If you have watched the classic Halloween films like “Hocus Pocus” and “Casper” or your favorite horror movies too many times to count, you might want to switch it up this spooky season. With the holiday creeping up, there are plenty of new and more relevant films to expand your horizons with.
Here are five recently released horror movies that might interest you:
My favorite horror movie to come out recently, “Obsession,” takes the cake for its highly effective jump scares and psychologically compelling premise. The true horror was the film’s allegory for patriarchal oppression of women through the character Nikki (Inde Navarrette) being forced under Bear’s (Michael Johnston) One Wish Willow spell that he unknowingly cast while crushing on her.
This movie contains one of the most bone-chilling jump scares I’ve ever seen that had me physically shifting in my seat after an endearing talk between two characters shifted to horrendous murders.
In my opinion, “Obsession” is a must-see for every movie-goer for its fascinating premise and amazing execution.
“Backrooms” is a solid horror film with a somewhat odd premise. The concept, with unknown internet origins, was popularized by YouTuber and “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons, who created the found-footage web series of the random, disorienting rooms, creating an endless liminal space.
Although it doesn’t have as much depth as “Obsession,” this film is more of a psychological horror than one might expect. Rather than showcasing the variety of monstrous entities avid fans of the series know live within the Backrooms’ many levels, the film focuses on a failed architect named Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who eventually discovers the labyrinth.
The film’s journey from the internet to becoming a feature-length film and its uniquely compelling premise is enough to make it stand out as a decent watch. However, I felt like it suffered from a weaker second half and occasional wonky dialogue.
Anyone interested in watching horror that explores mental depravity and nihilism will likely find a deeper meaning within this film. From an outsider’s perspective, I found it enjoyable despite my small gripes with the plot, as it struck a chord of nostalgia and isolation, a feeling only present when dissociating momentarily.
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”
This franchise, starting with its debut 2002 film, “28 Days Later,” has had a serious tone. In this original film, Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from his medical bed to discover that the world around him is desolate, later finding out that a zombie outbreak has plagued Great Britain. The 2025 film “28 Years Later,” we see how the “Rage Virus” affecting the zombies mutated, now following a group of survivors instead.
Starting right after the last film, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” 12-year-old Spike (Alfie Williams) washes ashore and gets rescued by a cruel gang of Satan worshippers called The Jimmies. While he must win a battle with member Jimmy Shite (Connor Newall), we see Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) continues to take care of the Bone Temple ossuary, a room where human bones are placed.
Instead of hopelessly surviving the seemingly incurable zombie outbreak, this film hints at a potential cure. I enjoyed that this fourth film added more dark humor within its satirical outlook on how people fill their societal void with harmful beliefs that justify cruelty.
Not only is this movie a great addition to the franchise, but it’s also an interesting take on a zombie movie as it introduces social commentary on the persistence of human violence and Spike’s younger perspective to the often-formulaic genre, feeding any horror lover’s cravings.
This 2026 film was heavily inspired by the game franchise “Resident Evil,” which began in 1996. With the expansive catalog of games, including spinoffs and remakes, one would think bringing the monster chaos present within the games to the big screen would be hard. However, that’s exactly what director Zach Cregger has done, receiving critical acclaim for his rendition, often ranking as the best “Resident Evil” film so far.
Beginning with medical courier Bryan (Austin Abrams) making a routine delivery to the Raccoon City General Hospital, he gets stuck by a sudden outbreak of mutated creatures. Throughout the rest of the film, he must fight his way through the monsters to stay alive.
If you're looking for a well-made horror-survival film, this movie offers an immersive look at what life would be under a devastating global outbreak while keeping you connected to its characters.
I love films that end with a final girl, so I might be biased in saying that I found this 2026 sequel to the 2019 film, “Ready or Not,” very entertaining. Samara Weaving as Grace MacCaulley just works so well representative of the true women spirit as she is unapologetic having to fight back her fiancé's murderous family, not giving up without a fight and actively changing the power dynamics.
In the first film, Grace marries Alex Le Domas (Mark O’Brien) and finds out she is a part of a sick tradition where the family must hunt her down before sunrise. In the second film, Grace is reunited with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) where they are forced into another hunting game by rival elite families that now want the High Seat, the top leadership role across the families. This High Seat was left vacant after the Le Domas family died after not killing Grace in the first film.
If you prefer comedy sprinkled into your horror, then seeing these two women get back at their oppressors mixed with slapstick comedy is worth a watch.
