Reel Horror News Roundup: July 21 - 27, 2025

🎥 WITNESS RECALLS SEEING "BOXING MATCH TURN SLAUGHTER" ON NYC ROOFTOP

Manhattan, NY — July 21, 2025

A Hell’s Kitchen resident has come forward with a chilling recollection of a rooftop fight she witnessed in the summer of 1989, a fight that ended in what she now believes was a brutal homicide.

“I thought it was just two guys sparring,” said Sharon Belvey, who lived across from the rooftop of the old Penbrook Hotel. “One of them had real heart. The other... didn’t flinch. Just stood there like a machine.”

Belvey described watching the athletic young man, later identified as Julius Gaw, throw everything he had at his opponent. “Punch after punch. I was rooting for him! But then, outta nowhere, the big guy grabs him and—” Belvey reportedly stopped speaking, shaken. “His head just... flew.”

🎞️ BASED ON A SCENE FROM FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN (1989)

‘Sinners’ and ‘Superman’ Break the Mold, But Superhero and Horror Films Face Uncertainty 

This year, blockbusters like Sinners and Superman have found success, but the overall box office landscape shows neither superhero nor horror genres are guaranteed hits anymore. Audience tastes are shifting, with many recent releases underperforming despite big budgets and buzz. Studios are navigating this changing terrain, looking for fresh ideas to reconnect with moviegoers.
🔗 Full story on Variety

More Great Horror Movies Still on the Way in 2025

And if you thought 28 Years Later was peak horror for the year, Screen Rant says there are at least seven upcoming movies that could surpass it—titles including The Black Phone 2, Keeper, Together, Weapons, and more.
🔗 Check out the full list on Screen Rant

In a Violent Nature Sequel Already in Development

Fresh off its Sundance buzz and Shudder debut, this brutal slasher from the killer’s POV is already getting a follow-up. Director Chris Nash confirms a sequel is on the way — and if the first film’s slow-burn carnage is any clue, it’ll be just as unsettling.
🔗 More from The Independent

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Finds Its Director

Lionsgate has tapped JT Mollner, known for Strange Darling and the upcoming The Long Walk, to write and direct an adaptation of Stephen King's 1999 novel. The story follows a young girl lost in the woods, with her love for baseball pitcher Tom Gordon manifesting in hallucinations that aid her survival. Producer Roy Lee, who has a history with King adaptations, will reunite with Mollner for this project. This marks another Stephen King adaptation for Lionsgate, following their upcoming release of The Long Walk.
🔗 Read more on The Hollywood Reporter

The Long Walk Drops Gritty SDCC Trailer

At San Diego Comic‑Con, Lionsgate unveiled a haunting new trailer for The Long Walk, a dystopian adaptation of Stephen King’s early Richard Bachman novel. Directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner, the clip spotlights a brutal televised contest where teens must keep walking—or face execution. With a cast including Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill, the film hits theaters on September 12, 2025—and fans are already fired up for it.
🔗 Read more on Fangoria