With the month more than half over at this point, it’s safe to say it’s been one of the more pathetic Octobers on record for horror. Quarantine and Saw V are the only genre offerings in wide release, while a gem like Let The Right One In is playing the festival and screening circuit, with the suits in Tinseltown already moving forward with its redundant remake.

Things are about to get worse for horror in Hollywood (although I didn’t think that was possible); Yesterday it was announced Universal Pictures is planning on selling off its genre label Rogue Pictures. Rogue has shepherded such stellar delights (tee-hee, guffaw, guffaw) to the screen as Seed of Chucky, The Hitcher (2007), Doomsday, and this summer’s way-overrated The Strangers to the screen.

Universal is planning on selling Rogue to Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media for $150 million. The deal will include the banner’s 30-title library, including the four films set for release in 2009 and everything else it’s currently bastardizing in development hell. This includes the sequel to one of their few recent hits, The Strangers (sigh).

On second thought, now that I look back at the films Rogue has spewed out (excluding Hot Fuzz), maybe this isn’t such a bad thing after all.

No mention of whether or not Rogue will continue to produce genre films at Relativity, but I’m betting we can expect less horror down at the multiplex, sequel, remake or elusive original.