The Final Cut: Eli Roth's Horror Empire, Jawbone Gets a Killer Team, and Tokyo Gets Weird 9/12/25 On today’s episode of The Final Cut, Travis Brown spotlights three power moves reshaping horror’s future:
Eli Roth’s The Horror Section partners with Blackcraft Cult to become the official merch engine for upcoming films like Dream Eater, Ice Cream Man, and Don’t Go in That House, Bitch! (starring Snoop Dogg)—promising limited drops, pop-ups, screenings, and fan experiences in L.A. and Salem. Is a full-blown lifestyle brand the next phase of horror fandom?
Jawbone heads to TV with an elite team: producers Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, and Nick Antosca; director Michelle Garza Cervera (Huesera); and writer Jaquen Castellanos. Expect a stylish, psychological tale of obsession, betrayal, and captivity—think Heavenly Creatures meets The Craft with Yellowjackets bite.
Tokyo Gap Financing Market unveils a 2025 slate of global oddities—Dinosaur Boy, Killtube, Garuda, Filipinana, Hum, and more—projects already 60% financed and poised for 2026 festival debuts and specialty streamers.
Each segment ends with a listener question about merch-first branding, prestige horror TV, and Southeast Asia’s rising genre wave. For daily indie horror news, reviews, and festival coverage, visit hmuncut.com.
Show Highlights
Eli Roth Horror Section, Blackcraft Cult partnership, horror merch drops, Dream Eater, Ice Cream Man, Snoop Dogg, horror lifestyle brand, pop-up screenings, Salem and Los Angeles events
Jawbone TV series, Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Nick Antosca, Michelle Garza Cervera Huesera, Jaquen Castellanos, psychological horror adaptation, Universal Television
Tokyo Gap Financing Market lineup, Dinosaur Boy, Killtube, Garuda: Dare to Dream, Filipinana, Hum, Ayumu Watanabe Freedom in the Sky, Southeast Asian horror, 2026 festival premieres, Shudder, Mubi
Audience engagement: merch vs. movies, prestige TV horror vs. blood-and-guts, global distribution for Asian genre films
Follow @HMUNCUT and @TravisNyquill for indie horror podcast news, reviews, and updates
Segment Copy (Branded, each with a Question)
Segment 1 — Eli Roth’s The Horror Section x Blackcraft Cult
Eli Roth’s fan-owned Horror Section names Blackcraft Cult its official global merch partner—rolling out limited apparel, pop-up retail, screenings, and fan activations tied to films like Dream Eater, Ice Cream Man, and Don’t Go in That House, Bitch! Blackcraft hints at expanding into production next.
Question: Is The Horror Section building the next big horror brand—or will the merch machine overshadow the movies?
Segment 2 — Jawbone Adaptation Builds a Killer Team
Jawbone’s English-language TV adaptation unites Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, and Nick Antosca with director Michelle Garza Cervera (Huesera) and writer Jaquen Castellanos. Two girls, an obsessive bond, a remote cabin, and a spiral into betrayal and captivity—crafted with art-horror precision.
Question: With this much talent circling Jawbone, is it primed to be the next Brand New Cherry Flavor—or too cerebral for gore-hungry fans?
Segment 3 — Tokyo Gap Financing Market Gets Deliciously Weird
Tokyo’s 2025 gap slate surfaces global genre: Dinosaur Boy (creature coming-of-age), Killtube (streaming-era extremity), Garuda (animated monster fable), Filipinana and Hum (Philippine genre-blenders), plus Ayumu Watanabe’s Freedom in the Sky. Most projects are already majority financed and chasing 2026 fests/streamers.
Question: Are these Tokyo-backed films proof Southeast Asia is horror’s next frontier—or will distribution keep them underground?
Transcript Summary & Top Moments
Summary:
Travis Brown maps horror’s evolving business: Roth’s merch-to-lifestyle play with Blackcraft, prestige TV momentum around Jawbone’s dream team, and the Tokyo market’s pipeline of global oddities already stacking financing. The episode threads a theme—vision-led projects finding new paths to audiences, from retail to regional film funds.
Top Moments:
“The Horror Section turns merch into a fan-powered ecosystem.”
“Jawbone assembles a prestige horror dream team.”
“Tokyo Gap titles are 60% financed—and aiming at 2026 festivals.”
Got a horror tip, casting leak, or festival scoop? DM us @HMUNCUT—your intel could be featured on a future episode of The Final Cut.
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