Slasher Digest: July 2025

This month, Hack or Slash turned a monumental corner: we released our 400th episode.

I’ve been doing this for nearly eight years, and I still can’t fully wrap my head around what that number means. Four hundred episodes. Four hundred chapters of horror dissected, debated, and shared with a community that continues to grow and evolve. We marked the occasion with a live Jeopardy event, and the turnout was incredible—one of those nights where the chat was buzzing, the laughs were real, and the joy of this thing we’ve built together felt so present and alive.

If I’m being honest, this milestone felt different than the others. Not just bigger, but more focused.

More intentional.

It forced me to zoom out and reflect not just on where we’ve been, but where we’re going.

July has been a month of preparation. Behind the scenes, we’ve been hard at work recalibrating our approach to Spooky Season. In years past, we’ve stacked our calendar with more episodes, bonus content, and special events than we could reasonably sustain. This year, we’re doing things differently. Not less, but smarter, and more meaningful.

Our guiding purpose for Spooky Season 2025 is re-engagement, and getting back to the heart of what makes this show and this community special. 

It’s not just about covering more movies or making more posts. It’s about showing up. It’s about creating space for connection, for celebration, for that feeling you get when you find people who get the same weird, wild, terrifying things you love.

That’s the foundation we’re rebuilding this fall.

I’m so grateful to everyone who’s been part of this journey, whether you’ve been with us since the early days or just discovered us during your first watch party. Your time, your feedback, your excitement…it’s what keeps this alive.

We’re not just making a podcast. We’re cultivating a space, building a home for horror fans, and redefining what this show can be as we enter our next era.

If you’ve ever shared an episode with a friend, dropped our name in a horror forum, or sent someone a link to our podcast or YouTube channel, thank you. That word of mouth is what helps us grow.

If you believe in what we’re doing and want to help us reach even more horror fans, share the show with someone who’d love it or subscribe to our YouTube channel. Every small action makes a big impact.

Thanks for helping us get to 400. Let’s see what the next hundred bring.

Stay spooky,

🔪 Kris

Summerween is in full effect and we are fast approaching Spooky Pre-Season and Hack or Slash is here to help you get ready and into that spooky spirit!

Here’s what we’re covering this next month on the podcast:

• Sinister 2 (2015)

  We confront a terrifying new chapter of supernatural horror that haunts a family in Sinister 2.

• Weapons (2025)

  We keep up with the creepy kids theme and see what director Zach Cregger has in store for us with his newest movie, in theaters August 8.

• Near Dark (1987)

  We sink our teeth into a cult classic vampire western that blends horror and frontier thrills in Near Dark.

• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

  We join Ed and Lorraine Warren once again, this time to investigate a chilling case that tests the limits of paranormal justice to get ready for the next Conjuring movie due out this fall.

Hell House LLC Watch Parties! Hack or Slash Historian Nathan is helping you get ready and refresh your memory every Wednesday leading up to the premiere of the newest entry in the Hell House LLC franchise. Tune in every Wednesday on the Hack or Slash Discord to join!

31 Days of Horror Calendar drops end of August! That’s right, our newsletter subscribers and patrons will be the first to see the completed calendar of themes for the 31 days of October. So be sure to keep an eye and ear out for us the end of August to be the first ones with the Spooky Season 411! Make sure all your horror friends and fiends are also subscribed so they can be in the loop too!

• We complete the teen slasher trilogy and face relentless revenge with 398: I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer

• We talk about family and loss in the summer’s biggest bummer (but still excellent) movie with 399: Bring Her Back

• We celebrated our 400th episode milestone by testing our hosts’ knowledge, reliving unforgettable moments, and laughing through the chaos with 400: Hack or Slash Jeopardy

• We revisit a familiar seaside town and confront a legacy of deadly secrets while welcoming back some legacy horror characters with 401: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)

• We allow our childhoods to be ruined a little bit more with the most recent addition to the public domain “Poohniverse”, 402: Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare

• Everybody Loves a Comeback: When Horror Welcomes Their Own Home Again

  Chel celebrates the return of beloved horror franchises and explores how they balance nostalgia with fresh scares.

• Hooked Again: Everything You Need to Know About I Know What You Did Last Summer

  Kris is back to provide you with a guide to the legacy of I Know What You Did Last Summer, from its iconic origins to its modern revival.

• Get Hooked: 7 Days of Activities Leading Up to I Know What You Did Last Summer

  Nathan helped us get excited for the IKWYDLS premier with a themed countdown of seven fun activities to build excitement!

• Universal Halloween Horror Nights houses unveiled: Jason Universe and Terrifier

• Angry Orchard drops teaser trailer for the “Sweet Revenge” vignette featuring Jason Voorhees

• Dan Rivera Coroner Shares Update on 'Possessed' Annabelle in Cause of Death

• Filming has started on Evil Dead Burn

• Skeet Ulrich to join cast of “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2”