With 2026 right around the corner, fans of Horror and Thriller movies have plenty of reasons to venture out into the cold to check out some January releases on the big screen. While some movie fans look forward to the final months of the year to check out all the filmmakers and projects vying for awards, the first month of the year turns the page on the cinematic landscape and gets us that much closer to highly anticipated releases.
This January, in particular, brings us some of the more exciting genre titles in recent years, which includes all-new originals and exciting continuations of beloved franchises. Whether you’ve got a thing for zombies, killer apes, post-apocalyptic adventures, or deserted islands, January has got you covered, and we’re here with exclusive looks at some of the month’s best titles. Check out these exclusive images below and be sure to mark your calendars for their release.
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‘We Bury the Dead’ – Jan. 2
Daisy Ridley‘s breakout role is easily Rey Skywalker from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, though she’s slowly yet surely been building a name for herself in the genre world. Movies like Chaos Walking, Magpie, and Cleaner saw her embracing her action skills in experiences that skewed a bit closer to reality, and while the Star Wars films saw her facing monstrous threats, We Bury the Dead pits her against some of the biggest on-screen threats she’s ever had to face.
Ridley stars as a woman in desperate search of her husband after a military experiment leaves a massive number of casualties in its wake. If this ordeal isn’t harrowing enough, her character’s quest is complicated when some of the corpses she searches through start coming back to life.
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‘Dead Man’s Wire’ – Jan. 9
Just reading the cast of Dead Man’s Wire is enough reason to want to head out to the theater to witness the experience, as it stars Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino. If that cast alone isn’t enough, it’s also director Gus Van Sant‘s first movie since 2018. Luckily, it’s not just the talent behind and in front of the camera that intrigues us, as it’s based on the real-life hostage situation carried out by Tony Kiritsis.
Back in the ’70s, Kiritsis (Skarsgård) fell behind on his mortgage payments and decided to confront his real estate broker Richard O. Hall (Montgomery) by wiring a shotgun to the back of his head. Holding Hall hostage for multiple days, it’s one of the more public hostage situations, as Kiritsis regularly called the local radio station during the situation to give updates.
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‘Greenland 2: Migration’ – Jan. 9
The original Gerard Butler-starring Greenland was a surprising success story, as it was released in 2020 on VOD, after being pulled from its planned theatrical release due to the Covid pandemic. The power of the journey resonated with audiences, even if they didn’t get to see Butler’s character attempting to get his family to Greenland to avoid an apocalyptic event on the big screen, yet it still generated a strong enough response to result in Greenland 2: Migration.
The sequel jumps ahead five years and sees John Garrity (Butler) leading his wife Allison (the returning Morena Baccarin) and son Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis) out of the safety of the Greenland bunker for a new home. In addition to Butler and Baccarin returning to the series, so does director Ric Roman Waugh.
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‘Primate’ – Jan. 9
Thanks to movies like 47 Meters Down, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged, and The Strangers: Prey at Night, filmmaker Johannes Roberts has been building a reputation of being able to take a relatively stripped-down premise and delivering far more than anyone anticipated. His tales of terror feel relentless, starting with a simple premise and descending into truly frightening territory. With Primate, Roberts may have outdone himself, as it follows what happens when a “domesticated” chimp shows why some animals should never be considered household pets.
Roberts exclusively told MovieWeb, “I’ve never watched a film that generates this much audible horror. It belongs on the big screen, where the audience’s screams, gasps, and groans become part of the soundtrack.” Star Johnny Sequoyah echoed these thoughts, “I’ve never seen a movie like Primate before – it’s genuinely terrifying, at times funny, and totally original. I was so scared watching Primate that I nearly fell out of my seat. I couldn’t believe how scared I was, even watching myself! It’s a roller coaster you can’t get off – and somehow don’t want to. Despite how intense and frightening it is, it’s also incredibly fun.”
Sequoyah further added what makes Primate the perfect experience that’s worth leaving your house for:
“Primate is truly made for the big-screen experience – it’s one of those films where you might end up holding hands with the stranger next to you and not even care. Audiences go all in: screaming, laughing, shouting, cheering. It feels like a ride you’re on together, collectively holding your breath the entire time. Primate is a reminder of why going to the movies matters. Some films are meant to be experienced communally, where the energy of the crowd becomes part of the film itself – and Primate is one of those. It is a true theatrical experience.”
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’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ – Jan. 16
Against all odds, the long-talked-about sequel 28 Years Later finally came to theaters earlier this year, and much to our surprise, it was actually quite good. Part of what made the movie so exciting was knowing that it was only the first chapter of a planned trilogy, with the film’s finale teasing even more terror with the upcoming follow-up, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.
The new movie will continue to follow Spike (Alfie Williams) as he attempts to survive the wasteland, as well as how he might survive Jimmy ( Jack O’Connell), a character whose treachery was only teased in the last movie when Spike came across various bodies that were tortured and disfigured in Jimmy’s name. Nia DaCosta takes over directorial duties from Danny Boyle in the sequel, with Bone Temple written by Alex Garland.
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‘Mercy’ – Jan. 23
Nearly every day, we learn a new horror of AI, and Mercy might be one of the most horrifying depictions of the technology we’ll see in the new year.
Set in the not-too-distant future, detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt) finds himself at the “mercy” of an AI judge ( Rebecca Ferguson), as he’s accused of murdering his wife. Raven has 90 minutes to use all the tech tools at his disposal to prove his innocence, though if he doesn’t prove himself innocent of the crime by the deadline, his fate will be sealed. Mercy sounds like the child of Minority Report and Dredd, condensed to 90 minutes, and directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the visionary filmmaker behind Night Watch and Wanted.
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‘Send Help’ – Jan. 30
Sam Raimi has given us all-time classic horror movies with The Evil Dead trilogy, as well as boundary-pushing genre experiences like Darkman, A Simple Plan, and The Gift, but the last few decades have seen him spending more time in the world of capes with his Spider-Mantrilogy and Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness, while also producing a number of projects. Send Help marks Raimi’s first horror movie since 2009’s Drag Me to Hell, which is more than enough reason to be excited, a fact made all the more thrilling by the fact that it actually looks quite good.
Send Help follows a meek employee ( Rachel McAdams) and her overbearing boss ( Dylan O’Brien) after their plane crashes and they make it to a deserted island. With survival on the line, their dynamic is turned completely upside down, and even if they both survived the crash, they might not both make it off the island alive.
Producer Zainab Azizi exclusively tells MovieWeb about Send Help:
“What makes Send Help a must-see theatrical experience is how immersive and visceral it is. Sam uses the big screen to its full advantage – every frame, sound, and performance is designed to pull you deeper into the characters’ psychological and physical fight to survive. It’s funny, unsettling, and emotional in unexpected ways, and it plays best with an audience. This is the kind of movie where you feel the tension together, laugh together, and leave the theater still thinking… what just happened?!”
