7 Can’t Miss Original Horror Movies in the Works

Written and directed by Eli Roth, Ice Cream Man is going to be the first movie released by The Horror Section. For the real horror devotees that love how weird and gory Roth can be this is an exciting installment on the calendar. 

It’s easy to think back to Thanksgiving and get excited about what Roth is going to do with the juxtaposition of a beloved staple of childhood, the ice cream man, and the horrors that usually define his films.

All the branding and imagery from this film seem like it’s going to be an absolute classic Eli Roth movie.

This movie feels like a return to those seventies and eighties cult classics that everyone loves. 

When you think about Sleepaway Camp, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and Society it conjures nostalgic feelings of when horror wasn’t so polished. These movies don’t concern themselves with prestige. They are gritty, campy, and to the point. 

Not all of them are grounded in reality but they’re gruesome. They're fun. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma feels like a return to this era of horror.

Horror comedy is having a moment. Fans are tuning into movies like Heart Eyes to both be scared and laugh. Namaslay is a meta horror comedy that satirizes the explosion of yoga in the west. It looks like it’s going to be ridiculous, fun, and a brilliant installment in the genre.

Anybody who doubts how dangerous a stiletto can be need only to watch Single White Female before they change their mind. Plus, with a tagline like “Someone’s going to make it rain… blood” this slasher promises to at a minimum deliver some memorable kills. 

The synopsis itself sounds promising too. Stiletto takes place one year after the murder of an exotic dancer, as a serial killer stalks his favorite dancers. 

The Halloween and Scream franchises, along with innumerate copy cats, have taught us that we love a horror movie based on an anniversary killing. A collective town going “not this again” as they relive horrors from their past is bound to get horror fans excited.

It Ends asks the question: What if Backrooms was the highway. When a group of kids go on a late night drive for something to eat, they get stuck on a never ending highway. 

Horror is at its most effective when it uses extreme situations to trigger relatable fears in its viewers. Who hasn’t felt a deep sense of dread when they miss an exit or got lost on a road trip? Let’s just hope they got their food first.

Easily the most anticipated on this list, Werwulf brings Robert Eggers back together with his muses: Willem Dafoe and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Eggers has a pretty dedicated fan base who will almost certainly guarantee it has supporters.

However, it being written and performed entirely in Old English is definitely going to hurt its box office numbers and leave some viewers scratching their heads. 

Regardless, anyone who has seen an Eggers film knows it will deliver incredibly striking images and set pieces. It’s also pretty certain Willem Dafoe is going to be dialing things up to 105 miles per hour. 

Eggers can be a polarizing filmmaker at times, but he knows how to get memorable performances out of his actors.

If you’re lucky for a dark horse that might define the second half of 2026 the way Obsession did the first half, look no further than Casper Kelly’s Buddy. In this film we follow a group of kids who get trapped inside a children’s TV show.

Imagine Barney or Elmo with an axe.

Buddy features performances by Cristin Milioti and Topher Grace, as well as voice roles from Patton Oswalt and Keegan-Michael Key. It debuted at Sundance and has been getting pretty glowing reviews.

Fans are hungry for original stories, and 2026 is delivering them. The original horror from this year is going to be talked about for a long time. 

As Andy from The Office once said “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve left them. Well you’re in them.