Creature features big and small have always thrived on the primal fear of the unknown, whether beneath the earth or beneath the waves, and next year’s upcoming Killer Whale looks poised to drag that fear kicking and screaming back to the big screen. Lionsgate’s latest aquatic horror, swimming into theaters, digital, and VOD on January 16, 2026, blends emotional stakes with visceral maritime carnage in a way that aims to leave viewers gasping long after the credits roll.
The film centers on two best friends, Trish (Virginia Gardner) and Maddie (Mel Jarnson), whose lives are already unraveling before the terror even begins. After a devastating tragedy, Trish plans what should be a restorative escape for the two of them - a spectacular adventure in a secluded private lagoon halfway across the world. But paradise quickly curdles into nightmare when the ocean’s most bloodthirsty predator, a killer whale with a violently tragic past, turns their retreat into a fight to stay alive.
Starring Virginia Gardner (Halloween), Mel Jarnson (Blacklight), and Mitchell Hope (Descendants), Killer Whale taps into that deep-sea dread that only nature’s apex hunters can evoke - with an extra dimension of the consequences of animal cruelty tossed in for good measure. Director Jo-Anne Brechin, teaming with co-writer Katharine E. McPhee, crafts a script that doesn’t just lean on jump scares but weaponizes atmosphere, isolation, and the brutal unpredictability of wildlife pushed beyond its limits.
Rated R for “violent content, bloody / grisly images, language, and brief drug use", Killer Whale isn’t shy about leaning into its creature-feature roots while upping the ante on spectacle and heart-pounding dread. Mark your calendars: this January, the ocean bites back.
‘Killer Whale’ splashes into theaters and VOD on January 16th, 2026.
