Brett Petersel | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

Welcome to our Anthology Horror issue! With the success of the V/H/S films and the premiere of the newest installment, V/H/S/MIXTAPE, on Shudder today, we thought it would be a good time to look at the subgenre.

Did you know anthology horror films date all the way back to the silent era? The first one was probably the German silent film EERIE TALES from director Richard Oswald, in which the figures from paintings in a bookshop come to life and read aloud five horror stories which comprise the short films within the wraparound story of the bookshop.

This type of wraparound has become a staple of the anthology format, seen through the 100+ years since in classics like CREEPSHOW and TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE, to lesser-known films such as THE ABCS OF DEATH and XX.

Sometimes the segments connect closely to the wraparound, like in SOUTHBOUND or TRICK ‘R TREAT, but many, like the OG EERIE TALES, are connected only by the storytellers or host.

Tightly woven or connected only by the barest thread, with over a hundred years of history, where do you start your anthology horror watching? We’ve got you covered! Check out our anthology horror favorites.

Brett Petersel | Bluesky | Instagram | Letterboxd

Heading back to theaters today is the surprise hit BUDDY, directed by Casper Kelly, and, this time, you can actually participate in the film. How so? The BUDDY: THE SING-ALONG VERSION theatrical event will feature on-screen lyrics so you and other theatergoers can sing your hearts out (unless Buddy gets to them first). Check out Fandango for tickets near you!

For $500, you can own your own life-size 55" film replica M3GAN doll (as she appeared in the first film and, thankfully, not the second). Just don't expect it to do your chores, watch the kids, or cook.

Mike Flanagan's upcoming EXORCIST film now has a title. THE EXORCIST: MARTYRS heads to theaters on March 12, 2027. The film, whose stars include Scarlett Johansson and Diane Lane, is said to align with the events of EXORCIST III, which has some fans excited. We’ll see…

It’s been a number of years since George Romero’s passing, but the good news is that TWILIGHT OF THE DEAD, his final story, has completed filming. While that’s exciting news, the cast is even more than that. Kate Beckinsale, Betty Gabriel, and John D. Hickman round out the cast, with Greg Nicotero handling the special effects. No news yet on potential release dates.

The Horrorverse Team shares their favorite anthology horror films! Check out our Letterboxd list to see what we’re watching!

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

One great thing about anthologies is you can discover new-to-you writers and get a taste of whether their style is for you - like an appetizer sampler platter for your brain!

Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. - With settings as far ranging as Alaska to Florida and even to the Old World, main characters with a variety of motivations and morals, and drawing out fear, tears, laughter, and an occasional WTF? The stories in Never Whistle at Night shine a light on indigenous Americans and their folklore, traditions, and lives.

Bonus from my TBR: Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II, also edited by Hawk and Van Alst.

Night & Day edited by Ellen Datlow - As the best ones do, these stories, besides making us feel something - fear, revulsion, sadness - also deal with deeper themes of the human condition, such as post-traumatic stress in Clay Chapman’s “Trash Night” or teach important life lessons, as in Nathan Ballingrud’s “Secret Night” - if you heard something in the Appalachian woods, no, you didn’t. And that’s just in the Night half of the double feature. The shining sun stories were equally chilling. Highlights for me were the creepy cult in “Hold Us in the Light” from A.C. Wise and the folk horror of Sophie White’s “Cold Iron”, but with heavy-hitting names like those in Night & Day, every story is a gem.

Bonus from my TBR: All Hallows Eve also edited by Datlow.

Howl edited by Lindy Ryan and Stephanie Wytovich - A powerful collection by women authors with a thread of werewolves, but they’re really about power, strength, love, hate, bodies, sex, hunger, desire, loneliness, fear, rage, and the aspects of those that are inherent to womanhood. Full review: https://candikathorror.com/reads/howl

Bonus from my TBR: Out next month! Black Horror: Canonical Voices from Then to Now, edited by Maurice Broaddus and Chesya Burke.

Have you read any of these? Let’s talk about our favorite stories!

💀 PAPER CUTS: Cynthia Pelayo Delivers The Best Anthology Of The Year (PODCAST)

💀 Macabre Daily's Trailer Park: From "V/H/S/ MIXTAPE" To "CHRISTMAS AT THE KRINGLES," October Is Looking Great! (READ)

💀 "BUDDY" (2026) Is Back In Theaters This Friday, And This Time It's A Sing-Along! (READ)

💀 Scary Shorts Showcase: "WILD ANIMALS," "KREASTER," And "KNIFEMAN" (REVIEWS)