Rotten Tomatoes ranked the year's highest-rated horror films by Tomatometer score. From a slasher parody to Nia DaCosta's '28 Years Later' sequel, the 10 best horror films of 2026.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
2026 was a fruitful year for horror cinema: camp slashers, digital legends, zombie sequels, and classic haunted house stories shared the same season. According to Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer rankings, here are the 10 best new horror movies of the year:
1. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026) — %98
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
The film, directed by Jane Schoenbrun, follows a jaded slasher franchise being handed over to a young director (Hannah Einbinder). Critics describe the film as "a bloody love letter to the slasher genre." The cast also includes Gillian Anderson and Jasmin Savoy Brown.
2. Obsession (2025) — %94
Obsession
Curry Barker's film begins with a romantic's wish to break the mysterious "One Wish Willow" and win his love coming true exactly as he wished. It's a rare production that manages to be as entertaining as it is disturbing.
3. Send Help (2026) — %92
Send Help
Sam Raimi's film about two co-workers who survive a plane crash and are stranded on a deserted island. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien are a perfect fit for Raimi's devilish sense of humor.
4. Leviticus (2026) — %92
Leviticus
In Adrian Chiarella's film, two young people must escape a creature that takes the form of the person they most desire — each other. It combines an emotional love story with a clever monster concept.
5. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) — %91
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Nia DaCosta takes over the world established by Danny Boyle and Alex Garland and turns it upside down. Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell's performances deepen the film's horror.
6. Hokum (2026) — %90
Hokum
In Damian McCarthy's film, novelist Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) becomes entangled in a witch legend at a desolate inn where he's gone to scatter his family's ashes. A classic haunted house story fueled by atmospheric folklore.
7. Backrooms (2026) — %87
Backrooms
Kane Parsons's debut feature film, bringing his YouTube-born liminal corridor legend to the big screen. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, the production is as hypnotic as it is terrifying.
8. We Bury the Dead (2024) — %87
We Bury the Dead
The film, starring Daisy Ridley, turns zombie tropes into a meditation on grief and loss. After a military disaster, the dead don't just rise, they hunt.
9. Primate (2025) — %77
Primate
Johannes Roberts's film, released at the beginning of the year, turns a tropical vacation into a primal survival nightmare. Short, lean, and effective.
10. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026) — %75
Ready or Not 2
Grace (Samara Weaving) immediately levels up after escaping the Le Domas family. The sequel largely breaks the curse of sequels thanks to Weaving's wild energy.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes — "Best New Horror Movies of 2026".
