Awesome-looking horror movies to check out in the next four months

Something strange and wonderful is going on right now. While it is common for horror movies to release en masse in September and October, we have been blessed with a lot of recent horror debuts over the past month or so. And there is more to come in the next few months!

Recently, we have been delighted and terrified by The First Omen, Immaculate, Imaginary, Sting and Late Night with the Devil (among others), all of which released in theaters. Now let’s take a look at some of the horror movies we can watch on the big screen during the next four months.

Horror movies coming to theaters in April:

Abigail (April 19) – I already bought my ticket to see this one, because that trailer was just thrilling! Created by some of the fine folk who brought us such horror awesomeness as Ready or Not and the recent Scream sequels, Abigail looks to be action-packed, bloody deliciousness. Inspired by the classic Universal monster flick Dracula’s Daughter, it shows us a group of criminals who get way more than they bargain for when they agree to watch over a kidnapped little girl. Who knew that ballet and vampires would go together so well!

Coming to theaters in May:

The Strangers - Chapter 1 (May 17) - The Strangers is one of my favorite horror films, and The Strangers: Prey at Night was pretty good too. Now a new trilogy is starting with this prequel. The premise is similar to the 2008 original, which could be either a good or bad thing; if it's too close to The Strangers, there isn't really a point in remaking it, but a similar plot + some unexpected twists could be good. Mya and Ryan are taking a cross country trip when their car breaks down. The two are forced to stay at a remote Airbnb, where they are menaced by a masked trio with murder on their minds.

In a Violent Nature (May 31) – Writer-Director Chris Nash makes his feature debut with this slasher-with-a-twist film. Described as “an ambient slasher”, In a Violent Nature is filmed and presented from the killer’s POV. Nash said, “I owe an unfathomable debt to all the Friday the 13ths, The Burning, My Bloody Valentine – really the entire slasher genre; they laid the foundation for our film.” Interspersed with the gory kill scenes are scenes of Johnny (our killer) hiking through the forest. In a Violent Nature is expected to begin streaming on Shudder sometime after its theatrical release.

Coming to theaters in June:

The Watchers (June 14) – Another first-time feature director is responsible for this horror film. Ishana Night Shyamalan both wrote and directed The Watchers, which is produced by her father, who you may have heard of. That’s right, M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter is following in his footsteps! The story involves an artist named Mina who ends up stranded in a forest in Ireland when her car breaks down. Mina comes across three strangers, and holes up with them in a concrete bunker – a necessity, since frightening creatures come out at night to observe the group as if they were in a zoo.

A Quiet Place: Day One (June 28) – As you can tell by the title, this is a prequel to 2018’s excellent horror movie A Quiet Place. Michael Samoski takes over the writing and directing duties from John Krasinski, and Emily Blunt doesn’t appear in the cast list. However, it does star Lupita Nyong’o (Little Monsters), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things’ Eddie Munson) and Djimon Hounsou (A Quiet Place Part II). The film is set during the beginning of the invasion by the violent, blind alien creatures.

Coming to theaters in July:

MAXXXINE (July 5) – First, Ti West brought us X, which introduced us to two different kick-ass women, Pearl and Maxine (both played to bloody perfection by Mia Goth). Then, he introduced us to the older woman’s insane back story with Pearl. Now, we travel to the 1980s to catch up with Maxine, still trying to become a big star while The Night Stalker serial killer is terrorizing California. All I needed to hear is that Mia Goth is reprising her role to know I will be buying a ticket.

Longlegs (July 12) – Right off the bat, this film has two very big things going for it: it comes to us from NEON (Parasite, Anatomy of a Fall), and it features a standout cast. Maika Monroe (It Follows, Watcher) stars as a newly promoted FBI agent assigned to investigate the unsolved case of a serial killer (played by Nicolas Cage). As she begins to dig into the case, she starts to see a tie to the occult…and to herself. Also starring are Alicia Witt (Urban Legend) and Blair Underwood (Bad Hair).

As you can tell by this list, horror filmmakers are bringing their A-game to theaters this year. I can’t wait to see what we are getting as we get closer to Halloween, but here’s a short list: Speak No Evil, Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice 2, Smile 2 and The Crow.