A24’s “Onslaught” is coming for you.
The latest from director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett, whose previous collaborations include “You’re Next,” “Blair Witch” and “The Guest,” have returned to unleash some new, bloody mayhem. Adria Arjona plays a single mom (and, crucially, former sniper) who must protect her young daughter from a group of bloodthirsty, genetically engineered super soldiers. You know, that old chestnut.
Watch the trailer below.
For the last several years, Wingard has been in big budget Hollywoodland, where he directed a pair of cheekily entertaining movies for Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise – 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” and 2024’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” But “Onslaught” seems like a deliberate return to some of his older films; specifically to “The Guest,” which had a similarly pulpy vibe, 1980s-indebted aesthetic and Halloween-time setting. Between the glowing eyes of the super soldiers, the nonstop action and Dan Stevens doing a funny little voice, “Onslaught” looks like truly exceptional entertainment.
Professional fighter Alex Pereira co-stars as one of the soldiers, alongside James Cameron regular Michael Biehn, “Queer” breakout Drew Starkey, Eric Wareheim, Maurice Greene and the great Reginald VelJohnson, who gets to drop a great “motherf—er” in the spot.
If you saw “Backrooms” over the weekend, then you have already seen the “Onslaught” trailer, as A24 continues to maintain its hold as a premiere destination for cutting-edge genre filmmaking.
Other A24 releases headed to theaters this year include the Hugh Jackman-led “The Death of Robin Hood” (out June 19), Sundance favorite “The Invite” (out June 26), the Anthony Bordain biopic “Tony” (out August 7) and the Robert Pattison-as-Chris-Hansen drama “Primetime” (out September 25). Chances are that all of those movies – combined! – won’t kick as much ass as “Onslaught.” And we’re okay with that.
“Onslaught” storms into theaters on September 4.
