Movies
The Thing (prequel)
“Everything that was great about the 1982 version (it was a small, claustrophobic film with strong characters and awesome special effects) is ignored in this 2011 crap that’s nothing more than a boring CGI promo-reel. Universal’s new ‘The Thing’ already looks more dated than Carpenter’s, and it’s not even in theaters as of this writing!”
*Spoiler Warning
One of the most treasured horror films in the history of cinema is John Carpenter’s 1982 The Thing, his remake of the 1951 Thing From Another World. While it didn’t perform at the boxoffice (it didn’t even cross $20m domestic), it has since become the poster child for excellence in practical special effects. If anything, the claustrophobic creature feature is timeless purely based on the H.P. Lovecraftian effects work. It looks real…
When Universal Pictures announced they’d be releasing a prequel (a slick way of getting around the word “remake”) it caused fan outrage – specifically out of the fear that it would tarnish the original’s mysticism. While nothing can ruin Carpenter’s masterpiece, the 2011 Thing, directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., can easily be erased from everyone’s memory.
In The Thing, Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) joins a Norwegian scientific team in Antarctica that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice. The creature breaks free and begins infecting the scientific team. Joel Edgerton plays crew’s forgettable pilot.
The 2011 version is a progressive film, specifically because it gets progressively worse. By the time the end credits crawl onto the screen you’ll find yourself whipping your eyes in disbelief. Let me explain…
As I mentioned in my letter to studio execs, CGI is ruining the film industry. It’s become a lazy tool to avoid the hassle of hard-boiled practical effects – and a way of making a film “bigger” than it should be. Early in The Thing, the initial creature is barely displayed. It flashes past the screen and is eventually trapped under a deck where the audience gets a small taste of the bizarre; it’s effective, creepy, and sets the tone perfectly. Only, as the minutes pass, the filmmakers feel the need to show more and more causing an alarming amount of CGI to vomit across the screen. It’s as if they don’t understand the difference between “scary” and “big and loud”. By the final act, the audience is forced (unless you do yourself a favor and walk out of the theater) to watch as a giant hybrid creature runs through halls, jumps around, and screams with super loud alien squeals; there’s literally a full-on CG shot of the creature standing 12 feet tall. It looked like something out of “Gears of War” or “Doom”, like re-rendered video game footage. (It should also be noted that the creatures are too symmetrical, like a perfect circle. There’s nothing haunting about a perfectly round mouth with sharp teeth. It’s the unordinary, broken arm structures of the first film’s creatures that give me chills.) It even sucks for the actors (and causes weak performances) because with CG there isn’t anything physical for them to react to. A perfect way to describe The Thing is to reflect back on George Lucas’ new Star Wars trilogy, which actually looks more dated than the original from 30+ years ago. It’s the same old song and dance, Universal’s new The Thing already looks more dated than Carpenter’s, and it’s not even in theaters as of this writing!
Speaking of writing, it’s a complete bummer harping on yet another Eric Heisserer-penned project as the guy has a knack for out-of-the-box thinking. His screenplays for both A Nightmare on Elm Street and Final Destination 5 are quite solid, and he implements some brilliant ideas into The Thing screenplay such as a new spin to the infamous “alien test” sequence. But I digress; there are some blatant holes in the film, although it’s unclear what was removed during multiple cuts and reshoots. It’s never explained as to why the alien creature sometimes forms itself as a human, while other aliens run around as half-hybrids for the duration of the film. It’s unclear if the aliens are self-aware or if they are just “viruses” reacting to their environment. Furthermore, who built the ship that was discovered? If these aliens are smart, it makes sense, but if they’re just viruses than it would have to be implied that they infected another alien race and caused the ship to crash onto Earth (a rip-off or homage to Alien?)
Even with a fanboy blowjob during the end credits (it leads directly up to Carpenter’s ’82 version), nothing can save The Thing from itself. Bigger and louder is not scarier nor better, it’s just more annoying. The Thing is too big for it’s britches and bites off more than it can chew. Everything that was great about the 1982 version (it was a small, claustrophobic film with strong characters and awesome special effects) is ignored in this 2011 crap that’s nothing more than a boring CGI promo-reel. Do not waste a second watching this; instead go pop Carpenter’s version back into your VHS/DVD/Blu-ray player and revisit one of the greatest horror films of all-time.
Horror may be off to an extremely strong start in 2026, but it’s only getting warmed up.
Summer blockbuster season is now in full swing, bringing one of the year’s most anticipated horror releases to the big screen this week with Evil Dead Burn. But horror’s biggest time to shine, of course, is the Halloween season, and Fall is packed.
After catching up on 2026’s best horror movies, games, and books so far, let’s look ahead at all the exciting theatrical releases still on the horizon. Highly anticipated originals, sequels, and restorations of contemporary classics are all headed to the big screen in 2026.
Here are 20 theatrical horror movies we can’t wait to see in the second half of 2026.
Evil Dead Burn – July 10
A visit with the in-laws in the wake of her husband’s passing instead turns into a harrowing fight for a young woman’s soul when Deadites arrive. Souheila Yacoub, Tandi Wright, and Hunter Doohan lead the cast of the brand new Evil Dead movie alongside Luciane Buchanan, Errol Shand and Maude Davey. After shattering nerves with spider creature feature Infested, director Sébastien Vaniček will unleash Deadite carnage in what might be a continuation of Evil Dead Rise.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma – August 7
An enthusiastic young director eager to remake a classic slasher instead falls head first into bloodsoaked delirium when she meets the slasher’s original star. Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”) and Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files”) star in the newest vision by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow). Amanda Fix (Lowlifes), Arthur Conti (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), Eva Victor (Sorry Baby), Zach Cherry (“Severance”), Sarah Sherman (“Saturday Night Live”), Patrick Fischler (“Twin Peaks”), Dylan Baker (Trick ‘r Treat), Jasmin Savoy Brown (Scream), Kevin McDonald (“The Kids in the Hall”), and Quintessa Swindell (Black Adam) round out the cast. Check out the trailer here.
Insidious: Out of the Further – August 21
A young woman discovers the hard way that she can bring the denizens of the Further out into our world in the sixth entry in the franchise. Franchise star Lin Shaye reprises her role as Elise Rainier alongside Amelia Eve (“The Haunting of Bly Manor”) and Brandon Perea (Nope). Island Austin, Sam Spruell (“Fargo”), and Maisie Richardson-Sellers (“Legends of Tomorrow”) round out the cast. Jacob Chase (Come Play) writes and directs, sharing story credit with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (The Conjuring: Last Rites, Orphan). Watch the trailer.
Colony – August 28
South Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, “Human Vapor“) is back this summer with a new outbreak nightmare that sees a biotech conference quarantined when a mutating virus gets unleashed. Colony marks Gianna Jun’s (Blood: The Last Vampire, “My Sassy Girl”) first feature film since 2015’s Assassination. She stars alongside Koo Kyo-hwan (Peninsula, Escape from Mogadishu). Watch the trailer here and plan to double feature this with the re-release of Train to Busan, remastered for theaters.
The Dog Stars – August 28
Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein), Josh Brolin (Weapons), and Margaret Qualley (The Substance) seek hope and humanity at the end of the world in Ridley Scott‘s post-apocalyptic thriller. The film is based on Peter Heller’s bestselling novel and written by Mark L. Smith (Overlord, The Revenant). Watch the trailer here.
Fall 2: Deadpoint – September 2
Two friends take on new heights in Thailand in this acrophobia-inducing sequel, where unpredictable terrain, extreme exposure, and nowhere to hide push survival further than ever before. Harriet Slater (Tarot) stars alongside Arsema Thomas (“Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story”) and Tom Brittney (Greyhound). Michael & Peter Spierig (Predestination, Jigsaw) direct Fall 2: Deadpoint from a script by Fall writers Scott Mann (who also directed the original) and Jonathan Frank. Catch up on the trailer here.
Onslaught – September 4
The duo behind The Guest, director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett, are re-teaming for a new action horror movie that sees a single mom unleash hell when genetically engineered super soldiers break free in the desert. Adria Arjona leads a cast that includes Rebecca Hall (The Night House, Godzilla x Kong), Dan Stevens (The Guest), Michael Biehn, Reginald VelJohnson, Eric Wareheim, Drew Starkey, and Alex “Poatan” Pereira. Watch the trailer here.
Hope – September 9
The pursuit of a creature in the town of Hope Harbor instead leads to disaster when escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions. Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Zo In-sung (“Moving”), Hoyeon (“Squid Game”), Taylor Russell (Bones and All), Cameron Britton (“The Umbrella Academy”), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina), and Michael Fassbender (Prometheus) star. The Korean production is written and directed by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing).
Don’t Move – September 11
A church group’s annual retreat turns deadly when they wander into the wrong part of the Ozark wilderness, and something starts picking them off one by one in the feature adaptation of the 2020 novel from co-authors James Murray and Darren Wearmouth. Lyndsy Fonseca (Kick-Ass), Russell “Russ” Vitale, and Tom Cavanagh (The Flash) star alongside Hunter King (Life in Pieces), Rob Riggle (The Hangover), and Joseph Lee Anderson (Young Rock). Expect plenty of cameos including T-Pain, Matt Biedel, and “Impractical Jokers” members James Murray and Brian Quinn. Read our preview here.
Resident Evil – September 18
Austin Abrams (Weapons) stars as Bryan, a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in a non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos in director Zach Cregger’s take on the popular game series. Zach Cherry (“Severance”), Kali Reis (“True Detective: Night Country”), Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”), and Johnno Wilson (“Twisted Metal”) round out the cast. Here’s the full details.
Never After Dark – September 25
Moeka Hoshi (“Shogun”) strars as Airi, a wandering medium who guides restless spirits back to where they belong. Hired to cleanse an isolated country house, she comes face to face with a grotesque apparition with powers that defy everything Airi knows about her profession: this time the threat isn’t supernatural. The Japanese horror movie is written and directed by Dave Boyle.
Victorian Psycho – September 25
Maika Monroe (It Follows, Longlegs) stars as an eccentric governess who arrives at a remote gothic manor where strange happenings stir suspicion that she’s not what she seems. Winifred Notty is unleashing her inner Victorian Psycho, rivaling the likes of Patrick Bateman. Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho), Jason Isaacs (Honey Bunch), Ruth Wilson, Amy De Bruhn, and “Hamnet” breakout Jacobi Jupe also star. Zachary Wigon (Sanctuary) directed the film from a script by author Virginia Feito (Mrs. March), based on her novel of the same name. Find the trailer here.
Other Mommy – October 9
Up next from director Rob Savage (Host) is Other Mommy, an adaptation of Josh Malerman’s (Bird Box) horror novel Incidents Around the House. The story follows 8-year-old Bela, who lives in a home strained by her parents’ troubled marriage, only to see her life further upended by a sinister entity she calls ‘Other Mommy.’ Eight-year-old Arabella Olivia Clark (The Housemaid) is set to lead Other Mommy, with Jessica Chastain (IT: Chapter Two, Crimson Peak), Jay Duplass (“The Creep Tapes“), Dichen Lachman (“Severance”, Jurassic World: Dominion), Sean Kaufman (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”), and Adam Silver (Velvet Buzzsaw) also starring.
Pan’s Labyrinth – October 9
Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece is headed back to theaters for the film’s 20th anniversary this Halloween season in 4K, and with versions available in both 3D and HDR by Barco – the dedicated HDR viewing solution offering up to 6 times higher peak luminance. Each version for this re-release has been overseen by the patron saint of monsters himself, Guillermo del Toro. The Academy Award-winning dark fantasy is set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and follows a young girl, Ofelia, as she meets an ageless Faun who tells her she’s a princess and that she must prove her worthiness by completing three dangerous tasks.
The Devils – October 16
A holy grail for cinephiles is finally within reach after half a century. Warner Bros. Clockwork will release the restoration of Ken Russell‘s controversial horror moviein theaters globally this fall, in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI) in the UK. Oliver Reed stars as Grandeur in the film, complete with the sex appeal that has all the ladies swooning, including the hunchbacked Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave). Jeanne is exceptionally lustful for Grandeur, which pushes over into wrathful jealousy when she learns of his relationship with the young and stunning Madeleine (Gemma Jones). Cue the demonic seduction accusations, and hysteria and chaos ensue.
Whalefall – October 16
Jay Gardiner (Austin Abrams) goes diving off the central Coast of California in search of his father’s remains, only to be swallowed by a Sperm whale. While trapped inside its belly with only one hour of oxygen left, Jay comes to realize that the hard-earned lessons his father imparted may be the key to his escape. Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You) directs 20th Century Studios’ upcoming aquatic survival thriller from a script he co-wrote with Daniel Kraus, based on Kraus’ 2023 novel. Watch the intense teaser here.
Clayface – October 23
Described as DC Studios’ first-ever foray into the genre, Clayface unravels one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster in a story that explores the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and the dark underbelly of scientific ambition. James Watkins (The Woman in Black, Speak No Evil) directs from a script by Mike Flanagan (“The Haunting of Hill House,” Doctor Sleep) and Hossein Amini (Drive). Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan, as well as Nancy Carroll and Joshua James star. Glimpse the body horror in the teaser.
Godzilla Minus Zero – November 6
Set in 1949 — two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One — Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe reprise their roles as former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima and his girlfriend Noriko Ōishi. Godzilla Minus One writer-director-VFX artist Takashi Yamazaki is back at the helm for the sequel, which marks Toho’s 34th Godzilla film since 1954. The first teaser shows the revered Kaiju stomping past an American landmark.
Violent Night 2 – December 4
Violent Night
Santa is back to dish out violence upon the naughty this holiday season, and he’s bringing the Mrs. along for the slay ride. David Harbour reprises his role as Santa Claus, joined by Kristen Bell as Mrs. Claus. Tommy Wirkola (Thrash, Dead Snow) is back in the director’s chair, reuniting with Violent Night writers Pat Casey & Josh Miller (Sonic the Hedgehog).
Werwulf – December 25
A mysterious creature stalks the land as local folklore becomes a terrifying reality in 13th-century England in Robert Eggers‘ medieval horror movie. Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nosferatu) undergoes a bestial metamorphosis in the first teaser. Lily-Rose Depp (Nosferatu), Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse), Ralph Ineson (The Witch), and Bodhi Rae Breathnach (Hamnet) also star.
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