Every movie in the 2026 lineup is about something you can’t get out of. There’s a yellow office maze behind a furniture store, a two-lane desert highway, and a village haunted by a little girl with a ball. Laurie Strode and Sidney Prescott both found out that decades aren’t long enough to outrun a killer. A wish traps Bear in a love he can’t escape, and a witch’s 200-year-old curse is waiting for someone to break the cross. It’s also the year the internet came for the Horror-Thon, with three movies from YouTube creators, including the biggest movie A24 has ever had. 9 movies, not one exit sign. Find a seat, you’ll be here for a while.
THIS YEAR’S SELECTIONS
BACKROOMS
BUFFET INFINITY
10/10
Kane Parsons • 2026
THE REVIEW →
SCREAM 7
8/10
Simon Glassman • 2025
7/10
Kevin Williamson • 2026
OBSESSION
9/10
Curry Barker • 2025
KILL BABY KILL
8.5/10
Mario Bava • 1966
HALLOWEEN H2O
6/10
Steve Miner • 1998
THE LOVE WITCH
10/10
Anna Biller • 2016
DUEL
10/10
Steven Spielberg • 1971
BLACK SUNDAY
9/10
Mario Bava • 1960
the NO EXIT awards
9 movies walked in, and none of them are leaving without a trophy. Some earned it with an endless hallway, some with the perfect cat eye and one with a tanker truck that never says a word. These are the No Exit Awards. The doors are locked, the lights are buzzing, and nobody goes home until the last one is read.
THE NO EXIT AWARD
BACKROOMS
A yellow office that goes on forever, under lights that never stop humming. I’d rather take the stairs..if there were any…
MOST EFFECTIVE AD CAMPAIGN
BUFFET INFINITY
As a marketer, I’m horrified and impressed. It took over an entire country with nothing but local commercials.
WORST WISH
BEAR, OBSESSION
He wanted Nikki to love him more than anyone else in the world. He got exactly that.
BEST DRESSED
Elaine, The Love Witch
Cat eye, blue shadow, and a cape for every occasion. The men didn’t survive, but the wardrobe did.
BEST VILLAIN WITH NO FACE
THE TRUCK, DUEL
No driver, no motive, no dialogue, just a rusty grille in the rearview mirror.
WORST PLAYDATE
Melissa, Kill, Baby…Kill!
If a little girl in white rolls a ball your way, don’t throw it back.
BEST CAMEO
Janet Leigh, Halloween H2O
Jamie Lee Curtis’s mom, Marion Crane’s car and a little Psycho music. Perfect.
WORST SKINCARE ROUTINE
The Mask of Satan, Black Sunday
Spikes on the inside. Do not apply directly to the face.
FINAL RANKINGS
1
3
9
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
10
9
8.5
8
7
6
10
BACKROOMS
2
THE LOVE WITCH
DUEL
BLACK SUNDAY
OBSESSION
KILL, BABY…KILL!
BUFFER INFINITY
SCREAM 7
HALLOWEEN H2O
Best to Worst
KEEP WATCHING
One year was never going to be enough. There is plenty more Horror-Thon to explore. Zombies, Michael Myers, demonic house cats, and more B-horror movies than you knew existed.