After a Booming Year, Horror Insiders Debate the Genre’s Future at Fantastic Fest: ‘You Can Take Big Swings and You’re Mitigating Your Risk’

By William Earl

William Earl

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2026 was filled with visionary horror films that rocked the box office, like “Obsession” and “Backrooms.” But what does the future of the genre look like?

At this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, I moderated a panel about fear, fandom and the future of the horror genre, which touched on several topics about the business of getting scared. Joining me on the panel were Emily Gotto, Shudder‘s SVP of acquisitions and production; Nick Lazo, Shudder’s SVP of development and production; Angel Melanson, Shudder’s director of programming; Jordan Downey, the director of “The Cycle,” which debuted at Fantastic Fest, and a segment from the streamer’s “V/H/S/Beyond”; and Toby Poser, a member of the Adams Family filmmakers, whose “The Glorious Dead” played at Fantastic Fest and was recently announced to be acquired by Shudder.

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