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Friday night’s New York Comic Con was all about Blumhouse. Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and James Wan’s Atomic Monster combined for a 90-minute “Blumfest” panel covering a slew of upcoming films.
The panel began with moderator and YouTuber MatPat announcing that they had signed a deal with Blumhouse to produce a film based on the indie horror game, and that their first project would be Amanda the Adventurer: The Movie. From there, MatPat, Blumhouse founder Jason Blum, and Atomic Monster founder James Wan previewed other projects at various levels, from quick status checks to director announcements to trailer debuts and cast appearances.
Here’s a recap of the story!
Exorcist: Martyr trailer released
Director Mike Flanagan and cast member Chiwetel Ejiofor were on hand for the debut of the trailer for the upcoming new installment in The Exorcist franchise. Flanagan set a goal to make Martyrs the scariest project he’s ever made, and he believes he succeeded, saying, “This movie is really scary. You could feel it on set. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
You can hear more from Flanagan about The Exorcist: Martyrs and what’s glimpsed in the trailer, including notable influences from The Exorcist III, in IGN’s exclusive new Q&A with the filmmaker.
Heidi Wong’s new project
Queen of Horror Heidi Wong, a content creator known for her horror reviews and recreations of horror movie scenes, has stepped out to announce that she will be writing and directing an original short film for Blumhouse. Blum’s plan is to develop the concept and make it into a feature film as well.
Wong didn’t want to reveal plot specifics just yet, but said his story is inspired by Eastern mythology and folklore, a subject close to him because he grew up in Asia.
First impressions of the river
The slasher film, which was a sensation at TIFF where it recently premiered, became part of a bidding war before Universal won, paying $10 million to distribute it in partnership with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster.
A trailer has been released for a movie that hasn’t been officially released yet (but there may be some “filmed-from-screen” versions), and it’s very effective and strange. While Jessica Rothe’s character is swimming in the river, a large, silent man (Dane Diliegro) jumps into the water and swims straight towards her, desperately threatening to catch up with her while she runs away from her siblings (Jane Levy and Max Mattern).
Rothe was there to promote the film, and the Happy Death Day star called River “This is so crazy, guys!”
Teases of RoboCop, Blair Witch and Saw
While we’ve had quick check-ins on several franchise reboots from Blumhouse and Atomic Monster, there hasn’t been much actual new information about RoboCop (this time a Prime Video series) and the next entry in the Blair Witch and Saw entries. Other than repeating previously revealed elements like Dan Stevens starring in RoboCop and Dylan Clark directing the fourth Blair Witch Project film.
But when it comes to Saw 11, they’re a little more coy and less revealing. Blum spoke about how important it was to purchase the franchise and place it back under the guidance of Wan and Leigh Whannell, who created the original films together. Blum promised to bring Saw back “in a whole new way,” and Wan said he chose Mike P. Nelson to direct because he felt he was a good fit as a filmmaker, including his talent for conveying surprise.
When asked what he thought was the most essential element in making a ‘Saw’ movie, Director Wan said, “What I really want to say is, I can’t tell you yet. What’s the point of making a ‘Saw’ movie a ‘Saw’ movie? I guess you just have to wait… I think it’ll be worth it!”, hinting that there are important parts that should be kept secret.
Paranormal Activity 8 Update
Blumhouse originally started with Paranormal Activity, and while Blum has said that the title has always been very important to him, it was Wan who actually pushed for the new title to be created.
Wan said he felt “we could make a movie that was just as scary as the first movie and really pay homage to the first movie.” And as it turns out, this includes a literal return to the events of the first film, to some extent. A video from the set features director Ian Tuason saying it will “take you into a familiar space.” Footage from the original film was intercut to make it clear that the set Tuason was standing on was the ill-fated Katie and Micah’s bedroom from the first Paranormal Activity.
Molepeople was announced to star Lakeith Stanfield.
Director Rob Savage was in attendance to promote his film Other Mommy, which came out this weekend, but he and Wan also announced their next project, Molepeople.
Savage described Molepeople as “an underground horror film that will scare the living shit out of you. It’s in the vein of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes.”
Savage revealed that Lakeith Stanfield will play the lead role. Stanfield made a surprise appearance, saying he was drawn to the film because he found it “compelling, action-packed, cool, fun, and something I thought might have a bit of commentary, something to think about.”
Curry Barker talks about everything but ghosts.
Obsession writer-director Curry Barker and one of that film’s stars, Cooper Tomlinson, were on hand to talk about their new film, the comedy-horror Anything But Ghosts, as well as Obsession’s surprising box office success and how it changed their lives following its release.
Anything But Ghosts stars Barker and Tomlinson as two “ghost hunter con artists” who put on a big show to cover up their deception, and find out what happens when they get the biggest job they’ve ever had and what to do when it turns out to be real in the ghost department. The film recently received a confirmed release date of May 7, 2027.
Barker and Tomlinson had written and starred in comedy shorts together for several years prior to Obsession, but Barker ultimately did not get an on-camera role in Obsession. However, when Anything But Ghosts came out, the duo noted that they had always imagined they would star in it from the time it was written. Blum had high praise for Barker, saying that he could not imagine anyone else in the role after seeing him in the film.
Something is Killing the Children has a director.
The night concluded with the announcement that Craig Zobel (The Hunt, The Penguin) will direct Blumhouse’s adaptation of the comic Something is Killing the Children.
Writer James Tynion IV, the comic’s co-creator, said that he and artist/co-creator Werther Dell’Edera “always knew this was a franchise that had the potential to reach a much wider audience.” They felt they could make this happen with a movie version.
The next key element is the casting of Erica Slaughter as the lead in the story of a mother who hunts monsters that target her children. Tynion speaks of Erica’s mental and physical strength, noting how funny she can be, which she believes should have been an important part of the casting process.
And rest assured, the octopus toy Octo was promised to appear in the movie…