Blumhouse is bringing Something Is Killing the Children to the big screen, with Craig Zobel set to direct a live-action feature based on the hit horror comic by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera.
The project was unveiled at New York Comic-Con as Blumhouse presented its 2027 slate. Jason Blum will produce for Blumhouse alongside Tynion and Stephen Christy, who are producing for BOOM! Studios/Penguin Random House.
Shaun Sutton, Ryan Turek, Adam Yoelin and Mette Norkjaer are attached as executive producers. Dell’Edera, who co-created the comic with Tynion, will serve as a co-producer.
A Horror Hit Heads to Live Action
First published in 2019 by BOOM! Studios, an imprint of Penguin Random House, Something Is Killing the Children follows Erica Slaughter, a monster hunter who travels to the small town of Archer’s Peak after children begin to vanish. Her mission is to destroy the creature responsible for the disappearances.
The title has developed a sizable international readership. More than 5 million copies have been sold worldwide, and the series has been translated into more than 20 languages across 14 countries. It is described as the most successful original horror comic book since The Walking Dead.
Blumhouse is not limiting its plans for the property to one format. While the live-action movie moves forward with Zobel, the company is simultaneously developing an adult animated series based on the comic. Tynion will shepherd that version.
Craig Zobel Takes the Director’s Chair
Zobel arrives at the adaptation with credits spanning independent films, television and horror. A Directors Guild of America Award nominee and three-time Emmy nominee, he directed the independent films Compliance and Z for Zachariah before working on series including The Leftovers, American Gods, Westworld, Mare of Easttown and The Penguin.
His feature work also includes the satirical horror film The Hunt. Zobel has just completed production on Turpentine, a thriller starring Melissa McCarthy and Connie Storrie.
He is represented by CAA, SSM&L, Entertainment 360 and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Blumhouse Expands Its Horror Lineup
The announcement comes amid a busy stretch for Blumhouse–Atomic Monster. At the time of the New York Comic-Con presentation, the company was in theaters with Rob Savage’s Universal horror movie Other Mommy, adapted from Josh Malerman’s novel Incidents Around the House.
The company’s 2027 slate also includes Joshua Giuliano’s River, Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist: Martyrs and Anything but Ghosts from Obsession filmmaker Curry Barker.
Additional projects on the lineup are a new Paranormal Activity, Savage’s Mole People, a new Blair Witch Project from Dylan Clark, director Jacob Chase’s Sleepover and Drew Hancock’s Seasons.
ShowBiz Take
Something Is Killing the Children gives Blumhouse a proven horror title with substantial global reach and a clearly defined central character in Erica Slaughter. Its sales figures and international translations show that the story already has an audience well beyond its original comic-book release.
The simultaneous development of a live-action movie and an adult animated series also makes this a broader screen push rather than a single adaptation. Zobel’s experience across acclaimed television and horror filmmaking places a director with work in both areas at the center of the feature.
What Happens Next?
The live-action film remains in development with Zobel attached to direct, while Tynion oversees the separate animated series project. Casting and release timing for both adaptations were not announced.