There are two major trends sweeping modern Hollywood: horror and nostalgia. Early 2026 saw the return of legacy horror classics such as 28 Days Later and Evil Dead. Before the year ends, a new Terrifier and Return Of The Living Dead will also haunt U.S. theaters. Horror franchise fanatics can be rest assured that these highly-anticipated follow-ups will keep coming in the new year.
There are a few original horror features on their way, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Pendulum. However, the 2027 horror film-scape is dominated by existing IP. Looking to the theatrical calendar, at least nine major franchises are in for new sequels, remakes, or reboots. Several of the coming follow-ups are arriving directly on the heels of their predecessors, while other franchises are rising from the dead after decades away from theaters.
A number of highly-anticipated horror franchise films still loom far in the future, including the recently delayed Gremlins 3, A24’s Texas Chainsaw reboot, and Neon’s It Follows sequel. Still, 2027 promises to deliver an onslaught of major releases. With impending horror blockbusters and cult classics, audiences are in store for a thrilling new year at the theaters.
The Conjuring: First Communion
2025’s The Conjuring: Last Rites concluded Ed and Lorraine Warren’s story. The upcoming film, The Conjuring: First Communion, ushers in a new era for the Conjuring franchise. The 2027 flick will explore the Warrens’ early career as paranormal investigators, detailing the experiences that informed Ed and Lorraine’s later lives.
Garrett Wareing and Amanda Fix (Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma) will be starring as the young Warren couple. Rodrigue Huart will be directing the Warner Bros. Pictures film from a screenplay by Ian B. Goldberg and Richard Naing. Goldberg and Naing have previously penned the popular horror films The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) and The Nun II (2023), proving their blockbuster horror prowess. The Conjuring: First Communion is slated to arrive in U.S. theaters on September 10, 2027.
Wolf Creek: Legacy
This iconic Australian horror franchise returns after 11 years. Created by Greg McLean, Wolf Creek (2005) introduced the xenophobic serial killer who hunts foreigners in the Australian outback. The cult classic received one sequel and a spin-off web series. Now, the niche franchise returns to theaters with a well-deserved reboot.
In Wolf Creek: Legacy, the infamous killer stalks an American family on their dream vacation to the outback (via Cineverse). Creator McLean will be returning to produce the next chapter with Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting, its horror division. Sean Lahiff, who edited Wolf Creek 2, will be directing the third installment from a script by Duncan Samarasinghe. John Jarratt will be reprising his role as the central killer.
According to Cineverse, the reboot will blend “legacy appeal with fresh creative talent.” Wolf Creek: Legacy opens in U.S. theaters on March 19, 2027.
The Revenge of La Llorona
Warner Bros. Pictures continues to expand The Conjuring universe, with an upcoming sequel to The Curse of La Llorona. The 2019 horror-mystery introduced the Hispanic American folklore spirit to the Conjuring cinematic universe. La Llorona performed well at the box office, but received poor reviews, with a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Following multiple failed attempts, Warner Bros. is finally reviving the franchise. Long-awaited, The Revenge of La Llorona arrives in U.S. theaters next spring. Santiago Menghini will be stepping in to direct the sequel in place of Michael Chaves. Original writers Wikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis have passed the pen to Sean Tretta, who is taking over the screenplay.
The sequel will attempt to recapture the first film’s theatrical popularity while increasing its ratings. The Revenge of La Llorona began production in 2025, and is set to release on April 9, 2027.
The Exorcist: Martyrs
This 53-year-old horror franchise is being rebooted in 2027. Following the poorly reviewed The Exorcist: Believer in 2023, Universal Pictures has gone back to the drawing board. The Haunting of Hill House creator, Mike Flanagan, will be helming the upcoming feature. Flanagan was reportedly given creative control to produce a brand-new story.
The Exorcist: Martyrs plot has not been officially released, but leaks suggest that it follows a rookie detective investigating a series of murders while her son becomes the target of dark forces. Scarlett Johansson stars in the leading role. She is supported by an impressive ensemble that includes Jacobi Jupe (Hamnet), John Leguizamo (The Odyssey), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House), and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Backrooms)—to name a few.
The Exorcist: Martyrs is slated to arrive in U.S. theaters on March 12, 2027.
Paranormal Activity 8
Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity (2007) was filmed in the writer-director’s home for $10-to-$15 thousand and grossed $193.3 million worldwide. The Blumhouse film became one of the most profitable movies of all time and changed the found-footage subgenre forever. Each movie in this lucrative franchise has earned over $900 million at the box office, raising expectations for the upcoming installment.
Arriving next summer, Paranormal Activity 8 reportedly follows four college students who unwittingly move into a house connected to the 1988 incidents depicted in Paranormal Activity 3. Undertone creator, Ian Tuason, will be penning and directing Paranormal Activity 8. Franchise founder Peli will join as a producer alongside Blumhouse’s James Wan and Jason Blum.
The anticipated follow-up arrives in U.S. theaters on May 21, 2027.
Possession
Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 psychosexual thriller follows a young woman’s increasingly suspicious and disturbing behavior after she asks her husband for a divorce. Possession initially flopped at the box office, but went on to become a critically acclaimed cult classic. 45 years after its release, Smile director Parker Finn is adapting Possession for the modern age. Robert Pattinson is producing via his production company Icki.
Callum Turner (One Night Only) and Margaret Qualley (The Substance) will be playing the central couple in the 2027 remake. Qualley has already received the stamp of approval from the original film’s star (Isabelle Adjani), with whom she bears a striking resemblance. The extended cast includes Diego Calva (Babylon), Madeline Brewer (Cam), Emory Cohen, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, and Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) (via Variety).
The highly-anticipated Possession remake releases on June 11, 2027.
The Mummy 4
25 years after Rick O’Connell and Evelyn Carnahan first fought Imhotep, the two are returning for the fourth chapter of The Mummy. The Mummy 4 sees Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz reprise their iconic roles alongside fellow returning actors Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Kevin J O’Connor, and John Hannah. As set photos start to release, the nostalgia-fueled frenzy among franchise fans is already setting in.
Speaking to Digital Spy, Hannah expressed optimism for the coming reboot. The actor said he felt the script was strong and that the new directors brought a thrilling, fresh energy to the legacy IP. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Ready or Not) and Tyler Gillett (Scream) will be helming the project with a script by David Coggeshall.
The fantasy horror-leaning thriller promises to deliver both expected nostalgia and exciting, new storytelling. The Universal Pictures franchise returns to U.S. theaters Oct. 15, 2027, with The Mummy 4.
A Quiet Place Part III
John Krasinski’s award-winning horror franchise returns in 2027 with a third and final installment. A Quiet Place follows a family surviving in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by blind monsters with highly evolved hearing. The upcoming film will be a “big and bold” conclusion to the Abbott family’s story, according to actor Noah Jupe (via Radio Times).
The 2021 Quiet Place sequel ends with daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds) broadcasting the frequency of her cochlear implant from a radio station, in a plan to harm the monsters. Little is known about the upcoming film’s plot, but set photos have revealed that it is at least partially set in New York City.
Jupe, Simmonds, Krasinski, and Blunt will be returning as the Abbott family, along with Cillian Murphy as Emmett. Newcomers Jack O’Connell (Sinners), Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), and Jason Clarke (The Devil All the Time) will also be joining the fray.
A Quiet Place Part III reportedly wrapped filming this summer, and it is set to release on July 30, 2027.
The Blair Witch Project 4
1999’s The Blair Witch Project pioneered found footage filmmaking and defined horror in the digital age. Technology has rapidly advanced since the first film’s release at the turn of the century, posing new opportunities for horror. Following the third installment in 2016, The Blair Witch Project 4 is expected to place the classic horror story in a modern context.
Lionsgate and Blumhouse have advertised the reboot as a “new version” of the familiar classic. Dylan Clark will be directing from a screenplay by Chris Thomas Devlin (via Rolling Stone). Creatives behind the first film are reuniting to executive produce. This includes former producer Gregg Hale, directors Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick, and actors Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams.
The Blair Witch Project 4 opens in U.S. theaters on Sept. 24, 2027, meaning there’s less than a year left before the horror movie hits the big screen.
