October Horror Challenge - Onslaught (2026)

    

Synopsis

When three super-soldiers attack her trailer park, a discharged military sniper must protect her daughter and survive the night.

Review

Director Adam Wingard does it again. Onslaught is a tense and stylish action horror. It also has a delightful sense of weirdness. Wingard channels his best John Carpenter here. There are definite Assault on Precinct 13 vibes and even some of the music feels like it belongs in a Carpenter flick.  

The opening montage sets up the movie well, playing various war related news clips and mentioned Operation Paperclip. Dan Stevens plays a third generation (assumed) Nazi scientist, Dr. Kammler, connected to Paperclip. He's not in the movie long, but as usual Stevens gives an unforgettable performance. Adria Arjorna is badass and I really hope she returns in a sequel. She's a soldier that returned home damaged. She's a struggling parent, but very fierce. She's definitely the kind of protagonist you want to root for. Blake Kennedy, the actress that played her young daughter did an outstanding job as well. The trailer park has some great characters two. The two standouts are Josiah (played by Reginald VelJohnson) a Vietnam vet, and Kovacs, a police office played by Eric Wareheim (of Tim and Eric fame).Oh yeah, I also can't forget about Cyrus, played by Drew Starkey. He's a government cleaner and his scenes add to the odd visuals because the character is under the effects of drugs.

The action in this one is spectacular. The killers are brutal and remind me of a combination of the super-soldiers from Universal Soldier with a healthy dose of Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. There's definitely some Terminator vibes too, which is fitting because Micheal Biehn has small role. This movie has some kink which I wasn't expecting (though I'm not complaining about). Dr. Kammler is submissive to his wife and we are introduced to Cyrus while he's enjoying some bondage. Rather than feeling out of place, this just kind of added to the odd vibes of the flick.

This movie rocks and though it wasn't expressly mentioned in the movie I can see the connections to The Guest. I'd love to see a sequel in which the survivors team team up with David to take on new super-soldiers. 

In Your Game

Operation Paperclip Super-Soldier (Humanoid)

Armor Class: 16
Hit Dice: 10+40 HP (89)
Move: 12

Actions: 3
Attack: Machete (1d6+1) or Semi-Auto Rifle (2d6+2)

Special: Str 20, Toughness +5,fearless,  +2 to all saves, immune to drugs/poisons, dark vision, feign death
Bonuses: +8 to attacks, +12 to kicks and punches, +4 to melee damage +10 to Athletics: Basic, Combat Training +3, +4 to Demolitions, Fighting: Brawling, +6 to Pilot: Basic,+7 to Spot and Listen, +8 to Stealth

Alignment: Evil

Morale: 10

Madness: 10 (12)
Terror: 13

HDE: 8

October Horror Movie Challenge 2026

Viewed: 11
First Time Views: 10

Pretentious and misogynistic