SXSW 2026 Announces Packed Horror Lineup; ‘They Will Kill You’ and ‘Ready or Not 2’ Headline
SXSW 2026 has unveiled their initial lineup for this year’s festival, and horror fans will be eating well.
Included are titles that already have most of us drooling, such as Ready or Not 2, They Will Kill You and Obsession. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Check out the full list of genre titles below, and don’t miss SXSW 2026 when it takes place from March 12-18 in Austin, TX.
Headliners
Big names, big talent featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with major and rising names in cinema.
Over Your Dead Body
Director: Jorma TacconeProducers: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Lee Kim, Guy Danella, Nick Spicer, Aram Tertzakian, Screenwriters: Nick Kocher, Brian McElhaney
A dysfunctional couple head to a remote cabin to supposedly reconnect, but each has secret plans to kill the other.
Cast: Samara Weaving, Jason Segel, Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, Paul Guilfoyle, Keith Jardine (World Premiere)
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Producers: Tripp Vinson, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, Bradley J. Fischer, Screenwriters: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy
After surviving the Le Domas attack, Grace faces the next level of the deadly game – now with her estranged sister Faith. With four rival families hunting them, Grace must survive, protect her sister, and claim the High Seat that rules it all.
Cast: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood (World Premiere)
They Will Kill You
Director: Kirill Sokolov, Producers: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Dan Kagan, Screenwriters: Kirill Sokolov, Alex Litvak
A high-octane horror-action-comedy in which a woman must survive the night at the Virgil, a demonic cult’s mysterious, twisted death-trap, before becoming their next offering in a uniquely brazen battle of epic kills and wickedly dark humor.
Cast: Zazie Beetz, Myha’La, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Patricia Arquette (World Premiere)
Midnighters
Exciting after-dark features for genre lovers and the terminally curious.
American Dollhouse
Director/Screenwriter: John Valley, Producers: David Axe, Samuel Butler, Shane Greb
Caught between a grotesque Christmas fantasy and her own childhood trauma, a woman’s search for a fresh start in her home town is violently interrupted by a psychopathic neighbor.
Cast: Hailley Lauren, Kelsey Pribilski, Tinus Seaux, Danielle Evon Ploeger, Richard C. Jones (World Premiere)
Drag
Directors/Screenwriters: Raviv Ullman, Greg Yagolnitzer, Producers: Jake DeVito, Lucy DeVito, Danny DeVito
A routine robbery at a rural house turns into a nightmare for two amateur burglars when one of them throws out her back. Things spiral out of control as they try to escape before the homeowner returns.
Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Lucy DeVito, John Stamos, Christine Ko (World Premiere)
Fifteen (Argentina, Mexico)
Directors: Jack Zagha, Yossy Zagha, Producers: Jack Zagha, Yossy Zagha, Elsa Reyes, Valentín Javier Diment, Vanesa Pagani, Screenwriters: Andrzej Rattinger, Ricardo Álvarez Canales
A Mexican girl’s quinceañera spirals into chaos when supernatural rumors and small-town gossip collide, forcing her to face adulthood sooner than expected.
Cast: Greta Marti, Macarena Oz, Aminta Ireta, Martha Claudia Moreno, Enrique Arreola, Mercedes Hernández, Malena Sandy, Cloe Juresa Furgan, Andre Fajardo, Silvia Villazur (World Premiere)
Grind
Directors: Brea Grant, Ed Dougherty, Chelsea Stardust, Producer: Chelsea Stardust, Screenwriters: Brea Grant, Ed Dougherty
Four interconnected tales of workplace horror tackle the most terrifying aspect of modern life: making a living! With a wild tone as darkly comic as it is relevant, Grind is the most fun you’ll have in a late stage capitalistic hellscape.
Cast: Rob Huebel, Barbara Crampton, Vinny Thomas, Jessika Van, Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette, James Urbaniak, Courtney Pauroso, Jon Gabrus, Ify Nwadiwe, Aubrey Shea (World Premiere)
Imposters
Director/Screenwriter: Caleb J Phillips, Producers: Thomas Bond, Sara Seligman, Joe Bandelli
After a couple’s baby boy is taken, the desperate mother learns of a way to bring him back. However, her husband begins to suspect that what she returned with isn’t their son.
Cast: Jessica Rothe, Charlie Barnett, Yul Vazquez, Bates Wilder, Luisina Quarleri, Thomas Parobek, Ian Lyons, Taylor Karin, Lee Bennett, Declan Bennett (World Premiere)
Monitor
Directors/Screenwriters: Matt Black, Ryan Polly, Producers: Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, John Fischer, Adrian Guerra
A social media moderator unleashes a deadly terror when she refuses to publish a cryptic video.
Cast: Brittany O’Grady, Taz Skylar, Viveik Karla, Ines Høysæter Asserson, Gunner Willis, Sara Alexander, Camila Wahlgren (World Premiere)
Never After Dark (Japan)
Director/Screenwriter: Dave Boyle, Producers: Dave Boyle, Kento Kaku, Kosuke Tsutsumi
A medium travels deep into the Japanese countryside to perform a routine exorcism, where she is forced to confront the most terrifying enemy of all: the living.
Cast: Moeka Hoshi, Kento Kaku, Kurumi Inagaki, Mutsuo Yoshioka, Bokuzo Masana, Tae Kimura (World Premiere)
Narrative Spotlight
Unforgettable features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.
Family Movie
Directors: Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon, Producers: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Vince Jolivette, Casey Durant, Greg Lauritano, Russell Wayne Groves, Screenwriter: Dan Beers
A filmmaking family’s low-budget horror movie turns into a real-life slasher when a dead body shows up on set. Chaos ensues as the Smiths fight to keep the production on track. After all – the show must go on!
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Sosie Bacon, Travis Bacon, Liza Koshy, John Carroll Lynch, Jackie Earle Haley, Andrea Savage, Austin Amelio, Scoot McNairy (World Premiere)
Forbidden Fruits
Director: Meredith Alloway, Producers: Mason Novick, Mary Anne Waterhouse, Diablo Cody, Trent Hubbard, Screenwriters: Meredith Alloway, Lily Houghton
Free Eden employee Apple leads a secret witch cult with coworkers Cherry and Fig. New hire Pumpkin questions their sisterhood, forcing them to confront inner darkness or meet violent ends.
Cast: Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, Lili Reinhart, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Chamberlain, Gabrielle Union (World Premiere)
Festival Favorites
Acclaimed standouts from festivals around the world.
Obsession
Director/Screenwriter: Curry Barker, Producers: James Harris, Haley Nicole Johnson, Christian Mercuri, Roman Viaris
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.
Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter
Visions
Audacious, risk-taking films that demonstrate innovation and creativity.
And Her Body Was Never Found
Director: Polaris Banks, Producers: Polaris Banks, Mor Cohen, Hilarion Banks, Screenwriters: Polaris Banks, Mor Cohen
A couple treks deep into the wilderness to make a movie about their troubled relationship, but takes the opportunity to kill each other instead.
Cast: Mor Cohen, Polaris Banks, Grae Drake (World Premiere)
Keep an eye on Dread as we learn of more lineup announcements.
Categorized: News
