Ultimate Blood-Soaked Throwback to Unwatchable B-Movies

Directed by: Adam Wingard

Screenplay by: Simon Barrett

Story by: Adam Wingard & Simon Barrett

Starring: Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, with Drew Starkey and Rebecca Hall

Music by: Matthew Pusti

Run Time: 92 minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: September 4, 2026

Onslaught blends Maniac Cop with Universal Soldier. It is wrapped in the grimy packaging of a grindhouse movie. It has tense moments and solid jump scares. The film features random, colorful characters that make the world feel alive.

Beyond that, there isn’t much underneath the blood and mayhem. However, some viewers may find the setup enjoyable. If you want a straightforward grindhouse ride, that may be enough.

The Kind of Movie You Sneak and Watch After Bedtime

There is something nostalgic about Onslaught. It reminded me of the B-action and horror movies I watched as a preteen after my parents went to sleep. Movies like Universal Soldier, Maniac Cop, and Cyborg didn’t necessarily need complicated stories. They needed violence, bizarre characters, and enough action to make staying up past your bedtime worth it. It embodies that entertainment.

The movie certainly looks and sounds the part. There are some cool shots throughout, but the sound design is where the experience really comes alive. I watched the film in IMAX, where every impact, gunshot and sudden burst of chaos has considerably more weight. If you’re going to see a movie this committed to being loud and ridiculous, a massive screen and even bigger speakers don’t hurt.

The violence, however, surprised me. There is plenty of blood splatter, but not nearly as much mutilation as I expected. That sounds funny considering how much blood is thrown around, but for a movie seemingly determined to channel the excess of old-school action-horror, I expected it to push the gore even further.

Sometimes the Explanation Gets in the Way of the Mayhem

The film also spends a little more time on exposition than I would have liked. Then again, that’s where the Maniac Cop comparison comes back into play. These movies have always had a funny relationship with mythology. They want to explain why something insane is happening even when the insanity itself is usually more entertaining than the explanation.

The dialogue and story aren’t Onslaught’s strongest weapons. Thankfully, the cast understands exactly what kind of movie they’re in.

Adria Arjona Is Built for This Kind of Chaos

Adria Arjona played a reality star who proved she could kick ass in Blink Twice, and here she continues to be a badass; only this time, she feels like a more hardened version of that character.

She loves her daughter the best way she knows how, and when trouble comes knocking, she arms herself with plenty of weapons and refuses to wait around for someone else to save her. She becomes the kind of action heroine we enjoy following throughout the film.

Arjona fits comfortably into the character and this universe. She can handle the action, violence, absurdity, and quieter emotional beats without any of it feeling out of place. Even when the movie around her doesn’t completely work, you believe she belongs in the middle of all this madness.

Forget Carl Winslow, Reginald VelJohnson Channels Sgt. Al Powell

Reginald VelJohnson taps less into his Carl Winslow from Family Matters and more into Sgt. Al Powell from Die Hard. Think of him as a retired, badass version of Al—only exchange the Twinkies for cigarettes.

It’s a fun reminder of the action-movie presence VelJohnson brought to Die Hard. He still has that warmth and humor we associate with him, but Onslaught allows him to bring out a tougher side again. He knows exactly what movie he’s in and makes every minute of his screen time count.

Eric Wareheim Brings the Weird

Then there’s Eric Wareheim, who is hilarious. If you liked Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, rest assured that his comedy shines here in this otherwise bloody action-gore fest.

Wareheim brings his particular brand of weirdness to a movie already filled with bizarre characters. His humor doesn’t fight against the violence; somehow, it makes the whole thing even stranger. Along with VelJohnson, he’s one of the film’s highlights.

Sometimes Blood, Bullets and Weird Characters Are Enough

Ultimately, Onslaught works best when you stop expecting it to become something more sophisticated.

If you grew up on B-action and horror movies, there is something comfortably familiar here.

It has that direct-to-DVD energy—the kind of movie you discover late at night, knowing you probably shouldn’t be awake but wanting to see what ridiculous thing happens next.

With everything Onslaught has going for it—and everything that doesn’t quite work, I give it 3 out of 5. This is a catch-it-at-a-matinee, wait-for-streaming, or make-it-a-late-night-fun-run kind of movie, preferably with a group of friends who love cult action-horror films.

Onslaught may not have the strongest story or dialogue, but the entertainment is there. Sometimes that’s all a movie this bloody, loud, and proudly ridiculous really needs.