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Everything You Need To Know About The 8 Most Anticipated Horror Movies Of Summer 2019

For some of these, it's a definite no from me, but that doesn't mean you won't love them.

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Everything You Need To Know About The 8 Most Anticipated Horror Movies Of Summer 2019

As an avid horror movie lover, I am constantly on the lookout for upcoming movie releases. So far, 2019 has been a great year for horror movies.

We've seen amazing film releases ranging from "The Prodigy," following a young boy that seems to be haunted by something sinister, to the coveted "Us," written and directed by Jordan Peele and earned a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes before its theatrical release. The stream of non-typical and somewhat "creative" plots I've seen in scary movies this year led me to wonder if the rest of the year will bring us equally unique movies.

Sometimes, horror movies don't live up to the hype it gathers during the promotional stages of the movie. An example of this is "The Nun," which gained national attention following its trailers and theatrical posters. However, many were left disappointed leaving theatres. On the other hand, sometimes the quality of the movie trailer matches up to the quality of the movie. A remarkable example of this was the remake of "It," based off of a Stephen King novel that left fans more than satisfied.

I will be basing my judgments off of the most popular trailer of the movie, as some movies have several versions of trailers. Also, it should be noted that I will not be including indie movies, only those with a decent following already. The following movies are listed in order of the soonest anticipated release date to farthest.

1. "Brightburn"

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This film is anticipated to be released on May 23rd. This trailer reminded me of a darker version of Superman, one where Superman turns out to be a psychotic killer rather than a loving superhero. The trailer starts off as a bright tale of a couple who adopt a mysterious baby that arrives via a comet. Things become increasingly sinister as we witness the main character, young Brandon, begin his downfall. He is bullied and feels out of place and retaliates as a result.

He discovers his powers when he sticks his hands into a powerful fan and remains unharmed. He loses sanity and begins to attack seemingly random victims and then continues to terrorize his own mother.

The concept is interesting, especially following "Stranger Things," which also depicted a young child with uncontrollable superpowers. The movie doesn't contain traditional elements of horror. "Brightburn" comes off as more like a sci-fi horror film. The main source of horror comes from the idea of a couple bringing a child into their home, only to have him one day try to kill them. The trailer also has enough storytelling to have us rooting for young Brandon when he rebels against his bullies.

On a scale of 1 – 10, the likelihood of me seeing this movie is a 6/10. Although it does have an amazing concept, the lack of typical horror film elements draws me away.

2. "Ma"

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The anticipated release date for this movie is May 30th. The trailer starts off as a coming of age film and incorporates cliché concepts such as stranger danger and the party scene of teenagers. A group of teenagers befriends an older woman (played by Octavia Spencer), who allows them to party in her basement and buys alcohol for them. This alone seems completely unrealistic. If a woman were to invite me to throw a party in her basement, I would call the police. Not only that but seeing Octavia Spencer play this role almost adds a comedic factor to the film.

Another cliché concept we see is the "this thing is forbidden so don't do it or you will face trouble" when Ma tells the teenagers to not go upstairs, yet, of course, they do. We then watch as Ma grows creepier and creepier. We then see short teases of the despicable things she does, which includes kidnapping and drugging the teens, and painting one of their faces completely white.

Because of the sheer unrealistic plot of the film, the chances of me going to see this movie is 2/10.

3. "Dead Don't Die"

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"Dead Don't Die" will be released on June 14th. I'm getting "Zombieland" vibes from this Zombie film. Movies about the undead are typically played out in a horrific end-of-the-world manner, or, like "Zombieland" and "Shawn of The Dead" in a more comedic manner.

Of course, there is nothing unique about this plot except that the zombies can kind of talk. It's the same old story of a group of civilians fighting off the undead. However, we do see a familiar, yet random, cast. This includes Bill Murray, Selena Gomez, Danny Glover and more.

This may be extremely biased because I am a sucker for zombie movies, but I will 10/10 go see this movie.

4. "Child's Play"

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This movie is going to be released on June 20th. I know Chucky is a classic horror movie icon, but I feel like we don't need eight movies dedicated to him. Not to mention, this is just a modernized remake of the original. We've seen too many remakes go down in flames. Not to mention that the new and improved Chucky now looks a tamer version of the original. On top of that, Aubrey Plaza plays a main role in the movie. She doesn't seem to fit into the horror movie mold, and it shows.

The trailer follows what seems to be a toy that connects to an app. This toy, as we discover, is Chucky. Of course, Chucky does evil things. Nothing about the trailer seems scary, or even creepy. At some points, it almost seems like a comedy.

The chances I would see this movie is 2/10.

5. Annabelle Comes Home

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The anticipated release date for "Annabelle Comes Home" is June 27th. I believe there have been two movies following Annabelle now, the original, and "Annabelle: Creation." The Annabelle story falls into the same universe as "The Conjuring," making it destined for success. However, I don't think there was a need for three Annabelle movies. I have only seen "Annabelle: Creation," although I couldn't remember if I had seen it at all before watching the trailer. Although the movie was unremarkable to me, I wouldn't say it was particularly bad. Annabelle is a doll that contains the spirit of something evil. The image of the doll is enough to send chills down my back and create nightmares.

I don't know the exact backstory of "Annabelle Comes Home," although the title suggests that the spirit of the doll will create terrors after being put down all those years before. The trailer begins with the familiar "this thing is forbidden so don't do it or you will face trouble" when a girl is told not to enter the room where Annabelle is contained. Of course, she enters the room and Annabelle's spirit returns.

I don't expect this sequel of Annabelle to be strikingly unique since there's only so many times you can reuse a concept of a haunted doll (cough, cough Chucky). However, certain images depicted in the trailers were truly disturbing, including one where we see people with what looks like coins attached to their eyes. The scene reflects the button eye concept from Coraline, a movie that terrified children when it was released. The trailer also contains 2-3 jump scares, which I think is a cheap way of convincing an audience that the film is scary. I've seen too many "horror" films where the only scary concept is something appearing so suddenly that you're taken aback.

Because the concept of the movie isn't refreshing or unique, there is a 7/10 chance I would go see it. I am drawn in to the classic horror film outline it follows, but I wish it did more to stand out.

6. "47 Meters Down 2"

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The anticipated release date for this movie is June 28th. I've noticed a recent trend of shark/predatory fish type movies in the past decade. We've seen the unfortunate "Sharknado" series, the equally tragic "Piranha" series, and we've seen "The Shallows," which was not as horrible as it's counterparts.

I haven't seen the first "47 Metres Down," although, after watching the trailer for it, I can predict how it ends (one of the two girls will die, there always has to be a survivor.) For a movie that must require a lot of CGI, the reviews for the first movie isn't horrible. However, I don't think we need a sequel to this overused plot.

This trailer doesn't show a lot, probably because it isn't set to be released for another couple of months. However, it does show short, supposedly terrifying scenes paired with heart jumping music. The idea of sharks just isn't scary enough for me, but paired with the claustrophobic factors we've seen in the first movie, this sequel may be horrifying to some.

I could just watch any of the other 100 shark movies out there. The likelihood of me seeing this movie is 4/10.

7. "Midsommar"

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The "Midsommar" release date is July 3rd, one day before Independence Day. It is directed by Ari Aster, the director of "Hereditary." If you haven't yet seen "Hereditary," you must. If I'm being completely honest, I would almost go see "Midsommar" based on the director alone.

The trailer reveals to us that a group of people go to a nine-day festival that occurs every 90 years. The trailer really doesn't tell us much, but I enjoy that about this trailer. It gives us just enough to be appealing. We see short clips of a deformed person, as well as a dissected animal, presumably used for sacrificial reasons. The trailer has bright and fun cinematography, which contrasts the ominous music playing in the background.

My guesses are that the plot of this movie follows a group of unknowing victims who show up to the festival, only the people running it have sinister plans for them. We see short clips of a girl escaping into the woods, which hints at this plot.

Because I'm not given much information on this film, I am intrigued to learn the plot. Because of that reason, as well as Ari Aster, there is a 9/10 chance I will go see this movie

8. "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark"

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This movie is the one that I am the most excited for. Unfortunately, it has the furthest release date, August 9th. The film is based on the popular children's book series with the same name. A group of children finds a book of scary stories that, inevitably, come to life.

The trailer doesn't reveal much else, other than images of gory monster-like creatures that terrorize the children. Although the trailer does have some cringe-worthy moments ("you don't read the book, the book reads you"), one must keep in mind that the cast is mainly played by children.

Horror films have neglected monsters for years. They have opted for demon-possession films or zombies in many of the films we've seen this decade. A recent "monster" film I can think of is "The Babadook," although the Babadook isn't the typical "monster" you would envision for a horror film.

Based on the fact that the monsters in this film look satisfyingly grotesque and nightmare-worthy, I will 10/10 go to see this movie come August 9th.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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