Andrew Chiaramonte’s Young & Cursed reignites mythic darkness, a nightmare fueled horror thriller, arriving Oct 2025 on global platforms

One spine-tingling occult suspense story from creator / visionary Andrew Chiaramonte, awakening an ancient malevolence when drifters become instruments in a dark contest. Available this October 2nd, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube streaming, Google’s Play platform, iTunes, Apple’s streaming platform, and Fandango platform.

Hollywood, CA (August 8th, 2025) – Prepare yourselves for *Young & Cursed*, a disturbing account of struggle and old world terror that will revamp the fear genre this cool-weather season. Crafted by rising new wave horror talent Andrew Chiaramonte, this gritty and claustrophobic fearfest follows five unknowns who emerge isolated in a remote lodge under the menacing grip of Kyra, a central character inhabited by a time-worn ancient fiend. Arm yourself to be enthralled by a filmic venture that intertwines visceral dread with mystical narratives, coming on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home on the second of October, 2025.


Demon possession has been a historical fixture in screenwriting. In *Young & Cursed*, that formula is twisted when the monsters no longer form externally, but rather inside them. This symbolizes the grimmest facet of every character. The result is a harrowing mind game where the plotline becomes a brutal struggle between divinity and wickedness.


In a haunting outland, five individuals find themselves trapped under the malicious presence and infestation of a enigmatic spirit. As the victims becomes incapable to combat her influence, detached and stalked by evils inconceivable, they are required to acknowledge their greatest panics while the timeline coldly ticks toward their destruction.


In *Young & Cursed*, fear surges and connections disintegrate, prompting each participant to reconsider their core and the notion of autonomy itself. The stakes magnify with every breath, delivering a nerve-wracking journey that marries paranormal dread with human fear.

Andrew Chiaramonte, Director: “With *Young & Cursed*, my purpose was to dive into core terror, an entity that existed before mankind, operating within soul-level flaws, and dealing with a being that dismantles free will when we lose control.”

Madison Hubler (Kyra): “Becoming Kyra meant evoking something rooted in terror. She is unseeing until the possession kicks in, and that conversion is haunting because it is so raw.”

Rollout & Launch

*Young & Cursed* will be aired for horror fans beginning on October 2nd, 2025, on Amazon’s platform, Google’s video hub, Google’s store, Apple iTunes, Apple’s streaming platform, and Fandango on-demand—allowing fans around the globe can witness this fearful revelation.


Chiaramonte Films, Inc. has just unveiled a new trailer two for *Young & Cursed*, up to watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/zu0n4WmPI1s, as a additional glimpse to its original promo, which has seen over 100K plays.


In addition to its domestic release, Chiaramonte Films, Inc. has made public that *Young & Cursed* will also be available worldwide, extending the thrill to a worldwide audience.


Join this soul-jarring trip into the unknown. Watch *Young & Cursed* this horrific release to acknowledge these dark realities about human nature.


For sneak peeks, on-set glimpses, and press updates from the creators, follow @YoungCursedOfficial across Instagram and Twitter and visit the film’s website.





Horror’s inflection point: the year 2025 U.S. lineup weaves primeval-possession lore, indie terrors, in parallel with series shake-ups

Spanning pressure-cooker survival tales steeped in legendary theology and stretching into canon extensions plus incisive indie visions, 2025 stands to become the richest as well as deliberate year for the modern era.

The 2025 horror calendar is not merely full, it is methodical. studio powerhouses set cornerstones with established lines, while streaming platforms stack the fall with fresh voices alongside ancient terrors. On the independent axis, festival-forward creators is drafting behind the tailwinds from an unprecedented 2024 fest surge. Because Halloween continues as the prize window, the remaining months are slotted with surgical care. The fall stretch is the proving field, but this year, bookings reach January, spring, and mid-summer. Fans are ravenous, studios are methodical, thus 2025 might go down as horror’s most intentional year yet.

Studio and Mini-Major Moves: High-craft horror returns

Studios are not on the sidelines. If 2024 set the stage for reinvention, 2025 deepens the push.

Universal’s distribution arm starts the year with a headline swing: a reconceived Wolf Man, not returning to the Gothic European hamlet, but a crisp modern milieu. Guided by Leigh Whannell anchored by Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, this version roots the lycanthropy in family fracture. The shift goes beyond the body, touching marriage, parenting, and raw humanity. timed for mid January, it joins a broader aim to occupy winter’s quiet with elevated titles, not leftovers.

Spring ushers in Clown in a Cornfield, a YA slasher page-to-screen distilled into spare horror. Steered by Eli Craig with Katie Douglas alongside Kevin Durand, it feels like crimson splashed Midwest menace with winked critique. Under the guise, it interrogates township panic, generational breaks, and mob rule. Initial fest notes point to real bite.

As summer eases, Warner Bros. Pictures delivers the closing chapter inside its trusty horror universe: The Conjuring: Last Rites. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson again portray Ed and Lorraine Warren, the movie targets a resonant finish through an infamous case. Even if the pattern is recognizable, director Michael Chaves reportedly leans into a mournful, interior tone for the swan song. It is also positioned early in September, giving it breathing room before the October onslaught.

Arriving later is The Black Phone 2. Set early then moved to October, a confidence tell. Derrickson re boards, and the DNA that clicked last time remains: retrograde shiver, trauma in the foreground, and a cold supernatural calculus. Here the stakes rise, with a deeper exploration into the “grabber” mythology and how grief haunts generations.

Capping the big ticket run is Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, an offering that markets itself. The sequel leans deeper into its lore, broadens the animatronic terror cast, seeking teens plus thirty something gamers. It books December, buttoning the final window.

Platform Plays: Tight funds, wide impact

With theaters prioritizing brand safety, streamers are trying sharper edges, and buzz accrues.

An especially bold streamer bet is Weapons, a cold-case woven horror suite knitting three time bands around a mass vanishing. Directed by Zach Cregger with turns by Josh Brolin and Julia Garner, the movie mixes chill with dramatic weight. Premiering theatrically in late summer before a fall streaming drop, it stands to prompt frame-by-frame breakdowns as with Barbarian.

At the smaller scale sits Together, a close quarters body horror study featuring Alison Brie opposite Dave Franco. Located in a secluded rental as a trip collapses, the arc observes love and green eyed envy and self harm turned somatic. It comes off amorous, macabre, and bracingly uneasy, a three act loop into codependent hell. Though no platform has officially staked a release date, it is a near certain autumn drop.

Then there is Sinners, a 1930s rooted vampire folk legend toplined by Michael B. Jordan. Photographed in sepia saturation with biblical metaphor, it plays like There Will Be Blood meets 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.

A handful of other streaming indies hover in the wings: Bring Her Back, Bone Lake, and Keeper each threads grief and absence and identity, mapping allegory to dread.

Possession, Deeper Than Ever: Young & Cursed

Hitting October 2 on the platforms, Young & Cursed arrives as a rare marriage, contained in staging yet mythic in effect. From writer director Andrew Chiaramonte, the narrative rides with five strangers waking in a secluded woodland cabin, held by Kyra, a young woman possessed by the ancient biblical demon Lilith. As dusk gives way to night, Kyra’s grip intensifies, a violating force plundering fears, vulnerabilities, and regrets.

The threat is psychological first, wired with primal myth. Resisting the exorcism template of Catholic ceremony and Latin chant, this story returns to something older, something darker. Lilith resists liturgy, she blooms through trauma, secrecy, and human delicacy. Making possession internal threads Young & Cursed into the current of intimate character studies in genre skin.

The film is positioned on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play, and Fandango at Home as Halloween balance against sequel stacks and creature returns. It is an astute call. No overweight mythology. No IP hangover. Only psychological menace, compressed and taut, tuned to binge and gasp cycles online. In the noise, Young & Cursed could cut through by staying hushed, then erupting.

Festival Badges as Fuel

Fantastic Fest, SXSW, Tribeca, and TIFF serve as nurseries for near future horror. They are more runway than museum.

This year, Fantastic Fest confirms a strong horror slate. Primate, a tropical body horror opening night title, is drawing comparisons to both Cronenberg and Herzog. Whistle, an Aztec lore revenge tale, aims to close with burn.

Midnight entries such as If I Had Legs I’d Kick You draw buzz for more than titles, namely execution. Backed by A24, it skewers toxic fandom amid a convention lockdown, poised to break big.

SXSW staged Clown in a Cornfield and lined up microbudget haunts for talks. Sundance forecasts grief bent elevated horror again, with Tribeca’s genre lane skewing urban, social, and surreal.

Festivals in 2025 double as branding machines. Those badges act as campaign openers, not end caps.

Heritage Horror: Follow Ups, Restarts, and Reframes

This year’s legacy entries carry strength and deliberation.

Fear Street: Prom Queen brings back the 90s line in July with a new lead and throwback vibe. Unlike earlier entries, this leans camp and prom night melodrama. Imagine tiaras, smeared red, and VHS panic.

M3GAN 2.0 slots late June, set to enlarge techno horror mythology with fresh faces and AI bred menaces. The original’s social and streaming breakout emboldened Universal to double down.

Also on deck is The Long Walk, from an early, punishing Stephen King work, steered by Francis Lawrence, it lands as a ruthless dystopian allegory couched in survival horror, a march where no one wins. With a precise angle, it could mirror The Hunger Games for adults in horror.

Elsewhere, reboots and sequels like Hell House LLC: Lineage, V/H/S/Halloween, The Toxic Avenger, and Anaconda pepper the schedule, many waiting on strategic holds or late deals.

Signals and Trends

Mythic horror goes mainstream
Lilith in Young & Cursed and Aztec curses in Whistle point to ancient texts and symbols. Rather than nostalgia, it reclaims pre Christian archetypes. Horror pushes past jump scares, it points to ancient evil.

Body horror comes roaring back
Titles such as Together, Weapons, and Keeper return focus to the flesh. Mutation, infection, transformation now read as metaphors for heartbreak, grief, and regret.

Streaming Originals Grow Teeth
Disposable horror filler days on platforms have passed. SVOD players fund strong scripts, proven directors, and real spend. Pieces like Weapons and Sinners receive event status, not feed stock.

Festival momentum becomes leverage
Festival laurels are no longer ornamental, they are leverage for theatrical release, premium placement, and media cycles. No festival plan in 2025, and disappearance looms.

Theaters are a trust fall
Studios hold theatrical for overperformers or future series seeds. Most others angle PVOD or hybrid. Horror remains on big screens, selectively curated.

Near Term Outlook: Autumn Overload and the Winter Wildcard

A cluster of Young & Cursed, The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Black Phone 2, and Weapons in September and October equals saturation. Indies, including Bone Lake and Keeper, will battle for oxygen. There may be pivots into early 2026 or across platforms.

With Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 in December, a stealth streamer drop might pop near year end. As several big titles lean dark and mythic, there is room for one last creature feature or exorcism flick.

Horror’s 2025 outcome will be decided not by one title, but by how its variety connects with splintered audiences. The play is not Get Out replication, it is long life horror past theaters.



The coming 2026 fear calendar year ahead: installments, universe starters, together with A jammed Calendar engineered for frights

Dek The current horror slate crams up front with a January bottleneck, after that extends through the summer months, and continuing into the holiday frame, braiding name recognition, original angles, and well-timed counterweight. Studios with streamers are focusing on lean spends, theater-first strategies, and buzz-forward plans that elevate these pictures into culture-wide discussion.

The landscape of horror in 2026

The horror sector has turned into the steady swing in release plans, a lane that can grow when it catches and still safeguard the exposure when it under-delivers. After 2023 reminded greenlighters that efficiently budgeted shockers can galvanize audience talk, 2024 sustained momentum with visionary-driven titles and under-the-radar smashes. The head of steam fed into the 2025 frame, where reboots and prestige plays underscored there is an opening for a variety of tones, from continued chapters to filmmaker-driven originals that resonate abroad. The sum for the 2026 slate is a run that feels more orchestrated than usual across distributors, with intentional bunching, a equilibrium of established brands and new pitches, and a revived focus on exclusive windows that boost PVOD and platform value on premium digital rental and subscription services.

Schedulers say the genre now functions as a schedule utility on the release plan. Horror can roll out on numerous frames, furnish a clear pitch for trailers and platform-native cuts, and punch above weight with audiences that lean in on advance nights and maintain momentum through the next pass if the movie hits. Emerging from a strike-driven backlog, the 2026 cadence demonstrates conviction in that engine. The slate opens with a front-loaded January run, then plants flags in spring and early summer for balance, while reserving space for a October build that reaches into Halloween and into early November. The grid also highlights the increasing integration of indie distributors and streaming partners that can platform a title, build word of mouth, and grow at the sweet spot.

A second macro trend is brand strategy across brand ecosystems and storied titles. The players are not just turning out another continuation. They are moving to present story carry-over with a premium feel, whether that is a title presentation that announces a tonal shift or a talent selection that links a incoming chapter to a original cycle. At the very same time, the creative leads behind the eagerly awaited originals are doubling down on real-world builds, physical gags and distinct locales. That blend offers the 2026 slate a lively combination of home base and invention, which is a pattern that scales internationally.

Studio by studio strategy signals

Paramount opens strong with two prominent releases that straddle tones widely. First comes Scream 7 on February 27, 2026, with original architect Kevin Williamson in the director seat and Neve Campbell back at the front, positioning the film as both a passing of the torch and a return-to-roots character study. Cameras are rolling in Atlanta, and the artistic posture hints at a classic-referencing bent without retreading the last two entries’ sibling arc. Watch for a push centered on recognizable motifs, character spotlights, and a trailer cadence landing toward late fall. Distribution is cinema-first via Paramount.

Paramount also dusts off a once-mighty spoof weblink franchise with Scary Movie 6 on June 12, 2026, directed by Michael Tiddes. Anna Faris and Regina Hall are back on screen, with the Wayans brothers involved behind the scenes for the first time since the early 2000s, a linchpin the campaign will play up. As a summer alternative, this one will pursue four-quadrant chatter through gif-able moments, with the horror spoof format lending itself to quick updates to whatever defines genre chatter that spring.

Universal has three specific pushes. SOULM8TE launches January 9, 2026, a tie-in spinoff from the M3GAN universe from Atomic Monster and Blumhouse. The story engine is straightforward, somber, and concept-forward: a grieving man brings home an synthetic partner that grows into a deadly partner. The date places it at the front of a thick month, with marketing at Universal likely to bring back eerie street stunts and snackable content that melds romance and terror.

On May 8, 2026, the studio schedules an untitled Rob Savage horror film, widely interpreted as the feature developed under code names in the family-in-peril vein, with Jessica Chastain top-lining. The official listing currently lists it as an untitled Savage project, which creates space for a final title to become an earned moment closer to the first look. The timing holds ground in early May while larger tentpoles occupy other frames.

Capping the studio’s year, Jordan Peele’s untitled event film plants on October 23, 2026, a slot he has thrived in before. Peele titles are set up as filmmaker events, with a teaser that holds back and a follow-up trailer set that convey vibe without spoilers the concept. The holiday-adjacent corridor affords Universal to own pre-holiday auditoriums with PLF and IMAX bookings where available, then press the copyright window to capture late-October interest at home.

Warner Bros., via New Line, joins with Sony internationally for Evil Dead Burn, dated July 24, 2026. Sébastien Vaniček commands, with Souheila Yacoub at the center. The franchise has consistently shown that a raw, practical-first strategy can feel top-tier on a mid-range budget. Frame it as a splatter summer horror shot that maximizes worldwide reach, with Warner Bros. handling U.S. and Sony taking most foreign territories.

Sony’s horror bench is notably deep. The studio books two IP moves in the back half. An untitled Insidious film opens August 21, 2026, carrying a dependable supernatural brand front and center while the spin-off branch evolves. The studio has recalibrated on this title before, but the current plan holds it in late summer, where the brand has traditionally delivered.

Then, on September 18, 2026, Resident Evil comes back in what the studio is calling a new take 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 sharper mandate to serve both longtime followers and new audiences. The fall slot lets Sony to build marketing units around mythos, and monster aesthetics, elements that can boost premium booking interest and cosplay-friendly fan engagement.

Focus Features, working with Working Title, books a prestige bet on Christmas Day with Robert Eggers’ Werwulf on December 25, 2026. Set in 13th-century England, the film carries forward the filmmaker’s run of period horror defined by immersive craft and imp source period language, this time driven by werewolf stories. The specialty arm has already staked the slot for a holiday release, a public confidence in Eggers as a specialty play that can platform and widen if early reception is robust.

Streaming strategies and platform plays

Platform tactics for 2026 run on predictable routes. Universal’s slate head to copyright after a cinema-first plus PVOD, a pacing that enhances both debut momentum and sub growth in the later phase. Prime Video combines licensed titles with world buys and limited cinema engagements when the data recommends it. Max and Hulu play their strengths in library engagement, using curated hubs, seasonal hubs, and editorial rows to lengthen the tail on the year’s genre earnings. Netflix keeps options open about in-house releases and festival snaps, timing horror entries with shorter lead times and making event-like rollouts with quick-run campaigns. Shudder, integrated with RLJE and Cineverse’s theatrical footprint, operates a staged of precision theatrical plays and swift platform pivots that monetizes buzz via trials. That will prove important for Return to Silent Hill, which Cineverse is releasing in theaters January 23, 2026, before turning to horror-fan channels in the months that follow.

Apple TV+ keeps a case-by-case stance on horror on a title-by-title basis. The platform has demonstrated openness to buy select projects with accomplished filmmakers or name-led packages, then give them a select cinema run in partnership with exhibitors to meet awards eligibility or to spark social proof before the streaming drop. Hulu and Disney domestic still draws on the 20th Century Studios slate, a critical input for ongoing engagement when the genre conversation intensifies.

The specialty lanes and indie surprises

Cineverse is structuring a 2026 corridor with two recognizable titles. Return to Silent Hill lands in January with Christophe Gans returning to his adaptation of Konami’s classic title. The setup is direct: the same somber, fog-choked atmosphere that made the original a genre cult touchstone, upgraded for modern audio and picture. Later in the year, Wolf Creek: Legacy is expected in a autumn slot, with Greg McLean back steering his outback slasher universe. The distributor has signaled a theatrical rollout for Legacy, an optimistic indicator for fans of the gritty series and for exhibitors wanting edgy counter in the late-season weeks.

Focus will work the director lane with Werwulf, curating the rollout through select festivals if the cut is ready, then pressing the year-end corridor to go wider. That positioning has worked well for elevated genre with audience crossover. A24, NEON, IFC Films, RLJE, and Magnet have not locked many 2026-specific horror dates in public calendars yet, but their festival pipelines regularly gel after Sundance, Berlin, and Cannes. A likely scenario is a cluster of late-summer and fall platformers that can go wider if reception warrants. Anticipate an A24 acquisition out of Sundance midnight slots and a NEON title that runs at Cannes before a September or October domestic bow. RLJE and Shudder often work in parallel, using boutique theatrical to kindle evangelism that fuels their audience.

Brands and originals

By number, 2026 bends toward the franchise column. Scream 7, Insidious, Resident Evil, Evil Dead Burn, and Return to Silent Hill all use household recognition. The challenge, as ever, is fatigue. The pragmatic answer is to position each entry as a fresh tone. Paramount is foregrounding character and lineage in Scream 7, Sony is positioning a full reset for Resident Evil, and New Line’s Evil Dead Burn is leaning into a French-inflected take from a ascendant talent. Those choices move the needle when the audience has so many options and social sentiment swings fast.

Originals and filmmaker-centric entries keep oxygen in the system. Jordan Peele’s October film will be marketed as a brand unto itself. Send Help, dated January 30, 2026 at 20th Century Studios, centers Rachel McAdams in a island survival premise with Raimi’s playful menace. SOULM8TE offers a clean, creepy tech hook. Werwulf roots in era detail and an hard-edged tone. Even when the title is not based on a recognizable brand, the packaging is anchored enough to convert curiosity into pre-sales and first-night audiences.

Rolling three-year comps help explain the approach. In 2023, a theater-first model that maintained windows did not hamper a day-and-date experiment from working when the brand was powerful. In 2024, art-forward horror surged in PLF auditoriums. In 2025, a reanimation of a beloved infection saga underlined that global horror franchises can still feel recharged when they alter lens and expand the canvas. That last point is directly relevant to Sony’s 28 Years Later plan, which presses on January 16, 2026 with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, this time directed by Nia DaCosta from a script by Alex Garland. The dual-chapter plan, with chapters produced back-to-back, allows marketing to thread films through cast and motif and to maintain a flow of assets without long breaks.

How the films are being made

The shop talk behind the 2026 slate signal a continued bias toward real, location-led craft. Lee Cronin has said his The Mummy will not mirror any recent iteration of the property, a stance that reinforces the prosthetic-forward taste he brought to Evil Dead Rise. The film wrapped principal photography and is headed for its April 17, 2026 date. Watch for a drive that highlights tone and tension rather than VFX blitz, with the New Line and Blumhouse partnership backing cost management.

Robert Eggers, meanwhile, has characterized Werwulf as the darkest project he has tackled, which tracks with a historical setting and archaic dialect, a combination that can make for sonic immersion and a cold, elemental mood on the big screen. Focus will likely pre-sell this aesthetic in behind-the-scenes pieces and guild coverage before rolling out a tease that keeps plot minimal, a move that has delivered for the filmmaker’s past releases.

On the franchise side, Evil Dead Burn is engineered for visceral gnarl, a signature of the series that sells overseas in red-band trailers and creates shareable crowd-reaction snippets from early screenings. Scream 7 targets a self-aware reset that re-anchors on the original star. Resident Evil will rise or fall on creature and environment design, which align with expo activations and controlled asset drops. Insidious tends to be a sonic showcase, with Dolby and Atmos spots that make the big-screen case feel definitive. Look for trailers that highlight pinpoint sound design, deep-bass stingers, and blank-sound beats that shine in top rooms.

From winter to holidays

January is crowded. SOULM8TE opens January 9, 2026, then Sony returns a week later with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple on January 16. Return to Silent Hill follows on January 23, a gloomy counterbalance amid heftier brand moves. The month winds down with Send Help on January 30 via 20th Century Studios, a island survival chiller from Sam Raimi that puts a star forward in Rachel McAdams. The competition here is real, but the tonal variety ensures lanes for each, and the five-week structure permits a clean run for each if word of mouth carries.

Q1 into Q2 prime the summer. Paramount’s Scream 7 rolls out February 27 with legacy heat. In April, New Line’s The Mummy revives a classic monster on April 17, a spring frame that once played to genre counterprogramming and now hosts big openers. The untitled Rob Savage film on May 8 flows into summer while maintaining horror’s hold on early May weekends that are not claimed by superheroes or family tentpoles.

Summer sorts the tones. Scary Movie 6 on June 12 is playful and broad, then Evil Dead Burn on July 24 presents brutal intensity. The counterprogramming logic is workable. The spoof can win next to family tentpoles and animated films, while the mid-summer gorefest feeds older teenagers and genre diehards once the big Friday sequels have rotated off PLF.

Late summer into fall leans IP. The Insidious entry on August 21 gives the studio a spiritual-horror anchor where the brand has previously excelled. Resident Evil lines up after September 18, a transitional slot that still preps for Halloween marketing beats. Jordan Peele’s untitled film books October 23 and will seize cultural oxygen heading into Halloween weekend, likely driven by a shroud-first teaser rhythm and limited teasers that elevate concept over story.

Holiday prestige and specialty. Werwulf on December 25 is a declaration that genre can thrive over the holidays when packaged as craft prestige horror. Focus has done this before, deliberate rollout, then working critics’ lists and awards-season craft coverage to ride the cycle into January. If the film lands critically, the studio can extend in the first week of 2027 while carrying holiday turnout and gift-card spend.

Title snapshots

Scream 7 (Paramount, February 27, 2026)
Director: Kevin Williamson. Top cast: Neve Campbell, with casting to be detailed as production carries on. Logline: Sidney returns to oppose a new Ghostface while the narrative returns to the original film’s genes. Rating: TBA. Production: Filming in Atlanta. Positioning: origin-forward with a contemporary twist.

SOULM8TE (Universal, January 9, 2026)
Producers: Atomic Monster, Blumhouse. Logline: A bereaved man’s artificial companion escalates into something deadly romantic. Rating: TBA. Production: Production locked for an early-year bow. Positioning: silicon scare with soul.

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 expands the scope beyond the immediate outbreak as a cult coalesces in the ruins. Rating: TBA. Production: Shot sequentially with the first film. Positioning: revived prestige horror saga’s second leg.

Return to Silent Hill (Cineverse, January 23, 2026)
Director: Christophe Gans. Top cast: TBA in updated campaign materials. Logline: A man returns to a fog-shrouded town in search of a lost love, only to run into a warped reality and the town’s horrors. Rating: TBA. Production: Done with U.S. run set. Positioning: aura-driven 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 unyielding boss push to survive on a cut-off island as the pecking order flips and unease intensifies. Rating: TBA. Production: Completed. Positioning: marquee survival piece from a master.

The Mummy (New Line, April 17, 2026)
Director: Lee Cronin. Producers: Blumhouse, Atomic Monster, Doppelgängers. Top cast: roles to be revealed in official materials. Logline: A from-today rework that returns the monster to dread, shaped by Cronin’s practical effects and suffocating dread. Rating: TBA. Production: In the can. Positioning: classic monster relaunch with a filmmaker’s stamp.


Untitled Rob Savage Horror Film (Universal, May 8, 2026)
Director: Rob Savage. Top cast: Jessica Chastain. Logline: {A intimate haunting setup that threads the dread through a preteen’s uneven perspective. Rating: not yet rated. Production: locked. Positioning: studio-backed, star-driven haunted-house suspense.

Scary Movie 6 (Paramount, June 12, 2026)
Director: Michael Tiddes. Top cast: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, with the Wayans brothers participating creatively. Logline: {A satirical comeback that targets contemporary horror memes and true-crime crazes. Rating: to be announced. Production: shoot planned for fall 2025. 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 surges, with an multinational twist in tone and setting. Rating: TBD. Production: production in New Zealand. Positioning: R-forward continuation crafted for PLF.

Untitled Insidious Film (Sony, August 21, 2026)
Director: to be announced in marketing. Top cast: unrevealed. Logline: The Further extends again, with a new family lashed to lingering terrors. Rating: forthcoming. Production: slated for summer production leading to late-summer release. Positioning: consistent franchise performer in a beneficial frame.

Resident Evil (Sony, September 18, 2026)
Director: pending public reveal. Top cast: TBD. Logline: A clean reboot designed to re-establish the franchise from the ground up, with an emphasis on pure survival horror over action-forward bombast. Rating: not yet rated. Production: on a development track with locked window. Positioning: game-faithful modern reboot with crossover potential.

Jordan Peele Untitled Event Film (Universal, October 23, 2026)
Director: Jordan Peele. Top cast: forthcoming. Logline: closely held. Rating: not yet rated. Production: underway. Positioning: director event, teaser-led.

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 menace. Rating: pending. Production: in active prep with holiday date set. Positioning: prestige horror for the holidays, with potential awards-season craft appeal.

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: slot unsettled, fall projected.

Why 2026 makes sense

Three pragmatic forces define this lineup. First, production that slowed or migrated in 2024 needed calendar breathing room. Horror can plug those gaps fast because scripts often need fewer locations, fewer large-scale CGI runs, and shorter timelines. Second, studios have become more disciplined about windows. Theatrical exclusivity remains the goal for most of these films, followed by PVOD and then platform streaming, a sequence that has consistently generated more than straight-to-streaming releases. Third, platform buzz converts. The marketing teams behind these titles will leverage clippable moments from test screenings, orchestrated scare clips pegged to Thursday preview nights, and experiential pop-ups that double as influencer content. It is a repeatable playbook because it performs.

A fourth element is the programming calculus. Early-year family and superhero blocks are thinner in 2026, freeing space for genre entries that can own a weekend outright or position as the older-lean choice. January is the prime example. Four genre tones will stack across five weekends, which helps each film cultivate buzz on its own. Summer provides the other window. The spoof can ride the first-half wave of animated and action tentpoles, then the hard-R entry can benefit from a late-July lull before back-to-school.

Business view: budgets, ratings, sleeper chase

Budgets remain in the ideal band. Most of the films above will fit below the $40–$50 million line, with many far below. That allows for deep PLF penetration 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 breakout hunt continues in Q1, where lower and mid-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 maximize those pockets. January could easily deliver the first quiet breakout 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. Forecast a healthy PVOD window broadly, since horror fans have shown a willingness to pay for convenience after an opening weekend, especially when word of mouth is strong.

What the calendar feels like for audiences

From a moviegoer’s perspective, the 2026 horror year offers beat and breadth. January is a tasting table, February delivers a legacy slasher, April reanimates a Universal monster, May and June provide a paranormal one-two for date nights and group outings, July turns feral, August and September keep the supernatural momentum, October turns into a Jordan Peele event, and December invites a chilly, literate nightmare. That is how you keep the discourse going and the seats filled without cannibalizing your own titles. The pattern also supports social campaigns that can scale over time, using earlier releases to trailhead the audience for bigger plays in the fall.

Exhibitors favor the spacing. Horror delivers steady Thursday pops, tight deployments, and strong PLF uptake when the creative supports it. The 2026 slate has at least three titles that can warrant PLF, with The Mummy, Evil Dead Burn, and Werwulf all showcasing tactility, sonics, and picture 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.

A Strong 2026 Horizon

Windows change. Ratings change. Casts update. But the spine of 2026 horror is intact. There is name recognition where it counts, filmmaker vision where it matters, and a calendar that shows studios sense the cadence of 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 late-stage specialty acquisition join the party. For now, the job is simple, roll out exact trailers, guard the secrets, and let the screams sell the seats.