The Next Indie Horror Movie That Could Dethrone Hollywood at the Box Office in 2027

2026 is shaping up to be a big year for horror, with the indie hits Obsession and Backrooms among two of the most well-received entries so far, having grossed $305.1 million and $272.7 million worldwide, respectively, and opening to positive reviews from audiences and critics.

Horror Hits of 2026

Others have also quietly filled theater seats throughout the year, including Scream 7, which grossed $214 million at the global box office, and Send Help, which earned over $94 million.

Click here to find out what other horrors films have dominated the box office this year.

The genre’s newfound success comes at a time when should-be-blockbusters are underperforming left and right at the movie theaters. So far this year, films such as The Mandalorian & Grogu and Masters of the Universe are among a string of major IP projects that have fallen short of commercial success.

DC Studios’ next major release, Supergirl, is also tracking to have a soft debut at the box office.

Is the day of the modern blockbuster finally over? Well, similarly to this year, 2027 is also shaping up to be a year filled with surprise horror hits, including the sequel, They Follow.

They Follow

They Follow, which is a direct sequel to It Follows, is currently in development.

It Follows is an indie slasher that debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. During its theatrical release, the film grossed $23.3 million worldwide against a budget of $1.3 million and was praised by audiences and critics for its solid atmosphere and original premise.

Directed by David Robert Mitchell, the film centers on teenager Jamie “Jay” Height (Maika Monroe), who, after having sex with a stranger on a date, finds she’s being followed by a nightmarish, slow-moving entity no one else can see. She soon realizes “It” has been passed on through intercourse and so she must find a way of outsmarting the demon before it gets too close.

In 2023, Deadline reported that David Robert Mitchell would be returning to the director’s chair for another film, with Maika Monroe stepping back into the role of Jay.

While Monroe confirmed in an interview with IndieWire in 2024 that the sequel is set 10 years after the first film, plot details remain unknown. However, in an interview with Collider that same year, she said the film would be “bigger, darker, and more f*cked up” than its predecessor.

She added: “I just know that David [Robert Mitchell] wouldn’t do a sequel if it wasn’t going to be incredible, and the script is so f*cking good. I’m obsessed. I’m just so excited to step into playing Jay again and just where you find her, it’s going to be great.”

When asked how she’d get back into character of Jay after 10 years, she said, “I have no idea. This is going to be my first time [doing a sequel]. It’s going to be such a new kind of adventure for me. Probably a lot of conversations with David and kind of piecing together everything that happened in the 10 years between these films. I think it’s going to be very, very fun.”

It’s unknown if Keir Gilchrist (Paul Bolduan), Olivia Luccardi (Yara Davis), and Lili Sepe (Kelly Height) will return. Naomi Ackie (Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker) was recently added to the cast.

There’s no release date for They Follow, however, it’s expected to be released sometime in 2027. Mitchell’s next project is The End of Oak Street (2026), a sci-fi dinosaur action thriller which stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor. That film releases in theaters on August 14 this year.

Are you a fan of It Follows? Do you think it will follow the new horror trend and become a box office hit? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!