HorrorFatale.com – This Year in Horror 2019
This year the horror genre should have ended the decade with a bang, but in my opinion this was the year horror on the silver screen took a vacation. There were a few bright spots, but those were sadly rare and far in between. The most fun for the genre just as it’s been the last couple of years has come from TV series (CBS Evil) and through digital streaming (Shudder’s Creepshow).
It was the year of the horror comedy and documentary. The “serious” horror was boring, dry, unentertaining and downright pointless. You may agree or disagree, but according to HorrorFatale.com this is the Year in Horror 2019.
The Good
Us (2019) R | 1h 56min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller | March 22, 2019 (USA)
A family’s serene beach vacation turns to chaos when their doppelgängers appear and begin to terrorize them.
Director: Jordan Peele
Writer: Jordan Peele
Stars: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss
Ready or Not (2019) R | 1h 35min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery | August 21, 2019 (USA)
A bride’s wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game.
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writers: Guy Busick, Ryan Murphy
Stars: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien
In Search of Darkness (2019) 4h 20min | Documentary, Horror | October 13, 2019 (Australia)
An exploration of ’80s horror movies through the perspective of the actors, directors, producers and SFX craftspeople who made them, and their impact on contemporary cinema.
Director: David A. Weiner
Writer: David A. Weiner
Stars: Tom Atkins, Doug Bradley, John Bloom
Please read our detailed review here.
Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019) Not Rated | 1h 23min | Documentary |February 7, 2019 (USA)
An look at the history of black horror films and the role of African Americans in the film genre from the very beginning.
Director: Xavier Burgin
Writers: Ashlee Blackwell, Danielle Burrows
Stars: Meosha Bean, Ashlee Blackwell, Robin R. Means Coleman
Corporate Animals (2019) R | 1h 26min | Comedy, Horror | September 20, 2019 (USA)
CEO Lucy takes her staff on corporate team building in some underground desert caves in New Mexico. They get stuck there.
Director: Patrick Brice
Writer: Sam Bain
Stars: Demi Moore, Ed Helms, Jessica Williams
The Entertaining, Yet clichéd
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) R | 1h 39min | Action, Comedy, Horror | October 18, 2019 (USA)
Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writers: Dave Callaham (screenplay), Rhett Reese (screenplay)
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Crawl (2019) R | 1h 27min | Action, Drama, Horror | July 12, 2019 (USA)
A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.
Director: Alexandre Aja
Writers: Michael Rasmussen, Shawn Rasmussen
Stars: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper, Morfydd Clark
Little Monsters (2019) R | 1h 33min | Comedy, Horror | October 11, 2019 (USA)
A washed-up musician teams up with a teacher and a kids show personality to protect young children from a sudden outbreak of zombies.
Director: Abe Forsythe
Writer: Abe Forsythe
Stars: Lupita Nyong’o, Alexander England, Josh Gad
Please read our detailed review here.
The Pretentious
The Lighthouse (2019) R | 1h 49min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror | November 1, 2019 (USA)
Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
Director: Robert Eggers
Writers: Max Eggers, Robert Eggers
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Valeriia Karaman
Midsommar (2019) R | 2h 27min | Drama, Horror, Mystery | July 3, 2019 (USA)
A couple travels to Sweden to visit a rural hometown’s fabled mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
Director: Ari Aster
Writer: Ari Aster
Stars: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren
The Dead Don’t Die (2019) R | 1h 44min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror | June 14, 2019 (USA)
The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Writer: Jim Jarmusch
Stars: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tom Waits
Honorable Mentions
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) PG-13 | 1h 48min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller | August 9, 2019 (USA)
On Halloween 1968, reclusive Stella and her two friends meet a mysterious drifter, Ramón, and uncover a sinister notebook of stories.
Director: André Øvredal
Writers: Dan Hageman (screenplay by), Kevin Hageman (screenplay by)
Stars: Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush
Don’t Let Go (2019) R | 1h 43min | Drama, Horror, Mystery | August 30, 2019 (USA)
After a man’s family dies in what appears to be a murder, he gets a phone call from one of the dead, his niece. He’s not sure if she’s a ghost or if he’s going mad, but as it turns out, he’s not.
Director: Jacob Estes
Writers: Jacob Estes (screenplay by), Jacob Estes (story by)
Stars: David Oyelowo, Alfred Molina, Brian Tyree Henry