Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence Invades San Diego Comic-Con July 24

The cult horror-comedy franchise comes home to San Diego with a new film, exclusive footage, killer merch, and one dangerous tomato named Norman.

San Diego is about to get sauced, mi gente!

After more than four decades of cult chaos, absurd horror, and vegetable-based madness, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is rolling back into the city where the insanity first sprouted. The franchise returns with Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, the fifth installment in the long-running horror-comedy series, and it is bringing the madness home to San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 24.

The new film was largely produced and filmed in San Diego, making this comeback feel less like a reboot and more like a full-circle pop culture homecoming. The movie premieres in select theaters this August, then opens wide and lands on VOD in September. So yes, the tomatoes are back, and apparently, they learned how to evolve. Somebody hide the salad bar.

The official San Diego Comic-Con panel takes place Friday, July 24 at 7:15 PM in Room 6A at the San Diego Convention Center. The panel will be moderated by producer Michael Polis, known for Yo Gabba Gabba!, and will feature director David Ferino, original Killer Tomatoes creator Costa Dillon, and cast members Dan Bakkedahl, Myrna Velasco, Zachary Roozen, Samantha Bailey, and Noor Razooky.

Fans attending the panel will get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, along with the world debut of the official trailer, exclusive footage, an audience Q&A, and a special appearance by Norman the Killer Tomato. Yes, Norman. Because apparently one killer tomato needed a government name. Respect.

For longtime fans, this is not just another panel. This franchise has been part of pop culture weirdness since the original Attack of the Killer Tomatoes hit in 1978. Since then, it has grown into a full-blown cult phenomenon with a Saturday morning cartoon, a Nintendo game, an early-career appearance by George Clooney, and generations of fans who somehow looked at murderous produce and said, “Yeah, I’m in.”

The new chapter follows a young biotech prodigy who creates a revolutionary genetically engineered vegetable meant to help humanity. Naturally, because this is Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and not a quiet PBS documentary, the experiment goes sideways and unleashes a new generation of killer tomatoes. Science tried to save the world, and instead, it made lunch aggressive. Comics and cult cinema, baby. This is why we can’t have nice groceries.

The cast also includes David Koechner, best known for Anchorman, Eric Roberts from The Dark Knight, Catherine Corcoran from Terrifier, and franchise icon John Astin, who returns as Professor Gangreen decades after first appearing in the series. That right there is cult cinema royalty stepping back into the lab coat, and fans of the franchise already know that is a big deal.

Along with the SDCC panel, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence will also take over part of the Atomic Toybox Booth, Booth #3917 on the main floor of the San Diego Convention Center. Fans can grab exclusive merch including posters, tomato plushies, clothing, skateboards, and more. Because nothing says Comic-Con like leaving with a plush killer tomato and explaining your life choices to airport security.

Steve Peace, who co-wrote and produced the original 1978 film, summed it up best by noting that Attack of the Killer Tomatoes began in San Diego, and now it is coming home. With the new film made in the same city that launched the madness, San Diego Comic-Con feels like the perfect stage for the franchise’s next ridiculous, nostalgic, and proudly bizarre chapter.

The panel is open to Comic-Con badge holders.