Horror Highlights: UNIVERSAL HORROR UNLEASHED, MIDSUMMER SCREAM, RETURN TO SILENT HILL, SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT

UNIVERSAL HORROR UNLEASHED: “This August, twisted minds will unleash new, twisted fun in Las Vegas. Dive into the experience and making of two more haunted houses: Universal Monsters and Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer.”

Opening in Las Vegas on August 14, 2025. Learn more at: https://www.universalhorrorunleashed.com/

See where our Universal Monsters dwell: Step into the terrifying worlds of Universal Monsters, one of the four frightening haunted houses at Universal Horror Unleashed.

Lean in and listen: Meet Dave Solo, a notorious lifelong horror enthusiast, as he takes over our podcast to dive into his connection to the genre and our all-new experience.

Step into the story of Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer: Share the fate of two possessed girls as you withstand the assault of an ancient demon.

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HALL OF SHADOWS BIGGER AND MORE TERRIFYING THAN EVER AT MIDSUMMER SCREAM 2025: “The massive Hall of Shadows dark zone returns to Midsummer Scream, the world’s largest Halloween and horror convention, featuring a stunning array of haunted attractions, photo ops, and live entertainment August 15 to August 17 at the Long Beach Convention Center. Passes for this year’s show are on sale now at MidsummerScream.com.

This year’s Hall of Shadows features the largest entryway experience to date — taking on the dark, sinister theme of “Le Carnaval du Diable,” which translates to “The Devil’s Carnival.” The master of scare-monies is none other than Mr. Floats, the infamous medieval clown that’s on the hunt for souls to add to his growing collection!

Lionsgate returns with the thrilling next chapter of last year’s unprecedented debut as the first attraction ever created for the Hall of Shadows by a movie studio. Soon, guests will have the chance to venture into Lionsgate’s Gears of Fear 2: Stranger Danger!

All passes for Midsummer Scream include admission to every attraction in the Hall of Shadows. Guests holding Gold Bat VIP credentials will enjoy priority access to most attractions in the Hall of Shadows, bypassing General Admission standby queues. Hall of Shadows will be open to guests all three days of Midsummer Scream — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 15 to August 17.

“Le Carnaval du Diable features our most ambitious Hall of Shadows lineup ever,” says Rick West, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Midsummer Scream. “Mr. Floats and his minion welcome Midsummer Scream guests into the darkness through a fog-shrouded haunted forest and forbidding carnival, before releasing them into the rest of the hall, which is packed with walk-through mazes and amazing displays, created by some of the most talented haunters from Southern California and beyond. It’s a Halloween fan’s nightmare come true, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone!”

Within the night-like expanse of the Hall of Shadows, guests can explore more than a dozen spooky attractions, elaborate displays, frightening photo ops, and live entertainment that include: An abandoned 1920s funhouse filled with vintage spooks, courtesy of Straite to Hale; a Nosferatu-themed professional photo shoot provided by Rawl of the Dead; a ghastly display of oversized props and a ’91 Cadillac Brougham hearse from the beloved home haunt Clowns v Skeletons; a kingdom in peril, literally, complete with castle walls, panicked townsfolk, and a fire-breathing dragon, from the amazing CalHauntS group; a whimsical display promoting Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group’s Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns event, featuring the world’s largest grinning pumpkin; a Celtic graveyard busy with ghostly activity from the legendary Haunt With No Name… Yet; a once-thriving farmstead now rotting under a deadly curse that echoes through its creaking halls, where the only sign of life happens to be in the pumpkin patch, where guests 21 and older will find a pop-up bar — a ghoulish combo attraction conjured up by the unstoppable team at Fear Farm; terrifying encounters with lurking monsters and a 360° photo experience from everyone’s favorite Haunted Carwash; a preview of Realm of Shadow’s new attraction for Halloween, where the Lord of Shadow invites guests to visit his ancient crypt and throne room; a frightful romp through Sid’s twisted toy box, filled with broken and forgotten playthings, from the crew of the Pizza Planet Truck and Art’s Sideshow Collectibles; a tribute to all things horror from The Haunted Harvest; a preview of things to come as guests experience the Seven Deadly Sins as presented by Eulogy Collective (formerly Santa Ana Haunt); a stroll through the Whitechapel district of old London, where there’s a certain slasher on the loose, thanks to Lights Out, returning to the Fairplex in Pomona this fall; and to round out the offerings, a creepy, good old fashioned haunted manor, from H&L’s Realm of Horror.

To the delight of fans of all ages, the Decayed Brigade slides back into the Hall of Shadows with a brand-new, high-energy sliding and stunt exhibition, delivering powerhouse chills and thrills Friday night, followed by three shows daily both Saturday and Sunday.

All of this and more will be waiting — lurking just out of sight in the murky gloom of the Hall of Shadows — when the doors to Midsummer Scream creak open the evening of Friday, August 15, in Long Beach.

Plan your weekend in advance, “like” panels and presentations and attractions that you’re interested in, connect with fellow fans, and browse hundreds of vendors with the redesigned Midsummer Scream app, now available as a free download in the Apple and Android stores!

For breaking information about Midsummer Scream, sign up for our digital newsletter at MidsummerScream.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook by searching @midsummerscream.”

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Cineverse and Iconic Events Releasing to Make Noise at Theaters with Wide Distribution of Silent Night, Deadly Night and Return to Silent Hill: “Cineverse (Nasdaq: CNVS), a next-generation entertainment studio, and Bloody Disgusting, its horror division, have today announced that Iconic Events Releasing will be the theatrical distribution partner for the upcoming horror films Silent Night, Deadly Night and Return to Silent Hill.

Billy Chapman will make his return to theaters on December 12 in Silent Night, Deadly Night, which started production in April. The reboot of the franchise, Silent Night, Deadly Night is written and directed by Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn, V/H/S/85) and stars Rohan Campbell as Billy and Ruby Modine as Pamela, along with Mark Acheson, David Lawrence Brown, and David Tomlinson.

Based on the popular video game series by KONAMI, Return to Silent Hill will be released January 23, 2026. The psychological horror thriller stars Jeremy Irvine (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, War Horse) and Hannah Emily Anderson (X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Jigsaw). Returning to the Silent Hill universe are director/co-writer Christophe Gans (Silent Hill (2006), Beauty and the Beast, Brotherhood of The Wolf) and Akira Yamaoka, original composer for the game franchise.

“We have been anything but silent about our mission to champion proven IP as a central piece of our theatrical strategy,” said Cineverse Chief Motion Pictures Officer Yolanda Macias. “These two films will represent event viewing that meet fan demand for new releases from their favorite franchises, and an opportunity for them to reach a new audience.”

“Cineverse’s decision to release Silent Night, Deadly Night as an unrated wide theatrical title reflects a proven strategy that continues to resonate with genre fans and deliver results and we’re confident it will be well-positioned for the holiday season,” said Mark Rupp, CFO/COO and co-founder of Iconic Events Releasing. “Return to Silent Hill hits theaters at the perfect time following the successful recent launch of the Silent Hill 2 game remake that the movie is based on, while also celebrating the 20th anniversary of the start of the horror film franchise.”

Silent Night, Deadly Night is produced by the original 1984 Tri-Star film’s producers Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead and New Dimension’s Jamie R. Thompson (Old Henry, Gunslingers), Rebel 6’s Erik Bernard, and White Bear Films’ Jeremy Torrie, with executive producers Steven Schneider (Insidious) Anthony Masi (Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, Unknown Dimension), and Sarah Eilts. Brandon Hill & Brad Miska (Terrifier 3) will oversee for Cineverse and will executive produce alongside Erick Opeka and Yolanda Macias, Bondit Media Capital’s Matthew Helderman and Luke Taylor. Financing by Bondit Media Capital and Royal Bank of Canada. Distribution outside of North America is being handled by Sixth Dimension, the new genre label of StudioCanal.

When it was released in 1984, the first Silent Night, Deadly Night quickly became the most controversial movie of the year.  In a series of letters, parents demanded the film be pulled from theaters.  According to Bloody Disgusting, Tri-Star, the film’s original distributor, “responded to all the outrage by doing just that – an act that would ensure SNDN’s place in the halls of horror film infamy. In an instant, Silent Night, Deadly Night transformed from just another slasher film to a veritable cult classic, the very people who sought to banish it from existence serving to make it one of the most must-see horror films of the entire decade.”

Return to Silent Hill is the third installment in the game-to-screen horror film franchise, marking its 20th year since the first film, Silent Hill, was released in theaters. Starring Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean and directed by Christophe Gans, Silent Hill topped the box office its opening weekend in 2006. Silent Hill: Revelation followed in 2012 directed by M.J. Bassett and starring Kit Harington and Adelaide Clemens. Known for his deep reverence for the original game, Christophe Gans is back to direct Return to Silent Hill, driven to maintain the film adaptation’s faithfulness to the game hoping fans will “enjoy and be fulfilled with the experience this new film has to offer.”

It follows James (Irvine), a man broken after his relationship with the love of his life, Mary (Anderson), ends. When a mysterious letter from her calls him back to Silent Hill, he finds a once-recognizable town transformed by an unknown evil. While James desperately searches for Mary he encounters terrifying creatures and begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to the town. But as he descends deeper into the darkness the secrets he uncovers lead to a horrifying truth, and James finds himself struggling to hold on long enough to save his one true love. Produced by Victor Hadida of Davis Films (The Crow, Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises), Molly Hassell of Hassell Free Productions (The Crow, Terminal, Braven) and David Wulf (Call Jane, The Card Counter, Inheritance), the film is financed by Davis Films and Ashland Hill Media Finance. The Veterans handle international rights.”