A New Year of Horror
It is 2018 and do you know what that means? A whole new line up of horror movies to last all year.
2017 was rumored to be a groundbreaking year for horror films - some sources say the biggest year ever with record breaking earnings. Movies like It, Get Out, Split and Annabelle Creation exceeded projections and, some say, pulled a stale Hollywood out of its slump. It was the clear winner for me. Not just because it was great (because it was), but because I really wanted to like it so I set my expectations very high. The film measured up, showing this natural skeptic just how good a remake from a novel can be. And while I did not think that Get Out lived up to its hype, a horror movie on the Oscar ballot for best picture is impressive.
But this post is not about last year, it is about 2018. 45 movies including 7 TBDs. So let's get started
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January
The new year begins with the final chapter from the Insidious series, The Last Key, a Netflix original, The Open House, an early season zombie offering, Day of the Dead: Bloodline, The Summer of '84, and a dark comedy that was included in last year's preview but not released, Mom and Dad, starring Nicholas Cage. I added Delirium last minute, moving it off the TBD when it was found with a final release date, streaming availability, and some pretty nasty reviews. Watch at your own risk.
February
Six offerings for the month of February. Winchester, inspired by true events, a Netflix original, The Ritual, a second zombie film, The Cured, the third film in the Cloverfield series, The Cloverfield Paradox, and Annihilation with Natalie Portman - sure to spark debate about its place in the horror genre. Death House is a late addition to the February list due to its limited theatrical release and apparently a lot of gore. Hint: you can grab The Ritual and Cloverfield Paradox right now on Netflix streaming.
March
Beware the Ides of March. Or beware of strangers. And creepy dead girls, and old friends, and asylums. Or maybe just beware of sequel syndrome because two of the four films that kick off our spring are sequels: The Strangers Prey at Night and Unfriended: Game Night. Continue these stories or try The Terrible Two and Unsane. What the hell, try them all. Even a bad horror movie is good, right?
April
It's no April Fool's joke this year with seven - count them - SEVEN films to whet your horror movie appetite. Trailers for The New Mutants, A Quiet Place, and Truth or Dare were featured previews when I saw The Final Key earlier this year. A Quiet Place is one I would definitely save for home viewing; I can only tolerate the movie crowd when the volume of the film exceeds the ambient noise of rude moviegoers screaming and laughing at the wrong time. Not to worry, though. There are plenty of other options in April: Bad Samaritan, Incident in a Ghostland, the first of two movies by the same name, The Endless, and Ghost Stories which brings back one of my favorite formats - separate but intertwined tales of horror.
May
Nothing to see here. Take a break and work on your golf game.
June
I am pretty excited about Hereditary scheduled to be released in June. This movie was filmed in Utah and who doesn't love to watch a movie filmed in their home state? Bonus points when it is a horror film.
July
July brings the fourth installment in the Purge movie series: The First Purge. Known also as Purge: Island and The Purge and the Fury, this film is a prequel to the first Purge movie released in 2013. It will also be the first Purge movie not directed by James DeMonaco which can be good or bad depending on your fondness for the films. The movie poster features a hat that looks suspiciously like a ripoff from Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Do I sense a foreboding of political agenda with this movie scheduled for an Independence Day release?
August
The heat of August brings with it the much anticipated Slender Man starring Javier Botet, an actor with unique physical features that gave us the Crooked Man in The Conjuring 2, Mama, and the hobo in last year's sensational remake of It. And to keep the summer sizzling, we have Jason Statham and a 70-foot shark in The Meg, family secrets hidden away in the South of France in The Incantation, and The Little Stranger.
September
Get ready for the preseason with another long-awaited movie, The Nun - the nemesis that haunted Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring series. We also have a sequel to the 1984 movie by almost the same name, The Predator, a new comedy horror, Slaughterhouse Rulez, and a family friendly film starring Jack Black - The House with a Clock in its Walls.
October
What would the month of October be without the 40th anniversary of Halloween? Jamie Lee Curtis is back for what promises to be her final confrontation with her brother, Michael. Only a hopeless horror movie junkie like me would dare expect something as good as the original. Also in October is Overlord where secret Nazi experiments result in supernatural forces. Venom comes from the Marvel comics universe but currently without a disclosed plot as it is in post production, but rumored to include Peter Parker - Spider-Man?
November
Satisfy your post-Halloween crash with Lars Von Trier's serial killer drama, The House that Jack Built.
December
Look closely at the movie poster for Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich and you'll see a pedigree that includes 1408 and Bone Tomahawk, and perhaps a reason to check it out since the title is little motivation.
TBD
The TBD list at this time includes three movies slated for release last year: Patient Zero, Polaroid and Suspiria. If you were holding your breath waiting for any of these films in 2017, you'll have to come up for air and wait a little bit longer. New on the TBD list are four films beginning with The Haunting of Sharon Tate, Hillary Duff already sparking controversy with her portrayal of the most famous victim of the Manson family. Also You're Not Alone, the second 2018 movie titled The Endless, and The Slice, a comedy horror about the murder of a pizza delivery driver, .
