12 Most Anticipated Horror Films of 2019
We are in full swing of one of the best horror renaissance since the 1980s.
In 2017, Jordan Peele’s release of Get Out set the precedent for how horror can send an important message (without rubbing our face in it). That year also brought us a retelling of Stephen King’s classic IT: Chapter One. Last year, writer and director Ari Aster made us feel unsettled with Hereditary. 2018 also brought us the return of not only Michael Myers, but our favorite scream queen, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in Halloween (2019). These are just four of the biggest box office hits that horror has had in sometime.
What does this mean for the genre in 2019? Well studios are finally seriously looking at horror again (and not in a Sharknado sort of way.) We’re talking about really good scripts that have been laying dormant or have been tossed around the rewrite circuit. Every spectrum of the genre is hitting hard — from classic slashers making a return to Hollywood finally shining some light on important medical conditions that have plagued humanity since the dawn of time — to scare us in all-new ways.
Here are the movies that will keep us checking under our beds in 2019.
Us (March 15)
What happens when an ordinary family takes a summer trip, only to find out they are being replaced by deranged doppelgänger? This is the simple premise of Jordan Peele’s next stab at the horror genre, Us. Though, if it is anything like Peele’s first film Get Out, there may lie many layers and fans cannot wait to unravel them. This one stars Black Panther‘s Winston Duke and Lupita Nyong’o. (Side Note: Peele is hosting the new Twilight Zone revival for CBS coming later this year. From the looks of this film along with Get Out, he’s becoming our modern age Rod Serling.)
Pet Sematary (April 5)
The original 1989 adaptation of Stephen King’s terrifying tale is unsettling in all the right ways, especially thanks to Miko Hughes’ sinister child performance; but it does come with its problems. That’s why I’m chomping at the bit to see Starry Eyes directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer have a go at one of King’s top stories. Pet Sematary (2019) follows The Creed family as they move into their new home away from the city. Only this rural home lies between a busy interstate and a small cemetery where disturbing goings-ons are afoot.
BrightBurn (May 24)
Guardians of the Galaxy writer and director James Gunn has always been a horror guy. He started out in Troma films after all; Disney was just late to the game. Well Disney’s loss is Sony’s gain as Gunn and co-writers Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn ask the question “What if Superman came to earth and didn’t take to the human ways of living and simply started killing?” That’s the premise of BrightBurn starring Elizabeth Banks and The Office’s David Danman. If this is just one more way to help us with superhero fatigue, we’re completely fine with it.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)
It is here. It is time. We saw Gareth Edwards’ king of all monsters bond with a boy in the military. We then saw Kong throw down with some wicked creatures on Skull Island from Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Now Michael Dougherty, the mind behind horror hits like Trick r’ Treat and Krampus brings us the Toho throwdown with a major studio budget. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is finally coming. Mothra, Rodan, and King Gidorah have all been teased for this very film. The supporting cast includes Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Sally Hawkins, and more. We think this will be the one we’ll be talking about for a long time.
Child’s Play (June 21)
Chucky is back and fans are pissed! Let me just address the elephant in the room. This film is a full-on reboot of Tom Holland and Don Mancini’s classic by the folks at Orion. Which is kind of confusing since Mancini has been at the helm of the Child’s Play films for a while now and is currently in production on the television series with all the original talent. This new version of the Good Guy doll (now called Buddi) is high-tech and ready to sync up with all your devices. The film stars Aubrey Plaza who gifts her son the doll for his birthday. Sorry, but if you take the Charles Lee Ray out of the franchise, we’re not sure we really want it.
The New Mutants (August 2)
Here is a film that made some dark choices when creating its trailer. Comic fans and horror fans alike were excited to see a different take on mutants. One that looked like a horror film! Well, when word got back to the set and the big wigs upstairs, production came to a screeching halt because The New Mutants was never supposed to be a horror film to begin with. Well the good thing is money talks and it is one now! An entirely new character has been added to the story to really kick up the fear. Will this doom New Mutants or make it the perfect film for fans with superhero fatigue? We’ll find out later this Fall.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (August 9)
Those books that stopped you dead in your tracks at the library are making their way to the big screen. Author Alvin Schwartz’s writing paired so well with Stephen Gammell’s haunting illustrations that it has forever stuck in our gray matter. That is why creator Guillermo del Toro has jumped on as producer and is helping bring André Øvredal’s adaptation to life for CBS Films and Lionsgate. We’ve only seen one sneak peek so far from Fandango, but it looks like the right atmosphere is there.
IT: Chapter 2 (September 6)
Fans new and old to Stephen King’s classic are foaming at the mouth to check this one out. IT: Chapter 2 takes place 27 years after the events from the first film. We’ll see flashbacks of the original Looser’s club members, along with their adult counterparts. Sure the gang has moved away from Derry, but IT still follows each and every member. Bill Skarsgård will of course reprise his role as Pennywise while James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, Isaih Mustafa, Andy Bean, James Ransone, and Jay Ryan will play the adult Looser members.
Are You Afraid of the Dark? (October 11)
Fans of the 90’s Nickelodeon television series can jump for joy knowing that The Midnight Society is back (well, in their own way that is), Gary Dauberman (Annabelle) worked on a treatment and it looks like D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) will direct. What we do know so far is that the film will be book ended by the Midnight Society telling a tale or two, but what those stories are about, we still do not know. The Midnight Society members themselves will be new, but we’d keep an eye out for cameo or two.
Zombieland 2 (October 11)
You know what’s better than that Zombieland television series by Amazon? Literally anything! Thank the Twinkie Gods that show was canned and the franchise was saved for a later film reuniting Tallahassee, Wichita, Little Rock, and Columbus! Director Ruben Fleischer is back to direct and we may see the gang deal with new types of undead and Little Rock as an adult. We’d also love to see Bill Murray’s head just be carried around the entire film.
3 From Hell (Release Date TBA)
Musician and director Rob Zombie shocked us all when he announced that not only was The Devil’s Rejects getting a sequel, but that the film was already in pre-production (and is now in the editing process). How the hell did the surviving members of the Firefly family even survive that shoot out? Maybe the Devil rejected them? In any case, fans love Captain Spaulding and the gang and cannot wait to see their wicked foul-mouthed return!
Depraved (Release Date TBA)
The fine folks out at Glass Eye Pix have another nail biter for us. This time it looks to be writer and director Larry Fessenden’s stab at a Frankenstein-type tale. All we know so far is that our field surgeon lead is suffering from PTSD and starts making a creation out of human body parts and brings them to life. Fans of Supermassive Games Until Dawn starring Rami Malek may remember creator Fessenden as the games co-writer and Ahab character who attempts to save the surviving teens.
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