Wonder Watchlist

No matter the year, horror is usually a safe bet for quality films; this year, that sentiment rings exceptionally true. In the last couple of years, the stories that delve into vampirism, monster mashing, or body horror have stood out as the most memorable. With Halloween season quickly approaching, many movie lovers are looking to revisit or catch up on this year’s offerings. From smash hits like Obsession to under-the-radar gems like Dracula: The Night Around Us, each list you find online will look incredibly different. And that’s truly the beauty of horror; there’s something for everyone.

For myself, I’ve watched close to 75 of this year’s new releases, with a large majority of them having some horror aspects. They’ve all largely been enjoyable, and some are among the best titles of the year. I wanted to create a list that has some surprises, or films that I’ve loved from this year that I feel have been overlooked. My list of films I’ve seen this year so far is all over the place, but I’ve selected 10 horror films to share below. For a longer list, visit my Letterboxd; it changes nearly daily!

Most films have officially been released, while a few have limited releases via festivals or another route. So here are some runner-ups for a more comprehensive list: Backrooms, Forbidden Fruits, The Bride!, and Dead Lover.

10. Colony Dir. Yeon Sang-ho

Synopsis: “Professor Se Jeong attends a biotech conference, only to witness it spiral into catastrophe when a rapidly mutating virus is unleashed. As the outbreak spreads and the infected begin to transform, authorities seal off the entire facility.”

Thoughts from my Nexus Point News review: “Narratively, Sang-ho hits his stride while exploring this new form of zombie and its significance. Controlled by a single host and empowered with abilities that make it almost impossible to see a way to survive an encounter. While the government wants to simply get the cure at any cost, the public screams for freedom. Colony is a collision of some of the world’s most powerful individuals fighting for control. They are willing to let innocent people die and replace their minds with something you can input information into. Even when humanity’s help is needed to overcome, human lives are seen as vessels for whatever a tech CEO or some evil genius wants to do at their bidding.”

Read the full review here!

9. Dracula: The Night Around Us Dir. Chris Schwab

Synopsis: “In this modern reimagining, Dr. John Seward regains his hope for humanity through a bond with Mina and her young daughter Lucy. However, his regained faith is systemically destroyed by an ancient evil.”

Thoughts from my InSession Film review: “Each character has a twist; Mina and Lucy have just moved into the apartment they got after running away from their prior situation. Their neighbor, Dr. Seward, is the film’s narrative vessel, and he’s deeply connected to his work as a psychiatrist but still has time to befriend his new neighbors. They share a meal that does much to establish who these characters are in Schwab’s script. He uses these three characters to show the dark connections they have to Dracula, who is quickly making his way to his new home. The forbidden intrigue that comes from a being like him, one you know is dangerous, and everything within you tells you to run, but you can’t. Everything from their religion to their night terrors to their clinical practices ties into why they are drawn to Schwab’s version of the creature of the night. Though there’s a particular period-piece allure that is missing to amplify the supernatural elements of vampires, it does take a bit more convincing to make the instant connection among everyone fully work.”

Read the full review here!

8. Mārama Dir. Toa Stappard

Synopsis: “1859. When a young Māori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, she uncovers her horrific colonial heritage and is compelled to confront and destroy the titled Englishman who devastated her family.”

My thoughts: Mārama is intense, and much of its horror comes from the suspense between a Māori woman and a predator who doesn’t reveal his intentions right away. Ariāna Osborne plays Mary, and her performance is incredibly moving. She exudes a fiery rage and a magnetic tenderness. The costuming and cinematography bring out the darkness of Nathaniel Cole, played by the incredible yet irritatingly evil Toby Stephens, at home. Seeing colonialism and generational trauma at the hands of oppressors through the eyes of their victims is profound. It’s tragic, intense, and one of the best horror films from a female perspective this year.

7. Our Effed Up World Dir. Alice Maio Mackay

Synopsis: “Sheri thought her biggest problem in life was dealing with the recent loss of her beloved grandma. But when a mysterious entity crash lands in the woods, only she and her group of shitkicker friends are what stands in the way of an insatiable, intergalactic hunger.”

My thoughts: Alice Maio Mackay is quickly becoming one of my go-to directors when I want something that hits me like an emotional gut punch. Which is exactly what I experienced with Our Effed Up World, and for anyone who has lost a grandma, they’ll surely feel similarly. It’s a film that makes you confront those helpless feelings about loss and how grief manifests in unbelievable ways. This is the 5th film in Mackay’s filmography, and as someone who has seen nearly all of them, Our Effed Up World ranks among her best work. This film has one of my favorite scenes of the year and shows the emotional power horror films can have. Impeccably made, with environments that feel like a hazy dream after an exhausting day.

6. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma Dir. Jane Schoenbrun

Synopsis: “After years of slapdash sequels and waning fandom, the Camp Miasma slasher franchise is handed over to an enthusiastic young director for resurrection. But when she visits the original’s star, a now-reclusive actress shrouded in mystery, the two women fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear, and delirium.”

My thoughts from my August favorites: “I wasn’t really sure what to think about this one at first. I dug into everything about it, but I walked away thinking it was just “okay”. But the more I’ve sat and thought about it, I really love this one. It has so much to say about our relationships, about art, to one another, to ourselves. And how we tend to take from media to form our personalities. It was nice to see Gillian Anderson in a Sunset Boulevard role. I found myself getting emotional during the Little Death background; that has to be my favorite part of the film.”

5. Resident Evil Dir. Zach Cregger

Synopsis: “Medical courier Bryan unwittingly finds himself fighting for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos.”

My thoughts: I’ve never been into the Resident Evil franchise, either in games or movies. So my enjoyment for Cregger’s new film isn’t beholden to my connection to the canon. That said, I had a good time with Resident Evil; it’s gory, funny, and feels like a prequel that could set up a successful universe of films. The film’s biggest storytelling strength was its video game logic: of course, the house you wander into just happens to have a gun upgrade, or Austin Abrams, who plays Bryan, goes from a firearms noob to taking out hordes of infected. Personally, Weapons is Cregger’s best film, but Resident Evil follows right behind it, and its infected, chilly atmosphere is a perfect horror film for the Halloween season.

4. Obsession Dir. Curry Barker

Synopsis: “After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.”

Thoughts from my Nexus Point News review: “At some point in everyone’s lives, we hear the phrase, “be careful what you wish for” – a layered morality tale where our desires become so strong that we lose our sense of reality. When it comes to the dating world, wishing for the perfect partner in theory sounds ideal. But where does wishing for perfection overrule the agency of another? Obsession is more than just the title of this disturbing rom-com, it’s the beating heart of the film. Seeped into every inch of the story, infatuation becomes deadly, especially when what’s real and what’s fake become increasingly harder to determine.”

Read the full review here!

3. Faces of Death Dir. Daniel Goldhaber

Synopsis: “A woman, employed as a website content moderator, comes across a series of violent videos reproducing death scenes from a film.”

My thoughts: Wow, this one is probably the most timely film on the list, disturbingly so; Faces of Death blew me away. At times the dialogue gets corny, but it adds a layer of heightened awareness that the crew behind the film brings. Gnarly gore fills a large amount of the film’s runtime, and by the end you’ll want to turn on every safety filter on your social media apps. It also highlights the responsibility those in charge of algorithms and online spaces in general have. It also definitely has the most memorable score of the year. Barbie Ferreira, as the determined yet meek Margot, goes toe-to-toe with Dacre Montgomery as the quietly unwell Arthur, leading to tense, bloody moments.

2. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Dir. Nia DaCosta

Synopsis: “Dr. Kelson finds himself in a shocking new relationship – with consequences that could change the world as they know it – and Spike’s encounter with Jimmy Crystal becomes a nightmare he can’t escape.”

My thoughts: It honestly feels like a dream that we got 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple released so closely together. For me, the latter is my favorite of the two, and it comes down to Ralph Fiennes’ performance as Dr. Kelson. So much beautiful humanity comes through in his character as he tries to hold onto memories of loved ones that fall further away into time. DaCosta also gives him the best scene in the film, where he dons his best outfit and performs at his temple made of bones. The way that DaCosta tells two dueling stories that eventually collide takes audiences back and forth, keeping them on their toes.

1. Godhead Dir. Mark H. Rapaport

Synopsis: “Eccentric twins proclaim themselves prophets to a priest, blurring reality and delusion as they involve him in their supposed divine mission.”

Thoughts from my InSession Film review: “Godhead works best when it’s the trio interacting, all trying to convince the other that their teachings are the absolute. They are intolerant of each other, but their freedom depends on each other’s judgments. It’s a powerful message for the times we are living in. When each new day brings new horrors revealed with the guise of beliefs being the motivation behind them. And questioning those beliefs is seen as more offensive than the darkness those teachings hide. Rapaport proves he’s a filmmaker with a strong sense of direction, and Godhead proves he can handle intense topics with a refreshing, singular style.”

Read the full review here!

That’s it for my favorite 10 horror films of 2026, at least out of the ones I’ve had a chance to see. If you add any to your watchlist, let me know in the comments below. Let’s revisit this at the end of the year, shall we?