Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Movie Reviews 2026 – your deliciously dark guide to film. And this week, Movie Reviews 2026 is all about horror stories and twisted tales you can view from the comfort of your own home!
Up for review is shark survival movie, The Devil’s Mouth, as well as the mind bending sci-fi horror, Affection. Plus, after disappearing from the release schedules at the beginning of the year, Kate Dolan’s sci-fi erotic horror-thriller Soulm8te has suddenly resurfaced.
As a reminder, this one is/was connected to the M3GAN movie series. Although the connection is loose at best.
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Now streaming…
The Devil’s Mouth (2026)
First up this week it’s over to streaming for the survival horror-thriller, The Devil’s Mouth. Directed by Jeff Wadlow, and starring Kathryn Newton, Lana Condor, Gavin Casalegno, Nico Hiraga, and Tommi Rose, the movie follows the story of a group of friends who encounter a rather hungry shark while exploring an underwater cave.
In the movie, Sara and her friends are in Thailand having the time of their lives, drinking, exploring, and generally hanging out. With the exception of a rather nasty incident with a swarm of jellyfish, everything is going well.
But things take a troubling turn when the group head out on a guided tour of an underwater cave known as the Devil’s Mouth. Here they cross paths with a ruddy ravenous shark, who likes nothing more than chowing down on unsuspecting explorers.
With some genuinely strong visuals, a decent setup, and the inclusion of scream queen Kathryn Newton amongst the cast, The Devil’s Mouth has all the right ingredients for an enjoyable little horror-thriller. It’s the sort of picture that can play into a fear of the dark, a fear of the water, a fear of confined spaces, and a fear of sharks, meaning it ticks many boxes.
However, despite a great deal of potential, The Devil’s Mouth flounders when it really should excel. It takes too long to really get going, and even when the film does arrive at the more interesting material (i.e. the inevitable shark attacks), it never manages to maintain any sense of momentum.
There are moments here and there which hold interest, and the staging is never less than superb, with some fab underwater shots, but the film lacks energy when it’s really needed. The Devil’s Mouth plods along when it could zip by, and this ultimately sinks its chances at greatness.
On a more positive note, Newton shines, there are some suitably dark moments, and it’s clear all involved are keen on delivering a solid film. OK, so this isn’t quite achieved, but the intention is there, and some of it works very well.
Most important of all, The Devil’s Mouth is better than the majority of shark survival movies that regularly do the rounds. This sub-genre of horror-thrillers is oversaturated beyond belief, largely by low rent trash, but The Devil’s Mouth doesn’t sink to those murky depths.
The biggest problem with The Devil’s Mouth is that it could and should be better. Keep this in mind, and you may enjoy what it does get right.
Should you wish to take a look, The Devil’s Mouth is now streaming on Prime Video.
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Now streaming…
Soulm8te (2026)
Onto video-on-demand now for the somewhat muted release of sci-fi erotic horror-thriller, Soulm8te. Directed and co-written by Kate Dolan, the movie stars Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, and Claudia Doumit, and is the third instalment in the M3GAN franchise.
Yep, you read that correctly, Soulm8ate is part of the M3GAN series. Not that anyone from Blumhouse, Atomic Monster, or Universal Pictures is shouting it from the rafters.
In fact, there’s not much shouting going on with this film at all. Originally scheduled for a theatrical release back in January, Soulm8te was instead pulled from the schedules due to the lacklustre response to M3GAN 2.0, and quietly shifted onto digital instead.
Oh, and it was released on a Saturday, no less (films tend to release on a Monday or Friday – rarely Saturday). If this doesn’t speak volumes about the studios’ disinterest in this film, nothing will.
Either way, Soulm8te is here and surprisingly, the connection to M3GAN is tenuous at best. The film contains an AI companion who develops an obsession, just like the M3GAN films do, but that’s about it.
Soulm8te instead focuses on recently widowed David Wasson – a man who has become increasingly lonely since his wife passed away. But things start to pick up a little when David is asked to test out the Ulti-M8te companion app for his company, Ultima Robotix.
After downloading the app, David begins to communicate with an AI chatbot he names Sara. David then takes things one step further, by beta testing a prototype robot, which contains the Sara personality.
The two hit it off and soon Sara is fulfilling all of David’s needs. However, in order to please him, Sara develops an obsession with David, which of course won’t end well.
OK, so let’s get this out of the way first: Soulm8te isn’t particularly original. The film appears to take influence from a number of classic movies, including Fatal Attraction and Companion, but doesn’t quite hit the same heights as what came before.
Soulm8te also exists around the same time as popular horror hit, Obsession. And when comparing the two, Obsession is the clear winner when it comes to movies featuring characters with an unhealthy fixation.
Now that said, Blumhouse/Atomic/Universal etc, have really thrown this film under the bus for no good reason. Soulm8te is a perfectly serviceable horror, which is better than most of the trash that makes it to the big screen these days (including some of the stuff from Blumhouse), and should not be treated like this.
By sending the film straight to video-on-demand platforms, to buy only, and dumping it out on a Saturday with no fanfare just seems like such a poor move. At the very least, Universal could have put a bit more effort into its release, to make film fans aware of its arrival and/or existence.
Director Kate Dolan deserves better as Soulm8te really isn’t bad. Likewise, the movie’s stars – particularly Lily Sullivan – also deserve better, as they all deliver everything expected of them.
There’s some interesting commentary in this movie about AI and surveillance; the performances are great; and there are also a couple of decent kills. So let me be clear: Don’t get the impression this film is trash based on the way the release has been handled.
Soulm8te is reminiscent of the sort of films you’d rent from the video shop (back in the day), where all you want is something enjoyable for a couple of hours. It is perfectly fine for a bit of late night viewing, and delivers on its premise.
Soulm8te might have started life as a part of the M3GAN series, but the connection is arbitrary at best. As such, this film didn’t need to be treated so badly when the sheen came off that series, and could easily have continued with its original theatrical release, with no mention of M3GAN at all.
Anyway, should you wish to take a look, the film is available to buy on digital.
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Now streaming…
Affection (2025)
And finally, sticking with video-on-demand for the sci-fi horror, Affection. Written and directed by BT Meza, and starring Jessica Rothe, Joseph Cross, and Julianna Layne, the movie follows the story of a young woman who wakes up in a house she does not recognise, with a man who claims to be her husband, and a child who says she is her daughter.
The woman – who is referred to as Ellie – is adamant this is not her name, and this is not her life. Instead, she has memories of other people and places, and causing her to doubt what she is being told.
With a twisted narrative, and a strong performance from Jessica Rothe as Ellie/Sarah, Affection is a quirky, mind bending horror story which for the most part works rather well. The initial premise creates a great deal of intrigue, while a key revelation later on introduces elements of body horror and unsettling imagery.
Affection also serves up a rather interesting look at the way people do awful things, while believing themselves to be right. There is a sort of mad scientist vibe to proceedings, with a couple of gross out moments too.
Where things fall down a touch is largely in the pacing. Affection is generally a slow burn tale, but even taking this into account the pace does dip a fair bit, resulting in a picture which loses some of its thrust.
This doesn’t derail all of the elements that hit the mark, but it does take the wind out of Affection’s sails. The end result is a picture which either needs to move a little faster, needs a touch more substance, or both.
However, this one will no doubt be embraced by fans of the genre. And if that’s you, Affection is available to rent or buy on video-on-demand platforms.
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Recent Releases
Not quite done yet? Want more movies? The above suggestions aren’t enough?! Well, here’s what’s also doing the rounds:
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
“While the inclusion of various Marvel heroes and villains, as well as a more comic book accurate costume, could easily suggest Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a lighter affair than what we’ve seen before, this is far from the case. What we have this time around is a Spidey film which is aging up with its audience and presenting a more compelling take on the character.”
The Truthers (2026)
“Pacing aside, this is a good little thriller. The lead performances from Stéphanie Magnin and Jose Coronado all cut the mustard; the cinematography from Juana Jiménez is beautiful; and the picture has some interesting things to say about conspiracy theories and radicalisation.”
72 Hours (2026)
“There is some fun to be had with 72 Hours. Scenes involving an attempted arrested, an allergic reaction, and a limo brawl are all comical, as is a brief sequence involving Andy Garcia, and the end credit outtakes bring out a few titters too.”
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week, and this week the title is going to Soulm8te. The film deserves more attention than it’s likely to get and is a neat little horror which looks at technology and obsession.
And if you like Soulm8te then you might also like:
- M3GAN (2022) – Gerard Johnstone’s sci-fi horror about an artificially intelligent doll who develops a troubling attachment to a young girl.
- Obsession (2025) – Curry Barker writes and directs this supernatural tale about a man who wishes his best friend would fall in love with him, only for his wish to come worryingly true.
- Fatal Attraction (1987) – Adrian Lyne directs this classic ‘80s thriller about a publishing attorney who has an affair he later comes to regret.
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Forthcoming attractions
And that’s your lot for this week, but coming soon the summer blockbuster season continues with The End of Oak Street, Insidious: Out of the Further, and Spa Weekend. Plus, before the summer concludes Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner head to the big screen for the live-action/animated comedy, Coyote vs. Acme.
Alex
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this edition of Movie Reviews 2026. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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