7 Upcoming Horror Movies That Could Be Masterpieces

by

Horror movies never truly disappear, but they’ve become increasingly popular and consistent over the last fifteen years. While some films, like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, might not appeal to everyone, excellent horror continues to be made and often becomes a significant part of our culture. Just in 2025, fans enjoyed new releases like the vampire story Sinners, the intriguing Weapons, a long-awaited adaptation of Frankenstein, and another installment in the Final Destination series.

Horror is still thriving, and next year looks particularly exciting. We’ll see more films entering the public domain, like The Dark Domain: Mickey vs Winnie, alongside highly anticipated sequels such as Scream 7, DC’s Clayface, and a new Evil Dead movie. Beyond these, several upcoming titles have the potential to become major hits, reaching a wide audience and possibly even achieving classic status.

7) 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

There was a lot of excitement about a possible sequel to 28 Days Later, and director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland delivered with this summer’s 28 Years Later. Even better, they filmed a second movie, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, before the first one even came out! Directed by Nia DeCosta, The Bone Temple is scheduled for release on January 16, 2026, and early reviews suggest it could be one of the best films of the year.

The upcoming film, The Bone Temple, appears to be a fresh take on the story established in the first movie, and it promises to significantly expand the franchise’s overall mythology in unexpected ways. With 28 Years Later currently receiving strong reviews (89% on Rotten Tomatoes), The Bone Temple has the potential to be one of the best films of the year if it surpasses the quality of its predecessor. Considering how 28 Days Later revitalized the zombie genre over twenty years ago, it’s appropriate that these new films aim to do the same for the horror genre as a whole.

6) 2026’s Resident Evil Reboot

The latest Resident Evil movie faces a tough challenge, given the series’ history of disappointments and missteps. However, it has a strong advantage: writer and director Zach Cregger. Following the success of his critically acclaimed 2025 film, Weapons, and the hit Barbarian, Cregger has proven himself as a rising star in horror – someone who consistently delivers unexpected twists and keeps audiences on the edge of their seats.

What I think really gives this Resident Evil movie a chance, unlike so many others, is that it doesn’t try to directly copy a specific game story or character arc. Instead, it feels like a standalone story set within that world, giving you the vibe of actually playing the game. It’s a smart move, and honestly, it might just be what horror fans have been waiting for – something that actually feels fresh and could stick around for a while, unlike every other Resident Evil adaptation we’ve seen.

5) Robert Eggers’ Werwulf

I’ve been a huge fan of Robert Eggers ever since his first film, The Witch – it immediately felt like a classic! He just consistently delivers amazing movies, like The Lighthouse, The Northman, and last year’s Nosferatu. He’s really become known for these incredibly atmospheric, historical horror films, and it sounds like he’s continuing down that path with his next project, Werwulf – yeah, you can probably figure out what that one’s about!

Robert Eggers is working with familiar faces – Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Ralph Ineson – on his new monster movie. While werewolf films rarely succeed with critics or audiences – with only a handful of truly good ones ever made – Eggers’ strong track record as a director makes this one worth anticipating. “Werwulf” is scheduled for release on Christmas Day in 2026.

4) They Follow

Two years ago, fans were excited to learn that David Robert Mitchell, the director and writer of the horror film IT Follows, and its star Maika Monroe were planning a sequel called They Follow, distributed by NEON. Updates have been scarce since then – Mitchell has been working on another project, Flowervale Street with Warner Bros. – but there’s still a lot of anticipation for the new film.

So far, all we know about the new film is its title and the phrase, “It’s everywhere.” The original IT Follows movie centered on a curse spread through sexual contact, resulting in a relentless, deadly force that chased its victims until the curse was passed on. The new title and tagline suggest the curse has grown – maybe it’s become a much bigger threat, similar to how the first Alien film led to the larger scope of Aliens. There’s no confirmed release date yet, but we’re still excited to see it.

3) Godzilla Minus Zero

The film Godzilla Minus One was a huge success, both in theaters and at the Academy Awards, where it won the franchise’s first Oscar. With a sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero, now confirmed, all attention is on how this new film will build on that success. Expectations are already high, but reports suggest Minus Zero aims to be more than just a sequel—it’s intended to be a landmark film for the Godzilla series.

2) The New Jordan Peele Movie

Jordan Peele burst onto the scene with his 2017 film, Get Out, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and a Best Picture nomination. This immediately established him as a filmmaker to watch. While his subsequent films, Us (2019) and Nope (2022), didn’t have quite the same cultural impact, they were still major box office successes, solidifying his reputation as one of today’s top directors. His next project is still in development, but its release has been delayed twice and is now removed from Universal’s schedule. Fans are eager for the new film, and while the wait is frustrating, they’re willing to be patient for Peele’s work.

1) Mike Flanagan’s Exorcist

Similar to the challenges faced by the Resident Evil films, this new Exorcist project appears to be an uphill climb. While the original Exorcist remains a beloved classic for many film and horror fans, almost every attempt to create a sequel has failed. After the disappointing reception of The Exorcist: Believer in 2023, Blumhouse and Morgan Creek still had two films planned, and they brought in Mike Flanagan to direct the first one.

Over the past 15 years, Mike Flanagan has established himself as a leading horror director and storyteller, creating acclaimed series like The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass. He’s also become one of only three filmmakers to adapt three different Stephen King novels into feature films, each of which presented unique challenges. Flanagan notably succeeded in adapting the notoriously difficult Gerald’s Game and brilliantly followed up with Doctor Sleep, seamlessly blending King’s sequel with the visual style of Stanley Kubrick’s original The Shining. This year, his latest King adaptation, The Life of Chuck, told in reverse order, has earned widespread critical praise. Essentially, if a project seems impossible, Mike Flanagan is the person to make it work.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/list/5-horror-shows-that-will-mess-with-your-mind-ranked/embed/#

Read More

2025-12-14 17:13