MONTH IN REVIEW: MARCH 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...

The clocks have recently changed, which is very welcome news indeed. The days grow longer and warmer for a couple of months ahead and you know what? This upturn in fortunes has been matched by a decent bunch of March releases. 2026 hasn’t seen the strongest start for horror if we are being honest. We’d be surprised if any films released in Jan or Feb will end up on our top ten list come the end of the year. But thankfully March proved to be pretty good though and got stronger as the month went on. Nothing groundbreaking, but some solid stuff to enjoy nevertheless.

We kicked off March with The Bride! - a film that many had high expectations for. A feminist reinterpretation of a classic (and beloved) horror film, a stellar cast, an eye-catching trailer. In a landscape where genre cinema is increasingly recognised with Academy Awards, it wasn’t unreasonable to wonder whether this might be the next to make a significant impact. It isn’t. Now, we didn’t hate it – and there have been plenty of notably negative reviews of The Bride!. It carries an endearing punk rock sensibility and the two leads (Bale and Buckley) deliver strong performances, but it remains a disjointed effort with several cringeworthy moments. An offbeat romp that may yet achieve cult status, though it has undeniably struggled both critically and financially. It reportedly cost around $80m to produce and has taken just over a quarter of that in ticket sales. Ouch.

If you’re after a film with a plot that’s nearly as ludicrous but that takes itself much more seriously, then there’s War Machine.  Alan Ritchson plays a traumatised soldier who enlists in an elite ranger training programme. All hell breaks loose however when, on their final training mission, Ritchson and his squad awaken a gigantic, mechanised creature that seems to have one sole purpose; to kill people. It’s rather generic and the characters are all pretty thinly drawn but there’s a welcome earnestness to it and Ritchson always makes a watchable leading man. The action is relentless and immersive, and it doesn’t hold back on the gore either.

Ready or Not: Here I Come may not have done very well at all at the box office (it’s only taken $23m thus far) but fans of the original won’t be disappointed. It doesn’t quite capture the fun and freshness of its predecessor but is still worth catching on the big screen. Samara Weaving is terrific and the supporting cast (including 90s icons Elijah Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy) is great too 

We finished the month with They Will Kill You – a film about an ex-con (Zazie Beetz) who gets a job at a swanky New York  apartment block only to discover that the residents may be a part of something quite sinister.  This has opened to some mixed reviews but we really liked it. Sure, it has its flaws. The wonderfully assembled ensemble cast is rather under utilised and it’s very much style over substance. However, Zazie Beetz proves to be a compelling action lead, and the film is visually striking throughout. Overall, it’s an engaging crowd-pleaser - one we marginally preferred to Ready or Not: Here I Come - though the near-simultaneous release of both films may have worked to their mutual disadvantage.

Looking ahead to April and there are a few things to look out for, but it’s generally a bit of a quieter month in terms of big releases.

Taiwanese supernatural horror Mudborn is the first release of the month (on Netflix). Xu Chuan, who works at a VR games company, accidentally brings home a broken clay doll from a haunted house and…ha! Need we say more! Oh and she’s pregnant too, just to add to the drama. That’s out on the 9^th.

A day later and there are a host of things to keep an eye on. Firstly, shark attack flick Thrash is released on Netflix. When a hurricane decimates a coastal town, the storm surge brings devastation…and sharks. So, it’s Crawl, but with sharks basically. Which sounds fun! It’s directed by Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) which is another plus. Found footage mockumentary Hunting Matthew Nichols should be available on VOD too. It’s about a woman who tries to locate her brother who has been missing for 20 years on Vancouver Island. Part true crime conspiracy, part supernatural mystery. Sounds intriguing. Set a little further North, The Yeti, is also available on VOD. A search and rescue expedition in the Alaskan wilderness turns into a fight for survival when an ancient threat begins to stalk them. Chilling! (literally!). And finally, Ian Tuason’s undertone comes to cinemas.  The host of a paranormal podcast becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way. This has already been released stateside, to quite mixed reviews but if you’re into slow burn and creeping dread, make a note of it.

Faces of Death, the reboot of the 1970s mondo horror film of the same name, will also get a very limited theatrical release on the 10^th – and will make its way to Shudder at some point later this year. Interestingly, it’s not a straight remake and the film sees a content moderator for a YouTube-like platform who discovers a group on the site re-enacting murders from the original Faces of Death movie. She must work out whether these vids are deepfakes or genuine. Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) and Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria)

On the 17^th, The Mummy is out in cinemas. Now this is not a sequel to the 2017 ‘Dark Universe’ film with Tom Cruise in. And it’s nothing to do with the swashbuckling films starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz (although there is one of these films coming out next year). No, this looks much more of a horror film, with director Lee Cronin describing it as ‘one part Poltergeist, one part Se7en’. Trailer looks a bit intense too.

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is coming to Netflix on the 23^rd. The Duffer Brothers exec produce this animated spin-off series that serves as a ‘lost season’, set during the winter of 1985 - bridging the gap between season 2 and 3 of the original show. All ten episodes will drop simultaneously, with each one being around 30 mins long. Perfect for those pining for a trip back to Hawkins. The next day, Apex is also released on Netflix. Charlize Theron plays a grieving rock climber who is stalked through the remote Australian wilderness by a ruthless predator (played by Taron Egerton). This looks like a classic cat-and-mouse survival thriller. Erica Bana is in it too - another reason to check it out 

Also out on the 24^th is Exit 8, which should get a limited theatrical release. It’s part of a growing resurgence of liminal computer game/internet based horror flicks. This one is based on a viral Japaense video game and is about a man who wakes up in a pristine, brightly lit underground space in Tokyo and he appears to be trapped in an infinite loop. Expect headaches trying to figure out what the fuck is going on.Finally, for physical media fans, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (20^th) and Primate (21^st) are out this month too.

In horror news, lots of things going on.

We’ll start with the sad news. We lost a lot of talented and familiar faces in March:

• Carrie Ann Fleming, who starred in Supernatural & iZombie

• Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

• Jamie Blanks, director of Urban Legend and Valentine

• Jennifer Runyon, who starred in Ghostbusters

• Corey Parker, who starred in Friday 13^th: A New Beginning

Life can suck sometimes :(

A Jennifer’s Body sequel is officially in early development at 20th Century Studios, with original screenwriter Diablo Cody currently writing the script. Director Karyn Kusama confirmed the project, teasing a "fun and crazy" continuation. Both Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried have expressed interest in returning to their roles.

After spending nearly a decade in development hell, a sequel to David F. Sandberg’s Lights Out is happening. Sandberg will act as a producer this time around and although no director has been confirmed, New Line have hired Connor Osborne McIntyre to write the script. And just in case you wanted more sequel related news, director Christopher Landon and actress Jessica Rothe have both said that Happy Death Day 3 is ‘moving forward’. No other information on that one as yet.

Netflix has announced the main cast for its upcoming live-action Scooby-Doo series, featuring Mckenna Grace as Daphne Blake, Tanner Hagen as Shaggy Rogers, Abby Ryder Fortson as Velma Dinkley, and Maxwell Jenkins as Fred Jones. Paul Walter Hauser has also joined the series regular cast in an undisclosed role.

The planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel series, titled New Sunnydale, has been cancelled at Hulu. The project, which was to feature Gellar in a recurring role alongside a new Slayer, was scrapped due to issues with the pilot, high production costs, and creative disagreements.

John Krasinski announced the cast for A Quiet Place Part III. Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe are all back and new additions include Jack O’Connell, Jason Clarke and Katy O’Brian. The film will be released July next year.

Mike Flanagan’s highly anticipated, standalone take on The Exorcist officially began filming in New York City. The horror film, featuring an ensemble cast led by Scarlett Johansson, Diane Lane, and Laurence Fishburne, is scheduled for release March next year.

Speaking of Flanagan, he’s signed an exclusive, multi-year overall television deal with Amazon MGM Studios. Under this agreement, Flanagan and his Red Room Pictures banner will develop and produce original series exclusively for Prime Video. His television adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie is the first project under this new deal.

Kevin Williamson has confirmed he will not direct Scream 8, stepping back after directing Scream 7 to return to his role as a producer for the franchise. While he expressed interest in seeing a new storyteller take over and has ideas for the future, he intends to focus on other directing projects.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has confirmed he is in talks to return to his iconic action roles, with 20th Century Studios developing new Predator and Commando 2 films. It’ll be intriguing to see how 78-year-old Arnie is utilised in these new sequels.

And Finally, we got some cool trailers in March, all worth checking out.

The End of Oak Street: After a mysterious cosmic event rips a suburban street from its foundations, a family find themselves transported to an unknown, prehistoric environment. Directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), and starring Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway.

Saturnalia: An orphaned young woman sent to the prestigious Alstroemerias Academy. She quickly discovers the school is not what it seems, as students vanish at night and a surreal, nightmare-like world exists within the academy's walls. Sounds and looks very Suspiria!

Water Horse: Found-footage Australian gothic horror about a paranormal investigator who links a series of mysterious disappearances at a lake to her mother’s vanishing years prior. 

From Season 4: Boyd struggles to keep the town together as his health continues to falter, whilst a new mysterious ‘man in yellow’ is introduced…

Smother: After the sudden death of her estranged father, Michi moves into his isolated countryside home—the same house where her mother died by suicide years prior. As they settle in, long-buried memories and unsettling occurrences begin to surface:

Ok, that’s your lot. Until next time!