Editorials
21 Horror Movies We Can’t Wait to See in 2021
Let’s try this again, shall we? Last year teased the potential for another great year for horror, with a slew of highly anticipated theatrical releases. All of that derailed quickly only a quarter into 2020, thanks to a pandemic we’re still not through yet. That means that while many of those anticipated titles got bumped to 2021, the release schedule remains precarious.
The good news is that the industry is adjusting; many of the titles once designated as theatrical releases will now receive a PVOD release either simultaneously or a few short weeks after they arrive in theaters. Warner Bros., for example, announced that their 2021 titles would be available on HBO Max on the same day as the theatrical release. In other words, dates may shift but not quite as drastically as last year. Knock on wood. And as 2020 proved, the indie and festival slate never fails to deliver genre surprises throughout the year.
We’re excited to check out these 21 horror titles in 2021, but perhaps even more excited knowing that it’s only the beginning of what’s in store.
Psycho Goreman – January 22
After unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the universe, a young girl and her brother use it to make him do their bidding. With writer/director Steven Kostanski (The Void, Leprechaun Returns) behind it, you know Psycho Goreman will emphasize that gore.
The Vigil – February 26
Desperate for income, Yakov reluctantly accepts an offer from his former rabbi and confidante to take on the responsibility of an overnight “shomer,” fulfilling the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased community member. Shortly after arriving at the recently departed’s dilapidated house to sit the vigil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong. This one’s a supernatural chiller rooted in Jewish lore and demonology.
Come True – March 12
A teenage runaway takes part in a sleep study, so she has a place to stay. Instead, she finds herself on a terrifying and nightmarish journey into the dark depths of her mind. Come True is from writer/director Anthony Scott Burns, the mind behind the chilling “Father’s Day” segment in Holidays.
A Quiet Place Part II – April 23
Following the first film’s events, the Abbott family is forced to venture beyond the home they’d made for themselves. They realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path…
Last Night in Soho – April 23
A psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead). Anya Taylor-Joy stars as a fashion-obsessed girl who finds a way to travel back to the 1960s, where she encounters her idol, a charismatic aspiring singer. But 1960s London is not what it seems, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences.
Godzilla vs. Kong – May 21
King Kong and Godzilla duke it out for dominance in this King of the Monsters heavyweight championship event. Look for Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler to reprise their roles from the previous Godzilla film, while Adam Wingard is directing.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw – May 21
Director Darren Lynn Bousman returns to helm the ninth film in the Saw franchise. Chris Rock stars as detective “Zeke” Banks, his rookie partner played by Max Minghella, and Samuel L. Jackson as police veteran Marcus Banks. The detectives find themselves investigating a mysterious killer leaving spiral symbols and targeting cops. Expect this entry to shake up the formula, at least a little bit.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – June 4
The third entry in the main Conjuring series, and seventh in the expanded universe, this film takes on one of the most sensational cases from the Warrens’ files. One that marks the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense. While Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as the Warrens, Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona) picks up the directorial reigns this time.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife – June 11
When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard star as the two grandkids but look for appearances by most of the original main cast as well.
The Forever Purge – July 9
The final entry in the franchise. Set after Election Year‘s events, The Forever Purge follows Adela (Ana de la Reguera) and Juan (Tenoch Huerta), who finds solace at a Texan ranch, having fled a drug cartel in Mexico. They’ll run into trouble when a group of outsiders decides to keep purging beyond the allotted time when people can break all laws.
The Green Knight – July 30
Dev Patel plays Sir Gawain, who encounters the mysterious Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), intent on striking a perilous bargain. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers, which becomes a more profound journey to prove his worth. From visionary writer/director David Lowery, expect a heavily stylized take on the Arthurian legend, full of nudity and bloodshed.
Don’t Breathe 2 – August 13
Fede Alvarez co-wrote this surprise sequel but handed the directorial reigns over to Rodo Sayagues. Stephen Lang returns to play the Blind Man, who appears to be the protagonist this round. In Don’t Breathe 2, the Blind Man has been hiding out for years in an isolated cabin and has taken in and raised a young girl orphaned from a house fire. He’ll have to leave his haven to save her once she’s kidnapped.
Candyman – August 27
Directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele, this spiritual sequel returns to Cabrini-Green. Visual artist Anthony (Abdul-Mateen) and his girlfriend Brianna (Teyonah Parris) move there and learn about the horrors of the slasher story firsthand.
Resident Evil – September 9
The Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey at Night) helmed reboot inspired by Capcom’s popular games keeps mum on plot details as of now. Based on what we know so far, including the cast, we can expect it to pull from the first two games. We also know that Roberts hopes to capture the games’ visceral terror.
Halloween Kills – October 15
The war between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode rages on in this new installment. This time Tommy Doyle and Lindsey Wallace return as adults to rejoin the fray. Expect double the kills, according to director David Gordon Green.
Army of the Dead – TBD Summer, Netflix
Zack Snyder makes his long-awaited return to zombie action-horror. Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries takes the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted. There’s no official date yet, but Netflix has announced Army of the Dead for summer 2021.
The Deep House – TBD
The latest by French filmmaking duo Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (Inside, Among the Living) takes on aquatic horror. While diving in a remote lake, a couple of YouTubers who specialize in underwater exploration videos discover a house submerged in deep waters. The divers find the house was home to vicious crimes and soon become trapped. Even worse, the pair realize they’re not alone. Currently marked as in post-production and slated for a 2021 release in native France, a worldwide release likely won’t be far behind.
Malignant – TBD
Plot details are nil, but who cares when it’s James Wan’s return to horror. Described as an original Giallo thriller, Wan directed off a screenplay by Akela Cooper and JT Petty with story by Wan and Ingrid Bisu. The MPAA gave it an R-rating for “Strong horror violence, gruesome images, and for language.” It may not have an official date yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
Saint Maud – TBD
A24 still hasn’t set a new date for their festival darling, though it’s been released in the U.K. Between that and the film’s initial Easter date, we’re hoping Saint Maud rises around Easter this year. It follows a pious nurse who becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient.
Slaxx – TBD, Shudder
During an overnight shift at a trendy clothing store, a possessed pair of jeans embarks on a killing spree. It’s up to new employee Libby to stop the bloody rampage. Yes, you read that correctly; this slasher-comedy features a killer pair of jeans. While that’s every bit as silly as it sounds, the deaths do get delightfully bloody.
There’s Someone Inside Your House – TBD, Netflix
An adaptation of the book by Stephanie Perkins, the story sees the graduating class at Osborne High being targeted by a masked assailant intent on exposing each victim’s darkest secret. Only a group of misfit outsiders can stop the killings, but they’ll have to do it before their dark secrets are exposed. This slasher is directed by Patrick Brice (Creep, Creep 2) and will arrive sometime this year on Netflix.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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