Friday night at New York Comic Con was all about Blumhouse, with a 90 minute “Blumfest” panel that was devoted to a ton of upcoming films from the combined forces of Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and James Wan’s Atomic Monster.
The panel kicked off with the reveal that moderator and YouTuber MatPat had signed a deal with Blumhouse to produce films based on indie horror games, along with announcement that their first project would be Amanda the Adventurer: The Movie. From there, MatPat, Blumhouse founder Jason Blum, and Atomic Monster founder James Wan went on to preview a ton of other projects to varying degrees, from quick status checks, to director announcements, to trailer debuts and cast appearances.
Here’s the rundown on the rundown!
The Exorcist: Martyrs trailer reveal
Director Mike Flanagan and cast member Chiwetel Ejiofor were on hand for the debut of the trailer for the upcoming new entry in The Exorcist franchise. Flanagan noted he had set a goal for himself to make Martyrs the scariest project he’d ever made and said he thinks he’s succeeded, declaring, “This movie is so goddamn scary. I could feel it on set. I can’t wait for you guys to see it.”
You can get a lot more insight from Flanagan about The Exorcist: Martyrs and what is glimpsed in the trailer — including the notable influence of The Exorcist III — in IGN’s exclusive new Q&A with the filmmaker.
Heidi Wong’s new project
Known for her horror reviews and horror movie scene recreations, content creator Heidi Wong, AKA the Horror Queen, made an appearance to announce she will be writing and directing an original short film for Blumhouse. Blum the plan is to then develop the concept to hopefully make into a feature film as well.
Wong didn’t want to give plot specifics yet but said that her story is inspired by Eastern mythology and folklore and that having grown up in Asia, it was subject matter she was close to.
A first look at River
A recent sensation at TIFF, where it premiered, this slasher movie became part of a bidding war before Universal, in partnership with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster won out, paying $10 million for distribution.
A trailer was shown for the film, which hasn’t been officially released wide yet (but there might be some “filmed from the screen” versions out there) and it was highly effective and freaky, as Jessica Rothe’s character goes swimming in a river, only for a hulking, silent man (Dane DiLiegro) leaps in the water and swims straight at her, quickly threatening to catch up to her as she desperately tries to make it back to the boat holding her siblings (Jane Levy and Max Mattern).
Rothe was there to promote the film, and the Happy Death Day star called River “a wild fucking ride, guys!”
RoboCop, Blair Witch, and Saw teases
Quick check ins were done for several franchise reboots on the way from Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, though there was not a lot of actual new info for the likes of RoboCop (this time a Prime Video series) and the next entries in the Blair Witch and Saw entries, beyond reiterating previously revealed factors, like Dan Stevens starring in RoboCop and Dylan Clark directing the fourth Blair Witch Project film.
But there was a bit more of a coy non-reveal for Saw 11, with Blum saying how important it was to purchase the franchise and put it back under the guidance of Wan and Leigh Whannell, who made the original film together. Blum promised they’d bring Saw back “in a whole new way,” while Wan said he chose Mike P. Nelson to direct because he felt like he was a good fit as a filmmaker, including a talent for delivering surprises.
Asked what he felt was the most essential element to making a Saw movie, Wan implied there was a crucial part of the movie he had to keep a secret still, saying, “The thing that I really want to say, I cannot say just yet. What makes a Saw movie a Saw movie, I think you guys just have to wait… it’ll be worth it!”
Paranormal Activity 8 updates
Blumhouse got its start with the original Paranormal Activity and Blum said while that would always mean the title was very significant to him, it was actually Wan who pushed to make a new one.
Wan said he felt they could “make a movie as scary as the first one and really pay tribute to the first one.” And as it turns out, that will include quite literally returning to the first film’s events in some capacity. A video from set had director Ian Tuason say they would be “taking you back to a familiar space,” as footage from the original film was intercut to make sure we realized the set Tuason was standing on was the bedroom from the first Paranormal Activity that belonged to the ill-fated Katie and Micah.
Molepeople announced, starring Lakeith Stanfield
Director Rob Savage was on hand both to promote the film he has hitting theaters this weekend, Other Mommy, but he and Wan also announced his next project, Molepeople.
Savage described Molepeople as “a subturanan horror movie that’s gonna scare the living shit out of you. It’s in the vein of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. “
Savage revealed Lakeith Stanfield will star. Stanfield made a surprise appearance, saying he was drawn to the film because he found it to be “something I thought can be engaging, action packed, cool, fun, and then also a little bit of commentary too; something to think about.”
Curry Barker talks Anything But Ghosts
Obsession writer-director Curry Barker and one of that film’s stars, Cooper Tomlinson, were there to talk about their new film, the comedy-horror Anything But Ghosts, along with reflecting on Obsession’s amazing box office success and how it’s changed their lives since it opened.
Anything But Ghosts stars Barker and Tomlinson as two “ghost hunter con artists,” who put on a big show to mask their trickery, and what happens when they get the biggest job they’ve ever had, only to need to figure out what to do when this turns out to be the real thing in the ghost department. The film recently got a release date for May 7, 2027.
Barker and Tomlinson had made and starred in comedy shorts together for years before Obsession, but Barker ended up not having an on-camera role in Obsession. When it came Anything But Ghosts, though, the duo noted they always imagined they’d star in it from the time it was being written. Blum had high praise for Barker in the movie, saying he couldn’t imagine anyone else in the role now that he’s seen it.
Something is Killing the Children has a director
The night wrapped up with the announcement that Blumhouse’s adaptation of the comic book Something is Killing the Children has found its director: Craig Zobel (The Hunt, The Penguin).
The comics’ co-creator, writer James Tynion IV, said he and artist/co-creator Werther Dell’Edera “always knew this was a franchise with the potential to meet a much, much bigger audience,” which they felt the film version would allow them to realize.
The next key component will be casting the lead character, Erica Slaughter, in this story of a mother hunting down monsters that target kids. Tynion spoke about Erica’s considerable strength, both mental and physical, while also noting how funny she can be, something he thinks should be an important part of the casting process.
And rest assured, Octo the octopus toy was promised to be in the film…
