While 2020 has definitely been an awful year when it comes to many things, at least it has been -and will be- which has been turned upside down).
Since audiences are definitely waiting on the edge of their seats for A Quiet Place 2), this list will include some less hyped, but still brilliant, horror films. It will also revisit some hits of 2020 so far and reminisce about why they impressed.
The Hunt – Released
most controversial movies of the past few years and its marketing team absolutely took advantage of that. “Political uproar,” “Demented and Evil,” and “A sick murder fantasy” were only some of the phrases that appeared in the film’s posters, directly from the critics’ reviews. The movie is about a group of liberal “elites” that kidnap and then hunt for sport a group of conservative “deplorables”. The movie failed to exactly pick a side, instead selecting ambiguity and irony directed towards everyone and everything. It did make some excellent points about how the internet makes things real and about how conspiracy theories can be so prevalent.
Malignant – TBD (Unknown Date)
One thing is sure about Percy Jackson franchise).
Come To Daddy – Released
This gory horror-comedy does not have a shortage of neither blood nor provocative subjects. Elijah Wood plays Norval, a musician who unexpectedly receives a letter from his estranged father who wants to see Norval again after decades. Norval obliges, but the man he meets exhibits erratic behaviour, going from loving to violent very quickly, and during a struggle dies from a heart attack.
Norval keeps his father’s embalmed body in the house until he leaves, but a hidden photo album along with strange noises coming from the basement lead him to the discovery that the dead man was not his father at all…
Antlers – TBD (Unknown Date)
Scott Cooper, a director known for his darker and atmospheric films (even though not horror films), has brought to life this adaptation of Nick Antosca’s short story The Quiet Boy. Antlers, as well as the story that inspired it, is a darker and definitely adult take on the classic fairy-tale of Goldilocks. The movie follows a teacher in a small Oregon town and the local Sheriff, her brother, as they discover that one of her students, a young boy, is harboring a dangerous supernatural entity. Guillermo Del Toro is the main producer of this thrilling-sounding movie.
The Lodge – Released
This psychological horror film grips one and does not let them go with its constant sense of unease, claustrophobia, and entrapment. The directing duo of Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala are experts in creating horrific and insidious situations and throwing in the characters, helpless, as they try to work out what is happening. In this film, young Grace is trapped with her future step-children in an isolated cabin cut off by a blizzard. The power is out, she cannot reach her fiancée, and she is tormented by dark nightmares from her childhood as a member of a cult that committed mass suicide (she was the only one left).
The Rental – Anticipated In July
Dave Franco, known from his roles in films like Now You See Me, will be making his directorial debut with this slow-burn psychological horror movie. Two couples rent a beautiful home by the sea for a short getaway, only to have their dream house turn into a nightmare.
The owner has been watching them closely, but his ultimate goal may be a lot more sinister. As the cat and mouse game intensifies, the four friends realise it may be even impossible for them to escape.
Color Out Of Space – Released
Cosmic horror reaches new dimensions H. P. Lovecraft’s homonymous short story from his universe of parallel dimensions, fallen alien deities, and intergalactic terror. Theresa and Nathan Gardner move into a rural farm near the small town of Arkham. One fateful night, a meteor that emanates an unnatural color lands on their yard. As time goes by, things become more and more bizarre, with the nearby water supply becoming contaminated and mutated vegetation and insects appearing; these are only the beginning in a horror from outer space that awaits to be unleashed.
Candyman – Anticipated In September
Nia DaCosta will be directing the new addition to the Candyman franchise, with horror wunderkind Jordan Peele as principal writer and producer. The film is a direct sequel to the first one, bying the other three of the franchise. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Anthony McCoy, the infant that Helen Lyle saved decades ago by sacrificing herself.
The Cabrini-Green neighbourhood, which was haunted by the Candyman, has become unrecognisable due to gentrification. Anthony, now an artist, and his girlfriend move into a Cabrini condo and he starts exploring the legend of the Candyman in his art, stirring the evil that had remained dormant for years.
The Invisible Man – Released
This The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells felt quite timely and resonated with audiences in the age of the MeeToo movement and the feminist revival the world has been experiencing in the past decade. It stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia Kass, a woman that after escaping from an abusive relationship with her wealthy optics engineer partner learns that he supposedly committed suicide. She returns to his place, which she inherits, and ominous occurings begin, making her believe she isn’t alone in the house. Director Leigh Whannell is the writer of multiple major horror films and frequent collaborator of James Wan.
Antebellum – Anticipated In August
Us comes this new supernatural horror film about racial tensions and the terror of slavery in America. Monae plays Veronica, a successful writer from the contemporary world who is kidnapped and somehow ends up enslaved in the pre-Civil War era. Internet theories are already buzzing about the plot of this one, but let us not pre-spoil the film and simply wait to enjoy it in the movie theatres.
