I get a ton of emails about exciting upcoming horror projects and, while I’m unable to showcase them all individually, I’m absolutely thrilled to share them ROUND-UP STYLE! So, without further ado, here are the new & upcoming horror creations from the HorrorFam.com inbox!
None of the creators below have paid to be featured here — because we believe that lacking a marketing budget shouldn’t equate to a lack of eyes on your project. That said, I haven’t I had the chance to experience every creation personally. I do my best to make sure each entry is horror-related and take it in good faith that each creator has represented themselves and their projects honestly.
If you love indie horror and want to support our continued ability to showcase small creators free-of-charge, please consider becoming a Patron, streaming a horror film using our JustWatch affiliate buttons, and/or turning off your ad blocker to see if any of three ads on this page catch your interest. Thank you! ♥
This article includes our JustWatch, BookShop, Fanatical, and/or Amazon affiliate links.
September 2026 Feature Length Indie Horror Films
Holler
First up for this month’s Indie Horror Inbox Roundup is Holler from filmmaker Devin Smock.
Holler is a Midwestern apocalypse horror film (“It’s a zombie movie that isn’t really about zombies,” according to Devin) that was filmed on a microbudget in Jacksonville, Illinois. Devin and his small team recently released a trailer for Holler, made from actual footage from their film, that they would love for you to check out on the Subterranean Sound and Vision YouTube channel.
Devin Smock and his team are also asking for help with post-production costs. “The project began with a concept trailer and a small Kickstarter, then grew through independent support, local businesses, community help, and a small regional cast and crew. We’ve raised roughly $20,000 so far and are now trying to finish the last leg of production,” he said.
“The dead are in the world, but this story belongs to the living,” Devin said. “[Holler] uses the apocalypse as a backdrop for a character-driven story about grief, isolation, survival, and the fragile reasons people keep going after the world has already ended.”
If you’d like to contribute to the Holler Kickstarter, you have until Friday, October 23rd. I just checked and they’ve already reached their modest goal of $6000 (hooray!), but any additional funds would be used to further improve their production.
Gaskins: The Hitchhiker Killer
Directed by Chris Helton and written by JL Goddard, Gaskins: The Hitchhiker Killer was recently picked up by Quiver Distribution and became available to watch five days ago! (The link in that sentence is to the official trailer, if you’d like to check it out).
Gaskins: The Hitchhiker Killer‘s synopsis, per the email I received: “Donald ‘Pee-Wee’ Gaskins was an American serial killer from South Carolina who stabbed, shot, drowned, and poisoned more than a dozen people. Before his convictions for murder, Gaskins had a long history of criminal activities resulting in prison sentences for assault and burglary. Not soon enough the police discovered eight bodies buried in shallow graves near Gaskins’ home. This is his story.” The title role is portrayed by Taylor Stiles.
Where to watch Gaskins the Hitchhiker Killer (2026):
September 2026 Indie Horror Short Films
Last Look
Writer/Producer Curt Fulster reached out to share their “no-budget indie found-footage horror short film, Last Look.”
According to Curt, Last look is “essentially Jumanji meets Paranormal Activity, shot from a mix of multi-angle security cameras inside a coffee shop mixed with the characters’ own influencer-style videos. We made it as a proof-of-concept with the goal of attracting studio interest for a feature, and we’re planning a free YouTube release in September.”
Last Look was filmed on a $10K budget in Evergreen, Colorado at the Java Groove (a local coffee shop). They were able to nab a cameo from Eduardo Sanchez, the co-director of The Blair Witch Project, and “one other horror icon that we contractually cannot disclose at this time. You’ll need to wait and watch the film to find out who they are!”
While you’re waiting for the official release later this month, you can follow the Floating Rock Productions team on YouTube and watch the Last Look trailer!
Rebirth
I got eight separate messages (that I know of) from the VERY EXCITED team at ES Productions about their latest horror short film, Rebirth.
Since their news was relayed across so many different messages, I’m going to piece together their update to the very best of my abilities, but please forgive me if I’ve missed something. (My brain gets a little overwhelmed by a scattering of messages, which is why I highly recommend using the official Indie Horror News submission form that keeps your interactions with me to a single organized email thread 🙂 ).
The young production team who made The Killer Within back in 2025 took a trip to Italy to film on location for their newest horror short film, Rebirth!
According to director Ethan Diddlemeyer, in regard to the plot of Rebirth, the story follows Francesco, a boy who witnessed an unspeakable tragedy as a child and Francesco is “drawn toward death with a quiet, unsettling curiosity, he spends years searching for meaning in the darkness until his obsession begins to consume everything else. Some people spend their lives trying to forget. While he can’t stop looking.”
They were also proud to report that Rebirth has an original score by Jacob Ashe. And that this is their first short filmed in not only another country, but another language (Italian!).
Rebirth AKA Rinascita released on September 1st and is available to watch for free NOW on their YouTube channel! Check it out.
September 2026 Indie Horror Books
My Gifts Are Hungry by Matt Maxwell
My Gifts Are Hungry by Matt Maxwell is out NOW! It’s the fourth book in his Hazeland series, but I’ve been assured that it’s perfectly fine to jump in HERE if you want to. Although all of the books in the Hazeland series are set in the same connected universe, each story stands on its own and follows a different character or set of characters. Neat!
Matt Maxwell said, “My Gifts Are Hungry is a period horror set in 1980’s LA, centered around a girl named Grace who runs away from home to crash the coolest goth club in Hollywood, the Last Prayer. There, she catches the eye of Ariela Gutierrez, better known as the Queen of No Tomorrows, a witch and underground cult/celebrity figure. The Queen takes Grace under her wing, offers her a place to stay. The catch is the house itself is haunted, by the ghost of a woman not yet dead. The house has been waiting for someone just like Grace, waiting for a very long time. And without knowing it, Grace has accepted the house’s gifts. With those, there’s a price to be paid.”
My Gifts Are Hungry is available in both eBook/digital formats AND as a traditional paperback novel. Are you ready to take on the Hazeland universe…?
The Caretaker by Derek Johnson
This submission came from Derek Johnson, the independent writer and co-creator of The Caretaker horror comic book series!
Issue #1 (of a planned six) of The Caretaker was successfully funded, released, and garnered positive reviews from the World Comic Book Review and Comic Crusaders. Now, Derek is looking to fund Issue #2! Their Kickstarter campaign goes live on SEPTEMBER 15th.
The Caretaker horror comics are written by Derek Johnson with art by Federica Nanni and lettering by Amal Desai.
Derek said, “We have an exciting story, a cinematic movie on a pages. There is a ritualistic murder spree in the futuristic AI surveillance dystopia that is the city of Blackhaven. The police can’t find the bizarre killer who is mutilating victims and creating symbols with their blood.” He added that while The Caretaker comics’ detectives track down The Heart Taker Killer (“Guess what HE does?”) and try to decipher the ritualistic clues left at the crime scenes, “they discover the ritual is REAL and they have to stop the murders because it leads to the end of the world!”
I got to read the first issue of The Caretaker and I thought it was neat. It reminded me a lot of the Hannibal TV series, but the serial killer-tracking members of the HIVE (Joe, Meredith, and Ian) use technology similar to Norman Jayden’s ARI from Heavy Rain. It also has a lot of the gritty, noir vibes from Sin City. It’s a “mature” comic (there’s some relatively light swearing, one scene of bare breasts on a murder victim, and obviously there’s some violence and whatnot since it’s about catching a brutal killer on the loose!), but it’s not totally outrageous. I agree with Derek’s assessment that, if it were a film, it would be “rated R but bordering PG-13.” I left curious about what will happen next! The world that they’ve built feels very fleshed out, and I was intrigued by the murders/moon phases plotline.
If you’d like to check out the first issue of The Caretaker, Derek Johnson created a special link for HorrorFam.com readers to get a digital copy of Issue #1 for FREE at octanemp.com/horrorfam (That’s how I read it too! It works). And, if you enjoy it, consider contributing to the crowdfunding campaign for Issue #2 on the 15th of this month.
The First Scarlet Door by J.D. Barker
This news comes from Kate, J.D. Barker’s publicist, who wanted to let us all know that the first of three prequel novels to Barker’s 4MK Thiller series, The First Scarlet Door is releasing worldwide on September 22nd!
Kate said, “Since the original series took off, readers have consistently asked one question: ‘How did this killer become who he is?’ These prequels finally take readers back to the beginning, unpacking the psychology and formative moments that shaped the monster.”
She was also excited to share that Balboa Productions (Sylvester Stallone’s production company), along with Channing Powell (co-creator of Tales of the Walking Dead) are currently developing a television adaptation of J.D. Barker’s original 4MK Trilogy of horror-thriller novels.
While it will be a while before you can watch the TV adaptation of the original novels, The First Scarlet Door is available to pre-order NOW. Again, it will be releasing worldwide (in two dozen languages!) on September 22nd.
Hollowmarch by C.C. Knight
I don’t have as much information about this one, sadly. When I tried to reply, my email bounced back, and I couldn’t find any social media platforms connected to C.C. Knight other than a very proud post regarding their debut horror novel from C.C. Knight’s wife on a personal-yet-public Facebook account and I felt weird viewing, let alone sharing that. (C.C. Knight, if you’re out there: I seriously tried to track you down!!).
Anyway, here’s what I was told in the email I received from the author: “Hollowmarch is an independently published supernatural/creature-horror novel about strangers entering an impossible VHS-era world where abandoned places, distorted media, and predatory things begin bleeding into reality. It blends analog-horror atmosphere, monsters, survival horror, dark humor, and an ensemble cast.”
I did manage to find Hollowmarch on Amazon, but it had “limited availability” when I received C.C’s submission late last month and is currently “out of print.” I’m not going to link to it because I have no idea what’s going on with it, but if you’re curious about this title, you can track it down (unlike its author)!
Alessia by Kyle Waller
I’m just going to copy/paste Kyle Waller’s email in full, since they did a good job of summarizing their work:
“Alessia is the third novel in my adult dystopian-horror series, set inside a sealed American city-prison where abandoned inmates and civilians have built their own governments, religions, economies, and war machines.
The novel releases September 29, 2026. Although Alessia is Book Three, new readers can enter the series through Ward, which will be free during the first five days of September as part of a coordinated series promotion.
For clarity regarding HorrorFam’s submission standards, Alessia and the other Ward novels are entirely human-written.”
Freaky Scary Snowman by Jay Karl
Do you remember those prank videos from the early days of YouTube where a guy in a full-body snowman suit would stand still as a statue on a sidewalk until someone would stroll by and then he’d twitch just a little bit and cause the pedestrian to leap out of their skin? Well, the guy inside that snowman suit was apparently a fellow named Jay Karl, and this submission came from him!
From the email I received: “I’m Jay Karl, creator of Freaky the Scary Snowman / Scary Snowman TV. Freaky started as a real-world scare character nearly 20 years ago and grew into a large online audience; I’ve since taken that same character and strange visual world into a creator-owned comic and a growing body of original acrylic paintings.”
The first issue of the Freaky Scary Snowman series is out NOW as a print-on-demand comic from Indy Planet. I wasn’t able to see inside the book and it’s unclear who the artist for the series is. However, I did enjoy seeing some of Mr. Karl’s acrylic paintings! I was particularly drawn to “The Wreckoning” as it has a lot of texture. I also paint with acrylics and like to get goopy with ’em. It was fun to see someone else who creates funny horror-adjacent paintings that make folks wanna reach out and touch the canvas to feel the lumpies.
September 2026 Indie Horror Video Games
Temporal Urgency
This submission came from Elhadg Diouf, a game director and sound designer at Grand Forge Games.
According to Elhadg, “Temporal Urgency is a first-person psychological horror game centered around time manipulation, puzzles, and a mysterious Steampunk Victorian world.”
Grand Forge Games is a teeny 14-person indie game studio from Virginia. They won first prize in Old Dominion University’s “Shadows of the Imagination” Game Jam in 2025 and currently have two games in development, Temporal Urgency (the psychological horror game featured here, directed by Elhadg Diouf) and Forsaken (a more fantasy-leaning action RPG, directed by Nick Sherer; and, although it doesn’t seem to be a horror game, it also looked pretty cool so I figured I’d mention it too!).
Temporal Urgency doesn’t have an official release date yet, but the team is hoping you’ll check out their newly-released trailer (shown above) and, if you dig it, that you’ll wishlist their game on Steam.
I put it on my own wish list already! I dig horror puzzle games and I used to collect clocks as a teenager, so my attention was very much grabbed hahaha.
I’m Not a Psycho Invader
I’m Not a Psycho Invader also ended up on my Steam wishlist, but not for me. I watched the trailer and thought “Ooh! This is one Frank would be awesome at.” The gameplay looked a tad beyond my own capabilities (I’m great at puzzles, but I’m not great at doing them quickly lol), but this is the type of game my husband excels at and it’s super entertaining to watch him play – especially when the game’s art style is so fun to look at.
I was surprised to discover that I’m Not a Psycho Invader was made by ONE person and that this is their first game! That person is named Max.
Max said, “I was aiming for horror that comes from atmosphere and risky decisions rather than jumpscares. No monster in the dark – just you, a shotgun, and a stranger.”
I’m not a Psycho Invader is first-person horror roguelike set in a university you’ve seized. The roof is the only way out. Locked doors and barricades block the way up. Every hostage is valuable, dangerous, or a waste of time. You can wishlist the game on Steam! Also, Max is running a play test of I’m Not a Psycho Invader through September. If you want to help out by playing the game’s current build and providing feedback, you can request access to join the playtest through the Steam page.
The Rebirth of Franklin Albrecht
This is an interesting one! Studio Taranta (which seems to be a 12-person team, according to their dev logs and game credits) has been working on The Rebirth of Franklin Albrect for a full DECADE. They ran into some bumps along the way, which I’m sure EVERY creator on this list of September 2026 indie horror projects can relate to, but they kept going. Going through their dev logs and Tumblr musings, it seems they had to make some major changes about three years ago, most notably transitioning TROFA from a 2D game to a 3D game.
In true indie horror creator spirit, they prevailed through their setbacks and are now proud to announce that they’ve released a 10-15 early demo of The Rebirth of Franklin Albrect on itch.io with a “name your own price” payment model.
According to Studio Taranta’s Creative Director Paola D’Amico (the person who emailed me): “The Rebirth of Franklin Albrecht (TROFA), a 3D psychological mystery adventure loosely inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. TROFA is not designed as a conventional horror game built around scares. Instead, its Gothic elements frame Frankie’s investigation into the heinous crimes committed by his Creator. The mystery unfolds inside the World of the Dead, an ever-changing manifestation of Frankie’s subconscious, where the light of a candelabrum is his only connection to reality.”
If you play the demo of The Rebirth of Franklin Albrect, be sure to let the team know what you think! I’ve mentioned in past articles that I don’t have the right temperament to be a playtester; however, I truly believe it’s a crucial element for helping game developers create their best games. And I don’t think Studio Taranta would’ve spent so long on TROFA (10 years and counting!) if they weren’t dedicated to making it as good as they possibly can. If you’re able to help them out, I’m sure they’d appreciate it.
Gate 7
Gate 7 doesn’t have a trailer, but it’s available on itch.io for free!
Here’s the email I received: “I’m [a] 16 year old indie game developer from Turkey, and I recently released my horror game Gate 7. It’s a short psychological horror game where you work at a checkpoint and have to decide who you should let through. Some of the people you meet aren’t what they seem… Game Play is about 15 Minutes.”
And here’s a gameplay synopsis from Gate 7‘s itch.io page: “Monsters disguised as humans have appeared in Istanbul! The city has been placed under quarantine. It is your job to examine the people emerging from this quarantine! Check their IDs, ask questions, and decide whether to admit or reject them—but be careful, as a wrong decision could have consequences! GATE 7: A game blending pixel art with interrogation, observation skills, and horror!”
Unsound Love
Unsound Love by Professional Villains won’t be officially released until sometime in 2027. Longtime readers already know that I played their games Anglerfish (in 2022) and Security: The Horrible Nights (in 2024), so I’m definitely curious about this one!
Professional Villains’ games all seem to have recurring characters/archetypes and themes, but the actual gameplay for each of their games is unique. All of their horror games reside in their “Dark Experiments” universe, but the stories and how they’re told/played are extremely different.
John and Maria (the two-person team known as Professional Villains) said that Unsound Love is “A classic Zelda possessed by Silent Hill. A Soulslike without combat. A haunting blend of Outer Wilds and Little Nightmares.”
With a massive focus on music/sound in Unsound Love, Professional Villains added three more people (all musicians!) to their team for this venture. So now there’s John (writer/game designer), Maria (visual artist), Astrid (composer/audio), Brice (double bassist), and Adel (guitarist).
If all that sounds intriguing to you, then wishlist Unsound Love on Steam! And I just got an updated email earlier this week that they’ve released a playable demo that’s out NOW.
Note: None of the games above are currently on Fanatical (yet?!) and buying them doesn’t support HorrorFam.com financially in any way. However, if you’d like to buy some additional horror games that do support our site, you can use our link below:
September 2026 Indie Horror Audio Projects
Operating Altar (album) by CARTILAGE
From the email I received: “After four bloody years and a quick taste-test in 2025’s Tales From The Entrails EP, San Francisco’s CARTILAGE will deliver their third full-length slab of sinewy gore metal, Operating Altar, through their allies at Everlasting Spew Records on September 11th.“
The song featured above is the latest single off of the Operating Altar album, “S.C.D. (Sudden Cardiac Death),” but you can currently listen to a few other songs from the album on CARTILAGE’s Bandcamp page. There are nine tracks total (three are currently available to listen to, as of this writing) and you can pre-order the album from that page in digital, cassette, and CD formats. There will also be a vinyl record available this winter!
If you dig their sound, you can also catch CARTILAGE performing songs off the Operating Altar album in person! They’re currently on tour and teaming up with Geotia, Degraved, and Unidad Trauma to “spread [their] sickness throughout the West Coast.” Here are the upcoming tour dates and locations:
- 9/15/2026 Tower Bar – San Diego, CA
- 9/16/2026 Republica De Hops – Tijuana, MX
- 9/17/2026 Slipper Clutch – Los Angeles, CA
- 9/18/2026 Summer Fox Brewery – Fresno, CA
- 9/19/2026 Mabuhay Gardens – San Francisco, CA
- 9/20/2026 Savage Henry’s – Eureka, CA
- 9/22/2026 The Crypt – Olympia, WA
- 9/23/2026 Big Dipper – Spokane, WA
- 9/24/2026 Central Saloon – Seattle, WA (no Goetia)
- 9/25/2026 High Water Mark – Portland, OR (no Goetia)
“Source of Hate” by PERPETUAL PARADOX
London-based “technical metal” band PERPETUAL PARADOX just released their newest five-song EP, May Misery Befall You, on August 28th. And, now, there’s a music video (shown above) for their single “Source of Hate.”
“‘Source of Hate’ was written about the cycle of hate represented as a disease or parasite growing inside somebody,” said PERPETUAL PARADOX vocalist Adrian Caucelo, adding, “The body horror imagery is there to make hatred feel alive, like something feeding on you and reshaping who you are over time. At the start the hate feels external, like something forced onto somebody else, but by the end the character fully becomes it – ‘I am the source of hate.’ The song is also about people who constantly push and provoke others until eventually they create the exact anger and violence they were feeding in the first place. The ending line ‘you’ll choke on it yourself’ is basically the cycle continuing again instead of ever truly ending.”
If you’d like to listen to the full May Misery Befall You EP, you can do so on Spotify and Apple Music.
Coma Filament (album) by S.C.R.A.M.
S.C.R.A.M. (Pranjal Tiwari) is releasing their new album Coma Filament on September 23rd!
As of this writing, there aren’t any tracks from Coma Filament available to listen to yet, but they should be showing up on S.C.R.A.M.’s bandcamp page any second now! You can also pre-order the album from that link as well.
The video I included above, of “Fauna,” is actually track #5 from their Sellafield Mox EP from a few years ago, but I thought it was a good representation of their style and their overall goal to “make soundtracks for the movies in [my] head.”
S.C.R.A.M.’s representative who emailed me said: “Coma Filament was inspired by a single image – a ghost ship in space. The idea of traveling in the outer reaches of space light years away from where any human has been before and encountering an abandoned spaceship became such an evocative and terrifying image, that it inspired the entire album. The album’s atmosphere draws from Alien and Event Horizon. Space horror, in a loose sense. But there’s also an underlying sense of brooding and existential terror that comes from being in space, a vibe inspired directly by the Andrei Tarkovsky classic film, Solaris.”
Other September 2026 Indie Horror Projects
FMASU HorrorFest International Film Festival (EVENT)
A representative from the Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah (FMASU) wrote in to announce that they’re presenting the 2026 HorrorFest International Film Festival!
They just revealed the full lineup of films they’ll be showing – including 55 feature films and shorts from indie horror filmmakers from around the world – as well as numerous other special events and panels that will be included with admission. For example, they have multiple panels set up with talks given by horror screenwriters, directors, and actors as well as a Necro Radio listening party, a horror trivia competition, and a Cereal Killer breakfast bar.
They also let me know that HorrorFest 2026 will open with Goody Goody, the feature directorial debut of Raymond Creamer that was just acquired by Shudder, about an expectant couple and their midwife being stranded during a blizzard… Already a stressful and dangerous situation, but apparently things take a “sinister turn” as well! Yikes.
The festival will be closing with Never After Dark by director Dave Boyle, a film that was an SXSW darling and was acquired by Magnolia pictures. It’s a Japanese supernatural thriller that follows a medium out on a “routine exorcism” job, but she encounters something “that forces her to reconsider who she should TRULY fear!”
I was also delighted to see that they’re going to be showing a screening of Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners (one of my all-time favorite movies!) as part of their Preview Night on September 15th. They’re also going to be showing Season’s Greetings, Poltergeist, and another “surprise throwback movie” that night. Fun!!
FMASU’s HorrorFest International Film Festival runs from September 16–19, 2026 with screenings and events centered at the historic Electric Theater in downtown St. George, Utah. You can check out the full details for everything featured and buy tickets at FMASU.com/HorrorFest (They also wanted me to note that everything I’ve mentioned from their email is “subject to change” and that anyone interested should check that link for the most up-to-the-minute updates regarding guests, panels, schedules, etc.).
Cemetery Cinema Syndication
John Bossong AKA The Mad Darbarian wrote in to announce that his show (co-hosted by mad scientist Dr. Dread), Cemetery Cinema, just reached their 100-episode milestone and have now officially gone into television syndication for WON-TV48 Brooklyn.
“What began as a showcase for public-domain classics has evolved into a nationally recognized platform premiering independent horror films alongside legendary B-movies, monster features, and genre favorites,” said The Mad Darbarian, adding, “Hosted horror television built generations of fans, and we’re proud to bring that experience back to audiences everywhere! Syndication allows Cemetery Cinema to expand beyond a single market and become a national destination for horror lovers, indie filmmakers, and anyone who misses the magic of late-night monster movies.”
If you’re in charge of a television station and you’re interested in carrying Cemetery Cinema’s show with “customizable local station integration,” you can discuss broadcasting packages with Jon Bossong/The Mad Darbarian by writing to darbarian(at)gmail(dot)com.
Congratulations on 100 episodes, Cemetery Cinema!
New Fears Eve on Blu-ray
New Fears Eve is an indie horror Feature Film, but I’m putting it in the “Other” category because this news isn’t about the film itself. If you read the June 2026 edition of the Indie Horror Inbox Roundup, you already read about (and likely watched) P.J. Starks’ horror-comedy! If so, then you’ll be happy to know that P.J. wrote in with a quick update to let us all know that New Fears Eve will be available on Blu-ray on September 15th! You can pre-order it NOW on Amazon and own it forever in just a few more days. It includes over an hour of special features! 🙂
Those are all of the new & upcoming horror projects that ended up in my inbox for this month! However, since the Indie Horror Inbox Roundup is now MONTHLY (instead of tri-annual), you’ll be seeing more indie horror submissions in just a few weeks. 🙂
If you’d like to have YOUR horror creation show up in the next roundup post, be sure to send me an email by no later than September 25, 2026. (Note: You can reserve a spot for a month later than September on the submission page if you’d like to plan ahead!).
Come back on October 2, 2026 for next HorrorFam.com Indie Horror Inbox Roundup! Or, come back next Friday for our usual HorrorFam.com fun ♥ Thank you again to everyone who shared their September 2026 indie horror projects with us!!
Images used were provided by their respective owners and used with their permission. As always, any vertical images that were submitted were placed over a blurred background to be made horizontal.
