The new year’s horror season officially kicked into high gear today with the theatrical debut of Primate, a brutal creature feature from director Johannes Roberts that’s already earning strong reactions from critics and audiences alike.

In Primate, a family’s peaceful tropical vacation turns into a nightmare when their adopted chimpanzee, Ben, is bitten by a rabid animal and suddenly becomes violent, unleashing a terrifying rampage that forces survivors into a desperate fight for survival. The film stars Johnny Sequoyah as Lucy, along with Jessica Alexander and Troy Kotsur, and marks a return to old-school animal attack horror that’s both visceral and relentless. 

Critics are already praising Primate for its practical effects, pacing, and throwback approach to creature horror. A recent review notes that director Roberts delivers a lean, intense monster thriller that plays out like a classic animal attack film with modern polish, using expert practical creature work and escalating dread to keep nerves on edge. 

Early buzz highlights that Primate isn’t just about shocking kills, though there are plenty of those, but also embraces suspense and tension that slowly build throughout its 89-minute runtime. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest in September 2025, and today’s wide release sees it finally reaching audiences nationwide via Paramount Pictures. 

Reviewers drawing comparisons to genre touchstones such as Cujo and Nope say the movie earns attention by committing fully to its premise, delivering both thrills and grisly set pieces in equal measure. Many note that fans of classic creature features will find plenty to enjoy in how Primate balances old-fashioned scares with crafted tension. 

While Primate isn’t yet available on mainstream streaming platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, expectations are that it will enter digital rental and sales windows in February, followed by a potential streaming debut on Paramount+ in early March 2026. 

For horror fans looking to start the year with something feral, bloody, and fast-paced, Primate delivers an early challenge: expect chills, thrills, and a lot of teeth. Whether you walk into theaters for sheer creature chaos or for community buzz, this killer chimp is proving to be one of the most talked-about genre entries of the year so far.

This former WWE Superstar has landed a role in an upcoming horror movie.

Marty Wright, known to wrestling fans as The Boogeyman, has been cast in Halloween Candy 2, which is currently in production.

Produced by Scared Stiff Films, Halloween Candy 2 is expected to be released later this year. Scared Stiff Films is a small production company founded in 2008, and has produced and released over 80 short horror films on its YouTube channel.

The first installment of the anthology, Halloween Candy, was released in March 2025 through Terror Films Releasing. It is available to stream on Tubi, Amazon Prime, and other major streaming platforms.

While the first film was independently financed by writer-director Douglas A. Plomitallo, the team behind Halloween Candy 2 has launched a crowdfunding campaign to bring the sequel to life.

The Boogeyman still appears occasionally in WWE’s social media clips. Actor Timothée Chalamet also recently gave a shoutout to Marty Wright during his appearance on Cody Rhodes’ What Do You Wanna Talk About? podcast.

“To me, as a big sports fan, big Knicks fan, also a huge fan of acting, and Hollywood, this (WWE) was the intersection, growing up. That is for charismatic on-the-mic guys like The Rock and Stone Cold, but also like Marty Wright, The Boogeyman. Like freaky, out of left field sh*t. He was a Tough Enough contestant. He is sort of one of the most underrated. I feel like they didn’t realize how big he was at the time.”

Horror fans with subscription services can mark a new date on their calendars. Black Phone 2, the spooky sequel to the 2022 Blumhouse hit, is officially heading to Peacock this month, giving audiences another terrifying way to start the new year.

According to the latest news, Black Phone 2 will become available to stream on Peacock on 16 January 2026, bringing The Grabber’s chilling return from theaters directly into viewers’ homes. This follows the film’s strong theatrical performance following its late-2025 run, and continues the broader trend of successful horror sequels transitioning into digital windows early in their lifecycle. 

This streaming move arrives amid a broader January lineup filled with horror titles both in cinemas and on screens, making it one of the most active months for the genre in recent memory. Major titles still rolling out this month include Primate (a killer-chimp horror due 9 January), 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (due 16 January), Return to Silent Hill (23 January), and the sci-fi horror adaptation Iron Lung (30 January). 

For Peacock subscribers, Black Phone 2 offers a perfect mid-January scare, just ahead of other streaming and theatrical horror waves. Whether you’re revisiting the menace of The Grabber or planning a full month of varied scares, January’s horror calendar is delivering plenty of options to keep fans entertained well into the new year.

The horror and comedy community is mourning the loss of Jayne Trcka, who has passed away at the age of 62. The news was first reported confirming that Trcka died on December 12, 2025, at her home in San Diego. No official cause of death has been disclosed.

Trcka was best known to genre audiences for her appearance in the Scary Movie franchise, a cultural phenomenon that helped redefine horror comedy in the early 2000s. The films became famous for their sharp satire of popular horror tropes, and Trcka’s physical presence and comedic timing made her a memorable part of that legacy. Her work resonated with fans who appreciated the franchise’s ability to balance absurd humor with genre awareness.

Beyond her on-screen roles, Trcka was also widely respected as a professional bodybuilder and fitness icon. She competed at a high level and was admired for breaking barriers in strength sports, earning recognition both within athletic circles and among fans who followed her work outside of film. Her discipline and dedication made her a standout figure across multiple industries.

Following the announcement of her passing, tributes began pouring in from fans and fellow performers alike. Many remembered her as a vibrant, charismatic personality who brought energy and confidence to every project she touched. For horror fans especially, Trcka represented a unique crossover between genre entertainment and physical performance, leaving a lasting impression despite a relatively select filmography.

Her death marks another significant loss for the horror world, which continues to honor performers who helped shape the genre’s most playful and self-aware era. Jayne Trcka’s contributions to both horror-comedy and bodybuilding have secured her a place in pop culture history, remembered fondly by those who grew up with her work and admired her strength on and off screen.

Creature horror is about to get feral this January. The upcoming killer-chimp thriller Primate has officially been rated R by the Motion Picture Association, signaling a graphic and uncompromising experience for horror audiences when it arrives in theaters later this month.

The film received its R rating for strong bloody violence, gore, and language, immediately setting expectations that Primate will not shy away from brutality. The classification places the film firmly in hard-horror territory, aligning it with classic animal-attack films that favor raw intensity over restraint.

Directed by Johannes Roberts, Primate centers on a seemingly ordinary family vacation that turns into a nightmare when a chimpanzee becomes violently unpredictable. As the animal’s behavior escalates, the situation spirals into a desperate fight for survival, tapping into primal fears of nature turning hostile and uncontrollable.

The R rating has already fueled heightened interest among genre fans, particularly those drawn to creature features that embrace visceral horror rather than camp or spectacle. Early reporting suggests the film leans heavily into tension and gore, positioning it closer to survival horror than traditional monster movies.

Primate is scheduled to hit theaters on 9 January 2026, placing it early in what is shaping up to be one of the most aggressive opening months for horror in recent years. It joins a packed January slate that also includes titles like We Bury the Dead, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and Return to Silent Hill.

With its savage premise, hard R rating, and no-holds-barred approach, Primate is shaping up to be one of January’s most intense horror releases, and a clear signal that 2026 is wasting no time unleashing its monsters.

The horror slate for January 2026 is stacked with a mix of zombie horror, creature chills, psychological thrills, supernatural oddities, and indie surprises, giving genre fans a packed first month of the year to dive into. 2026 horror preview highlights a range of titles officially slated to hit theaters and screens in January, offering something for every horror palate. 

The month kicks off with We Bury the Dead on January 2, a post-apocalyptic zombie thriller from Zak Hilditch starring Daisy Ridley as a woman searching for her missing husband amid violent undead threats. 

On January 9, director Johannes Roberts injects animal horror with Primate, a killer chimp thriller about a tropical getaway gone terrifying when a family’s pet turns on them in unexpected and violent ways. 

Mid-month brings one of the most anticipated horror releases of the year, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple on January 16. The next chapter in the 28 Days Later saga continues the Rage Virus nightmare, expanding the post-apocalyptic world with new character arcs and darker stakes. 

Also arriving on January 16 are several diverse genre offerings:

A Useful Ghost, Thailand’s Academy Awards submission blending supernatural comedy with horror; Killer Whale, an aquatic thriller turning holiday beach vibes into deadly encounters; and Night Patrol, a mystery-tinged horror from director Ryan Prows that mixes urban dread with hidden supernatural threats. 

The week of January 23 continues the terror with Dooba Dooba, a found-footage scare involving a babysitting gig turning sinister, and Mother of Flies, an atmospheric witch-infused tale from the indie horror trio behind Hellbender. The long-awaited Return to Silent Hill adaptation, bringing the beloved video game nightmare back to theaters, also arrives this day. 

Closing out the month on January 30 are several high-profile entries:

Iron Lung, a claustrophobic sci-fi survival horror based on the indie game and starring Markiplier; Send Help, a dark psychological comedy thriller from Sam Raimi blending humor with workplace horror; and Worldbreaker, a post-apocalyptic action-horror featuring Luke Evans and Milla Jovovich battling monstrous threats in a devastated world. 

January’s genre lineup spans classic undead terror, creature frights, psychological twists, supernatural oddities, and franchise revivals, making it one of the most varied and exciting starts to a horror year in recent memory.