Horror Highlights: BEEFY FRANK, HUXLEY: THE ORACLE, THE DISINVITED

In today's Horror Highlighs, we have clips from Mike Carlo and Jason Alvino's new animated horror comedy series Beefy Frank, release details for Ben Mauro's HUXLEY: The Oracle, and the trailer for The Disinvited.

Christy Karacas Joins Outrageous New Animated Comedy-Horror Series BEEFY FRANK: "Animation gets a homemade helping of absurdity and attitude bigger than your Nonna’s meatballs as Beefy Frank, a bold new series from co-creators Mike Carlo and Jason Alvino, officially brings on acclaimed animator and showrunner Christy Karacas (Superjail!, Ballmastrz: 9009) as Executive Producer.

At a time when audiences are hungry for originality, the Beefy Frank team is serving up a genre-bending, unapologetically loaded adult animated series packed with humor, horror, heart, and authentic Italian-American flavor.

BEEFY FRANK is about Frank Vitaliano, a low-level mob “associate” who was accidentally mutated into a disembodied head with telekinetic powers during a job gone wrong. Fresh out of prison, Frank is crashing with his sister, trying to get his life together — all while becoming a reluctant role model to his dorky nephew, dodging his hardass parole officer, juggling his smokeshow monster girlfriend, and keeping a local wiseguy off his back. If Frank can’t make good, it’s back to the can… or worse!

Frank Vitaliano never knew when to quit while he was ahead, and now that he’s a head, he doesn’t know when to quit!

The inspiration for the show comes straight from the creators’ lives — growing up on Long Island with their beautifully crazy Italian families and “colorfully questionable” friends, while devouring every gloriously schlocky horror movie they could get their hands on in the VHS era.

“It’s like an animated antipasto of The Sopranos and Who’s the Boss? meets Basket Case and Re-Animator,” said co-creator Jason Alvino. “It’s personal, weird, and everything we love on one plate.”

Karacas says that combination of commercial appeal and sincerity drew him in:

“Italian culture is baked into pop culture. Horror is having a renaissance. But what really hooked me was how unexpectedly relatable this is. It's the perfect blend of heart and irreverence that makes for a hit animated comedy.”

By currently moving forward independently, the team is embracing total creative freedom to deliver a show that feels unique and true to their vision without compromise.

“The best stories come from authentic experiences and creative passion, so why not just make this ourselves? Four seasons of Superjail! didn’t start out as a pitch. It was an indie short that was rejected from every animation festival it was submitted to.” says Christy Karacas. “There’s an unserved audience out there that wants something new and original. We know, because we’re part of that audience.”

“We’ve been obsessed with Beefy Frank since the first sketch,” said co-creator Mike Carlo. “It feels good to be actively making the show we want to see, a show we know audiences are going to love as much as we do.”

The Beefy Frank pilot is now in production, with a premiere event targeted for 2026. Fans can follow for updates, behind-the-scenes clips, and sneak peeks at www.beefyfrank.tv"

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HUXLEY: THE ORACLE Release Details: "Acclaimed concept artist and visionary world-builder Ben Mauro, with HUXLEY: The Oracle, the first prequel in the epic HUXLEY saga. Published by Read-Only Memory, an imprint of Thames & Hudson, the richly illustrated graphic novel offers fans an origin story steeped in war, rebellion, and the early seeds of empire-wide upheaval.

HUXLEY: The Oracle will first be available internationally in the UK on October 30, 2025, with a global release on December 2, 2025. The 160-page hardcover volume features full-color artwork throughout, along with black-and-white development sketches and a cover gallery.

Set during the height of the Oracle Empire, HUXLEY: The Oracle which follows Max as he starts his career as a Ronin soldier designed to maintain order on the desert planet Fury‑7. Max becomes involved in a plot that threatens to destroy the empire while the AI-controlled empire fights brutal wars to maintain its control. His search for hidden secrets in the desert leads him to a path that will transform his identity while determining the destiny of the galaxy.

Featuring more than 100 full-color illustrations by an all-star lineup—Steve Chinhsuan Wang (Gears of War 5), Nikolas Gekko (Destiny 2, Halo Infinite), and Ben Mauro himself—alongside exclusive storyboards by Syama Pedersen (Astartes), The Oracle delivers a powerful fusion of storytelling and visual design.

“This is where it all begins,” says Mauro. “With The Oracle, it’s a story about identity, loyalty, and breaking free from control—brought to life through the kind of visual storytelling I’ve always loved.” 

HUXLEY: The Oracle will be available in two formats: a Standard Edition (MSRP: $50 ) and a Deluxe Slipcased Edition (MSRP: $100), limited to 500 copies, which includes a signed print and premium foil-stamped packaging.

HUXLEY: The Oracle is available for pre-order here and Amazon. For more information, visit huxleysaga.com.

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Dark Star Pictures Sets Release Dates for Award-Winning THE DISINVITED: "Dark Star Pictures has set release dates for Devin Lawrence’s THE DISINVITED, which will debut on VOD on all North American digital platforms November 18. The VOD release follows a theatrical roadshow that will see the film play San Francisco, Los Angeles, Rochester, and other cities. The film has just debuted its theatrical trailer here.

THE DISINVITED opens in San Francisco, CA on November 6, Rochester, NY on November 11, and Los Angeles, CA on November 14, with more cities and ticketing links to come. On November 13, it will have a “murder mystery themed” Los Angeles invitational premiere at the Lumiere Music Hall Beverly Hills.

Lawrence’s darkly comic, gritty, horror-tinged thriller is set against the stark, arid landscapes of high desert redoubt Joshua Tree, CA and the bustling urban backdrop of Los Angeles, with the narrative artfully bouncing between different timelines.

In the film, Carl decides, against his—or anyone else's—better judgment to crash an event where he is no longer welcome, setting off a day filled with betrayal, violence, heartache, and exes who should never get back together. When Carl discovers he isn't the only unwanted guest in the desert, he is forced to decide whether to save himself or risk everything for those who have wronged him.

THE DISINVITED stars Sam Daly (Bel-Air, Bull, Madam Secretary), Dani Reynolds, Ryan Vincent (BLONDE), D.K. Uzoukwu (Clean Slate), Alana Johnston (The UCB Show), Samantha Jean Kwok, and Ronnie Gene Blevins (Tulsa King, Westworld, True Detective).

The film had a robust outing on the festival circuit and claimed the Audience Award for Feature Narrative at Dances with Films Los Angeles in 2024.

Director Devin Lawrance concludes, “This was supposed to be a horror film. Straight horror. Easily identifiable. Quickly categorized. But as the story developed, something stranger emerged: a genre-bending psychological thriller dark comedy that doesn’t fit neatly in one box. The Disinvited is disturbing, funny, relatable, and thrilling…we invite the audience to watch it and let us know whose side they’re on. And who would be their +1. And if the Devil likes cookies.”