Summer doesn’t officially start until June 21st, but the summer movie season is already underway, and horror fans have a packed release calendar ahead. From franchise sequels like Evil Dead Burn, Insidious: Out of the Further, and Resident Evil to original genre projects like Passenger, Backrooms, and Eli Roth’s Ice Cream Man, these are the biggest horror movies coming to theatres this season. Here’s our Summer 2026 Horror Preview:
| Movie | Release Date | Release Type | Subgenre / Style | Key Creative Hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsession | May 15, 2026 | Theatrical | Supernatural horror | Milk & Serial director Curry Barker’s studio debut |
| Passenger | May 22, 2026 | Theatrical | Supernatural road horror | André Øvredal returns with a demonic highway nightmare |
| Backrooms | May 29, 2026 | Theatrical | Sci-fi horror / Internet horror | A24 adaptation of Kane Parsons’ viral Backrooms phenomenon |
| Speed Demon | May 31, 2026 | Theatrical / Digital / On Demand | Supernatural possession horror | Jon Keeyes directs Katie Cassidy and William H. Macy in a demonic runaway train exorcism thriller |
| Scary Movie | June 5, 2026 | Theatrical | Horror comedy / parody | Return of the Wayans Brothers, Anna Faris, and Regina Hall |
| Evil Dead Burn | July 10, 2026 | Theatrical | Supernatural splatter horror | New Evil Dead entry directed by Sébastien Vaniček |
| Ice Cream Man | August 7, 2026 | Theatrical | Killer kids horror | Eli Roth’s long-gestating killer ice cream man project |
| The End of Oak Street | August 14, 2026 | Theatrical | Mystery / sci-fi | David Robert Mitchell’s secretive dinosaur-themed thriller |
| Insidious: Out of the Further | August 21, 2026 | Theatrical | Supernatural horror | Sixth Insidious film featuring Lin Shaye’s return |
| Resident Evil | September 18, 2026 | Theatrical | Survival horror / creature horror | Zach Cregger reboot inspired by the original games |
OBSESSION – Theatrical, May 15
In 2024, Curry Barker made the found footage horror movie Milk & Serial, which is said to have had a budget of $800. Baker then released the movie through YouTube, where the free-to-watch video has racked up more than 2 million views. Even though he already sent Milk & Serial out into the world, it’s his new horror movie, Obsession, that’s being billed as his feature directorial debut.
Starring Michael Johnston (Teen Wolf) and Inde Navarrette (Superman & Lois), Obsession has the following synopsis: After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price. Cooper Tomlinson (Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (Killer Rental), and Andy Richter (Conan) are also in the cast.
JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray already had the chance to watch Obsession a couple of months ago, and you can read his 8/10 review HERE.
PASSENGER – Theatrical, May 22
130 million people take road trips every year. 15,400 of them are never seen again.
Genre regular André Øvredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, The Long Walk) is out to bring us more nightmares with his supernatural horror film Passenger, which stars stars Jacob Scipio (Bad Boys for Life), Lou Llobell (Foundation), and Melissa Leo (Red State).
Here’s the synopsis: After a young couple witnesses a gruesome highway accident, they soon realize they did not leave the crash scene alone, as a demonic presence called the Passenger that won’t stop until it claims them both turns their van life adventure into a nightmare.
BACKROOMS – Theatrical, May 29
Three years ago, it was announced that some of today’s biggest genre companies – A24, James Wan‘s Atomic Monster, the Stranger Things makers at 21 Laps, and Planet of the Apes producers Chernin Entertainment – are joining forces on a new project called Backrooms, which marks the feature directorial debut of VFX artist Kane Parsons, who is now 20 years old.
Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Mark Duplass (Creep), Finn Bennett (True Detective), Lukita Maxwell (Shrinking), and Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) star in the film. Backrooms is based on a series of viral videos Parsons released through his YouTube channel Kane Pixels. If you were to splice those videos together they would reach feature length, but the feature version of Backrooms is going to be something entirely new.
Deadline previously noted that details as to the plot of the sci-fi horror feature are under wraps. But in the original short, a young filmmaker’s fall into another dimension leaves him wandering through an unsettlingly yellow, empty and labyrinthine office space, which may or may not be home to otherworldly beings. The film’s title and setting draw inspiration from the imagery of a creepypasta (or internet urban legend) published to the website 4chan in 2019. An interview with Parsons on ABC provided the information that his series tells the story of a shadowy organization, called ASYNC, which in the late 1980s opens a portal connecting the real world to The Backrooms.
SPEED DEMON – Theatrical and Digital, May 31
Katie Cassidy did a lot of horror in the past (When a Stranger Calls, The Lost, Black Christmas, Supernatural, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wolves at the Door) and now, after a decade away from the genre, she has returned with a supernatural horror film that co-stars Fargo‘s William H. Macy.
Directed by Jon Keeyes, the film has the following synopsis: When Father Novak and Sister Lu board a train from Montreal to New York City, they weren’t prepared for the danger and evil that would pursue them. After the train is taken over by the demon Asmodeus, Father Novak and Sister Lu must battle possessed passengers on a runaway train with Sister Lu forced to overcome her faltering faith and perform the first exorcism done by a nun. It’s Speed meets The Exorcist!
Keeyes described Speed Demon as “an intensely fun horror movie. It’s got a strong story, demons, action, plenty of special effects, and truly unique characters. Getting to work with Katie Cassidy and William H. Macy was a complete joy. Bill was incredible as our Father Novak, and such a professional, bringing a real heart to the character. And Katie nailed it as a nun who has lost her faith, struggles with addictions, and must overcome her past in order to become this kickass warrior nun.“
SCARY MOVIE – Theatrical, June 5
After a thirteen year break, the Scary Movie horror parody franchise is back for its sixth entry – and the series has been revived with the help of the people who got it started in the first place: the Wayans Brothers! The Wayans Brothers have written the screenplay with Rick Alvarez, with director Michael Tiddes bringing the wackiness to the screen.
Franchise stars Anna Faris and Regina Hall returning after sitting out Scary Movie 5 and are joined in the cast by Damon Wayans Jr. (Let’s Be Cops), Kim Wayans (Dance Flick), Heidi Gardner (Hustle), Cheri Oteri (Liar Liar), Chris Elliott (Cabin Boy), Lochlyn Monroe (Freddy vs. Jason), Dave Sheridan (The Devil’s Rejects), Jon Abrahams (House of Wax), Olivia Rose Keegan (Minx), Savannah Lee Nassif (Dance Rivals), Cameron Scott Roberts (Departing Seniors), Sydney Park (There’s Someone Inside Your House), Gregg Wayans (Fifty Shades of Black), Ruby Snowber (Yellowstone), newcomer Benny Zielke, Shawn Wayans (White Chicks), and Marlon Wayans (Him).
It has been said that I Know What You Did Last Summer, the Scream franchise, Heretic, Longlegs, Get Out, Nope, Terrifier 3, and Sinners are among the movies that get spoofed this time around.
EVIL DEAD BURN – Theatrical, July 10
In the build-up to the release of Evil Dead Rise in 2023, Evil Dead franchise rights holders Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert let it be known that they were already looking forward to producing more entries in the series, with Campbell revealing they were hoping to make a new sequel / spin-off every two or three years. They have proved their commitment to this idea by hiring Sébastien Vaniček, who made his feature directorial debut on the French horror film Vermin, a.k.a. Infested, to write and direct a new installment in the franchise.
They gave the director complete creative control on the movie, which he says has “a French twist.” Here’s the synopsis: Evil Dead Burn unleashes the franchise’s most savage and terrifying ride to date, blazing onto big screens with an all-new chapter of carnage and demonic mayhem. After the loss of her husband, a woman seeks solace with her in-laws in their secluded family home. As one by one they are transformed into Deadites—turning the gathering into a family reunion from hell—she comes to discover that the vows she took in life… live on even in death.
Dune: Part Two‘s Souheila Yacoub, a Swiss former rhythmic gymnast who won the Miss Suisse Romande beauty pageant before getting her acting career started, landed the lead role and has been joined in the cast by Hunter Doohan (Your Honor), Luciane Buchanan (The Night Agent), and Tandi Wright (Pearl).
ICE CREAM MAN – Theatrical, August 7
When the production of his slasher sequel Thanksgiving 2 had to be delayed (hopefully not cancelled completely), director Eli Roth didn’t waste time moping about it. He just went ahead and shot a different horror movie, Ice Cream Man!
Media Capital Technologies (MCT) and The Horror Section financed this one, which follows an idyllic summer town descending into madness when an ice cream man serves kids sweet delights with horrifying results. Roth directed the film from a screenplay he wrote with Noah Belson, based on “an original idea he has had for over twenty years, but studios were too nervous to finance.”
Ari Millen (Orphan Black) stars as the titular character and is joined in the cast by Benjamin Byron Davis (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Karen Cliche (Thanksgiving), Dylan Hawco (Heartland), Sarah Abbott (Black Mirror), Shiloh O’Reilly (Thanksgiving), Kiori Mirza Waldman (Small Achievable Goals), Charlie Zeltzer (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Charlie Storey (Thanksgiving). Roth is also in the cast.
THE END OF OAK STREET – Theatrical, August 14
Three years have passed since this project (previously known as Flowervale Street) was first announced, and it has managed to remain shrouded in secrecy that entire time, even though we know it’s “a family adventure set in the 1980s that involves dinosaurs.”
It Follows‘ David Robert Mitchell directed the film for Warner Bros. Pictures, Jackson Pictures, and J.J. Abrams’ company Bad Robot. The cast includes Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada), Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Maisy Stella (Nashville), and Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth). The movie was previously scheduled to reach theatres on May 16, 2025, then March 13, 2026, and now August 14.
Here’s a rumored synopsis: After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER – Theatrical, August 21
Jacob Chase, director of the 2020 horror movie Come Play, is at the helm of the sixth entry in the Insidious franchise, working from a screenplay he wrote with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. The story they crafted has the following synopsis: A trio of stalkers infiltrate a quiet suburb and force a new family into the astral plane, where they uncover a terrifying truth: the Further is bleeding into the real world.
Franchise star Lin Shaye has returned for Insidious: Out of the Further, and this time she shares the screen with Amelia Eve (The Haunting of Bly Manor), Brandon Perea (Nope), Maisie Richardson-Sellers (The Originals), Sam Spruell (Legend), Island Austin (I Can Only Imagine 2), and Laura Gordon (Late Night with the Devil).
Spruell plays the demonic Cyrus, a villain Shaye has described as “truly scary. … There’s a grandness to him. It’s sort of like Dracula. There’s this enfolding and this bigness. I did say to [Spruell] it feels like Shakespeare. It feels very otherworldly, bigger than life, but very rooted in reality. I think that’s a perfect combination for an antagonist who is gonna be really awful.“
RESIDENT EVIL – Theatrical, September 18
Zach Cregger, writer/director of Barbarian and Weapons, is directing the new Resident Evil movie for Sony and also wrote the screenplay with Shay Hatten (Army of the Dead). The story apparently harkens back to the original Capcom game’s horror roots.
Here’s the supposed logline: Bryan, a laid-back organ courier, is sent on a late-night delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital. En route through a snowy mountain road, he accidentally hits a strange woman with his car. She survives—but something is very wrong. As he tries to help, Bryan stumbles into a full-blown outbreak involving horrifying tentacle-based mutations and bio-engineered monstrosities. Weapons cast member Austin Abrams has the lead role and is joined in the cast by Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai), Zach Cherry (Severance), Kali Reis (True Detective: Night Country), and Johnno Wilson (I Love That for You). Cherry is said to be playing a scientist at a hospital and Reis plays an ex-military character that was initially written for a male actor.
Cregger took the approach of telling an original story with original characters that’s set within the world of the Resident Evil video game franchise because he feels that the stories of the video game characters are already being perfectly told in the games.
Between legacy franchises, internet horror adaptations, supernatural thrillers, and original slashers, summer 2026 is shaping up to be a very busy horror season. Whether audiences are looking for franchise nostalgia with Resident Evil and Scary Movie or fresh nightmares like Passenger and Backrooms, the months ahead should offer something for every horror fan.
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