At San Diego Comic-Con on 24 July, panellists on the "Bold Voice of Contemporary Horror: Tenth Anniversary Edition" discussion identified emerging trends shaping the genre, amid a wider box-office boom for horror films. The session brought together actors and film-makers to reflect on where horror cinema is heading, offering insight for audiences and industry watchers into the creative choices likely to define the genre's next wave.

Panellists included Dan Stevens ("The Terror"), Deborah Ann Woll (Shudder's forthcoming "The Cycle"), director Zachary Wigon ("Victorian Psycho") and Dave Boyle ("Never After Dark"), moderated by Overlook Film Festival's Michael Lerman. Among the trends discussed were horror films that blend multiple tones or subgenres to keep audiences uncertain, film-makers drawing on skills from unrelated genres such as action work, and a continuing rise in horror blended with humour, exemplified by directors like Zach Cregger and Curry Barker.