2019 is shaping up to be a great year for horror fans. With phenomenal original films such as Jordan Peele's Us and remakes of classics like Pet Sematary, we've seen a wide variety of horror flicks so far this year. There are many more to come, too. From slashers to supernatural horror and psychological thrillers, 2019 has a lot to offer for fans of horror in all its forms.
The lucrative genre has been growing significantly in the past decade, producing many hugely successful films such as The Conjuring, The Babadook and 2017's blockbuster smash hit, It. Fans of the horror genre have a lot to look forward to this year, besides even the most popular upcoming films like It: Chapter 2, Child's Play, and the new addition to The Conjuring's franchise: Annabelle Comes Home. Let's take a look at some of the horror movies you probably didn't know were premiering in 2019.
The Hunt (Release Date: October 18, U.S.)
Craig Zobel's upcoming action-horror film The Hunt is set to star Emma Roberts as the lead. Jason Blum will serve as a producer on the film, and the script was written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof.
At this time, almost nothing is known about the plot of this film. going by director Craig Zobel's previous works, though, fans can get an idea of what to expect. Zobel's works include: a 2012 crime drama titled Compliance (which tells the story of a fast-food worker whose boss accuses her of theft) and a film called Z For Zachariah, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film that hit theatres in 2015. Zobel also directed a few episodes of American Gods, Westworld, and several episodes of The Leftovers. With this decent track record, The Hunt looks pretty promising.
The Nightingale (Release Date: August 2, U.S.)
If The Babadook served as nightmare fuel for you, then you're going to want to see director Jennifer Kent's period thriller film, The Nightingale. This movie was released in Venice back in 2018, but it is coming to theatres in the U.S. later in 2019.
Jennifer Kent's directorial debut, The Babadook (2014), terrified audiences and received rave reviews from critics. Seeing the revolutionary female director's upcoming horror film is going to be absolutely thrilling. The Nightingale tells the story of a young Irish convict named Clare, as she seeks revenge on a British officer who wronged her family. Kent has proven to be a very talented director, and The Nightingale has already received an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In The Tall Grass (Release Date: 2019, Netflix)
With the massive success of It, many of Stephen King's books have been adapted to films and mini-series lately. Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House writer, Mike Flanagan, is bringing King's The Shining follow-up Doctor Sleep to the big screen this year.
A lesser-known upcoming Stephen King film is In The Tall Grass. This movie is based on King's novel by the same name, and is coming to Netflix sometime in 2019. With Mike Flanagan at the helm and Patrick Wilson set to star, In The Tall Grass is shaping up to be a promising flick for horror fans.
Brahms: The Boy II (Release Date: July 26, U.S.)
While The Boy (2016) wasn't exactly a hit with critics, it was memorable nonetheless. The story of Brahms, the evil "doll," is set to continue in 2019, but lead actress Lauren Cohan does not seem to be appearing in this sequel. Instead, Katie Holmes is set to star.
Despite mixed reviews and the fact that original film was basically just your simple, campy horror movie, it managed to garner enough success to create a follow-up. The sequel is titled Brahms: The Boy II. Presumably, this means that it will focus more on Brahms than the first film did. It is said to tell the story of a family who moves into the Heelshire Mansion (Brahms' home), unaware of the events that occurred there in the past.
Crawl (Release Date: July 12, U.S.)
The Evil Dead franchise was undoubtedly a cult classic. Beginning in 1981 with a supernatural horror film created on a low budget, nobody expected it to be the beginning of a legendary franchise, but that's exactly what it was.
Sam Raimi, the man behind The Evil Dead, returns in 2019 to produce a horror film titled Crawl. This movie is set to be directed by Alexandre Aja, who previously directed films such as Horns (2013), Mirrors (2008) and The Hills Have Eyes (2006). Crawl is about a young woman who gets trapped during a Category 5 hurricane and is forced to fight savage alligators.
Eli (Release Date: 2019, Netflix)
This film was originally released in Russia on January 4, 2019, but Netflix later bought it from Paramount Pictures. This means that Eli will be coming to Netflix sometime in 2019. The film is helmed by relatively new director, Ciaran Foy.
Eli revolves around a young boy who receives treatment for his rare auto-immune disorder, and soon discovers that he is imprisoned in a secluded clinic. The film is going to star Stranger Things' Sadie Sink, as well as Lili Taylor and Kelly Reilly.
Them That Follow (Release Date: June 21, U.S.)
This Western-esque horror-drama film is directed by Brittany Poulton and Dan Madison Savage. It has already scored a decent 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Them That Follow is set in the heart of the Appalachian mountains. It follows the story of a pastor's daughter who sets out to confront the deadly traditions of her community. The film is produced by Gerard Butler, and stars Kaitlyn Dever, Jim Gaffigan, and the winner of the Academy Awards' Best Lead Actress category, Olivia Colman.
Brightburn (Release Date: May 24, U.S.)
Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker James Gunn brings a unique addition to superhero films with Brightburn. This movie tells the unique story of a boy from another world, who lands on earth. Instead of following the typical superhero movie formula and becoming a hero, the child has much more sinister intentions.
Brightburn looks very promising, boasting an all-star cast that includes Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and Jennifer Holland.
Knives Out (Release Date: November 27, U.S.)
Written, produced and directed by Rian Johnson, Knives Out has been billed as a drama-crime story, and a classic whodunit mystery movie with a modern twist.
While not much is known about the film at this time, it appears to have a very promising cast. Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Toni Collette - to name just a few. The fact that film-maker Rian Johnson previously directed several episodes of AMC's extremely successful drama, Breaking Bad, makes Knives Out sound even better.
The Lighthouse (Release Date: May 2019, Cannes)
The Lighthouse is set to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this May. It is a black-and-white dark fantasy horror movie, primarily filmed in an airport hangar in Nova Scotia, Canada. It will star Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson.
Written by Robert and Max Eggers and directed by Robert Eggers, The Lighthouse looks to be a very eerie, mysterious film. Considering Robert Eggers' film history - having directed and written The VVitch (2015) - The Lighthouse is bound to have a significant stroke of strangeness, and will likely be one of the most unnerving films of 2019.