Blumhouse is adding one of the strongest modern horror comic properties to its slate. At New York Comic-Con, the company confirmed Craig Zobel will direct a live-action feature adaptation of Something Is Killing the Children, and an adult animated series is being developed at the same time.
The package
Zobel is the prestige-TV name attached: he directed episodes of Mare of Easttown and The Penguin, and previously helmed the satirical horror film The Hunt. He has just wrapped production on Turpentine.
The film will be produced by Stephen Christy and James Tynion IV for BOOM! Studios/Penguin Random House, alongside Jason Blum for Blumhouse. Shaun Sutton, Ryan Turek, Adam Yoelin and Mette Norkjaer are executive producers, with co-creator Werther Dell’Edera as co-producer.
Why the IP math matters
First published by BOOM! Studios in 2019, the comic sends monster hunter Erica Slaughter to Archer’s Peak after local children begin disappearing. Deadline reports it is the most successful original horror comic since The Walking Dead, with more than 5 million copies sold and translations in more than 20 languages across 14 countries.
That reach changes the distribution conversation. A 5M+ copy fanbase gives marketing teams an addressable audience before a single trailer drops, and the 20-language footprint makes the property easier to position as a global horror title rather than a domestic comics adaptation.
A two-format bet
Blumhouse is not putting all of its spend on the live-action feature. Tynion IV will shepherd an adult animated series version of the same property. That structure lets the studio test two audience segments in parallel: theatrical horror fans and adult animation buyers.
For media planners and entertainment marketers, there are three signals to watch:
- The title carries a built-in reader base of 5M+ copies; early casting and trailer lift will show whether comic readers convert into ticket demand.
- A live-action film and an adult animated series running side by side creates separate sponsorship, licensing and platform windows.
- Zobel’s record on Mare of Easttown and The Penguin points the feature at older genre viewers, not just the teen horror audience.
The outlook
The announcement came as Blumhouse laid out its 2027 slate at New York Comic-Con. The studio already has Rob Savage’s Universal horror Other Mommy in theaters this weekend, with titles including River, Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist: Martyrs, a new Paranormal Activity and a new Blair Witch Project waiting behind it.
Source: Deadline
