A24
A24’s ‘Onslaught’ Trailer Unleashes Genetically Engineered Killers in Brutal New Horror
Onslaught marks another major genre project for Adam Wingard, whose filmmaking career has moved between horror, action and blockbuster territory. His previous credits include The Guest, You’re Next, Blair Witch and Godzilla vs. Kong.
A24 is turning up the violence with Onslaught, and the latest trailer makes one thing painfully clear: this is not a movie for the faint-hearted.
Directed by Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett, the creative team behind You’re Next, The Guest and Blair Witch, the upcoming horror-action thriller throws audiences into a nightmare involving genetically engineered super soldiers, a terrified family and a desert community about to become a killing ground.
‘Onslaught’ Trailer Sends Super Soldiers on a Rampage
The new Onslaught trailer wastes little time introducing its monstrous antagonists. The genetically modified soldiers are described as human weapons capable of behaving like “heat-seeking missiles,” with ominous names including The Butcher, Crybaby and Cockroach.
Their arrival turns an otherwise isolated desert setting into a battlefield.
At the center of the chaos is Adria Arjona, who plays a former Army sniper forced back into survival mode when the killers threaten her young daughter. What follows looks like a relentless fight for survival, with brutal close-quarters combat, explosions, and some seriously bloody encounters.
The trailer also leans heavily into the film’s unsettling atmosphere, suggesting Onslaught will combine old-school action-movie intensity with modern horror.
A Chilling ‘28 Years Later’ Connection?
One of the trailer’s strangest choices is its soundtrack.
The footage uses a dramatic remix of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous 1941 “Day of Infamy” speech, delivered after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. The presentation immediately evokes the ominous tone of the 28 Years Later marketing campaign, giving the trailer an apocalyptic edge.
That similarity is likely to fuel comparisons between the two movies, although Onslaught has its own distinctive premise.
Wingard and Barrett are returning to the type of high-concept genre filmmaking that made their earlier collaborations cult favorites. Their involvement alone has made Onslaught one of A24’s more intriguing upcoming genre releases.
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Dan Stevens Goes Completely Unhinged
The movie’s cast is another major reason horror fans are paying attention.
Dan Stevens appears to be having an especially wild time in the film, portraying a Nazi scientist connected to the creation of the super soldiers. The trailers have teased a deliberately exaggerated performance that contrasts sharply with Stevens’ more restrained roles.
Rebecca Hall, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Drew Starkey and UFC star Alex Pereira also feature alongside Adria Arjona.
Pereira’s presence is particularly notable. The mixed martial arts fighter plays The Butcher, one of the terrifying engineered soldiers hunting down the film’s survivors.
Adam Wingard Returns to Bloody Genre Territory
A24’s Onslaught marks another major genre project for Adam Wingard, whose filmmaking career has moved between horror, action and blockbuster territory. His previous credits include The Guest, You’re Next, Blair Witch and Godzilla vs. Kong.
This time, however, the filmmaker appears to be going back to his more aggressive roots.
The combination of genetically engineered killers, a former military sniper and an increasingly chaotic desert setting suggests A24 is betting on Onslaught delivering visceral, uncompromising entertainment.
The film is scheduled to hit U.S. cinemas on September 4.
