You’re in for a real treat today, horror nerds. Some of the most anticipated projects of the year have filled out their crew and provided us with a release date… finally. And just when we thought 2023 couldn’t get any better, the horror genre continues to throw surprises our way. This year, we’re looking forward to The Nun 2, Saw X, The Exorcist, Insidious: Fear the Dark, and many more franchise sequels/remakes. We assume to see this energy follow through into 2024 as the horror genre continues to pick up the pace and shows no signs of slowing down. In just 24 hours, we’ve had exciting news regarding the upcoming It prequel series and the largely popular Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, which will be receiving a live-action remake.
We aren’t overly impressed by another announcement, but we won’t spoil things just yet. You’ll have to read ahead to find out which of these pivotal announcements isn’t as stimulating as the rest. Snuggle under a blanket, pour yourself some hot cocoa, and buckle up for another charted adventure into the unpredictable world of horror.
After pumping out progressively horrible movies, it looks like ‘Resident Evil’ is getting rebooted… again
No disrespect to Milla Jovovich, who partnered with Paul W. S. Anderson to give us a faithful adaptation of the Resident Evil franchise back in 2022, but even across six appearances, she couldn’t save a dying breed. We won’t sugarcoat things; the Resident Evil live-action sequels get progressively worse, through no fault of Jovovich. Rather than truly exploring the RE lore and giving us the Jill, Claire, Leon, Chris, and Ada we deserved, the franchise chose to plot its own course, and while we respect that, it didn’t work out. And as if seven sub-par movies and a lackluster TV show weren’t bad enough, there’s talk of the Resident Evil franchise receiving yet another reboot — hot on the heels of the disaster that was Welcome to Raccoon City. Let’s just say we won’t be keeping our fingers crossed for this one, but maybe we’ll be proven wrong. And that’s a strong maybe.
‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ picks the most fitting release date during a competitive Halloween season
Five Nights at Freddy’s was already the leading franchise in the indie horror universe, so when it was announced that none other than Blumhouse would be bringing the widely popular video game to life, it would be an understatement to say that the crowd went wild. In fact, horror enthusiasts didn’t know what to do with themselves. FNaF has been the metaphorical Sun to our Earth, existing as the very orbital center of the indie horror world for the last near-decade. Although many have tried, none of its competitors have ever been held to such a high standard, not even the like-minded Poppy Playtime. As per Bloody Disgusting, we can confirm that Universal will be releasing Blumhouse’s untitled FNaF movie on October 27, 2023. Just in time for Halloween season. How perfect is that?
‘It’ prequel series ‘Welcome to Derry’ adds several new faces to the cast
After the roaring success of It Chapter Two, it wasn’t long before HBO jumped on the bandwagon of Stephen King’s live-action fortune. Originally, it was mere speculation that a prequel series was in development, but eventually, in February of this year, HBO announced that it was moving forward with the project — given the official title of Welcome to Derry. Due to be set long before the adventures of the Losers Club, details about Welcome to Derry are scarce, but Bloody Disgusting have confirmed that Taylour Paige (Zola), Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Chris Chalk (Perry Mason), and James Remar (Oppenheimer) will all appear in undisclosed roles. Additionally, Andy Muschietti and Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs are onboard to helm the project, which will act as the origin story for Pennywise the Clown.
That’s all folks! Check back at WGTC daily for more breaking horror news.