Horror Impact Report: From James Wan to Curry Barker to Naomi Ackie, Variety Crowns the Talent Defining the Genre

Actor
“Resident Evil”

After playing a junkie who breaks into a house and stumbles upon 17 missing children in “Weapons,” Abrams teamed up again with director Zach Cregger, this time as the lead of “Resident Evil.” Instead of playing one of the video game series’ gun-toting protagonists, Abrams stars as a medical courier tasked with delivering a mysterious package to a zombie-infested city. And shortly after “Resident Evil,” he headed to an even more dangerous location: the belly of a whale. Yes, Abrams is reuniting with his “Weapons” co-star Josh Brolin in “Whalefall,” a survival thriller about a scuba diver who gets swallowed whole by a giant sperm whale.

Actor
“Clayface”

After breaking out in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and starring in recent indies like “Sorry, Baby” and “I Love Boosters,” Ackie is taking a detour into horror — and the DC Universe. She’ll play a scientist and the love interest of the titular Batman villain in the upcoming “Clayface.” The film is billed as a low-budget body horror (both firsts for DC) and takes the colorful superhero world into an intriguing new direction. On her slate after that is “They Follow,” the sequel to the 2014 surprise hit “It Follows,” about a shape-shifting entity that ceaselessly pursues people who have sex.

Actors
“Family Movie”

The indie “Family Movie,” set for release in 2027, is a meta take on a genre feature: director and star Kevin Bacon, along with Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon and Travis Bacon, are not only part of a real family, but the story revolves around a family of horror filmmakers who get caught up in a terrifying scenario of their own while in the middle of a shoot. Sosie Bacon earned genre acclaim starring in “Smile,” and though Kevin Bacon has appeared in several spooky films, including the original “Friday the 13th,” “Family Movie” is his first time directing a horror feature. Meanwhile, Sedgwick is delving further into the genre, directing an episode of the new “Carrie” series.

Director
“Obsession”

Before “Obsession” became a hit, Barker made a name for himself on YouTube, parodying the little “horrors” of everyday life in sketches: saying the wrong thing to a friend, waiting for a first date or figuring out how much to tip when you’re broke. In “Obsession,” Barker turned those everyday anxieties supernatural, examining the possessiveness and desire for instant gratification that define many relationships in today’s social media era. Next, Barker will direct and star in “Anything But Ghosts,” which he describes as “if Key and Peele walked into ‘Hereditary’ while on a podcast.”

Director
“The Face of Horror”

Biller has built her career creating highly visual, female-focused films that draw on classic cinema and center women’s experiences. Her latest film, “The Face of Horror,” adapts the famous Japanese ghost story “Yotsuya Kaidan” for 14th-century England in a gory tribute to classic Technicolor shockers. Shot on 35mm, the film stars Jonah Hauer-King, Kristine Froseth and Bella Heathcote. Biller previously directed “Viva” and “The Love Witch,” which earned acclaim for their elaborate visual style and feminist themes. Throughout her work, Biller uses vintage aesthetics and familiar genres to explore the lived-in, day-to-day experience of women.

Agent
Verve

Bitar works exclusively on genre at Verve and has made some big moves during his time with the agency. Just this year, he was integral to getting a new “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” film and series in the works from A24, as well as setting up a Blumhouse adaptation of the buzzy comic series “The Exorcism at 1600 Penn.” Furthermore, he’s helped to push the gas pedal on the careers of “Final Destination: Bloodlines” directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, who are now attached to co-write “Gremlins 3” and an animated “Venom” film adaptation.

Directors
“Monitor”

Searchlight Pictures is bullish on “Monitor,” the feature debut of writing and directing duo Black and Polly. The techno-thriller debuted at this year’s SXSW and was scooped up by the distributor for an April 2027 release, likely due to buzzy fan screenings and its of-the-moment premise. In the film, based on the duo’s 2018 short, a group of content moderators is terrorized by a demon that’s released when a video is rejected for content. The concept evokes a modern-day Freddy Krueger, and if it connects at the box office, it could open the gate for more films from the duo that speak to modern audiences.

CEO and founder
Blumhouse Atomic Monster

For 16 years, Blum has mastered the art of taking inexpensive horror films with a strong, distinctive voice and turning them into cultural events. It’s what Blum did with “Insidious,” “The Purge” — and, most recently, Focus Features’ Gen-Z-fueled breakout “Obsession.” And he’s hardly slowing down. Blum has more than 28 projects actively in development, spanning an eighth “Paranormal Activity,” a third “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” fresh takes on “The Thing” and “The Blair Witch Project,” and a reunion with “Obsession” director Curry Barker on an original project.

Actor
“Psycho Killer”

Campbell burst onto the scene as the lead of Zach Cregger’s 2022 surprise hit “Barbarian,” and has been the best part of a series of horror movies since. Whether toplining high-profile sequels — 2023’s “Bird Box Barcelona” and 2025’s “Influencers” — or literary horror adaptations like 2024’s “The Watchers” and this year’s “Cold Storage,” she projects strength and versatility. Up next, she’ll star alongside David Dastmalchian on the road trip thriller “The Shepherd,” as well as “Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker’s upcoming serial killer series, which will introduce her to an even broader audience.

Storm King Comics

Legendary director Carpenter and his longtime producer, creative partner and wife, King, released a massive project this year: “Cathedral,” a full-length graphic novel the pair penned together, which was released concurrently with a companion album of the same name. Carpenter, an avid gamer, was also a producer on this year’s release of “Halloween: The Video Game,” an adaptation of his seminal, iconic slasher movie. The pair also continues their multimedia projects with King spearheading two podcasts under the “John Carpenter Presents” banner.

Showrunners
“The Institute”

The showrunners of the series adaptation of the Stephen King novel “The Institute” have some of television’s biggest bona fides: Bender has previously been a director on “Lost,” “The Sopranos” and “Game of Thrones,” while Cavell has had executive writer and producer duties on shows like “Justified” and “Homeland.” All this power surely helped the duo synthesize King’s “The Institute” into a successful first season, but once it was renewed, the new challenge is going off book in Season 2. Bender recently took over showrunner duties for the popular “Yellowstone” spinoff “Dutton Ranch” after some sudden management changes in the Taylor Sheridan universe, so it’s unclear how involved he will be in the upcoming season, but it should be an interesting challenge for the TV pros.

Director
“Resident Evil”

One of the most exciting new voices in horror, Cregger exploded onto the scene with 2022’s surprise hit “Barbarian” and cemented his status as an auteur with last year’s Oscar-winning “Weapons.” Like Jordan Peele before him, Cregger made a name for himself in the comedy space with his the Whitest Kids U’ Know sketch group, and then infused his twisty, terrifying films with plenty of gags as a writer-director. Now, he’s stepping into adapting an existing franchise with Sony’s “Resident Evil,” an original story based on the popular horror video game series. Reunited with “Weapons” star Austin Abrams, Cregger’s take on “Resident Evil” has been praised by gamers and horror fans alike.

Creator
“Widow’s Bay”

After she was a writer on “Parks and Recreation,” Dippold scripted two high-profile movies that blended horror and comedy: 2016’s “Ghostbusters” and 2023’s “Haunted Mansion.” But her series “Widow’s Bay” mixed all of those ideas together into a critically acclaimed package. The series, about the mayor of a quaint New England island infested with ghosts and historical hauntings, finds the perfect blend of humor, heart and scares. It ended up being this year’s surprise Emmys MVP, taking home 14 trophies. A second season is on the way, and fans are excited to see what new lore Dippold introduces.

Director
“Whalefall”

Brian Duffield is emerging as one of the hottest new horror directors in Hollywood. After spending nearly a decade as a screenwriter with titles such as “The Divergent Series: Insurgent,” “Jane Got a Gun,” “Underwater” and Netflix’s “The Babysitter,” Duffield turned heads among genre fans with his second feature directorial effort, 2023’s sci-fi horror “No One Will Save You.” The Hulu film put an alien twist on the home invasion thriller and earned critical acclaim. Now Duffield has his eye on box office glory with follow-up “Whalefall,” a survival thriller about a man who gets swallowed alive by a sperm whale and must escape. Duffield is also the screenwriter on Sony’s 2027 horror offering “Skeletons,” directed by “Strange Darling” breakout JT Mollner.

Actor
“The Creep Tapes”

Duplass’ career knows no bounds, from indie filmmaking pioneer (“The Puffy Chair”) to Emmy nominee (“The Morning Show”) to television creator (HBO’s “Togetherness”) and more. He’s also a horror favorite as the co-creator of the long-running “Creep” franchise, in which Duplass’ low-budget style found the perfect home in the found footage subgenre. Duplass co-wrote and starred in the original 2014 movie with director Patrick Brice before returning for the 2017 sequel “Creep 2” and the television spinoff “The Creep Tapes,” which premiered on Shudder and AMC+ in November 2024 and recently dropped its third season. Duplass also had a brief but pivotal role in one of the year’s horror box office sensations, “Backrooms.”

Director
“Werwulf”

Eggers has been regarded as one of the masters of horror for more than a decade now. The filmmaker broke out at the Sundance fest in 2015 with “The Witch,” a horror sensation that not only introduced the world to Anya Taylor-Joy but also to Eggers’ painstaking commitment to historical authenticity and unnerving dread. His atmospheric horror, which incorporates slow-building terror and piercing sound design, found legions of fans across follow-up projects “The Lighthouse,” “The Northman” and “Nosferatu,” the latter of which brought Eggers into the box office big leagues with $182 million worldwide. The director returns in December with the highly anticipated “Werwulf.”

Director
“Iron Lung”

One of the year’s biggest independent film success stories, Fischbach, known to his millions of YouTube subscribers as Markiplier, scored a huge hit with his video game adaptation “Iron Lung.” The creator wrote, directed, edited and starred in the film, in which he is in nearly every frame, acting mostly opposite a voice from a speaker. His one-man-band approach also applied to self-financing and self-distributing the project as well, which made over $50 million in theaters off a $3 million budget. Very few people have the fan base and infrastructure to pull something like this off, but it could point to an interesting new inroad for the next generation of filmmakers.

Showrunner
“Carrie”

Growing up in Salem, Mass., Flanagan became infatuated with the infamous witch trials, which saw innocent women vilified and sentenced to death. Across all his horror projects, Flanagan has looked beyond the tormented soul and examined the turbulent lifestyle that catalyzed their irredeemable actions. In the “Shining” sequel “Doctor Sleep,” he gave new depth to Danny Torrance, exploring the lasting scars of his childhood and his father’s raging alcoholism. And in the series adaptation of “Carrie,” Flanagan will shine an empathetic light on the harassment and bullying the titular female character faced before gaining telekinetic powers. Up next on the big screen, Flanagan scripted the upcoming Batman villain origin story “Clayface” and is directing the next “Exorcist” sequel.

Publicist and filmmaker

Geoghegan has shaped horror narratives for decades. A historian and publicist who has worked on more than 200 PR campaigns, Geoghegan has had his hands on everything from major studio releases to micro-indies. He has also managed communications for Canada’s Fantasia Festival for over 15 years. Aside from his publicity work, Geoghegan is a filmmaker in his own right, with SXSW premieres and a Saturn Award nomination under his belt. His directorial debut, “We Are Still Here,” is a critical darling, and his politically charged follow-up “Mohawk” was acquired by Netflix. His producing credits include “Graceland,” “ABCs of Death 2” and the upcoming body horror comedy “BFF.”

Senior VP, acquisitions & productions at Shudder
Senior VP, development & production at Shudder

Gotto is behind some of Shudder’s highest-profile acquisitions, including “Good Boy,” “Skinamarink,” “Late Night With the Devil,” “Revenge,” “Speak No Evil” and “When Evil Lurks.” Her passion for cultivating emerging talent has brought directors including Coralie Fargeat, Issa López, Chris Nash, Josh Rubin, Emilie Blichfeldt, Rob Savage, Michelle Garza and Sebastien Vanickeck to the genre streaming service. Lazo oversees original features, series and co-productions such as the “Creepshow” series and the “V/H/S” film franchise. Up next are titles like “In a Violent Nature 2” and “River,” on which Gotto and Lazo are executive producers and sold to Universal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster for over $10 million at TIFF.

Content creator

Gutierrez has built a following by sharing her love of the horror genre with audiences around the world. Known online as @cvnela, the Los Angeles-based creator covers film and television through video essays, deep dives and interviews with actors and directors. Her work has taken her to major film festivals, including Sundance, Cannes and Fantastic Fest. One of her standout interviews came with Guillermo del Toro, who praised Gutierrez for noticing a detail in “Frankenstein” that he said no other interviewer had pointed out. Through her accessible approach to film criticism, Gutierrez has helped bring horror conversations to a new generation of fans.

Actor
“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story”

Hall is currently terrifying Netflix viewers as Abby Borden, diabolical stepmother of ax murderer Lizzie Borden, the subject of Ryan Murphy’s new “Monster” series. It’s the latest in a range of widely diversified roles Hall has inhabited for filmmakers like Christopher Nolan (“The Prestige”) to Steven Spielberg (“The BFG”), Ron Howard (“Frost/Nixon”) and Ben Affleck (“The Town”). The British actress also appeared in “Iron Man 3” and earned her monster chops in “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” Among her upcoming projects, Hall will co-star with David Harbour in the psychological horror film “A Head Full of Ghosts” for Lionsgate.

Producers
Divide/Conquer

Hendricks and Gilreath, better known as the production duo of Divide/Conquer, have worked on a slew of horror hits (“M3GAN,” “Freaky,” “The Black Phone 2”) and are projected to have an even bigger 2027, with films like Curry Barker’s “Obsession” follow-up “Anything But Ghosts,” Alex Ullom’s “4 X 4: The Event,” the upcoming “Blair Witch Project” reboot and the slasher sequel “Heart Eyes 2.” The pair were mentored by horror producer Jason Blum and frequently collaborate with Blumhouse Atomic Monster, but have also worked on projects for Sony, Focus Features, Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios and Magnolia.

Director and president
Academy Museum

The Academy Museum is doing its part to commemorate spooky storytelling this fall with the launch of “The Horror Show,” a buzzy exhibition that examines key genre films ranging from 1930s hits like “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” to contemporary favorites like “The Exorcist,” “The Shining,” “Get Out” and “Midsommar.” Homma, who was elevated to her new role this year, has been instrumental in drumming up buzz around the project in Hollywood, championing the work of senior exhibitions curator Jessica Niebel, assistant curator Nicholas Barlow and curatorial assistant Alexandra James Salichs.

Director
“Hope”

Na mixes action-thriller pacing with shocking horror thrills so breathlessly that his movies often leave viewers stumbling out of the theater in shock and awe. An instant household name in South Korea after 2008’s disturbing serial killer movie “The Chaser” became the third-highest grosser of that year, Na gained more international clout as a Cannes fixture with 2010’s “The Yellow Sea” and 2016’s “The Wailing,” the latter of which proved to be a sensation among genre fans. After a 10-year hiatus, Na finally returned this year with “Hope,” an action-horror movie so bonkers and unpredictable that chances are high you’ve never seen anything like it.

Creator and showrunner
“The Vampire Lestat”

Jones has brought his playwriting background and distinct voice to AMC’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles.” After creating and serving as showrunner of “Interview With the Vampire,” Jones returned for its third season, “The Vampire Lestat,” shifting the focus to Lestat and his story. Before entering Rice’s vampire world, Jones served as a writer and producer on “Weeds” and wrote for acclaimed series including “Friday Night Lights” and “Boardwalk Empire.” His work on “Friday Night Lights” earned him an Emmy nomination, while his play “The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow” was a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in drama.

Showrunner
“Crystal Lake”

Kane is who you call when you want to do a prestige prequel series for a massive, beloved horror property. He was the co-showrunner of last year’s well-received first season of “It: Welcome to Derry” (and will be sole showrunner in the second season) and is the creator and showrunner for the upcoming “Crystal Lake,” the story of Pamela Voorhees, the mother of iconic killer Jason, before her murderous turn in the first “Friday the 13th” film. It’s a surprisingly audacious project, starring the always dependable Linda Cardellini and produced by A24, that will surely balance pathos and scares.

Producers
“Resident Evil,” “Crystal Lake,” “V/H/S Mixtape”

Through his production company Vertigo Entertainment, Lee has been behind many of the 21st century’s biggest horror hits, like “The Ring,” “The Grudge,” “It” and “Weapons.” In 2020, he co-founded Spooky Pictures with “Paranormal Activity”‘ and “Insidious” producer Schneider and made acclaimed low-budget films like “Late Night With the Devil,” “Strange Darling” and this year’s “Undertone” and “Hokum.” Their company inked a first-look deal with Ben Ross’ Image Nation Studios, and their upcoming slate includes “Obsession” director Curry Barker’s next film, “Anything But Ghosts.” The trio is also working on the next installment of the “V/H/S” series with A24.

Publicist

Longstreet is a publicity veteran whose boutique firm Empirical exclusively represents filmmakers. He’s built his practice around long-term career strategy, helping directors and writers like Edgar Wright, Chris Landon, Rob Savage and Joe Cornish forge meaningful press relationships. His campaigns this year include “Whalefall,” “Pizza Movie,” “Over Your Dead Body” and “Pendulum,” the upcoming directorial debut from “Black Swan” co-writer Mark Heyman. Longstreet’s deep roots in Los Angeles include working as an actor as a teenager before selling spec scripts and then joining Vibe magazine. He is also the founder and editor of Ritual, an independent film zine celebrating movies and filmmaker culture.

Agent & co-head, Motion Picture Literary Department
UTA

Lonner has made a name for himself in working with up-and-coming genre filmmakers. In fact, his clients are scattered all over this list, including “Obsession” director Curry Barker, “Hope” director Na Hong-jin, “Hokum” director Damian McCarthy, “M3GAN” director Gerard Johnstone and many more. Others are on the precipice of making a big splash, such as Francis Gallupi, who wrote and directed the upcoming “Evil Dead Wrath,” “Blair Witch Project” reboot director Dylan Clark and “Play House” director Nicolas Curcio. Lonner’s group of high-impact horror storytellers are sure to inject new life into the genre for years to come.

Founder
FilmQuest

A filmmaker in his own right, Martin launched FilmQuest in 2014 to support indie genre talent and have a space for them to watch wild movies, talk shop and network. The operation has since grown and moved to Provo, Utah, gaining a cult reputation among creatives who frequently attend. Martin is launching a film market this year at the fest and has several other growth ideas in mind as he’s hopeful, in the wake of Sundance’s departure, to have FilmQuest become the state’s premier film festival.

Partners
3 Arts

Maxwell and Rowbotham are at the center of the creator boom in horror. They signed Kane Parsons when he was 16 years old after his found-footage work on YouTube blew them away. At 20, he went on to direct “Backrooms,” A24’s highest-grossing movie with almost $400 million globally. Maxwell and Rowbotham also helped transition Ian Tuason from VR horror creator to director of A24’s “Undertone” and the upcoming “Paranormal Activity 8.” And the duo helped Dylan Clark move into features with Lionsgate’s “Blair Witch” reboot. Their other clients include Heidi Wong, Nicolas Curcio and Spencer Lackey.

Actress
“Victorian Psycho”

If you’re looking for the ultimate scream queen of the 21st century, then there are few better contenders than Monroe. The actress has been a fixture of the horror genre for 12 years and counting, starting with her breakthrough in 2014 with Adam Wingard’s “The Guest” and David Robert Mitchell’s horror hit “It Follows” and running through creepy indie gems like “Watcher,” horror blockbusters like “Longlegs” and her latest twisted thriller, “Victorian Psycho,” among other titles. Even when Monroe has excelled in other genres, be it romances like “Reminders of Him” or franchise IP like “Independence Day: Resurgence,” she’s always found her way home to horror movies — including next year, when she will star in the sequel “They Follow.”

Executive producer
“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,” “The Shards,” “American Horror Story: 13”

He may have launched his career with “Nip/Tuck” and “Glee,” but the unstoppable Murphy has become the king of TV horror thanks to anthologies “American Horror Story” and “Monster,” and series like “Scream Queens” and “Grotesquerie.” This year, the writer and producer’s scariest series include “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story”; the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation “The Shards”; and the return of long-running “American Horror Story” with an all-star Season 13. Murphy has teased a vampire show he’s shooting later this year, while 2027 will bring the return of psychological thriller “The Watcher,” starring Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale.

Director
“Backrooms”

In a blockbuster landscape defined by high-octane spectacle and sensationalized violence, Parsons carved out his own corner with “Backrooms,” reminding Hollywood just how effective minimalism can be. (For A24, it played, becoming the studio’s biggest box office hit to date). Few filmmakers have captured the eerie pull of liminal spaces quite like Parsons, trapping viewers somewhere between familiar nostalgia and the blank unknown. For his next project, Parsons hopes to keep digging into the uncanny, “tapping into regions of the modern (and ancient) psyche that are underexplored.”

Director
“Send Help”

In 1981, Raimi’s story began much like Kane Parsons and Curry Barker. “The Evil Dead,” his feature debut at just 21, introduced the world to his hyperkinetic camera style and gleefully grotesque sensibility. After a run of cult horror classics, Raimi brought that same visual language to the blockbuster realm with studio tentpoles like “Spider-Man” and “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” a stint that famously left him creatively drained. After a long hiatus, Raimi revved back to form with “Send Help.” To his fans’ delight, all the extreme close-ups and cartoonish physical violence (featuring just about every bodily fluid imaginable) remained intact.

Director
“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”

Schoenbrun has carved out a distinct place in horror by blending queer identity, fantasy and pop culture. Their latest film, “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” is a fantasy slasher starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson that follows the making of a horror remake and closes out Schoenbrun’s “Screen Trilogy.” They previously directed “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” and the acclaimed “I Saw the TV Glow.” Schoenbrun is now moving into novels with their upcoming novel, “Public Access Afterworld,” a story that spans multiple decades and realities while exploring a mysterious and dangerous television realm.

Director
“Undertone”

Tuason has made a name for himself by finding new ways to put audiences directly inside the horror. The Filipino-Canadian filmmaker is behind A24’s “Undertone,” a claustrophobic horror film in which an investigation into mysterious audio recordings unleashes something sinister. The film drew inspiration from the original “Paranormal Activity,” making Tuason a natural fit to direct the franchise’s upcoming eighth installment. For “Paranormal Activity 8,” Tuason plans to take advantage of how far camera technology has advanced since the last conventional film in the series. The project marks his move from digital native and VR horror into a major theatrical franchise.

Director
“It Ends”

Like two other twentysomething helmers who made their big screen directorial debuts this year — Curry Barker (“Obsession”) and Kane Parsons (“Backrooms”) — Ullom made a splash with “It Ends,” an existential horror about four Gen-Zers trapped on a never-ending road. The film tackles that hard-to-define feeling of not being ready to transition into adulthood and being at a standstill in life. “It Ends” received positive reviews, and distributor Neon re-teamed with Ullom on his next movie, “4 x 4: The Event,” which follows eight contestants in a fight-to-the-death competition where they can only use what they can order online as weapons.

CEO and founder
Blumhouse Atomic Monster

Few people have shaped horror in the 21st century like Wan. The Blumhouse Atomic Monster founder kicked off his career with the torture-horror classic “Saw,” which grossed 100 times its $1 million budget. As that film turned into one of the most profitable franchises in horror, Wan went on to launch two more blockbuster series with “Insidious” and “The Conjuring.” Wan grew his Atomic Monster banner into a major Hollywood force before pairing up with Jason Blum and Blumhouse to form a scary super-duo. Next in theaters is the Jessica Chastain vehicle “Other Mommy.”