New Horror in May 2026: Theaters and Streaming
From haunted folklore and cursed objects to creature features and claustrophobic mysteries, this month’s lineup proves there’s something for every kind of horror lover. Whether you’re planning theater trips or staying in for streaming releases, May delivers a mix of fresh concepts and familiar tropes with dark twists. Here’s a complete guide to the horror movies and series you don’t want to miss this month.
Hokum
Release date: May 1 • Movie Theaters
A horror writer visits an Irish inn to scatter his parent’s ashes, unaware the property is said to be haunted by a witch.
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Deep Water
Release date: May 1 • Movie Theaters
A group of international passengers en route from Los Angeles to Shanghai are forced to make an emergency landing in shark-infested waters. Now they must work together in hopes to overcome the frenzy of sharks drawn to the wreckage.
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Tales from the Crypt
Season 1 • Release date: May 1 • Shudder
A 1989 horror story anthology series based on the gruesome E.C. comic books of the 1950s presented by the legendary “Crypt Keeper”, a sinister ghoul obsessed with gallows humor and horrific puns.
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*Subsequent Season Premiere Fridays Until the Final Season 7 Premieres June 12
Heresy
Release date: May 1 • Shudder
In a medieval Dutch village, a young woman is caught between her faith, fanatic townsfolk and the dark forces lurking in the woods.
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Affection
Release date: May 8 • Movie Theaters
Ellie confronts a disturbing condition resetting her memory, unable to recognize her husband and daughter. Each reset disorients her, leaving haunting recollections of an unfamiliar life.
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Whistle
Release date: May 8 • Shudder
A misfit group of unwitting high school students stumble upon a cursed object, an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down.
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Obsession
Release date: May 15 • Movie Theaters
After breaking the mysterious “One Wish Willow” to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
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Passenger
Release date: May 22 • Movie Theaters
After a young couple witnesses a gruesome highway accident, they soon realize they did not leave the crash scene alone, as a demonic presence called the Passenger won’t stop until it claims them both.
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Corporate Retreat
Release date: May 22 • Movie Theaters
Corporate executives on a team-building retreat face a deadly struggle when their leader turns violently against them.
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Saccharine
Release date: May 22 • Movie Theaters
Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes.
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This is not a test
Release date: May 22 • Shudder
Follows Sloane and four other students who take shelter in their high school during a zombie outbreak.
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Backrooms
Release date: May 29 • Movie Theaters
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.
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