One of the biggest events in pop culture is right around the corner, with San Diego Comic-Con bringing together the most popular brands in the world to unveil the first glimpses of highly-anticipated projects.
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As the name implies, the gathering often focused on the world of comic books but, in the decades since, it has expanded to cover all corners of fandom. The prominence of the horror genre, both on the big screen and small, means horror fans have a variety of exciting panels to check out to get a taste of what’s in store for the upcoming year. Additionally, fans will get to step into the world of some of their favorite horror properties, thanks to the inclusion of immersive events.
Scroll down to learn what horror fans should look out for at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, as compiled from the event’s official programming schedule!
Thursday, July 19th
20th Century Fox: The Predator
10:30am – 11:30am
Hall H
The hunt returns as director, Shane Black (Iron Man 3, The New Guys), along with cast members, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Keegan-Michael Key, Trevante Rhodes, Jake Busey, Yvonne Strahovski, Thomas Jane and Augusto Aguiliera, bring their all-star firepower to an explosive panel on Fox’s upcoming bigger n’ badder take on the iconic franchise.
Charmed Exclusive Screening and Panel
11:15am – 12:15pm
Ballroom 20
The iconic Charmed is back just in time to celebrate its 20th anniversary. This reboot of the original series centers on three sisters in a college town who, after the tragic loss of their mother, discover they are powerful witches. Between vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familial bonds, a witch’s work is never done. Please join series stars Melonie Diaz, Sarah Jeffery, Madeleine Mantock, and Rupert Evans along with producers Jennie Snyder Urman, Jessica O’Toole, and Amy Rardin for an exclusive sneak peek at the first episode of the CW series followed by a panel discussion.
Thursday, July 19th (cont’d)
Bobcat Goldthwait’s Misfits and Monsters
2:15pm – 3:15pm
Ballroom 20
Crawl inside the twisted mind of writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait in this panel discussion and exclusive sneak peek at the genre-hopping truTV anthology series. Joined by moderator Eugene Mirman and panelists Jake Hurwitz, Amir Blumenfeld, Tara Lynne Barr, and Karan Soni, the acclaimed comedian breaks down the inspirations behind his series’ imaginative, satirical tales and the familiar film tropes that inspired them.
SYFY’s Nightflyers
3:00pm – 3:50pm
Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront
From the mind of George R. R. Martin, this new SYFY series is a psychological thriller set in the year 2093 that follows a team of scientists aboard the most advanced ship ever built. Their mission takes them to the edge of space but also to the edge of insanity, as they realize true horror isn’t waiting for them out there-it’s already on their ship. Unlike anything you’ve seen before, Nightflyers combines horror and science fiction in a way that Martin himself has described as ” Psycho in space.” Executive producers Jeff Buhler, Gene Klein, and David Bartis and stars Eoin Macken (The Night Shift), Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire), David Ajala (Fast & Furious 6), Jodie Turner-Smith (The Last Ship) will give attendees an exclusive look into this exciting new series. Moderated by SYFY WIRE’s Karama Horne.
Thursday, July 19th (cont’d)
Future Indies You Must See
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Room 5AB
Chris Gore (Film Threat) shares an exclusive sneak preview of new independent genre films and documentaries coming your way in 2019 and beyond. Through trailer debuts and exclusive clips, you’ll get a glimpse into projects that are not coming to the multiplex but can only be seen at film festivals, in limited release, or on VOD. From lo-fi sci-fi to horror to docs to movies that defy genres, these films will make your must-see list, and you will be among the first to see footage from these indie projects.
Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes: Season 2
8:00pm – 9:00pm
Room 7AB
Jack Bender (EP/director, Game of Thrones, Lost), Harry Treadaway (Penny Dreadful), Jharrel Jerome (Moonlight), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), Holland Taylor (The L Word, Legally Blonde), Justine Lupe (Snowfall), and Breeda Wool (UnReal) give a first look at the new season of the AT&T AUDIENCE original series Mr. Mercedes. A year after his thwarted attempt to perpetrate a mass murder, Brady Hartsfield remains in a vegetative state, and retired Detective Bill Hodges has opened Finders Keepers. When unexplainable occurrences begin, Hodges has a feeling that Brady is somehow responsible.
Friday, July 20th
Hulu’s World Premiere Screening of Castle Rock
12:45pm – 2:00pm
Ballroom 20
Escape the summer heat for a chilling world premiere screening of the first episode of J. J. Abrams and Stephen King’s psychological-horror series about the hometown of some of your favorite nightmares. You’ve read the books, you’ve seen the movies, you know the characters, but you’ve never heard the story of Castle Rock. Following the screening, the creators and executive producers Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason (Manhattan) and stars Sissy Spacek (Carrie), Bill Skarsgard (IT), Melanie Lynskey (Togetherness), and Jane Levy (Suburgatory) will discuss the most tragic and disturbing town in America. Prepare to sleep with the lights on.
Universal Pictures’ GLASS and HALLOWEEN
3:45pm – 4:45pm
Hall H
Filmmakers and actors from two of Universal’s most-anticipated upcoming releases- Glass, from M. Night Shyamalan, and Halloween, from David Gordon Green-have a few riveting surprises in store for Comic-Con.
Friday, July 20th (cont’d)
7:00pm – Shout! and Scream Factory’s Breaking News
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Room 32AB
Shout! Factory’s Brian Ward (producer) and Jeff Nelson (senior marketing director), along with moderator Bill Hunt (The Digital Bits), will take you behind the scenes at Shout! Factory and Scream Factory. They’ll have exclusive announcements, sneak peeks from upcoming Blu-ray, DVD, and theatrical releases and more.
The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Room 6BCF
For the last time ever, Comic-Con will be home to a Sharknado panel. Go shark to the future with the cast of the final installment in SYFY’s fin-tactic movie franchise. Stars Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, and Cassie Scerbo are joined by a slew of surprise panelists and celebrity cameos as they take the stage together for the last time!
Friday, July 20th (cont’d)
Twilight Zone Marathon Screenings
7:15pm – 9:15pm
Room 6A
The Twilight Zone new original series will be coming soon to CBS All Access. The iconic original series took viewers to another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. It was a journey into a wondrous land of imagination for five years on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The godfather of sci-fi series, the show explored humanity’s hopes, despairs, prides, and prejudices in metaphoric ways conventional drama could not. Please attend a special marathon screening and a look back at some of the fan-favorite episodes from the original series.
Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog
9:15pm – 10:45pm
Room 6DE
Join the fun and sing along as the California Browncoats screen the original Internet sensation Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and fan film fave, Dr. Horrible’s Unofficial Sing-Along Sequel. The gang’s all back and more horrible than ever! We pick up with our beloved doctor at an unknown time since he joined the ranks of the Evil League of Evil. What new faces, new friends, and new enemies await? Grab some fro-yo and come find out.
Saturday, July 21st
Warner Brothers Theatrical
10:30am – 12:30pm
Hall H
Get a first look at the studio’s highly anticipated future releases. Films and special panelists TBA.
IFC’s Stan Against Evil
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Room 7AB
John C. McGinley, Janet Varney, Nate Mooney, Deborah Baker Jr. and executive producer Dana Gould share an exclusive sneak peek of the upcoming season of IFC’s horror comedy series Stan Against Evil, followed by a discussion about what lies ahead for the town of Willard’s Mill in season 3. The panel, like the show, is guaranteed to be a hell-larious good time.
Saturday, July 21st (cont’d)
The Purge: From Film to Television
5:15pm – 6:15pm
Room 6BCF
Cultural phenomenon The Purge comes to San Diego Comic-Con in a major way. Jason Blum (Get Out, Split), founder of Blumhouse Productions and producer of The Purge film franchise and the all-new series, and James DeMonaco, creator of the blockbuster film franchise, share an exclusive inside look at how they are expanding the universe into TV with USA Network this Fall. The First Purge star Lex Scott Davis (SuperFly) and the cast from the upcoming TV series, including Gabriel Chavarria (East Los High), Amanda Warren (The Leftovers), and Fiona Dourif (Curse of Chucky), will join director/executive producer Anthony Hemingway (Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.), showrunner/executive producer Tom Kelly and producer Brad Fuller (A Quiet Place, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) with their own unique perspectives on the world of The Purge. The Purge television series picks up ten years after the events of The First Purge and will follow several seemingly unrelated characters living in a small city. As the clock winds down, each character is forced to reckon with their past as they discover how far they will go to survive the night.
Bold Voice of Contemporary Horror
7:00pm – 8:00pm
Room 23ABC
Love Get Out? A Quiet Place? Hereditary? The Witch? The Invitation? The Babadook? It Follows? Some of the most knowledgeable and influential voices in horror today discuss the state of indie and studio horror film and give a sneak peek at the best to come this year, with exclusive footage from festival standouts and hotly anticipated fall releases. This is the place to come to find out which upcoming horror flicks should be on your must-see list and discuss current trends in the horror genre. Panelists include Ryan Turek (VP of feature film development, Blumhouse), Dave Kajganich (creator, AMC’s The Terror; writer, Suspiria), Mali Elfman (Before I Wake, Fun Size Horror co-founder, Overlook Film Festival, co-creator, Fun Size Horror), Anouk Whissell (member of RKSS directing team, Summer of ’84, Turbo Kid), and Rusty Cundieff (Tales From The Hood) Moderated by Jen Yamato (The Los Angeles Times).
Sunday, July 22nd
The Science of Comic Vampires and Zombies
10:00am – 11:00am
Grand 9, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
In a panel moderated by Jonathan Bacon-Liu (host of All the Time We Have podcast), Jonathan Maberry (author, V-Wars, Marvel Zombies Return) will bring his expertise in all things scary, as he is joined by Ronald Coleman, Ph.D. (regenerative medicine) and Sharon Schendel, Ph.D. (immunology) to talk about how these monsters might work in the real world and where science and imagination intertwine.
Supernatural Special Video Presentation and Q&A
10:30am – 11:30am
Hall H
The series’ stars and executive producers answer questions about the shocking events in last season’s intense finale and reveal what’s in store for the 14th season, when the show will reach the rare milestone of 300 episodes! Fans will also be treated to an exclusive video presentation featuring series highlights. Supernatural will return to The CW on Thursdays this fall in its 8/7c time period.
Immersive Experiences
New Line Cinema’s “Scarediego”
Wednesday, July 18th – 9:30pm
Horton Grand Theatre
Be the first to see footage from some of the company’s eagerly anticipated 2018-2019 horror films and hear from special filmmaker guests. Entry to each Horton Grand Theatre panel requires a separate ticket and a Comic-Con badge.
USA Network’s Purge City Emporium
215 Tony Gwynn Drive
On Thursday, July 19th, USA will open the doors of America’s first “Purge City” store, an immersive experience in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp District, to the public. Transporting fans into the world of The Purge, “Purge City” is a tongue-in-cheek, one-stop shop for the perfect Purge Night, where friendly “Purge City” staff help visitors browse the aisles for items from emergency candles to masks to energy drinks—to help citizens stay safe and awake for the 12 hours of annual lawlessness. Shoppers can also enjoy Purge photo opportunities and browse an area dedicated to the political rise of the New Founding Fathers of America, from the first Purge experiment on Staten Island to subsequent annual Purge Nights.
Hulu’s Castle Rock B&B
Intersection of Front Street and Island Avenue
Hulu invites you to step into the world of Castle Rock at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Open Thursday, July 19th–Sunday, July 22nd, at the intersection of Front Street and Island Avenue, visitors will be able to tour the town of Castle Rock’s bed and breakfast, explore its vast forest, and more — with “surprises around every corner.” The multi-room experience will help you unlock the secrets of the “unluckiest town on earth” ahead of the series debut. For those not familiar with Castle Rock, the JJ Abrams-produced series will cover the beloved stories from King’s massive canon of work, starring André Holland, Bill Skarsgård, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Glenn, Sissy Spacek, Jane Levy, Terry O’Quinn, and more. Looking for a quieter place during Comic-Con? Be sure to check out the Hulu Campsite Lounge within the Castle Rock activation, which will serve as a refuge from the chaos of Comic-Con and also give you a sneak peek at the upcoming series.
