Case log · issue 1
The weekly digest: the week of October 12
Editor’s letter
Splatter Scoop published 10 stories this week.
New releases. Three stories. British Horror Studio has put out a trailer for Lawrie Brewster’s black-and-white supernatural noir Black Chariot and lists UK cinema dates starting October 30, with more expected. Roadside Attractions and Saban Films still plan to release the spider thriller Crawlers, with Matilda Lutz, on October 16; Dread Central posted three new stills. Dark Sky Films has set Matt Stuertz’s Human for October 23 in select theaters and on VOD and digital, citing screenings at FrightFest and Obscura Film Fest.
Festival circuit. Three stories. Fantastic Fest gave its horror best picture award to Joko Anwar’s Ghost in the Cell and its Fantastic Pitches prize to the folk-horror project Father Figure, which the festival says won a $100,000 financing award from Chroma. Toronto After Dark published its 2026 lineup—14 feature premieres and 33 genre shorts—with the Canadian premiere of Brian Duffield’s Whalefall opening a festival that runs October 14 to 18. A teaser is out for Ron Krauss’s effects-artist thriller Wounds ahead of its Screamfest premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on October 8.
Practical effects and craft. Two stories. Epic Pictures and Dread credit Devour’s creature work to Wayne Anderson and OX FX; director Scott B. Hansen describes an 11-foot werewolf. Zach Cregger told Bloody Disgusting, ahead of Resident Evil’s September 18 release, that some effects that ended up as visual effects began as practical builds by Shane Mahan, and described a puppet he put at about 2,000 pounds.
Distribution and streaming. Two stories. Deadline reports that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions bought all international rights to Casper Kelly’s Buddy, in what Deadline understands to be a mid-seven-figure deal. Horror Society reports that Massacre Video TV is streaming Nick Palumbo’s 2004 film Murder-Set-Pieces on Roku in a version described as uncut; the BBFC’s 2008 record lists it as unsuitable for classification.
Every item below links to the original source, and each story says who is claiming what. If something is wrong, the corrections page says how to tell us.
New releasesSee all
Lawrie Brewster's black-and-white 'Black Chariot' gets UK cinema dates, starting October 30
British Horror Studio has released a trailer for Lawrie Brewster's black-and-white supernatural noir Black Chariot and lists UK cinema dates starting October 30, with more expected.
Dated bookings show a limited, venue-by-venue rollout so far rather than a wide release. The studio itself says further dates are still to come, so this list is a floor, not a national day-and-date claim.
Spider-infestation horror 'Crawlers' is still set for October 16 as Dread Central posts three new stills
Roadside Attractions and Saban Films still plan to release spider thriller Crawlers, with Matilda Lutz, on October 16; Dread Central posted three new stills.
A reminder more than a reset: the October 16 date was announced in August, and only the stills are new. The film itself is still unseen, so the useful fact for readers is that the theatrical window has not slipped.
Dark Sky Films sets an October 23 release for 'Human' after FrightFest and Obscura Film Fest screenings
Dark Sky Films has announced that Matt Stuertz's Human arrives October 23 in select theaters and on VOD and digital, and cites festival screenings at FrightFest and Obscura Film Fest.
This is a limited release, in select theaters and on VOD and digital, not a wide one.
Practical effects & craftSee all
'Devour' release credits Wayne Anderson and OX FX with creatures; director describes an 11-foot werewolf
Epic Pictures and Dread credit Devour's creature work to Wayne Anderson and OX FX; director Scott B. Hansen describes an 11-foot werewolf.
These are the makers' own descriptions, so how the finished creatures look on screen is still open, and the release itself gives two opening dates.
Cregger says some Resident Evil visual effects started as Shane Mahan's practical builds
Director Zach Cregger told Bloody Disgusting, ahead of the film's September 18 release, that some effects that ended up as visual effects began as practical builds by Shane Mahan. He also described a puppet he put at about 2,000 pounds.
A director's recollection rather than a production record: it says some effects began as practical builds and names one large puppet, but not how much of the film's effects work was practical.
Festival circuitSee all
Fantastic Fest names its 2026 horror winners, led by Ghost in the Cell and a folk-horror pitch prize
Fantastic Fest gave its horror best picture award to Joko Anwar's Ghost in the Cell and its Fantastic Pitches prize to the folk-horror project Father Figure, which the festival says won a $100,000 financing award from Chroma.
A pitch prize is a promise about a film that does not yet exist. It settles who gets the backing, not whether the film is finished, and the 2027 premiere is where that gets tested.
Toronto After Dark lists 14 features and 33 shorts for 2026, opening with Whalefall
Toronto After Dark has published its 2026 lineup, which it says includes 14 feature premieres and 33 genre shorts, with the Canadian premiere of Brian Duffield's Whalefall opening a festival that runs October 14 to 18.
The Canadian weight sits largely in the short-film pairings: by the festival's own list the features are largely imports, with two of them Canadian-made.
Ron Krauss's effects-artist thriller 'Wounds' gets a teaser ahead of its Screamfest premiere
A teaser is out for Wounds, a 35mm thriller about a special-effects makeup artist, ahead of its Screamfest premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on October 8.
A Screamfest slot is a premiere, not a release date, so this is a first screening and says nothing yet about when or where the film opens.
Distribution & dealsSee all
Sony buys all international rights to Casper Kelly's 'Buddy', Deadline reports
Deadline reports that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has bought all international rights to Casper Kelly's Buddy, in what Deadline understands to be a mid-seven-figure deal.
If Deadline's account holds, this settles who controls the film's international rights, though not when or where it opens.
Censorship & ratingsSee all
BBFC found 'Murder-Set-Pieces' 'unsuitable for classification' in 2008; a Roku stream is described as uncut
Horror Society reports that Massacre Video TV is streaming Nick Palumbo's 2004 film Murder-Set-Pieces on Roku in a version described as uncut. The BBFC's 2008 record lists it as unsuitable for classification.
A 2008 UK classification decision does not settle what is in a version streaming today.