Primordial Dread Rises in Andrew Chiaramonte’s Young & Cursed, a fear soaked supernatural thriller, rolling out October 2025 across global platforms

One unnerving ghostly suspense story from screenwriter / cinematic mind Andrew Chiaramonte, awakening an prehistoric force when newcomers become pawns in a devilish conflict. Launching October 2, 2025, on Amazon’s Prime Video, YouTube streaming, Google’s Play platform, Apple iTunes, Apple’s streaming platform, and Fandango platform.

Hollywood, CA (August 8th, 2025) – hold tight for *Young & Cursed*, a frightful narrative of resistance and forgotten curse that will alter scare flicks this autumn. Realized by rising master of suspense Andrew Chiaramonte, this edge-of-your-seat and moody feature follows five unknowns who regain consciousness imprisoned in a far-off shelter under the sinister manipulation of Kyra, a tormented girl consumed by a millennia-old sacred-era entity. Get ready to be shaken by a motion picture spectacle that harmonizes bone-deep fear with arcane tradition, debuting on Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home on the second of October, 2025.


Unholy possession has been a historical concept in cinema. In *Young & Cursed*, that structure is flipped when the entities no longer descend from elsewhere, but rather from within. This symbolizes the shadowy facet of all involved. The result is a edge-of-seat mind game where the intensity becomes a perpetual tug-of-war between right and wrong.


In a bleak terrain, five adults find themselves imprisoned under the sinister rule and infestation of a unknown female figure. As the protagonists becomes defenseless to combat her manipulation, cut off and preyed upon by terrors ungraspable, they are forced to reckon with their inner demons while the seconds harrowingly edges forward toward their end.


In *Young & Cursed*, mistrust surges and alliances collapse, urging each survivor to contemplate their true nature and the foundation of independent thought itself. The stakes accelerate with every breath, delivering a nerve-wracking journey that blends supernatural terror with soulful exposure.

Andrew Chiaramonte, Director: “With *Young & Cursed*, my creative target was to channel ancestral fear, an darkness beyond time, influencing fragile psyche, and wrestling with a spirit that dismantles free will when we lose control.”

Madison Hubler (Kyra): “Channeling Kyra asked for exploring something more primal than sorrow. She is ignorant until the evil takes hold, and that evolution is deeply unsettling because it is so emotional.”

Release & Availability

*Young & Cursed* will be released for audiences beginning this October 2, on Prime Video, YouTube, Google’s store, iTunes, Apple TV+, and Fandango on-demand—so that streamers worldwide can witness this spirit-driven thriller.


Chiaramonte Films, Inc. has just released a new second trailer for *Young & Cursed*, available to watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/zu0n4WmPI1s, as a response to its original clip, which has received over 100,000 views.


In addition to its continental debut, Chiaramonte Films, Inc. has announced that *Young & Cursed* will also be distributed abroad, taking the terror to a global viewership.


Tune in for this cinematic voyage through terror. Confront *Young & Cursed* this Halloween season to acknowledge these ghostly lessons about the soul.


For previews, set experiences, and promotions from the creators, follow @YoungCursedOfficial across media channels and visit youngandcursed.com.





Modern horror’s major pivot: the year 2025 U.S. lineup blends myth-forward possession, Indie Shockers, set against series shake-ups

Moving from survivor-centric dread inspired by ancient scripture and onward to installment follow-ups as well as cutting indie sensibilities, 2025 is emerging as the richest paired with deliberate year in years.

It is crowded, and also meticulously arranged. Major studios stabilize the year using marquee IP, at the same time premium streamers pack the fall with discovery plays plus ancestral chills. On the independent axis, indie storytellers is propelled by the momentum 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, distinctly in 2025, teams are capturing January, spring, and mid-summer. Crowds are ready, studios are methodical, and 2025 is positioned to be the most designed season yet.

Studio and Mini-Major Moves: Premium genre swings back

The majors are not coasting. If 2024 primed the reset, 2025 compounds the move.

Universal’s slate kicks off the frame with a confident swing: a newly envisioned Wolf Man, situated not in a foggy nineteenth century European hamlet, but a sharp contemporary setting. Guided by Leigh Whannell and starring Christopher Abbott with Julia Garner, this cut welds lycanthropy to home turmoil. The transformation is not just physical, it is marital, parental, and painfully human. Slated for mid January, it is part of the new strategy to own the box office’s winter dead zone with prestige horror instead of dumping ground thrillers.

Spring brings Clown in a Cornfield, a YA slasher port tuned to austere horror. Under Eli Craig starring Katie Douglas opposite Kevin Durand, it is blood soaked Americana horror with a satirical streak. Under the costume, it needles small town fear, cross generational rifts, and crowd punishment. Early reactions hint at fangs.

As summer wanes, the Warner Bros. banner bows the concluding entry from its anchor horror saga: The Conjuring: Last Rites. The Warrens are back with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, the film signals catharsis as it engages a widely cited real case. Though the outline is tried, Chaves seems to angle for a plaintive, inward final note. It arrives early September, buying space before the October wave.

Next is The Black Phone 2. From early summer to October, a strong signal. Scott Derrickson again directs, and so do the signature elements that made the first installment a sleeper hit: throwback unease, trauma explicitly handled, plus uncanny supernatural grammar. The ante is higher this round, by digging further into the “grabber” mythos and grief’s generational echo.

Bringing up the winter anchor is Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, a franchise that brings its own crowd. The second outing goes deeper into backstory, adds to the animatronic nightmare bench, and targets both teens and thirtysomething fans of the original game. It arrives in December, anchoring horror’s winter tail.

SVOD Originals: Low budgets, big teeth

While cinemas swing on series strength, streamers are swinging risk forward, and returns look strong.

One standout ambitious title is Weapons, a cold file multi story chiller stitching three periods attached to a mass disappearance. Under Zach Cregger including Josh Brolin and Julia Garner, the movie mixes chill with dramatic weight. Premiering theatrically in late summer before a fall streaming drop, it should ignite online discourse and post viewing breakdowns, much like Barbarian.

More contained by design is Together, an intimate body horror unraveling with Alison Brie and Dave Franco. Located in a secluded rental as a trip collapses, the film explores what happens when love, envy, and self hatred merge into physical decay. It reads tender, repulsive, and intensely uneasy, a three act churn into codependent hell. With no dated platform window yet, it is tracking toward an autumn slot.

Also rising is Sinners, a 1930s rooted vampire folk legend headlined by Michael B. Jordan. Lensed in lush sepia and soaked in biblical metaphor, it mirrors There Will Be Blood meeting Let the Right One In. The title explores American religious trauma through supernatural symbol. Advance tests paint it as a watercooler streamer.

Several other streaming indies are quietly waiting in the wings: Bring Her Back, Bone Lake, and Keeper each explores grief and disappearance and identity, opting allegory above bombast.

Deep Possession Currents: Young & Cursed

Landing October 2 across key streamers, Young & Cursed reads as a rare blend, small in footprint yet mythic in spread. Conceived and directed by Andrew Chiaramonte, the arc centers on five strangers who wake inside a backcountry cabin, beneath Kyra’s command, a young woman possessed by the ancient biblical demon Lilith. When darkness comes, Kyra’s power swells, a penetrating force tapping their private fears, soft spots, and remorse.

The unease is psychological, fused to primal myth. Not another exorcism story reliant on Catholic rite and Latin phrase, this story returns to something older, something darker. Lilith does not answer ceremony, she climbs through trauma, hush, and human fracture. Turning possession inward syncs Young & Cursed to the trend of character led dramas draped in genre.

The platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, Google Play, and Fandango at Home, angle the film as Halloween counterprogramming to sequel load and monster re ups. It looks like sharp programming. No bloated mythology. No series drag. Straight psychological chill, boxed and tight, aimed at the binge, pause, and pulse habits of streamers. Inside spectacle, Young & Cursed may separate by silence, then rupture.

Festival Origins, Market Outcomes

Fantastic Fest, SXSW, Tribeca, and TIFF operate as greenhouses for horror six to twelve months down the line. They are increasingly launchpads rather than showcases.

This year, Fantastic Fest confirms a strong horror slate. Primate, an opening night tropical body-horror, invites Cronenberg meets Herzog 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. A24 support plus satire of toxic fandom in a convention lockdown puts it on breakout watch.

SXSW staged Clown in a Cornfield and lined up microbudget haunts for talks. Sundance is expected to unspool its usual crop of grief soaked elevated horror, while Tribeca’s genre yard leans urban, social, and surreal.

Festival strategy in 2025 is not just about discovery, it is about branding. Those badges act as campaign openers, not end caps.

Legacy Horror: Additions, Do Overs, and Revisions

Legacy IP arrives sturdier and more intentional this cycle.

Fear Street: Prom Queen, dated July, revives the 90s franchise with a new lead and throwback tone. Departing prior tones, it leans camp and prom night melodrama. Imagine tiaras, smeared red, and VHS panic.

M3GAN 2.0 hits late June, and aims to widen its techno horror mythology with new characters and AI generated terrors. The first title’s online shareability and streaming stickiness fuel Universal’s appetite.

Then there is The Long Walk, an adaptation of one of Stephen King’s earliest and most harrowing works, led by Francis Lawrence, it reads as a brutal dystopian allegory inside survival horror, a walk till you drop competition for kids with no winners. With clear targeting, it could become The Hunger Games for horror grown ups.

Other reboots and sequels, Hell House LLC: Lineage, V/H/S/Halloween, The Toxic Avenger, and Anaconda, are scattered across the calendar, most waiting for strategic windows or last minute acquisitions.

Emerging Currents

Mythic dread mainstreams
Young & Cursed with Lilith and Whistle with Aztec curses both signal ancient texts and symbols. This trend avoids nostalgia, reclaiming pre Christian archetypes. Horror does more than scare, it reminds that evil predates us.

Body horror retakes ground
With Together, Weapons, and Keeper, the genre goes back to the flesh. Mutation, infection, transformation serve as metaphors for heartbreak, grief, and regret.

Originals on platforms bite harder
Throwaway platform horror is on the way out. Streamers are investing in real scripts, real directors, and real marketing pushes. Works such as Weapons and Sinners are positioned as events, not filler.

Festival hype becomes leverage
Laurels move markets, opening release doors and coverage arcs. A horror film without a festival strategy in 2025 risks disappearing.

The big screen is a trust exercise
The big screen goes to those expected to beat comps or build series. Everything else heads to PVOD or hybrid drops. Horror is not shrinking in theaters, but it is becoming more curated.

Outlook: Autumn density and winter pivot

Stacking Young & Cursed, The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Black Phone 2, and Weapons in September and October yields saturation. Indies like Bone Lake and Keeper will scrap for air. Some may slide to early 2026 or switch platform lanes.

December holds on Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, though a stealth streamer release may land late. With mythic energy high, a late creature or exorcism entry could pop.

The hinge is broad reach to atomized viewers, not single tentpoles. The brief is not the next Get Out, it is horror with afterlife beyond receipts.



The new chiller slate: installments, filmmaker-first projects, plus A brimming Calendar optimized for chills

Dek: The fresh scare cycle loads early with a January cluster, then runs through the warm months, and far into the holidays, braiding franchise firepower, new voices, and strategic calendar placement. Studios with streamers are committing to cost discipline, big-screen-first runs, and viral-minded pushes that pivot genre titles into all-audience topics.

The state of horror, heading into 2026

The field has established itself as the steady tool in annual schedules, a vertical that can surge when it resonates and still insulate the risk when it falls short. After 2023 proved to greenlighters that cost-conscious fright engines can command pop culture, 2024 kept the drumbeat going with buzzy auteur projects and sleeper breakouts. The upswing moved into 2025, where revived properties and critical darlings underscored there is appetite for a variety of tones, from series extensions to director-led originals that play globally. The takeaway for 2026 is a run that reads highly synchronized across studios, with strategic blocks, a blend of familiar brands and new packages, and a recommitted commitment on big-screen windows that increase tail monetization on premium video on demand and subscription services.

Planners observe the space now performs as a versatile piece on the grid. The genre can premiere on nearly any frame, provide a quick sell for marketing and shorts, and lead with ticket buyers that lean in on opening previews and maintain momentum through the sophomore frame if the picture pays off. Following a strike-affected pipeline, the 2026 plan shows belief in that equation. The slate begins with a weighty January stretch, then taps spring and early summer for contrast, while clearing room for a fall run that runs into spooky season and past Halloween. The layout also underscores the continuing integration of specialized labels and SVOD players that can platform and widen, generate chatter, and expand at the optimal moment.

Another broad trend is brand management across brand ecosystems and storied titles. The players are not just turning out another return. They are looking to package lineage with a headline quality, whether that is a art treatment that signals a reframed mood or a casting pivot that binds a incoming chapter to a initial period. At the meanwhile, the auteurs behind the marquee originals are returning to real-world builds, practical gags and grounded locations. That mix gives the 2026 slate a strong blend of comfort and unexpected turns, which is a pattern that scales internationally.

Studios and mini-majors: what the big players are doing

Paramount defines the early cadence with two big-ticket plays that straddle tones widely. First comes Scream 7 on February 27, 2026, with original architect Kevin Williamson in the director slot and Neve Campbell back at the forefront, steering it as both a legacy handover and a rootsy character-forward chapter. Filming is underway in Atlanta, and the tonal posture indicates a fan-service aware treatment without going over the last two entries’ Carpenter-sisters arc. Count on a promo wave leaning on franchise iconography, first images of characters, and a tiered teaser plan slated for late fall. Distribution is theatrical via Paramount.

Paramount also reignites a once-mighty spoof franchise with Scary Movie 6 on June 12, 2026, directed by Michael Tiddes. Anna Faris and Regina Hall are paired again, with the Wayans brothers involved on the creative side for the first time since the early 2000s, a hook the campaign will play up. As a summer relief option, this one will seek wide appeal through share-ready beats, with the horror spoof format permitting quick turns to whatever shapes the conversation that spring.

Universal has three separate pushes. SOULM8TE debuts January 9, 2026, a digital-age offshoot from the M3GAN universe from Atomic Monster and Blumhouse. The conceit is tidy, melancholic, and big-hook: a grieving man installs an algorithmic mate that shifts into a dangerous lover. The date nudges it to the front of a stacked January, with the Universal machine likely to mirror uncanny-valley stunts and brief clips that fuses affection and chill.

On May 8, 2026, the studio schedules an untitled Rob Savage horror film, widely rumored as 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 permits a name unveil to become an headline beat closer to the first look. The timing offers Universal a foothold in early May while larger tentpoles take the main frames.

Finishing the studio’s year, Jordan Peele’s untitled event film plants on October 23, 2026, a slot he has excelled in before. The filmmaker’s films are framed as event films, with a opaque teaser and a second beat that convey vibe without spoilers the concept. The prime October weekend opens a lane to dominate pre-holiday auditoriums with PLF and IMAX bookings where available, then use the copyright window to capture late-October interest at home.

Warner Bros., via New Line, pairs with Sony internationally for Evil Dead Burn, dated July 24, 2026. Sébastien Vaniček is at the helm of, with Souheila Yacoub fronting. The franchise has established that a gnarly, in-camera leaning aesthetic can feel elevated on a mid-range budget. Expect a hard-R summer horror rush that spotlights worldwide reach, with Warner Bros. handling U.S. and Sony taking most foreign territories.

Sony’s horror bench is loaded. The studio rolls out two name-brand pushes in the back half. An untitled Insidious film arrives August 21, 2026, continuing a evergreen supernatural brand on the grid while the spin-off branch moves forward. Sony has reslotted on this title before, but the current plan plants it in late summer, where Insidious has shown strength.

Then, on September 18, 2026, Resident Evil reboots in what Sony is framing as a from-the-ground-up reboot for its game-to-film powerhouse. With the PlayStation Productions pipeline now a pillar part of the studio’s strategy, this new take has a well-defined brief to serve both players and curious audiences. The fall slot allows Sony to build campaign pieces around narrative world, and monster craft, elements that can increase large-format demand and community activity.

Focus Features, working with Working Title, positions a prestige bet on Christmas Day with Werwulf on December 25, 2026. Set in 13th-century England, the film sustains the filmmaker’s run of period horror defined by minute detail and period speech, this time circling werewolf lore. Focus Features has already locked the day for a holiday release, a promissory note in Eggers as a specialty play that can scale widely if early reception is strong.

Digital platform strategies

Digital strategies for 2026 run on familiar rails. Universal’s genre entries feed copyright after a theatrical-first then PVOD phase, a ordering that elevates both initial urgency and subscriber lifts in the post-theatrical. Prime Video continues to mix licensed titles with global acquisitions and brief theater runs when the data justifies it. Max and Hulu lean on their strengths in catalog engagement, using timely promos, Halloween hubs, and collection rows to sustain interest on the horror cume. Netflix stays opportunistic about Netflix originals and festival snaps, slotting horror entries toward the drop and turning into events debuts with compressed campaigns. Shudder, integrated with RLJE and Cineverse’s theatrical footprint, uses a two-step of selective theatrical runs and rapid platforming that translates talk to trials. That will matter for Return to Silent Hill, which Cineverse is releasing in theaters January 23, 2026, before activating direct-to-fan channels in the months that follow.

Apple TV+ keeps selective horror on a selective basis. The platform has shown a willingness to board select projects with acclaimed directors or name-led packages, then give them a select cinema run in partnership with exhibitors to meet awards-qualifying thresholds or to build credibility before the streaming drop. Hulu and Disney’s domestic pipeline still leans on the 20th Century Studios slate, a notable driver for month-over-month retention when the genre conversation heats up.

Boutique label prospects

Cineverse is structuring a 2026 slate with two brand extensions. Return to Silent Hill lands in January with Christophe Gans returning to his adaptation of Konami’s classic title. The pitch is simple: the same foggy, fog-choked atmosphere that made the original a favorite of fans, refined for modern audio-visual craft. 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 positioned a theatrical-first plan for Legacy, an healthy marker for fans of the savage series and for exhibitors in need of adult counterprogramming in the late stretch.

Focus will operate the filmmaker lane with Werwulf, piloting the title through festivals in the fall if the cut is ready, then relying on the holiday corridor to go wider. That positioning has proved effective for craft-driven horror with crossover ambitions. A24, NEON, IFC Films, RLJE, and Magnet have not released many dates in public calendars yet, but their festival pipelines usually solidify after Sundance, Berlin, and Cannes. A plausible forecast is a handful of late-summer and fall platformers that can broaden if reception merits. Do not be surprised by an A24 acquisition out of Sundance midnight slots and a NEON title that premieres at Cannes before a September or October domestic bow. RLJE and Shudder often work as a pair, using select theatrical to seed evangelism that fuels their paid base.

Series vs standalone

By weight, 2026 leans toward the IP side. Scream 7, Insidious, Resident Evil, Evil Dead Burn, and Return to Silent Hill all leverage cultural cachet. The concern, as ever, is overexposure. The practical approach is to position each entry as a tone reset. Paramount is spotlighting character and legacy in Scream 7, Sony is signaling a fresh ground-up build for Resident Evil, and New Line’s Evil Dead Burn is maximizing a European tilt from a buzzed-about director. Those choices make a difference when the audience has so many options and social sentiment moves quickly.

Non-franchise titles and director-driven titles bring the oxygen. Jordan Peele’s October film will be treated as a brand unto itself. Sam Raimi’s Send Help, dated January 30, 2026 at 20th Century Studios, features Rachel McAdams in a survival chiller premise with the director’s playful dread. SOULM8TE offers a clean, creepy tech hook. Werwulf roots in era detail and an severe tone. Even when the title is not based on a property, the cast-creatives package is assuring enough to convert curiosity into pre-sales and Thursday-night turnout.

Recent-year comps contextualize the playbook. In 2023, a big-screen-first plan that respected streaming windows did not stop a dual release from hitting when the brand was potent. In 2024, precision craft horror rose in big-format auditoriums. In 2025, a return of a beloved infection saga underlined that global horror franchises can still feel reinvigorated when they reorient and scale the storytelling. That last point is directly relevant to Sony’s 28 Years Later plan, which unfolds 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 shot consecutively, gives leeway to marketing to thread films through relationships and themes and to hold creative in the market without hiatuses.

Technique and craft currents

The shop talk behind this slate suggest a continued emphasis on tactile, place-driven craft. Lee Cronin has said his The Mummy will not echo any recent iteration of the property, a stance that squares with the prosthetic-forward taste he brought to Evil Dead Rise. The film completed principal and is tracking toward its April 17, 2026 date. The push will likely that emphasizes grain and menace rather than thrill-ride spectacle, with the New Line and Blumhouse partnership bolstering cost management.

Robert Eggers, meanwhile, has said Werwulf as the bleakest project he has tackled, which tracks with a period English setting and era-correct language, a combination that can make for textured sound and a earthy, elemental chill on the big screen. Focus will likely seed this aesthetic in long-lead press and department features before rolling out a initial teaser that plays with mood rather than plot, a move that has paid off for the filmmaker’s past releases.

On the franchise side, Evil Dead Burn is set up for visceral gnarl, a signature of the series that works internationally in red-band trailers and drives shareable jump-cut reactions from early screenings. Scream 7 delivers a self-aware reset that returns to the core star. Resident Evil will rise or fall on creature and environment design, which lend themselves to con floor moments and guarded reveals. Insidious tends to be a audio showcase, with Dolby and Atmos spots that make the cinema argument feel necessary. Look for trailers that elevate razor sound, deep-bass stingers, and quiet voids that work in PLF.

Month-by-month map

January is loaded. 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 atmospheric change-up amid bigger brand plays. The month ends with Send Help on January 30 via 20th Century Studios, a crash-survival thriller from Sam Raimi that puts a star forward in Rachel McAdams. The competition here is real, but the palette of tones opens lanes for all, and the five-week structure allows a clean run for each if word of mouth sticks.

Q1 into Q2 prepare summer. Scream 7 hits February 27 with nostalgia energy. In April, The Mummy reimagines a classic monster on April 17, a spring frame that once was aligned with genre counterprogramming and now backs big openers. Universal’s 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 heightens the contrast. 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 tight. The spoof can thrive next to family tentpoles and animated films, while the mid-summer gorefest serves older teenagers and genre diehards once the big Friday sequels have moved through premium slots.

Late-season stretch leans IP. The Insidious entry on August 21 gives the studio a spiritual-horror anchor where the brand has previously connected. Resident Evil arrives after September 18, a bridge slot that still bridges into Halloween marketing beats. Jordan Peele’s untitled film occupies October 23 and will soak up cultural oxygen heading into Halloween weekend, likely driven by a minimalist tease strategy and limited teasers that prioritize concept over plot.

Christmas prestige. Werwulf on December 25 is a flag plant that genre can stand up at Christmas when packaged as awards-flirting horror. The distributor has done this before, slow-rolling, then using critics’ lists and awards-season craft coverage to linger in conversation into January. If the film lands critically, the studio can scale in the first week of 2027 while building on holiday impulse and gift card usage.

Film-by-film briefs

Scream 7 (Paramount, February 27, 2026)
Director: Kevin Williamson. Top cast: Neve Campbell, with casting continuing to be revealed as production pushes forward. Logline: Sidney returns to confront a new Ghostface while the narrative rethreads the original film’s founding notes. 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 devastated man’s artificial companion mutates into something seductively lethal. 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 opens the world beyond the immediate outbreak as a cult ascends in the ruins. Rating: TBA. Production: Produced consecutively with the first film. Positioning: continuation of a revived prestige zombie saga.

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 confront a mutable reality and the town’s horrors. Rating: TBA. Production: Locked and U.S. theatrical booked. Positioning: mood-led 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 claw to survive on a far-flung island as the control balance reverses and dread encroaches. Rating: TBA. Production: In the can. 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 fresh reimagining that returns the monster to dread, founded on Cronin’s physical craft and oozing dread. Rating: TBA. Production: Finished. Positioning: legendary monster re-up with auteur hand.


Untitled Rob Savage Horror Film (Universal, May 8, 2026)
Director: Rob Savage. Top cast: Jessica Chastain. Logline: {A intimate haunting piece that manipulates the dread of a child’s fragile POV. Rating: awaiting classification. Production: locked. 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 reuniting creatively. Logline: {A satire sequel that satirizes of-the-moment horror beats and true crime preoccupations. Rating: TBA. Production: principal photography set for fall 2025. Positioning: wide-lane seasonal counterprogram.

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 international twist in tone and setting. Rating: to be announced. Production: production in New Zealand. Positioning: hard-hitting R entry designed for premium formats.

Untitled Insidious Film (Sony, August 21, 2026)
Director: TBA publicly. Top cast: pending. Logline: The Further reopens, with a new clan linked to lingering terrors. Rating: undetermined. Production: planning summer shoot for late-summer date. Positioning: stalwart franchise piece in a friendly frame.

Resident Evil (Sony, September 18, 2026)
Director: TBD publicly. Top cast: undisclosed. Logline: A restart designed to recalibrate the franchise from the ground up, with an center of gravity in survivalist horror over action fireworks. Rating: pending. Production: on a development track with locked window. Positioning: lore-true modernization with broad upside.

Jordan Peele Untitled Event Film (Universal, October 23, 2026)
Director: Jordan Peele. Top cast: TBD. Logline: deliberately concealed. Rating: not yet rated. Production: advancing. 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 raw menace. Rating: TBA. Production: prepping toward a December 25 launch. Positioning: prestige-leaning holiday genre with crafts potential.

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 traditional theatrical release planned before platforming. Status: timing fluid, autumn anticipated.

Why this year, why now

Three execution-level forces frame this lineup. First, production that eased or rearranged in 2024 demanded space on the calendar. Horror can bridge those gaps quickly because scripts often demand fewer locations, fewer large-scale CGI sequences, and pared-down timelines. Second, studios have become more rigorous about windows. Theatrical exclusivity remains the goal for most of these films, followed by PVOD and then platform streaming, a sequence that has consistently exceeded useful reference straight-to-streaming landings. Third, social buzz converts. The marketing teams behind these titles will mine turnkey scare beats from test screenings, controlled scare clips dropping on Thursday previews, and experiential pop-ups that power influencer posts. It is a repeatable playbook because it wins.

A fourth element is the programming calculus. Early-2026 family and superhero concentrations ease, clearing runway for genre entries that can capture a weekend or position as the older-lean choice. January is the prime example. Four separate horror flavors will compete across five weekends, which gives each title a lane and limits cannibalization. Summer provides the other window. The satire rides the animated and action tide, then the hard-R entry can benefit from a late-July lull before back-to-school.

Business outlook: budgets, ratings, and the sleeper hunt

Budgets remain in the strike zone. Most of the films above will land under the $40–$50 million mark, with many far below. That allows for aggressive PLF bookings 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 cost-efficient 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 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. Plan on a solid PVOD window generally, since horror fans have shown a willingness to pay for convenience after an opening weekend, especially when word of mouth is strong.

Audience journey through the year

From a moviegoer’s perspective, the 2026 horror year offers pace and range. January is a array, February delivers a legacy slasher, April brings back a Universal monster, May and June provide a two-beat supernatural run for date nights and group outings, July goes for the throat, 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 sustain conversation and attendance without cannibalizing your own titles. The pattern also supports social campaigns that can scale over time, using earlier releases to condition the audience for bigger plays in the fall.

Exhibitors are pleased with the spacing. Horror delivers regular Thursday spikes, tight deployments, and strong PLF uptake when the creative supports it. The 2026 slate has at least three titles that can earn PLF placement, with The Mummy, Evil Dead Burn, and Werwulf all showcasing detail, aural design, 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, Lined Up To Scare

Frames adjust. Ratings change. Casts evolve. But the spine of 2026 horror is set. There is name recognition where it counts, distinct vision 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 closing-window arthouse pickup join the party. For now, the job is simple, produce clean trailers, lock the reveals, and let the chills sell the seats.