Our Most Anticipated 2019 Horror Films
Did you think 2018 was a great year for horror? Well, it was, so that’s good! But 2019 looks just as promising, and that’s even before festivals like Sundance, which unleashed some of our favorite recent horror films. (THE WITCH, THE BABADOOK, GET OUT, and HEREDITARY were all Sundance hits.)
Next year is stacked with original films, intriguing remakes, and some very notable sequels. Here are all the 2019 horror films that already have us shivering. Note: While films like HELLBOY and THE NEW MUTANTS might have some real horror vibes, we didn’t include them here because they’re still primarily a different genre.
Happy Death Day 2U
Director Christopher Landon returns with a follow-up to his surprise slasher hit from earlier this year. Once again, Jessica Rothe, as “Tree” Gelman, is caught in a murderous time loop. This time, the film shows that she’s not the only one affected — and also discovers there’s a new killer on the scene. (February 14)
Us
GET OUT filmmaker Jordan Peele made his upcoming movie in near-total secrecy, which means we know very little about US. There are reports that the story is about two couples, and we do know the cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Anna Diop, and Tom Pelphrey are all on board. Suggestions say the story is in the vein of GET OUT, but beyond that your guess is as good as ours! (March 15)
Pet Sematary
Stephen King’s story about a family that tries to cheat death is bleak and powerful — and after the success of IT, there was almost no doubt we’d see a PET SEMATARY remake. Good news: Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, who made the excellent STARRY EYES, direct this new version. Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz play the Creeds, whose toddler son is killed on a busy local road, and who are haunted by unimaginable evil after Clarke’s character buries the boy in a supernaturally-charged spot which brings him back to life. (April 5)
The Curse of La Llorona
La Llorona, a ghost out of Mexican legends, steals children to replace her own lost family. Linda Cardellini plays a woman in 1973 Los Angeles who discovers that problems she’s encountering in her social work might be connected to supernatural events plaguing her family. Soon she finds that La Llorona, aka the Weeping Woman, is intent on taking her children. (April 19)
Child’s Play
The ‘80s horror series comes back in new form! Aubrey Plaza plays a woman gives her son (Gabriel Bateman) a Buddi doll for his birthday, only to discover that a horrifying force has already attached itself to the toy. Brian Tyree Henry, one of the hottest actors around right now (he’s in ATLANTA, WIDOWS, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, and INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE) plays a cop. He’s investigating a series of strange murders, which brings him closer and closer to the demon doll as the family tries to stay alive. (June 21)
Grudge
This is kind of complicated. A continuation or reboot of the American THE GRUDGE series, based on the Japanese JU-ON film series, has been in development for years. But the movie that actually got made isn’t a routine sequel or reboot. Nicolas Pesce, who made the haunting film THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, has directed a movie that jumps off the basic concept of THE GRUDGE into new horror territory. The best part might be the cast: the amazing Andrea Riseborough stars, along with Demián Bichir, John Cho, Lin Shaye and Jacki Weaver. (June 21)
Annabelle 3
The popular CONJURING spin-off series expands into a third installment, with Gary Dauberman and James Wan returning to write, and Dauberman making his directorial debut. This film takes place after the first ANNABELLE installment and seemingly at the same time as some events in the original THE CONJURING. Expect to see the cursed doll Annabelle activate other supernatural objects to haunt the daughter of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will appear as Ed and Lorraine, and the cast also features Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, and Katie Sarife. (July 3)
IT Chapter Two
The Losers Club is back in action! Decades after they defeated an ancient evil in Derry, Maine, the now-adult Losers get the call they’ve all dreaded on some level. Pennywise is back. The incomparable Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as Pennywise, and the young cast members of the first film all return, too. James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Jay Ryan, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, James Ransone, and Andy Bean step in to play the adult versions of the Losers. Between the rumor that this sequel will get seriously, cosmically weird, and all that new talent, we can’t wait to go back to Derry. (September 6)
Zombieland 2
Ten years after four people (and Bill Murray) survived a zombie apocalypse, the original cast and creative team behind ZOMBIELAND (above) are back for another hilarious horror adventure. Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin are all set to return, as is director Ruben Fleischer (who just made VENOM) and writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, who are now also responsible for those DEADPOOL movies you may have heard of. We don’t know anything about the plot, however. This one doesn’t even start production until January, so don’t be too surprised if it slips past the planned October release date, but if the sequel captures even some of the energy of the original it will be worth the wait. (October 11)
3 From Hell
There’s no release date set for Rob Zombie’s new movie, but since this is a continuation of the story begun in HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES and THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (above), we’re eager to get grimy with the filmmaker once again. Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig, and Bill Moseley reprise their roles from the last two movies, which means this is probably going to be a dark and mean affair. Plot details are top secret, but Zombie told Loudwire “I’ll just say it’s not a prequel… The one thing I will say is that when we got together… it was almost spooky how much [they vibed.] It didn’t seem like it was 15 years later, it seemed like it was six months later.” Expect 3 FROM HELL to show up at a festival like Sundance or SXSW, after which a Fall release is a safe bet.
The Turning
THE TURNING doesn’t have a final release date yet, but this adaptation of THE TURN OF THE SCREW, from director Floria Sigismondi (who has made episodes of DAREDEVIL and THE HANDMAID’S TALE, among many other things) is one we’re dying to see. It’s from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, for one. And Finn Wolfhard (STRANGER THINGS) and Mackenzie Davis (TULLY, BLADE RUNNER 2049, above) star in a revamped version of one of the greatest ghost stories, about a nanny who begins to believe the children she cares for are haunted by ghosts from the children's past. (2