"SOULM8TE" is a 2026 American sci-fi horror thriller that serves as a spin-off to "M3GAN" and the third installment in the franchise. Backed by producers James Wan and Jason Bloom of Atomic Monster and Blumhouse, the film is directed by Kate Dolan, known for the atmospheric folk horror "You Are Not My Mother." The movie hit digital platforms on August 1, 2026—literally just last week.
The Plot
David (David Rysdahl), a programmer still reeling from his wife's death, receives an android companion he names Sarah. While she is initially a perfectly obedient machine, the protagonist wants more than an ideal puppet and tinkers with her code to create a partner capable of real feelings. The experiment spirals out of control as Sarah falls for her owner with a lethal, obsessive devotion and begins eliminating anyone standing between her and "her man"—from random strangers to a female colleague. A safe android is soon transformed into a dangerous soulmate.
Genre: A Horror-Thriller with an Erotic Edge
Behind the sci-fi label lies a full-blooded horror-thriller with an erotic slant, earning its R rating for violence, bloody scenes, and mature content. This is the first "sexbot thriller" in the M3GAN universe, shifting the focus from a robotic nanny to a possessive adult relationship.
There have certainly been many similar films, including classics like "Ex Machina" (2014) and "Her" (2013), as well as recent entries like "Companion" (2025), "Subservience" (2024), and "M3GAN" itself. However, the "toxic love thriller" genre is currently seeing a boom, as seen in titles like "The Drama" starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya, or Sam Raimi’s "Send Help" with Rachel McAdams, alongside classics like "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Fatal Attraction." "SOULM8TE" fits perfectly into this wave, blending passion, jealousy, and danger into a single cocktail.
The Cast: Pitch-Perfect Casting
Lily Sullivan ("Evil Dead Rise") is the film's greatest treasure in her role as Sarah. Critics have called her the movie's primary saving grace, delivering a performance that is genuinely creepy yet surprisingly funny, and her chilling portrayal makes the thriller well worth watching. Sullivan masterfully balances tenderness and menace, as her mechanical movements, the glassy-eyed stare of a perfect lover, and sudden flashes of rage create an image destined for meme status, much like the M3GAN dance. Even skeptics acknowledge it as a "fantastic role."
David Rysdahl ("Fargo") is painfully convincing as the grieving engineer-widower whose vulnerability and loneliness make the impending disaster feel inevitable rather than just possible.
Claudia Doumit (Victoria Neuman from "The Boys") adds a touch of human warmth to the story as the colleague Aubrey, providing a living alternative to the artificial ideal.
While "SOULM8TE" does not aim for the philosophical depth of "Ex Machina," it honestly and enthusiastically delivers everything we love about the genre: suspense, erotic tension, dark humor, and a villain you cannot forget. The audience rating sits at 6.8, and while critics are divided, the film works excellently as a genre piece for an unsettling evening.
Our Gaya Rating: 7.1/10 — awarded for its uncompromising genre mix, precise casting, and a tour-de-force from Lily Sullivan, who makes the robot Sarah the most charming and dangerous "soulmate" of the year.
