April might be springtime in the northern hemisphere, but some of the best streaming services seem to think it’s the perfect time for a dry run of spooky season. How else to explain the arrival of some exquisitely dark slices of horror, like 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple arriving on Netflix, Weapons coming to Prime Video, or Shelby Oaks landing on Hulu? If you prefer your off-season Halloween viewing to be in the vein of campy B movies rather than serious scares though, horror specialist Shudder has you covered with Deathstalker, a gloriously cheesy reboot of a near-forgotten ’80s series.

Reality is often scarier than fiction though, as shown by Louis Theroux’s Inside the Manosphere—his first documentary film with Netflix, exploring the dark side of social media and the world of toxic male influencers. (Be sure to read our interview with the filmmaker.) And if the thought of that leaves you wanting something a bit more wholesome to watch, thankfully Zootopia 2 has popped up on Disney+—and there’s even a rabbit in that, for some appropriately springtime imagery.

Here are WIRED’s picks of the best movies to watch right now.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

The fourth film in the long-running postapocalyptic horror series switches focus from rampaging rage zombies to a more dangerous threat: humans. OK, OK, “people are the real monsters” isn’t a hot take for the genre, but The Bone Temple offers a unique twist, with 28 Years Later survivor Spike (Alfie Williams) trapped in the company of a murderous gang led by deranged satanist “Sir Lord” Jimmy Crystal (Sinners’ Jack O’Connell). The villain is modeled on disgraced British TV presenter Jimmy Savile, whose sexual abuse crimes hadn’t been revealed by the time of the initial outbreak in 28 Days Later, adding a dash of real-world terror.

As the group stalks what remains of the English countryside, Spike’s only hope might be Dr. Ian Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), whose experiments on curing alpha zombie Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) might hold humanity’s last hope. Although best watched back to back with its predecessor for the full, horrifying picture, director Nia DaCosta’s chapter stands on its own—and earns bonus points for one of the best uses of Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast” in film history.

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere

It’s the silence that does the trick; British documentarian Louis Theroux always knows when not to speak and instead let his subject expose themselves for the world to see. It’s a masterful technique whether Theroux is investigating the Westboro Baptist Church or UFO conspiracy theorists, but it is rarely put to better use than in his latest outing: exploring the online “manosphere” subculture of self-appointed “alphas” offering toxic advice on how to be a “real man.” Speaking with key figures in the loosely defined movement, Theroux’s mild-mannered approach often leaves them to do most of the talking, exposing shockingly misogynistic and extremist views. Even more distressing? The quiet revelation that for many of them their performative masculinity is all just one big grift, and how they rationalize the harm they cause in pursuit of a payout. Depressing but compelling viewing—not all men, but definitely all of these men.

Crime 101

Jewel thief Mike (Chris Hemsworth) is the best in the business, a meticulous planner who pulls off his heists without leaving a shred of evidence—much to the consternation of LAPD detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), who doesn’t even know exactly who he’s hunting for a string of thefts. Elsewhere in the City of Angels, Sharon (Halle Berry) is an underappreciated VP at an insurance firm, frustrated at being passed over for promotion for years. She’s the perfect insider to help Mike orchestrate an elaborate $11 million diamond heist. But as Lou uncovers evidence connecting to Mike’s past, and the chaotic, violent biker Ormon (Barry Keoghan) aims to take the score for himself, even the most masterful planning can’t prevent everything spiraling dangerously out of control.

Crime 101 is a reunion of sorts for Marvel movie alums Hemsworth, Berry, Ruffalo, and Keoghan, but if comic book cinema is the only place you know them from, director Bart Layton’s smart, modern slice of LA noir is a great chance to see what these actors can do when not tied to a massive piece of corporate IP.

Weapons

Director Zach Cregger’s follow-up to 2022’s horror hit Barbarian reinforces his ability to carve out new ground in the genre. When a small town is rocked by the disappearance of an entire elementary school class, suspicion turns to their teacher, Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), particularly from grieving father Archer Graff (Josh Brolin). Understandable, but the real focus should be on young Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), the only child in Justine’s class not to vanish, whose strange Aunt Gladys (Amy Madigan) has taken over his home—and has dark designs on the whole town.

By telling the story out of sequence, Creggar spreads Weapons’ mysteries out like misplaced jigsaw puzzle pieces, allowing viewers to fill in the gaps as they go. Madigan’s Oscar-winning turn as the sinister Gladys is the real standout of the package, instantly cementing the character as one of the best new horror icons in years. With a follow-up in the works, get in on the ground floor here.

The Running Man (2025)

Sure, the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger version of The Running Man is a cult classic, but it’s also a wild diversion from Stephen King’s original novel (originally published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym). This modern update, helmed by Last Night in Soho director Edgar Wright, is much closer to King’s text.

In a near-future America where most people lack health care or basic amenities but are kept docile by an all-powerful media machine, Ben Richards (Glen Powell) finds himself blacklisted from work for union activity, right as his daughter needs medicine. In desperation, he signs up for The Running Man, a savage reality show where contestants are hunted to the death—but anyone who survives 30 days walks away with $1 billion. It’s brutal stuff, but Wright’s take better highlights the novel’s themes of media subjugation, state propaganda, and disinformation, swapping Arnie’s over-the-top fights against hockey-themed grunts and mohawk-sporting electricity wielders for Powell’s more grounded battle against an entire society that’s rotten to the core.

Deathstalker (2025)

The plot? Nonsensical. The acting? Hammy. The visuals? Err, actually pretty well done, thanks to practical effects and physical prosthetics, but still unspeakably cheesy. But the sheer amount of enjoyment to be derived from this remake of the ’80s schlock staple? Immeasurable.

Set in a swords-and-sorcery world, the eponymous Deathstalker (Daniel Bernhardt) is reluctantly thrown into a quest to defeat the vile necromancer Nekromemnon and his hordes of Dreadites, a task he sets about with extravagant yet cartoonishly gory violence. Aided by the wizard Doodad (played by Laurie Field, voiced by Patton Oswalt, and the lack of even the slightest effort to synchronize the two all part of the charm) and the thief Brisbayne (Christina Orjalo), this fantasy outing from director Steven Kostanski (Leprechaun Returns) and executive producer Slash (yes, the Guns N’ Roses guitar legend) absolutely understands the assignment. It’s not a B movie, but definitely a B+ movie. If you like the sound of the modern Deathstalker, you can see how it holds up against the 1983 original on Shudder, too.

Shelby Oaks

Written and directed by real-world YouTuber Chris Struckmann, Shelby Oaks centers on fictional YouTuber Riley Brennan (Sarah Durn), who disappeared while investigating the titular ghost town—a meta, though hopefully not autobiographical, premise on Stuckmann’s part.

More than a decade later, Riley’s sister Mia (Camille Sullivan) is drawn back to the town after an unknown man appears on her doorstep, shoots himself in the head, and drops a tape containing unseen footage from Riley’s doomed excursion—footage that hints at a demonic presence that has haunted the sisters since their childhood. A glossy modern cinematic presentation is blended with grainy found-footage-style video—all accurately shot in early 2000s tight aspect ratios and blurry resolutions. (YouTube’s max res was once 320 x 240; truly terrifying here in 2026.) These smart stylistic touches, drawing on Stuckmann's years of experience on YouTube, help Shelby Oaks evolve the Blair Witch formula, adding dashes of online culture and creepypasta to chilling effect.

Zootopia 2

When ambitious junior cop Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her new partner, the ostensibly reformed con artist Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), encounter a shadowy serpent (Ke Huy Quan) slithering through streets of Zootopia, they wind up facing their toughest case yet: ending the city’s existence as an apartheid state. OK, probably not the exact message Disney was going for in this follow-up to 2016’s original Zootopia, but when it’s revealed that reptiles are the only group of animals not allowed in the anthropomorphic city, it’s hard not to draw parallels. Part buddy-cop crime caper, part surprisingly nuanced social commentary, and an entirely beautiful piece of animation (with an absolute banger of a signature song from Shakira), this colorful adventure packs in plenty of laughs for younger viewers and enough character drama and depth for older ones. One of Disney’s best efforts in years.