Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, so this is the last full week to plan your scares. This edition covers seven horror stories, ranked by how much they change what you’ll watch or play before October 31. A free map drop, a new FMV nightmare, and a box office record lead the list.
A quick housekeeping note: everything below reflects announcements and our own reporting as of Sunday, October 25, 2026. Release dates and streaming catalogs shift constantly in spooky season. Give your app or storefront a look before you commit to a movie night.
How we ranked this week’s stories
Seven stories made it. Each one had to pass three questions:
- Can you act on it before Halloween? A playable game or a film you can see this week beats a casting announcement for something shooting next year.
- Does it move a franchise or a filmmaker forward? Records, reveals and tonal shifts in big horror properties rank higher than routine marketing.
- Would a horror fan bring it up at a party? This one is loose, but it matters. Some news is just fun to talk about.
Casting news still counts, because it tells you what next year’s slate looks like. It just ranks lower than the stories you can sink your teeth into this week.
This week at a glance
| # | Story | Type | Scare level | Where it lives | What to do this week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil passes $361.1M worldwide | Film (2026) | 3/5 | Theaters, then digital | Catch it on a big screen if it’s still showing |
| 2 | Halloween: The Game adds Eugene, Michelle and Tower Farm | Game update | 3/5 | Game’s own platforms | Free map lands Tuesday, Oct 27 |
| 3 | Tenebris Somnia launches | FMV horror game | 4/5 | New release | Play it lights-off |
| 4 | Clayface doubles down on body horror | Film (2026) | 3/5 | Theaters and home release | Read the critics, then decide |
| 5 | Summoner adds Stephanie Beatriz and Daniel Ings | Casting | TBA | In development | Add it to your 2027 watchlist |
| 6 | Bad Influence casts McGraw, Gomez and Champion | Casting | TBA | In development | Note the cast, wait for a trailer |
| 7 | Halloween weekend double features from this week’s news | Our picks | 3/5 to 5/5 | Varies | Build your Saturday lineup |
1. Resident Evil reaches $361.1M worldwide (top story)
This is the week’s biggest horror story, and it’s not close. Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, released by Sony’s Columbia Pictures on September 18, 2026, has climbed to $361.1 million worldwide, with China doing a lot of the heavy lifting. We broke down the full Resident Evil box office picture earlier this week. The short version: this is now the highest-grossing film of Cregger’s career, ahead of Weapons (2025), which itself was a breakout after Barbarian (2022).
The record matters beyond Cregger, too. Paul W.S. Anderson’s six-film run with Milla Jovovich topped out with Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016), which earned roughly $312 million worldwide. Johannes Roberts’ Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) stumbled hard. Cregger’s version is a fresh start that continues neither of those continuities, and it’s now outgrossed all of them. Capcom and Sony now have a clear answer about whether audiences still want live-action Resident Evil. They do, if someone with a real horror sensibility is driving.
Who it suits: fans who want a studio horror movie with actual teeth. It’s a strong pick for a group outing, and it plays better with a crowd than alone at home. If you’ve only played the games, keep in mind this isn’t a direct adaptation of any single entry. Go in expecting Cregger’s flavor of dread, not a beat-for-beat remake of Resident Evil 2.
If you liked this
Barbarian (2022): Cregger’s debut, and the clearest look at how he builds a scare from misdirection.
Weapons (2025): his ensemble mystery, with the same patient, nasty escalation.
Resident Evil 2 (2019, Capcom): the remake is still the best entry point to the games’ version of Raccoon City.
2. Halloween: The Game reveals Eugene and Michelle, plus a free Tower Farm map on October 27
You get two new survivor characters and a free map, both landing in Halloween week. The newest Halloween: The Game content introduces Eugene and Michelle, and the Tower Farm map arrives at no extra cost on Tuesday, October 27. That gives you four nights to learn the layout before Saturday’s inevitable Michael Myers marathon.
The free map stands out for a licensed horror game, because it keeps the whole player base on the same content right when the most lapsed players come back. Seasonal timing is everything for a property tied to John Carpenter’s 1978 film, and the team clearly knows it. The game lives and dies on its Haddonfield atmosphere: the slow walk, the masked figure in the distance, the moment you realize he’s been standing there for a while.
Who it suits: anyone who loved the original film’s stalking and hiding more than its kills. The scares are more about tension than gore, which makes it a friendlier pick if your group includes someone who flinches at splatter. Jump scares hit often, though, so warn the jumpy friend.
3. Tenebris Somnia launches with When Evil Lurks effects talent
Full-motion video horror is having a moment, and the Tenebris Somnia launch is the most interesting entry in it this fall. The hook is the crew: the game brings in practical effects talent from When Evil Lurks (2023), Demián Rugna’s Argentine possession film. That movie was one of the most viciously effective horror releases of the decade.
If you saw When Evil Lurks, you know why that matters. Rugna’s film is famous for refusing to cut away, and its effects work holds up under a long, unblinking camera. FMV games face the same test. There’s no polygon count to hide behind. Either the rot on screen looks real or the spell breaks. Our launch coverage goes deeper on the effects team. The real question is whether this crew can keep that same dread alive across an interactive story, where you control the pacing.
Who it suits: players who want something stranger than a survival horror shooter, and anyone who still thinks about Late Shift or Her Story. The 4/5 rating comes from the imagery and sustained unease, not cheap shocks. If gore is a hard line for you, skip this one or play with someone who can warn you.
If you liked this
When Evil Lurks (2023): see the effects work in its original form, and brace yourself.
Her Story (2015): the FMV mystery that proved the format could work for modern players.
Terrifier (2016): if practical gore is the draw, this is the extreme end of it.
4. Clayface leans hard into body horror as critics split on the script
DC’s Clayface horror marketing push keeps getting gooier. The latest clip leans fully into body horror, and DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran has said the studio’s Gotham will hold onto its darker visual identity. That’s a notable stance for a superhero universe. It suggests Clayface isn’t a one-off tonal experiment but a sign of how far DC is willing to push genre.
The pedigree explains why horror fans paid attention in the first place. James Watkins directs. He made Eden Lake (2008), The Woman in Black (2012) and the Speak No Evil remake (2024). Mike Flanagan wrote the original script, with Hossein Amini also credited. Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, the actor whose transformation drives the story.
So how did it land? Our Clayface reviews roundup found critics largely in agreement on one point. The graphic body horror is the real deal, with transformation effects that earn the comparisons to David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986). Opinion splits on the script, though. Some reviewers felt the story structure didn’t match the ambition of the visuals.
Who it suits: body horror fans first and superhero fans second. If you came to horror through Cronenberg or Brian Yuzna’s Society (1989), you’ll find plenty to chew on. If you just want a Batman-adjacent romp, the squelching might be more than you signed up for.
5. Stephanie Beatriz and Daniel Ings join Kevin Bacon’s demonic horror Summoner
No scare profile yet, because there’s nothing to rate. Still, the Summoner casting news is a good sign for next year. Stephanie Beatriz and Daniel Ings have joined Kevin Bacon in this demonic horror project.
Bacon’s horror history goes back further than most people remember. He was one of the camp counselors in Friday the 13th (1980), led the cult creature feature Tremors (1990), and more recently played a conversion camp director in They/Them (2022). He was also a sleazy private investigator in Ti West’s MaXXXine (2024). He’s comfortable in this genre, and he tends to pick projects with a distinct angle.
Beatriz is the casting that makes this interesting. Most audiences know her from Brooklyn Nine-Nine and as the voice of Mirabel in Encanto. Dropping her into demonic horror is the kind of move that either reveals a new range or goes nowhere. We’re betting on the former. Ings brings a sharp, slightly unnerving British screen presence that suits possession stories, where the most dangerous person in the room is often the one smiling.
6. Bad Influence casts Madeleine McGraw, Xochitl Gomez and Jack Champion
The Bad Influence casting rounds out the week’s development news with three young actors who already have serious genre or franchise credits. The film is a hitchhiker horror story, a subgenre with a solid history. It stretches from Robert Harmon’s The Hitcher (1986) back through decades of urban legends about the stranger by the side of the road.
Madeleine McGraw is the standout name for horror fans. She played Gwen in Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone (2021) and its 2025 sequel, where her psychic visions drove some of the series’ best scenes. Jack Champion has horror experience from Scream VI (2023) on top of his Avatar work. Xochitl Gomez, best known as America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), is the newest to the genre.
Nothing to watch yet, and no confirmed release window we can point you to. Put this on your list for when the first trailer drops. Hitchhiker horror works best when the dread builds slowly and the question of who’s dangerous stays open. With these three, that question could go any direction.
7. Halloween weekend double features built from this week’s news
This is our unique slot for the week: turning the news into a plan. Saturday, October 31, is wide open. Here are three double features, each pairing something from this week’s headlines with an older film you can track down on digital or physical media. Streaming rights for older titles rotate often, so check your services or rent digitally.
Pairing A: Possession night (scare level 5/5)
Start with When Evil Lurks (2023), which has historically been a Shudder exclusive in the US, then play Tenebris Somnia afterward. You’ll spend the second half of your night spotting the effects team’s fingerprints. This is the most intense pairing on the list. It’s not for a first horror night or anyone who can’t handle gore.
Pairing B: Haddonfield night (scare level 3/5)
Watch John Carpenter’s original Halloween (1978), then boot up the Tower Farm map in Halloween: The Game once it’s live on the 27th. The 1978 film is surprisingly light on blood. Its terror comes from framing, music and Michael simply standing still. That makes this our pick for a mixed group, including people newer to horror. Grab the Blu-ray or 4K disc if you can; the Carpenter score sounds best on a proper home setup.
Pairing C: The transformation night (scare level 3/5)
Pair Clayface with David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986). You get forty years of body horror evolution in one sitting, and you’ll have plenty to argue about. This one suits fans who love effects work more than jump scares. Keep a bucket nearby only if you’re the queasy type.
If you liked this
Society (1989): Brian Yuzna’s finale is still one of the wildest practical effects sequences ever filmed.
The Thing (1982): Carpenter and Rob Bottin’s creature work remains the benchmark for transformation horror.
Possessor (2020): Brandon Cronenberg carries his father’s body horror into the present day.
What to watch for next week
The coming days are front-loaded with useful dates:
- Tuesday, October 27: the free Tower Farm map arrives for Halloween: The Game.
- Throughout the week: expect studios to drop teasers and trailers timed to Halloween. Horror marketing teams love the 31st, and November slates usually get their first look right around now.
- Saturday, October 31: Halloween. Theaters often program repertory classics, so check your local independent cinema for 35mm or anniversary screenings.
- Early November: our next roundup will track whether Resident Evil keeps climbing and whether Clayface’s home release changes the conversation around its script.
Our verdict for the week
If you only take one thing from this week, make it the Resident Evil record. A horror filmmaker with a strong personal style just delivered the biggest live-action win the franchise has ever had. That’s going to shape which directors studios hire for horror IP over the next few years.
If you want something to do, though, Tuesday’s free map and the new FMV release are the two that’ll actually fill your Halloween week. Pick based on your nerve. Tower Farm is a 3/5 night with friends. Tenebris Somnia is a 4/5 solo descent with headphones on.
FAQ
When does the free Tower Farm map arrive in Halloween: The Game?
Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at no extra cost. It arrives alongside the reveal of survivor characters Eugene and Michelle, giving you the rest of Halloween week to learn the map.
Is Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil connected to the Milla Jovovich films?
No. It’s a fresh start that continues neither Paul W.S. Anderson’s six-film series nor Welcome to Raccoon City (2021). Its $361.1 million worldwide total puts it ahead of every previous live-action entry.
Is Clayface actually scary, or just gross?
Mostly gross in the best way. Critics broadly praised its graphic transformation effects, so expect heavy gore and body horror rather than frequent jump scares. Opinions split on the script, which is the main knock against it.
What’s the best pick from this week’s news for a first-time horror fan?
The Haddonfield pairing. Carpenter’s original Halloween (1978) is tense but light on gore, and Halloween: The Game plays as a group experience rather than a solo ordeal. Skip When Evil Lurks and Tenebris Somnia until you’ve built up some tolerance.
When will Summoner and Bad Influence come out?
Neither has a release date we can confirm yet. Both are early casting announcements, so don’t expect trailers right away. We’ll cover them in future roundups as soon as dates or footage surface.