Brett Petersel | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

Drugs are no stranger to horror films. We've seen them for the good they do (hey, it almost saved The Cabin in the Woods, but worked in The Faculty), as well as the bad (Evil Dead (2013), among others). Now, marijuana has become a normal part of culture, way before 4/20 became a famous "holiday", and is now legal (recreationally and/or medically) in multiple states across America.

As for Stoner Horror, this week's theme touches upon how drugs, mainly marijuana, have played a major role in many films, and how the approach to and welcoming of it has had an impact on the outcomes (of said films). In most films, the stoners are portrayed as lazy, low-functioning teenagers or adults, whereas this is not always the case. From "Freeburg" in Freddy vs. Jason to "Marty" in The Cabin in the Woods, we tend to overlook those who are under the influence and high-performing, like "Ash" in Ash vs. Evil Dead. Maybe it's not the weed after all? I mean, if you're going to try and save the world, why not be chill and do so?

Smoke 'em if you got 'em! 🥬

Brett Petersel | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd & Sarah Stubbs | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

At Pennsylvania's Steel City Con, Don Mancini announced that he is currently writing a new Child's Play film that he'd like to see on the big screen! Since the television series was canceled by Syfy, this film would serve as a continuation to the television series and previous films. Oh, and he plans on making it a "scary" film. Yes, we want to play!

"Shotgun"! Let's go for a ride on May 22nd, when Passenger, the new film form director André Øvredal (Troll Hunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) and writers Zachary Donohue (The Den) and T.W. Burgess, hits theaters. Check out the trailer at dontdriveatnight.com.

All aboard! This summer, to celebrate its 10th anniversary, Train to Busan will be riding the tracks back to theaters on August 14th in 4K! Director Yeon Sang-Ho will also be prepping for his new film, Colony, which will also get a theatrical release beginning August 28th.

Osgood Perkins is heading back to the Longlegs universe with a new film starring Nicolas Cage, who, spoiler alert, died in the original film. Rumors that this is a prequel have not been confirmed, but the film will be released by Paramount, not Neon this time around.

This week at CinemaCon, Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki shared footage from his next film, a follow-up to Minus One titled Godzilla Minus Zero. The film, which is New York City-focused, hits theaters on November 6, 2026.

This week, as we approach 4/20 in a few days, the Horrorverse team came together to share our favorite horror films to watch while we're high (or, if we don't get high, films we still think you'll enjoy if you were). Check out the list on Letterboxd.

Candi Norwood | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd | StoryGraph | Website

Full disclosure: I don’t smoke due to my asthma, and edibles knock me out, but my brain easily gets into a weird space, so here are my recommendations for some 4/20 reading.

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero – A group of former child (children?) detectives, à la Scooby and the Gang – reunite in their mid-twenties to re-open their final case that they’ve come to believe they didn’t get right the first time – and one they believe has been haunting them and is the source of the various issues they’ve had over the years – from mental illness to drug use to aggressive behavior – their “golden boy” Peter even committed suicide. There are plenty of tropes and references to the Scooby gang, including a Weimaraner and hallucinations only one of them sees, but also to childhood mysteries like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, etc. Nostalgic fun!

John Dies at the End by Jason Pargin – You may also see older copies under his pseudonym, David Wong. John Dies at the End is the first in a series of horror-comedy novels about two paranormal investigators, and wild stuff happens. David accidentally injects himself with a mysterious drug that gives him unusual supernatural abilities which helps him in his investigations. This is a quick read with some laugh (and groan) out loud moments, and you’ll definitely find yourself moving to the next one. (The 5th in the series is out later this year, called There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel: A Novel of Giant Crabs.)

Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman – This is the book that introduced me to Chapman, one of my recent favorite writers. Meddling Kids is horror-adjacent, John Dies is horror-comedy, Ghost Eaters is horror. You could call it grief horror, but it’s definitely horror unlike the other recs. In it, Erin, thanks to the support of her wealthy parents, keeps postponing decisions like what she wants to do with her life and is still bouncing around her hometown of Richmond VA, even though she graduated from college years ago. When her boyfriend dies from an overdose, she learns about an underground drug called Ghost that lets you talk to the dead. Not a great idea when you live in a town where there are a lot more dead people than living ones. Ghost Eaters is a short novel, but it’s full of eerie hauntings and body horror. It also packs an emotional punch and, in true Chapman style, an undercurrent of social commentary.

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