Some horror stories are simply too entertaining to remain confined to the cinema.

Blumhouse Productions is expanding several of its best-known franchises into comic books through a new partnership with IDW Publishing’s horror imprint, IDW Dark.

Announced on 9 October 2026, the collaboration will bring The Purge, M3GAN and Happy Death Day into the world of illustrated storytelling.

The agreement also creates opportunities for selected IDW comic properties to be developed into film and television projects.

For horror fans, this opens the door to new stories set within familiar universes, without necessarily requiring another theatrical sequel.

The Purge has an entire world waiting to be explored

Of the three announced franchises, The Purge may offer the greatest potential for expansion.

The original 2013 film introduced a disturbing alternate America in which most crimes, including murder, become legal for one night each year.

What began as a home-invasion thriller developed into a broader franchise examining violence, class inequality, political power and social control.

Subsequent films and a television series explored different people experiencing the annual event.

But the concept still offers almost limitless storytelling possibilities.

What happens in communities far removed from the major cities featured in the films?

How do ordinary people prepare for Purge Night?

And what kinds of moral decisions emerge when society temporarily removes the consequences of criminal behaviour?

The announced comic will be written by Dan Watters with artwork by Juan José Ryp, introducing a story set in a previously unexplored location.

Comics could be an effective way to explore the franchise’s world without the enormous production costs associated with elaborate action sequences and large-scale urban destruction.

M3GAN is ready for a different kind of horror

When M3GAN arrived in 2022, its murderous artificial-intelligence doll quickly became a recognisable figure in modern horror.

The film combined technological anxiety with dark comedy, exploring the consequences of allowing artificial intelligence to assume an increasingly intimate role in human relationships.

M3GAN herself was central to the appeal.

She was unsettling, strangely entertaining and capable of shifting between apparently innocent behaviour and calculated violence.

A comic-book adaptation could explore aspects of the character that the films have only touched upon.

The technology behind M3GAN, the consequences of increasingly sophisticated artificial companions and the possibility of similar creations could all provide material for new stories.

The comic format also offers opportunities for exaggerated visual horror that may be difficult or expensive to reproduce in live action.

Specific creative details about M3GAN’s comic stories are still emerging.

Happy Death Day could have even more fun with its premise

Happy Death Day introduced audiences to Tree Gelbman, a college student forced to relive the day of her murder until she could uncover the identity of her killer.

The 2017 film blended slasher horror with time-loop comedy, while its sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, expanded the concept into science-fiction territory.

The franchise’s mixture of humour, mystery and horror makes it particularly suitable for comics.

A new story could explore different characters experiencing similar time-loop situations or investigate further consequences of the technology introduced in the films.

Tim Seeley has been announced as the writer of the Happy Death Day comic.

For fans who have been waiting for the franchise to continue, the comic provides another opportunity to revisit its unusual world.

Why horror works so well in comics

Horror comics have a long history of using visual storytelling to create suspense, dread and unexpected shocks.

Unlike film, where the director controls the timing of every reveal, comics allow readers to move through a frightening sequence at their own pace.

A carefully constructed page can conceal a disturbing image until the reader turns the page.

Unusual panel layouts can distort time, perspective and reality.

And illustrations can depict grotesque or surreal imagery without the practical limitations of live-action production.

For established horror franchises, comics also provide a relatively flexible way to experiment with different characters and storylines.

Could this lead to more movies?

The partnership is not limited to adapting Blumhouse films into comics.

It also creates a route for selected IDW properties to be considered for film and television adaptations.

That could introduce new horror concepts to audiences unfamiliar with the original comics.

However, the announcement should not be interpreted as confirmation that every comic project will receive a screen adaptation.

The partnership establishes possibilities, not guaranteed productions.

For now, the most exciting development is that three familiar horror franchises will receive opportunities to tell stories beyond their existing films.

And with Halloween approaching, the timing couldn’t be better.

Which Blumhouse franchise would you most like to explore in comic-book form?