Something Is Killing the Children’s Slaughterverse is about to explode in popularity
Something Is Killing the Children, a horror comic series launched in 2019 by writer James Tynion IV and artist Werther Dell’Edera, is expanding into a major multimedia franchise. Originally pitched as a modest five-issue miniseries featuring a tormented monster hunter traveling through forgotten American towns with a demon-possessed stuffed octopus, the comic has grown to nearly 50 issues and spawned the “Slaughterverse”—the ecosystem of interconnected spinoff books including House of Slaughter.
The franchise’s expansion reflects its significant pop-culture impact. Upcoming adaptations and projects include a prose novel, a crossover with DC Comics’ Swamp Thing, and both a theatrical film and animated series produced by Blumhouse. These developments signal that Something Is Killing the Children has transcended its comic book origins to become a full-fledged entertainment franchise with broad industry interest.
The trajectory from limited horror miniseries to multimedia juggernaut in less than a decade demonstrates the growing appetite for adapting indie comic properties into diverse media formats. Blumhouse’s involvement—known for producing horror content across film and television—suggests a focus on maintaining the story’s horror sensibilities while reaching audiences far beyond traditional comic readerships.