BlumFest arrived at New York Comic Con with a massive two-hour Friday night panel that served as a resounding victory lap for Blumhouse and Atomic Monster following the box office success of hits like Backrooms and Obsession. Co-founder Jason Blum, alongside an A-list lineup of creators and stars including Mike Flanagan, James Wan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Harbour, LaKeith Stanfield, Curry Barker, and Kristen Bell, took the stage to pull back the curtain on the studio’s ambitious future.
The centerpiece of the evening was the official unveiling of the studio’s entire 2027 release calendar. The upcoming slate includes River on January 15, The Revenge of Llorona on February 26, The Exorcist: Martyrs, Anything but Ghosts on May 7, Paranormal Activity on May 21, The Blair Witch Project on September 24, and Sleepover and Seasons on November 12, alongside a currently untitled film slated for August 2027.
Reflecting on the studio’s trajectory, Blum emphasized the diverse approaches to fear that drive the company’s output. "It’s been an incredible year, and what’s so cool about the movies you listed is how different they all are. Everybody has a different idea about what’s scary, and that is what I love about horror," Blum told the crowd. "We want to work with filmmakers who never stop surprising you. And a year like we’ve had, with the help of movies like Obsession, gives us more opportunity to take more chances, and you’ll get a taste of those chances and risks and weird stuff tonight."
Earlier in the day, IDW Dark and Blumhouse announced a strategic partnership to launch a new Happy Death Day comic series written by Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash), designed to expand the time-loop slasher’s mythology ahead of a potential third film instalment.
Anything But Ghosts
Among the notable upcoming projects discussed during the panel was Anything But Ghosts, presented by creators and stars Curry Barker and Cooper Tomlinson. Reflecting on how their lives have transformed over the past year following the success of Obsession, the duo detailed their upcoming feature, which centers on ghost hunter con artists who land a job far larger than anything they have previously tackled. Forced to confront a genuine haunting, the protagonists must rise to the occasion and become the real deal.
"I need him on camera with me. We wrote this together thinking this will be the movie that we starred in together, an homage to what we’ve been doing online," Barker explained. He noted that while Obsession was approached differently, these specific characters demanded their joint presence on screen.
Barker also outlined the film’s philosophy regarding horror tropes, explaining that audiences can expect a similar subversion of expectations seen in their previous work. By understanding the standard blueprint of a horror narrative, the filmmakers aim to anticipate what viewers expect to happen next and deliberately subvert those beats.
Amanda the Adventurer
Expanding its reach into digital horror phenomena, Blumhouse announced a major partnership with Matthew Patrick, widely known as MatPat, founder and former host of the YouTube "Theory" channels. Patrick will collaborate with the studio to adapt stories from indie games and horror content creators for the theatrical big screen, bringing underground narratives into the mainstream spotlight.
The first announced project under this partnership is a feature film adaptation of DreadXP’s indie video game Amanda the Adventurer. A teaser showcased during the panel combined the unsettling aesthetic of an animated children’s television show with disturbing narrative interstitials. Patrick confirmed that the project is moving forward rapidly, with active discussions currently underway with prospective writers and directors.
Molepeople & Seasons
The panel also offered fresh updates on high-profile collaborations, including a RoboCop series currently in development for Amazon Prime with original writer Edward Neumeier and Dan Stevens attached to star in the titular role. Meanwhile, filmmaker Rob Savage is returning to the Blumhouse Atomic Monster fold following Get Out to direct Molepeople, starring LaKeith Stanfield.
Described by Savage as a subterranean horror film in the stylistic vein of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes, Molepeople is set to begin production imminently. Stanfield reflected on his return to the genre, noting that Jordan Peele’s Get Out balanced fantastical elements with emotional depth, a quality he aims to replicate. "I found something that I think can be engaging, action-packed, cool, fun, and also a little bit of commentary, too," Stanfield said.
James Wan also took the stage to tease Seasons, a new film directed by Companion helmer Drew Hancock and based on a popular "No Sleep" subreddit story. The narrative unfolds entirely across four seasons. Additional titles highlighted during the presentation included a new Blair Witch Project directed by Dylan Clark, and a fresh installment in the Paranormal Activity franchise spearheaded by Undertones director Ian Tuason.
Discussing the revival of Paranormal Activity, Blum acknowledged the franchise’s foundational importance to the studio. "It’s such an emotional movie for me because it’s really how Blumhouse started, and it really gave birth to everything that we’ve done," Blum said.
Wan additionally addressed his return to the Saw universe, explaining that hiring director Mike P. Nelson was driven by a shared appreciation for unexpected twists, moral dilemmas, and distinctive visual style rather than just the series’ notorious mechanical traps.
Something Is Killing the Children
Closing out a major portion of the panel, creator James Dickinson and newly announced director Craig Zobel appeared to discuss the cinematic adaptation of the hit comic book series Something Is Killing the Children. Having built a massive global readership over seven years, the creators expressed enthusiasm about transitioning the property to a broader cinematic audience.
While keeping production details under wraps, the team confirmed that fan-favorite elements, such as Octo—the stuffed octopus hiding a monster—will appear, alongside a faithful portrayal of protagonist Erica Slaughter. Zobel praised the character as a formidable figure capable of intense action, while retaining a distinct, bone-dry sense of humor. Dickinson also confirmed that the film will retain the comic’s uncompromising stakes, assuring fans that children will die on screen.
Violent Night 2
David Harbour and Kristen Bell joined director Tommy Wirkola and producer Kelly McCormick to discuss the upcoming sequel to Violent Night. Harbour attributed the development of the follow-up directly to passionate fan engagement regarding Santa Claus’s mysterious Viking background and tattoo origins.
Bell, joining the cast as Mrs. Klaus, expressed initial surprise at landing the role, hinting that her character’s backstory delves deep into elven history and establishes her as substantially older than her husband. Exclusive footage shown during the panel featured an elaborate bakery-based combat sequence and showcased Bell’s rigorous five-week physical training regimen for her stunt choreography. Harbour jokingly described the sequel as "Miracle on 34th Street with an enormous bloody hammer," noting structural influences from holiday classics like Home Alone and Die Hard.
The Exorcist: Martyrs
Mike Flanagan and Chiwetel Ejiofor introduced the official trailer for The Exorcist: Martyrs, slated for release on March 12. Flanagan emphasized that the project intentionally charts a radically different course from previous entries in the storied franchise, while drawing specific thematic inspiration from the atmospheric dread of The Exorcist III. Ejiofor elaborated on the psychological terror of the film, describing it as an exploration of an inescapable, malevolent force settling over its characters.
River
Actress Jessica Rothe stepped up to present footage from the water-centric thriller River, directed by Joshua Giuliano. Co-starring Jane Levy, Max Mattern, and Dane DiLiegro, Rothe described the production as a physically demanding experience, noting that 14 of the 22 shooting days took place on the water, which genuinely heightened the terror of the antagonist’s pursuit.
Horror Short With Creator Heidi Wong
Concluding the announcements, Blumhouse Atomic Monster revealed a new short film development deal with multimedia horror creator Heidi Wong, widely known as "The Horror Queen." Wong will develop an original short film inspired by Eastern mythology and folklore, with potential plans for a full feature adaptation, continuing Blumhouse’s active pursuit of fresh, independent digital storytelling talent.