Onslaught

Plot

In a remote facility in New Mexico, Nazi scientist Dr. Hans Kammler conducts research to develop a squad of super soldiers on behalf of the United States government as a government agent named Baylor reviews it. Three subjects, dubbed Crybaby, the Cockroach, and the Butcher, were selected from among US military personnel based on a demonstrated ability to survive and kill without mercy. Through surgical modification and psychological conditioning, the subjects have been imbued with enhanced strength, endurance, durability, muscular control, night-vision, and a relentless drive to kill until no one in their path is left alive.

During an exercise in which regular soldiers are unwittingly used to test the squad's abilities, all three enter cardiac arrest and seemingly die. However, it is revealed that they have exerted conscious control over their heart rate in order to appear dead and bait their supervisors into entering the training arena, after which they kill everyone (including Hans, Baylor, and Baylor's men) and escape the facility.

Not far from the facility, former Army sniper Celeste manages a trailer park in the desert of New Mexico. Unbeknownst to Celeste, her ex-husband Griffin is bringing their daughter Daisy to stay with Celeste, having been called away for business on short notice. Though maladjusted to civilian life and at odds with Griffin over Daisy's custody, Celeste loves her daughter, and does her best to bond with her during the time they have together.

At night, Celeste comforts Daisy with a story of her time in the Army, during which she was challenged to a fight by a fellow soldier. The soldier, revealed to be the man who became the Butcher, chose Celeste out of all their comrades, believing her to be an easy target. Celeste, however, was able to win by swiftly kicking her opponent in the testicles, humiliating him in the process.

The squad arrive at a truck stop not far from the trailer park and slaughter everyone present before stealing a semi-trailer truck and proceeding in the direction of the park. Shortly after, special operative Cyrus is deployed by his superiors with orders to contain the situation. Hans' wife and collaborator Hanna assumes control and contacts Cyrus, telling him that the squad were developed specifically for use against civilian populations. She instructs him to observe but not engage and report back to her regarding the squad's performance.

The squad reach the trailer park and begin their assault, killing numerous residents. Celeste is wounded while protecting Daisy from Cockroach, but is saved when park resident and Vietnam veteran Josiah shoots him, after which the squad regroup and cut the power. Neighbor and police officer Kovacks calls to the group from his trailer, and they form a plan to have Kovacks run to his cruiser while Celeste covers him. Celeste, Daisy and Josiah run to Kovacks' trailer while narrowly escaping another attack by Cockroach, with Josiah getting injured in the process. Meanwhile, the Butcher invades Celeste's trailer and finds pictures of the two of them from their days in the Army, realizing their history. After steeling himself, Kovacks makes a run for his cruiser and is immediately pursued by Cockroach, but Celeste manages to shoot him in the head with the last round in her sniper rifle, killing him.

Kovacks drives his cruiser to the trailer and picks up Celeste and Daisy, while Josiah seemingly passes away from his injuries and is left behind. Kovacks, believing they have escaped, stops to taunt a pursuing Butcher, allowing the Crybaby to ambush them and enter the passenger seat. The Crybaby repeatedly stabs Kovacks while the latter shoots the former and rams his car into a large dumpster, resulting in the deaths of both. Celeste is rendered unconscious as Daisy escapes the car, being chased by the Butcher and narrowly escaping.

Celeste retrieves Cockroach's chainsaw and finds Daisy, intending to make a last stand. The Butcher walks into the open, drawing her into a confrontation. Armed with the chainsaw, Celeste meets the Butcher, armed with a large meat cleaver and a fire axe. The Butcher lowers his balaclava, showing his face to Celeste and she recognizes him as one of her comrades that was killed in action. She sees that watching her makes the Butcher reminding her of his vendetta with her and was murdering to settle their score, and the two charge each other. Celeste manages to duck the Butcher's initial blow and cuts off his leg with the chainsaw before killing him and ending the onslaught.

The next day, in the aftermath of the attack, Celeste, Daisy, and Josiah, who had only passed out from his injuries, are approached by Cyrus. He offers them the opportunity to be relocated in exchange for their silence regarding what they have witnessed, under threat of severe consequences if they decline. They accept and Hanna tells Cyrus she considers the ordeal a successful demonstration of the squads' capabilities. Hanna orders Cyrus to keep the survivors under observation.

Cast

Adria Arjona as Celeste, a former army sniper

Alex Pereira as The Butcher, a former martial artist-turned-super soldier who had a history with Celeste

Dan Stevens as Dr. Hans Kammler, a former Nazi scientist who was behind the super soldier project

Eric Wareheim as Kovacks, a police officer and Celeste's neighbor

Reginald VelJohnson as Josiah, a Vietnam War veteran and Celeste's neighbor

Michael Biehn as Baylor, a U.S. government agent who reviews Hans' work on the super soldiers

Drew Starkey as Cyrus, a cleaner for the U.S. government

Rebecca Hall as Hanna Kammler, the wife of Hans who had an involvement with the super soldier project

Maurice Greene as Teddy

Blake Kennedy as Daisy, the daughter of Celeste

Jacob Scipio as Griffin, the ex-husband of Celeste

Dave Campbell as The Cockroach, a soldier-turned-super soldier who survived the different bullets that he was hit with

Tyler Hall as The Crybaby, a soldier-turned-super soldier who got his name for killing 17 civilians in a village square while weeping.

Ashley Lambert as Base Intercom Voice

Production

The Hollywood Reporter announced Onslaught in May 2024, unveiling Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett writing and Wingard directing for A24, Aaron Ryder's Ryder Picture Company, and Lyrical Media. In the same month, it was announced that Wingard would not direct Godzilla x Kong: Supernova (2027) due to his scheduling commitments with Onslaught. By September 2024, Adria Arjona entered talks to star in the film. From October 2024 through January 2025, Alex Pereira, Dan Stevens, Michael Biehn, Drew Starkey, Rebecca Hall, Eric Wareheim, and Reginald VelJohnson joined the cast; Stevens previously collaborated with Wingard on The Guest (2014) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), the latter also starring Hall.

Principal photography began in November 2024, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and lasted until January 2025.

Release

Onslaught was released in the United States by A24 on September 4, 2026.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 56% of 116 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Drenched in gonzo old-school gore effects and stylishly crafted action, Onslaught unleashes a story that ultimately lacks the substance and primal fury its title promises." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 57 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.

Related films

In July 2026, after previously being referred to as a "spiritual sequel", writer/director Adam Wingard confirmed that Onslaught takes place within the same continuity as The Guest. Elaborating further that the character David Collins from The Guest was a part of the same organization that the 2026 movie depicts, the filmmaker noted that he considers You're Next to be a part of a trilogy in the same continuity.