The film industry tends to follow the pattern of a bunch of summer releases, and they slow down around August and September, picking up again on or around Christmas. Movies are always coming out, though. This especially includes horror films. They’re always available because they bring in crowds, thus bringing in more profit.
Horror movies more than other ones are constantly coming out, with a big thanks to Blumhouse productions. Blumhouse focuses more on quantity over quality, but this isn’t to say they don’t have their fair share of bangers. Blumhouse thrives on small budget movies, giving directors creative freedom to release films widely through the studio. They demonstrate that you don’t need loads of money to create a movie of high quality.
Overall, horror movies will never cease to be a big factor in the film industry. Below is a list of the newest movies, in no particular order, and some being unreleased as of right now.
5. Afraid
Afraid was released August 30th of 2024. I saw previews for it and thought it looked good, so I saw it the day it came out. The movie follows a rich family with an AI similar to Alexa, but it turns out to be crazy, which we see already in the trailer. I might be biased, but I think the concept of technology taking over is overused and boring.
I suppose you could say movies are scarier when you think they really could be a possibility, but I thought it was a little far-fetched. Overall, you’ll have to see it for yourself to form your own opinion, because I’ve never been a fan of this concept to begin with.
4. Speak No Evil
I genuinely don’t know if I’d consider this horror. Speak No Evil was released September 13th of 2024. My family’s a big fan of James McAvoy so we knew we had to see it. I was a little disappointed, however. I genuinely feel like it wasn’t good until the last 25 minutes or so. With most movies I enjoy, I’m completely immersed in the story and glued to the screen. That however was not the case with this movie, and I instead found myself often on my phone.
I don’t want to discredit James McAvoy, though, as his performance really was incredible. It follows a family staying with family friends, but they’re super unusual and we find out some pretty horrifying things as the movie progresses. Overall, it was okay, but I was hoping for better.
3. Smile 2
This is the first on our list of unreleases, and it should come out October 18th, 2024. I can safely say I probably won’t be watching this until it’s free on a streaming platform. I thought the first one was another boring concept, similar to Truth or Dare (2018). It follows a pop star on tour, but then she starts dealing with the same demon we see in the first one.
I feel like it’s going to be the same movie with different characters, and a second film was unnecessary. I can however say the promotion for this movie is good, as it was for the first one.
2. Nosferatu
Another soon-to-be released movie, Nosferatu is set to be released on December 25th, 2024. I am actually excited for this one, and will probably watch it the second it comes out. It takes place in 19th century Germany, following the life of a young woman who is being stalked by a Transylvanian vampire.
It’s a remake of the 1922 film of the same title. I think this film will be super horrifying, and the cast itself is great so we can expect a well made movie. I love horror films, and Lily-Rose Depp, so I have high hopes.
1. Terrifier 3
Set to be released October 11th, 2024, this movie should do decent in the film industry. The other ones, or at least the first one, got lots of attention for the gory and “terrifying” scenes throughout. I honestly never watched either of the first two, because I hate clown movies, I think it’s unfortunately an overused and boring concept.
I think if the films weren’t so incredibly gory, offering a new sense of horror to movies, no one would watch it. I probably won’t be watching this, because if I wanted to see a movie specifically for the gore, I’d pick something that genuinely has meaning and isn’t made entirely for scaring.
Unfortunately my reviews were pretty harsh, but movies are always up for interpretation. Horror has been one of my favorite genres for a while, but lately they’ve been slacking, honestly. I’m a huge fan of exotic concepts, as there are so many possible ideas.
I think we can expect better films in the future, with Gen Z in the workforce. Overall, while the horror options are scarce, Blumhouse Productions has us covered.
I interviewed Deanna Salmon, a sophomore at Pitman High School. She is a fellow movie fan, but offers an interesting perspective, contrary to mine, because she doesn’t like horror.
Are you a fan of horror movies? How do you feel about them?
No, I’m not a fan of horror movies like that. However, I’ve been known to watch disturbing thrillers like the movie Fresh, which was about a cannibal. Yet when it comes to horror, I usually can’t do it because in some movies, they are based on true events/stories.
Do you think the recent horror films have been good?
I’ve never actually seen the first Smile or Terrifier, but I know enough about the plot of those movies and I personally believe that the sequels will become popular because they chose the right time to release (October = Halloween). As for Nosferatu, I don’t believe I’ve heard of it so I’m interested to see audience reactions to it when it’s released.
Do you plan on seeing any of these when they come out?
I do not plan on seeing any of these movies unfortunately and someone would have to pay me extra to even stay for them. I don’t know, something about horror specifically scratches me the wrong way and I genuinely don’t think it would be, let’s say, healthy, for someone like myself which is why I stay with thrillers.
I’d say with her answers, we learned a refreshing perspective from someone who isn’t a fan of horror films. Even though she doesn’t plan on watching them, we see she respects the horror genre.