# The Young People
**The Young People** is an upcoming American horror film written and directed by Osgood Perkins, in which two school friends drift apart as one of them begins exhibiting disturbing behavior that turns their relationship sinister.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_young_people) It stars [Lola Tung](https://www.edgepedia.org/lola-tung) and [Nico Parker](https://www.edgepedia.org/nico-parker) as the two friends, with [Nicole Kidman](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicole-kidman), Tatiana Maslany, Heather Graham, and Johnny Knoxville in the cast.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) Neon is releasing the film theatrically in the United States in 2026.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-director-osgood-perkins-is-on-a-serious-roll-with-his-2026-horror-movie-starting-filming-before-new-film-keeper-has-even-hit-screens/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Osgood Perkins (credited as Oz Perkins on some listings), his follow-up to *Longlegs*, *The Monkey*, and *Keeper*[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/news/) |
| Genre | Horror, described by Neon as "A Bad Trip from Osgood Perkins"[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/new-bad-trip-movie-from-longlegs-and-the-monkey-director-taps-the-last-of-us-and-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-stars-as-leads/) |
| Leads | Lola Tung (Kitty) and Nico Parker (Sue), two school friends whose relationship turns sinister[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) • [6](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/the-young-people) |
| Supporting cast | Nicole Kidman, Tatiana Maslany, Heather Graham (Kitty's Mom), Johnny Knoxville, Cush Jumbo, Brendan Hines, Lexi Minetree (Athena)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) • [6](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/the-young-people) |
| Production | Lyrical Media, Oddfellows Pictures, and Phobos; producers Chris Ferguson, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Osgood Perkins[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) • [7](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) |
| Filming | Vancouver, British Columbia; production began October 2025 and has since wrapped[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-director-osgood-perkins-is-on-a-serious-roll-with-his-2026-horror-movie-starting-filming-before-new-film-keeper-has-even-hit-screens/) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/news/) |
| Release | 2026 theatrical release in the United States via Neon; VOD and home video dates not yet announced[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-director-osgood-perkins-is-on-a-serious-roll-with-his-2026-horror-movie-starting-filming-before-new-film-keeper-has-even-hit-screens/) • [8](https://www.releases.com/p/the-young-people) |
## Premise
The film centers on a girl named Sue who befriends a new classmate named Kitty. What begins as a typical coming-of-age story turns sinister when Kitty starts acting out of the ordinary, with "troubling red flags" beginning to emerge.[9](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-and-the-monkey-director-osgood-perkins-next-horror-is-revealed-to-be-a-coming-of-age-movie/) The official synopsis states that the two school friends drift apart as one starts exhibiting disturbing behavior.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_young_people) Plot details beyond this outline have been kept tightly under wraps; Perkins released an image of the script's first page at the time of the production announcement, which reads only "The Young People..."[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-director-osgood-perkins-is-on-a-serious-roll-with-his-2026-horror-movie-starting-filming-before-new-film-keeper-has-even-hit-screens/)
**Speculation and early reactions.** Some commentators have speculated, based on the title and a snippet of the script released by Neon, that the film may pay homage to the work of the writer H.P. Lovecraft.[10](https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/the-young-people-release-date-plot-cast-trailer-horror-films-like-backrooms-sequel-osgood-perkins-872751) [Tatiana Maslany](https://www.edgepedia.org/tatiana-maslany), asked about the film, said "I think you'll love it because I think it's very Oz, that movie, just from the little bits that I've seen of it so far."[10](https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/the-young-people-release-date-plot-cast-trailer-horror-films-like-backrooms-sequel-osgood-perkins-872751)
## Production
The project was first reported in August 2025, when Perkins' next feature was identified as a coming-of-age horror film titled *The Young People*, expected to shoot in Canada.[9](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-and-the-monkey-director-osgood-perkins-next-horror-is-revealed-to-be-a-coming-of-age-movie/) On August 28, 2025, Neon confirmed the title and leads with a post on X reading "THE YOUNG PEOPLE. A Bad Trip from Osgood Perkins. Starring Lola Tung and Nico Parker. Coming soon."[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/new-bad-trip-movie-from-longlegs-and-the-monkey-director-taps-the-last-of-us-and-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-stars-as-leads/) Tung had gained wide attention starring in *The Summer I Turned Pretty*, while Parker appeared in the first episode of *The Last of Us* and played Astrid in the live-action *How to Train Your Dragon*.[5](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/new-bad-trip-movie-from-longlegs-and-the-monkey-director-taps-the-last-of-us-and-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-stars-as-leads/)
**Filming.** Neon announced the start of production on October 21, 2025 with a post captioned "The Young People. Day 1," accompanied by a first-look image of Lola Tung leaning over a bathtub filled with blood.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-director-osgood-perkins-is-on-a-serious-roll-with-his-2026-horror-movie-starting-filming-before-new-film-keeper-has-even-hit-screens/) Shooting took place in Vancouver, British Columbia.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-director-osgood-perkins-is-on-a-serious-roll-with-his-2026-horror-movie-starting-filming-before-new-film-keeper-has-even-hit-screens/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) By mid-2026 the film was listed as in post-production.[7](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/)
The film is a production of Lyrical Media, Oddfellows Pictures, and Phobos, the production company Perkins launched in 2025.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) • [11](https://praesens.com/praesens-pro-presse/katalog/backrooms/regional/de/backrooms-press-kit-dch/) The producers are [Chris Ferguson](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-ferguson), Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Perkins himself, with Jesse Savath as executive producer; the editors are Graham Fortin and [Greg Ng](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-ng), and Danny Vermette is the production designer.[7](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/fullcredits/)
## Release
Neon, which distributed Perkins' *Longlegs* and *The Monkey*, plans a 2026 theatrical release in the United States.[3](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-director-osgood-perkins-is-on-a-serious-roll-with-his-2026-horror-movie-starting-filming-before-new-film-keeper-has-even-hit-screens/) No exact date has been announced; release trackers list the US cinema release as confirmed for 2026, with VOD, DVD, and Blu-ray dates to be announced.[8](https://www.releases.com/p/the-young-people) As of September 2026 the film was not available on streaming services in the Netherlands, and it was not yet available to stream, rent, or buy in the United States.[6](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/the-young-people) • [13](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-young-people/Ptb5o4X9SWe7NXBfcpXmn5/where-to-watch/)
The film continues an unusually rapid output schedule for Perkins: *The Monkey* reached theaters seven months after *Longlegs* (2024), *Keeper* was released nine months after that, and *The Young People* entered production while *Keeper* was still in theaters.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/news/)
## Other films of the same name
The title has been used elsewhere. *Young People* (1940) is a Twentieth Century Fox musical directed by Allan Dwan starring [Shirley Temple](https://www.edgepedia.org/shirley-temple) as Wendy Ballantine, the daughter of a vaudeville act trying to settle in a small New England town.[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/young_people) *Young People Fucking* (2007) is a Canadian comedy directed by Martin Gero, written by Gero and Aaron Abrams, that follows five relationships, four couples and one threesome; it won the award for Best First Feature at the 2007 [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival).[15](https://www.screendaily.com/young-people-fucking/4034891.article) • [16](https://chlotrudis.org/review/ypf/)
## References
1. [The Young People (2026), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/)
2. [The Young People, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_young_people)
3. [Longlegs director Osgood Perkins is on a serious roll, with his 2026 horror movie starting filming before new film Keeper has even hit screens, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-director-osgood-perkins-is-on-a-serious-roll-with-his-2026-horror-movie-starting-filming-before-new-film-keeper-has-even-hit-screens/)
4. [The Young People (2026) - News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/news/)
5. [New "bad trip" movie from Longlegs and The Monkey director taps The Last of Us and The Summer I Turned Pretty stars as leads, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/new-bad-trip-movie-from-longlegs-and-the-monkey-director-taps-the-last-of-us-and-the-summer-i-turned-pretty-stars-as-leads/)
6. [The Young People kijken, waarkanikdatkijken.nl](https://waarkanikdatkijken.nl/the-young-people)
7. [The Young People - Production & Contact Info, IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/)
8. [The Young People Release Dates, Releases.com](https://www.releases.com/p/the-young-people)
9. [Longlegs and The Monkey director Osgood Perkins' next horror is revealed to be a coming-of-age movie, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/horror-movies/longlegs-and-the-monkey-director-osgood-perkins-next-horror-is-revealed-to-be-a-coming-of-age-movie/)
10. [New horror movie from makers of Backrooms gets exciting update from star, JOE.ie](https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/the-young-people-release-date-plot-cast-trailer-horror-films-like-backrooms-sequel-osgood-perkins-872751)
11. [Backrooms press kit, Praesens](https://praesens.com/praesens-pro-presse/katalog/backrooms/regional/de/backrooms-press-kit-dch/)
12. [The Young People (2026) - Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt38066158/fullcredits/)
13. [The Young People: Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-young-people/Ptb5o4X9SWe7NXBfcpXmn5/where-to-watch/)
14. [Young People (1940), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/young_people)
15. [Young People Fucking, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/young-people-fucking/4034891.article)
16. [Young People Fucking review, Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film](https://chlotrudis.org/review/ypf/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Supernatural horror films › 2020s supernatural horror films › Titles M to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license