MONTH IN REVIEW: FEBRUARY 2026

It's not always easy to keep track of the world of horror day-to-day. So here's a round up of what's happened last month and a glimpse of what we can expect in the coming weeks...

Winter has really dragged this year. Curling up under a blanket with a horror film felt cosy and novel back in mid-November, but I’m well and truly over it now and have been for a while. Thankfully, spring has finally arrived, and it’ll be nice not to wear four layers in my own house. There are also a few decent reasons for horror fans to get excited about March (we’ll get to those shortly), but first, let’s rewind and see what February had to offer.

The month kicked off with Primate — a rabid chimp tearing through a group of friends in a clifftop Hawaiian mansion. Director Johannes Roberts knows his way around a pulpy animal-attack flick, and while there’s nothing groundbreaking here, it delivers enough gory slasher thrills to warrant a watch. Close behind was Send Help, marking Sam Raimi’s long-awaited return to the genre. It’s not straight-up horror, but there’s enough black humour and feral violence to qualify. It’s a blast, the two leads are excellent, and it feels like a proper return to form. Primate and Send Help pulled in $40m and $80m respectively - respectable numbers, until you factor in the budgets. They’re only just scraping by, which is a little concerning.

Those figures look healthy compared to the third (and supposedly final) chapter in The Strangers trilogy, released on the 5th. The first film made nearly $50m. This one hasn’t cracked $10m - and it’s not hard to see why. All three have been pretty ropey, with this latest doubling down on exposition and unnecessary backstory. Not cool. The mystery was the scary part! Corin Hardy’s Whistle landed on the 13th and, while largely generic and pure popcorn fodder, there’s still fun to be had from the odd disposable teen horror - especially when there’s a cursed object involved.

The best release of the month so far however was Cold Storage. Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell play night shift workers at a self-storage facility. They discover a secret bunker underneath their feet and then…well, I won’t spoil it in case you want to go in blind. There’s a lot to like about this movie and It doesn’t quite fulfil its initial promise and the pacing/logic is uneven, but otherwise this is a lovely throwback to the mid-budgeted daft horror of yesteryear. And then finally, right at the end of the month, Scream 7 was released. It’s only been out a few days and has already hit the $100m mark at the box office. There were plenty of well publicised production issues around this movie, so it’s a minor miracle we got a movie at all. It’s just a shame that what we got isn’t that great. It’s not terrible, but it’s still a disappointment. There are some solid central performances and a couple of standout kill scenes but mostly, it’s pretty dumb, sloppy and unimaginative. A bit of a kick in the crotch this one :(

And finally, Argentinian psychological horror Crazy Old Lady was released on Shudder just yesterday. The title gives you an idea what it is about! A man is asked by his ex to look after her senile mother, Alicia. But Alicia won't let him leave…and things get weird. We’re partway through writing up our review but the gist is; it’s well directed, acted and has a quietly disturbing vibe. Some will be frustrated by the ambiguity of the plot, whilst others will dig it.

All in all a pretty solid, if unremarkable month. But Scream 7 did leave a bit of a sour taste in the mouth…

Looking ahead to this month and there are a few things to look out for. On the 5^th, the sequel to Japanese teen horror ‘Re/Member’ is released on Netflix. Re/Member: The Last Night is set three years after the original and sees a group of high schoolers trapped in a looping nightmare must survive brutal encounters and unravel a terrifying curse.On the 6^th, there are three features to choose from! Again on Netflix, we have War Machine, where an elite special ops team’s training exercise turns into a fight for survival. Reasons to be interested: alien invasion horror is always fun, and Alan Ritchson stars. If you’re not in the mood for sci-fi horror then Dolly may pique your interest. It’s a grungy 70s looking backwoods slasher and has had a positive early critical reception. If you fancy heading to the cinema, then Maggie Gyllenhall’s highly anticipated The Bride, inspired by the classic 1935 movie Bride of Frankenstein. Starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, there are high hopes for this. The trailers look suitably stylish as you’d expect.

A week later we get another couple of releases. On Shudder, we have Bodycam – a found footage horror about two cops who try to cover up a domestic abuse call that goes wrong, only to discover that their body cameras aren’t the only things watching them. It feels like a while since we’ve had a decent found footage flick so fingers crossed. Also out on the same day is Undertone, which should get a cinema release. This one is about a paranormal podcast host who becomes haunted by terrifying recordings sent her way.

On the 20^th we should see Ready or Not 2: Here I Come hit cinemas. However, there is currently conflicting info on the exact release date. So keep your eyes peeled for your local cinema listings. The original was a smash hit back in 2019 (how is it 7 years old?!) and as well as getting to look forward to seeing Samara Weaving return, we’ve also got the added bonus of Kathryn Newton and Sarah Michelle Gellar!

We get a new Netflix horror series to enjoy on the 26^th, with Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. This will be the Duffer Brothers first project post Stranger Things and it will be intriguing to see how they get on. Plot wise, details are light but it’s about a couple who are a week away from tying the not, when something ‘very bad’ gets in their way. On the 27^th, Jeremiah Kipp’s The Mortuary Assistant is released on Shudder. It’s a film adaptation of a popular video game of the same name and stars Willa Holland as a newly certified mortician who has a nightmare first shift. They Will Kill You gets a cinema release on the same day. It’s about a woman who gets a housekeeping job at a luxurious (but creepy) New York high-rise and soon discovers that residents have been disappearing for decades. It looks like Rosemary’s Baby meets Ready or Not. And that ain’t a bad combo.

And finally, physical media fans can get their hands on the Silent Night Deadly Night blu-ray on the 2^nd March (if they so wish).

News wise, here are the key takeaways from February:

• David F. Sandberg has signed up to direct A Little Slice of Hell – about two underpaid supermarket employees who encounter a customer who is literally from hell. The film is an adaptation of a short story by John Goodrich.

  
  

• Damien Leone has said that he expect pre-production to begin on Terrifier 4 this Spring. It’s expected this will be the final film in the franchise.

  
  

• Hulu have greenlit an X-Files reboot series. Ryan Coogler (Sinners) will direct the pilot and Danielle Deadwyler has signed up for a leading role. The series will focus on a fresh pair of FBI agents but returns for Duchovny and Anderson in some capacity haven’t been ruled out.

  
  

• Production has begun on Evil Dead Wrath, with principal photography taking place in Auckland, New Zealand. Expect a 2027 release.

  
  

• Tom Noonan, best known to genre fans for his portrayal of Francis Dollarhyde in Michael Mann's Manhunter (1986), sadly passed away at the age of 74.

  
  

• McKenna Grace has been cast as Daphne Blake in Netflix’s upcoming live action Scooby Doo series. The 19 year old actress, best known for her roles in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Scream 7 will play a younger version of the iconic character in an eight episode origin story.

  
  

• The Mist (2007), one of the most depressing films of all time, is getting a reboot. Not excited about that? Well what if I tell you that Mike Flanagan will be writing and directing it?! I mean, who else right? He is the daddy of Stephen King adaptations after all. Flanagan has said the film will not be a retread of Darabont’s movie and will offer a ‘fresh perspective’.

  
  

• Remember Under Paris? That ludicrously fun shark film that made big waves on Netflix a couple of years ago? Well, we’re getting a sequel and Alexandre Aja (Crawl) is set to direct!

  
  

• David Harbour (Stranger Things), Rebecca Hall (The Night House), and Esmé Creed-Miles (The Sandman) are in final negotiations to star in the film adaptation of Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts. Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (Goodnight Mommy), production is scheduled to begin in March 2026.

February also saw a clutch of decent looking trailers too. Here are a few to check out (if you feel inclined)

The Mummy – Lee Cronin’s ‘grim and nasty’ supernatural horror, that has no connection to the swashbuckling Brendan Fraser movies.

Faces of Death – A reimagining of the 1978 cult classic faux-documentary of the same name. Stars Dacre Montgomery and Barbie Ferreira.

Backrooms – a suitably vague trailer for the film adaptation of the viral internet creepypaste about a therapist who must enter an alternate dimension to track down a patient who vanishes into a strange doorway in a furniture shop. Yep, it’s gonna be weird.

The Deep Dark – French creature feature about a group of miners who get trapped 1000 metres undergound, where they awaken a bloodthirsty ancient creature. *Rubs hands together

Night Terror – a supernatural found footage film about a young woman who is tormented by sleep paralysis and night terrors. Looks a bit Paranormal Activity-ish.

Right — I’ve rambled enough. February was solid overall, even if Scream 7 stumbled a bit. March looks strong theatrically (support your local cinemas!) and there’s a healthy mix of streaming titles too. Let’s just hope Ready or Not 2 doesn’t slip into April.

*Oh and we’ve launched a retro review blog covering pre-2000 horrors: the good, the bad and everything in between. We kicked off with ‘80s slasher Silent Madness (great fun), and next up is ‘60s sci-fi chiller Island of Terror, starring Peter Cushing. Stay tuned.