By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The murderous whodunit will play out on the page next year.
Echo On Publications gave us the first word that the 1982 horror/mystery DEADLY GAMES is joining its lineup of novelizations for 2026 (see our last report on them here); you can check out the cover below. Penning the adaptation is dark fiction writer Cat Voleur, who’s also the co-host of The Nic F’n Woo Cage Cast. Written and directed by Scott Mansfield, DEADLY GAMES stars Jo Ann Harris, Sam Groom, Steve Railsback, Jere Lea Rae, Saul Sindell, Denise Galik and Dick Butkus. The synopsis: “A masked maniac with a penchant for a horror-themed board game is playing his own twisted game with the women of a small American town. Each time the dice is rolled, another victim meets a grisly end. Returning home to mourn the death of her murdered sister, Keegan [Jo Ann Harris] befriends local cop Roger [Groom] and oddball cinema projectionist Billy [Railsback] and reunites with her old friend Sooty Lane [Rae]. But as the killer’s game continues, Keegan realizes that she and those closest to her may be the next pieces to fall.”
“DEADLY GAMES is one of my favorite films to come out of the 1980s,” Voleur says. “It is such an honor to be tasked with bringing this strange, sinister story from the screen and into the hands of readers.” The novelization will be available in hardcover, paperback and e-book on a date to be determined in ’26. You can find out more about Echo On’s novelizations and other genre fiction at its official website.
