MONTH IN REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 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...

It's October - spooky season is here! And it's a time of year that many horror fans enjoy. The nights are drawing in and winter isn't far off, but until November hits, we can look forward to Halloween and the build-up to it: watching scary movies, drinking pumpkin-spiced lattes, feeding hungry trick-or-treaters, carving Jack-o'-Lanterns and decorating the house with tacky Halloween-themed nonsense. And this October, there is a whole load of new horror to look forward to. But we'll come to that. Let's take a look at September first.

Most of September's fare was pretty decent. Bad Karaoke, available to rent on VOD, was a silly, over-the-top way to start the month. A cover band, while on the road, picks up an old karaoke machine called a 'Song-a-Ling' at a dive bar and takes it back to their Airbnb rental. But the karaoke machine is evil and carnage ensues. It's low-budget and schlocky, but for fans of B-movie nonsense, there's some fun to be had.

On the 2nd, Australian horror-drama-romance Leviticus was released in cinemas. The film is about two teenage boys who must face a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most - and in this case, it's each other. It's a real shame that this didn't get more exposure on the big screen - it made about $9m at the box office. Because although it's not as scary as It Follows (a film it is often compared to), it's a haunting occult thriller with two really outstanding central performances from Joe Bird and Stacey Clausen. If you missed it, make sure you catch it when it's streaming.

Parasomnia came out on the 4th on Shudder, and this was a nasty little surprise (in a good way). It's about a young woman plagued by night terrors who begins to suspect that the demonic entity that has haunted her dreams may have crossed into the waking realm. It's a little uneven and the third act lets it down a bit, but in that first half-hour in particular, there are some genuinely unnerving scenes and sequences. Well worth a watch.

On the 9th, cinemagoers with a fear of heights were forced to sweat buckets once again with the release of Fall 2: Deadpoint. Now, the first film was stupid but quite enjoyable (apart from THAT twist), but unfortunately the sequel doesn't reach those relatively modest heights. There are some brilliantly gripping sequences, but a predictable narrative and slightly dull characters mean that it's only so-so. It took $15m in ticket sales, though, which ain't too shabby.

The biggest release of the month, though, was Resident Evil, which came out on the 18th. Despite being a hugely profitable franchise, there's no denying that all of the existing RE movies are varying degrees of naff (even if there are a few enjoyably daft ones in there). A reboot seemed like an odd career choice for director Zach Cregger after his critical and commercial success with Weapons (2025). But, to his credit, he's done a fine job here and he's now had three hits in a row. The plot follows a courier who is tasked with delivering a package to a remote hospital, where he gets trapped in the midst of a sudden outbreak and must try to survive attacks from mutated creatures. It might not win over many purists, but it's a really fun, funny and, at times, scary romp that doesn't hold back on the gore either. There are some nice aesthetic nods to the classic games, too. It's taken a whopping $204m at the box office as well. Which is nuts.

By far the longest and most chaotic release of the month was Hope, the South Korean monster movie epic that hit cinemas on the 25th. A Korean village is decimated by a mysterious creature, and it's up to a couple of cops and a group of hunters to try and stop it. It's nearly two and a half hours long and there are undoubted moments of brilliance in there, but it's a bit of an awkward mash-up of exploitation horror and hokey sci-fi. Things sort of fall apart in the final act, too. But when it operates as a pure monster movie, it's really fun.

Right, onto October, and there is a lot to look forward to.

On the 2nd, there are FOUR films to look out for. Found-footage horror Infirmary comes to Shudder. A guard vanishes on his first night working at a former psychiatric hospital, and then his bodycam footage is recovered. Chilling! We'll be posting a review of this at some point this week. Charlie Shaw's Revenge is out on Prime, and this follows a group of workers preparing to re-open a remote adventure park on the brink of bankruptcy, only to find themselves being stalked by a silent killer - who's dressed as a clown (just to make it even creepier).

At the cinema, Verity is out, and although this isn't out-and-out horror by any stretch of the imagination, this dark, erotic psychological thriller is still worth a mention. A struggling writer (Dakota Johnson) relocates to a remote estate to ghostwrite for a renowned author (Anne Hathaway), but soon discovers disturbing and twisted secrets involving her new employer and her husband (Josh Hartnett). Early reviews haven't been too great, but if you're into silly smut (who isn't!?) then you might enjoy this. Rounding things off is Jane Schoenbrun's wonderfully titled Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. After years of slapdash sequels, the "Camp Miasma" franchise gets handed over to an enthusiastic young director (Hannah Einbinder) for resurrection. But when she visits the reclusive actress (Gillian Anderson) from the original film, the two women fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear and delirium. It's been a huge critical success. Just don't go in expecting a straightforward slasher movie, because this isn't that!

Mike Flanagan's small-screen adaptation of Carrie comes to Prime on the 7th. The trailer seems to have divided fans a little, but Flanagan rarely fails to deliver and is proven at translating Stephen King's work. All eight episodes will be available in one go.

On the 8th, Below lands on Netflix. This mini-series stars Josh Hartnett, Mackenzie Davis and Natasha Henstridge (that's one hot cast) and is about a fisherman who has to defend his family and community after a mysterious sea creature terrorises his coastal hometown.

A day later, Other Mommy gets a theatrical release. Directed by Rob Savage and produced by horror heavyweight James Wan through Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster, the movie is an adaptation of Josh Malerman's bestselling novel, Incidents Around the House. Bela, an eight-year-old girl living in a home with marital problems, confronts a sinister entity that comes out of her closet. The presence, whom she calls "Other Mommy", becomes increasingly threatening to her and her family. Honestly, Jessica Chastain looks genuinely terrifying in that trailer! Horror anthology V/H/S Mixtape is also out on the 9th (on Shudder). This is now the NINTH instalment of this franchise (how is that possible!?) and they are usually good value.

A week later and there are FOUR more releases to watch out for (told you it was a busy month!). Hallowarrior is released on Shudder and is a post-apocalyptic thriller about the last girl on Earth who realises that she's not actually alone. But that isn't a good thing. Scream 7 also comes to Prime on the 16th. Lots of people disliked it, we sort of enjoyed it (apart from that terrible final reveal). There are a couple of cinema releases; Whalefall, about a man (Austin Abrams) who is swallowed by an 80-foot sperm whale and has just an hour to escape before his oxygen runs out. Sounds like a relaxing watch! Crawlers also gets a limited theatrical release on the same day. A catastrophic infestation of deadly spiders sends an apartment block into lockdown, and the residents must try and survive as the creatures multiply by the second. So, Rec but with spiders, basically (A-REC-nophobia?).

On the 19th, we will get to see the highly anticipated Friday 13th prequel TV series Crystal Lake. Produced by A24, the eight-episode psychological slasher drama will explore the dark backstory of Camp Crystal Lake and the tragic events that occurred before the original 1980 film. Linda Cardellini is playing Pamela Voorhees. Oh, and that's on Peacock (Sky/NOW TV).

James Watkins' big-budget comic-book horror Clayface is getting a theatrical release on the 23rd. It focuses on a rising Hollywood star who turns into a horrifying, revenge-filled monster when a scientific experiment strips him of his identity and humanity. Mike Flanagan is one of the writers!

Also out on the 23rd is The Cycle (on Shudder). Early festival buzz and some high praise from Stephen King mean there's some anticipation over this. When the body of a man missing for thirty-six years is discovered at the scene of a horrific crime, it's up to his estranged daughter to unravel his dark past. Deborah Ann Woll and Jeffrey Donovan star.

A couple of Shudder releases round things off for the month. Big Baby (out on the 30th) is about a frustrated screenwriter who becomes inspired to write a new script after a terrifying nightmare about a serial killer who wears a giant, distorted infant mask. However, the more he writes, the more the boundary between fiction and reality begins to collapse.

And finally, on Halloween itself, Canadian horror mockumentary Hunting Matthew Nichols is released. A woman investigates the mysterious disappearance of her brother, who vanished along with his friend on Vancouver Island two decades earlier.

Oh, and if you're some kind of sadist, Eli Roth's Ice Cream Man is out on DVD on the 26th.

Right, horror news!

• Mike Flanagan is writing and directing a brand-new feature film adaptation of Stephen King's 1980 novella The Mist for Warner Bros. Pictures. Flanagan has made it clear that this is not a remake of Frank Darabont's acclaimed 2007 film. Stephen King has given his blessing!

• Brad Pitt is officially returning to star in and produce the long-awaited World War Z 2. After more than a decade in development limbo, Paramount Pictures officially closed a deal with the actor to reprise his role as former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane.

Right, now a little section dedicated to threequels!

• Warner Bros. has officially delayed the release date of Gremlins 3 from November 19, 2027, to October 6, 2028. Chris Columbus – who wrote the original 1984 film – is on board to direct and produce. Steven Spielberg is also returning to the franchise as an executive producer.

• 28 Years Later Part 3 (or 28 Years 3) is officially moving forward with a finished script by Alex Garland. Original director Danny Boyle confirmed at the Zurich Film Festival that the film will definitively get made, closing out the new post-apocalyptic horror trilogy.

• Don't Breathe 3 is officially in the works, as confirmed by franchise creator Fede Álvarez. The announcement was made during a 10th-anniversary screening of the original 2016 film at Beyond Fest. Jane Levy and Stephen Lang will reprise their roles from the original.

• Happy Death Day 3 is officially moving forward, and the creative team has completely mapped out the story. Star Jessica Rothe and director Christopher Landon are set to be involved.

• Victor Miller, the acclaimed screenwriter best known for penning the original 1980 horror classic Friday the 13th, passed away on Monday, 31 August 2026, at the age of 86.

• During the film's 25th-anniversary screening tour, Session 9 director Brad Anderson announced they have officially put together a pitch for a prequel, titled Session 1, which will explore the unsettling backstory of Mary Hobbes.

• Finally, congrats to Apple TV+'s horror-comedy Widow's Bay, which made television history by winning 14 Emmy Awards. This historic sweep broke the record for the most Emmy wins by a comedy series in a single season, a title previously held by The Studio. If you haven't seen it yet, get on it. It's great!

Let's finish with a few cool trailers that dropped in September and are worth checking out.

Black Sheeps: A young scientist investigates a dangerous new pathogen linked to the events of the first film, where killer sheep emerged from a remote sheep station. Sequel to Black Sheep, obvs.

You Can't Leave: A young man and his friends venture into a remote forest to search for his missing sister. During their search, they discover an abandoned cabin and find themselves trapped inside a supernatural prison, hunted by shadowy entities.

Godzilla Minus Zero: Set in 1949, the Shikishima family confronts a fresh catastrophe two years after surviving their previous ordeal with the legendary monster.

OK, I'm done! Enjoy as many horror movies as you can this month - there's certainly no shortage of new flicks to catch. We'll be checking a few out for review purposes, but we'll also be watching some traditional faves. Halloween and The Fog are must-sees in my house. As is every episode of the Simpson's Treehouse of Horror!

Happy Halloween, whatever you are doing!