The 2026 edition of the Sundance Film Festival begins tomorrow, bringing a new slate of buzzy premieres that’ll shape the year to come.
It’s also the end of an era; this year will be the festival’s final year in Park City, Utah, before moving to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027. That means it’s not just emerging filmmakers to keep an eye on this year, but Sundance’s enduring legacy. The festival responsible for debuting features like The Blair Witch Project, American Psycho, Get Out, Hereditary, Talk to Me, and so many more defining staples ensures horror is part of its legacy tribute with a special restoration of a modern favorite from masters James Wan and Leigh Whannell (more on that below).
That’s only the start of what’s ahead this year. Here are five can’t miss horror movies screening at this year’s Sundance.
Buddy
A still from Buddy by Casper Kelly, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Worry Well Productions.
The mind behind twisted short “Too Many Cooks,” writer/director Casper Kelly (V/H/S/Halloween, Adult Swim Yule Log), takes aim at television once more with a new feature centered around a kids’ television show. Here, a brave girl and her young costars must team up to escape their series and its magical mascot host, Buddy. As if that logline isn’t enough to intrigue, or its filmmaker, then the cast should. Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Topher Grace, Keegan-Michael Key, Michael Shannon, and Patton Oswalt all star or lend their voices to an absurdly imaginative and dark voyage into a Barney-inspired nightmare.
Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant
Yvette Parsons, Hannah Lynch and Jonny Brugh appear in Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant by THUNDERLIPS, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Frances Carter.
With a title like Mum, I’m Alien Pregnant, from New Zealand writer/director duo Thunderlips, it’s safe to assume that a supernatural pregnancy will lead to comedic antics. Maybe even of the gross-out variety. In this case, a millennial underachiever finds herself dealing with a host of pesky problems, from her loquacious mom to the helpless baby daddy who impregnated her. Practical effects ensue in this body horror comedy that speaks to a generation. It’s based on the filmmakers’ 2024 short.
Saccharine
Midori Francis appears in Saccharine by Natalie Erika James, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Shudder.
Relic filmmaker Natalie Erika James is back at Sundance with her latest horror movie, one that seems to inject a new supernatural twist to the current body horror craze. In this case, a medical student decides to try a new weight loss craze: consuming human ashes. Hana discovers the new fad comes with an alarming side effect as she becomes terrorized by a hungry ghost. It’s James’ attachment to this original horror story and the ghostly twist to a body horror concept that has us excited. Even better is that it’s already been acquired by Shudder.
Saw
Jigsaw’s games began in 2004, with its debut at Sundance. The festival saluting its horror history accordingly with a digital restoration of Saw from a 4K scan of the 35mm Interpositive (IP), which was supervised and approved by Wan himself, who will be in attendance for the special screening. A stunning new restoration of a contemporary horror classic feels like the perfect way to close out the festival’s time in Park City, Utah.
undertone
A popular paranormal podcast host gets haunted by mysterious recordings she receives, which sounds like the perfect scenario for genuine frights in A24’s upcoming horror movie. That it screens at Sundance after its festival premiere last summer also suggests a lot of confidence in this release. The most damning evidence that undertone has what it takes to scare us silly, though, comes from the effective trailer in a way that says a midnight screening is the perfect time to experience this terror.
Stay tuned for more on Sundance 2026 as our coverage gets underway.