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Horror stands out as a natural meeting ground for Taiwanese and Indonesian producers, according to a K7 Media study of the Indonesian film and TV market presented by Trang Nguyen at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei. The stakes are considerable. Indonesia is Southeast Asia’s largest economy and its biggest film market, with box […]
A new screenwriting lab in India wants to steer the country’s horror films away from ghost stories and horror-comedy hybrids. Independent outfit Platoon One Films will pick 15 writers for a three-month program built around original genre scripts. The Platoon One Horror Lab will run entirely online, and each of the 15 participants will bring […]
A Thai horror film built on the folklore of the Nang Mai, the forest nymphs of Thai myth, is the only Thai entry in the 2026 Tokyo Gap-Financing Market lineup. “Cher” arrives in Tokyo after becoming the first Thai project selected for, and awarded a top prize at, Canada’s Frontières Co-Production Market. Benetone Films and […]
Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan have made their first film together. “The Land of Jinn,” a supernatural horror feature directed by Kevin Rahardjo (“Smothered”), was unveiled at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market as the first co-production between the two countries. The story centers on a young Indonesian woman who journeys to Kyrgyzstan in search of a mystical healer […]
Pulse-pounding psychological horror game “Madison” is going to splash some blood on the silver screen. L.A.-based Story Kitchen, a production company specializing in game-to-movie adaptations, has inked a pact with “Madison” developer Bloodious Games to develop a feature film set in the world of the first-person horror title. Currently, there’s no casting info for the […]
For writer and director Christian Everhard, “The Crawling” began as a late-night thought experiment. While on vacation with a girlfriend at an isolated cabin, he woke up in the middle of the night, his mind racing. As a horror fan, he started thinking about the scariest worst-case scenario. Could a dangerous local break into the […]
When Ariel Baska traded their 15-year career teaching Latin for the film industry, they were instantly faced with a series of unexpected guardrails. “I found that all of these doors were closed to me because I could not literally walk in the front door,” Baska tells Variety. “As someone who is on the deaf-blind spectrum […]
“American Horror Story” has been renewed for its 14th season at FX. The news comes ahead of the Oct. 29 finale of Season 13, which reunites franchise legends Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe and Leslie Grossman. Other returning stars include Frances Conroy, Jamie Brewer, […]
A rural Australian town felt a mix of horror and disbelief on Tuesday after a highly respected lawmaker was gravely injured in what looked to be a targeted attack. Former nurse and midwife Helen Haines entered parliament in 2019, earning respect across the political divide for her efforts to stamp out corruption and bolster transparency. The 65-year-old was struck by a two-tonne SUV in Wangaratta on Monday afternoon.
Bridge Independent has boarded psychological horror film “Henry’s Ebb,” which stars Kingston Rumi Southwick, one of the stars of “Widow’s Bay.” The film makes its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. “Henry’s Ebb,” written and directed by Thomas Mendolia in his feature debut, also stars Banks Repeta (“The Black Phone”), Ashley Shelton […]
2026 has already been a wild year for horror, from low-budget box office hits (“Backrooms,” “Obsession”) to sequels the world could have lived without (“Scream 7,” “The Strangers – Chapter 3”). In a year loaded with scary movies, many of them were good-to-great, a welcome surprise that kept multiplexes busy. Below are the year’s standouts, […]
Skincrawl Studios has debuted a first glimpse at Chilean filmmaker Patricio Valladares’ supernatural horror feature “The Divine Comedy,” a modern re-telling of Dante’s “Inferno.” The Irish production and distribution shingle, which specializes in horror and adjacent genre movies, is handling worldwide sales on the film, which recently wrapped principal photography. “The Divine Comedy” is a […]
Thai horror hit “Rinrada: The Influencer,” which stars Yoshi Rinrada in her first horror lead, has closed distribution deals in Asia and the Middle East around its North American debut at Screamfest. The story centers on an influencer whose life is wrecked by an online pile-on. She comes back as a ghost with little time […]
Psychological horror “Arithmadtic,” set in an elite international school, leads a genre-heavy slate that Vietnam’s Bee Entertainment is presenting to buyers at Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM). Vietnamese films grossed more than VND3 trillion ($114 million) at home in 2025, outperforming international titles in the local market for the first time. Bee is […]
Variety’s second annual Horror Impact Report comes in a year when the genre has had unparalleled success. Indie films like “Backrooms” and “Obsession” were box office smashes, high-profile series like “Carrie” and the “Friday the 13th” prequel “Crystal Lake” are set to haunt streamers, and even iconic franchises like “Halloween” and “Hellraiser” are back as […]
Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang were arrested after 21 children were removed from their custody last year.
Welcome to Horror Explorer, a curated column showcasing the month’s best movies, series, books and everything else spooky worth checking out. I’m William Earl, the executive digital director of Variety and the publication’s resident horror enthusiast. Please drop me a line at wearl@variety.com if there’s something I should check out for next month’s missive.
Horror streamer Shudder has acquired the rights to “Sundown,” a new supernatural horror feature from director Rebekah McKendry, Variety can exclusively reveal. According to an official logline, “‘Sundown’ follows three generations of women who reunite in a remote cabin to avenge a loved one’s death, only to discover their captive isn’t who he seems to […]
The investigation into the massacre of the musician 'Honas' Melendez and his family, which El Pais has accessed, reveals that the killers acted after 18.30 and that the police took 70 minutes after the first call for help.
No one likes ticks – least of all “Tick Fever” director Sebastian Granskog. “Every Finn has learned to live in fear of ticks since the summers of their childhood. It’s a tiny insect that latches onto your body, breaks through your skin, starts drinking your blood and grows bigger as it takes what it wants […]
