October is often called “spooky season.” In the weeks leading up to October 31st, many decorate pumpkins, attend haunted houses, and plan Halloween costumes that have been secretly decided since the previous October. The leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping, and it’s time for horror movie marathons.Â
So far in 2026, horror has dominated the film industry.
This March, the horror film Sinners earned widespread recognition, becoming the most-nominated Oscar film of all time with 16 nominations, according to a Jan. BBC article. Sinners was nominated alongside Frankenstein and Weapons; the films took home a total of eight awards. Such success so early in the year for horror was groundbreaking, especially at the Oscars.Â
Following the Oscars, many horror films were released: Hokum, The Mummy, Backrooms, Leviticus, and the film that had everyone talking for months: Obsession. Obsession broke records throughout its theatrical release; it grossed over $500,000,000 worldwide, and a July CBC article reported that Obsession is now the highest-grossing movie in cinema history among films with a budget under $1 million, also becoming Focus Features highest-grossing movie worldwide.
Something to recognize from this year’s success in horror is the number of young filmmakers. Backrooms director Kane Parsons was 20 years old at the Backrooms theatrical release in the United States, making him the youngest director to hit number one at the worldwide box office. Backrooms became the highest-grossing domestic film for A24, according to a June article in The Hollywood Reporter, similar to the records broken by another young director, Curry Barker, who was only 26 years old during the Obsession release.
The director of Iron Lung, Mark Fischbach – who is also a YouTuber known as Markiplier – completely self-funded Iron Lung, according to a Feb. article in The Atlantic, which ended up grossing over $50,000,000 worldwide, another success from the new generation of passionate filmmakers.
A July Deadline article recently noted that Zach Cregger – director of Weapons – has had success with the September horror film Resident Evil, so far making over $280 million worldwide at the box office. Other horror films that will be in theaters this October include: Other Mommy, Crawlers, and Clayface.
Horror has been undervalued as a genre of film for decades. Horror is not often critically acclaimed and has been passed over at award shows, but the recent success in horror, especially from young filmmakers, is hopefully a step away from the neglect. The new records set by these bodies of work restore hope that critics and the industry as a whole won’t be able to look the other way and that the genre and its artists finally receive the success, praise, and recognition that are decades overdue.
For “spooky season,” support your local theaters, get cozy, and watch scary movies!