Horror films have been a staple of cinema since at least the 1920s, when “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari” and “Nosferatu” defined postwar German Expressionism. Today, the genre has been defined and redefined through myriad artists who have brought their visions to even greater audiences. Variety’s first Horror Impact Report highlights the filmmakers, producers, executives, voices and festival mavens pushing the boundaries of genre films and content. Variety will also host the Hollywood and Horror event Oct. 15, where speakers include Jason Blum and Sam Zimmerman, senior VP, programming, at Shudder.
Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter
Richard Brener
President, chief content office
Dave Neustadter
Executive VP, production & head of creative development
New Line Cinema
Thirty-year New Line vet Brener leads New Line while Neustadter oversees the company’s horror hits, including all nine films in “The Conjuring” franchise. The latest, “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” set a record as the biggest opening for a horror film at $194 million worldwide in early September. It beat out 2017’s “It,” which Neustadter also shepherded. Another recent New Line-produced hit, “Weapons,” scored for Warner Bros., as did “Companion.” And “Final Destination: Bloodlines” revived the franchise. Upcoming projects include the anticipated “Mortal Kombat II,” Lee Cronin’s “The Mummy” and “The Revenge of La Llorona.”
Zach Cregger
Filmmaker
Cregger directed a contender for the year’s best horror film and one of the summer’s most unexpected hits: “Weapons,” grossing over $250 million at the worldwide box office. Cregger slipped onto the horror scene in 2022 with his feature debut “Barbarian,” emerging from comedy — he was one of the lead creators and stars of the sketch series “The Whitest Kids U Know.” Up next, Cregger will direct the new “Resident Evil” film adaptation, based on a script he co-wrote with Shay Hatten.
Ryan Coogler
Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f
Filmmaker
Coogler’s box office hit “Sinners” was a complex history of the Jim Crow South and the different cultures that combined into a legacy that managed to thrive under societal repression disguised as a banger of a vampire horror pic. It had everything a horror aficionado could want: gore, classic vampire lore, lots of violence and Michael B. Jordan going all Rambo on a bunch of white supremacists.
Nia DaCosta
Image Credit: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Ima
Filmmaker
Genre films have always dealt in issues that impact marginilized members of society, and DaCosta certainly addresses themes surrounding the Black community and women, and with 2021’s “Candyman,” she jumped into horror. A Black female director is, unfortunately, rare, but DaCosta rode the success of “Candyman” into “The Marvels,” and her own twist on Hedda Gabler with “Hedda.” But fans are really excited about what she’ll bring to Sony’s zombie thriller “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” part two of “28 Years Later.”
Mitch Davis
Artistic director & director of international programming, Fantasia Film Festival
Davis is the longest-running genre-festival programmer in North America, racking up respect at Montreal’s massive and influential international Fantasia Film Festival, where he’s been since 1997. The festival slots fiction features, animation, shorts and docs, and also sports juried competition sections and audience awards. Davis is also a director and producer, and has written about genre for several publications and books.
Lisa Dreyer
Image Credit: Trevor Garza
Director, Fantastic Fest
As head of the largest and most influential genre festival in the U.S., Dreyer has a huge impact on horror features, and as the Austin, Texas-based fest celebrates its 20-year anniversary, it has played a huge role in championing independent genre filmmakers. She started at the fest as a volunteer in 2018 and was named director in 2022. Under her watch, such fan faves as “V/H/S/ Beyond“ and “Saw X” bowed, while Dreyer & Co. Continue to champion fresh voices. One new initiative is Fantastic Pitches in partnership with Chroma Pictures in which the winning pitch gets $100,000 to complete their film, a guaranteed world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026 and global all-rights distribution through Chroma, which is backed by Narrative Distribution.
Xero Gravity
Image Credit: Andrew Fennell
Journalist
A genre writer who has contributed to publications like Fangoria, BET and Dread Central, Gravity is focused on sharpening a distinctive social media voice showcasing the best of the genre. From interviews to videos to hosting vibrant panels and discussions, Gravity brings an energy that mixes knowledge, professionalism and fan excitement.
Heidi Honeycutt
Director of programming, Etheria Film Festival
Along with Stacy Pippi Hammon, Honeycutt co-founded the Etheria Film Festival in 2014, and serves as the director of programming. The Kansas City, Mo.-based festival showcases short genre films directed by women. It has been a platform for creatives like Chloe Okuno, Axelle Carolyn and Rose McGowan, and has partnered with Shudder to show selected films.
Stephen King
Image Credit: Variety via Getty Images
Writer
King has been writing horror classics for more than 50 years, and his works have been adapted for film, TV and even Broadway almost as long as he’s been writing them. But in 2025, King’s works have been especially popular: on the big screen, there’s “The Monkey” to “The Long Walk” to “The Running Man” and “The Institute” and “It” spinoff “Welcome to Derry” on the small screen. The prolific writer’s works continue to be fertile ground for adaptations.
Justin LaLiberty
Producer, Vinegar Syndrome
Director of operations, OCN Distribution
LaLiberty has been an archivist at Vinegar Syndrome, the distribution company focused on genre, cult and horror films, since 2019. He’s also the director of operations at OCN Distribution, a sister company that handles manufacturing and fulfillment. Vinegar Syndrome has given new life to countless nearly-lost giallo, slasher and exploitation classics, including collections like “Bloodstained Italy.”
Roy Lee
Image Credit: FilmMagic
Producer
A giant in the genre sector, Lee’s prolific output includes such seminal hits as “The Ring,” “The Grudge” and their sequels, “The Woman in Black” and “Barbarian.” Through his Spooky Pictures shingle, Lee also produced 2024 hit “Late Night With the Devil.” In 2025, he saw “Companion” do brisk business, while “Weapons” was summer’s sleeper hit. Stephen King adaptation “The Long Walk” scored at the box office in a September release. Upcoming projects in development include a remake of the 1978 horror-thriller “Magic,” and a long-in-development “Bioshock” feature.
Adam Lewinson
Image Credit: Tubi
Chief content officer, Tubi
Tubi has grown quickly by recognizing that niche programming doesn’t mean small numbers. The streamer offers a huge selection of genre features and series (free with commercial breaks) that has created a loyal following among genre fans. Tubi has also been producing original horror content since 2022, including “Great White Waters” and “Please Don’t Feed the Children.” In June, Tubi announced that it hit 100 million monthly active users. “You have to hyper-focus on personalization, and making sure that your viewers are watching what’s really relevant to them,” he said in June at a streaming conference.
Mary Beth McAndrews
Image Credit: Mary Beth
Editor-in-chief, Dread Central
A filmmaker, author and critic, McAndrews’ Dread Central is a go-to website for horror fans. There, she has sought to expand the content and writing pool to “provide a platform for underrepresented voices not just in film, but in horror journalism” with a spotlight on minority voices in the genre. She also co-hosts the “Scarred for Life” podcast and has run fundraisers with the site’s “Horror Is Political” merchandise to raise money for such organizations as the Trevor Project.
Andy and Barbara Muschietti
Filmmakers, producers
The director and producer behind the blockbuster “It” franchise look to expand the Stephen King universe even more with “It: Welcome to Derry” for HBO Max. Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as the terrifying clown Pennywise. In 2021, the brother and sister team launched label Double Dream, with “Attack on Titan” in development
Phil Nobile Jr.
Image Credit: Credit: Nanor Zinzalian
Editor-in-chief, Fangoria
Nobile became Fangoria editor-in-chief in 2018 and under his tenure he evolved the magazine into a prestige quarterly publication, featuring bylines from such auteurs as Paul Thomas Anderson, Jordan Peele and Stephen Graham Jones. He’s also pushed the 46-year-old brand into a more vocally progressive position over the years, both editorially and via initiatives like Fango’s annual Pride shirt fundraiser, which has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local LGBTQ+ organizations. He’s the executive producer of the acclaimed documentaries “Horror Noire” and “Queer for Fear.”
Tom Owen
VP, network strategy, Cineverse
Co-founder of genre site Bloody Disgusting, which was acquired by Cinedigm (now Cineverse) in 2021, Owen oversees an expanding horror media empire that includes podcasts, publishing, events, social media platforms and most importnat, fast-growing streamer Screambox, home of hit movies and series including “Terrifier 2” and “Terrifier 3,” as well as recent pickup “Pig Hill” and such theatrical releases as “The Toxic Avenger.”
Osgood Perkins
Filmmaker, producer
Perkins wrote and directed well-received atmospheric slow burns like “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” and “I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House” but it was the one-two punch of “Longlegs” in late 2024 and “The Monkey” in early 2025 that solidified him as one of the genre’s most unique and fascinating filmmakers. His films mix genuine dread with a spirit of fun and serve as fascinating character studies with standout performances. His latest directorial effort, “The Keeper,” hits theaters in November.
Danny and Michael Philippou
Filmmakers
The Australian identical twin brothers made a splash among genre fans when they transitioned from YouTube creators to directing the energetic and emotional 2023 supernatural feature “Talk to Me.” That film took in $143 million worldwide. The duo returned in 2025 with the darker follow-up “Bring Her Back.” On the horizon, they are set to direct a “Talk to Me” sequel for A24.
Peter Phok
Image Credit: Getty Images for A24
Producer
The producer’s close collaboration with filmmaker Ti West has yielded such cult favorites as the “X” trilogy — “Pearl,” “Maxxine” and “X” — as well the “The House of the Devil” and “The Innkeepers.” Upcoming is Sonja O’Hara’s “Cottagecore,” which Verve Ventures and UTA Independent Film Group introduced to buyers at June’s Tribeca Creators Market, and Jenny Leigh Reed’s “Feed” in July’s Frontières Co-Production Market, which runs in conjunction with the Fantasia Intl. Film Festival.
Ryan Turek
Image Credit: Molly Pan
Producer, VP, development, Blumhouse
Turek, whose credits include “M3GAN,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “Imaginary,” among others, started as a journalist who co-founded the influential DreadCentral.com and then moved into production. His next project for the genre powerhouse is “Insidious 6,” which he is executive producing. This new entry follows the massive success of 2023’s “Insidious: The Red Door,” which earned nearly $190 million globally. The sixth installment of the Blumhouse production is slated for release in August 2026 by Sony Pictures.
Eli Roth
Image Credit: Val Flores
Filmmaker, producer
Few names in horror carry as much weight as Roth’s. In 2025, the “Cabin Fever” and “Hostel” filmmaker showed no sign of slowing down within the genre, launching the Horror Section with Media Capital Technologies in March, allowing fans to directly support Roth’s forthcoming films and share in their profits. Its first acquisition was “Jimmy and Stiggs,” written and directed by Joe Begos, that was released in August on 800 screens. Roth’s got “Ice Cream Man” for the Horror Section on deck, which he is slated to direct, produce and write. Roth exec produced docuseries “Let the Devil In,” which is a hit for MGM+
James Wan
CEO, founder, Atomic Monster
The visionary director who kicked off the “Saw,” “Insidious” and “Conjuring” franchises, Wan saw the latter come to a conclusion this year, serving as a producer on blockbuster “The Conjuring: Last Rights.” Under his production company, Atomic Monster, he also produced “The Monkey” and “M3GAN 2.0” this year and is set to release five more titles in 2026. Fans can look forward to Netflix’s “True Haunting” series, set to drop Oct. 7, from the master of horror.
Samara Weaving
Image Credit: Getty Images
Actor
Weaving’s turn in such films as “The Babysitter” and its sequel, “Mayhem,” “Ready or Not,” “Scream VI” and “Azrael” has made her the most recent royal in the “scream queen” pantheon. The versatile actor has edgy thriller “Over Your Dead Body,” “Caroline Caroline” and “Ready or Not: Here I Come” on deck.
Sam Zimmerman
Senior VP, programming and acquisitions, Shudder
As genre streamer Shudder celebrates its 10th anniversary, it upped Zimmerman, who has worked with such filmmakers as Issa López, Chloe Okuno, Jayro Bustamante, Coralie Fargeat, Josh Ruben, David Bruckner, Demian Rugna and Jennifer Reeder. Managing the curation of the seminal horror label and deeply involved in every aspect of the streamer, Zimmerman oversaw the streaming and theatrical releases of “The Ugly Stepsister,” “The Rule of Jenny Pen,” and “Clown in a Cornfield.”