We may still have five months until Halloween, but who says that you can’t celebrate a little earlier? Summer has proven to be a great time to release a horror film. Or, in this case, 15 of them. The kids are out of school, with the late middle schoolers and high schoolers think they are “too cool” to take their younger sibling to see “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” and want to break away with their friends to see something that warrants engagement.
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Even the adults want a respite from the overload of spectacle that hits the multiplexes from May to August, and until the inevitable Fox Searchlight/Focus/A24 positioned-as-an-awards-contender film expands to their city from New York and L.A., the next best option for the more adult-oriented fare is in the horror genre. With that, here are the 15 films released between now and the end of the summer that are worth seeking out.
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“Brightburn”
Cast: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Jennifer Holland, Matt Jones
Synopsis: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
What You Need to Know: Director James Gunn has come a long way from his early days at Troma to becoming an in-demand, A-list director. Before starting work on “The Suicide Squad” and being fired – and then rehired – on “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” he used that newfound clout to shepherd in a script by his brother and cousin – Mark and Brian Gunn, respectively – that essentially asks the question of what if Superman landed on Earth, but used his power for evil? Directed by David Yarovesky (“The Hive”), “Brightburn” looks to be following in the footsteps of “Chronicle” by packaging superhero conventions that we recognize into an original package and having fun with the tropes. There are not many horror superhero movies out there (except “Blade”), so the merging of genres here feels both inspired and interesting.
Release Date: May 24
“The Perfection”
Cast: Allison Williams, Alaina Huffman, Steven Weber, Logan Browning
Synopsis: When troubled musical prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) seeks out Elizabeth (Logan Browning), the new star pupil of her former school, the encounter sends both musicians down a sinister path with shocking consequences.
What You Need to Know: If “Whiplash” crossed paths with one of David Cronenberg’s body horror films, it might look something like “The Perfection.” Or at least those are the vibes that the hypnotic trailer is putting out. While it looks filled with squirm-inducing imagery and gross-out moments, the thing that’s most enticing about this is Williams, who broke out in this genre in a big way with “Get Out,” and much like her character in that film, it seems she is using her outward looks to mask something deeply sinister underneath.
Release Date: May 24 (on Netflix)
“Ma”
Cast: Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Missi Pyle, Allison Janey, Luke Evans
Synopsis: A lonely woman befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn’t get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.
What You Need to Know: Director Tate Taylor’s first foray into thriller territory (“The Girl on the Train”) didn’t exactly pan out, but if you’ve seen the vastly underrated James Brown biopic “Get on Up,” you know that his visual flair is a lot stronger than a sanitized film like “The Help” would lend you to believe. “Ma” feels like it’s going for Brian De Palma territory with an extremely ludicrous premise that looks like it’s about one step away from not working at any given moment but is held together by a strong direction and a terrific lead performance. This is all speculation, of course, but the most important thing is that Octavia Spencer looks like she’s having the time of her life, playing against type as a psychopath looking to exact revenge in a “sins of our father’s” scenario. Knowing that it’s produced by Blumhouse means that the budget is less than $10 million, and for better or worse, will be a carte blanche film.
Release Date: May 31
“The Dead Don’t Die”
Cast: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Steve Buscemi, Selena Gomez
Synopsis: The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.
What You Need to Know: On paper, Jim Jarmusch doing a zombie comedy with an outstanding ensemble sounds like a dream come true. In execution… well, we won’t know the answer to that until June, but let’s just say that this writer is in the minority in thinking that the trailer that most people are raving about leaves a lot more to be desired. That said, if the enthusiasm can be turned into ticket sales and eclipse “Broken Flowers” as Jarmusch’s highest-grossing film, and allow him to keep doing his thing as we love it, then that is a win-win situation regardless of how the film turns out. “The Dead Don’t Die” looks too broad to be one of his works, but then again, Jarmusch consistently molds his genre pieces to fit his sensibility, so maybe the film’s broadest moments were mined for this trailer. But enough bitching. It’s Jarmusch. It’s maybe the best cast that any film this summer has. I’ll be there on day one.
Release Date: June 14
“Murder Mystery”
Cast: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Gemma Arterton, Luke Evans
Synopsis: A New York cop and his wife go on a European vacation to reinvigorate the spark in their marriage, but end up getting framed and on the run for the death of an elderly billionaire.
What You Need to Know: It’s a new Adam Sandler Netflix movie. By default, it’s a horror film.
Release Date: June 14 (on Netflix)