Natalie Sierra | Instagram | Letterboxd | Substack
Hello, Readers. I’m Natalie Sierra (@pandorademise), Poet Laureate, novelist, B&N Blog writer, and lifelong horror devotee, and I’m honored to introduce this week’s Horrorverse issue on Literary Horror. When I think about films that feel like literature — or are born from novels — my mind gravitates toward the ones that almost whisper their secrets in your ear. Unearthly, mind-shattering stories that feel oppressive, obsessive, and dangerous... yet impossible to look away from. My novel, Beyond the Grace of God, inhabits that same delicate space between love and danger. It uses horror not for spectacle, but for excavation — probing our interior lives and mining what the imagination dreads to conjure.
The films I’ve chosen range from classic adaptations, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Rebecca, to more recent offerings, such as The Ritual and Let the Right One In, and even some that are not based on novels but feel like they are. Because what matters is the story, how it unsettles us, and how it lingers long after the credits have finished rolling.
IN THE NEWS
Brett Petersel | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd
The Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF) returns for its 26th editions at Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square on March 18-22, 2026. This year's festival includes a 40th‑anniversary screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2! Tickets and details are now available at bostonunderground.org.
It has been almost 40 years since we were introduced to Clive Barker's book, The Hellbound Heart, which became Hellraiser on the big screen. Boom Studios has acquired the comics rights and will be publishing new stories this year. Read more on Fangoria.
This week, notable horror figure Tom Noonan, known for such films as Manhunter, The House of the Devil, Monster Squad and The Last Action Hero, has sadly passed away at age 74.
Ready for Scream 7? Before the film hits theaters on February 27th, there's a game, Hide & Scream, now available on both mobile or in-browser. Play it here: https://game.screammovie.com.
RIYL: THE UGLY STEPSISTER (2025)
Emilie Blichfeldt's directorial debut The Ugly Stepsister, which she also wrote, offers a new approach to the classic Cinderella story. The film, which is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, is now streaming on Shudder.
The Horrorverse team loved the film, so check out what else we recommend you watch if you also enjoyed it.
Established in 2020, Macabre Daily is your home for the dark side of pop culture on the internet providing news, reviews, interviews, and opinions about the world of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and cult films! Macabre Daily serves over 11,000 visitors per month to our website and over 13,7000 followers on our social media platforms. Our team of contributors covers a wide array of media such as movies, television, and physical media. Visit macabredaily.com for more.
CREATORS CORNER
Bee Delores | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd
If you're looking for your next podcast obsession, might I recommend Girl That's Scary, forged by Jazzmin (aka Jazz The 40oz Connoisseur ) and Kathleen (aka Kat). They're smart, funny, welcoming, and know their shit. They've covered everything from Creature from the Black Lagoon to The Fog and featured themed episodes such as Environmental Horror, Found Footage, and numerous double-header matchups. In a sea of horror podcasts, it's easy to get lost on who to listen to - make Jazz and Kat your new podcast. You won't regret it.
Girls That's Scary is officially part of the Dread Central Podcast Network. Check out all their goodies and where to find their podcast.
RECOMMENDED READING
Candi Norwood | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd | StoryGraph
Literary horror sounds like you have to be a scholar to read it, but really, it’s just a fancy way of saying there’s a deeper meaning or a message in the story; it says something about the human experience, and I think that’s true of a lot of horror.
A few of my favorite horror works that also have something to say are:
If the Dead Belong Here by Carson Faust- A chilling supernatural tale and a story of generational trauma told beautifully through the eyes of several generations of a family of Native American women, this was both heartbreaking and horrifying. Read my full review: https://candikathorror.com/reads/if-the-dead-belong-here
The Unkillable Frank Lightning by Josh Rountree- The Unkillable Frank Lightning is a riveting witchy weird western retelling of the Frankenstein story, with a sympathetic monster (whether we’re talking about the creator or creation) and a cast of characters straight out of the Wild West. Though action-packed, Frank Lightning is also full of heart and examines what it means to be human and to live a life. P. S. Chicano Frankenstein from Daniel Olivas is also an excellent retelling. Read my full review of that one here: https://candikathorror.com/reads/chicano-frankenstein
Love is a Crematorium and Other Tales by Mercedes M. Yardley- If you think of beautiful language and turns of phrase when you think literary, this is the horror for you. I was captivated from the very first sentence, "Silva's lover was built of bones she scavenged from the Killing Fields." My full review: https://candikathorror.com/reads/love-is-a-crematorium-and-other-tales
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson- I almost didn’t include this even though it’s a lifelong favorite because I assume if you’re reading this, you know. But if you don’t know: It’s a classic for a reason. Is Hill House haunted by spirits, or is Eleanor haunted by her trauma and her fragile psyche? Or both? The novel follows Eleanor and a group led by Dr. Montague who is leading his very own Ghost Hunters-style expedition to Hill House, where he’s trying to find evidence of a haunting. Things get scary, and whether they’re real or in Eleanor’s mind doesn’t lessen the impact.
What’s your favorite literary horror that I missed, and why was it House of Leaves?
TRAILERVILLE
Y'all simply are not ready for Bodycam. The brand new trailer is perfectly bonkers in all the right ways. It is to die for... [written by Bee]
Samara Weaving is an automatic YES from me. Over Your Dead Body looks like the perfect horror/comedy balance, and I'm hoping we have a few surprises waiting for us. [written by Bee]
The trailer for Lee Cronin's The Mummy is exactly how you do it. I'll leave this here... [written by Bee]
FAVORITE LITERARY ADAPTATIONS
From the pages of a book to the big or small screen, there are many book-to-screen adaptations, especially in horror, that have blessed our eyes, either in a good or bad way. The Horrorverse team have put together a list of some of our favorites, and hopefully yours, as well as a few hidden gems you may not have known about. Check out the list on Letterboxd.
MACABRE DAILY: WEEKLY UPDATES
💀 COLLECTOR'S CRYPT: "SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT" 2025 (CINEVERSE 4K UHD) [REVIEW]
💀 ADAM MACDONALD Warns Us About The YA Horror Of "THIS IS NOT A TEST" (INTERVIEW)
💀 QUEER FEAR FILM FESTIVAL Offers Short Films With Long-Lasting Impact (REVIEWS)
WHAT TO WATCH
Gabriel Bernini’s Blood Barn makes a good companion piece to Ti West’s X. With a script co-written with Alexandra Jade, the indie bloodbath feels ripped from a bygone era. From its vintage style to its cookie-cutter character archetypes, it riffs on all the classically dumb horror movies of the 1980s—specifically referencing The Evil Dead in all its campy glory. Blood Barn practically slides into parody territory, with its delightfully mindless script and bizarre character choices. And that’s the point. It reads like a love letter to all the horror that came before, and its practical effects are truly top-tier. [Read Bee's Review]
Wow. After watching this, I was having trouble writing a proper film review because I couldn’t believe what I watched. I read a lot of reviews after I watched it, and many had the same thoughts that I did. It’s like The Terminator, a little Coherence, and some of these new multiverse films that come about. That’s the best I can do. Watch this film immediately. [written by Brett]
While there will always be an audience for zombie flicks, there is such a thing as oversaturation. Since the dawn of horror cinema, filmmakers have been infatuated with the undead, often as metaphors for race relations, civil rights, contamination of power, and broken youth. In its heyday, AMC’s The Walking Dead series proved that apocalyptic flesh-eaters still had plenty to say, but, like most things in popular culture, it ran its course, and horror fans moved on to something else. Most recently, we have 28 Years Later and its sequel, The Bone Temple, which have rejuvenated the genre, yet there’s an inevitable sell-by date. Adam MacDonald’s This is Not a Test, based on the novel of the same name by Courtney Summers, throws its proverbial hat into the ring, hoping to bank on renewed interest in zombies but failing to get past the genre’s crucial multiple choice. [Read Bee's Review]
We have another Dracula adaptation whether we want it or not. Writer/director Luc Besson molds his iteration of the Bram Stoker classic novel with stylistic detail and charming mood. He drenches the audience in shadows and cool blue hues that send a chill down your spine. Caleb Landry Jones' transformation into the titular character is nothing short of movie magic, from the makeup to Jones' excellently layered physical performance. While much of the technical aspects operate on all cylinders, the script does not. It plods along. At over two hours, there's plenty here that should have stayed in the first draft. It's a visual marvel, but too bad the script falls apart. [written by Bee]
It's wonderful to see Lauren LaVera outside the world of Terrifier. In Darren Lynn Bousman's Twisted, she plays Paloma, a queer woman with a knack for exploiting the most desperate among us. With Smith (Mia Healey), they pull off various scams to live the life they think they deserve. Usually, Paloma rents a place on AirBNB, and then flips around and pretends she's selling the property. Before they know it, prospective new owners have been bilked out of thousands of dollars. But one particular townhouse proves to be far trickier than either of them planned. The script, written by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer, isn't perfect but it does the trick. It also helps that LaVera, once again, proves she has that X factor. She's magnetic, and Twisted is a shining moment for her. [written by Bee]
