Published Apr 12, 2026, 8:55 AM EDT
Anthony is a news reporter and a guide writer who has covered the entertainment industry for five years. He has covered a wide range of genres, including aviation incidents and international crime, and has a keen eye for details that may slip under the radar.
When he's not writing, Anthony can be found at Brands Hatch race track or at home watching indie horror movies nobody has heard of.
We're not even halfway through 2026, but it's already been a busy year for horror movie releases. February, in particular, was exceptional for genre fans, with The Strangers: Chapter 3, Psycho Killer, and Scream 7 releasing just weeks apart.
The year has already had a strong showing, but there are plenty more scary films to look forward to. Several massive horror franchises are set to return later this year. We also have some brand-new IPs, including one based on a YouTube series. 2026 is set to be one of the best years for horror movies in recent memory.
Upcoming movies aren't restricted to just one type, either. We have plenty of high-budget spooky titles on the horizon, including sequels to beloved franchises, and even an ambitious reboot of a series of films that started in the 70s. We also have arguably the most popular horror parody series returning with Scary Movie in the summer.
The horror genre seems to be more popular than ever. Household names like Paranormal Activity and A Quiet Place have sequels planned for the future, although we won't see those until 2027. Even without those influential titles, this year is going to be hard to beat, and the vast majority of these new movies will enjoy theatrical releases.
Whether you're a fan of brutal killers, ghosts, or supernatural monsters, there's likely a film for you in the near future. With this in mind, these upcoming horror movies already look too good to miss.
Lee Cronin's The Mummy (April 17, 2026)
We're starting our list with a movie releasing very soon. Lee Cronin's The Mummy promises a dark, scary tale focused on one of Hollywood's most famous monsters.
Thanks to Lee Cronin's The Mummy trailer, audiences already have a tantalizing glimpse at what's to come. A couple is notified by the embassy that the authorities have found their daughter alive inside a sarcophagus, eight years after she went missing.
It's clear something is wrong with the child, but we'll have to wait for the release to discover what happened. Lee Cronin's The Mummy looks to be a shocking take on established lore, far removed from other modern adaptations of the monster.
Evil Dead Burn (July 24, 2026)
Evil Dead is one of the horror genre's most beloved franchises. The original movies are a wild ride, combining gore and gross-out horror with dark comedy, cementing Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams as a legendary protagonist.
Campbell is not the focus of the new Evil Dead movies, which provide a grisly, gritty take on the Necronomicon and the Deadites. We don't have a trailer to analyze for Evil Dead Burn. However, an Evil Dead Burn teaser appeared to show a graphic scene of someone, or something, being brutally bludgeoned.
Many fans of the new films feel the series is in good hands. There's nothing to suggest that Evil Dead Burn won't contain the gratuitous gore and bloody spectacle the series is known for, and a trailer will hopefully reveal more in the near future.
Return Of The Living Dead (TBA 2026)
Return of the Living Dead is another beloved franchise scheduled to make a triumphant return in 2026. The official teaser trailer reveals very little. We see a graveyard in the dark, enveloped in a snowstorm, as "Silent Night" plays in the background.
Shortly after, a figure slowly drags a Christmas tree with lit lights through the snow. The lights turn off when the cable powering them snaps, and the figure shuffles out of view. The snow and song could indicate a Christmas release window, but it's too early to say.
The 1985 Return of the Living Dead is a classic movie where the dead rise from the grave as zombies. While it has horror elements, it's also a comedy that relies on practical effects, which still hold up today. Time will tell if the 2026 movie takes the franchise in a different direction.
Ice Cream Man (TBA August 2026)
Eli Roth is a legendary director in the horror space, and his work includes some particularly grisly films, including Cabin Fever and Hostel. His next movie, Ice Cream Man, is scheduled for release on August 7, 2026.
At the time of writing, we're unsure what the film entails, though we know Snoop Dogg is in it and plays himself. The film is about a town that descends into madness after an ice cream man serves the children treats, but we'll likely have to wait until at least August to find out what that means.
Roth's films are iconic in the genre for their shocking, often grotesque imagery and dark humor. It's fair to expect more of what we love about his films to feature in Ice Cream Man.
Hive (April 17, 2026)
Hive is another horror movie releasing alongside Lee Cronin's The Mummy on April 17. It's also exclusive to the Tubi streaming service. The movie is written and directed by Felipe Vargas and stars Xochitl Gomez as Sasha, a babysitter saving to pay for tuition fees.
The official trailer reveals that not everything in the town is as it seems. The children are all acting strangely, and one brief clip shows them surrounding Sasha in a playground, bending over backward in unison.
We don't know whether the bizarre incidents are caused by a supernatural threat or by something entirely different. Tubi is a free streaming service supported by ad breaks, so Hive could be a fun horror to watch during a movie night at home.
Backrooms (May 29, 2026)
Backrooms is an exciting upcoming movie for fans of creepy internet videos. It's a unique title on the list because it's directed by Kane Parsons. He runs the phenomenally successful Kane Pixles YouTube channel, which features the Backrooms series.
The YouTube series often uses found footage and explores a bizarre alternate dimension with distinct yellow walls. It also delves into psychological horror, as the Backrooms are home to strange dimension-bending creatures.
Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) stumbles into the backrooms of a furniture showroom in the movie. Fans of the YouTube series will be excited to see the movie adaptation, which will hopefully also make sense for newcomers.
Terrifier 4 (October 1, 2026)
The Terrifier movies feel like a love letter to classic slasher movies, where the killer is an unstoppable force, and the audience has no clue about their limitations. Art the Clown is the antagonist in question in the Terrifier series.
Art is undoubtedly the star of the show, and a scary villain who seems to deeply enjoy breaking his victims down before dispatching them in horrific ways. We don't know about the plot of Terrifier 4 as it's not due out until October, but it will likely follow in the footsteps of its successful predecessors.
The previous three movies have only expanded in size and scope since the original, fleshing out Art's lore. Kills in the Terrifier franchise are extraordinarily brutal, and there's no reason to assume the eagerly anticipated fourth installment will be any different.
Hokum (May 1, 2026)
Hokum is a chilling horror movie set in Ireland. Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) stays in a quirky inn, planning to scatter his parents' ashes, but quickly realizes not everything is as it seems.
The Hokum trailer doesn't reveal much beyond a vague introduction, but it is delightfully heavy on scares and creepy imagery. We see Ohm exploring the building by lantern light, and the setting seems perfect for some paranormal scares.
There's definitely more to the inn in Hokum than meets the eye, but we will have to wait until May for answers.
Faces Of Death (April 10, 2026)
If you can't wait to get stuck in with a brand new horror title, Faces of Death releases on April 10. It's also available to watch on the horror-focused streaming service, Shudder.
Fans of classic horror movies will likely recognize the name, as there are already multiple Faces of Death movies that started in the 70s. The 2026 film stars Barbie Ferreira as Margot, a moderator for a social media platform.
Margot uncovers videos on the site that appear to show murders from the previous Faces of Death movies. She conducts her own investigation into whether the clips are real. Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei, the director and writer of the film, explained that they did not want Faces of Death to be a straightforward remake.
Time will tell if fans of the original enjoy the modern spin of the new installment.
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