AMC has announced it has renewed Eli Roth’s History of Horror for a third season and acquired revenge thriller The Beast Must Die. The third season of Eli Roth’s History of Horror will consist of six hour-long episodes and will premiere later this year.
History of Horror has brought together masters of horror – the storytellers and the stars who define the genre, including Stephen King, Jordan Peele and Quentin Tarantino, among many others, to explore its biggest themes and reveal the inspirations and struggles behind its past and present.
“I’m beyond thrilled to continue this incredible deep dive into horror history with all of these legends, rising stars and fans. I’m so thankful to all those who have to come together to celebrate and catalog the genre we love in a show that will play for generations to come,” said executive producer Eli Roth.
He added: “We’ve had the most amazing discussions, and so many older films are being rediscovered through the show and its accompanying podcast.
“Thank you to AMC, Shudder, my incredible producers, and all the contributors and fans who supported us. We want to make Season 3 our deepest and darkest yet.”
Across six episodes, Eli Roth’s History of Horror Season 2 reached nearly 6 million viewers and more than 2 million adults 25-54 in Live+3 ratings. On Halloween night, Eli Roth’s History of Horror (Episode 204 – “Witches”) was the #3 series telecast on cable in standard prime among Adults 18-49 in Live+3 ratings.
In addition to King, Peele and Tarantino, the second season featured guest stars Bill Hader, Megan Fox, Greg Nicotero, Edgar Wright, Rachel True, Elijah Wood, Alexandra Billings and Rob Zombie.
The upcoming third season will feature episodes entitled “Sinister Psychics,” “Infections,” “Mad Scientists,” “Apocalyptic Horror,” “Sequels That Don’t Suck” and “Holiday Horror,” each of which will take viewers on a chilling exploration of how horror has evolved through the eras and impacted society and its biggest fears through key horror subgenres.
Eli Roth’s History of Horror is produced by The Content Group (ESPN’s 30 For 30, Nat Geo’s Breakthrough) and Marwar Junction Productions (Disney +’s Earth to Ned, BET’s Murder in the Thirst). The executive producers are Eli Roth, Kurt Sayenga, Steven Michaels, Jodi Flynn, Joseph Freed and Allison Berkley.
The six-part The Beast Must Die, meanwhile, will premiere on AMC and AMC+ later this year. The series is produced in partnership with BritBox UK, New Regency Television International and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free.
The Beast Must Die stars Bafta-winning and Golden Globe & Emmy-nominated Jared Harris (Chernobyl, The Crown, The Terror, Mad Men), Cush Jumbo OBE (The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Deadwater Fell), Billy Howle (The Serpent, MotherFatherSon, On Chesil Beach), Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, The Outcast, Vanity Fair) and Geraldine James (Downton Abbey, Back to Life, Anne with an E).
Based on the novel by Nicholas Blake (pen name of Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis CBE), The Beast Must Die tells the story of a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son.
“This series will be something special for AMC and our AMC+ subscribers. It continues a legacy of very successful relationships with the brilliant Jared Harris and our friends at Scott Free, and forges new producing partnerships with BritBox and New Regency Television,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks.
He added: “The Beast Must Die honors the novel upon which it is based with a fantastic piece of television that cuts to the heart of grief, hate, revenge and allows us to ask questions about our own humanity in a remarkably engaging and suspenseful way.”
“We are beyond thrilled that The Beast Must Die is going to be shown on AMC, and couldn’t ask for a better television home in the US that stands for bold, quality drama. We hope audiences will be drawn into this emotional thriller and can’t wait for it to go out into the world,” stated Ed Rubin, Head of New Regency Television International.
The Beast Must Die is being directed by Dome Karukoski (Tolkien, Tom of Finland), produced by Sarada McDermott (Bridgerton, Official Secrets) and adapted for the screen by screenwriter Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest, Shetland, Vera).
The executive producers are Ed Rubin and Emma Broughton for New Regency, Marina Brackenbury and David W. Zucker for Scott Free, Nathaniel Parker and Gaby Chiappe.