Highly endorsed by none other than Stephen King, The Cycle, now available to watch on SHUDDER, is every bit as good as the legendary horror writer claims it to be.
It’s the kind of film they hardly make anymore. One that spends much of its running time firmly rooted in the crime procedural genre before unleashing a spectacular throwback to the 1980s, when practical effects took centre stage and monsters roamed the screen.
The always-brilliant Deborah Ann Woll plays Dr. Meg Garland, a gifted criminology expert presented with a baffling case that will eventually unlock disturbing secrets buried deep within her own family.
And you can certainly see why King loved it.
The crime scene? A mother and child, brutally mutilated and murdered inside their home. But the discovery of another body nearby raises even more questions, particularly when the victim is identified as Meg’s own father, a man who mysteriously vanished 34 years earlier.
How? Why?
These are questions the film takes its time exploring, embracing a slow-burning mystery that may frustrate those looking for instant gratification but will delight anyone longing for the dark, methodical atmosphere of David Fincher’s Se7en.
And for those willing to embrace its deliberate pacing, there’s a wonderfully old-fashioned mystery waiting to be unravelled.
As Garland digs deeper into the investigation, aided by father-and-son officers Ian (Will Hochman) and Marks (Jeffrey Donovan), it becomes increasingly apparent that something is very wrong with the unexpected reappearance of her father’s body.
Director Jordan Downey clearly enjoys teasing his audience, casually namechecking the likes of Frankenstein and Dracula while slowly guiding us towards the film’s ultimate revelation.
Admittedly, seasoned horror fans may find themselves one step ahead of the mystery. Even the film’s title offers a potential clue as to where things are heading.
But when the killer is finally revealed in all its glory, The Cycle transforms into something rather special.
There’s an infectious sense of old-school horror fun as the creature emerges, brought to life through the sort of glorious practical effects that dominated the genre during its 1980s heyday. It’s the kind of craftsmanship that once made monster movies such a thrilling cinematic experience, and seeing it embraced so enthusiastically here is an absolute delight.
The Cycle may not be particularly original in what it offers, but somehow it feels wonderfully fresh, simply because we haven’t seen this kind of horror filmmaking done so well in quite some time.
And don’t be surprised if, by the end of the year, The Cycle finds itself sitting comfortably on many horror fans’ Top 10 Films of 2026 lists.
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