Calling All Horror Fans: Here Are the 12 Movies You Should See This Summer

Updated on 8/17/2018 at 5:15 PM

In need of a scary movie or two? How about a fresh batch of nightmares? If so, Summer 2018 has you covered. Between May and September, Hollywood has lined up a number of chilling options to check out at your local theater. From action-filled creature features (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Predator) to thrillers (Upgrade) to good old-fashioned horror outings (Hereditary), we're betting there's an option to suit your every terrifying whim. After all, there's only so long that you can watch the same movie over and over again on Netflix, right? Take a look at all the new horror movies you should have on your radar ahead.

Breaking In

The scoop: Gabrielle Union stars as a mother whose weekend getaway with her kids goes awry when a group of men break into their high-tech estate and threaten their lives. Expect to see Union kick plenty of ass in this action thriller.
Release date: May 11

Cargo

The scoop: As if a zombie pandemic isn't bad enough, Martin Freeman's character finds himself stranded in rural Australia when it goes down. Oh, and he's infected, too, and is desperately searching for a new home for his infant daughter. We can already feel the tears welling.
Release date: May 18

Upgrade

The scoop: After a brutal mugging that leaves him paralyzed in the hospital and his wife dead, a man (Logan Marshall Green) is convinced by a billionaire to wear an AI implant that enhances his body in spectacular ways. Now that he's been blessed with the ability to walk again (as well as superhuman strength), he decides to take revenge on the men who attacked him and his wife. Expect plenty of body horror from this collaboration between Blumhouse and Leigh Whannell, the creator of the Saw franchise.
Release date: June 1

Hereditary

The scoop: This movie freaked everyone at Sundance alll the way out, so chances are it will give you nightmares on nightmares. The horror film stars Toni Collette, Ann Dowd, and Alex Wolff, and follows the seemingly cursed Graham family as they come apart at the seams after the death of their mysterious matriarch, Ellen. Are they haunted? Are witches involved? Is it all in their heads?!
Release date: June 8

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

The scoop: After the high-heeled shenanigans that go down in Jurassic World, it's hard to imagine that Chris Pratt or Bryce Dallas Howard's characters would willingly put themselves back in a situation with rogue dinosaurs. Alas, raptor-loving Owen and Claire have returned for the sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which follows the duo as they return to the island to save the dinosaurs left behind from an exploding volcano.
Release date: June 22

The First Purge

The scoop: The next addition to the Purge franchise follows characters who either support the creation of the Purge — including its creator, played by Marisa Tomei — or protest against it in the events leading up to the very first night. The action-horror film also stars Melonie Diaz and Insecure's Y'lan Noel.
Release date: July 4

The Meg

The scoop: Hot new shark movie alert! The Meg stars professional world saver Jason Statham as expert deep-sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor, who must risk life and limb to save people stranded in an undersea observation vessel as they're hunted by a prehistoric, 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon.
Release date: Aug. 10

Summer of '84

The scoop: The genre upcoming film follows four teenage friends who begin to suspect that their police officer neighbor (GLOW's Rich Sommer) is a serial killer. Naturally they take it upon themselves to figure it out, which leads to spying on him, going on dangerous missions to gather evidence, and some life-or-death situations. (Raise your hand if you're getting some Disturbia vibes, too.)
Release date: Aug. 10

Slender Man

The scoop: Slender Man first haunted the internet on a viral creepy web forum almost a decade ago, but now he's making the jump to the big screen. Joey King stars in this creepy horror flick that brings the terrifying web myth to life — a tall, thin, faceless creature with unnaturally long arms haunts children and teens, forcing them to do terrible, terrible things before he takes them away forever.
Release date: Aug. 24

The Nun

The scoop: Even the poster for this follow-up to The Conjuring franchise is enough to send chills down our spines, so we can only imagine how terrifying the actual movie is going to be. This time around, we travel to 1950s Romania, where a nun and a Catholic priest are sent are sent by the Vatican to investigate the mysterious suicide of another nun at a monastery. What they don't realize is that an intensely powerful demonic force is already there, waiting to claim them.
Release date: Sept. 7

The Predator

The scoop: Alfie Allen, Olivia Munn, and more star in this sequel, which will see soldiers teaming up to battle the vicious extraterrestrial we all know and love (to have nightmares of).
Release date: Sept. 14

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

The scoop: A young boy goes to stay with his uncle in a creaky old house, and soon realizes that there's much more to the home than meets the eye — get ready for thrills, chills, witches, and warlocks.
Release date: Sept. 21