Horror Highlights: #HorrorMoviesForTheHolidays Challenge, OBSESSION, THE UPTURNED STONE

#HorrorMoviesForTheHolidays Returns for Its 5th Year: "Halloween may be over but that doesn’t mean the love of horror movies ends here. Coming off of the 6th annual #100HorrorMoviesIn92Days Challenge, Sarah Stubbs is back to work planning for the 5th annual #HorrorMoviesForTheHolidays Challenge. 

Similar to the #100HorrorMoviesIn92Days Challenge, the #HorrorMoviesForTheHolidays Challenge will encourage participants to celebrate the season by watching their favorite holiday horror movies! 

The guidelines for this year’s challenge are as follows:

• The challenge runs from November 24th through January 2nd.
• There is no number goal past watching 1 per day. (More is always welcome and encouraged)
• Any Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas, and New Year’s Horror are game.
• Rewatches/Comfort watches are allowed and encouraged.
• In order to count, the films must be 45 minutes or longer. 
• Films must be classified as horror by either Letterboxd or IMDb.
  • Gateway horror (Scooby-Doo, etc) is allowed and does not need to have a horror tag to count. 
• This challenge isn’t a dictatorship, if a good case can be made for a film that doesn’t fall under the horror category, it can be brought to the Discord server and discussed among participants for a majority ruling.

Resources:

• When posting on your social channels, use the hashtag #HorrorMoviesForTheHolidays so participants can all follow along.
• Use the list and tag function on Letterboxd to follow other participants and get movie recommendations.
  • Use the tag HorrorMoviesForTheHolidays on both your movie reviews (if you put reviews on Letterboxd) and your list.
• Join the group on our Discord server for encouragement, recommendations, and comradery. (We are active all year as well.)
• Follow Sarah on BlueSky for recommendations, giveaways, and more."

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BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: FOCUS FEATURES’ OBSESSION HITS THEATERS MAY 15, 2026: "Focus Features will release OBSESSION, Curry Barker’s breakout horror debut, hailed out of TIFF as “provocative and wildly entertaining”, in the U.S. on May 15, 2026. Universal Pictures International will handle international distribution.

Following its buzzy debut in the midnight section at TIFF, OBSESSION has continued to captivate audiences with sold-out screenings at Fantastic Fest and won Sitges’ coveted People’s Choice Award.

Logline: After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.

• Writer/Director: Curry Barker

• Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter

• Producers: James Harris (Teashop Productions), Haley Nicole Johnson (Under the Shell), Christian Mercuri on behalf of Capstone Pictures

Focus Features’ upcoming Fall slate includes auteur-driven works like Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, based the New York Times bestselling novel, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley and Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, alongside Yorgos Lanthimos’ recently released Bugonia, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. Looking to 2026, Focus will release Werwulf, its third collaboration with acclaimed horror director, Robert Eggers, on Christmas Day."

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Director-Producer Anky Cyriaque and Acclaimed Comic Book Artist Scott are collaborating  to bring The Upturned Stone to the Big Screen: "Director-producer Anky Cyriaque (Seasons) and esteemed American comic book artist Scott Hampton, known for his  visually haunting and emotionally layered work, are joining forces to bring Hampton’s  classic horror graphic novel The Upturned Stone to the big screen. Hampton, whose  celebrated credits include Wicked: The Graphic Novel Part I(March 2025), American Gods:  The Moment of the Storm (with P. Craig Russell), Batman: Gotham County Line (DC  Comics), Black Widow: Breakdown (Marvel Comics), and the Harvey Award–winning  Batman: Night Cries, will adapt his own story for the screen. Cyriaque is set to produce the  feature under his production banner Story is King Pictures; with principal photography  slated to begin in late 2026. 

First published in 1993, The Upturned Stone has become a cult favorite among graphic novel and horror fans alike. The story follows four boys whose lives are  forever changed one Halloween when they discover an abnormally large pumpkin. After  baking it into a pie, the boys begin having chilling dreams that unravel the mystery of a  ghost, a serial killer, and a supernatural quest for justice. Blending horror and coming-of age drama, The Upturned Stone explores themes of innocence lost, buried guilt, and the  lingering power of childhood trauma. 

“Scott’s work has always been hauntingly beautiful” said Anky Cyriaque. “Anky and I have  known each other for years, and I’ve always admired his cinematic vision and it feels like  the right time to join creative forces,” said Scott Hampton. 

Further announcements regarding casting, financing partners, and distribution will be announced in the coming months."