Brett Petersel | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

With the summer still going strong, all good things must come to an end. For the kids, that is. Yes, classes are back in session in some parts of the U.S., with more opening this week, and then most by the end of August/early September. So, in celebration (for parents who will enjoy the silence during the daytime), we welcome you to our School Horror issue!

This is one of my favorite issues to present. Why? Before all of "this", I was a schoolteacher, helping shape the minds of the future, and, once in a while, throwing on a classroom-safe horror film or album here and there (To my former sixth grade science students, I will never apologize for showing Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. You should be thanking me!). While I may not have been in front of a classroom for 20 years, those were some of the best years of my life.

Now, when it comes to horror, there are a number of films or scenes that take place in a school, especially the classroom, which should be a safe space for all. From Founders Day to Saw IV, a once safe environment can be turned into a place of death.

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

THE CREEP TAPES is returning for another season on Shudder, with the first two episodes premiering September 15th.

Zachary Wingon’s VICTORIAN PSYCHO, starring Maika Monroe, has been moved back from its original September premiere date. The movie will now premiere in theaters on Friday, November 13th.

Who’s ready for more Frendo? CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD 2: FRENDO LIVES is currently in development. 2025’s Clown in a Cornfield, performed well at the box office ($14 million on a $1 million production budget) and landed on Shudder, while a fourth book in Adam Cesare’s book franchise will be available on August 18th.

Class is in session!

Your assignment: To watch all of the Horrorverse team's favorite school-based horror films, and then write a review for them on your social media accounts. Here are the films on this week's syllabus, which you can find on our Letterboxd page.

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

I loved school, but I also had a lot of nightmares when I was in school. So. Here are some of my favorite recent school horror books.

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami- High school students are dropped onto a field and told to fight until only one is left standing. Smartly written but so brutal it was rejected out of hand for a literary award it was up for in Japan.

The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw- This is what would happen if you populated Brakebills (The Magicians) with gods and monsters then held a battle royale. We get all the aesthetics and tropes – hallowed halls, dusty tomes, and mysterious atmosphere – of dark academia with some pretty cool body horror that reads like poetry.

Whisper Down the Lane by Clay McLeod Chapman- Inspired by the McMartin preschool trial during the height of the Satanic Panic of the ‘80’s, Richard, an art teacher in Virginia, is forced to confront his past when a ritualistically murdered rabbit is left for him – but who could know about the lies he told when he was five years old that implicated a teacher and fueled a moral panic in his town?

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson- I have not read this one yet, but it has been recommended by several people whose opinions I trust, so I am passing it along. This is a modern reimagining of Stephen King’s Carrie (a classic school based horror) set in Georgia.

WHAT TO WATCH

💀 "THE CREEP TAPES" Season 3 Springs Onto Shudder This September! (READ)

💀 Hanna Bergholm Shares How Her Personal Experience Shaped "NIGHTBORN" (INTERVIEW)

💀 HORROR THAT ALMOST HAPPENED: Cheech & Chong Meet Jason (READ)

💀 Spider One, Krsy Fox, and Brandon Scott on "BIG BABY" (2026) And The Modern Horror Community (INTERVIEW)