5 Movies Like Onslaught Every Action-Horror Fan Must See

Adam Wingard’s “Onslaught” makes no secret of its cinematic DNA. The film is steeped in the bruising pleasures of 1980s action, horror, and science fiction, drawing from the kind of genre classics that once dominated video store shelves. Wingard has been open about the touchstones behind the movie, naming James Cameron and John Carpenter as major influences. “All my favorite movies are B-movies,” he has said — a sentiment reflected not only in nods to titles like “Assault on Precinct 13” and “Tremors,” but also in the casting of era-defining performers such as Michael Biehn and Reginald VelJohnson, both of whom appear in his latest film.

With that pedigree in mind, we’ve put together a compact watchlist for anyone who finished “Onslaught” and immediately wanted more of the same hard-edged genre energy. Consider it a quick primer on retro action-horror thrillers, spanning undisputed classics and more recent standouts that carry the same pulse. “Onslaught” may be the newest entry in the tradition, but it is far from alone.

From Cameron’s relentless sci-fi nightmares to Carpenter’s stripped-down siege cinema — and even one earlier effort from Wingard himself — these five films make ideal follow-ups for viewers who connected with “Onslaught.”

There is no better place to begin than “The Terminator.” While “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” often receives the lion’s share of attention today, and more clearly points toward the larger-scale spectacle James Cameron would later embrace, the 1984 original remains a lean, ferocious masterpiece. It fuses science fiction, action, thriller mechanics, and monster-movie dread into one machine-tooled package, complete with an unforgettable ’80s score and a nocturnal visual style that turns Los Angeles into a hunting ground.

If you have never seen “The Terminator,” or if it has simply been too long, “Onslaught” is the perfect excuse to revisit it. The connection is not only spiritual. Michael Biehn, a key Cameron collaborator and one of the stars of “Onslaught,” co-leads the film opposite Linda Hamilton and an unnervingly precise Arnold Schwarzenegger. Still, the strongest overlap lies in rhythm and atmosphere: both movies thrive on escalation, pursuit, and the feeling that danger is closing in through the dark.

“Onslaught” borrows heavily from “The Terminator” in the best possible way, especially in its depiction of armed, unstoppable antagonists who move like nightmare logic given human form. Its three villainous super soldiers evoke the same “monster with a gun” terror that made Cameron’s film so enduring. Both stories understand a simple, primal truth: few things are more frightening than a relentless attacker who cannot be bargained with. The fear sharpens even further when those attackers are not entirely human — or, in the case of “Onslaught,” perhaps no longer human at all. It is “The Terminator.” Sometimes the recommendation really is that obvious.

Plenty of John Carpenter films could have earned a spot here, including “The Fog” or “Escape from New York.” Instead, the essential pick is one of his earlier and slightly less celebrated works: “Assault on Precinct 13.”

When it comes to movies built around one long, dangerous night, “Assault on Precinct 13” belongs near the top of the list. Positioned somewhere between the grit of “Dirty Harry” and the pure suspense craft Carpenter would perfect with “Halloween,” the film watches a neighborhood descend into chaos as a violent street gang tightens its grip. As a police precinct is being emptied out ahead of closure, armed attackers surround the building, seeking revenge against the officers and prisoners trapped inside. What follows is a spare, nerve-racking siege thriller that helped define Carpenter’s gift for turning limited spaces into pressure cookers.

The premise itself may not sound like anything special, but as is so often the case with Carpenter, who also wrote and scored the film, it’s the style that makes it pop. Some sources place the budget at just $100,000. The American Film Institute puts it at $200,000. Either way, it was a severely indie operation, yet it oozes style — an early demonstration of Carpenter’s penchant for voyeuristic cinematography, always creeping around a corner or behind a wall, forever holding something back and making you wonder what might be there. 

The press materials for “Onslaught” include a claim from Adam Wingard that “Assault on Precinct 13,” more than any other individual film, was the primary blueprint for “Onslaught.” It shows. So if you watched the latter, what are you waiting for? It’s the perfect opportunity to revisit a classic.

No film in the last 20 years has evoked that mid-to-low-budget ’80s action/thriller vibe as effectively as “Drive,” directed by Nicolas Winding Refn in 2011 and starring Ryan Gosling in one of the defining roles of his career. A proper neo-noir, complete with Kavinski’s iconic electro tune “Nightcall” (RIP to a real one), the film is a twisting saga of underworld hits, betrayals, vengeance, and love. But like most of the movies on this list, it’s really more about the look, sound, and feel, than the story. And the look, sound, and feel are second to none.

The vista shots of the city at night, the drives down the Pacific Coast Highway, the neon, the headlights, the jacket to end all jackets — “Drive” is often more of a vibe than it is a movie. So it’s all the more impressive that it’s also a hell of a movie, too. With a supporting cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston, and Oscar Isaac, the film is absolutely stacked, with a healthy helping of kinetic chase scenes and frantic action set pieces to keep the adrenaline high. 

While distinctly less in the action/horror niche as “Onslaught” and some of the other films listed here, “Drive” is a natural follow up for its shared love of that ephemeral ’80s energy. And on a budget of just $15 million, it’s also kind of an underdog story.

Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” is closer to outright parodying its influences than “Onslaught,” but both embrace a similar grindhouse style — blood and gore in an old-school, darkly comedic, rubber and goo kind of way. The 2007 film is obviously much more ludicrous at face value, as it’s about a zombie outbreak and the ensuing pandemonium, complete with a whole slew of familiar character archetypes. Then again, “Onslaught” does have a Nazi scientist who’s obsessed with feet, so maybe these are more balanced in their absurdity after all. And wouldn’t you know, Michael Biehn is here again.

Unlike “Drive,” “Planet Terror” is not trying to be “cool” in how it evokes a bygone era of genre cinema. And in fairness, it’s really pulling more from the ’70s than the ’80s. Even still, the combination of secret military experiments, a band of rural small-town survivors, and a general affinity for classic monster flicks permeate both.

“Planet Terror” may not rewrite the genre but it’s a whole lot of fun, marked by the signature flair for gore and chaos that its director is known for. It takes itself less seriously than “Onslaught” does, but when your subject matter is the walking dead, and the poster has a woman with a gun for a leg on it, that’s sort of inevitable.

“The Guest” isn’t just directed by the same guy as “Onslaught,” or written by the same screenwriter, or is a similar story about PTSD and how the damage of war rarely ends when veterans return home. It’s also in the same continuity, even down to being set in the same town, according to Adam Wingard himself.

The 2014 film stars Dan Stevens as a U.S. Army veteran named David, recently returned from war, where he lost his best friend in combat. Distraught, he tracks down his friend’s family and declares his intention to help them out in the wake of the death. Slowly, though, it becomes clear that David isn’t exactly what he seems to be. A series of violent encounters reveals a dark side, with ties back to a series of secret military experiments. And yup, you guessed it, those are (according to Wingard) directly connected to what we see in “Onslaught.”

Given the lore connections between the two, “The Guest” is a natural pick if you enjoy “Onslaught,” but it’s also a solid thriller in its own right.