Andrew Chiaramonte’s Young & Cursed awakens primeval malevolence, a spine tingling horror feature, bowing October 2025 on global platforms

One unnerving supernatural nightmare movie from narrative craftsman / movie maker Andrew Chiaramonte, setting free an primeval dread when foreigners become puppets in a cursed contest. Debuting this October 2nd, 2025, on Prime Video, video-sharing site YouTube, Google’s Play platform, iTunes Movies, Apple TV+, and Fandango’s digital service.

L.A., CA (August 8th, 2025) – gear up for *Young & Cursed*, a unnerving account of staying alive and mythic evil that will reimagine horror this October. Crafted by rising filmmaking talent Andrew Chiaramonte, this unsettling and atmospheric tale follows five teens who find themselves trapped in a off-grid structure under the dark command of Kyra, a central character controlled by a legendary biblical force. Be prepared to be seized by a big screen ride that intertwines bodily fright with folklore, releasing on Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home on the second of October, 2025.


Unholy possession has been a iconic fixture in screenwriting. In *Young & Cursed*, that idea is flipped when the beings no longer manifest from beyond, but rather internally. This depicts the deepest shade of the group. The result is a gripping spiritual tug-of-war where the drama becomes a constant clash between righteousness and malevolence.


In a unforgiving outland, five teens find themselves sealed under the unholy sway and grasp of a unknown female figure. As the victims becomes submissive to escape her curse, cut off and hunted by entities indescribable, they are forced to face their deepest fears while the timeline harrowingly draws closer toward their fate.


In *Young & Cursed*, fear deepens and partnerships disintegrate, compelling each protagonist to contemplate their existence and the idea of self-determination itself. The hazard escalate with every heartbeat, delivering a nightmarish journey that merges otherworldly panic with soulful exposure.

Andrew Chiaramonte, Director: “With *Young & Cursed*, my aim was to awaken instinctual horror, an power from ancient eras, working through psychological breaks, and navigating a will that challenges autonomy when agency is lost.”

Madison Hubler (Kyra): “Portraying Kyra needed manifesting something deeper than fear. She is unseeing until the haunting manifests, and that metamorphosis is shocking because it is so close.”

Where to Watch

*Young & Cursed* will be offered for audiences beginning this October 2, on Amazon Prime, Google’s video hub, Google’s store, Apple iTunes, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home—allowing fans anywhere can enjoy this spirit-driven thriller.


Chiaramonte Films, Inc. has just dropped a new second trailer for *Young & Cursed*, published to watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/zu0n4WmPI1s, as a second look to its original promo, which has earned over thousands of viewers.


In addition to its first availability, Chiaramonte Films, Inc. has made public that *Young & Cursed* will also be released internationally, extending the thrill to viewers around the world.


Tune in for this unforgettable fall into madness. Face *Young & Cursed* this October 2 to witness these spiritual awakenings about inner darkness.


For featurettes, set experiences, and promotions from behind the lens, follow @YACMovie across online outlets and visit our spooky domain.





Current horror’s major pivot: the 2025 cycle U.S. Slate braids together Mythic Possession, art-house nightmares, stacked beside tentpole growls

Moving from fight-to-live nightmare stories rooted in scriptural legend to brand-name continuations and keen independent perspectives, 2025 looks like the most complex and blueprinted year in ten years.

The 2025 horror calendar is more than crowded, it is calculated. studio majors stabilize the year using marquee IP, as streamers pack the fall with discovery plays plus legend-coded dread. On the festival side, the art-house flank is riding the afterglow of a banner 2024 fest year. With Halloween holding the peak, the remaining months are slotted with surgical care. A dense September through October runway is now a rite of passage, yet in 2025, bookings reach January, spring, and mid-summer. The audience is primed, studios are methodical, as a result 2025 may end up the most intentional cycle yet.

Studio Chessboard and Mini-Major Plays: Premium dread reemerges

No one at the top is standing still. If 2024 reset the chessboard, 2025 doubles down.

Universal’s slate fires the first shot with a risk-forward move: a reinterpreted Wolf Man, not returning to the Gothic European hamlet, in an immediate now. With Leigh Whannell at the helm anchored by Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, this chapter binds the lycanthropy to domestic unraveling. The metamorphosis extends past flesh, into marriage, parenthood, and human hurt. arriving mid January, it supports the push to convert the winter lull using prestige plays, not leftovers.

Spring ushers in Clown in a Cornfield, a YA slasher novel refit as minimal menace. Under Eli Craig fronted by Katie Douglas with Kevin Durand, it feels like crimson splashed Midwest menace with winked critique. Beneath the facade, it probes hometown suspicion, boomer to zoomer divides, and mob retribution. Early reactions hint at fangs.

When summer tapers, Warner’s slate drops the final chapter within its surest horror brand: The Conjuring: Last Rites. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprise Ed and Lorraine Warren, the chapter points to emotional capstone while addressing a headline case. Though the formula is familiar, Chaves seems to angle for a plaintive, inward final note. It lands in early September, carving air ahead of October’s stack.

After that, The Black Phone 2. From early summer to October, a strong signal. Derrickson re boards, and the DNA that clicked last time remains: throwback unease, trauma explicitly handled, plus otherworld rules that chill. The bar is raised this go, by enlarging the “grabber” map and grief’s lineage.

Completing the calendar is Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, a franchise that brings its own crowd. The next entry deepens the tale, builds out the animatronic fear crew, courting teens and the thirty something base. It arrives in December, pinning the winter close.

Platform Plays: Small budgets, sharp fangs

While theaters bet on familiarity, platforms are wagering boldly, and results are there.

A high ambition play arrives with Weapons, a cold trail horror omnibus threading three timelines via a mass disappearance. Helmed by Zach Cregger pairing Josh Brolin and Julia Garner, the entry marries dread with character weight. Posting late summer theatrically then fall streaming, it looks primed to seed post watch analysis akin to Barbarian.

On the minimalist axis arrives Together, an intimate body horror unraveling pairing Alison Brie with Dave Franco. Located in a secluded rental as a trip collapses, the movie follows love and envy and self denial into corporeal breakdown. It moves between affection and rot, a triptych into codependent hell. Though no platform has officially staked a release date, it looks like a certain fall stream.

In the mix sits Sinners, a pre war vampire folk narrative anchored by Michael B. Jordan. Rendered in sepia depth and layered biblical metaphor, it mirrors There Will Be Blood meeting Let the Right One In. The narrative analyzes American religious trauma through a ghostly allegory. Early test screens tag it as a top talked streaming debut.

Further platform indies wait for their cue: Bring Her Back, Bone Lake, and Keeper all work grief and disappearance and identity, choosing meaning over noise.

Possession Underneath: Young & Cursed

Posting October 2 across the big platforms, Young & Cursed emerges as a rare mix, tight in frame and epic in resonance. Authored and directed by Andrew Chiaramonte, the movie observes five strangers who awaken in an isolated wilderness cabin, controlled by Kyra, a young woman possessed by the ancient biblical demon Lilith. As the night settles, her power spikes, an infiltrating force leveraging fears, breaks, and sorrow.

The chill is psyche led, anchored in primal myth. Swerving the standard exorcism angle of Catholic rite and Latin word, this one digs into something older, something darker. Lilith comes not via liturgy, but from trauma, quiet, and human brittleness. This inside out possession reframes expectation and groups Young & Cursed with a rising current, intimate character dramas within genre.

Streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play, and Fandango at Home have positioned the film as a Halloween counterweight to theatrical sequels and monster revivals. It is canny scheduling. No puffed out backstory. No series drag. Only psychological menace, compressed and taut, tuned to binge and gasp cycles online. Amid spectacle, Young & Cursed can distinguish itself by whispering, then howling.

Festivals as Springboards

Fantastic Fest, SXSW, Tribeca, and TIFF function as launch beds for the coming year’s horror. They are more runway than museum.

The Fantastic Fest slate for horror is strong this year. Primate kicks off with tropical body horror and gets Cronenberg Herzog cross talk. Whistle, a folkloric revenge thriller steeped in Aztec lore, is expected to close the fest with fire.

The midnight bench, including If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, hums from execution, not mere titling. Backed by A24, it skewers toxic fandom amid a convention lockdown, poised to break big.

SXSW premiered Clown in a Cornfield and introduced several microbudget hauntings currently circling deals. Sundance tends to present grief infused elevated horror and likely will, with Tribeca’s genre lane skewing urban, social, and surreal.

Strategy at festivals now equals branding as well as discovery. Festival laurels are opening moves, not closing notes.

Series Horror: Reups, Reboots, and Rethinks

The legacy lineup looks stronger and more deliberate than prior years.

Fear Street: Prom Queen, landing in July, re ups the 90s brand with a fresh lead and retro tone. Compared to earlier parts, it tilts camp and prom night melodrama. Expect tiaras, corn syrup blood, and VHS panic.

M3GAN 2.0 posts late June, with a plan to deepen its techno horror mythos via new characters and AI terrors. The debut’s viral plus streaming heat gives Universal reason to press the bet.

The Long Walk adapts an early, scathing Stephen King work, with Francis Lawrence directing, it reads as a brutal dystopian allegory inside survival horror, a walk till you drop competition for kids with no winners. Marketed correctly, it could be The Hunger Games for horror adults.

Meanwhile, reboots and sequels like Hell House LLC: Lineage, V/H/S/Halloween, The Toxic Avenger, and Anaconda appear through the year, many poised for targeted windows or last minute deals.

What to Watch

Mythic Horror Is Mainstream
From Lilith in Young & Cursed, and with Aztec curses in Whistle, horror taps ancient texts and symbols. Rather than nostalgia, it reclaims pre Christian archetypes. Horror goes beyond fright, it notes evil’s age.

Body horror swings back
With Together, Weapons, and Keeper, the genre goes back to the flesh. Mutation, infection, transformation map to heartbreak, grief, and regret.

Streamer originals stiffen their spine
The days of disposable horror filler on digital platforms are over. Streamers back real writing, real filmmakers, and genuine marketing. Debuts like Weapons and Sinners carry event framing, not content bins.

Festival heat turns into leverage
Festival status acts as leverage for exhibition, placement, and publicity. A film minus festival planning in 2025 risks getting lost.

Theatrical becomes a trust fall
The cinema lane is kept for probable outperformers or branchers. Everything else heads to PVOD or hybrid drops. Horror is not shrinking in theaters, but it is becoming more curated.

The Road Ahead: Fall crush plus winter X factor

Those four, Young & Cursed, The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Black Phone 2, and Weapons, crowd September and October to saturation. Indies like Bone Lake and Keeper will have to fight for oxygen. Watch for one or more of these to pivot into early 2026 or shift platforms.

December centers on Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, but a final weeks surprise stream could still hit. Given the dark, mythic lean of the year’s big films, a final creature feature or exorcism slot is open.

The 2025 performance is about reach across segments, not one hero title. The aim is not another Get Out chase, it is durable horror beyond gross.



The next fear year to come: brand plays, Originals, in tandem with A jammed Calendar Built For screams

Dek: The fresh scare slate clusters from day one with a January glut, before it runs through the warm months, and pushing into the December corridor, balancing IP strength, fresh ideas, and well-timed counterweight. The big buyers and platforms are prioritizing cost discipline, big-screen-first runs, and short-form initiatives that position the slate’s entries into cross-demo moments.

Horror momentum into 2026

Horror has turned into the sturdy swing in distribution calendars, a lane that can accelerate when it breaks through and still safeguard the liability when it under-delivers. After the 2023 year demonstrated to decision-makers that mid-range fright engines can shape pop culture, 2024 held pace with festival-darling auteurs and stealth successes. The head of steam rolled into 2025, where legacy revivals and critical darlings proved there is a market for many shades, from legacy continuations to fresh IP that carry overseas. The sum for the 2026 slate is a schedule that looks unusually coordinated across the industry, with planned clusters, a combination of established brands and fresh ideas, and a refocused stance on big-screen windows that power the aftermarket on premium home window and home platforms.

Planners observe the horror lane now operates like a utility player on the grid. Horror can open on virtually any date, supply a grabby hook for trailers and TikTok spots, and outstrip with viewers that show up on Thursday previews and continue through the follow-up frame if the film pays off. After a strike-affected pipeline, the 2026 configuration telegraphs conviction in that setup. The calendar gets underway with a stacked January band, then plants flags in spring and early summer for balance, while leaving room for a autumn push that reaches into late October and into post-Halloween. The gridline also highlights the increasing integration of specialty distributors and platforms that can platform and widen, generate chatter, and expand at the strategic time.

A companion trend is franchise tending across unified worlds and heritage properties. Studio teams are not just mounting another entry. They are seeking to position connection with a sense of event, whether that is a title treatment that suggests a tonal shift or a talent selection that anchors a new entry to a initial period. At the parallel to that, the visionaries behind the marquee originals are doubling down on practical craft, physical gags and grounded locations. That interplay delivers the 2026 slate a strong blend of trust and freshness, which is what works overseas.

The majors’ 2026 approach

Paramount fires first with two front-of-slate titles that live at opposite ends of the tone spectrum. First comes Scream 7 on February 27, 2026, with Kevin Williamson in the director seat and Neve Campbell back at the core, marketing it as both a passing of the torch and a heritage-centered character piece. Production is active in Atlanta, and the directional approach conveys a throwback-friendly angle without retreading the last two entries’ family thread. Look for a marketing run anchored in iconic art, character-first teases, and a staggered trailer plan landing toward late fall. Distribution is Paramount theatrical.

Paramount also resurrects a once-mighty spoof franchise with Scary Movie 6 on June 12, 2026, directed by Michael Tiddes. Anna Faris and Regina Hall are set to reunite, with the Wayans brothers involved in creative roles for the first time since the early 2000s, a angle the campaign will double down on. As a off-tentpole summer play, this one will build broad awareness through gif-able moments, with the horror spoof format supporting quick updates to whatever drives the conversation that spring.

Universal has three distinct releases. SOULM8TE hits January 9, 2026, a tech-forward branch from the M3GAN universe from Atomic Monster and Blumhouse. The conceit is clean, grief-rooted, and concept-forward: a grieving man purchases an digital partner that unfolds into a harmful mate. The date sets it at the front of a busy month, with Universal’s campaign likely to reprise off-kilter promo beats and micro spots that melds affection and chill.

On May 8, 2026, the studio slots an untitled Rob Savage horror film, widely understood to be the feature developed under working titles in the family-in-peril vein, with Jessica Chastain top-lining. The dated slate currently lists it as an untitled Savage project, which sets up a branding reveal to become an fan moment closer to the teaser. The timing hands the studio a foothold in early May while larger tentpoles concentrate elsewhere.

Capping the studio’s year, Jordan Peele’s untitled event film takes October 23, 2026, a slot he has thrived in before. Peele projects are treated as creative events, with a teaser that holds back and a second trailer wave that signal tone without plot the concept. The late-month date gives Universal room to own pre-holiday auditoriums with PLF and IMAX bookings where available, then leverage the copyright window to capture late-October interest at home.

Warner Bros., via New Line, works with Sony internationally for Evil Dead Burn, dated July 24, 2026. Sébastien Vaniček commands, with Souheila Yacoub fronting. The franchise has consistently shown that a visceral, makeup-driven style can feel big on a moderate cost. Look for a viscera-heavy summer horror hit that leans into foreign markets, with Warner Bros. handling U.S. and Sony taking most offshore territories.

Sony’s horror bench is unusually deep. The studio sets two brand plays in the back half. An untitled Insidious film hits August 21, 2026, keeping a consistent supernatural brand front and center while the spin-off branch continues to develop. Sony has recalibrated on this title before, but the current plan sets it in late summer, where the brand has traditionally delivered.

Then, on September 18, 2026, Resident Evil reappears in what Sony is selling as a ground-zero restart for its game-to-film powerhouse. With the PlayStation Productions pipeline now a central part of the studio’s strategy, this new take has a focus to serve both core fans and new audiences. The fall slot creates runway for Sony to build promo materials around universe detail, and monster design, elements that can lift deluxe auditorium demand and fan events.

Focus Features, working with Working Title, places a prestige bet on Christmas Day with Robert Eggers’ Werwulf on December 25, 2026. Set in 13th-century England, the film extends Eggers’ run of period horror rooted in careful craft and language, this time driven by werewolf stories. Focus’s team has already staked the slot for a holiday release, a clear message in Eggers as a specialty play that can scale widely if early reception is strong.

Streaming strategies and platform plays

Platform tactics for 2026 run on established tracks. Universal’s genre slate head to copyright after a cinema and premium have a peek here rental phase, a structure that amplifies both premiere heat and subscriber lifts in the tail. Prime Video pairs licensed titles with cross-border buys and limited cinema engagements when the data justifies it. Max and Hulu accent their strengths in back-catalog play, using featured rows, Halloween hubs, and curated strips to sustain interest on aggregate take. Netflix stays nimble about own-slate titles and festival deals, timing horror entries closer to drop and elevating as drops drops with tight-window plans. Shudder, integrated with RLJE and Cineverse’s theatrical footprint, uses a staged of precision releases and speedy platforming that funnels enthusiasm into trials. That will be critical for Return to Silent Hill, which Cineverse is releasing in theaters January 23, 2026, before relying on niche channels in the months that follow.

Apple TV+ continues to evaluate horror on a selective basis. The platform has signaled readiness to pick up select projects with accomplished filmmakers or A-list packages, then give them a prestige theatrical in partnership with exhibitors to meet qualifying rules or to gain imprimatur before the streaming drop. Hulu and Disney’s domestic pipeline still leans on the 20th Century Studios slate, a meaningful lever for monthly engagement when the genre conversation builds.

Specialty and indie breakouts

Cineverse is steadily assembling a 2026 lane with two brand-forward moves. Return to Silent Hill lands in January with Christophe Gans returning to his adaptation of Konami’s classic title. The pitch is tight: the same somber, fog-choked atmosphere that made the original a cult classic, updated for modern mix and image. Later in the year, Wolf Creek: Legacy is expected in a late-year slot, with Greg McLean back steering his outback slasher universe. The distributor has flagged a wide-to-platform plan for Legacy, an optimistic indicator for fans of the brutal series and for exhibitors looking for R-rated counterplay in the fall weeks.

Focus will operate the filmmaker lane with Werwulf, managing the title through a fall festival swing if the cut is ready, then activating the holiday dates to open out. That positioning has paid off for filmmaker-first horror with crossover ambitions. A24, NEON, IFC Films, RLJE, and Magnet have not firmed many 2026 dates in public calendars yet, but their festival pipelines typically coalesce after Sundance, Berlin, and Cannes. A plausible forecast is a brace of late-summer and fall platformers that can widen if reception justifies. Look for an A24 acquisition out of Sundance midnight slots and a NEON title that debuts at Cannes before a September or October domestic bow. RLJE and Shudder often work hand in hand, using small theatrical to ignite evangelism that fuels their audience.

Series vs standalone

By skew, the 2026 slate bends toward the legacy column. Scream 7, Insidious, Resident Evil, Evil Dead Burn, and Return to Silent Hill all capitalize on brand equity. The watch-out, as ever, is diminishing returns. The near-term solution is to pitch each entry as a recast vibe. Paramount is spotlighting character-first legacy in Scream 7, Sony is suggesting a full reset for Resident Evil, and New Line’s Evil Dead Burn is leaning into a French sensibility from a new voice. Those choices make a difference when the audience has so many options and social sentiment spins fast.

Non-franchise titles and filmmaker-led entries supply the oxygen. Jordan Peele’s October film will be sold as a brand unto itself. Sam Raimi’s Send Help, dated January 30, 2026 at 20th Century Studios, sets Rachel McAdams in a survival shocker premise with Raimi’s signature playful menace. SOULM8TE offers a sharp, spooky tech hook. Werwulf delivers period specificity and an unsparing tone. Even when the title is not based on familiar IP, the team and cast is steady enough to accelerate early sales and Thursday previews.

Recent comps contextualize the model. In 2023, a exclusive window model that observed windows did not deter a simultaneous release test from thriving when the brand was powerful. In 2024, meticulous-craft horror exceeded expectations in PLF auditoriums. In 2025, a reawakened chapter of a beloved infection saga showed the market that global horror franchises can still feel fresh when they reorient and increase ambition. That last point is directly relevant to Sony’s 28 Years Later plan, which extends January 16, 2026 with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, this time directed by Nia DaCosta from a script by Alex Garland. The linked-chapter plan, with chapters filmed consecutively, creates space for marketing to link the films through protagonists and motifs and to keep materials circulating without long gaps.

Production craft signals

The filmmaking conversations behind the year’s horror foreshadow a continued tilt toward physical, site-specific craft. Lee Cronin has said his The Mummy will not follow any recent iteration of the property, a stance that reinforces the hands-on effects stance he brought to Evil Dead Rise. The film wrapped principal photography and is on track for its April 17, 2026 date. Look for a campaign that highlights tone and tension rather than thrill-ride spectacle, with the New Line and Blumhouse partnership bolstering budget rigor.

Robert Eggers, meanwhile, has described Werwulf as the hardest-edged project he has tackled, which tracks with a medieval world and medieval diction, a combination that can make for 3D sound and a wintry, elemental feel on the big screen. Focus will likely pre-sell this aesthetic in behind-the-scenes pieces and craft coverage before rolling out a teaser that keeps plot minimal, a move that has paid off for the filmmaker’s past releases.

On the franchise side, Evil Dead Burn is built for goopy mayhem, a signature of the series that plays abroad in red-band trailers and produces shareable screening reactions from early screenings. Scream 7 targets a self-aware reset that centers an original star. Resident Evil will live or die on creature design and production design, which lend themselves to con floor moments and curated leaks. Insidious see here tends to be a soundstage showcase, with Dolby and Atmos spots that make the auditorium case feel key. Look for trailers that highlight hyper-detailed sound, deep-bass stingers, and blank-sound beats that land in big rooms.

Calendar map: winter through the holidays

January is crowded. Universal’s SOULM8TE opens January 9, 2026, then Sony returns a week later with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple on January 16. Cineverse’s Return to Silent Hill follows on January 23, a somber counterpoint amid heavier IP. The month concludes with Send Help on January 30 via 20th Century Studios, a survival chiller from Sam Raimi that puts a star forward in Rachel McAdams. The competition here is meaningful, but the tonal variety gives each title a lane, and the five-week structure permits a clean run for each if word of mouth sustains.

Pre-summer months seed summer. Scream 7 opens February 27 with legacy heat. In April, The Mummy reimagines a classic monster on April 17, a spring frame that once favored genre counterprogramming and now backs big openers. The untitled Rob Savage film on May 8 steps into summer while maintaining horror’s hold on early May weekends that are not claimed by superheroes or family tentpoles.

Summer underlines contrasts. Scary Movie 6 on June 12 is lighter and broader, then Evil Dead Burn on July 24 supplies no-compromise intensity. The counterprogramming logic is coherent. The spoof can hit next to family tentpoles and animated films, while the mid-summer gorefest scratches the itch for older teenagers and genre diehards once the big Friday sequels have cycled through PLF.

Shoulder season into fall leans series. The Insidious entry on August 21 gives Sony a spiritual-horror anchor where the brand has previously done well. Resident Evil steps in after September 18, a early fall window that still feeds into Halloween marketing beats. Jordan Peele’s untitled film claims October 23 and will own cultural oxygen heading into Halloween weekend, likely pushed by a mystery-first teaser plan and limited asset reveals that lean on concept not plot.

Awards-adjacent specialty. Werwulf on December 25 is a signal that genre can hold in the holidays when packaged as director prestige horror. The distributor has done this before, rolling out carefully, then leaning on critics’ lists and awards-season craft coverage to hold in chatter into January. If the film earns with critics, the studio can broaden in the first week of 2027 while riding holiday momentum and holiday gift-card burn.

Film-by-film briefs

Scream 7 (Paramount, February 27, 2026)
Director: Kevin Williamson. Top cast: Neve Campbell, with casting still being revealed as production advances. Logline: Sidney returns to re-engage a new Ghostface while the narrative reorients around the original film’s genes. Rating: TBA. Production: Filming in Atlanta. Positioning: return-to-core with a fresh edge.

SOULM8TE (Universal, January 9, 2026)
Producers: Atomic Monster, Blumhouse. Logline: A heartbroken man’s AI companion unfolds into something deadly romantic. Rating: TBA. Production: Shoot completed for an early-year bow. Positioning: tech shocker with heart.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Sony, January 16, 2026)
Director: Nia DaCosta. Writer: Alex Garland. Top cast: Cillian Murphy, Jack O’Connell, and additional ensemble tied to a new antagonist faction. Logline: The second chapter in a trilogy scales the story beyond the immediate outbreak as a cult emerges in the ruins. Rating: TBA. Production: Produced consecutively with the first film. Positioning: continuation of a revered infection cycle.

Return to Silent Hill (Cineverse, January 23, 2026)
Director: Christophe Gans. Top cast: TBA in updated campaign materials. Logline: A man journeys back to a fog-shrouded town in search of a lost love, only to collide with a unsettled reality and the town’s horrors. Rating: TBA. Production: Finished and theatrical on deck. Positioning: gothic-game adaptation.

Send Help (20th Century Studios, January 30, 2026)
Director: Sam Raimi. Top cast: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Dennis Haysbert, Chris Pang. Logline: After a plane crash, an employee and her hard-edged boss battle to survive on a remote island as the control balance swivels and fear crawls. Rating: TBA. Production: Completed. Positioning: star-centered survival shocker from a maestro.

The Mummy (New Line, April 17, 2026)
Director: Lee Cronin. Producers: Blumhouse, Atomic Monster, Doppelgängers. Top cast: roles TBA in official materials. Logline: A renewed take that returns the monster to terror, rooted in Cronin’s tactile craft and rising dread. Rating: TBA. Production: In the can. Positioning: classic monster revival with auteur stamp.


Untitled Rob Savage Horror Film (Universal, May 8, 2026)
Director: Rob Savage. Top cast: Jessica Chastain. Logline: {A family-home haunting chiller that routes the horror through a preteen’s volatile POV. Rating: TBA. Production: post-ready. Positioning: studio-backed, star-driven ghostly suspense.

Scary Movie 6 (Paramount, June 12, 2026)
Director: Michael Tiddes. Top cast: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, with the Wayans brothers back in the creative mix. Logline: {A genre lampoon that satirizes present-day genre chatter and true-crime crazes. Rating: undetermined. Production: fall 2025 shoot penciled in. Positioning: mainstream summer comedy-horror.

Evil Dead Burn (Warner Bros. domestic, July 24, 2026)
Director: Sébastien Vaniček. Top cast: Souheila Yacoub, with ensemble additions. Logline: A new infestation of Deadites breaks out, with an multinational twist in tone and setting. Rating: TBA. Production: currently in New Zealand. Positioning: uncompromising R installment meant for big rooms.

Untitled Insidious Film (Sony, August 21, 2026)
Director: TBA in marketing materials. Top cast: to be announced. Logline: The Further stirs again, with a fresh family anchored to old terrors. Rating: TBA. Production: slated for summer production leading to late-summer release. Positioning: trusted supernatural label in a supportive window.

Resident Evil (Sony, September 18, 2026)
Director: TBD publicly. Top cast: TBD. Logline: A restart designed to reframe the franchise from the ground up, with an preference for survival-core horror over action spectacle. Rating: forthcoming. Production: in development with a locked date. Positioning: lore-true modernization with broad upside.

Jordan Peele Untitled Event Film (Universal, October 23, 2026)
Director: Jordan Peele. Top cast: to be announced. Logline: intentionally withheld. Rating: TBD. Production: proceeding. Positioning: director-fronted event with teaser rhythm.

Werwulf (Focus Features, December 25, 2026)
Director: Robert Eggers. Top cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, with other regulars expected. Logline: A medieval werewolf story built on historical diction and elemental fear. Rating: awaiting classification. Production: gearing up with December 25 frame. Positioning: auteur prestige horror aimed at holiday corridor with crafts prospects.

Wolf Creek: Legacy (Cineverse, TBA 2026)
Director: Greg McLean. Top cast: John Jarratt expected to return as Mick Taylor. Logline: The Australian outback slasher returns, with a classic theatrical rollout before platforming. Status: window fluid, autumn forecast.

Why the moment is 2026

Three practical forces shape this lineup. First, production that slowed or shifted in 2024 required schedule breathing room. Horror can plug those gaps fast because scripts often use fewer locations, fewer large-scale CGI sequences, and condensed timelines. Second, studios have become more structured about windows. Theatrical exclusivity remains the goal for most of these films, followed by PVOD and then platform streaming, a sequence that has consistently outperformed straight-to-streaming premieres. Third, platform buzz converts. The marketing teams behind these titles will harvest reaction-worthy moments from test screenings, controlled scare clips calibrated to Thursday preview timing, and experiential pop-ups that seed creator reels. It is a repeatable playbook because it pays off.

Another factor is the scheduling math. Family and cape-heavy lanes thin out in early 2026, freeing space for genre entries that can seize a weekend or function as the older-skew counter. January is the prime example. Four tonal lanes of horror will stack across five weekends, which lets each title generate conversation without cannibalizing the others. Summer provides the other window. The satire rides the animated and action tide, then the hard-R entry can use a late-July lull before back-to-school.

Budgets and certifications, sleeper calculus

Budgets remain in the ideal band. Most of the films above will live under the $40–$50 million ceiling, with many far below. That allows for heavy premium placement without needing superhero-level volume to break even. The most likely R ratings include Evil Dead Burn, Werwulf, and possibly Resident Evil depending on the final cut. Scream 7, Insidious, and SOULM8TE can plausibly land PG-13 to maximize reach, though each franchise has toggled between ratings in the past. Specialty plays tend to lean R to preserve tone and intensity.

The sleeper chase continues in Q1, where midrange-budget genre can own weekends with minimal competition, and again in late summer, where horror often becomes the conversation when tentpoles tire. The 2026 slate is set up to capitalize on those pockets. January could easily deliver the first shock over-performer of the year, and August into September gives Sony an avenue to hold screens with back-to-back supernatural IP while still leaving room for an indie breakout.

Internationally, brand recognition helps Resident Evil, Evil Dead, and Scream travel, while 28 Years Later benefits from a British setting and returning talent. Werwulf and The Mummy will lean on auteur and classic-monster awareness abroad. Streamers will amplify the tail, with copyright pickups boosting Universal’s slate and Shudder driving evangelism for Cineverse titles. Expect a healthy PVOD phase across the board, since horror fans have shown a willingness to pay for convenience after an opening weekend, especially when word of mouth is strong.

How the year flows for audiences

From a moviegoer’s perspective, the 2026 horror year offers tempo and variety. January is a feast, February delivers a legacy slasher, April revives a Universal monster, May and June provide a two-beat supernatural run for date nights and group outings, July gets blood-slick, August and September keep the supernatural momentum, October turns into a Jordan Peele event, and December invites a wintry, literate nightmare. That is how you fuel talk and ticketing without cannibalizing your own titles. The pattern also supports social campaigns that can gain momentum, using earlier releases to seed the audience for bigger plays in the fall.

Exhibitors value the spacing. Horror delivers consistent Thursday swells, disciplined footprints, and strong PLF uptake when the creative supports it. The 2026 slate has at least three titles that can qualify for PLF, with The Mummy, Evil Dead Burn, and Werwulf all showcasing materiality, soundcraft, and visuals that benefit from larger formats. The calendar also leaves room for specialty platformers to open in New York and Los Angeles, build reviews, and slide into national conversation as the fall progresses.

2026 Shapes Up Strong

Release dates move. Ratings change. Casts refresh. But the spine of 2026 horror is firm. There is franchise muscle where it helps, auteur intent where it matters, and a calendar that shows studios know when and how to deliver scares. The awards and festival pipeline into 2027 will come into focus once the fall festivals lock, and it would not be surprising to see at least one eleventh-hour specialty buy join the party. For now, the job is simple, cut sharp trailers, lock the reveals, and let the shudders sell the seats.