Our Most Anticipated May Horror Releases
Your guide to everything from Obsession to Backrooms
by Alex Kaan 30 April 2026
A24
In an already busy year for horror films, May just might be the most stacked month yet. After Hokum, Oddity director Damian McCarthy’s Irish folk horror chiller starring Severance’s Adam Scott, kicks off the month, May still has queer body horror Saccharine, shark thriller Deep Water, and much more in store. Not to mention the critically acclaimed Obsession, the film that has already got Curry Barker the job directing the A24 Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot, and the feverishly anticipated Backrooms adaptation.
From anthology shows to buzzy horror comedies, we’re counting down the 14 biggest films and TV series releasing this month.
Hokum (May 1st)
Neon
When a reclusive novelist checks into a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, he grows fixated on breaking into a room kept under lock and key: the honeymoon suite supposedly haunted by a witch. Adam Scott (Severance) stars in this atmospheric folk horror thriller.
Deep Water (May 1st)
Magenta Light Studios
When a long-haul flight goes down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the survivors must face another traumatic hurdle: shark-infested waters. Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley star as the pilots, while genre film specialist Renny Harlin (Deep Blue Sea) delivers another ocean-set schlocky spectacle.
Tales from the Crypt (May 1st)
Shudder
For the first time ever, the cult horror anthology series finally comes to streaming, with a new season releasing every Friday on Shudder through June 12th. The beloved show features a slew of A-list guest stars, including Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, Michael J. Fox, and Ewan McGregor.
Heresy (May 1st)
Shudder
Streaming on Shudder, this Dutch folk horror film follows a young woman (Anneke Sluiters) trying to have a baby in a cruel Medieval town. After her fellow villagers accuse her of making a pact with the Devil, she retreats into the supposedly cursed surrounding woods.
The Terror: Devil in Silver (May 7th)
AMC+ and Shudder
Streaming on AMC+ and Shudder, the acclaimed horror anthology series returns for a third season. In this adaptation of Victor LaValle’s psychological horror novel, scream king Dan Stevens (Abigail, Cuckoo) plays a man wrongly admitted to a psychiatric hospital stalked by a monster. Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, Yellowjackets) directs two episodes.
Affection (May 8th)
Brainstorm Media
Plagued by a mysterious condition that repeatedly resets her memory, Ellie (Happy Death Day’s Jessica Rothe) tries to piece together her life and work out who she can trust as she becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man (Joseph Cross) claiming to be her husband.
Obsession (May 15th)
Focus Features
When a shy man (Michael Johnston) asks a strange novelty toy, the “One Wish Willow”, to make his crush (Inde Navarrette) fall in love with him, his wish is granted—but with disastrous consequences. This harrowing festival favourite has already got Curry Barker in the director’s chair for the A24 Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot.
Passenger (May 22nd)
Paramount
When a young couple’s (Jacob Scipio and Lou Llobell) exciting road trip is derailed after witnessing a horrific accident that leaves the driver dead, they’re soon pursued by a relentless demonic stalker. André Øvredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) directs.
Saccharine (May 22nd)
IFC and Shudder
The Substance meets Ozempic culture in this queer body horror film from Relic director Natalie Erika James. A lovelorn med student (Midori Francis) takes a weight-loss pill with a strange key ingredient: human ash. The drug yields remarkable results, but she soon finds herself haunted by the ghost of the person she ingested.
Corporate Retreat (May 22nd)
Western Film Service
In this gory horror comedy, when a group of corporate executives go on what they believe to be a luxurious retreat, the spiritual wellness and team-building activities spiral into a bloody, twisted game of revenge orchestrated by a bitter ex-colleague (Succession’s Alan Ruck).
Backrooms (May 29th)
A24
When a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) becomes obsessed with a strange dimension of endless empty rooms, his therapist (Renate Reinsve) goes looking for him. Kane Parsons is directing A24’s hotly anticipated big-screen adaptation of his own viral liminal horror YouTube series.
Smothered (May 29th)
Shudder
When a micro-painting artist (Rio Dewanto) returns home with partial memory loss after an accident, he is met by a woman (Vonny Anggraini) claiming to be his mother, and soon grows suspicious of her intentions. The Indonesian thriller will stream on Shudder.
Speed Demon (May 31st)
Triumphant Pictures
This schlocky mash-up of Bullet Train and The Exorcist sees a priest (William H. Macy) and a nun (Katie Cassidy) face off against the demon Asmodeus as he takes over their train journey from Montreal to New York.
Widow’s Bay (Weekly)
Apple TV
With an episode dropping every Wednesday, Apple TV’s new horror comedy series follows a tightly-wound mayor (Matthew Rhys) determined to turn his quaint New England island community into a tourist hot spot. But he faces a major hurdle: the deeply superstitious residents keep warning him that their town is cursed.