Horror fans, get excited: Shudder’s head of programming took a look at the streamer’s upcoming slate of horror films and shows at New York Comic Con 2025. Moderated by head of programming Sam Zimmerman, Greg Nicotero (host of Guts & Glory), Micheline Norman (V/H/S/Halloween), Josh Ruben (Scare Me), Jermaine Fowler (Night Patrol), and Willa Holland (The Mortuary Assistant) engaged fans with a display of Shudder’s future output.
The first question asked was what each panelist’s favorite horror movie is, with responses ranging from The Exorcist to New Nightmare. Norman went on her to describe her contribution to the anthology horror film V/H/S/Halloween with the lesson being “silicone heads are heavier than you’d think”. There was an adorable exchange between Micheline Norman and special effects guru Greg Nicotero about the physics of severed heads in film. The panelists explained how sand in the fake head makes it land in a more realistic fashion.
The next film discussed was Night Patrol, starring Jermaine Fowler who described it as “cops and vampires”. Fowler and Ruben bonded over their shared history with CollegeHumor and the similarities between comedy and horror.
The final film discussed was The Mortuary Assistant starring Willa Holland, based on the popular game. The practical effects were so realistic that Holland had a running game of determining what on the actors playing the cadavers was “real skin or gag guts”. Holland described the experience of having fans of the game who geeked out over even “lamps and drapes” that were recreated faithfully. According to Holland, she was not a big horror fan before joining this game adaptation. However, she said that her hands-on experience with the special effects and gore has made her more interested in horror.
Additional discussion was had about Nicotero’s ‘Guts & Glory’ which he described as “horror movie meets Survivor.” Nicotero described the fun of the series is that there was no real pushback, from both Shudder and the contestants participating on the reality show.
With ten years of bringing horror to fans, Shudder has become an institution in shining a light on the more indie aspects of the genre for true fans. “Be nice” is the childhood lesson Fowler takes into his horror work, but that should be the main takeaway from the panel, in my opinion.
Gore junkies can get themselves a subscription to Shudder right now to watch The Mortuary Assistant in 2026, Night Patrol on January 16, 2026 and Guts & Glory and V/H/S/Halloween right now.
You must be logged in to post a comment.