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The short film that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world, 1928’s Steamboat Willie entered the public domain this year, and the tale gets the horror movie treatment with the upcoming Screamboat. Terrifier star David Howard Thornton (“Art the Clown”) is playing the film’s twisted version of Steamboat Willie, and more casting news has been revealed.

Variety reports this week that Tyler Posey (“Teen Wolf”) and Kailey Hyman (Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2) have joined David Howard Thornton in the upcoming Screamboat.

Brian Quinn (“Impractical Jokers”) and Joe DeRosa will also appear in cameo roles.

From the production teams behind Terrifier 2 and The Mean One, Screamboat is coming to theaters in 2025 via Iconic Events Releasing. Stay tuned for more information.

Director Steven Lamorte promises that the film’s version of Steamboat Willie is “a 100 percent in-camera practical creature,” with both a puppet and a costume being used.

In Screamboat,...

On January 1st, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse – seen in the animated shorts Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and most famously Steamboat Willie – became public domain… which, of course, means we’re now going to get multiple horror movies that feature characters inspired by Mickey Mouse. Within the first three days of the year, we saw the short film The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, a trailer for the slasher movie Mickey’s Mouse Trap, and an announcement that Terrifier 2 producers Steven Della Salla and Michael Leavy and director Steven Lamorte, who previously made the Grinch-inspired horror movie The Mean One, were teaming up for a Steamboat Willie-inspired horror flick that we now know is titled Screamboat. The film is aiming for a January 2025 release, and a teaser trailer made its way online back in August. (You can watch that in the embed above.) Now, Screamboat is set...

“Screamboat,” a horror-comedy reimagining of Disney’s Steamboat Willie character that recently entered the public domain, has announced final additions to its cast ahead of a sales screening at the American Film Market in Las Vegas, Nev. Producers reveal that the film’s ensemble includes Tyler Posey, best known as the lead of MTV’s “Teen Wolf” series, and Kailey Hyman, who appeared in Damien Leone’s “Terrifier 2” and made a return appearance in this fall’s “Terrifier 3.”

Posey and Hyman will play key characters in “Screamboat.” The production also revealed that Brian Quinn and Joe DeRosa will feature in cameo roles. Quinn is best known as a star of TruTV’s long-running reality show “Impractical Jokers.” DeRosa is a stand-up comedian and actor, whose presence in the podcasting world once led to the horror movie-focused series “We’ll See You in Hell.”

The group joins a cast anchored by David Howard Thornton,...

Before ruining Christmas as Art the Clown in Terrifier 3, David Howard Thornton slashed through the snow in The Mean One.

The 2022 horror parody of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is coming down the chimney in style this Christmas with a SteelBook Blu-ray release on December 17.

Steven Lamorte directs from a script by Flip Kobler (The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride) and Finn Kobler.

Krystle Martin, Chase Mullins, John Bigham, Erik Baker, Flip Kobler, and Amy Schumacher round out the cast.

Special Features include:

Audio commentary by director-producer Steven Lamorte and producer-actress Amy Schumacher Christmas Chaos: Making The Mean One Deleted scenes

In my review, I said, “More like a stocking stuffer than a grand gift, The Mean One would pair well with Jack Frost for a spirited double feature of tongue-in-cheek Christmas horror. The fact that it’s receiving a theatrical release is deserving of commendation and support,...

The third installment in the Terrifier franchise is right around the corner with Damien Leone resuming his duties as writer and director. The third part also sees actor David Howard Thornton reprise his role as Art the Clown, the principal antagonist of the franchise with Sienna Shaw, Lauren Lavera, Elliott Fullam, and Samantha Scaffidi filling out the rest of the cast.

David Howard Thornton plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise (Credit: Cinedigm).

During an interview to promote the film, Thornton spoke about his overarching presence in the horror franchise as the menacing clown-themed villain. However, the actor admitted wanting to play another clown-themed villain, particularly the Clown Prince of Crime from DC Comics. Here is what Thornton said about his interest in playing the Joker for James Gunn’s Dcu.

Terrifier Star David Howard Thornton Wants to Play Joker in James Gunn’s Dcu

Actor David Howard Thornton...

It is that time of the year when we once again find ourselves on the precipice of another year of new film releases. This is when we look forward eagerly to the films scheduled for release in the coming year. There is probably likely something coming out at some point during the year that should be of interest to everyone (at least that’s what most studios are hoping). As always, there will be the usual sequels and big blockbusters set as tent-pole releases, as well as a plethora of additional titles in multiple genres to choose from. We hope you find this list of the upcoming films of 2025 and their release dates useful and that it helps you plan what you’re going to look forward to throughout the years.

The list below gathers all of the titles we know that are coming in 2025 by their current release date.

The classic short film that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world, 1928’s Steamboat Willie has officially entered the public domain, which means filmmakers don’t need the permission of Disney to use that original incarnation of Mickey in their horror movies. And a whole bunch of them are taking advantage, with a slew of twisted Mickey projects already in the works.

The first of these features was The Mouse Trap, released just last month, with Screamboat headed our way sometime next year. And then there’s Mouseboat Massacre, coming soon.

Additionally, Bloody Disgusting has exclusively learned that ITN Studios is getting set to unleash The Mouse Experiment, and they’ve provided us with the official poster today.

Coming to VOD this Halloween season, “The film follows a group of friends stuck at a fairground amusement park hunted down by a mutated rat – Steamboat Willie.”

For the sake of clarity, this...

Flight Risk, the action thriller which marks Mel Gibson’s first time in the director’s chair since Hacksaw Ridge was supposed to be released on October 18th, but Lionsgate announced today that they have pushed that release back to January 24, 2025. While this delay is disappointing, mid-budget action movies such as Flight Risk can do well in January; David Ayer’s The Beekeeper is a recent example.

Directed by Mel Gibson and written by Jared Rosenberg, Flight Risk finds Wahlberg playing a pilot transporting an Air Marshall (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar, and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.”

Our own Chris Bumbray was able to see a trailer for Flight Risk at CinemaCon in Las Vegas earlier this year and teased that Wahlberg is playing “Way against type” in the movie.

Lionsgate has pushed the release date for Mel Gibson’s anticipated suspense thriller Flight Risk, starring Mark Wahlberg, Topher Grace and Michelle Dockery, to 2025, the studio announced on Friday afternoon.

The film will now open wide on January 24, 2025, contending in its opening weekend with only the Disney-inspired indie horror comedy Screamboat and IFC Films’ thriller Inheritance starring Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans. The film’s previous frame of October 18, 2024 was a good deal busier — Paramount Pictures’ horror pic Smile 2, Neon’s Palme d’Or winner Anora from Sean Baker and Roadside Attractions’ drama Exhibiting Forgiveness being among the titles set to open then.

Based on the 2020 Black List script by Jared Rosenberg, Flight Risk follows a pilot (Wahlberg) transporting an Air Marshal (Dockery), who’s been tasked with accompanying a fugitive (Grace) to trial. As the trio crosses the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not...

The classic short film that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world, 1928’s Steamboat Willie is now officially in the public domain, and several horror filmmakers have already stepped up to reimagine the iconic mouse as a slasher maniac. The first of these features was The Mouse Trap, released just last month, with Screamboat headed our way sometime next year.

There’s another Mickey Mouse-inspired horror movie coming soon, Bloody Disgusting has learned this week. From director Andrea M. Catinella, it’s titled Mouseboat Massacre.

The filmmaking team tells Bloody Disgusting, “Mouseboat Massacre paints a terrifying and unsettling picture. A slasher horror film that takes a beloved childhood icon and twists it into something nightmarish. The juxtaposition of something so innocent with a dark, psychotic twist is a brilliant way to tap into deep-seated fears and nostalgia gone wrong.”

The story follows a young woman battling a drug addiction who suddenly...

Steamboat Willie might not be as impressive as Disney‘s feature films, but it paved the way for so much that came afterward. It also paved the way for a new pair of horror films about Mickey Mouse, including Screamboat, a film that features a Steamboat Willie-style Mickey as a cold-blooded killer. Screamboat is part of one of the oddest horror trends to come down the pipeline in some time.

‘Steamboat Willie’ era Mickey Mouse joins Winnie-the Pooh in a horror trend

Mickey is one of the most famous characters to originate in film, so Disney had every reason to keep him under copyright for as long as possible. Now, the cartoon Steamboat Willie has fallen into the public domain, meaning that anyone can use Mickey’s original design for anything. Multiple filmmakers have decided that the beloved rodent needs a horror makeover, so we’re getting two slasher...

With the original iterations of several Disney characters now in the public domain, the door has been opened to parodies featuring twisted new versions of them.

One of the most attention-grabbing parodies is the upcoming horror movie Screamboat which, in case it wasn't obvious, is based on the iconic Mickey Mouse predecessor, Steamboat Willie.

Directed by Steven Lamorte, who previously helmed 2022's The Mean One, a horror based on Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the teaser trailer suggests the project will make slasher fans happy.

According to the synopsis, "[Screamboat] follows a group of New Yorkers on a late-night ferry ride that turns deadly when a mischievous mouse begins a rampage, targeting unsuspecting passengers. The unlikely crew must band together to thwart the murderous menace before their relaxing commute turns into a nightmare."

You can watch the newly released trailer below (via FearHQ.com) ahead of the movie's planned 2025 release.

On January 1st, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse – seen in the animated shorts Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and most famously Steamboat Willie – became public domain… which, of course, means we’re now going to get multiple horror movies that feature characters inspired by Mickey Mouse. Within the first three days of the year, we saw the short film The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, a trailer for the slasher movie Mickey’s Mouse Trap, and an announcement that Terrifier 2 producers Steven Della Salla and Michael Leavy and director Steven Lamorte, who previously made the Grinch-inspired horror movie The Mean One, were teaming up for a Steamboat Willie-inspired horror flick that we now know is titled Screamboat. The film is aiming for a January 2025 release, and a teaser trailer has now made its way online. You can check it out in the embed above.

David Howard Thornton, who...

Today, in "Things likely to cause Bob Iger's blood pressure to trend upwards, just a little bit" news: The first trailer for one of several horror movie parodies based on Disney's 1928 classic Steamboat Willie has arrived on the internet. As reported by IndieWire, Steven Lamorte's Screamboat doesn't have much more to offer viewers,...

The short film that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world, 1928’s Steamboat Willie entered the public domain this year, and the upcoming Screamboat turns the tale into a nightmare.

From the production teams behind Terrifier 2 and The Mean One, Screamboat is coming to theaters in 2025 via Iconic Events Releasing, with Terrifier, Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 star David Howard Thornton (“Art the Clown”) playing the film’s twisted version of Steamboat Willie. Indiewire debuted the official teaser trailer today. You can check it out below.

Director Steven Lamorte tells the outlet that the film’s version of Steamboat Willie is “a 100 percent in-camera practical creature,” with both a puppet and a costume being used.

In Screamboat, “A mischievous mouse stalks a group of New Yorkers on a late night ferry ride, unleashing murderous mayhem on a relaxing commute. Can the ship’s motley crew of travelers find a way to...

Production on “Screamboat” is chugging right along.

Director Steven Lamorte stepped away from an editing session to update IndieWire on his forthcoming horror comedy, expected in theaters early next year from distributors DeskPop Entertainment and Iconic Events Releasing. The slasher spoof plans to commandeer Disney’s “Steamboat Willie” from 1928 — now that its black-and-white versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse are in the public domain. You can watch the film’s sinister first teaser trailer, making its exclusive digital debut with IndieWire, above.

“Our movie, while it is bloody and gory and raunchy, it really is a love letter to this character,” said Lamorte, who co-wrote the script with Matthew Garcia-Dunn. “As 2024 got closer and closer, it seemed like the copyright was really going to lapse. Once the clock struck midnight on January 1, and it was clear that we were going to be free to use the character and have some real fun with him,...

From the team behind the Terrifier movies, Iconic Events Releasing will bring Stream to theaters nationwide on August 21, 2024, with limited screenings through August 25.

Additionally, the first teaser trailer for the upcoming horror-comedy Screamboat will debut exclusively in theaters before those screenings of Stream from August 21 – August 25.

Grab your tickets now!

Director Michael Leavy‘s Stream comes from Fuzz on the Lens Productions with the film’s makeup FX being handled by Terrifier and Terrifier 2 director Damien Leone!

The film’s cast is stacked with familiar faces and horror icons including Tony Todd (Candyman), Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator / Would You Rather), Danielle Harris (Halloween 4, 5 / Hatchet 2), Tim Reid (Stephen King’s It / Wkrp Cincinnati), Dee Wallace (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial / The Howling), Mark Holton (Leprechaun), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp / A Nun’s Curse), Daniel Roebuck (The Fugitive / Final Destination), Dave Sheridan (Scary Movie / The Devil’s Rejects), Terry Alexander (Day of the Dead / Night of the Living Dead...

From the team behind the Terrifier movies, Iconic Events Releasing will bring Stream to theaters nationwide on August 21, 2024, and we’ve learned this week that the first teaser trailer for the upcoming horror-comedy Screamboat will debut exclusively in theaters before those screenings of Stream from August 21 – August 25.

This special preview offers the first glimpse of the twisted reimagining of Steamboat Willie, featuring David Howard Thornton, the star of the Terrifier series, as the film’s chilling lead.

Screamboat is directed by Steven Lamorte, who brings a dark and humorous twist to the earliest version of Disney’s Mickey Mouse character. The film follows a group of New Yorkers on a late-night ferry ride that turns deadly when a mischievous and murderous mouse begins a rampage, targeting unsuspecting passengers.

What starts as a relaxing commute quickly spirals into a nightmarish fight for survival.

The teaser will accompany the theatrical release of Stream,...

Following in the footsteps of Winnie The Pooh: Blood & Honey, The Mouse Trap will turn Mickey Mouse into a bloodthirsty killer.

What strange times we live in. Not only have we had two Winnie The Pooh themed horror films and a Cinderella one in the works, we’re also getting a Mickey Mouse slasher this September.

The Mouse Trap, formerly known as Mickey’s Mouse Trap, is skipping cinemas altogethe and heading to digital retailers on 30th September.

Take a look at the trailer.

Jamie Bailey is on directing duties while Simon Phillips, who also plays the mouse-turned-killer, has penned the script. The film’s first teaser trailer was posted online immediately after the character of Steamboat Willie became available in the public domain on 1st January.

Here’s a synopsis to give you an idea of what to expect: It’s Alex’s 21st Birthday, but she’s...

On January 1st, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse – seen in the animated shorts Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and most famously Steamboat Willie – became public domain… which, of course, means we’re now going to get multiple horror movies that feature characters inspired by Mickey Mouse. Within the first three days of the year, we saw the short film The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, a trailer for the slasher movie Mickey’s Mouse Trap, and an announcement that Terrifier 2 producers Steven Della Salla and Michael Leavy and director Steven Lamorte, who previously made the Grinch-inspired horror movie The Mean One, were teaming up for a Steamboat Willie-inspired horror flick that we now know is titled Screamboat. Mickey’s Mouse Trap has since undergone a title change of its own – it’s now simply known as The Mouse Trap, and it’s set to receive a VOD release from Gravitas Ventures on August 6th,...

With the short film Steamboat Willie (1928) in the public domain, horror filmmakers are now free to play around with that early incarnation of Mickey Mouse, and that’s exactly what director Jamie Bailey is doing in the upcoming indie slasher movie The Mouse Trap.

Bloody Disgusting has learned that Gravitas Ventures will release The Mouse Trap on VOD outlets beginning August 6, 2024, followed by the film’s Blu-ray release on August 13.

Exclusively watch the official trailer for The Mouse Trap below!

In the upcoming horror movie…

It’s Alex’s 21st birthday, but she’s stuck at the amusement arcade on a late shift so her friends decide to surprise her, but a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse decides to play a game of his own with them which she must survive.

Jamie Bailey tells Bloody Disgusting, “The Mouse Trap film is famously the first horror film to use the...

Art the Clown is coming to ruin your Disney memories... well, sort of.

According to a new exclusive from Variety, Terrifier star David Howard Thornton, who plays the larger-than-life yet absolutely terrifying killer clown, will next star in Screamboat, a horror comedy in which Disney's earliest iteration of Mickey Mouse becomes the stuff of nightmares.

On January 1, 2024, the classic 1928 animated short film Steamboat Willie entered the public domain. Not long after that, multiple projects were announced featuring the 1928 version of Mickey becoming the latest childhood character to morph into a horror villain.

Screamboat follows "a late-night ferry ride that turns deadly when a mischievous mouse begins a rampage, targeting unsuspecting passengers."

Steven Lamorte, who produced Terrifier 2, will direct the film. Lamorte previously dabbled in this kind of parody material with The Mean One, which also starred Thornton. The Mean One is a Christmas horror film loosely based on the iconic Dr. Seuss story,...

Alejandro Jodorowsky's masterwork 'Santa Sangre' gets 4-Disc Limited Edition Uhd + Blu-Ray Release from Severin Films on July 29th: "Legendary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, The Holy Mountain) is lauded by critics and cult cinema enthusiasts alike for his avant-garde, violently surreal, brilliantly original features. Now, one of his finest films, Santa Sangre, is set for brand-new release that will deliver an experience like never before.

Severin Films is proud to announce the release of Santa Sangre Limited Dual Edition on 29 July 2024. Get ready for a breathtaking, epic odyssey through ecstasy and anguish, belief and blasphemy, beauty and madness – and learn about the surreal genius behind it all. This must-have set features the film on both 4K Uhd and Blu-ray, with the 4K scan from the original negative supervised by Jodorowsky himself.

Hailed as “Extraordinary… mind-blowing” by The Guardian, “Visionary and haunting” by Rolling Stone and “A grand work of art,...

Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey cartoon, has fallen out of copyright. Enter Screamboat: a slasher flick set on a New York ferry. Will gory versions of Bugs Bunny, Popeye and Betty Boop be next?

This year, the legendary Disney short film Steamboat Willie, the first film to feature Mickey Mouse, entered the public domain. In theory, that means this version of Mickey Mouse now belongs to the people, who are free to share, reuse, sample, repurpose or perform works featuring him however they see fit, without fear of reprisal from Disney. Theoretically this could spark an entire organic folk revival of a character who played a part in all our childhoods.

In reality, though, things are a little different. Because in reality someone is going to make a cheap horror film about him. Variety has announced the existence of Screamboat, a film about some New Yorkers who go on...

Breaking news: Art the Clown is now Mickey Mouse! Sort of. Okay, that warrants some further explanation. At the beginning of this year, Disney's animated short "Steamboat Willie" entered the public domain. The short film featured a very early incarnation of Mickey Mouse (who wasn't called Mickey Mouse in the film), which means that a version of Disney's most famous mascot is now free for the public to use. Which also means budding indie horror filmmakers are seizing on the opportunity, as they did when the character of Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain and spawned a horror franchise.

Case in point: the upcoming horror movie "Screamboat" will turn Steamboat Willie into a killer mouse. And the indie film has found the perfect actor to play the murderous version of Mickey/Steamboat Willie: David Howard Thornton, who has become a kind of new horror icon for playing the frequently blood-soaked Art...

On January 1st, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse – seen in the animated shorts Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and most famously Steamboat Willie – became public domain… which, of course, means we’re now going to get multiple horror movies that feature characters inspired by Mickey Mouse. Within the first three days of the year, we saw the short film The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, a trailer for the slasher movie Mickey’s Mouse Trap, and an announcement that Terrifier 2 producers Steven Della Salla and Michael Leavy and director Steven Lamorte, who previously made the Grinch-inspired horror movie The Mean One, were teaming up for a Steamboat Willie-inspired horror flick that we now know is titled Screamboat. David Howard Thornton plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier films and brought the horror version of the Grinch to life in The Mean One, so it’s no surprise that...

The short film that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world, 1928’s Steamboat Willie entered the public domain this year, and a horror movie adaptation is already on the way next year.

From the production teams behind Terrifier 2 and The Mean One, Screamboat is coming to theaters in 2025 via Iconic Events Releasing, and Variety reports this morning that Terrifier, Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 star David Howard Thornton (“Art the Clown”) will be playing the film’s twisted version of Steamboat Willie!

“I’m beyond excited to join this incredible cast and bring Steamboat Willie to life with a horror twist,” Thornton said in a statement shared by Variety this morning. “Screamboat is going to be a horrific and hilarious big screen thrill ride that fans won’t want to miss.”

The Screamboat cast will also include Allison Pittel (“Stream”), Amy Schumacher (“The Mean One”), Jesse Posey (“Teen Wolf”), Jesse Kove...

The actor behind Art the Clown is taking terror to the high seas in his latest project.

David Howard Thornton, who portrays the bloodthirsty jokester in the “Terrifier” series, is set to play Steamboat Willie in the horror comedy “Screamboat.” Steamboat Willie is the earliest version of Disney’s iconic Mickey Mouse character, and it entered the public domain on Jan. 1, opening the door for projects like this one.

Per the film’s official description, “‘Screamboat’ follows a group of New Yorkers on a late-night ferry ride that turns deadly when a mischievous mouse begins a rampage, targeting unsuspecting passengers. The unlikely crew must band together to thwart the murderous menace before their relaxing commute turns into a nightmare.”

Joining Thornton in the cast include Allison Pittel (“Stream”), Amy Schumacher (“The Mean One”), Jesse Posey (“Teen Wolf”), Jesse Kove (“Cobra Kai”), Rumi C Jean-Louis (“Hightown”) as well as horror veterans...

A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book Winnie-the-Pooh and the characters in it lapsed into the public domain at the start of last year, paving the way for the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey horror franchise, which in turn kicked off the Twisted Childhood Universe, consisting of other horror movies inspired by children’s stories, like Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, Bambi: The Reckoning, and Pinocchio Unstrung, building up to the crossover movie Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. On January 1st, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse – seen in the animated shorts Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and most famously Steamboat Willie – became public domain, so Mickey-based horror movies also started springing up. Within the first three days of the year, we saw the short film The Vanishing of S.S. Willie, a trailer for the slasher movie Mickey’s Mouse Trap, and an announcement that Terrifier 2 producers Steven Della Salla and...

Faceless After Dark: "Following her breakout success as the star of a killer clown horror flick, Bowie now finds herself struggling to capitalize on its success. But when she is suddenly held hostage by an unhinged fan posing as that same killer clown, horror becomes her reality as she fights to survive the night and escape before he completes his sinister plan to recreate the film’s fatal plot. Jenna Kanell from the Terrifier franchise gives a tour-de-force performance in this wild, gory ride."

Written by: Jenna Kanell and Todd Jacobs Directed by: Raymond Wood Produced by: Raymond Wood Cast: Jenna Kanell (Terrifier franchise, Renfield, Bad Boys: Ride or Die), Danny Kang (Insatiable, NCIS Hawai'i), Danielle Lyn (Mayfair Witches, Single Drunk Female), Max Calder (Stranger Things,Jungle Cruise), Michael Aaron Milligan (TV's Outer Banks, TV's The Purge), Kathrine Barnes (Average Joe, Queer as Folk), Jason MacDonald (The Vampire Diaries, NCIS...