your time, drawing out the hunt, silently loitering in the distance, and the illicit thrill of breathing down your victim’s neck without them ever knowing you were there.

Just because he’s a more sophisticated slasher doesn’t mean that there’s no room for Grand Guignol violence, though. On the contrary, there’s excessive brutality to dish out, with some kills that are tied to specific weapons and others that are more context-dependent. We’ve drowned people in toilets, throttled them with phone cords, pressed their faces up against kitchen stoves, dropped jack-lifted vehicles on their heads, and roasted them alive on cozy fireplaces. All in the name of good clean fun.

Killer Tokens Solve a Familiar Multiplayer Problem

We’ve been on the receiving end of our fair share of barbarism as well, getting humbled whenever it’s our turn to adopt the role of prey. Speaking of which, these asymmetrical titles can only run smoothly if people are willing to pay their dues as survivors.

To encourage this in Halloween: The Game, IllFonic has introduced a novel “Killer Tokens” system. In short, Killer Tokens are a resource that can be spent to advance in matchmaking queues whenever you’re itching to play as Michael. Think of them sort of like theme park fast passes, only instead of skipping the line for The Haunted Mansion, you’re skipping the line to commit murder.

The catch is that, in order to accrue this currency in the first place, you must complete several matches as a civilian; thereby guaranteeing that there’s a reasonable rotation of people taking on both roles at any given time. It’s a savvy concept that should hopefully prevent unsportsmanlike conduct from occurring (after all, it would always suck when cry-babies left the lobby in F13 as soon as they realized they weren’t gonna be Jason).

Honestly, we don’t predict that’ll be too much of an issue here, given that survivor gameplay is exhilarating in its own right. In our short time with the game, we’ve had many unbearably narrow escapes, nail-biting stealth situations, and desperate, scrappy showdowns after becoming the effective final girl of the match.

Yet the encounters that linger in our mind most are the quieter ones. There’s nothing comparable in Dead by Daylight or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to the eerie sensation you get here when you’re quivering under a streetlamp, tormented by the knowledge that Michael is hiding somewhere nearby and watching you. There’s utter silence, save for the sound of raspy, muffled breathing that you can’t quite pinpoint. It’s enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

In emergent moments like these, Halloween: The Game conjures a subtle creepiness that you don’t get from the more chaotic asymmetrical horror releases on the market. It’s befitting of the source material.

Buggy Tricks Among the Treats

When firing on all cylinders, then, Halloween: The Game is an addictive blast and one of the most promising Dead by Daylight rivals we’ve had in quite some time. Alas, attentive readers may have noticed a rather big qualifier in that last sentence that is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

You see, Halloween is rarely “firing on all cylinders”. If we were to be uncharitable, we’d query if half its cylinders have even been installed yet! Plagued by softlocks, hardlocks and all manner of infuriating bugs that can unduly influence the outcome of matches, it’s an experience that invites unfavourable comparisons to the turbulent launch of Friday the 13th: The Game.

Rarely can the whole lobby get through a game without hitting some kind of snag. Visual blips like teenage characters who appear to have been stricken with premature baldness, residents gliding vampirically around as they perform domestic chores, and items hovering several feet in front of their respective users are forgivable while the title is still in its infancy. However, that same grace period won’t apply to the other malfunctions that impact play here in more direct and tangible ways.

Survivors getting stuck in looping animations is a rather common occurrence for a start. Almost as common as them getting caught in walls and beneath the map itself! They similarly have a bizarre tendency to start channeling Gabriel from Malignant and will insist on running backwards in a way that leaves them unable to interact with any objects that aren’t accessible from a 360-degree plane. Worse still, we’ve had instances where we haven’t been able to move at all (either in the conventional or reverse directions) and resorted to feebly propelling ourselves forward using the shove attack.

If it sounds like these glitches will give the Michael player the upper hand, rest assured that they don’t emerge unscathed either. One time we successfully opened every escape route and rescued all NPCs as a civilian (feeling pretty good about ourselves) only to discover that said flawless victory was achieved by our opponent having spawned in without any of their basic abilities working.

It cannot be overstated how regular these occurrences are. Bots become totally unresponsive, perk cards don’t activate when they’re supposed to, and gun wielders will suddenly become conscientious objectors and refuse to fire at the kill-crazed psychopath barrelling right towards them. Perhaps the idea is that they’re supposed to be paralyzed with fear, but somehow we doubt that’s the intention.

The jankiness even spreads to the game’s single player mode, where characters often don’t follow through on their scripted behaviors, rendering it impossible for you to complete all the optional challenges. In what felt like a philosophical question worthy of Plutarch, we found ourselves wondering aloud: “How can one kill Annie Brackett in the car if she never gets into the cockadoodie car to begin with?”

Admittedly, the developers have supplied a long list of fixes set to be implemented in a day-one patch that wasn’t available to us reviewers. But unless that download file is going to be the equivalent size of Microsoft Flight Simulator, it’s not going to have Halloween: The Game in anything close to resembling a finished state.

Final Verdict: Incredible Potential In Need of Polish

That gets to the heart of the problem: this is just not a product that’s ready to ship. Were it in a more reliable condition, we’d be complaining about balancing niggles that could do with tweaking and the fact that you can’t customize your loadout while waiting for lobbies to populate. Yet those feel like such small-fry issues when viewed in light of the essential maintenance this fundamentally needs in order to become a working game.

Releasing in early September, the title is pre-empting its namesake holiday by well over a month, and you have to wonder if maybe that launch could have been delayed a tad. Granted, a few more weeks of QA testing wouldn’t be enough to catch and address every technical hiccup, but it’d make some difference.

Teething issues can be excused with online titles like this. Yet, to put it bluntly, if Halloween doesn’t get its act together soon, we fear it could end up going the same way as many forgotten asymmetrical releases that have been abandoned in the past.

That would be a crying shame, because this one has real potential. When we could get a stable match running, it’s some of the most fun we’ve had all year, and we genuinely believe that it has the makings of a hit. The ideas are strong, it understands its source material, and it’s perfectly calibrated to generate those memorable watercooler moments that will have you geeking out with friends.

However, we can’t in good conscience overlook serious issues that are dampening our enthusiasm for it right now. Let’s hope they can sort it all out in time for October, because we’re rooting for this to be the definitive game of the Fall. 

Review code provided by publisher. Halloween: The Game releases digitally on September 8 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. A physical version will launch for the PS5 and Xbox Series next month on October 6.

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ Review – Stealth, Stalking, and Michael Myers Shine In An Uneven Horror Experience appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As always, Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween kicks off on October 1 and runs straight through Halloween, and it’s loaded up with family-friendly frights including Hocus Pocus, The Addams Family, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Casper.

This year’s 31 Nights of Halloween celebration will also feature the premiere of “Coven Academy,” a brand new supernatural drama series from creator Tim Federle. Set in New Orleans, teenage witches-in-training are destined to protect their city against dangerous and ancient forces.

Read on for the full Freeform 31 Nights of Halloween 2026 lineup!

Thursday, Oct. 1

11:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Edward Scissorhands
1:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Addams Family (1991)
3:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Addams Family Values
5:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Coven Academy (episodes 1-4)

Friday, Oct. 2

10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – The Addams Family (1991)
12:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – Addams Family Values
2:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – Dark Shadows (2012)
5:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Haunted Mansion (2003)
7:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
8:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Beetlejuice

Saturday, Oct. 3

7:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Beetlejuice
9:35 a.m. EDT/PDT – Coven Academy
12:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – Casper (1995)
3:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
5:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – Monsters, Inc.
7:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – Monsters University
9:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Addams Family (1991)
11:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Addams Family Values

Sunday, Oct. 4

7:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Spooky Buddies
9:35 a.m. EDT/PDT – Casper (1995)
12:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – Edward Scissorhands
2:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Addams Family (1991)
4:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – Addams Family Values
6:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
8:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus 2
11:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – Haunted Mansion (2023)

Monday, Oct. 5

12:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Spider-Man: Homecoming
3:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters (1984)
5:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters II
8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters (2016)

Tuesday, Oct. 6

10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Arachnophobia
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters (1984)
3:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters II
5:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters (2016)
8:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus

Wednesday, Oct. 7

11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Spider-Man 2 (2004)
2:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Haunted Mansion (2003)
4:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Casper (1995)
6:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – Monsters, Inc.
8:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Monsters University

Thursday, Oct. 8

11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Casper (1995)
1:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
3:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters: Afterlife
6:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Coven Academy (episodes 5-7)

Friday, Oct. 9

10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Spider-Man (2002)
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters: Afterlife
3:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
6:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
8:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus 2
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Coven Academy

Saturday, Oct. 10

7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Frankenweenie (2012)
9:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Toy Story of TERROR!
9:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Spooky Buddies
11:35 a.m. EDT/PDT – Scooby-Doo (2002)
1:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
3:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – Maleficent
5:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
7:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – Casper (1995)
9:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Beetlejuice
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Sunday, Oct. 11

8:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Toy Story of TERROR!
8:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Scooby-Doo (2002)
10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
12:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
2:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – Beetlejuice
4:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – Casper (1995)
7:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Haunted Mansion (2003)
9:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
11:25 p.m. EDT/PDT – Dark Shadows (2012)

Monday, Oct. 12

10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Disturbia
12:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
3:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Edward Scissorhands
5:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Haunted Mansion (2023)
8:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Dark Shadows (2012)

Tuesday, Oct. 13

10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Sleepy Hollow (1999)
1:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
3:05 p.m. EDT/PDT – Cruella
6:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
8:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus 2

Wednesday, Oct. 14

11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Spider-Man 3 (2007)
2:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
4:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters (1984)
6:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Addams Family (1991)
8:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Addams Family Values

Thursday, Oct. 15

10:30 a.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters (1984)
12:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
3:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Haunted Mansion (2003)
5:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Addams Family (1991)
7:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Addams Family Values
9:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Coven Academy (episodes 8-10)

Friday, Oct. 16

11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
1:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – Edward Scissorhands
4:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – Dark Shadows (2012)
6:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
8:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Sleepy Hollow (1999)
12:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Coven Academy

Saturday, Oct. 17

7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Something Wicked This Way Comes
9:10 a.m. EDT/PDT – Dark Shadows (2012)
11:50 a.m. EDT/PDT – Sleepy Hollow (1999)
2:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – Haunted Mansion (2023)
5:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus
7:10 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Addams Family (1991)
9:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – Addams Family Values
11:20 p.m. EDT/PDT – Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Sunday, Oct. 18

8:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Frankenweenie (2012)
10:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Edward Scissorhands
12:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Maleficent
2:35 p.m. EDT/PDT – The Addams Family (1991)
4:40 p.m. EDT/PDT – Addams Family Values
6:45 p.m. EDT/PDT – Casper (1995)
9:15 p.m. EDT/PDT – Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
10:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters (2016)

Monday, Oct. 19

11:00 a.m. EDT/PDT – Ghostbusters (2016)
2:00 p.m. EDT/PDT – Toy Story of Terror!
2:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Scooby-Doo (2002)
4:30 p.m. EDT/PDT – Casper (1995)
6:50 p.m. EDT/PDT – Beetlejuice
8:55 p.m. EDT/PDT – Hocus Pocus

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Food Beast has revealed this afternoon that Pabst Blue Ribbon has joined forces with the Jason Universe for a limited edition 12-pack of PBR beer emblazoned with Jason’s iconic mask.

The outlet details, “Pabst Blue Ribbon is teaming up with Horror Inc. for a limited-edition Jason Voorhees collaboration that turns its 12-pack packaging into a wearable version of the slasher icon’s hockey mask. You can cut the mask out of the box or, apparently, throw the whole damn 12-pack over your head and be IG photo dump ready.”

“Along with the wearable packaging,” Food Beast continues, “fans can expect a collection of Jason-themed apparel, glassware, koozies, tap handles, tackers, and bobbleheads.”

The campaign rolls out in stores in September and will run through November 13, with Food Beast noting that some stores will get standees, and some bars will even get Jason tap handles.

Head over to Food Beast to learn more and look for Jason in bars and beer stores soon.

The post Pabst Blue Ribbon & Jason Universe Join Forces for Limited Edition Jason Voorhees 12-Packs & More appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here’s the lineup…

• Halloween (1978) — September 4
• Halloween II (1981) — September 5
• Halloween III: Season of the Witch — September 6

In the original classic, Michael Myers has spent the last 15 years locked away inside a sanitarium under the care of child psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis after brutally killing his sister, Judith. On the night of October 30, 1978, Myers escapes and makes his way back to Haddonfield — the night HE came home — turning a night of tricks and treats into something much more sinister for three young women, including Laurie Strode, the star-making role for Jamie Lee Curtis.

And then in Halloween II, while Dr. Loomis hunts for Michael Myers, a traumatized Laurie is rushed to Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, and The Shape is not far behind her.

Finally in Halloween III, kids all over America want Silver Shamrock masks for Halloween. Doctor Daniel Challis seeks to uncover a plot by Silver Shamrock owner Conal Cochran.

While it’s not uncommon for Halloween to play in theaters during spooky season, it’s not very often you get to experience Halloween III on the big screen. Don’t miss this opportunity!

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While you wait, Halloween: The Game is taking a new shape with a comic book series.

Daily Dead has exclusively announced the upcoming comic book series this afternoon, with Halloween: The Game Comic headed our way from Illfonic and PANICK Entertainment.

The comic book “takes readers back to the terrifying events surrounding Halloween 1978, offering a new story featuring Michael Myers at his most relentless.”

Here’s the official synopsis: “On the night before Halloween 1978, Michael Myers orchestrates a brutal escape from Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. As Dr. Loomis realizes pure evil is loose, Michael begins his relentless journey home toward Haddonfield, slaughtering anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path.”

“The new comic series expands upon the world and characters of the new Halloween video game while delivering a standalone horror story inspired by the mythology and atmosphere that made the original 1978 film a landmark of the genre.”

Halloween: The Game Comic is written by Hans Rodionoff and Adam F. Goldberg, featuring art by Eamon Winkle, Robert Nelson, Ivan Dedov and Sean O’Toole.

The team previews, “This is classic Michael Myers unleashed, and we think fans are going to love getting a glimpse of some truly spine-tingling moments that were not seen in Carpenter’s original film.”

Halloween: The Game Comic #1 will release November 4, 2026.

The first issue of the comic book series will also be included digitally with the Digital Deluxe Edition and physically with the Limited Collector’s Editions of Halloween: The Game.

Learn more over on Daily Dead now.

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But Lowe’s is taking the fight to Home Depot this Halloween season, this week unleashing what they’re calling the “tallest Halloween animatronic on the market at 15 feet tall.”

Yes, this guy is a full three feet taller than Home Depot’s “Skelly”!

It’s dubbed the 15-ft Talking Lighted Skeleton Watcher Animatronic, and it’s available NOW from Lowe’s for $429. You can grab one either in stores or on the official Lowe’s website.

Here’s the full product description from Lowe’s…

• WATCH OUT—the towering, headless 15-FT ANIMATED WATCHER holds his severed skull high, scanning the scene with LED eyes blazing like a watchtower beacon sweeping across your haunt!
• Turning eerily from side to side, the 15-FT ANIMATED WATCHER commands attention with chilling phrases, spooky sounds, and sweeping LED eyes that keep your haunt under constant surveillance!
• Outdoor-rated and frightfully strong, this easy-to-assemble, sound, motion, or footpad/button (sold separately) activated giant stands tall with a sturdy metal frame, super-bright LED lights, external speaker capable (not included), and powered by 5.9V 3A DC adapter (included)!

Browse the full Halloween 2026 lineup over on the Lowe’s website now.

Other highlights from this year’s brand new lineup include…

• New Disney Halloween collection, featuring beloved characters from movies like Monsters Inc. and Lilo & Stitch, and Haunted Mansion-inspired décor perfect for Disney fans looking for a touch of magic. 

• Affordable and statement-making décor in every size, from 1′ and 3-foot statues to towering 9′, 12’, and 15’ animatronics designed for homeowners looking to create unforgettable curb appeal.

• Inflatables for easy setup, from Bluey to Star Wars’ Grogu, allowing shoppers to build a complete hassle-free display. 

Stay tuned for many more Halloween 2026 new arrivals in the coming weeks.

The post 15 FEET TALL – Lowe’s Upstages Home Depot With the “Tallest Halloween Animatronic” on the Market appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For Halloween 2026, Michael Myers now has his own beer courtesy of Voodoo Ranger!

Available in stores now, Voodoo Ranger has released a 12-pack titled the Halloween Hoppy Pack, and exclusive to the limited time pack is a Slasher IPA featuring Michael Myers.

Michael Myers is featured on the can as well as the box itself.

There are three cans of the citrusy Slasher IPA in the Halloween Hoppy Pack, along with three cans each of Voodoo Ranger IPA, Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, and Citrus Slayer IPA.

Slasher IPA is a 7.5% ABV beer. Drink (and slash) responsibly.

Find a Halloween Hoppy Pack near you over on Voodoo Ranger’s website.

 

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The Members Only, Mattel Creations Exclusive will be selling for $70, and the Fang Club First Access Sale begins August 7th at 12pm ET only over on the Mattel Creations website.

Mattel previews, “The season of scares is around the corner, so we’re paying homage to one of the most infamous horror villains in history with a truly extraordin-eerie look inspired by 1981’s Halloween II. Residents of Haddonfield, lock your doors. This slasher is armed with more than just a killer look. Michael Myers’s Monster High makeover is a nod to his hospital showdown with Laurie, complete with a red glitter spattered jumpsuit and tons of spine-chilling Easter egg accessories fans of the film will find totally to die for.”

Here’s the complete rundown of details for the Michael Myers Monster High doll…

• 10.5 inches tall with 11 points of articulation
• Gore-geous outfit features Michael Myers’s famous jumpsuit, with the addition of red glitter spatter and a tank with red glitter spatter underneath.
• Her accessories, including pumpkin and knife earrings, reference iconic elements of the film.
• She holds a pumpkin purse inspired by the movie’s poster, with a skullette-style twist. She also holds a gleaming knife, designed to stab into the pumpkin.
• Dramatic black platform boots feature interactive heels with a VHS cover and tape that can slot into each other.
• Her belt features a stack of charms that each nod to the film, including a syringe and hatchet.
• Her grayish pallor mimics Michael’s mask, while black lipstick, red glitter tear tracks, and a waterfall of black hair add a dose of Monster High flair.
• Highly detailed window-box packaging features scenes and Easter eggs from the film, perfect for display, and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.

From August 7, 2026, at 9:00am PT through August 7, 2026, at 5:59pm PT, only Fang Club members can buy this item at MattelCreations.com, and only while supplies last.

During this early access window, limited units will be made available to Fang Club members. Beginning August 7, 2026, at 6:00pm PT, this item will be available to the general public.

Be sure to act fast, as these Monster High dolls never last long!

The post Mattel’s Michael Myers ‘Monster High’ Doll Goes Up for Grabs Today at 12pm ET! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This fall, Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens crosses into dangerous territory with the introduction of two all-new haunted houses inspired by the Sony Pictures movie, Anaconda.

While some stories stay on the screen, these slithering haunts pull guests inside…

Set in the world of Anaconda, guests are sent deep into the Amazon to search for a missing film crew, quickly turning into a fight for survival. At Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, guests will experience Anaconda: Fear Has No Escape and at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, visitors will encounter Anaconda: Dead on Arrival.

The haunted attractions offer two unique tales while honoring the legend of an iconic film. The all-new Anaconda inspired houses will premiere on September 11 at both parks.

“Our fans are always looking for new scares and bringing Anaconda to our Howl-O-Scream event elevates the experience at both Busch Gardens parks,” said Marc Swanson of United Parks & Resorts. “The addition of Anaconda, combined with new haunts and entertainment, will solidify Howl-O-Scream’s spot as one of the nation’s top Halloween events.”

The post ‘Anaconda’ Slithers into Busch Gardens This Halloween With Two Brand New Haunted Houses appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Making its terrifying debut during this year’s Howl-O-Scream events at all three parks, the immersive experience invites guests to step beyond the screen and into a nightmare where every secret has a price and every corner hides the vengeful Fisherman. The all-new haunted houses premiere on September 11 at all three parks.

Based on the first installment of the iconic horror franchise licensed by Sony Pictures, I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch is a haunted house version of the 1997 hit. Guests will wander through horrifying recreations of several unforgettable movie scenes and into the events that unfold during the original Southport massacre. The movie, and the haunted houses, tell the story of a group of friends who desperately attempt to hide a deadly accident, but their shared secret awakens a killer determined to make them pay.

Now, SeaWorld guests will become part of that terrifying story.

“We’re always looking for new ways to raise the bar on immersive entertainment, and bringing I Know What You Did Last Summer to our Howl-O-Scream events is an exciting milestone for all three SeaWorld parks,” said Marc Swanson, CEO of United Parks & Resorts. “This thrilling franchise has captivated horror fans for years with its suspense and terror. Now our guests will step into that world, facing some of the same heart-pounding moments that made the film come alive. As one thrilling part of a lineup of haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment and immersive experiences, we are excited to deliver what we believe is our most ambitious Howl-O-Scream yet.”

The arrival of I Know What You Did Last Summer: The Final Catch marks a major addition to SeaWorld’s award-winning Howl-O-Scream events, where guests can experience elaborate haunted houses, immersive scare zones, sinister live entertainment, themed bars, and the most adrenaline-pumping coasters in the dark.

SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego guests can take advantage of the limited-time Killer Summer Sale, with savings of up to 65% on Howl-O-Scream tickets and up to 70% for Pass Members. At SeaWorld San Antonio, Howl-O-Scream is included with park admission, and you can save on tickets, Season Passes and Annual Passes with the Summer Sale.

The post ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Getting a Haunted House at SeaWorld’s Howl-o-Scream This Fall appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Jason: Blood Reign haunted maze is coming to select Six Flags parks this Fall!

The official social media announcement tags the Six Flags Great Adventure, Kings Island, and Carowinds parks, so it’s safe to assume Jason is coming to all three of those locations.

Watch the announcement teaser below and expect more soon.

Will you survive the night… ??

What else does Jason Voorhees have planned in the remainder of 2026? The Jason Universe team recently promised, “We have a thrilling lineup of new projects that we can’t wait to share more details on soon.” Those projects of course include “Crystal Lake,” the new Friday the 13th prequel television series from A24 that will premiere on Peacock on October 15.

 

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Kidrobot has partnered with Target on a line of horror icon plush dolls, with Art the Clown, Michael Myers, Ghost Face, Pennywise, and Jason Voorhees already announced so far.

The Pennywise doll is based on Bill Skarsgard’s Pennywise from the modern movies and TV series, while the Jason Voorhees doll brings to life the new Jason Universe design.

Art the Clown is actually getting two different dolls from Kidrobot, one Art blood-splatted and holding a hacksaw and the other depicting Santa Art from Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3.

Kidrobot notes that all these dolls are coming soon to Target.com and select Target stores.

Keep your eyes peeled out there!

The post Plush Dolls of Horror Icons Including Art the Clown, Jason Voorhees & Ghostface Coming to Target appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Two different versions of the 12-foot Skelly decoration are up for grabs this year, with the standard version selling for $299 and the app-controlled talking version going for $379.

Home Depot previews the brand new talking version, “The 12 ft. Giant-Sized Animated LED App Controlled Skelly with LifeEyes LCD Eyes leads with interactive smart features with its 12 ft. skeletal presence. Skelly has 20 different customizable LCD LifeEyes effects, all easily managed directly through the Decor Pro app.

“App Enabled Skelly has 2 movements: a realistic head movement and an animated mouth that moves with your chosen audio. Take full control of the scares by using the app to record and store up to 30 custom sounds, or speak directly through the figure in ‘live’ mode utilizing built-in voice-changing effects to terrify your guests.”

While it may not be equipped with a voice box, this year’s $299 version of Skelly is no slouch either. He features poseable arms and LCD LifeEyes that move and blink, and includes 8 eye effects: Blue Human, Hazel Human, Stars, Hearts, Fireworks, Flames, Dragons and Swirls.

Also brand new this year? The 11-foot Grave & Bones Giant Sized LED Mummy!

The Giant Mummy unearths scare leading with glowing LED lights that illuminate his eyes and decayed chest. This undead mummy features poseable shoulders that allow you to customize his reaching posture, along with included cloth strips that provide a customizable, weathered touch. Activated by motion sensor, he awakens from his tomb with 3 separate sounds.

The full Halloween 2026 lineup is now available for purchase on Home Depot’s website, and you can expect to see 12-foot Skelly and all his new friends in stores this coming Fall.

Browse Home Depot’s full Halloween 2026 collection now!

The post Home Depot’s Viral 12-Foot Skeleton Is Back… and This Year, He Speaks! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Not only is this original house dedicated to the best holiday of the year, but it’s also an official sequel!

In H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular!: “Fan-favorite creature feature host, Larry Kurtzberg (better known as H.R. Bloodengutz), returns in this all-new haunted house. After his descension into violent madness where he tortured his crew when his show was canceled (as featured in HHN 21), H.R. Bloodengutz has escaped from prison to return to WKNB Television Station for a final Halloween Special of gruesome proportions.”

Halloween Horror Nights show director Ramón Paradoa gave Bloody Disgusting the exclusive details on what to expect.

The Lore Behind A Halloween Fright-Tacular!

For its 35th edition, Halloween Horror Nights is bringing back fan favorites like Jack the Clown and Dr. Oddfellow. That also includes the return of a certain creature feature host, who was first unleashed in 2011’s H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: Holidays of Horror before making a brief appearance in 2021’s Welcome to SCarey: Horror in the Heartland.

“This is a sequel to an HHN classic,” Paradoa explains. “And the return of a very beloved character for our fan base. We’ve played with the idea of creating more story within H.R. Bloodengutz’s lore for a while, and this year the stars aligned, and it finally felt like the right opportunity. It’s been 15 years since that first haunted house in 2011, so we liked the idea of 15 years later, Carey’s favorite creature feature host returns for another bout of fun.”

This new house picks up 15 years later from Holidays of Horror‘s conclusion, where H.R. Bloodengutz has been incarcerated in the Carey Penitentiary since. Now, “he has finally broken out of prison on Halloween Day. He has returned to the WKNB television studio to present a Halloween marathon of straight-to-TV Halloween films that were his favorites that he never got to showcase back when he was working 15 years prior.”

In other words, the HHN horror host is curating his own holiday horror marathon for you, the guest.

Paradoa also provides a handy recap of H.R. Bloodengutz’s first outing, just to illustrate what kind of maniac is being unleashed on HHN 35. “In the events of that first haunted house, he ended up taking his producer hostage when he found out that his show and himself were getting the ax. He didn’t take that news very well. He decided to hold his producer hostage, to host that marathon that we saw the first go around, and things ended horribly, and ultimately ended with his arrest. He’s coming back 15 years later to have a little bit of Halloween fun this time, focusing specifically on the holiday of Halloween.”

The Return of Horror Host H.R. Bloodengutz

Among the many reasons Halloween Horror Nights remains such a holiday fixture is the creative team’s dedication to detail. That’s quite a feat when you consider the intricate lore developed over 35 years.

One key detail to note with H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! is that not only is it tracking the horror host’s story progression, it’ll also feature the same actor portraying him.

Paradoa reminds that it’s been over a decade since Larry Kurtzburg snapped in his 2011 haunt; time and a prison stay have altered the horror host as we last saw him. “He has a new look to him that is leaning into his imprisonment. I’ll leave it at that,” the HHN show director teases.

“Since he’s escaping straight from prison and returning to the derelict studio, he tries to piece together his former look as much as he can, but there’s a fun little twist to how he looks this go around. And he’s older because we were able to work with the original actor who played Bloodengutz in 2011, to reprise his role,” Paradoa notes. “So, we’re getting an authentic, older version of the character in this new haunted house that is being played by the original actor, which again, our fans are going to love.”

What can fans expect with his appearance this time?

H.R. Bloodengutz will host one demented Halloween marathon. “What I’ll say about that without giving too much away is that there are seven movies that we’re presenting as scenes in the haunted house; seven movies that are a part of the marathon. Some of those movies are callbacks to HHN’s past.”

In true horror host fashion, “You’re going to get to see him in video format in between each of those movies, and he’s going to essentially usher you into the next movie.” H.R. Bloodengutz will also introduce the house itself and its backstory in queue line videos, too, like the original 2011 haunt, “where H.R. Bloodengutz told the story of each of the movies that he was presenting, and then his own story. We’re doing a queue line video for our guests, outside of this haunted house, where they’re going to get to see H.R. Bloodengutz in this new role, telling this new story, and preparing us for the Halloween Frightacular. Again, that is in collaboration with the original man himself, so we’re very excited for our fans to experience that.”

A True Halloween Extravanza

Unlike Holiday of Horrors, A Halloween Fright-Tacular! is dedicated solely to Halloween. With H.R. Bloodengutz’s demented marathon, that’s seven different ways to explore the holiday, something that Paradoa and the creative team really took to heart. The test, of course, was ensuring Halloween still feels fresh.

“Once we knew that the holiday of Halloween and the world of horror cinema was our playground, we knew that there was a lot to tap into,” Paradoa said. “There are so many different Halloween-based tropes that people know and love. We were really inspired by that, and we wanted to make sure that when you’re being transported into the worlds of these movies, although they have the throughline of Halloween, they’re all completely unique from each other. That they all have a very distinct feel, and they present environments and characters that again, are rooted in what you’d expect out of classic Halloween textures, but are different from each other.”

“To tease you on some of those kinds of things, for example, one of the movies that he’s presenting is a black and white zombie film in an old graveyard.”

This house will cover just about every aspect of the beloved holiday. “We have some classic Halloween textures there. Another one is a Halloween party that is taking place inside a tiki bar that is overtaken by monsters of the night. So, different things like that, where we have different aggressors and different environments, but they’re all tied into the world of Halloween and kind of what you’d expect out of that Halloween comfort food kind of feel when it comes to monsters, zombies, skeletons, ghosts, those kinds of things. So, each film, each scene is going to feel very unique, but all based in the world of Halloween, which is really fun.”

As a massive horror fan himself, nailing the spirit of Halloween was of utmost importance to Paradoa. “It is all centered around that holiday, and I think this house almost being representative of the holiday within our slate we were really, really excited about, so I wanted to make sure that it felt authentic and captured that magical feeling of Halloween in every way we could.”

H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! may be a sequel house, but one made thoroughly accessible to newcomers through its unique setup and Halloween atmospherics.

Paradoa sums it up well: “The great thing about this house, of course, is that it’s expanding upon a lore that we established 15 years ago, but it also pays tribute to a couple of different things. It pays tribute to the idea of a classic Halloween haunted house. We call these houses Halloween comfort food, and we’ve done them throughout the course of our history, and this house checks off that vibe.”

This year’s Halloween Horror Nights event begins on Friday, August 28 at Universal Orlando Resort and Thursday, September 3 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Tickets are on sale now.

The post Halloween Horror Nights 2026 To Unleash Holiday Madness with ‘A Halloween Fright-Tacular!’ [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

From John Carpenter’s original classic, Laurie Strode, Lynda van der Klok, Annie Brackett & Bob Simms will be playable characters in Halloween: The Game! The characters will appear in the single-player mode and also be featured as playable characters in the multiplayer mode.

The Standard Edition of Halloween: The Game will feature 10 playable Civilians at launch: Jennifer, Tanya, Rachel, Eric, Marcus, Thomas, Bob, Lynda, Annie, and Laurie.

Helping to bring the performances of Bob, Lynda, Annie, and Laurie to life in Halloween: The Game is a roster of outstanding vocal talent. The brawny boyfriend Bob Simms will be voiced by Nicholas Leung. The ever-confident Lynda van der Klok will be voiced by Angela Carbone. The rebellious and funny Annie Brackett will be voiced by Kaitlyn Robrock. And the quintessential ‘final’ girl, Laurie Strode, will be voiced by Chelsea Krause.

The team previews, “Presenting fresh reinterpretations of established and beloved characters is a rare honor our team carefully respected. In close collaboration with Malek Akkad and Compass International Pictures, we developed reimagined designs of these iconic characters, inspired by the original film, for our asymmetrical horror sandbox.”

“Much like the other Heroes of Haddonfield, these legacy characters come equipped with a default multiplayer outfit,” the developers tease. “However, completing various challenges in the single-player story mode will unlock alternate costumes and cosmetic items, including some iconic looks fans of the original film will greatly appreciate.”

“We aren’t just adapting a widely adored movie; we’re building an entire world around it,” states Art Director Cole Gray. “To do justice to this classic, everything and everyone within it had to feel like they belonged together. Reimagining these characters from the ground up allowed us to seamlessly weave them into a fresh, cohesive landscape that respects the era while presenting new ideas and honoring the film’s roots.”

Halloween: The Game releases September 8. Pre-order your copy today!

The upcoming game will invite Halloween fans to step into the chilling world of John Carpenter’s genre-defining film, now transformed into a suspenseful one-versus-many stealth horror experience. Put on the iconic mask to become the ultimate slasher, Michael Myers, stalking and executing the citizens of Haddonfield one by one, or striving to thwart Michael Myers’ plans as Civilians determined to save the unaware townsfolk before it’s too late.

Halloween: The Game will unleash Michael Myers onto Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Here’s everything you need to know.

The post ‘Halloween: The Game’ Will Feature Laurie Strode and More Movie Icons as Playable Characters! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Dude Designs has unleashed his Paperback Nightmares series this week, featuring slasher classics reimagined in the style of classic horror paperback artwork from the 1980s!

“Here’s a series of designs I’ve had floating around in the back of my mind for over a year, and I finally found the time to sit down and bring them to life,” The Dude Designs explains.

He continues, “I’ve always loved the look and feel of classic 70s and 80s horror paperbacks, so I thought it would be fun to create some completely alternate art for Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th Part III, mainly because Part III gave us the iconic hockey mask, all done in the style of vintage pulp horror novel covers.”

“These films all originally received paperback novelizations through different publishers,” The Dude Designs notes, “so this became my own reimagining of what those books could have looked like in some parallel world of 1980s horror publishing. It was a lot of fun approaching these classics through a completely different lens, especially creating the vintage-inspired typography and layout treatments to make them feel authentic to the era. I wanted them to look like something you’d discover battered and dog-eared on a spinner rack in 1984.”

The best part? He’s selling the artwork as a set of three 18×24” screen prints.

He explains, “If you’re interested, drop me a PM or head over to ‘Motherfucking Genre Screenprint Commissions’ on Facebook for details.” Click this link to head over to that page.

Also make sure to follow The Dude Designs on Instagram if you dig the art!

The post Artist ‘The Dude Designs’ Reimagines Slasher Classics as Retro Paperback Nightmares appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

The Fog Novelization from Echo On Publications

Originally published in 1980 and long sought after by fans, the novelization of John Carpenter’s The Fog has been reissued by Echo On Publications.

Written by Dennis Etchison (who also penned novelizations of Halloween II, Halloween III, and Videodrome), the book includes a new introduction to Etchison by Echo On editor-in-chief Christian Francis.

The novel is available in hardcover, trade paperback, mass market paperback, and e-book, with an audio book coming soon.

The Evil Dead Steelbook 4K UHD from Sony

The Evil Dead is celebrating its 45th anniversary with a Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray release on July 7 via Sony.

Sam Raimi’s 1981 horror classic is presented in 4K at a 1.33:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision HDR and 5.1 and 2-channel surround sound options.

Special features:

• Audio Commentary by Writer-Director Sam Raimi, Produer Rob Tapert, and Actor Bruce Campbell
• Picture-in-Picture: Join Us! The Undying Legacy of The Evil Dead
• One by One We Will Take You: The Untold Saga of The Evil Dead
• Treasures from the Cutting Room Floor
• At the Drive-In
• Discovering Evil Dead
• Make-Up Test
• 4 TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailer

Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly star.

Aliens Toys from NECA

NECA is comemorating the 40th anniversary of Aliens with reissues of their 7″ scale action figures and accessories.

The Xenomorph queen ultra deluxe figure is over 15″ tall and over 30″ long with over 30 points of articulation, including a poseable tail. It costs $129.99.

The Xenomorph Warrior ultimate action figure stands over 9″ tall and features 30 points of articulation, hinged jaw with extending inner mouth, and poseable wire tail. It includes facehugger, chestburster, and egg. It costs $39.99.

The P-5000 Power Loader deluxe vehicle stands over 11″ tall (to fit most 6.5-7″ toys). It has more than 30 points of articulation, 20 wires and hoses, and working pistons. It costs $99.99.

The Alien egg carton includes three facehuggers with bendable tails, three open eggs, and three closed eggs. It costs $29.99.

Night Patrol Blu-ray from RLJE Films

Night Patrol will be released on Blu-ray on June 30 via RLJE Films and Shudder.

Jermaine Fowler, Justin Long, Phil “CM Punk” Brooks, and Dermot Mulroney star in the vampire cop thriller.

Special features:

• Filmmaker audio commentaries
• Behind-the-scenes featurette
• Deleted scenes
• Outtakes
• VFX reel

Ryan Prows (V/H/S/94) directs from a script he penned with his Lowlife co-writers Tim Cairo, Jake Gibson, and Shaye Ogbonna. RJ Cyler, Freddie Gibbs, YG, Nicki Micheaux, and Flying Lotus round out the cast.

Trace Thurman wrote in his review, “Night Patrol may not fully flesh out its themes by the time the credits roll, but a committed cast and a few standout performances, not to mention the technical prowess on display from Prows, allow the film to rise above its flaws.”

Driller Killer Vinyl from Recently Deceased

The Driller Killer soundtrack will be released on vinyl for the first time on May 8 from Recently Deceased. It costs $34.99.

Joe Delia’s (Bad Lieutenant, Body Snatchers) composer’s cut has been newly remastered from the long-thought-lost original master tapes.

Limited to 1,000, the album is housed in a jacket featuring art by Douglas Metro alongside a printed inner sleeve with lyrics and liner notes by Delia and director Abel Ferrara.

Godzilla Minus One Figure from Super7

Super 7 will release a Godzilla Minus One figure based on the monster’s appearance in the opening sequence on Odo Island.

The 7″ scale toy measures 11.35″ long and has 28 points of articulation. Two interchangeable heads and four interchangeable hands are included.

Expected to ship in January 2027, it’s available for $80 exclusively on Amazon.

I Sell the Dead Blu-ray from IFC Films

I Sell the Dead will be released on Blu-ray on May 26 via IFC Films.

The 2008 horror-comedy marked the feature debut of writer-director Glenn McQuaid (V/H/S).

Special features:

• Audio commentary with writer-director Glenn McQuaid and producer-actor Larry Fessenden (new)
• Audio commentary with film critic Simon Abrams (new)
• Audio commentary with actors Dominic Monaghan and Larry Fessenden
• Audio commentary with writer-director Glenn McQuaid
• Video introduction by Glenn McQuaid and Larry Fessenden (new)
• Interview with actor Ron Perlman (new)
• The Making of I Sell the Dead
• The Visual Effects of I Sell the Dead 
• Grimes and Blake Pitch Reel
• Tales from Beyond The Pale: “Trawler”Episode
• Theatrical trailer
• Booklet with new writing by film critic Isaac Feldberg

Dominic Monaghan, Larry Fessenden (who also produces), Angus Scrimm, and Ron Perlman star.

The Wraith Vinyl from Terror Vision

The Wraith soundtrack is available on vinyl for the first time for $26.99 via Terror Vision Records.

Composed by Michael Hoenig (The Blob, The Gate) and J. Peter Robinson (New Nightmare, Wayne’s World), the score has been newly mastered for vinyl from the original master tapes.

Four color variants are available: “Interceptor Blur” (limited to 53), “Hyper Speed Timeshift” (limited to 96), “Desert Fog Transcendence” (limited to 80), and “Black as Night” (limited to 55).

The album is housed in a gatefold jacket with a printed sleeve.

Fire and Ice Steelbook 4K UHD from Blue Underground

Fire and Ice will be released on Steelbook 4K UHD + Blu-ray + CD on June 30 via Blue Underground. It’s available exclusively from MVD for $59.95.

The 1983 animated dark fantasy film has been newly respted in 4K from the original negative with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio.

Special features:

• Audio Commentary with Director Ralph Bakshi
• The Art Of Fire And Ice: The Frank Frazetta Legacy with Sara Frazetta (new)
• Frank Frazetta’s Fire And Ice with Robert Rodriguez (new)
• The Making Of Fire And Ice
• Bakshi On Frazetta
• Sean Hannon’s Diary Notes
• Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Poster & Still Galleries (new)
• Soundtrack CD composed by William Kraft

Ralph Bakshi (The Lord of the Rings 1978) directs from a script by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. Influential fantasy artist Frank Frazetta produces.

Halloween Toys from Fright-Rags

Fright-Rags has expanded its Halloween retro-style action figure line with Ghost Bob and Young Michael Myers.

Priced at $20, each 3.75″ scale toy has five points of articulation and is packaged on a vintage-inspired backer card featuring art by Justin Osbourn.

Ghost Bob comes with a corded rotary phone, while Young Michael includes a knife and clown mask.

Hatchet 4K UHD Collection from Umbrella Entertainment

The Hatchet franchise will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray in a limited edition box set on August 26 via Australia’s Umbrella Entertainment.

It collects all four uncut films in Adam Green‘s horror-comedy series — 2006’s Hatchet, 2010’s Hatchet II, 2013’s Hatchet III, and 2017’s Victor Crowley — in 4K with Dolby Vision for the first time.

Priced at $195, the limited edition set also includes Hatchet on VHS, a graphic novel, a book, and more.

Hatchet special features:

• Audio Commentary with writer/director Adam Green, cinematographer Will Barratt, and actors Tamara Feldman, Joel David Moore and Deon Richmond
• Audio Commentary with writer/director/co-producer Adam Green and actor Kane Hodder
• Honey Island Horror Part 1: Hatchet documentary with writer/director Adam Green, cinematographer Will Barratt, special makeup effects supervisor Robert Pendegraft, actors Parry Shen and Joel David Moore, and producer Sarah Elbert (new)
• Coffee And Donuts: Adam Green And Will Barratt On Their First Film (new)
• MPAA Doomsday: Adam Green on Screening Hatchet for the Ratings Board (new)
• Upward Spiral: David Joel Moore on Working with Adam Green (new)
• The Making of Hatchet documentary
• Meeting Victor Crowley featurette
• Guts and Gore featurette
• Anatomy of a Kill featurette
• A Twisted Tale featurette
• Gag Reel
• Theatrical Trailer

Hatchet II special features:

• Audio Commentary with director/writer Adam Green, cinematographer Will Barratt, and special makeup effects supervisor Robert Pendergraft
• Audio Commentary with director/writer Adam Green and actors Kane Hodder and Tony Todd
• Honey Island Horror Part 2: Hatchet II documentary with writer/director Adam Green, cinematographer Will Barratt, special makeup effects supervisor Robert Pendegraft, actors Danielle Harris, Parry Shen, Cody Snider, and Laura Ortiz, and producer Sarah Elbert (new)
• Creature From the Buechler Lagoon: Makeup Effects Artist Robert Pendergraft on John Carl Buechler (new)
• Hatchet 2: First Look featurette
• The Killing Machine: Meet the FX Team 2010 featurette
• TV Spot
• Trailer

Hatchet III special features:

• Audio Commentary with writer/producer Adam Green, director BJ McDonnell, cinematographer Will Barratt and make-up effects artist Robert Pendergraft
• Audio Commentary with writer/producer Adam Green, director BJ McDonnell, and actor Kane Hodder
• Honey Island Horror Part 3: Hatchet III documentary with writer/producer Adam Green, actors Danielle Harris, Parry Shen, Derek Mears, and Cody Snider, and producer Sarah Elbert (new)
• Club Madman: Derek Mears On Portraying a Horror Icon (new)
• Behind the Scenes of Hatchet III featurette
• Raising Kane featurette
• Swamp Fun featurette
• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer
• Hatchet Production Journals with introduction by writer/director Adam Green

Victor Crowley special features:

• Audio Commentary with writer/director Adam Green and actors Parry Shen, Laura Ortiz, and Dave Sheridan
• Audio Commentary with writer/director Adam Green, cinematographer Jan-Michael Losada, editor Matt Latham, and make-up FX artist Robert Pendegraft
• Honey Island Horror Part 4: Victor Crowley documentary with writer/producer Adam Green, actors Felissa Rose, Dave Sheridan, Laura Ortiz, Tiffany Shepis, and Danielle Harris, and producer Sarah Elbert (new)
• Hatchet Army Deployment – Adam Green, Danielle Harris, Derek Mears, Felissa Rose, And Kane Hodder on Horror Conventions
• Fly on the Set documentary
• Raising the Dead… Again featurette
• Swamp Tales documentary
• Trailer

Also included:

• Hatchet on VHS (NTSC or PAL)
• 100+ page book featuring behind the scenes material, production journals, and essays by Christian Bogh
• 120+ page Hatchet graphic novel (volumes 0-3)
• Custom art rigid case with artwork by Shannon Trottman
• 8 art cards
• A3 reversible poster

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives.

The post 11 New Must-Have Horror Collectibles, Including ‘The Fog’ Novelization & ‘Aliens’ Toys appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Each 3.75″ scale toy has five points of articulation and is packaged on a vintage-inspired backer card featuring artwork by Justin Osbourn (“The Last Drive-In”).

Ghost Bob comes with a corded telephone, while Young Michael includes a knife and a clown mask. They’re $20 a piece.

Produced in collaboration with Plastic Meatball,  Fright-Rags’ previous Halloween toys include Michael Myers, Dr. Loomis, Lynda, and Annie, along with a Halloween 4 two-pack of Michael and Jamie.

The packaging on the new figures teases a Myers House collector’s case that could soon become a reality.

In John Carpenter’s Halloween, 15 years after murdering his sister on Halloween night, Michael Myers escapes from a mental institution and returns to the small town of Haddonfield to kill again.

The 1978 genre-defining slasher stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, P. J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, and Nick Castle as The Shape.

While the future of the Halloween franchise remains up in the air at this time, Halloween: The Game will be released on September 8.

The post Fright-Rags’ ‘Halloween’ Retro-Style Toy Line Adds Ghost Bob & Young Michael Myers appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In a recent discussion for Interview, horror icons Samara Weaving and Sarah Michelle Gellar debated this well-loved character trope while promoting the release of their upcoming film Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. After decades of starring in genre films and TV, Gellar explains her frustration with the moniker, wondering, “I almost feel like it needs to be rebranded because Final Girl makes other women seem unsuccessful.” Weaving replies, “At least [call us] final woman, we’re not young [Laughs],” before musing, “It is quite dismissive, isn’t it?”

As a lifelong fan of Final Girls, I will admit to being somewhat taken aback by this frank exchange. It’s not an exaggeration to say that my life was changed when I first met Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in Wes Craven’s meta-slasher masterpiece Scream. I’ve been obsessed with Final Girls ever since, finding strength in their onscreen empowerment and resilience as I’ve matured alongside the evolving archetype.

But could these two titans of feminist horror be correct? Considering their combined experience, Gellar and Weaving undoubtedly have a unique perspective on the topic. After decades of watching our favorite Final Girls survive a wide array of slasher killers, is it time to finally let her die?

Who Is the Final Girl?

The term Final Girl was codified in Carol J. Clover’s 1987 essay “Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film” (later published in her seminal book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film). She introduces us to the paradigm by describing the character as “the one who does not die.” Clover follows this oversimplified definition with a detailed analysis of slasher theory while situating the Final Girl in the well-loved subgenre. “She is the one who encounters the mutilated bodies of her friends and perceives the full extent of her preceding horror and of her own peril; who is chased, cornered, wounded; whom we see scream, stagger, fall, rise, and scream again. She is abject terror personified.”

For the next thirty pages, Clover continues to expand on this theory, placing the Final Girl in direct opposition to the Slasher Killer. We’re usually introduced to this formidable antagonist through first-person point of view sequences as he watches our heroine from afar. Young and usually naive, she will slowly find strength by taking it from her predator.

Clover bases much of her theory on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the teen protagonist of John Carpenter’s genre-defining Halloween (originally titled The Babysitter Murders). In addition to prototypical examples like Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) and Marion Crane (Janet Leigh, Psycho) — ironically played by Curtis’ mother — Clover includes a multitude of heroines from the ’80s heyday of slasher film. Though she notes the trope’s absence of sexual transgression, Clover reminds us of the Final Girl’s defining attribute: she survives as a relatable heroine, becoming a proxy for the audience’s emotional journey. 

The Weapons of Empowerment

As the story barrels toward a final showdown, the Final Girl grows increasingly paranoid, aware that someone is watching her. After discovering the bodies of her slaughtered friends, she must find a way to survive on her own, coming face to face with the slasher villain, a monstrous symbol of masculinity. Clover explains, “the killer is with few exceptions recognizably human and distinctly male; his fury is unmistakably sexual in both roots and expression; his victims are mostly women.”

While many female characters fall to his invariably phallic weapon — a knife, machete, drill, or chainsaw — he is bested by the Final Girl, whose empowerment defangs his patriarchal authority. For example, Michael Myers (Nick Castle) is credited in Carpenter’s original Halloween as simply the Shape, a blank-faced spectre of a violent man. 

Each element of the slasher formula serves this inspiring characterization, from a growing paranoia to the killer’s masculine appearance. By the time we reach the blood-soaked finale, we have fully switched our point of view and now align with the vulnerable young woman we’ve been symbolically stalking through the killer’s eyes. Clover describes the Final Girl’s unique empowerment as she picks up his phallic weapon (or an approximation thereof) to finally wield it for herself. Vanita ‘Stretch’ Brock (Caroline Williams) concludes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 by waving a chainsaw over the decimated Sawyer family while Laurie stabs Michael with her own makeshift blades: knitting needles and a straightened coat hanger. 

Dropping the Knife

Moments after this triumph, the Final Girl often relinquishes the adopted weapon, reverting to her feminized self. This transition is known in horror academia as “dropping the knife,” a symbolic return to societal order. Many critics take issue with this startling move, balking at what could be read as an intentional abdication of power or a conflation of weakness and femininity. But I’ve always found strength in the Final Girl’s stark display of vulnerability as she buckles under the weight of unthinkable trauma. I tend to agree with Clover that dropping the knife does not imply a loss of strength, but shows that “gender is less a wall than a permeable membrane.”

In fact, the Final Girl rises alongside her killer, proving that even a vulnerable teenage girl can withstand an overwhelming patriarchal force. Heather Langenkamp, who stars as iconic Final Girl Nancy Thompson in Craven’s 1984 classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, has repeatedly discussed interactions with fans in which they thank her for modeling empowerment.

They invariably note the moment when she turns to face the monstrous Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) to bravely say, “I take back every bit of energy I gave you” before defiantly sending him back to the dream world. In an interview with Bloody Disgusting to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary 4K release, Langenkamp describes Nancy’s legacy: “She’s really become a touchstone for so many people — not only women, but men too, for her strength and her intense character.” 

The Final Girl Evolves

In the decades since Laurie and Nancy first graced our screens, the Final Girl continues to change with the evolving slashers she occupies. Scream (1996) serves as a deconstruction of the formula Craven himself helped establish as Sidney takes charge of her own narrative. In addition to reclaiming the Final Girl’s sexual liberation, she not only defeats two maniacal killers, but shuts down Ghostface’s attempt at a supernatural rise with her definitive, “not in my movie.” Sidney also does not survive alone but alongside franchise stalwart Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), a flawed yet intensely relatable character who shatters Clover’s archetypal description.

We’ve seen our share of Final Boys, most notably Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) in Jack Sholder’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge and Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) in James Wong’s Final Destination. Of course, there’ve been countless subversions of the formula itself from Urban Legend to The Descent, which both remix standard slasher mechanics while spiraling into exciting new fields.  

Director Scott Glosserman would further explore the parameters of the archetype in his 2006 cult classic Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. This meta-slasher and faux documentary takes us behind the scenes with Leslie (Nathan Baesel), a self-styled murderer planning his upcoming killing spree. In-world director Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) and her crew follow the would-be villain through meticulous preparation, capturing detailed explanations of slasher tropes, from the importance of crafting an iconic mask to his painstaking search for a “survivor girl.”

But this scrupulous honesty hides a shocking bait and switch revealed when his ostensibly virginal victim is caught enjoying raucous sex. We realize that Taylor has been Leslie’s target all along, the character with whom we’ve grown to identify. Recent news of a long-awaited sequel brings the promise of further genre exploration, perhaps featuring the trope’s most recent iteration.

The Legacy Final Girl

This unique concept arguably originated with Steve Miner’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, which catches up with Laurie Strode (Curtis) on the 20th anniversary of the Shape’s first attack. However, the trend would reach ubiquity two decades later in David Gordon Green’s alternative sequel Halloween (2018) and its subsequent chapters, Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022). Eschewing all but Carpenter’s original 1978 film, Green’s trilogy reunites us with Laurie (also Curtis) as a hardened and solitary grandmother living on a survivalist compound. Now practiced in the art of mortal combat, she’s spent the last four decades obsessed with the monster who derailed her life and patiently waiting for his return. 

In the wake of Green’s success, other reboot/sequels have seen similar reimaginings of classic Final Girls like Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré) in Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) and Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) in I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025). While the results vary in quality and success, each legacy sequel or slasher explores the long-term effects of trauma on our beloved characters who still wrestle with memories of their original attacks.

Now forced to confront her darkest fear, the Legacy Final Girl must once again defend herself while imparting wisdom to a younger version who will carry the torch for the next generation. In fact, Green’s Halloween concludes with Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) gripping a knife as she’s rushed to the hospital, intentionally upending decades of “drop the knife” fare. 

More Than Mere Survivors

Perhaps because of this new iteration, interest in the Final Girl has skyrocketed, with many new fans confusing the term. I bristle at a seemingly endless series of social media posts arbitrarily naming fan favorite characters Final Girls regardless of their movie’s plot. From Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall, The Shining) and Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs) to Adelaide Wilson/Red (Lupita Nyong’o, Us) and Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh, Midsommar), all manner of female horror characters are now being classified as Final Girls, seemingly because they survive their films.

While each of the aforementioned characters is important in their own right, they are respectfully not Final Girls and serve their stories in different ways. To misuse the term Final Girl not only erases her unique contributions to the landscape of horror but also reduces a complex array of female characters to the simple dichotomy of survivor and victim. 

Several years ago, another genre icon, Barbara Crampton, took issue with a similar trope in her revelatory op-ed “Don’t Call Me a Scream Queen.” Explaining her dislike for the titular term, Crampton writes, “Being a Scream Queen implies that you’re good at two things: howling at the top of your lungs and being a woman.” To extend this concept, our pop-culture understanding of the Final Girl seems to have devolved to simply: a female character who does not die.

While this does harken back to Clover’s initial definition, it negates the thirty pages of analysis that follow. These characters do more than survive while female, from their gender-coded climaxes to the trauma of a stylized killing spree. Calling all female protagonists final girls dramatically reduces the role of women in a genre that has always served as a feminist haven.

Is There a Future for Final Girls?

Misuse of the term seems to weave through Gellar’s conversation with Weaving and their frustration at being called a Final Girl. It must be said that neither actress is known for roles as the sole survivor of a slasher film. Gellar is perhaps best remembered for starring as a tough-as-nails warrior in the long-running series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in addition to a pair of spectacular deaths in I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2, and a starring role in the American J-Horror remake The Grudge.

Weaving has made a name for herself in a wide array of genre roles. To date, she’s played a seductive satanist (The Babysitter, The Babysitter: Killer Queen), a horror academic and early victim (Scream VI), an escaped cult sacrifice (Azrael), a nailgun-toting avenger (Mayhem), and a tortured bride (Ready or Not, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come). While some of these films may be slasher-adjacent, none of these characters are Final Girls.

Perhaps therein lies the rub. After embodying some of the genre’s most important roles, pop culture idols who inform our collective understanding of female strength, it’s understandably frustrating to have this nuance reduced to a single archetype. 

But is there a future for the Final Girl?

The blockbuster success of Scream 7 — which itself introduces a younger version of the trope in Sidney’s teen daughter Tatum (Isabel May) — proves that younger audiences are hungry for new reimaginings of the slasher formula updated to reflect our changing world. And Sally, Laurie, Sidney, and Nancy continue to welcome in new waves of burgeoning horror fans who find strength in the Final Girl’s empowerment. 

Perhaps the problem lies not with Final Girls themselves, but in the fallacy of lumping them together with every other surviving female character. Maybe instead of constantly trotting out this singular term, we can find more accurate ways to describe a breathtaking landscape of female characters. From mother, witch, seductress, monster, bride, warrior, crone, or queen, there’s power in acknowledging the differences in the many female characters who populate our favorite horror films.

Maybe it’s not the Final Girl who needs a rebrand, but the way we describe women in general. After all, we are more than our womanhood and the fact that we live to fight another day. 

The post Is It Time to Kill the Final Girl? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

First up, the iconic Tim Jacobus-illustrated cover art for The Haunted Mask comes to life with its own Hallmark ornament, which is made to look like a classic Goosebumps book. The ornament even has a sculpted 3D element that makes the titular Haunted Mask pop off the cover, and this is notably the first ever Goosebumps ornament to be released by Hallmark.

Elsewhere in the Dream Book, we’re getting a Dia De Muertos-themed Barbie doll ornament, along with Aliens, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Terminator 2 ornaments.

The Aliens ornament depicts the film’s “Cheyenne” ship, while the Godzilla ornament brings the King of the Monsters himself onto your Christmas tree. Terminator 2‘s ornament immortalizes Linda Hamilton’s action heroine Sarah Connor as a Hallmark Keepsake.

A new Gremlins ornament is also coming this year, along with an Ugly Christmas Sweater-themed Ghostbusters ornament. Hallmark joins forces with Funko for a Pennywise ornament based on the Bill Skarsgard version of the killer clown, while the tiny-headed Bob from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – decked out in Beetlejuice’s attire – receives an ornament of his own.

We’re also getting a Creature from the Black Lagoon ornament based on the classic Universal Monsters movie, but perhaps the coolest new ornament for horror fans this year is an official Michael Myers Hallmark ornament based on 1981’s Halloween II.

And last but not least, Hallmark’s collection of Halloween ornaments will this year include a retro-style boxed Dracula mask, which is a treat for fans of the classic Ben Cooper costumes.

Preview the horror highlights of this year’s Hallmark offerings below! This year’s ornament premiere kicks off on July 11, with Keepsake Ornament Club early shopping on July 10.

The post Hallmark Horror Keepsake Ornaments for 2026 Include ‘Goosebumps’ and Michael Myers appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Home Depot has been absolutely crushing the Halloween game in recent years, offering up some of the coolest animatronic decorations we’ve ever seen. They burst onto the scene with their Kaiju-sized skeleton decorations and impressed again last year with animatronics including a 7-foot-tall Megalodon and even a 3.5-foot tall animatronic of Stripe from Gremlins.

What’s new from Home Depot for Halloween 2026?

Home Depot’s fresh offerings this year include a 6.5 foot animatronic of Disney villain Maleficent, along with original Home Depot creations including a giant sinister snowman, a twisted Easter bunny, a pumpkin vine creature, and even an animated T-Rex skeleton.

The Home Depot Halloween 2026 animatronic lineup includes…

• 7-foot animated Lethal Lily
• 7-foot animated Horrifying Hops
• 6.5-foot animated Snarling Snowman
• 4.5-foot color-changing Skeleton Groundbreaker
• 6-foot animated Checkmate Chuckles
• 8.5-foot animated Knight Frostbane
• 4.5-foot animated Cabernet Casualty
• 8.5-foot giant-sized Undead Horse
• 6-foot animated Neon Nightmare
• 6.5-foot animated Pumpkin Vine Creature
• 9-foot giant sized T-Rex
• 5-foot animated Hearse
• 6.5-foot animated Maleficent
• 5.5-foot Skeleton Pony

Browse the full collection – for a limited time – over on Home Depot’s website.

And stay tuned for many more Halloween 2026 sneak peeks in the weeks and months to come here on Bloody Disgusting. We’re Halfway to Halloween, and only just getting started…

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