We at FANGORIA are dedicated fans of the Adams Family of filmmakers, and after their recent feature, Mother of Flies, earned two nominations at the 2026 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards—Best Streaming Premiere and Best Lead Performance for Toby Poser as Solveig—it’s clear that Fango readers are just as big fans.
That is why we are thrilled to share an exclusive announcement from Fantastic Fest: their new film, The Glorious Dead, has been acquired by Shudder. The deal marks the fourth collaboration between the first family of indie horror and Shudder following Mother of Flies, Hell Hole, and Hellbender. John Adams and Toby Poser co-wrote and directed the film, with the whole family back on screen.
This time around, the Adamses have delivered a DIY-or-die horror story about a sheriff and her deputy who wake to a transformed world where bloody chasms have erupted from the earth, grotesque flesh-born creatures roam the land, and the recently deceased rise again. The film had its U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest following its world premiere at Fantasia, and the Fango crew was gleefully in attendance. From firsthand experience, the audience was loving it, so if you’re already a fan of their work or want to check them out for the first time, The Glorious Dead is a winner.
“Nothing feels better for this family than being welcomed back into our greater Shudder fam!” says Toby Poser. “This is our squishy, bloody, happy place, and we can’t thank the Shudder team enough for allowing us to bring our apocalyptic, monster-ridden, wild winter romp to the best horror audience in the world.”
As galaxy-brained as some of the story's apocalyptic elements are, The Glorious Dead is loaded with small-town charm and plenty of blood-covered snow. Opinions are obviously subjective, but The Glorious Dead is the family’s darkest thematically and simultaneously funniest movie yet. A sense of theological existential dread hangs over every second of the film, but when you're coming to terms with a world gone mad, sometimes all you can do is laugh in the face of terrifying circumstances.
The Adams Family’s trajectory is inspiring for horror fans and aspiring horror filmmakers, because they keep getting better with every outing. Their films are such collective efforts, with everyone in the family (and their extended community of collaborators) wearing multiple hats on each production. Let their filmography serve as an evergreen reminder that all you really need to make a movie is a group of people willing to get weird with you, and the tenacity to just go for it and make your art on your own terms.
The Glorious Dead will arrive on Shudder sometime in 2027, and we’ll keep you in the loop when the official release date becomes available.
