New This Week in Sci-Fi & Fantasy: February 2–8, 2026

Dracula (Only in theaters)

Luc Besson reimagines Bram Stoker’s classic as a sweeping 400-year gothic love story, and we are here for it. Caleb Landry Jones stars as a 15th-century prince who, after witnessing his wife’s murder, renounces God and is cursed with eternal life — spending centuries searching for her reincarnation while Christoph Waltz’s relentless priest hunts him across the ages. With a lush Danny Elfman score and Jones in prosthetics that reportedly took nearly seven hours to apply, this one promises to be a visual and emotional feast for horror-romance fans.

Scarlet (Only in theaters — IMAX)

Mamoru Hosoda (Wolf Children, Belle) returns with his most ambitious film yet — a gender-swapped Hamlet retelling that took four and a half years to create. Princess Scarlet embarks on a vengeance quest after her father’s murder, crossing into a Land of the Dead ruled by a godlike dragon, where a modern-day nurse challenges her cycle of revenge. Having premiered at the Venice Film Festival a few months ago it’s now hitting IMAX screens, a must-see on the biggest screen you can find.

The Strangers: Chapter 3 (Only in theaters)

The rebooted Strangers trilogy comes to its brutal conclusion as Madelaine Petsch’s Maya faces one final showdown with the masked killers who just won’t stop coming. Directed by Renny Harlin and also starring Gabriel Basso and Richard Brake, this R-rated closer reportedly leaves the door open for an even bigger Strangers Universe. If you’ve been along for the ride since Chapter 1, this is the payoff you’ve been waiting for.

Whistle (Only in theaters)

Here’s your new horror obsession: a group of high schoolers discovers a cursed ancient Aztec Death Whistle that summons visions of their future deaths — which then hunt them down. Directed by Corin Hardy (The Nun) and starring Dafne Keen (Logan), Nick Frost, and Michelle Fairley, early Fantastic Fest reviews called it a deeply effective, ferocious teen slasher that cleverly rearranges the Final Destination formula into something thrillingly fresh.

The ‘Burbs Season 1 (Peacock)

The 1989 Tom Hanks cult classic about suburban paranoia gets a TV reboot, and the cast alone has us giddy — Keke Palmer and Jack Whitehall star as a young couple who move into his childhood home and discover deadly threats lurking beneath their quiet cul-de-sac. With Mark Proksch (What We Do in the Shadows) in the supporting cast and Seth MacFarlane executive producing alongside original producer Brian Grazer, all eight episodes drop at once. If you loved the original’s blend of dark comedy and neighborhood-conspiracy horror, this one’s calling your name.

Isles of the Emberdark by Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books
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The first far-future Cosmere novel is finally here, and it is massive. Expanding on the novella Sixth of the Dusk, this standalone epic follows Aviar trapper Dusk as he sails through a mystical portal into the emberdark to save his people from star-faring conquerors, while Starling — a young dragon chained in human form and one of Hoid’s apprentices — chases an ancient treasure map with her ragtag crew. Cosmere theorists have been losing their minds since backers started reading it last year, and now it’s everyone’s turn.

Queen of Faces by Petra Lord
Henry Holt
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In a world where the rich buy and swap designer bodies like clothes, teenage Ana is trapped in a failing male body with nothing but illusion magic and her wits to survive a cutthroat magical academy. Acquired in a seven-figure multi-house auction, this debut has already been called a potential landmark in trans YA fantasy, with comparisons to Shadow and Bone and The Magicians. Publishers Weekly named Lord a Spring 2026 Writer to Watch — and we’re watching.

Nightshade and Oak by Molly O’Neill
Orbit
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Mallt y Nos, the Welsh goddess of death, is accidentally turned human when Boudica’s daughter botches a resurrection spell after a battle against Rome. Hunted by vengeful centurions, the goddess and the warrior princess must journey to the land of the dead together — and their animosity slowly becomes something far more dangerous. With two starred trade reviews and comparisons to Madeline Miller’s Circe, this slow-burn sapphic historical fantasy is one of the most acclaimed debuts of early 2026.

Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon by Mike Chen
Del Rey
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This essential prequel to the Star Wars Outlaws video game follows battle droid ND-5 and Jaylen Vrax as they descend into the galaxy’s criminal underworld. After the Empire destroys his wealthy family, Jaylen reprograms the very droid sent to kill him and reinvents himself for a life of crime. Reviewers are praising the phenomenal droid point-of-view chapters, and the best part? You don’t need to have played the game to love this one.

A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon by Hannah Reynolds
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
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Scholarship student Naomi at the magical Lyceum invents a fake demon betrothal to fend off persistent suitors — until the gorgeous demon Daziel actually shows up, insisting he is her fiancé (and he bakes!). Infused with Jewish mythology and irresistible fake-dating energy, this cozy romantasy earned a starred Booklist review calling it a welcome breath of fresh air in the genre.

Sibylline by Melissa de la Cruz
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
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Three rejected teens infiltrate the magical university Sibylline by stealing an education — secret lectures, forbidden texts, campus jobs — only to discover their magic awakening along with an insidious force killing students and corroding the university itself. A Good Morning America YA Book Club Pick from the 8-million-copy-selling author of Blue Bloods, this dark academia romantasy kicks off a duology.

Heart’s Gambit by J.D. Myall
Wednesday Books
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Two prominent Black families have been locked in a centuries-old magical feud ever since enslaved children struck a bargain with a witch, and now, once a generation, each family must send a competitor to a magical duel to the death. Wish-spinner Emma and illusionist Malcolm are chosen — but forbidden attraction complicates everything. This YA fantasy debut blends time-travel magic with a powerful celebration of love and resilience.

Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die by Greer Stothers
Little, Brown
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Sir Cameron is a cowardly knight far too handsome to die a pointless death — so when the Church prophesies that killing him is the only way to defeat a mad sorcerer, he throws himself on the mercy of the one person who actually wants him alive: the sorcerer himself. This hilarious queer fantasy romance debut has early readers calling it absolutely ridiculous in the best possible way, with comparisons to How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying.

Carnival Fantástico by Angela Montoya
Joy Revolution
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Esmeralda reinvents herself as a fortune-teller at the magical Carnival Fantástico, aiming for the lead role in the Big Top Show to win her freedom — until the only boy she ever loved shows up hunting evidence of his father’s corruption. With second-chance romance sparking against a backdrop of sinister carnival magic, this YA romantasy is drawing comparisons to Caraval and The Night Circus.

Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow
Feiwel & Friends
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Pitched as The Good Place meets the Brandy Cinderella, this cozy YA fantasy follows Guardian angel Darling and arrogant Misfortune agent Calam as they compete over a mortal’s fate — posing as an engaged couple to infiltrate her life. Their mutual loathing transforms into something dangerously close to love, and Kirkus gave it a starred review calling it unmissable.

The Apple and the Pearl by Rym Kechacha
Titan Books
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A ballet troupe of lost souls performs an ancient dance for an audience of faerie princes, imps, and sprites — knowing any of them could be snatched away mid-performance. Written by a former professional ballet dancer turned British Fantasy Award-shortlisted novelist, this atmospheric literary fantasy is hauntingly original.

Draconic Ascension by L.E. Miranda
Aethon Books
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When a System descends upon Earth and throws humanity into a deadly Tutorial Zone, Michael discovers that a single drop of draconic blood in his veins transforms his race from Human to something far more powerful. Pitched for fans of The Primal Hunter and Hell Difficulty Tutorial, this LitRPG apocalypse kicks off a fast-releasing progression fantasy series with Book 2 already slated for May.

Beyond the Rift by John Ringo and Lydia Sherrer
Baen Books
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The fourth TransDimensional Hunter novel escalates Lynn Raven’s gaming exploits into a full-scale battle for humanity’s survival against an incomprehensible extraterrestrial threat. Lynn must merge her real identity with her online persona while navigating enemies foreign, domestic, and alien — and the stakes have never been higher.

The Johnson Four by Christina Hammonds Reed
Ballantine Books
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Subtitled “An American Ghost Story,” this literary novel follows a 1960s boy band of three brothers who encounter the ghost of a minstrel performer while chasing musical stardom. Spanning decades and the planes of the afterlife, Christina Hammonds Reed’s adult debut after the NYT bestselling The Black Kids blends Black music history with the supernatural in a story that lingers long after the last page.

The Marshals by Mike Watson
Baen Books
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Three retired US Army Master Sergeants find themselves transported to 17th-century Germany and must build a Marshal Service from scratch while the Thirty Years War rages around them. This beloved Ring of Fire (1632 universe) novel is returning to print through Baen after its original publisher closed — alternate history fans who missed it the first time around, this is your chance.

The Redline Heist by Michael Mersault
Baen Books
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In the catacombs of a mysterious alien base, thrill-seekers discover a Mad Max-style motorsport death arena where Old Earth vehicles are raced for riches and glory — plus an alien secret hidden for millennia. This first Doomsday novel mashes up space opera heist with road-warrior racing in a wild, pulpy new series that’s exactly as fun as it sounds.

The Universe Box by Michael Swanwick
Tachyon Publications
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A dazzling 21-story collection from the only author to win the Hugo Award five times in six years, including two brand-new tales. Michael Swanwick returns with stories where magic and science improbably coexist with myth and legend, earning a starred Publishers Weekly review. For lovers of speculative short fiction, a new Swanwick collection is always an event.