Since it’s officially January 2026, it’s time to stop pretending your New Year’s resolution was “going to the gym” and admit it was actually “watching more people get chased by monsters in horror movies.”
The first month of the year is usually a “dumping ground” for bad movies, but 2026 is actually bringing the heat. From Daisy Ridley fighting zombies to the long-awaited return of a particular foggy town, here is what’s hitting screens this month, January 22.
Movie Premieres
Jan 2 We Bury the Dead (Theaters & Digital)
The Plot: Daisy Ridley stars as Ava, a woman searching for her husband after a military experiment goes south. She joins a body retrieval unit, which sounds like a great gig until the corpses she’s stacking start showing signs of life.
The Vibe: It’s a “zombie twist” movie that focuses more on the grief and the “holy crap, that hand just moved” factor than just mindless gore. It’s out now, so you can watch it right now.
Jan 9 Primate (Theaters)
The Plot: A tropical vacation goes from “Mai Tais on the beach” to “getting ripped apart by a rabid chimpanzee.”
The Vibe: Directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down), this is pure “nature is terrifying” horror. If you thought Cocaine Bear was a ride, wait until you see a highly intelligent ape go on a rampage in Hawaii.
Jan 16 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (Theaters)
The Plot: This is the massive sequel to the 2025 revival. While a new gang of killers (led by Jack O’Connell) rises on the mainland, a doctor played by Ralph Fiennes makes a discovery that could end the Rage Virus—or make it way worse.
The Vibe: Nia DaCosta is directing this one, and the buzz says the infected aren’t even the scariest part anymore—it’s the unhinged survivors. Plus, look out for a Cillian Murphy cameo!
Jan 16 The Confession (Theaters)
The Plot: A musician returns to her childhood home only to find a tape of her late father confessing to a murder… to keep an evil spirit away. Naturally, the spirit isn’t gone, and her son starts acting incredibly creepy.
The Vibe: Classic “sinister family secret” horror. Think The Conjuring energy but with more musical trauma.
Jan 23 Return to Silent Hill (Theaters)
The Plot: James (Jeremy Irvine) gets a mysterious letter from his lost love, leading him back to the world’s foggiest town. He finds the place crawling with familiar monsters (hello, Pyramid Head) and starts losing his grip on reality.
The Vibe: Based on the legendary Silent Hill 2 game, this is the big one for gamers. It’s atmospheric, psychologically unsettling, and visually disorienting.
TV Series Premiering
Jan 21 The Beauty (FX / Hulu)
The Vibe: Sci-fi body horror from the mind of Ryan Murphy.
The Plot: Imagine a virus that makes you physically perfect—clear skin, perfect body, the works—but eventually kills you in a gruesome way. Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall star as agents investigating the high price of looking good. It’s basically Nip/Tuck meets The Last of Us.
For more information about the movie or show, click the highlighted title.
