2018 has been a great year for horror, thanks to some spectacular entries to the genre from all around the world (the best ones are listed over here). Zombie lovers had ‘The Cured’. Fans of revenge-horror had ‘Mandy’ and ‘Revenge’. And those who wanted to have a good laugh while being spooked had ‘Stree’.
However, like all good things, 2018 is coming to an end and so is its stock of excellent horror movies. But fikaar not, because 2019 has an equally varied and interesting roster of scary movies ready to be sprung upon you like the face-hugger from ‘Alien’.
So, without further ado, here the 20 most anticipated horror movies of 2019.
1. Escape Room (dir. Adam Robitel) – January 4
This movie stars Daredevil’s Deborah Ann Woll, Taylor Russell, Logan Miller and Nik Dodani. And the premise is pretty simple. Six strangers are stuck in a room (for one reason or the other) and the room is trying to kill them one by one. So, they’ve to escape by using their wits.
2. Brightburn (dir. David Yarovesky) – May 24
Have you ever wondered what would’ve happened to the lore of Superman if he turned out to be evil? Well, this James Gunn (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’) produced movie will set out to answer exactly that, with Elizabeth Banks and David Denman at the helm.
3. Child’s Play (dir. Lars Klevberg) – June 21
Yes, you guessed it. This is a reboot of the iconic 1988 movie of the same name about a murderous doll named Chucky. However, this one has Aubrey Plaza in it, who might eclipse Chucky’s antics if she’s given the opportunity.
4. The Curse of La Llorona (dir. Michael Chaves) – April 19
This James Wan (‘Saw’, ‘The Conjuring’) produced movie will be telling the story of La Llorna, a female Mexican ghost who had lost her children and now takes other lost kids to make them her own. Ye movie ka toh trailer dekh ke hi fatt jayega.
5. Happy Death Day 2U (dir. Christopher Landon) – February 14
If you’re looking for some light maara kati, this ‘Happy Death Day’ sequel is for you. As far as we know, the movie takes place 2 years after the events of its predecessor and finds Theresa stuck in a time-loop…. again!
6. Grudge (dir. Nicolas Pesce) – June 21
You can walk into this reboot of a remake of the movie ‘Ju-on’ with the knowledge that it’s being directed by the man behind the genre-defying horror flick, ‘The Eyes Of My Mother’. But if that’s not enough for you, it’s being produced by the Sam Raimi (‘Evil Dead’) and stars Andrea Riseborough (‘Mandy’) and Demian Bichir (‘The Nun’). So, get hyped!
7. It: Chapter Two (dir. Andres Muschietti) – September 6
This is the sequel to last year’s breakout horror remake ‘It’, that’ll see Bill Skarsgard reprise the role of Pennywise and haunt the adult versions of The Losers’ Club. Which means it has a stellar cast consisting of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader and more.
8. The New Mutants (dir. Josh Boone) – August 2
The idea of having mutants (played by Anya Taylor-Joy from ‘Split’, Maisie Williams from ‘Game of Thrones’ and Charlie Heaton from ‘Stranger Things’) trapped in a haunted mansion will excite any X-men fan. But the problem is that it keeps getting delayed. Let’s hope it sees the light of day in 2019.
9. Pet Sematary (dir. Kevin Kolsch, Dennis Widmyer) – April 5
This will be the second Stephen King adaption apart from ‘It’. And while fans will know the story by heart, here’s the primer for everyone else:Â a doctor moves with his family to a place adjacent to a pet cemetery. And after his son gets killed, he buries him there, only to see him come back in demonic form. Excited?
10. The Prodigy (dir. Nicholas McCarthy) – February 8
If you’re a fan of possession films, you better put this movie on your watchlist. ‘The Prodigy’ follows the story of a mother, who keeps getting warning signs that there is something evil residing inside his son.
11. Glass (dir. M. Night Shyamalan) – January 18
Though it’s listed as a thriller, the inclusion of James McAvoy’s ‘Beast’ might just turn this into one of the best horror movies of 2019. In addition to that, as this is the third and final entry of Shyamalan’s ‘Unbroken’ trilogy, it also might end up being one of the best superhero movies of 2019.
12. The Turning (dir. Floria Sigismondi) – March 14
After starring in ‘It: Chapter One’, Finn Wolfhard will be seen in this adaptation of Henry James’ novella “The Turn of the Screw”. It also has Mackenzie Davis and Brooklynn Prince. As for the story, it’s about a governess looking after a man’s nephew and niece.
13. Us (dir. Jordan Peele) – March 15
It’s the second movie by the director of ‘Get Out’. Need I say more? Okay. It stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elizabeth Moss and Yahya Abdul Mateen-II. More? Alright, it’s about a family who goes to their beach house, and their world is turned upside down by some uninvited guests.
14. Zombieland 2 (dir. Ruben Fleischer) – October 11
Fans of Columbus, Tallahasse, Wichita and Little Rock, make some noise! Because we’ve been waiting for this zom-com (short for zombie-comedy of course) for such a long time. And finally we’ll get to see our favourite band of misfits bash in some ‘evolved’ zombie heads and meet more survivors.
15. Midsommar (dir. Ari Aster) – August 9
After making, what can only be described as a modern classic, ‘Hereditary’, Ari Aster will be coming back next year with the story of a young woman who reluctantly joins her boyfriend on a summer trip and things (obviously) go downhill.
16. In The Tall Grass (dir. Vincenzo Natali) – TBA
Patrick Wilson has made some excellent choices with ‘The Conjuring’ and ‘Insidious’ series. So seeing him in a horror movie is automatically exciting. And listen to the premise: it’s about a brother and sister driving through Kansas, when they hear calls for help. So, they stop and investigate a tall grass field, and get lost. Claustrophobia mode activated!
17. The Boy 2 (dir. William Brent Bell) – TBA
The 2016 movie was creepy as hell as we saw Lauren Cohan’s Greta living in a mansion and taking care of a doll called Brahms. The twist about how the doll had a mind of its own was brutal and the sequel will explore it further with an entire family, starring Katie Holmes.
18. Wounds (dir. Babak Anvari)Â – TBA
Babak Anvari’s previous movie, ‘Under The Shadow‘, is a modern horror classic. And for his next feature film, he has brought in Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson and Zazie Beetz. This film will focus on a New Orleans bartender, whose life takes unexpected and scary turns after he picks up a phone left at his bar. Interesting, innit?
19. The Lighthouse (dir. Robert Eggers) – TBA
This movie stars the supremely talented Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson (who has been turning heads with ‘Good Time’ and ‘Rover’). It’s directed by Eggers, who received a lot of critical acclaim for ‘The Witch’ and revolves around a lighthouse-keeper named Old.
20. Pledge (dir. Daniel Robbins) – January 11
Every teenager’s dream is to join a frat club and enjoy endless parties. But this movie shows what happens if that club turns out to be run by a bunch of torture-maniacs. A little warning though, it’s not for the light-hearted.
So, what are you waiting for? Start adding these movies to your watchlist and get ready to be scared out of your mind in 2019.