Ted Raimi wants to invite you over for a drink. That’s a lovely gesture, assuming you don’t mind creepy puppets watching you from the corners of a haunted mansion while horror’s most interesting people share their stories. There’s a chance your host has a few surprises waiting before you leave.
Screambox has released the first trailer for Your Dearest, Darkest Friend with Ted Raimi, a new horror talk series premiering October 30, just in time for Halloween. Raimi will welcome horror filmmakers and other genre personalities into his eerie manor for conversations about their work, serving them custom cocktails while taking a closer look at the strange objects filling his home.
If the idea of another celebrity interview show sounds like something you’d rather sleep through, Raimi appears to have a plan for that. The series turns the usual sit-down chat into a full-blown spooky experience, complete with bizarre puppet residents and a head-in-a-jar named Mortimer Dustworth, the manor’s enigmatic right-hand man and original owner. That last detail raises several questions, most of which probably shouldn’t be investigated without a flashlight.
Raimi describes himself as a “Fabulist,” and the show’s premise seems determined to live up to the title. The manor is part old-school speakeasy and part surreal children’s television nightmare. a little haunted-house theater thrown in for good measure. Guests won’t simply sit across from Raimi and answer questions. They’ll get to explore his collection of oddities and haunted relics. While there, these high profile guests will gulp down dayglo drinks prepared specifically for them. That won’t stop the peculiar characters inhabiting the place from messing with everyone.
Guests on the menu in season one include horror legend Barbara Crampton, mumblecore maestro Joe Swanberg, and Suitable Flesh director Joe Lynch. The full rundown of mansions interlopers hasn’t yet been revealed.
There are cocktails and signature mocktails on the menu, so even guests who’d rather keep their evening booze-free can join in on the fun. Whether the puppets are equally accommodating remains to be seen. But let’s be honest. No one wants to be around a drunk puppet.
The first trailer gives us a taste of the show’s dark humor and elaborate atmosphere without revealing too much about what happens once the guests settle in. It’s an intriguing setup for a genre that has no shortage of fascinating personalities and behind-the-scenes stories. Horror fans have spent decades listening to their favorite filmmakers discuss the occasional production nightmare. Giving those conversations a suitably weird home could make for a welcome change from another interview conducted in a hotel room.
Raimi is no stranger to horror himself. Alongside his acting career, he previously created and directed Deathly Spirits, a horror series released in 2015. He’s also the younger brother of filmmaker Sam Raimi, whose work includes The Evil Dead franchise and Spider-Man. Ted has spent plenty of time in the genre’s orbit, making him a fitting host for a show built around horror’s creative community.
Tony Wash, Charlie Queen, Lauren Leshansky, and Ted Raimi are credited as producers on the new series.
Your Dearest, Darkest Friend with Ted Raimi arrives on Screambox this Halloween Eve, October 30, 2026. With the holiday just around the corner, inviting horror’s biggest voices into a creepy manor sounds like a pretty good way to spend an evening.
