Horror Makes Us Happy Podcast - 2026 October Specials

The Horror Makes Us Happy podcast will be celebrating the 2026 spooky season with five special guests!

New interviews will be released with Lauren-Marie Taylor (Friday the 13th Part 2, In a Violent Nature) and Larry Fessenden (Pearl/X/MaXXXine, You're Next, Session 9). Lauren-Marie's interview will be released October 9th, and Larry's will be released October 23rd.

Continuing their Youtube Live Chat series, cohosts Steve and Chris will be welcoming back Robert P. Ottone (The Vile Thing We Created, Amityville Awakens), Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep, Hap and Leonard), and John Fallon (Saw II, The Shelter, Dead Shadows) to chat about their new projects. Those Live Chats will take place on the Horror Makes Us Happy Youtube page, on October 11th, 18th, and 25th respectively.

Also, their monthly book and DVD giveaways are still active, with multiple books signed by their authors, former guests on the podcast. Registration for the giveaways can be found on their website, https://HorrorMakesUsHappy.com. A list of the books and DVDs have been released on social media, including their BlueSky account.

About Horror Makes Us Happy: The hosts of the Horror Makes Us Happy podcast are Steve Becker and Chris Whitman. After ten years in recovery (now 20+) Steve wrote A Guide to the Recovery Toolbox (ebook , paperback), and Chris is the author and artist behind the horror webcomic PIECES.

 

 

Shudder Original, folk horror NIGHTBORN - On Disc, December

Acclaimed Shudder Original, folk horror NIGHTBORN – from Hanna Bergholm (Hatching) and starring Finnish award-winning star Seidi Haarla in a powerful lead performance, alongside British screen favourite Rupert Grint – sees a happily married couple move to a remote forest home, so they can be close to nature when their first child is born, but this darkly brooding tale turns into a terrifying parental nightmare.

This darkly disturbing new Finnish folk horror is set for its release on Blu-ray and DVD on 14 December 2026 and digital on 21 December 2026, following its highly anticipated, sold out, UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival 2026, nationwide theatrical screenings with Picturehouse Cinemas and its debut on Shudder.

Deep in the dark, eerie, isolated forests of Finland, a couple’s dream of starting a family descends into a waking nightmare when Saga (Haarla – Compartment Number 6) and her British husband Jon (Grint – Harry Potter, Servant) move into her decaying childhood home, seeking a peaceful fresh start.

Following a gruelling birth, their newborn son, Kuura, begins transforming at an impossible, terrifying rate – sprouting hair and developing a disturbing craving for blood. As Saga’s sanity is pushed to its very limits, the couple’s relationship disintegrates.

As they try and tackle their problems, madness descends, the forest darkens and takes hold, and a monstrous presence starts to engulf them. Is it the mother, the baby or something far too sinister to comprehend

Prepare for darkness as NIGHTBORN exposes the darkest fears of motherhood, and nature versus nurture, in a gorefilled folklore terror fest.

Bonus Material includes:
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurette

Pre-order the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk 

Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk 

 

THE EXORCIST: MARTYRS - Coming March 2027

Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson fronts THE EXORCIST: MARTYRS, an unsettling new chapter in one of the most storied titles in cinema history from genre auteur Mike Flanagan, the creator of acclaimed series The Haunting of Hill House, The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass, and the new Carrie, as well as the films Doctor Sleep, The Life of Chuck, Hush and Gerald’s Game.

Thirteen years ago, New York City detective Julie Miller (Johansson) ended the terror reign of satanic serial killer Father Sunday. The case made her a hero, and she has thrown herself into her work ever since. Now a new killer scrawls her name in an altar boy’s blood on the walls of a church crypt, dragging her back into the darkness she believed she had buried with him.

Aided by former prison chaplain Father William (Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor), who heard Father Sunday’s final confession, and sharp rookie detective Gina Restrepo (Sasha Calle - The Rip), Detective Miller will discover a filament linking a lineage of serial killers, from H.H. Holmes to the Zodiac, that could corrupt everything, and everyone, she loves with an evil that goes well beyond the mortal.

The top-flight cast includes Academy Award nominee Diane Lane as Mary, Detective Miller’s mother, who has moved in with her to help raise her grandson Max (Jacobi Jupe, Hamnet); Actor Award winner Scoot McNairy (Argo) as paroled convict Clay Silver; Emmy winner Gil Bellows (Carrie) as Peter Nicks, a former acolyte of Father Sunday; Emmy and Tony winning screen legend Laurence Fishburne as revered priest Father Nichol; and acclaimed star of The Odyssey, Emmy and Special Tony Award winner John Leguizamo, in the most menacing role of his career as Father Sunday.

THE EXORCIST: MARTYRS is written and directed by Mike Flanagan, based on characters created by William Peter Blatty. The film is produced by David Robinson (The Exorcist series, Dead Ringers series), three-time Academy Award nominee Jason Blum (Get Out, Black Phone films) and Mike Flanagan. The film is executive produced by Alexandra Magistro and Ryan Turek.

View the Trailer on YouTube.

THE EXORCIST: MARTYRS is released to UK cinemas March 2027. 
 

 

12-Year-Old British Actress Summer-Joules Saunders Leads Post-Apocalyptic Feature Film THE N.E.S.T. PROJECT

British actress Summer-Joules Saunders, 12, has taken on the protagonist role of Elara in THE N.E.S.T. PROJECT, an ambitious independent post-apocalyptic feature film and the opening chapter of The Eight Saga.

Currently filming in the UK, THE N.E.S.T. PROJECT  introduces audiences to a dark new world in which civilisation as we know it has changed forever.

In the aftermath of a devastating collapse, safety and sanctuary are offered by a powerful organisation known as N.E.S.T., promising protection and the possibility of a better future.

But beneath that promise, not everything is as it seems.

At the centre of the story is Elara, a courageous and inquisitive young girl who begins to question the world around her and everything she has been led to believe.

As Elara searches for answers, her journey explores themes of survival, freedom, courage, friendship, resilience and hope, placing a young protagonist at the heart of the film's post-apocalyptic world.

Summer-Joules has spent recent months immersed in the role, filming on location and developing Elara through emotionally demanding and physically challenging scenes.

The role requires both vulnerability and strength as Elara navigates a world where danger, uncertainty and the search for truth are never far away.

Summer-Joules said:

    “I love playing Elara because she’s brave, but she doesn’t always know how brave she is. I love discovering more about her every time we film and being part of creating this whole new world.

    “I’ve learned so much from everyone I’ve worked with on set, and I’m really excited to see the finished result of everyone’s hard work.”

Already an experienced young performer, Summer-Joules has worked across screen, stage and voiceover, continuing to develop her craft alongside her professional work.

THE BEGINNING OF THE EIGHT SAGA

THE N.E.S.T. PROJECT is the opening feature in The Eight Saga, introducing the world, characters and story that begin a wider creative journey.

The independent production brings together actors, filmmakers, producers and creatives to build a distinctive post-apocalyptic world, with Elara's story forming a central part of its beginning.

For Summer-Joules, being entrusted with the protagonist role represents a significant new chapter in her development as a young screen actress.

Filming on THE N.E.S.T. PROJECT is continuing in the UK, with further information about the film and The Eight Saga to be announced as production progresses.

Supernatural J-horror NEVER AFTER DARK - on Digital platforms, November

A wandering medium, Airi spends her life guiding restless spirits out of the world of the living. Summoned to an isolated country house, she comes face to face with a grotesque apparition with powers that defy Airi’s experience. 

 

As she digs deeper into the house’s past, a secret comes to light — and Airi finds herself hunted by a far more unpredictable force. For the first time, her greatest adversary is not the supernatural, but the living.

Written and directed by Dave Boyle (House of Ninjas, The Man from Reno), it stars Moeka Hoshi (Shōgun), Kento Kaku (House of Ninjas, Alice in Borderland) and Kurumi Inagaki (GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka)

NEVER AFTER DARK premiered at SXSW 2026 before a festival run that included screenings at Overlook Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival and Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.

View the Trailer on YouTube. 

NEVER AFTER DARK arrives on Digital platforms 2nd November from Blue Finch releasing.

 

Director Sean Hogan talks about his feature THE DARK GETS IN - Premiering at FrightFest Halloween

Ahead of the International premiere of his latest feature film THE DARK GETS IN at Tubi FrightFest Halloween on October 31, Sean Hogan reflects on the film’s journey, the challenges of improvisation, and the sharing of personal loss.

 

Q) THE DARK GETS IN has been described as a’ mock-true crime documentary.’ What true-crime cases / TV series did you draw your inspiration from?

The true crime elements were something that came about via a discussion with the film's producers, who admittedly were more familiar with those sorts of shows than I was. They were keen to make something along those lines, which led me to suggest that we utilise a fictional documentary format. That way we could play around with classic true crime tropes but also take the story in some unexpected directions. So I did have to brush up on my true crime in order to write the screenplay! In the end, the one that probably inspired me the most was Joe Berlinger's The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

Q) We follow the harrowing case of a missing female teenager. You’ve gone on record as saying that you have lost close family members suddenly and unexpectedly and know just how wrenching that experience can be. How did this inform the creative process?

It's true that I have been through the experience of losing family members very suddenly. That wasn't actually something I consciously thought about when I started writing the script; it was only when we started production that I realised I'd probably been channelling those feelings without really even being aware of it. The thing is, when I look back at the work I've been doing in the last 5-10 years, I can see now that a lot of it is actually attempting to come to terms with those same experiences. With this particular film, it just made me want to try and deal with those sorts of emotions as honestly and realistically as I could. I've seen first-hand what a tragic loss like that can do to a family, and the terrible grief and incomprehension that springs out of not being able to properly explain or understand why such a loss happened. While the film ultimately goes to places that are not naturalistic, it still felt important to ground the core drama in something that felt very raw and real.

 

Q) You wanted actors that were deft at improvising to help create a sense of documentary reality. How challenging was it to get the right cast, given the naturalistic narrative style required?

It did take quite a long time. When we put out the initial casting call, I think we had hundreds, if not thousands of applicants. So firstly, we had to look at a lot of showreels and decide who the best candidates for the various characters might be. However, improvisation is a very particular skill and not something that all actors are proficient at. We then had to hold an improvisatory audition process where we asked the people on our shortlist to answer some interview questions in character. That gave us a much better idea of who would be able to work in this sort of naturalistic off-the-cuff style. In a couple of cases, I felt like I was already seeing the character I'd written in those audition tapes and couldn't imagine anyone else playing them – luckily those particular actors went on to accept the roles!

Q) What do you want audiences to take away?

I hope they're as interested in the human drama of the film as the more horrific elements. The film does take a fairly slow-burn approach and you spend a while getting to know the characters before any supernatural elements start to creep in. It's really an experiment in trying to create a sense of slowly mounting dread, which is always more interesting to me than a succession of “boo!” moments. Of course, I also want people to enjoy the horror once it arrives. I suppose I'd like audiences to walk away from the film thinking that they'd seen something that managed to be both frightening and tragic.

Q) Can you describe your personal journey making this film?

 I'd never made anything like this before. Although there was a written script that served as the roadmap/bible for the film, I've never utilised improvisation to the same extent that we did here. That could be nerve-wracking at times but also incredibly exciting. I gave the actors a lot of freedom to come up with their own ideas and some really creative material came out of that. The finished film does follow the basic narrative structure of the original screenplay, but there are also moments in there that I never would have written myself. The process of making something in this fashion wasn't always easy, but it was incredibly invigorating. I feel like the whole experience has taught me an incredible amount, even if I never make anything in quite the same way again.

Q) The title The Dark Gets In suggests a theme of creeping, unstoppable corruption or psychological unravelling. What is the "dark" representing for you, and how does it manifest for your characters?

As you say, it can be read in several different ways. In the film, the character of Natasha talks about a darkness that has followed her all her life: an early childhood tragedy that now seems to be repeating itself. That threat is ultimately revealed as something very specific: darkness personified, if you like. By the climax of the film, these same dark forces will have literally “got in” and invaded the family home. But there's also an interior darkness to some of the characters, a suggestion that the people we're closest to in life might have murkier aspects to their personalities that we never normally see. Added to which, the film also looks at how the internet functions as a kind of breeding ground for darker behaviour, an arena in which online anonymity permits people to indulge in all sorts of illicit fantasies and forbidden impulses. And given that the internet is now in almost all our homes, it can very easily serve as a pipeline to channel this kind of darkness directly into people's lives.

 

Q) Much of your previous work, like The Devil's Business, thrives on tense, Pinteresque contained spaces. Does this film continue that tradition, or are you experimenting with a more expansive canvas this time?

The nature of this film means it can't help but be somewhat more expansive, simply because of the number of characters and locations. The documentary form dictates that you're constantly cutting from here to there and back again, so you can't really build that same atmosphere of claustrophobia. On the other hand, I hope The Dark Gets In still has a similar sense of tension, that same inexorable feeling of events spinning slowly out of control. Although they take very different forms, both this film and The Devil's Business are ultimately about characters finding themselves trapped in situations they can't possibly control or understand; and finally coming to the realisation that the world is a much more illogical and terrifying place than they ever imagined.

Q) You’re known for brilliantly imbuing character-driven drama with classic horror genre themes. Does this stem from your literary roots?

I suppose that while I loved horror from a very early age, over time I also became interested in other creative areas, be that different kinds of films or novels or theatre. Everything I do now is just kind of a stew of those sorts of influences. I do take a lot of care over the writing process; ideally, I guess I'm trying to make films where both the visuals and the dialogue are equally important. It always seemed obvious to me that horror movies were better when they took the time to create interesting characters and give them well-written dialogue to say, so that's just something I've always striven to do. I also believe that genres need to expand and progress in order to stay relevant, and one of the ways you achieve that is by bringing in outside influences, whether that be (in my case) Pinter or Bergman or true crime documentaries or a hundred other things.

 

Q) You’re very much a stalwart of independent filmmaking. Beyond directing, you have championed the genre by writing extensive metafiction and books deeply rooted in the history of cult and independent cinema. Is this something you want to continue doing?

I hope I can continue doing all of it! Getting films produced is always very difficult; part of the reason I started writing prose fiction is because I hadn't been able to make a film for several years. Luckily, that all changed recently but there are never any guarantees it will continue. So I will keep on writing fiction regardless, because that's much more under my control. I'm not sure whether I'll write any more actual cinema metafiction, as I've published several books in that vein now and there are other things I want to do. But whatever I write will probably always have at least one foot in the genre: my most recent novel was a folk horror/psychological thriller, and I've just finished the first draft of a noir/horror novel.

Q) Finally, what can you tell us about future projects?

There is one really exciting project bubbling under which involves a classic horror property, but I'm still waiting to be given a contract, so can't say any more. Beyond that, I have a US-set script I'm trying to make, and a TV miniseries I'm developing. I'm also working on an idea for another UK indie film. I wish I could be more certain about what might happen next, but such is the nature of the business. We'll just have to see how this film is received and if anything else comes of it!

THE DARK GETS IN is screening at Tubi FrightFest Halloween at the ODEON Luxe West End on Saturday 31 Oct, at 3.40pm and 4.10pm.

For more details on this and other films showing, visit https://frightfest.co.uk/

 

INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER - Out now on Digital

 Now the door opens both ways. In the chilling continuation of the influential horror franchise that helped redefine modern supernatural horror, INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER turns its most terrifying rule inside out.

 

Gemma (Amelia Eve) has spent her life inside the walls she grew up in, raising her young daughter in the same rooms that shaped her. When she discovers she can slip into The Further, the purgatorial realm of lost souls at the heart of the Insidious universe, she believes she's found a way to protect her family from whatever is hunting them. Instead, she finds something far more dangerous: the ability to pull The Further's inhabitants out with her. 

Once the demons understand what Gemma can do, the barrier that has always kept them contained stops being a wall and becomes a door. And Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) knows better than anyone what happens when that door is left open. 

Synopsis
In INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER, Amelia Eve stars as Gemma, a young mother raising her daughter in the house she grew up in who discovers she can travel into The Further, the purgatorial realm of lost souls at the heart of the Insidious universe. When something evil comes after her, Gemma discovers an ability that changes everything: she doesn’t just enter The Further, she can bring what lives there back to the real world. Once the demons realize her power, our world becomes their playground. 

Directed by Jacob Chase (Come Play) and starring Amelia Eve (The Haunting, The Haunting of Bly Manor), Brandon Perea (Nope, Twisters) and Lin Shaye (Insidious franchise). It’s produced by Jason Blum, Oren Peli and James Wan.  

INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER is available to Buy or Rent on Digital on 6th October, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 

Watch on Amazon Prime

Pre-order the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk