David’s Download: Spring Horror Rewind
In recent years, horror is one of the few genres that has continued to deliver quality and consistency for fans. Even with an occasional dud, the genre is on a historic run thanks to Oscar nominees like The Substance, Weapons, and Sinners and franchise revivals like Scream and Final Destination. Fortunately, 2026 has kept that momentum going, with a fright flick hitting theaters almost every week this spring.
As a diehard horror fan, I made sure to catch most of these releases (outside of The Drive Home’s group viewings), and can happily report that all of them were at least a “thumbs sideways” or “thumbs up” for me. Check out my thoughts on April and May’s top horror movies below.
Faces of Death (April 10)
Barbie Ferreira (from Euphoria) takes a crack at scream queendom in this reimagining of the 80’s cult classic, Faces of Death.
Ferreira’s character Margot is a social media content moderator who stumbles across a series of videos that may or may not be snuff films. When her company writes them off as harmless horror fodder, she decides to investigate on her own and finds herself in the crosshairs of a serial killer.
To my surprise, this reboot had a lot more to offer than your typical slasher remake. Director Daniel Goldhaber infuses the story with a titillating Silence of the Lambs energy and some thought-provoking ideas about social media responsibility and toxic fan culture.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy (April 17)
Not to be confused with Brendan Fraser’s swashbuckling The Mummy franchise, this horror reboot centers on a couple of parents, whose missing daughter Katie is returned to them after 8 years apart. Somehow, Katie is still alive after being mummified. Thus, it’s no surprise that welcoming her back into their home leads to some horrific proceedings.
While the movie is overlong at 2 hours and 17 minutes, I appreciate the fresh, macabre take on the classic IP.
Lee Cronin has basically made an Evil Dead movie with an Egyptian flare. Fans of blood, guts, and bodily fluids, paired with a sense of camp, will get a kick out of the pandemonium.
Apex (April 24)
Netflix should have given Apex a wide theatrical release, because this cat-and-mouse thriller set in an Australian jungle is rollicking fun. While the movie is primarily an action-adventure, the third act delves into elements of horror with some gnarly plot twists and R-rated violence. Think The River Wild meets The Perfect Getaway meets Wrong Turn.
Hokum (May 1)
In my opinion, Hokum is the scariest movie of 2026 so far. It’s a straightforward, old-fashioned ghost story set at an Irish inn, featuring a strong central performance from Adam Scott.
Director Damian McCarthy has an impeccable knack for atmosphere and orchestrates a few shriek-worthy jump-scares. While some of the folklore and the movie’s ending are a little ambiguous, Hokum is a spooky good time and a must-watch at Halloween.
Obsession (May 15)
This year’s breakout hit, Obsession, deserves all the flowers it is receiving. YouTuber turned filmmaker Curry Barker has concocted a gripping, frightening, and darkly funny cautionary tale about a milquetoast guy named Bear who wishes on a supernatural “One Wish Willow” for his crush, Nikki, to love him back. As you might expect, Bear gets a lot more than he bargained for, to a horrifying degree.
Inde Navarrette, who plays Nikki, gives an all-time great horror performance, skillfully toggling between helpless, creepy, and batsh*t crazy, sometimes within a span of seconds. If the Academy Awards voting body doesn’t recognize her with a nomination this year, they clearly have a bias against horror films.
Backrooms (May 29)
Backrooms comes from yet another YouTuber turned filmmaker named Kane Parsons, who has transformed the popular web series of abandoned, liminal spaces into a mesmerizing movie.
The production design is like nothing you’ve seen on the silver screen before, and some of the imagery is deeply unnerving. Lead actors Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve elevate what could have been YouTube fan service into a highly engrossing, psychological drama.
While the story is a bit abstract and doesn’t fully come together at the end, the journey into the Backrooms is well worth taking. I hope we get a sequel!
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I have yet to see Passenger, Pitfall, Deep Water, and Undertone, among some other smaller releases, but if the scary movies I’ve seen thus far are any indication, I’m sure I will find something to enjoy in them.