October was ridiculous. We published so much here at Dread Central that stories were getting pushed off the front page […]
October was ridiculous. We published so much here at Dread Central that stories were getting pushed off the front page almost as quickly as they went up. And a lot of that coverage deserves another look.
David Bruckner landed Smile 3. We spent weeks digging through Carrie and arguing about Crystal Lake. There was more to say about Resident Evil, plenty of new movies to review, and a Hellraiser game that sent me down an entirely different rabbit hole.
So let’s catch up. We’ve grouped some of the month’s biggest stories, exclusives, reviews, and editorials below, with one early-November update that I’m including anyway.
Franchise News and Exclusives
David Bruckner Takes on Smile 3
We reported that David Bruckner has been tapped to direct Smile 3, taking over from Parker Finn while Finn directs his Possession remake. The news came from Daniel Richtman, and Dread Central independently verified the report.
Between The Signal, The Ritual, The Night House, Hellraiser, and his work on my V/H/S and Southbound, Bruckner has more than demonstrated what he can do with horror. I think he’s the right director for the job.
A24 Is Developing a Near Dark Series
We exclusively reported that A24 is developing a television series based on Kathryn Bigelow’sNear Dark.
What interested me was A24 moving further into established horror properties after helping define the wave of so-called “elevated horror.” Now it has Crystal Lake and is developing Near Dark. Friday the 13th is an obvious franchise to build around. Near Dark is a much stranger choice. Horror fans know and love it, but outside our circle, I suspect plenty of people have no idea what the hell it is.
Megan Is Missing Returned Through Social Media
Michael Goi brought back Megan Is Missing with Evil Never Dies, a vertical series released through Instagram and TikTok. We shared an exclusive preview when the complete series became available on October 30.
The original found an entirely new audience when it went viral on TikTok. This time, Goi is using social media to tell the story itself. Our coverage explains how the new series connects to the film, because there’s more going on here than the title might suggest.
Carrie, Crystal Lake, and the Conversation Around Them
Carrie Gave Us Plenty to Go Back and Look For
Mike Flanagan’sCarrie is a great show, and part of the fun was going back through it with everyone after the finale. Daniel Kurland called it “an extremely rewarding update of King’s debut novel” in his review, while noting that it doesn’t reach the heights of Brian De Palma’s film.
One of my favorite discoveries was the changing title cards. They get progressively redder throughout the season. It’s a small decision, but put them together and you can see the title moving toward the horror we know is coming. I love that kind of detail.
Season-one spoilers: We also explored a necklace theory that could connect several characters and explain how early the show was planting clues.
Then Prime Video renewed it for season two. Flanagan and Stephen King are taking the story beyond the prom, and now they’ll get to continue what they started.
This insane foreshadowing of the title cards getting bloodier every episode is so peak.#Carrie https://t.co/sgvuGAKwjb
You Can Dislike Parts of Crystal Lake and Still Want More
We talked about Crystal Lake a lot. And I keep coming back to this: You’re allowed to dislike the new origins and mythology and still enjoy the show.
I’m mixed on some of its choices, but there are wonderful performances here, especially Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees. I’d like to see these characters get another season to evolve.
Daniel Kurland was more positive in his review, calling it “an imperfect reinvention that deserves credit for doing something different.”
Season-one spoilers: His editorial digs into the American history behind the show’s new origin story and what those changes mean for Pamela and Jason.
We also spoke with Brad Caleb Kane about his season-two plans, including expanding the town with a little Twin Peaks influence.
By late October, Peacock was celebrating the show’s viewing figures. My response was pretty simple: Great. Now give us season two.
I Wanted More Time to Talk About Both Shows
My frustration with Carrie and Crystal Lake wasn’t just about the shows. It was about getting eight episodes at once and immediately feeling like we had to race through them before someone spoiled the ending.
I wrote about the weekly-release argument because I miss that shared experience. Let us sit with an episode. Let someone notice something the rest of us missed. Let us come up with a theory, argue about it, and find out the next week that we were completely fucking wrong.
That’s fun. Instead, we were trying to unpack entire seasons while the next thing was already arriving.
The Movies We Reviewed… and Argued About
Resident Evil Understands What Playing Resident Evil Feels Like
We’ve spent months talking about Zach Cregger’s approach to Resident Evil, and Hideo Kojima’s October reaction got at exactly what makes it work.
He focused on the experience of playing the games. The panic. The mistakes. Trying to survive something that keeps getting worse. Those feelings matter when you’re adapting a game, too.
That’s been my frustration with the insistence that Cregger should have followed a particular story or used particular characters. He’s a fan with his own perspective on what makes Resident Evil exciting.
If you missed it before October, Matt Konopka’sreview called the film a “lean, mean, bloody as hell thrill ride.”
We Had Very Different Reactions to Other Mommy
Matt Konopka didn’t like Other Mommy, describing it as a “generic funhouse of horror” in his review.
Chad Collins saw more in it and made his case in our Devil’s Advocate column, approaching the film as a dark coming-of-age story.
If you’ve seen it, those two pieces are worth reading together. They look at the same movie and come away with very different ideas about what works.
Whalefall Put Austin Abrams Through Hell Again
After Resident Evil, Austin Abrams had another terrible day in Whalefall, this time trapped inside a sperm whale.
Matt Konopka’sreview praised its “tear-jerking soul and Abrams’ gripping performance.” He found the father-son relationship compelling, even when the pacing and effects weakened the survival horror.
Clayface Was More Complicated Than Its Body Horror
Matt was mixed on Clayface. His review found “a muddy mixed bag of melty body horror and tonal inconsistencies.”
He appreciated the effects and some of the nastier moments, but questioned how well the film’s brooding horror worked alongside its comedy.
River Brought Jane Levy and Jessica Rothe Into Backwoods Hell
October’s River trailer had me thinking about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Deliverance, and Friday the 13th. It looked fast, nasty, and full of the kind of slasher energy I love.
You can revisit the trailer ahead of its January 15, 2027 release.
Matt’s September TIFF review is worth catching up with, too. He called it “a savage ride down the river straight into the gaping jaws of horror,” while finding that some of the humor clashed with its brutality.
Trailers, Games, and More to Dig Into
The Exorcist: Martyrs Had Us Looking Through the Family Photos
Mike Flanagan’sThe Exorcist: Martyrs trailer gave us a dark procedural nightmare with Scarlett Johansson and John Leguizamo, and I immediately got some Se7en energy from it.
Then we started looking more closely at what was in the background.
Our breakdown examines the footage and the possible connections to the earlier films. Those little discoveries are part of what makes watching a trailer together fun, even when we’re still figuring out whether a theory holds up.
Hellraiser: Revival Made Me Think About Why Someone Would Believe
I loved Hellraiser: Revival, and one particular sequence got me thinking about something beyond the gore: What would happen if you attended a religious service and actually watched the being you worship appear?
For someone already receptive to what that religion promises, how could that not change everything?
That’s what I explored in my editorial. The game puts you inside the congregation and lets you witness why these people might believe. It doesn’t need to stop and explain it.
Christian McKnight also enjoyed the game, despite problems with combat and technical bugs. In his review, he wrote, “And it felt like Hellraiser. That’s the part that matters.”
I spoke with Clive Barker about what the game could mean for the films in our exclusive interview. He called it a “wake-up call,” and having played it, I understand why. There’s so much room to explore this mythology.
One Post-Halloween Update
Jennifer and Needy Could Finally Be Getting Back Together
This story arrived November 3, but I’m including it because it follows something we’ve been covering for months.
Amanda Seyfried is reportedly returning alongside Megan Fox for Jennifer’s Body 2, with Karyn Kusama directing Diablo Cody’s screenplay. We exclusively reported Fox and Kusama’s return back in July, when Seyfried’s involvement was still uncertain.
Our latest report covers the update. The friendship between Jennifer and Needy is such a huge part of the original that bringing both actresses back would give the sequel something worth building on.
What did you miss this October? And what are you still trying to find time to watch or play?
