Writer-director Joseph Scrimshaw’s Dead Media, a loving homage to ’90s horror cult classics and the lost art of DVD bonus features, arrives in select theaters nationwide on July 16, 2026, followed by a VOD release on July 28.
Dead Media follows Maggie, a troubled young woman trying to enjoy movie night with her two best friends. When they can’t find anything to stream, her super-fan uncle arrives with a DVD of The Lurcher, a long-lost ’90s horror cult-classic, promising the full bloody bonus content experience. Once they dig into the analog feature, they quickly discover the disc is haunted — and the horrors from inside the film begin to materialize in their own living room. Scrimshaw describes it as “an exciting homage to great horror, cult classics, and the bygone era of DVD bonus features.”
Scrimshaw directs from his own screenplay. The cast includes Sammi-Jack Martinack, Sam Landman, James Urbaniak, Jessica Fenton, and Anna Sundberg. The film is produced by Vincent Rutherford and Scrimshaw, with Joe Lynch (Everly, Mayhem) serving as executive producer. Matthias Schubert serves as cinematographer, with original score by Tony Thaxton. Runtime is 99 minutes.
DEAD MEDIA Theatrical Dates
7.18 – Los Angeles, CA – Braindead Studios; 7:00 pm
7.19 – San Diego, CA – Digital Gym Cinemas
7.21 – Los Angeles, CA – Laemmle North Hollywood; 7:00 pm
7.25 – Santa Anna, CA – The Frida Cinema; 9:30 pm
7.26 – Palm Springs, CA – Festival Theaters
8.2 – Atlantic Highlands, NJ – Smodcastle Cinemas
8.4 – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA; 7:30 pm
8.6 – Atlanta, GA – Tara Theatre
8.11 – St. Louis, MO – Arkadin Cinema + Bar
8.13 – Kansas City, MO – Atlas 9
8.14 – Des Moines, IA – Flix Brewhouse
8.17 – La Crosse, WI – Rivoli Theatre
8.18 – Minneapolis, MN – The Heights
Dead Media opens in select theaters July 16, 2026, and hits VOD on July 28.
