As we enter 2019, we have a lot to look forward to as genre fans. Here, we break down some of the films being theatrically released in the first four months of the year. I’ve added some commentary to those that I’ve seen already. This is no way claiming to be all of the releases this section of the year, but this should help if you’re trying to keep track of what to see. Have a look at the Winter/Spring theatrical horror releases of 2019.
Now Playing:
Escape Room
Six strangers find themselves in circumstances beyond their control, and must use their wits to survive.
The Vanishing
Three lighthouse keepers on the remote Flannan Isles find a hidden trunk of gold, leading to their mysterious disappearance.
***If you’ve ever seen Sam Raimi’s superior A Simple Plan, you know what you’re in for here. It’s not a terrible movie by any stretch of the imagination, The Vanishing just doesn’t do anything new. The film actually features a pretty good Gerard Butler performance. Despite Butler’s top billing, Peter Mullan is really the star in the film. He gives a solid performance as well. The movie is well shot, and utilizes the lighthouse location beautifully. The violence in the film is sudden and pretty shocking. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is too slow and it’s overall too long. For folks who like stuff like A Simple Plan, maybe give this one a shot.
January 11th:
Pledge
A group of college freshmen pledge an exclusive fraternity but soon realize there’s more at stake than they could have ever imagined.
January 18th:
Glass
Security guard David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man who has twenty-four personalities.
January 24th:
The Final Wish
After the death of his father, Aaron returns home to help his grief-stricken mother and to confront his past. Going through his dad’s belongings, he comes across a mysterious item that is more than it seems.
January 25th:
Dead Ant
When the 1989 “one-hit-wonder” glam-metal band “Sonic Grave” embark on a trip to Coachella in hopes of a comeback, their peyote trip pit stop in Joshua Tree incites an “unworldly” viscous attack, and they must “rock” themselves out of harms way.
***Dead Ant actually had its Midwest Premiere with us at the Windy City Horrorama Film Festival (https://www.windycityhorrorama.com/) back in April 2018. I love this movie so much. If you want to see a movie that is just nonstop fun, you won’t find a better movie this year. It effortlessly blends 80s go-for-broke ridiculousness with 50s b-movie aesthetics. Plus, you get to see Tom Arnold and Jake Busey give some career best performances. Good luck trying to get Sonic Grave’s songs out of your head after checking out this film. This one is a can’t miss. Mark your calendars now. Horror/Comedy fans are going to eat this one up.
January 31st:
The Hole in the Ground
Trying to escape her broken past, Sarah O’Neill is building a new life on the fringes of a backwood rural town with her young son Chris. A terrifying encounter with a mysterious neighbour shatters her fragile security, throwing Sarah into a spiralling nightmare of paranoia and mistrust, as she tries to uncover if the disturbing changes in her little boy are connected to an ominous sinkhole buried deep in the forest that borders their home.
February 8th:
The Amityville Murders
On the night of November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. took a high-powered rifle and murdered his entire family as they slept. At his trial, DeFeo claimed that “voices” in the house commanded him to kill. This is their story.
The Prodigy
A mother concerned about her young son’s disturbing behavior thinks something supernatural may be affecting him.
St. Agatha
Set in the 1950s in small-town Georgia, a pregnant young woman named Agatha seeks refuge in a convent. What first starts out as the perfect place to have a child turns into a dark layer where silence is forced, ghastly secrets are masked, and every bit of will power Agatha has is tested as she learns the sick and twisted truth of the convent and the odd people that lurk inside its halls.
February 14th:
Happy Death Day 2U
Tree Gelbman discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead.
March 1st:
Tuftland
A headstrong textile student tries to overcome her problems by accepting a summer job offer from an isolated and offbeat village of Kyrsyä.
March 15th:
Us
A mother and father take their kids to their beach house, expecting to enjoy time with friends, but their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some visitors arrive uninvited.
April 5th:
Pet Sematary
Louis Creed, his wife Rachel and their two children Gage and Ellie move to a rural home where they are welcomed and enlightened about the eerie ‘Pet Sematary’ located near their home. After the tragedy of their cat being killed by a truck, Louis resorts to burying it in the mysterious pet cemetery, which is definitely not as it seems, as it proves to the Creeds that sometimes, dead is better.
April 12th:
Hellboy
Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, Hellboy, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.
April 19th:
The Curse of La LLorona
Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm.
April 26th-28th:
Our very own WINDY CITY HORRORAMA FILM FESTIVAL PART II
We’re back!!! Chicago’s celebration of DIY horror is back in 2019 with a full weekend slate of brand-new unforgettable indies as well as a couple of completely insane repertory screenings. It will be a weekend full of premieres, parties, and thrills as we take over Chicago’s Davis Theater for the weekend. Horror fans will not want to miss out on their chance to see first the movies everyone else will be talking about all year long. If you’re a filmmaker, there’s still time to submit. Send us your films now! Send them to: filmfreeway.com/windycityhorrorama More info can be found here: https://www.windycityhorrorama.com/ and here: facebook.com/windycityhorrorama and here: twitter.com/windycityhorror
