Ghostface hosts, Freddy Krueger, the Cryptkeeper & M3GAN are guests, and your favorite skeleton gets top billing: LVCRFT's ‘Skeleton Sam’s Deadtime Stories’ rises from the grave October 1: "LVCRFT, the spooky-music supergroup and horror media company whose members write global pop hits by day and Halloween records by night, releases its 8th album, ‘Skeleton Sam’s Deadtime Stories’, on October 1. Every October, several hundred thousand people wander through haunted mazes in Southern California and immerse themselves in the spooky music that LVCRFT witchcrafts. Almost none of them know it. The coven scores mazes at Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor and conjures all the live entertainment there, plus music for LA’s Haunted Hayride and Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns, which means they write for a hard R walkthrough and a family pumpkin stroll in the same season and haunt both properly.
On October 1, they stop haunting other people’s houses and throw open their own.
‘Skeleton Sam’s Deadtime Stories’ is not shaped like any record they have made before. It is shaped like a late night horror broadcast that clawed its way out of somebody’s basement: a
legendary ghost-host, epic film trailers for features nobody can watch yet, scarily fun skits wedged between pop bops, culminating in twenty-seven songs and interludes that dig through the whole graveyard of the genre. A music-driven anthology series inspired by the album is being raised as we speak.
Two layers of host, which is the correct number for an anthology. Skeleton Sam presents the album, and he hosts the anthology series it inspired. On the record itself the mic belongs to somebody else: our unnamed Host, voiced by the incomparable Roger L. Jackson, who has been Ghostface since 1996 and turns up throughout, from the opening segment to the sign-off. Handing the segment intros to the man who has spent thirty years asking people about their favorite scary movie is the most on the nose thing LVCRFT has ever done, and it works.
He has company. Plenty of it. John Kassir, the voice of the Cryptkeeper, turns up on “Dead Heart Beat,” which is either a passing of the torch or a professional checking on his replacement. Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp, Freddy and his first victim, share “Scream For Halloween” with directors Mick Garris and Robert Rodriguez. Bruce Campbell of ‘Evil Dead’ gets a track named after him, and with Alyssa Sutherland of ‘Evil Dead Rise’ on “The Other Side,” the two of them share an album forty years apart in the same franchise. Ernie Hudson of ‘Ghostbusters’ takes on the Vincent Price-esque role on “Possessed,” and plays himself in a skit earlier. David Dastmalchian of ‘Late Night with the Devil’ gets everybody on their feet for the “Halloween Hop.” Jenna Davis, the voice of M3GAN, rides shotgun on “Devil In My Rearview.” Jasmin Savoy Brown of ‘Yellowjackets’ sings the focus track “My Boo,” which comes with a zombie love story music video. Katharine Isabelle of ‘Ginger Snaps’ sings “Sweet Kristine,” and composer Christopher Young, who scored LVCRFT’s 2022 album ‘Scream Warriors,’ closes the record on “Cabinet Of Horrors.” Cindy Weintraub of ‘Humanoids from the Deep’ plays a character named Principal Weintraub, which is its own kind of casting. Cynthia Garris, Johnny Plague and Monte Revolta feature across the record.
The ghoul whose name is on the marquee has had a career. Skeleton Sam was conjured in 2019 as a song on an album a room of pop songwriters made in a week because they were sick of hearing the same four Halloween records at every party. The song has since passed 8.5 million on-demand streams, GQ called the album it came from “a clear ancestor of iconic Halloween hits like ‘The Monster Mash’ & ‘Thriller!,’” and in 2022 it ran as the lead track in ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ and became the eighth most Shazamed song in the country. Somewhere in there Sam picked up a legal name, Samuel St. Skelevoie, and a lost love called Seraphina, whose rescue was the entire plot of the 2023 album ‘V,’ narrated by a found letter in which Sam begged listeners for help. Seven years on, he has stopped asking for favors, put his name above the door and hired a voice. The stories are about other people now.
Which brings up the strangest thing about LVCRFT, and it is not the cast. It is the coven.
By day they write global pop hits. LVCRFT was summoned in 2019 by Evan Kidd Bogart, who co-wrote Beyoncé’s Grammy winning “Halo” and Rihanna’s number one “SOS”; Amanda Warner, who records as MNDR and wrote Mark Ronson’s “Bang Bang Bang,” Charli XCX’s “Vroom Vroom” and Flume’s “Like Water”; and Grammy winning producer and engineer Peter Wade. The coven expands to songwriters like Bonnie McKee, who wrote “Teenage Dream,”
“Roar” and “California Gurls”; Sarah Hudson, who co-wrote Dua Lipa’s “Levitating”; Uffie, who co-wrote P!nk and Khalid’s “Hurts 2B Human”; and Sarah Barrios, LVCRFT’s co-lead singer and the voice of the Halloween staple “Skeleton Sam,” among dozens of other hitmakers who have passed through the coven, a who’s who of pop songwriting in Halloween masks. By night they answer to other names. Bogart is Lil’ Punkin. Wade is Norman Crates. Warner is DeepKutz. McKee is Evil McQueen. Hudson is Olivia Demon Spawn. Barrios is Scary Ana Grande. Nobody involved treats this as a bit.
Bloody Disgusting has called the work “deliciously dark, often seductively playful, and always guaranteed to get your cold, dead heart beating again.”
“Spooky Never Sleeps” started as a mantra and turned into a release calendar. LVCRFT have snuck Halloween songs into Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Pride, Summerween and Half-O Ween, on the theory that a holiday is just an excuse and October is a state of mind. They make the same point in July, as a returning fixture at Midsummer Scream, the horror convention that draws 60,000 people a year. The rest of the evidence is scattered across the calendar too: eight albums since 2019, Dia De Los Muertos EPs in 2022 and 2023, songs still creeping through Spirit Halloween stores nationwide, and placements in ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ on Disney+, ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ and ‘Hubie Halloween’ on Netflix, ‘Flack’ on Amazon Prime, and ‘Chucky.’ From 2022 through 2024 they witchcrafted the theme to Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween three years running, with covers of “Spooky Scary Skeletons” and Andrew Gold’s “It Must Be Halloween.”
‘Skeleton Sam’s Deadtime Stories’ arrives October 1 on all digital platforms, with the music driven anthology series to follow. Sam has stories for days. And nights. Mostly nights.
Starring
Roger L. Jackson (‘Scream,’ Ghostface), host · Bruce Campbell (‘Evil Dead’) · John Kassir (‘Tales from the Crypt,’ the Cryptkeeper) · Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) · Heather Langenkamp (‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’) · Robert Rodriguez (‘From Dusk Till Dawn,’ ‘The Faculty’) · Mick Garris (‘Masters of Horror,’ ‘The Stand’) · David Dastmalchian (‘Late Night with the Devil’) · Ernie Hudson (‘Ghostbusters’) · Jasmin Savoy Brown (‘Yellowjackets’) · Katharine Isabelle (‘Ginger Snaps’) · Alyssa Sutherland (‘Evil Dead Rise’) · Jenna Davis (‘M3GAN’) · Christopher Young (‘Hellraiser,’ ‘Pet Sematary’) · Cindy Weintraub (‘Humanoids from the Deep’) · Michael Leon Wooley · Monte Revolta · Cynthia Garris · Johnny Plague · MNDR
‘Skeleton Sam’s Deadtime Stories’ by LVCRFT
About LVCRFT
LVCRFT is a spooky-music supergroup and horror media company founded in 2019 by songwriters Evan Kidd Bogart, Amanda “MNDR” Warner and producer Peter Wade, who spend the rest of the year writing global pop hits. The coven has put out eight albums since, scores the mazes and live entertainment at Thirteenth Floor’s Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor, LA’s Haunted Hayride and Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns, and has placed music in ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,’ ‘Hubie Halloween,’ ‘Flack’ and ‘Chucky.’ Spooky Never Sleeps.
lvcrft.net · @lvcrftofficial on Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok"
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Focus Features and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster Set May 7, 2027 Theatrical Release For Curry Barker’s Anything But Ghosts: "Focus Features and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster announced today that Anything But Ghosts, the highly anticipated next feature from filmmaker Curry Barker, will be released nationwide on May 7, 2027. Focus has worldwide rights on the film and Universal Pictures International will handle international distribution for the studio.
Anything But Ghosts is written and directed by Barker and co-written by longtime creative collaborator Cooper Tomlinson. Anything But Ghosts stars Tomlinson and Barker as wannabe “ghosthunters” who find themselves in over their heads as things spiral wildly and terrifyingly out of control. Violet McGraw and Chris Reinacher also star with Bryce Dallas Howard and Aaron Paul.
Following the worldwide, record-breaking success of Obsession, Anything But Ghosts marks Barker’s return to the big screen with another bold, original theatrical event from one of filmmaking’s most exciting new voices. The film reunites Focus Features and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, following their collaboration on Obsession, alongside producers Jason Blum (Blumhouse), Roy Lee and Steven Schneider (Spooky Pictures), Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath (Divide/Conquer), in association with Image Nation and That’s a Bad Idea. Executive producers are Daniel Bekerman, Curry Barker, Cooper Tomlinson and Image Nation’s Ben Ross.
Looking ahead, Focus’ 2026 and beyond slate spans a variety of films for every audience, including Robert Eggers’Werwulf, releasing on Christmas Day and continuing the studio’s ongoing collaboration with the acclaimed horror director; Elsinore from Simon Stone starring Andrew Scott in a deeply emotional and profound performance; Georgia Oakley’s fresh take on Jane Austen’s beloved classic, Sense and Sensibility; Sarah Polley’s The Bell Jar starring Billie Eilish in her debut feature role; Occupant from Josh Giuliano; comedies 42.6, starring Andy Samberg and Annette Bening, and Mike Birbiglia's Old Friends New Friends, and more."
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Silverlake Scream Show Returns for its Fifth Annual Halloween Horror Showcase: "Los Angeles’ own Silverlake Scream Show returns with its biggest year yet; the world premiere of a brand-new horror anthology featuring seven original indie shorts from emerging filmmakers. Silverlake Scream Show: Volume 5 will premiere October 24, 2026, at the historic Mica Studios in Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now via Eventbrite and available first-come first-serve.
Silverlake Scream Show is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to spotlighting new voices in horror while building a creative and educational hub for lovers of horror cinema. All proceeds from ticket sales go back to the nonprofit and supporting emerging filmmakers.
Past films from its program have gone on to screen at prestigious festivals including SXSW, Beyond Fest, Fantastic Fest, Telluride Horror, Palm Springs ShortFest, Brooklyn Horror, and more.
This year’s anthology centers on a video rental store on a stormy fall night, where employees (Felix Wolfe and Wyatt Miller) and an unwitting customer (Emmie Ray) decide to watch what is rumored to be a “cursed” DVD. What follows is a chilling collection of chapters featuring demons in boxes, a haunted duvet cover, contagious rashes and even an ancient water god.
But Silverlake Scream Show is more than a screening – it’s a full-blown Halloween costume party and celebration of Los Angeles’ horror community. Guests can:
Show off their Halloween best (costumes are strongly encouraged)
Explore local vendors & pop-ups
Dance to a live DJ
Grab bites from local food trucks and sip handcrafted cocktail “potions” courtesy of Dulce Vida Tequila
“Silverlake Scream Show isn’t just a screening or Halloween party. It’s a space to build community, network with like-minded horror film fans, and support young, up-and-coming filmmakers, all within the heart of Los Angeles,” says Marshall Kistner, producer and Scream Show board member.
Event Details:
Saturday, October 24, 2026 Doors at 6 PM
Tickets: $20 via Eventbrite — Buy Tickets Here
Silverlake Scream Show: Volume 5 is made possible with support from its 2026 sponsors, including iam8bit, Toxic Waste Candy, Wrapbook, Untamed Indie, James Jones and Carol Ireton-Jones Foundation, Matt Assemi Chiropractic, California Credit Union, Old Fast Glass, Simple DCP, and Videotheque.
Join Silverlake Scream Show this Halloween for an unforgettable mix of cinema, community, costumes, and celebration - a horror gathering unlike anything else in Los Angeles.
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About Silverlake Scream Show
Founded in 2025, Silverlake Scream Show is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to uplifting horror creators by providing funding, production support, and a stage to showcase their work. With an emphasis on the transformative power of film, SSS strives to give directors the opportunity to use horror as a meaningful way to explore, process and spark conversation around issues that matter most to them. Each year, SSS hosts a Halloween anthology screening that premieres new horror shorts by emerging filmmakers. Silverlake Scream Show is based in Los Angeles and run by Charlie Schwan, Max Friedman, Jacob Bottorff, Wyatt Miller and Marshall Kistner. Visit Silverlakescreamshow.com for more info or follow Scream Show on Instagram."
After more than a decade as a consultant in the entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who passionately explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He is also consulted with as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, film festivals, and conventions.
After more than a decade as a consultant in the entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who passionately explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He is also consulted with as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, film festivals, and conventions.
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