Editorials
Over 30 Horror Movies We Can’t Wait to See in 2019
If you’ve been keeping up on our 2018 year-end coverage, then you already know it’s been another great year in horror. But as 2018 is now over, it’s time to look ahead to the new year.
We officially can’t wait for 2019 – the release calendar looks ridiculously stacked. There’s an insane amount of horror on the horizon, from highly anticipated reboots, sophomore efforts by breakout voices in horror, festival darlings, and so, so much more. As this decade is winding down, it’s clear horror intends to end it with a bang.
Here’s what we’re most looking forward to:
Escape Room – January 4
The first major theatrical release of the year is the latest by director Adam Robitel (The Taking of Deborah Logan, Insidious: The Last Key). Six strangers are lured to a mysterious room, and are forced to rely on their wits and each other to solve a series of traps in a game of life or death. Escape Room stars Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Logan Miller, Taylor Russell, and Adam Robitel.
Glass – January 18
Two years after M. Night Shyamalan surprised audiences with the tease of Unbreakable’s David Dunn (Bruce Willis) at the end of Split, he brings the unwitting superhero back in a major way by pitting him against not just former foe Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), but Split’s Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) as well. Anya Taylor-Joy’s Casey Cooke returns to the fold, too. More Crumb and Dunn sounds great, and it’ll be interesting to see how these characters collide. It’s a safe bet that Shyamalan has more surprises in store.
The Final Wish – January 24
Co-written by Jeffrey Reddick (Final Destination) based on his story, The Final Wish stars Lin Shaye, Tony Todd, Spencer Locke, and Melissa Bolona. Shaye and Todd would be enough to pique our interest, but the plot follows a son returning home to help his grief-stricken mother after the death of his father and finds a mysterious object while going through his dad’s things. That object grants wishes, albeit in the nastiest way possible. Be careful what you wish for.
Jacob’s Ladder – (TBD)
This reboot is currently slated for February 1 release, but it’s been so quiet that I wouldn’t be surprised if it changes. Jacob’s Ladder is supposed to “honor the spirit and concept (of the original), while telling a different story.” The original followed a Vietnam vet returning from war and struggling to maintain his sanity as he’s plagued by hallucinations and surreal flashbacks. David M. Rosenthal directs the re-imagining, which stars Michael Ealy (Underworld: Awakening), Guy Burnet (“Ray Donovan”), Karla Souza (How to Get Away with Murder) and Nicole Beharie (“Sleepy Hollow”).
Piercing – February 1
Nicolas Pesce’s sophomore feature is a very different beast than his debut The Eyes of My Mother, and draws heavy influence from gialli films. Based on a novel by Ryu Murakami, it follows Reed (Christopher Abbot), a family man who decides to channel his frustrations by checking into a hotel and plotting to murder a prostitute. But when call girl Jackie (Mia Wasikowska) arrives, Reed realizes he may be in over his head. Stylish as it is twisted, and definitely violent, this is another film that makes Pesce a director to watch.
The Prodigy – February 8
A mother grows increasingly concerned about her son’s disturbing behavior and begins to believe something supernatural may be responsible. Taylor Schilling stars as mom Sarah, and It’s Jackson Robert Scott plays her son Miles. But the biggest reason The Prodigy is a horror film we can’t wait to watch? It’s directed by Nicholas McCarthy who brought us gems like The Pact and At the Devil’s Door.
St. Agatha – February 8
The latest by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera) is a period horror film set in the 1950s, and follows a pregnant unwed woman seeking shelter at an isolated convent. Unfortunately, the strict nuns are a lot more sinister than they initially appear, and Bousman revives the nunsploitation genre with nerve-fraying tension and primal rage.
Happy Death Day 2U – February 14
This sequel to 2017’s surprise hit Happy Death Day sees poor Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) getting sucked back into the vicious time loop that has her dying on repeat in order to solve who’s behind the baby-faced mask. In other words, much more fun and more Rothe letting loose as Tree, both a huge plus. Happy Death Day 2U is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat.
Climax – March 1
On paper, this plot doesn’t exactly sound like horror – a group of dancers gather together in an empty school building to rehearse and cut loose. But someone has spiked their sangria with LSD, and their night descends into a hallucinatory nightmare. I should also mention that this is written and directed by Gaspar Noe (Irreversible, Enter the Void), so it doesn’t get much more horrific than Climax. Brutal, mesmerizing, and disturbing.
The Hole in the Ground – March 1 (January 31 DirecTV)
Acquired by A24 ahead of its Sundance premiere, The Hole in the Ground will be available on January 31 for DirecTV subscribers. The rest of us will have to wait until March. This Irish horror film stars Seána Kerslake as a mother attempting to build a new life for her and her son in a rural home at the edge of a forest that happens to have a massive sinkhole. When her son disappears into the forest one night only to reappear unharmed soon after, she begins to suspect that whatever returned isn’t her son.
Us – March 22
Arguably the most anticipated film of the first quarter, Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort promises to bring the horror. Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker, Us follows a family’s vacation gone wrong when uninvited visitors arrive. What begins as a seeming home invasion film turns into something more with Peele’s The Tethered – terrifying doppelgangers of the family. This one looks intense, and new monster mythology potential is always a plus.
Pet Sematary – April 5
One of Stephen King’s scariest novels gets a new adaptation, this time by directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes). The Creed family will discover that sometimes dead is better when they move to a rural home along a dangerously busy road and tragedy strikes. Kölsch and Widmyer are serious King fans, and we can expect them to bring something new and different to the story than the 1989 adaptation. Pet Sematary stars John Lithgow, Jason Clarke, and Amy Seimetz.
Hellboy – April 12
Actor David Harbour (Stranger Things) bears the Right Hand of Doom this time, for the reboot adaptation of Mike Mignola’s beloved comic series. Directed by Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers), expect a bloodier take on the comic character that promises to more closely align with its comic roots. Hellboy also stars Milla Jovovich, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim, and Ian McShane.
The Curse of La Llorona – April 19
This is the feature film debut by Michael Chaves, who has since been tapped to helm the next entry in The Conjuring series. It’s about time we got a major horror movie about the creepy folktale of The Weeping Woman, a ghost of a woman who lost her children and weeps while in search of them. Linda Cardellini stars as a social worker and single mother who catches the attention of La Llorona when she investigates a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment.
BrightBurn – May 24
What if Superman crashed on Earth as a baby, but wasn’t such an upstanding superhero? What if he was evil, instead? That’s the concept explored in this horror film produced by James Gunn, and co-written by Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn. The film stars Elizabeth Banks, a woman so desperate for a child that she quickly assumes the role of mother when one crash lands from another planet in her backyard. She soon discovers that this alien child might not be the friendly kind.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters – May 31
Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Gidorah, all in one stunning film, as evidenced by the trailer. Do we really need anything more to be sold? Oh yeah, it’s also co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty (Krampus, Trick ‘r Treat) and boasts a cast with Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, and so many more.
Child’s Play – June 21
At first glance, it seems the only real update in this remake is that Chucky is now Buddi, a high-tech doll for the modern era that has voice recognition, English language comprehension, and a different origin story than serial killer Charles Lee Ray. Aubrey Plaza stars as single mother Karen Barclay, who gifts the doll to her son Andy for his birthday. And if it turns out that this isn’t much more than a modern update, we still win- Don Mancini is working on a Child’s Play TV series with Chucky.
Grudge – June 21
Mark June 21 as a day for horror reimaginings, as the Takashi Shimizu horror movie about a cursed house with vengeful ghosts dooming any who enter to a violent end, is getting a new iteration. Directed by Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of My Mother, Piercing), this iteration promises to be very different than the franchise we’re used to. Moreover, the cast is impressive; Grudge stars Andrea Riseborough (Mandy), William Sadler, Demian Bichir, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver, Betty Gilpin, and John Cho. This looks to be the dark horse of June 21 releases.
47 Meters Down: Uncaged – August 16
It wouldn’t be summer without a shark horror movie, and director Johannes Roberts returns for the sequel to sleeper hit 47 Meters Down. This time the plot follows five divers exploring ruins of an underwater city, and quickly discover they’re not alone in the underwater caves. If Roberts can land another terrifying scare like the flare scene in the first film, this sequel will be golden. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged stars Nia Long and John Corbett.
Annabelle 3 – June 28
Currently untitled, the latest entry in the Annabelle spinoff series brings the Warrens into the fold, as the creepy doll wreaks havoc from her display case in the Warrens’ artifact room and awakens many other evil spirits resting there. The Haunting of Hill House’s Mckenna Grace stars as Judy Warren, and Madison Iseman as Judy’s babysitter Mary Ellen. Look for Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga to reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren in a smaller capacity, as well. Gary Dauberman, who penned the previous two Annabelle films, will be making his directorial debut.
The New Mutants – August 2
This film has gotten bumped back so many times that it’s plausible to happen again. Following a group of young mutants discovering their powers while held at a secret facility against their will, initial trailers indicated this would be a straight-up horror take on the superhero story. But the actual film didn’t really have much in the way of horror at all, so it was bumped for reshoots to add the horror. If it succeeds, The New Mutants could be just as exciting as the initial trailer suggested. Guess we’ll find out. Eventually.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – August 9
Based on Alvin Schwartz’s internationally best-selling book series, the movie follows a group of young teens solving a string of murders in their town. Produced by Guillermo del Toro, who has been working to get this movie made for a while now, Andre Ovredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe) directs from a script by Daniel Hageman, Kevin Hageman and del Toro. Between Ovredal and del Toro, we’re sold, but if they can even partially capture the essence of illustrator Stephen Gammell’s creepy artwork, we’re in for a major treat.
It: Chapter Two – September 6
The highly anticipated conclusion to 2017’s It is finally here! Set 27 years after the events of the first film, most of the Loser’s Club have grown up and moved out of Derry. But the return of It has them returning to fulfill their promise to finish It off once and for all. The young cast of the Loser’s Club returns in flashback form, while the adult Loser’s Club is played by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Jay Ryan, Bill Hader, Isaih Mustafa, James Ransone, and Andy Bean.
Zombieland 2 – October 11
Ten years after the first film, we finally get a sequel. The core cast returns, along with original director Ruben Fleischer. This time, Wichita, Little Rock, Tallahassee, and Columbus have to contend with growing pains within their makeshift family, new survivors, and evolving zombies. The real question is – can they top the Bill Murray cameo?
Are You Afraid of the Dark? – TBD
The beloved Nickelodeon 90’s anthology show that featured a group of teens gathering around the campfire to tell each other scary stories is getting a feature film adaptation, but plot details are scarce as of now other than it’ll be a completely original story. Gary Dauberman (Annabelle) penned an earlier script, and BenDavid Grabinski wrote the most recent draft. D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) was only recently tapped to direct, so the Paramount targeted release date of October 11 can potentially change. Either way, we’re in.
Doctor Sleep – November 8
Director Mike Flanagan takes on the works of Stephen King once more, and this time it’s for the sequel to The Shining; Doctor Sleep. A now adult Danny Torrence (Ewan McGregor) meets a young girl with very powerful Shining abilities unlike anyone he’s ever met. It’s the very thing that makes her a target from the dangerous True Knot, a vampiric group that preys on children like her to remain immortal. Dan must overcome his personal demons to protect her. Look, this had us at Flanagan, who’s proved uncanny at developing literary horror masterpieces. But we also really can’t wait to delve into the world of The Shining once again. That the release date was bumped up from January 2020 to the holiday season this year is also a great sign.
In the Tall Grass – Late 2019
Based on the novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill, In the Tall Grass follows a brother and sister driving through rural Kansas on a road trip. When they stop to investigate cries for help, they find themselves lost in a field of, you guessed it, tall grass. Directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube, Splice), and based on King and Hill’s story, you can expect things to get weird. The film stars Patrick Wilson and Rachel Wilson.
TBD
These films currently have no release date but are expected to arrive in 2019:
3 From Hell
This highly anticipated follow up to The Devil’s Rejects is going to be a very different experience, while still reuniting fans with the surviving members of the Firefly clan. Do we really need to know anything else? Take my money now, please.
Body at Brighton Rock
Written and directed by Roxanne Benjamin (Southbound), this survival thriller follows an inexperienced park ranger as she’s stuck guarding a dead body overnight on a remote mountain trail until authorities can arrive. It causes her to confront her deepest, darkest fears.
Depraved
Written and directed by Larry Fessenden, Depraved looks to be a new, twisted take on the Frankenstein story. In it, a field surgeon suffering from PTSD makes a man out of body parts and brings him to life, but this is Fessenden at the helm, so we know there’s much more to it than meets the eye.
Eli
To be released on Netflix, Ciaran Foy (Citadel, Sinister 2) directs this supernatural story about a young boy battling an auto-immune disorder while stuck in a house that might be haunted. Eli stars Kelly Reilly, Lili Taylor, and Sadie Sink.
The Lighthouse
Robert Eggers follow up to The Witch is another period piece, this time set in 1890 Nova Scotia. It’s about an aging lighthouse keeper named Old, and stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. That’s really all we have to go on, other than the actors reported that their time on set was one of the most grueling experiences. So, you can bet we’re very curious.
Midsommar
What begins as a summer road trip movie for a young woman and her boyfriend turns into an absolute nightmare as the couple falls prey to a Pagan cult in Sweden. Oh yeah, and it’s Ari Aster’s immediate follow up to Hereditary. So, we want Midsommar in our eye holes immediately, please.
Rabid
A remake of David Cronenberg’s original 1977, with Sylvia Soska and Jen Soska at the helm, Rabid sees central character Rose (Laura Vandervoort) aspiring to become a fashion designer until a gruesome accident leaves her so horribly disfigured that she turns to an experimental, untested treatment. As a result, it alters her personality from shy to extroverted, but it also comes with some horrific side effects.
What are you looking forward to in 2019?
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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