Sunday Scaries: Wealthy Satan Worshippers Are Proving to Be Fertile Ground for Horror Villains in 2026

The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! Today, we’re looking at a horror trend in 2026 that I find to be very entertaining…

Each year, there are trends in horror that are worth noticing. Some are more widespread than others, but there’s always something happening. So far in 2026, an early one to take notice of is satan. Well, satan worshipping evil rich folk, that is. A bit specific, yes, but we’ve seen it in multiple titles this year already. I’m here to say…bring on more of them!

First up, we had the Ready or Not sequel, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, which continues the battle between Samara Weaving‘s Grace and families of wealthy satan worshippers seeking to rule the world. The sequel really honed in on how widespread these rich evil families are, to the point of having “hail satan” literally being said out loud.

My review here began like so:

Ready or Not was a delightful surprise for me, mixing comedy and horror in a consistently entertaining manner. Nothing about it called for a sequel, but then again, Radio Silence has proven themselves time and time again, even with Scream sequels, so they deserved the benefit of the doubt. While Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is completely unnecessary and nothing about the film breaks any new ground, the pleasures here are quite similar to last time out. While the element of surprise is no longer in their favor, the ability to consistently entertain, as well as play the premise out to its full potential, is once again in evidence. Did I demand a sequel to Ready or Not? No. Did I enjoy the hell out of this, nevertheless? You bet I did.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come doesn’t have the same wow factor as its predecessor, admittedly, but all involved know what works about the property. Raising the stakes and opening up the world can be a mixed bag for a sequel, but this flick manages not to dilute what works. Last time around, I was grinning from ear to ear throughout. Here, my smile wasn’t quite as big, but it sure was there, basically from start to finish.

Next, we have this weekend’s release of They Will Kill You, where the bad guys are just as rich, just as evil, and this time, satan has given them powers. Once again, there’s an innocent girl, this time Zazie Beetz‘s Asia, who has to beat them at a seemingly un-winnable game.

This here is some of what I said in my review, which hits on the point of this piece a little more specifically:

Sometimes, a bit of the old ultraviolence is just what the movie doctor ordered. They Will Kill You has no qualms about giving you creative and unrelenting gore, which makes the horror comedy almost singular in its focus. Now, there’s an attempt to throw in some commentary about the wealthy elite and gentrification, but it’s in the shadow of watching Zazie Beetz kick ass. Considering how badass she is and what a strong ass-kicker she is, few will find themselves complaining about this film.

They Will Kill You certainly has shades of the Ready or Not franchise to it, though this is done with a bit more style and with a greater focus on brutal bloodshed, as opposed to the comedy. Now, there are some very funny moments in this movie, to be sure. It’s just not leading with the comedic element of the flick. That being said, there are a few ridiculously silly moments that can’t help but lead to laughter, which the film knows and utilizes well.

Filmmaker Kirill Sokolov comes stateside with a deliciously violent flick. Co-writing with Alex Litvak, Sokolov imbues it all with a chaotic feeling, both behind the camera and on the page. There’s a sense of directorial vision at play here, mostly in terms of how the fights are staged, as well as the creative gore. Litvak and Sokolov come up a bit short with their social commentary, to be fair, but when they also start to get into the lore of the satanic cult, things build to a craziness that papers over some of the sillier moments. The final sequence, which involves a wild escalation, is so ridiculous that you can’t help but be won over by the film. After all, the propulsive nature of it all is infectious, as is the appeal of watching evil rich folk, let alone satan worshippers, get what’s coming to them.

Now, these are also similar films, but it’s impossible to not notice the similar villains. If we get another movie this year in which someone stands up to evil satan worshippers who control the levels of power, we’ll have a full on movement. For now, it’s just fun to see two fright flicks in two weeks showcase these characters. Here’s to more, especially when they’re as amusingly dispatched as they are in these two titles…

Stay tuned for another Sunday Scaries installment next week!