The first half of 2026 has already given us plenty of horror to talk about, but the year is still far from over. In fact, some of the most interesting movies are still on the way, with the back half of the calendar offering everything from franchise carnage and video game horror to haunted-house dread, zombie chaos, and even some medieval werewolf horror. Which makes this a good time to look ahead…
5. Evil Dead Burn
Release Date: July 10th, 2026
Few horror franchises have stayed as flexible as Evil Dead. The original trilogy mixed demonic possession, slapstick violence, and splatter-heavy chaos. While later entries proved the series could still work when stripped down into something more brutal. The upcoming Evil Dead seeks to continue that tradition. Positioned as another standalone entry in the franchise, rather than a direct continuation of a specific storyline, the upcoming movie turns a family cottage into a bloody nightmare while delivering what fans want the most: Deadites mixed with practical mayhem, with a complete lack of mercy.
4. Resident Evil
Release Date: September 18th, 2026
Resident Evil movies always had a complicated relationship with the games they stemmed from. Some fans enjoyed the older movies as action-horror chaos. However, others wanted something that felt like survival horror akin to the original games. That’s precisely what the upcoming Resident Evil reboot is trying to do, and franchise fans are loving the idea. If the idea works, Resident Evil could finally give the franchise a movie that feels less like an adaptation of an action-horror brand and more like an adaptation of the experience of playing the games. The first few ones, at least. This distinction matters because the best versions of Resident Evil weren’t about the monsters, but about limited control, isolation, and a feeling that every hallway might be a mistake.
3. Other Mommy
Release Date: October 9th, 2026
Based on Josh Malerman’s Incidents Around the House novel, Other Mommy sounds like it could be one of the creepier releases of the fall. Admittedly, the title alone does a lot of work, as it plays with our sense of safety when surrounded by family. The real hook of the movie, however, is the child’s perspective, because there are few things scarier than a child trying to explain something impossible while the adults around them struggle to understand the danger. Plus, horror often works best when it takes a place that should feel safe and makes it feel wrong. Other Mommy, it seems, is completely built around that exact kind of domestic unease.
2. Return of the Living Dead
Release Date: November 2026
Zombie movies never really die (pun fully intended), and Return of the Living Dead proves as much. The upcoming release is, reportedly, set after the original 1985 film, which was genuinely grotesque, but also kinda funny. That balance is important, and it’s one of the reasons why the original movie worked. The promise of practical effects and the return of Tarman are encouraging signs, especially at a time when horror fans are increasingly hungry for texture, makeup, and physical mess. If the movie does honor the original, it could be one of the year’s great late surprises.
1. Werwulf
Release Date: December 25, 2026
Robert Eggers became one of the most distinctive voices in period horror with a style built around folklore, obsession, historical detail, and the feeling that the past isn’t dead. It’s just lurking in the dark. The upcoming Werwulf is set in 13th-century England, which means we’re in for a muddy, superstitious, violent, and deeply strange surprise sprinkled with the ugly realities of medieval life. Given its director and the amazing cast, Werwulf could be a perfect cherry on top of 2026.
Together, these movies show that 2026 has more than one kind of fear in store for horror fans and that there are several different nightmares arriving from different corners of the genre.
