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Crawlers (2026): Release Date, Why It Is Not the Infested Remake, and Where to Watch

In US theaters October 2, 2026 · Roadside Attractions and Saban Films · Matilda Lutz · Shot by the cinematographer of [REC]

By Alan Willey ·

Crawlers opens wide in US theaters on Friday, October 2, 2026, released by Roadside Attractions and Saban Films, who acquired US rights in April 2026. Ángel Gómez Hernández directs from a screenplay by Jayson Rothwell. Matilda Lutz plays Serena, the manager of an apartment complex that is placed under quarantine after a death inside it turns out to be the start of a venomous spider infestation.

Listings disagree on the date. TMDB carries a single US entry of September 25, 2026, and Movie Insider repeats it. Rotten Tomatoes lists October 2, 2026, marked wide, which matches the date Roadside Attractions and Saban announced. September 25 is out of date.

The film was developed and announced under the title Arachnid, which is still its title in some territories. We have not seen it, because we score films only after watching them. With a free account you can add it to your watchlist.

Crawlers poster

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Quick facts

Releases
Director
Ángel Gómez Hernández
Studio
Roadside Attractions / Saban Films
Cast
Matilda Lutz, Gregg Sulkin, Melina Matthews, Chris Rogers, William Miller
Home release
Theatrical only. No streaming or digital date announced.
Roadside Attractions and Saban Films, US wide releaseShot by Pablo Rosso, cinematographer of [REC]First feature from Badlands, Thunder Road's genre label

Release Date & Where to Watch

Crawlers is in US theaters from October 2, 2026, as a nationwide release through Roadside Attractions and Saban Films.

No streaming date, digital rental date or streaming partner has been announced.

TMDB holds one US entry, September 25, 2026, and aggregator pages built on TMDB repeat it. Rotten Tomatoes lists October 2, 2026, marked wide, which matches what Roadside Attractions and Saban said when they announced the date. October 2 is the correct date. We corrected our own catalog on August 13, 2026, having inherited the September date from TMDB.

Beware Boiúna also opens in the US on October 2, 2026.

This page and the film page will be updated the day a digital or streaming date is announced.

Crawlers and Infested are different films

Infested, released in France in 2023 as Vermines, is about a young man who brings home an exotic spider, and an apartment block that ends up sealed off while a venomous infestation spreads through it. Crawlers is about a man who returns from a trip carrying a new breed of arachnid, and an apartment block that is quarantined while a venomous infestation spreads through it. The loglines are close to interchangeable.

The films are unrelated. Infested was written and directed by Sébastien Vaniček and produced in France. Crawlers is an original screenplay by Jayson Rothwell, directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández, produced through Thunder Road's Badlands label. There is no shared writer, director or production company, and no adaptation or remake credit on either film. Crawlers was announced as Arachnid in 2024, with Rothwell already attached as its writer.

They are two separate productions made independently and released three years apart.

Infested is in our catalog and scores 7.8 overall.

The crew, and the [REC] connection

Crawlers is an English-language film with American producers. Its department heads come largely from Spanish horror.

The cinematographer is Pablo Rosso, who shot [REC] and [REC]². He also appeared in both, playing Pablo, Ángela Vidal's cameraman, inside a sealed Barcelona apartment building. He is now the director of photography on another film set in a quarantined apartment building. None of the pages currently ranking for Crawlers mention this.

Rosso also shot Verónica and Don't Listen. Don't Listen was Ángel Gómez Hernández's first feature, so Crawlers is his second film with the same cinematographer.

The editor is Luis de la Madrid, who cut Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone. Artur Pinheiro is production designer, Luci Lenox is casting director, and Peter Welter Soler produces. The film was announced as shooting in Madrid.

Jayson Rothwell wrote Underworld: Blood Wars and Silent Night. Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee produce through Thunder Road, the company behind John Wick and Sicario, with Scott Strauss, previously a Screen Gems executive on Resident Evil and Underworld. Crawlers is the first feature from Badlands, the genre label they launched together.

Is Crawlers scary?

Unknown until it is seen. We score films only after watching them, so its Fear, Gore, Atmosphere, Intensity and Overall values will be published on the film page once we have.

The premise is a sealed building with a spreading infestation, which is a containment structure rather than a pursuit. On our five axes that shape usually produces Fear and Intensity values that move independently of Gore.

Arachnophobia is a separate question from how frightening the film is, and the score does not measure it. What matters there is how much screen time the spiders get and how they are shot. We will state both on the film page after watching it.

As of August 13, 2026 there is no announced MPA rating, no announced runtime and no released trailer. We will update this page as each is confirmed.

Related films on Watch Darkly

  1. Vermines(2023)

    An apartment block sealed off around a spreading spider infestation, made in France three years earlier. Shares the premise with Crawlers but is not related to it. Scores 7.8 overall.

  2. [REC](2007)

    Shot by Pablo Rosso, the cinematographer on Crawlers, who also plays the cameraman trapped inside the building. Set almost entirely inside a quarantined apartment block. Scores 7.7 overall.

  3. Voces(2020)

    Gómez Hernández's first feature, also shot by Rosso. Scores 7.8 overall, the highest of the Rosso-shot films in our catalog.

  4. Verónica(2017)

    Another Rosso film, shot conventionally rather than as found footage. Scores 7.3 overall.

  5. The Mist(2007)

    A group sealed into one building while something outside makes leaving impossible. The same containment structure without the spiders. Scores 7.5 overall.

Common questions

When does Crawlers come out?
It opens wide in US theaters on Friday, October 2, 2026, through Roadside Attractions and Saban Films. TMDB and some aggregator listings still show September 25, 2026, which is out of date. Rotten Tomatoes and the distributors' own announcement both give October 2.
Is Crawlers a remake of Infested?
No. Infested, released in France in 2023 as Vermines, was written and directed by Sébastien Vaniček. Crawlers is an original screenplay by Jayson Rothwell, directed by Ángel Gómez Hernández. The two films share a premise, an apartment block quarantined around a venomous spider infestation, but no writer, director, or production company, and neither is credited as an adaptation of the other.
Was Crawlers previously called Arachnid?
Yes. The film was developed and announced as Arachnid, and it still carries that title in some territories. It is the same film.
Who is in the cast of Crawlers?
Matilda Lutz plays Serena, the manager of the apartment complex, with Gregg Sulkin, Melina Matthews, Chris Rogers, Paul S. Tracey and William Miller. Lutz previously starred in Revenge and Rings.
Who directed Crawlers?
Ángel Gómez Hernández, whose first feature was Don't Listen, released in Spain as Voces in 2020. Crawlers is his second film with cinematographer Pablo Rosso.
Is Crawlers scary?
Unknown until it is seen. The premise is a sealed building with a spreading infestation, which is a containment structure rather than a jump-scare one, but a premise is not a measurement. We score films only after watching them, so its Fear, Gore, Atmosphere and Intensity values will go on the film page after release.
Is Crawlers rated R?
No MPA rating has been announced yet. We will update this page when one is confirmed.
How long is Crawlers?
No runtime has been announced, and TMDB does not list one. We will update this page when it is confirmed.
Is there a trailer for Crawlers?
No trailer had been released as of August 13, 2026. We will add one here when a distributor releases it.
Where can I watch Crawlers?
In US theaters from October 2, 2026, as a wide release. No streaming service, digital rental date or physical release has been announced. We will update this page and the film page the day one is.
When do predictions on Crawlers close?
Predictions on Watch Darkly close when the film opens, on October 2, 2026. Until then, signed-in users can predict the Watch Darkly score. After release, the film moves to rating.