So we're 8 months into 2016 and so far it's safe to say that it's been a good year for horror cinema. From the spine-chilling suspense horror The Witch, to Nicolas Winding Refn's stylishly profane The Neon Demon, 2016 has seen a number of terrifyingly entertaining, vastly different horror films that have done a wonderful job at keeping the genre alive. However, the year is not yet over and there are still a number of interesting looking horror films set to be released in the next 4 months. Here are some worth looking forward to.
Leatherface
When I first heard that yet another remake/reboot/whatever of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was in the works I was less than enthusiastic. However, when I later heard it was being helmed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, the duo behind the twisted Inside, I found a little glimmer of hope. Instead of re-telling Tobe Hooper's classic tale of terror, Leatherface will focus on a young Leatherface (Sam Strike) as he escapes from a mental asylum and will supposedly tell the tale of how he came to wear the mask. Stephen Dorff has also been cast as a Texas Ranger in pursuit of Leatherface and co. something that echoes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 as well. By the looks of things it will be an original story that incorporates elements from past films, which really could go one way or the other. With Bustillo and Maury behind the camera it could be a really gritty and grizzly film, but is the story of young Leatherface really necessary? And could it work? Regardless, it is hard not to be excited to return to the world of Texas Chainsaw yet again. There have not been any trailers released yet so it's unsure whether or not the film will be released this year, the filmmakers however, are supposedly aiming for a 2016 release.
31
When it comes to Rob Zombie, his films and music, you either love him or hate him. Personally I enjoy his work (bar Halloween 2), and when news came that he had a new film in the works I couldn't help feel a shiver of excitement. 31 tells the tale of a group of carnies who are kidnapped on the night before Halloween and forced to play a twisted game of survival called '31'. Oh and they're also up against a group of fiendishly violent clowns led by the psychotic Doom Head (Richard Brake). It gained mixed reviews when it premiered at Sundance this year but that's to be expected from a Rob Zombie film to be fair. From the trailer it looks quite gritty and gruesome, it also retains that 1970's aesthetic that Zombie has utilised in his previous films as well. The cast is full of Zombie regulars such as Malcolm McDowell, Meg Foster and his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie while fellow bandmate John 5 is on soundtrack duty, nice to see him getting the old gang back together. So will 31 live up to Zombie's greatest success The Devil's Rejects or fall flat like his Halloween remakes? All will be revealed this September when 31 is released. Until then, you can watch the trailer here.
Blair Witch
Initially marketed under the pseudonym The Woods, the film was revealed at San Diego Comic Con this year as a quasi-sequel to the acclaimed found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project. Directed by Adam Wingard of You're Next fame, the film is set to follow the brother of Heather from the original film, and his friends, as they set out to uncover the truth about the legend of The Blair Witch. While the plot details have been kept heavily under wraps, the film has been praised so far for it's clever twist and has been compared to other horror films such as The Cabin in the Woods, that's enough to get me excited for this one. Judging by how Wingard and writer Simon Barrett breathed new life into home invasion films with You're Next, it will be interesting to see how they handle the somewhat overdone fund footage genre by essentially taking it back to its roots. The reviews have all been positive so far and the juicy plot details have still been kept under wraps so we will have to wait until September to see what happens in Blair Witch. You can watch the trailer here.
Don't Breathe
Two years ago, Fede Alvarez surprised us all with his fantastic remake of The Evil Dead, now he returns with his leading lady Jane Levy in his suspenseful looking horror film Don't Breathe. The film sees Levy playing a teenage delinquent named Rocky who, along with her friends, breaks into the home of an old blind man (Stephen Lang) in order to steal from a safe that supposedly lies in his basement. However, things take an unexpected turn when the blind man is revealed to be a little less helpless and a lot more ruthless than he seems. Alvarez seems to be relying more on tension than gore with this one, but from the trailer it seems as though it works very well. The film looks extremely suspenseful and Lang's mysterious blind man looks utterly terrifying, he's like a cross between Stick from Daredevil and an older, more unhinged Kevin MacAllister. Alvarez may be taking a completely different route from Evil Dead but it looks as if Don't Breathe will be equally, if not more horrifying. The film is set to be released at the end of this month, here's the trailer to get you in the mood.
Lights Out
Not too long ago a little short film entitled Lights Out went viral, being dubbed as one of the scariest short films ever made. Now David Sandberg, the man behind Lights Out has turned his short film into a feature length one that looks equally as terrifying. Expanding on the concept of the original, Lights Out follows a malevolent spirit that only appears in the dark and who begins to terrorize a young woman named Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) and her family. Lights Out looks like it's set to be an instant classic, already it has been met with acclaim upon being released in America and it's only a few more days until it hits theaters here in Ireland and the UK. I love the concept and from the trailer the film looks pretty terrifying, and although I'm a bit skeptical that what made the original so great won't work in feature length, I have faith in Sandberg and that he has a few more tricks up his sleeve. Sandberg has already displayed his skills for executing jumpscares so if it can remain as consistently scary as the original short film then Lights Out is sure to be one to remember. The film is out at the end of the week so to get you in the mood, here's the original short and the trailer.
So that's just a taste of what the horror genre has to offer in the coming months, it's already been a brilliant year for the genre so lets hope that these films will maintain that consistency.
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