Curry Barker’s “Obsession” might have given the impression that horror cinema has already peaked this year, but the truth is quite the opposite. The second half of 2026 is still packed with major releases that range from unsettling original stories to long awaited franchise returns and ambitious video game adaptations. Here, we take a look at the 10 biggest horror movies still on the way.
Passenger
Paramount Pictures is kicking off the summer scare season early with this highly anticipated supernatural thriller directed by master of suspense André Øvredal. Centering on a demonic stalker that relentlessly pursues its victims across inescapable distances, the film combines a claustrophobic atmosphere with a stellar cast that includes Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, and Academy Award winner Melissa Leo.
Backrooms
Building on the viral found-footage phenomenon that captivated millions online, filmmaker Kane Parsons is bringing his surreal labyrinth to the big screen courtesy of A24 and Atomic Monster. Striking theaters on May 29, this sci-fi horror feature promises to strictly honor the lore established in the original YouTube videos while expanding the narrative with a cast led by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve. Rather than spelling out easy answers, the production leans heavily into liminal spaces, existential dread, and the unsettling psychological toll of getting lost in endless yellow hallways.
Leviticus
Fresh off its breakout premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Australian filmmaker Adrian Chiarella’s highly buzzed-about debut is slated to bring psychological dread to theaters via Neon on June 19. This unsettling queer horror feature focuses on two teenage boys, played by Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, who inadvertently unleash a shape-shifting supernatural entity after being subjected to a radical conversion ritual in their deeply conservative community.
Evil Dead Burn
The legendary Necronomicón claims its next victims on July 10 in a brutal family reunion directed by French filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček. Produced by franchise pillars Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert through Ghost House Pictures, this standalone spin-off follows a grieving woman, played by Souheila Yacoub, who seeks solace at an isolated estate only to inadvertently unleash a fresh wave of Deadite chaos. Vaniček has promised an uncompromisingly vicious, physically punishing cinematic experience.
Ice Cream Man
Master of macabre Eli Roth is serving a chilling dish of suburban nightmare on August 7 under his newly minted production banner, The Horror Section. This twisted slasher transforms an otherwise idyllic summer town into a playground of madness when a local vendor begins distributing sweet treats embedded with fatal ingredients. Starring Ari Millen, Benjamin Byron Davis, and Roth himself, the feature aims to capture the unhinged, darkly comedic energy of classic mid-tier horror while delivering the filmmaker’s signature visceral stomach-punches.
Insidious: Out of the Further
Blumhouse and Sony Pictures invite audiences back into the dark purgatory of the supernatural realm on August 21 with the franchise’s terrifying sixth installment. Directed and written by Jacob Chase, the story shifts focus to a young mother, portrayed by Amelia Eve, who discovers she can manipulate the boundary of the afterlife to pull physical objects and entity attachments into the real world. Franchise anchor Lin Shaye returns as the iconic Elise Rainier, anchoring a fresh narrative that aims to reinvent the lore of the multimillion-dollar supernatural property.
Resident Evil
Sony Pictures is hitting the reset button on its multi-billion dollar zombie franchise with a gritty, claustrophobic survival horror film arriving in theaters on September 18. Directed by Zach Cregger, the plot tracks a desperate courier who becomes trapped inside a remote hospital during the sudden onset of a viral outbreak, forcing him to fight through hordes of mutated monstrosities. Moving away from the high-flying action of past iterations, this adaptation focuses squarely on resource management, biological body horror, and intense, intimate suspense.
Terrifier 4
Art the Clown is set to unleash another wave of unrelenting chaos when the franchise’s highly anticipated fourth installment slashes into theaters on October 1. Written and directed by series creator Damien Leone, this chapter pivots away from the previous film’s Yuletide backdrop to plunge Lauren LaVera’s resilient Sienna Shaw into a chaotic New Year’s Eve nightmare. Production insiders hint that the narrative will dive deeper into the supernatural origins of its monochromatic tormentor while continuing to deliver the boundary-pushing, practical special effects that transformed the underground property into a global phenomenon.
Clayface
DC Studios is making its first official foray into absolute body horror on October 23 with a tragic villain origin story integrated into the new DC Universe’s “Gods and Monsters” chapter. Penned by genre auteur Mike Flanagan and directed by James Watkins, the narrative tracks an ambitious actor, played by Tom Rhys Harries, whose facial disfigurement drives him to accept an experimental clay-based treatment from a mysterious scientist, played by Naomi Ackie. Shot on location in Liverpool to capture a moody, gothic aesthetic, the cinematic piece adapts a fan-favorite classic comic arc into a deeply unsettling psychological nightmare.
Werwulf
Focus Features is anchoring its Christmas Day release slate on December 25 with a prestigious piece of period gothic horror crafted by visionary director Robert Eggers. Co-written alongside frequent collaborator Sjón, this atmospheric nightmare features an elite ensemble cast consisting of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson. True to Eggers’ meticulous filmmaking style, the production promises historical accuracy, folklore-driven psychological terror, and a deeply haunting exploration of lycanthropy that stands completely apart from typical Hollywood monster films.
