A24 has built its reputation on making movies that make you uncomfortable in ways you didn’t know were possible, so the idea of them funding an action movie about genetically engineered super soldiers feels like a beautiful left turn. The trailer for Onslaught is here, and it’s exactly the kind of lean, mean, horror-infused chaos that makes you grateful this studio exists.
Adam Wingard is directing, Simon Barrett wrote the script, and Adria Arjona is playing an army sniper who has to protect her daughter from a rogue squad of perfect killing machines. If that premise doesn’t get your attention, you might want to check your pulse.
The trailer opens with Arjona’s character settling into a desert trailer park, blasting pumpkins off stumps, and generally enjoying the kind of quiet life that every action movie immediately destroys. Enter the super soldiers. Black Hawk helicopters start flying overhead. Someone mentions a secret base north of the community. And then all hell breaks loose.
Rebecca Hall shows up to explain that these men were “conditioned to kill until they are stopped,” which is the kind of line that tells you exactly what kind of movie Onslaught is planning to be. Spoiler alert: it’s not planning to be gentle or particularly interested in your comfort.
The cast is a genuine gift. Dan Stevens reteams with Wingard after The Guest, which is already enough to sell tickets. Eric Wareheim brings his unique energy to what appears to be a surprisingly serious role. Reginald VelJohnson and Michael Biehn add veteran gravitas. Drew Starkey appears as some kind of bleach-blonde cleanup operative.
And Alex Pereira, the UFC champion, plays a villain called The Butcher. When your movie casts an actual professional fighter as the muscle, you’re making a statement about physical authenticity that most action films completely ignore.
What’s genuinely exciting about Onslaught is that Wingard confirmed it takes place in the same continuity as The Guest. That 2014 cult classic has been begging for a spiritual follow-up, and Onslaught appears to be delivering exactly that. The same shadowy organization, the same morally questionable military experiments, the same sense that nobody in authority can be trusted.
For fans who have been waiting over a decade for something that captures that specific energy, this feels like Christmas came early. Except instead of presents, you get super soldiers and a whole lot of bullets.
A24 is releasing Onslaught in theaters on September 4, which means it’s opening against some serious competition. But this movie has something most blockbusters don’t: actual vision. Wingard and Barrett have been working together long enough to know exactly how to blend action, horror, and dark humor without letting any one element overpower the others.
Onslaught looks like the kind of mid-budget thriller that Hollywood used to make all the time before everything became either a nine-figure franchise entry or a streaming afterthought. It’s violent, it’s weird, and it knows exactly what audience it’s targeting. That confidence is rare, and it makes Onslaught one of the most anticipated releases left in 2026.
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