{"id":868365,"date":"2026-10-02T15:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T15:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/868365\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T15:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T15:06:08","slug":"night-of-the-living-dead-microdrama-set-for-new-app-room418","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/868365\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Night Of The Living Dead’ Microdrama Set For New App Room418"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE: A newly-established microdrama<\/a> business geared towards horror is adapting genre classic Night of the Living Dead<\/a> ahead of its full launch.<\/p>\n

\n\tL.A.-based Room418<\/a> is positioning itself as a studio and platform that puts \u201cvertical-first originals at the center of a dedicated destination for horror fans, alongside curated programming in vertical, horizontal and mixed formats.\u201d A slate of acquired shows will launch the vertical video<\/a> app, with original productions following.<\/p>\n

\n\tFormer Blink49 Studios, CBC and Shaftesbury exec Dylen Postnikoff is leading Room418 as co-founder and CEO. Postnikoff, a comms and marketing specialist who helped shape the international profiles of Schitt\u2019s Creek and Anne With an E, has been working at Wild Cards maker Blink49 since June last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith horror from emerging creators already one of the stories of the year in film and TV through the successes of Curry Barker\u2019s Obsession and Kane Parsons\u2019 Backrooms, Room418 is looking to tap into the zeitgeist. As such, it is planning on working with creatives who\u2019ve found success on Wattpad and digital platforms.<\/p>\n

\n\tAn invite-only beta version of the Room418 app will launch this fall ahead of a commercial launch, featuring a slate of licensed horror content. Ten original and adapted projects have been optioned and are in development as well. <\/p>\n

\n\tNotably on the development slate is a vertical reimagining of George A. Romero\u2019s 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead. The film has been in the public domain since its original release due to an error by its original distributor. The news comes hours after Deadline revealed<\/a> filming has wrapped on Twilight of the Dead, a horror pic considered the \u201cfinal chapter\u201d of the late Romero\u2019s zombie saga.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso on the slate is a screen adaptation of Ben Sobieck\u2019s When the Black-Eyed Children Knock, which was popular on Wattpad. Room418 and Slash Management are also co-producing an original project with digital horror creator Monse Gutierrez, whose social handle is @CVNELA. The company is also collaborating with L.A.-based REELi Studios on an original horror series inspired by Filipino folklore, with production planned in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhat makes horror so interesting globally is that fear is universal, but the mythology is local,\u201d said Postnikoff. \u201cEvery market has its own stories, folklore and voices, and horror audiences are unusually willing to cross borders to discover them. At the same time, mobile has changed where discovery actually happens. We\u2019re building Room418 to connect a global genre audience with a new generation of creators and stories designed for the way people are watching now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Room418 team see horror as particularly well-suited to the growing microdrama market, with cliffhangers and fan culture making aligning the genre with vertical video\u2019s quick-hit format.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cVertical changes more than the frame,\u201d said Postnikoff. \u201cIt changes the rhythm of the storytelling, how quickly you establish a world, where you build tension and how you earn the next episode. What excites us is what that unlocks. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA microseries can be a complete entertainment experience in its own right, but it can also introduce a filmmaker, prove an audience for an idea and become the first expression of IP that grows into film, television and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPostnikoff has worked in entertainment and media for more than 15 years, leading on brand and franchise strategy for the likes of Murdoch Mysteries and Kim\u2019s Convenience. She\u2019s hoping to apply her expertize in studio positioning, corp comms and audience growth to Room418\u2019s mission to create a horror-first destination for genre fans.<\/p>\n

\n\tRoom418 is working with technology firm KINO Studios on the app\u2019s product and technical infrastructure. Members of KINO\u2019s founding team previously were executive producers on A24\u2019s Undertone, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.<\/p>\n

\n\tShould Room418 originals be successful, the company is eyeing expansions into film, television, adaptations and experiences. The invite-only beta of the Room418 app will launch later this fall ahead of the company\u2019s commercial rollout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: A newly-established microdrama business geared towards horror is adapting genre classic Night of the Living Dead ahead…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":868366,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[88,201088,206,81633,366209,201090],"class_list":["post-868365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-entertainment","tag-microdrama","tag-movies","tag-night-of-the-living-dead","tag-room418","tag-vertical-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=868365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/868365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/868366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=868365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=868365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=868365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}