Kult-Zilla’s Essential New Movies … Summer 2026!

1. // Evil Dead Burn

Evil Dead Burn in the sixth theatrical instalment of the cult Horror franchise; which started with Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead way back in 1981. Raimi produced and directed an initial trilogy which ended with Army Of Darkness (1992), before resurrecting the series with the 2013 reboot – Evil Dead – directed by Fede Alvarez (Alien: Romulus). Burn arrives hot on the heals of 2023s Evil Dead Rise directed by Lee Cronin (The Mummy), and this time, the reigns were handed to filmmaker Sebastian Vanicek; who impressed Raimi and the Evil Dead team with his work on the French language creature feature Infested (2023).

Evil Dead Burn certainly had a lot to live up to, with fans of the franchise passionate about the lore of the series as well as the visceral nature of its content; which usually comes with its tongue firmly in its cheek. Often providing an element of slapstick comedy to the over the top delivery of its gore. And Burn absolutely hits the spot. The movie provides a visual splendour for Horror fans, with some extraordinarily stylish camera work from director of photography Philip Lozano (Cobweb). While the story provides something a little different from what the series has served up before, adding to the mythical legend of the story’s central Book of the Dead. KZ

2. // Spider-Man Brand New Day

It’s been a tough ride for Marvel since its cinematic universe peaked with Avengers: End Game back in 2019. Box office receipts had been providing diminishing returns as superhero fatigue slowly started to hit movie goers; while the quality of its output through its Phase 4 & 5 runs has also proved to be something of a mixed bag. But while it’s fair to say the MCU has really been missing the box office draw of its original key figures – Iron Man and Captain America – it arguably still has one of the most recognisable comic book characters at its disposal – Spider-Man. Along with a bankable star in Tom Holland, who has made the character of Spidey and Peter Parker his own these last few years.

And with Spider-Man Brand New Day, it appears that Marvel (along with Sony) have dropped their latest instalment of the web spinning crime fighter’s story at just the right time … as it has absolutely owned the box office this summer. It really strips back from what we have seen before with the MCU’s version of Spider-Man. Focusing the story in New York, as he investigates a strange and deadly new mystery which borrows heavily from the excellent 1998 film Fallen; starring Denzel Washington. A great supporting cast also fully lands here with Jon Berenthal as Frank Castle / The Punisher, and Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) as the stories main villain … both playing their part in what is arguably the best MCU film for some time! KZ

3. // Backrooms

2026 is proving to be the year that Indie-Horror truly flourished, with Curry Barker’s Obsession banking just shy of $500 million across the spring and summer; and Backrooms – from director Kane Parsons – taking just under $400 million. The two movies have out performed many of the larger budget blockbuster releases this year, with Backrooms currently sitting as A24’s highest grossing film to date. A true success story from debut director Parsons, whose career started on YouTube; with the idea for Backrooms having been born from his earlier web series based on a creepy-pasta phenomenon.

The film stars Chiwetel Eliofor (12 Years A Slave) as Clark, a struggling furniture store owner who discovers a passageway to a dimension of what appears to be a labyrinth of endless liminal spaces underneath his store. Spaces in which he discovers he is not alone … when he attempts to explore them. When Clark fails to return, his therapist Mary (Renate Reinsve) stumbles across the abstract nightmare when she heads down to his store in an attempt to search for him. Backrooms is a visually stylish movie version of the web series, and an impressive debut from a filmmaker … who on this showing, has one hell of a future ahead of him. KZ

4. // The Odyssey

The release of a new Christopher Nolan movie is undoubtedly a cinematic event. His last film Oppenheimer (2023) earned nearly $1 billion dollars, and virtually cleaned up at the 96th Academy Awards; winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor among others. A few eyebrows were then raised when Nolan announced his next project would be an adaptation of The Odyssey; a sword and sandals adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem, which is one of the oldest surviving works of literature; and a staple text among the high schools of America.

Nolan’s film stars Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting) as Odysseus, the king of Ithaca who travels home with his army following the drawn out Trojan war. En-route, they encounter a number of struggles along with various mythical creatures, while his wife Penelope (Ann Hathaway – The Dark Knight Rises) waits for him; facing many suitors who believe the king will never return alive, Financially, The Odyssey has already outshone Oppenheimer; breaking the $1 billion mark during its theatrical run. Helped no doubt by Nolan bringing together a superb supporting cast, including Tom Holland (Spider-Man), Robert Pattinson (Twilight), Mia Goth (MaXXXine) and Charlize Theron (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga). KZ

5. // Leviticus

The 2020s are proving to be a great decade for independent Horror and indie filmmaking; and Leviticus is the latest in a long line of quality movies showcasing the genre’s emerging talent. It’s the debut feature from Australian writer / director Adrian Chiarella, and stars Joe Bird who featured in another recent excellent Aussie Supernatural-Horror Talk To Me (2023); alongside Stacy Clausen (Thrash), Jeremy Blewitt, and renowned Australian actress Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak). Leviticus is a queer, character driven supernatural story; focusing on three teenagers who become involved in a love triangle … which has devastating consequences.

When Naim catches his secret lover Ryan kissing pastor’s son Hunter, he outs the relationship within the devout Evangelical community they all live in. The boys parents seek the help of a ‘religious healer’ to rid them of their homosexual desires in bizarre conversion-therapy ritual. The boys are then haunted by a sadistic shapeshifting entity who appears to them as the person they most desire … each other. It is a premise which sets up a thoroughly enjoyable and increasingly violent pay off; drawing natural comparisons to David Robert Mitchell’s excellent It Follows (2014). Albeit Leviticus uses homophobia and religious fundamentalism as its unique catalyst for the inducing dread and fear. KZ

6. // Disclosure Day

Much like the release of a new Christopher Nolan film, the release of a movie from Stephen Spielberg is somewhat of an event … perhaps not quite the event it once was, but an event nonetheless. Especially when his new flick is a return to the Sci-Fi genre. This is the filmmaker who all but invented the blockbuster as we understand it today with the release of his seminal creature feature Jaws (1975). Before rubber stamping his legacy with a run which included films such as Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993).

But it’s perhaps his first Sci-Fi adventure – Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977) – that Disclosure Day shares a seemingly common thread; and it can almost be considered a spiritual sequel of sorts. The movie stars Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place) as a TV meteorologist, who along with a cyber security analyst (Josh O’Connor – Wake Up Dead Man) aim to break the news of the existence of alien life. All while attempting to avoid the pursuit of Colin Firth’s (Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy) shady government agent. A relatively simple premise with a classic old-school feel … which is brought to life with Spielberg’s unmistakeable filmmaking magic. KZ

Words by Mark T. Bates

Check out our series of Horror short stories:

‘The Curious Dark (Vol.1)’

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‘The Curious Dark (Vol.1)’ – By Mark T. Bates