They Will Kill You: Muschiettis' new horror gets an R rating and a date
If you've been itching for the Muschietti crew to swing back into horror after It, here's your update: their new label Nocturna is launching with They Will Kill You, and it's officially R-rated. New Line is co-financing and distributing, and the film is headed to theaters on March 27, 2026.
The Motion Picture Association ratings board stamped it with an R for "strong bloody violence, gore, language and brief sexual content/nudity." So, yes, expect a loud, messy night at the movies. The kind of rating that tells you the gloves are off.
The setup
Zazie Beetz (movies and tv series) leads as a woman who answers a housekeeping ad in a mysterious New York high-rise. She doesn't realize she's stepping into a community with a trail of disappearances-and a possible Satanic cult holding the keys.
She's joined by Patricia Arquette (movies and tv series), Tom Felton (movies and tv series), Heather Graham (movies and tv series), and Myha'la. Arquette plays the head of the co-op. Felton's in the cult. That little detail alone gives you the vibe: neighbors you can't quite read, doors that don't stay closed.
Who's making it
The film is billed as a tonal mix of Ready or Not and The Raid-which reads like sharp, bloody fun with a kinetic engine under the hood. Kirill Sokolov directs from a script he wrote with Alex Litvak.
Sokolov is known for a dark sense of humor, with previous features including the action comedy No Looking Back and the culty, comedic thriller Why Don't You Just Die!. Litvak co-wrote Predators (2010) and later worked on Paul W.S. Anderson's The Three Musketeers and the TV movie Secret Society of Second Born Royals.
The Nocturna push
They Will Kill You is the first project out of Nocturna, the new horror label from director Andy Muschietti (movies and tv series) and producer Barbara Muschietti (movies and tv series) in partnership with Skydance. After a $1 billion run with Stephen King (movies and tv series)'s It adaptations, this is them planting a clear flag: bold, theatrical horror with bite.
Producing are Andy and Barbara Muschietti alongside David Ellison (movies and tv series), Dana Goldberg (movies and tv series), Don Granger (movies and tv series), and Dan Kagan. Executive producers include Nocturna Co-Heads of Film Russell Ackerman and John Schoenfelder, plus Sokolov, Litvak, and Carl Hampe. Barbara Muschietti calls it a fun horror-comedy-action movie-something meant to make you smile even as it sprays the walls.
Why this matters (and what to watch)
March is a smart corridor for horror that wants room to breathe-after awards season but before the early-summer crush. An R rating with that "Raid meets Ready or Not" pitch suggests bruising fight choreography, gallows humor, and set-piece mayhem stacked in a single location. If they stick the landing, word-of-mouth could be strong.
Also worth clocking: New Line's backing. The studio's horror muscle is real, and pairing that with Skydance resources and the Muschiettis' name recognition gives Nocturna a loud first swing. Here's what this could mean: if this connects, expect Nocturna to fast-track more original, theatrical-leaning shockers.
Quick takeaways for your calendar
- Title: They Will Kill You
- Release date: March 27, 2026 (theatrical)
- Rating: R - strong bloody violence, gore, language, brief sexual content/nudity
- Cast: Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Myha'la
- Director: Kirill Sokolov | Writers: Kirill Sokolov & Alex Litvak
- Producers: Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Dan Kagan
- Executive Producers: Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder, Kirill Sokolov, Alex Litvak, Carl Hampe
- Label/Partners: Nocturna (with Skydance), New Line Cinema (co-finance/distribution)
- Tone: "Ready or Not" meets "The Raid"
Look, high-rise horror hits a nerve because we all know that uneasy feeling of sharing walls with strangers. Add a cult and the Muschiettis' taste for scale, and you've got a weekend ticket that sells itself. We'll keep an eye on first footage and whether the action beats punch as hard as that rating promises.
