Directed by Ryan Coogler, Sinners follows twin brothers, Smoke and Stack Moore, played by Michael B. Jordan.
A New Beginning in the Mississippi Delta
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, the twin brothers return to their hometown to start anew, only to discover a horrific evil awaiting them.
Themes of Identity and Cultural Heritage
The story takes place in 1932, during the Jim Crow era in Mississippi. The twins return home from working with Chicago gangsters. They set out to open a juke joint for their local Black community. Featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, the club attracts people. The community fights vampires drawn to their cousin Sammie’s musical talent.
Why Sinners Stands Out as a Horror Film
This movie combines Southern Gothic horror with crime drama, blues music, and historical storytelling. Beyond its horror, Sinners delves into family, faith, identity, racism, cultural exploitation, and the power of music.
An impressive support cast includes Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller and Delroy Lindo.
Sinners won four Oscars, including Best Screenplay (Coogler), Best Cinematography (Autumn Durald Arkapaw), Best Original Score (Ludwig Goransson), and Best Actor (Jordan).
Another horror film from Blumhouse, with Jeff Wadlow directing an original horror that taps into the innocence of imaginary friends.
The story follows figments of childhood imagination. Or is something terrifying lying just beneath?
When Imagination Becomes Reality
When Jessica, played by DeWanda Wise, moves back into her childhood home with her family, her youngest stepdaughter Alice, played by Pyper Braun, develops an eerie attachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey. She found the stuffed animal in the basement.
“Not all imaginary friends are friendly… at least that’s what the characters at the heart of Imaginary are about to find out,” shares Wadlow. “I love making films that play with the audience’s perception of what is real and what is not, so a horror movie that explores the frightening possibilities of imaginary friends was the perfect sandbox for me to play in.
“I think the movie we made is filled with unexpected twists, big scares, and, above all else, a ton of thrilling fun. DeWanda, Pyper, and Taegen, the characters at the center of our story, are not only believable as a blended family but a blast to watch as the tale unfolds.
DeWanda Wise as Jessica in Imaginary. Photo Credit: Parrish Lewis
Exploring the Film’s Creepy Atmosphere
Alice plays games with Chauncey that begin playfully and become increasingly sinister. Jessica intervenes because Alice’s behavior becomes increasingly concerning. She realizes Chauncey is much more than the stuffed toy bear she believed him to be.
Supernatural Creatures and Haunted Memories
The supporting cast includes Tom Payne, Taegan Burns, Pyper Braun, Veronica Falcon, and Betty Buckley.
“I think audiences are going to love watching them go toe to toe with Chauncey, our evil little bear. “I promise you’ll never look at a Teddy the same way again,” says Wadlow.
Written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, The Craft: Legacy continues Blumhouse’s cult hit The Craft. The story follows an eclectic foursome of aspiring teenage witches who get more than they bargained for as they lean into their newfound powers. You won’t catch this movie in the theaters as it’s set for on-demand.
The film stars Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna, Nicholas Galitzine, Michelle Monaghan, and David Duchovny.
Written and directed by Lorena Villarreal, Silencio is based on her fascination with (la Zona del Silencio) the Zone of Silence in Mexico. It provides supernatural tales time and time again. “We really wanted to focus on the mysteries of all these mysterious occurrences that had no explanations,” says Villarreal. “We did a lot of research, interviewed multiple sources, including certified experts to long-living locals.”
Villarreal story strays from the facts for dramatic storytelling, but she wanted to stay true to the overall facts and tales of the area. Even though there are unknown supernatural elements in the film, the team could preserve the essence of the Zone of Silence. “We are all naturally curious about these types of places—the Pyramids of Giza, the Bermuda Triangle, and finally, the world will learn about the Zone of Silence, which lies on the same parallel line to both of these great areas,” says Villarreal.
The type of odd occurrences in the Zone of Silence, Mexico are Instruments and communications failures, as well as strange happenings, which tie into the many stories of the area, just like Bermuda and the Pyramids, but few people know it exists. “Audiences will be in awe of the Zone of Silence, but they will also be drawn to a story about family and hard choices. Silencio revolves around the life of Ana and her family and how this powerful stone found in the Zone of Silence will affect their future. It is about love, courage and the unknown,” says Villarreal. “The central question Silencio asks is, “How far would you go to save the ones you love?”
Producer Denisse Chapa agrees with Villarreal. “It was important for us to film part of the movie on-site, in the actual location of the Zone of Silence. We were told about some magnetism in the area that may cause all sorts of mechanical failures of equipment, cars, rockets. We were nervous about the footage being affected.”
Chapa explained, “When the team tried to use drones for aerial shots, they experienced some of the local oddities they had heard tales of. The drone got lost, and we did not find it until the next day. So, we experienced some of the mysteries firsthand.”
Ana, played by Melina Matthews, is a young psychiatrist and single mother who lives a quiet life, taking care of her young son and grandfather, Dr. James White, played by John Noble, a world-renowned scientist who now struggles with dementia.
The backstory began in 1970, Dr. White, with the help of his apprentice, Peter, played by Nic Jackman (Rupert Graves plays the older Peter), found a very powerful stone in the Zone of Silence, Mexico, a mysterious place where inexplicable things happen and are often referred to as the “Bermuda Triangle” of Mexico.
After uncovering the stone’s powers, Ana’s grandfather hid it to prevent the terrible consequences it could unleash if it fell into the wrong hands.
Someone now knows the stone’s power and believes it is worth killing for. Ana’s life turns upside down when she realizes she has to find the stone to save her son’s life.
The cast includes Michel Chauvet and Hoze Meléndez.
Directed by Scott Speer from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs, I Still See You follows Roni, played by Bella Thorne, in this spellbinding and romantic supernatural thriller. The movie is based on Daniel Walters’s book Break My Heart One Thousand Times.
Ten years after an apocalyptic event left the world haunted by ghosts, Roni receives a threatening message from beyond the grave. Joining forces with a mysterious classmate, Kirk, played by Richard Harmon, Roni descends into a shadow world that blurs the bounds of the living and the dead—and begins a desperate race against time to stop a cunning killer.
Thorne starred in Midnight Sun, a love story directed by Speerwith Patrick Schwarzenegger. In each movie, Thorne played opposite characters.
Jason Fuchs is also an actor, but his writing credits include Wonderwoman and Pan.
The movie trailer shows a touch of comedy with the suspense.
The movie looks good via the trailer, and the rest of the cast includes Amy Price-Francis, Hugh Dillon, Shaun Benson, Dave Brown, Thomas Elms, Louis Herthum, and Dermot Mulroney.
Directed by Rodrigo Cortes, Down A Dark Hall follows Kit, played by Anna Sophia Robb. She is a problematic young girl, and her temper makes it difficult for her mother to take care of her.
Hence, she ordered to the mysterious Blackwood Boarding School. She arrives at Blackwood and faces the eccentric headmistress, Madame Duret, played by Uma Thurman. She also meets the school’s only four other students. They, too, are young women headed down a troubled path.
While exploring the labyrinthine corridors of the school, Kit and her classmates discover that Blackwood Manor hides an age-old secret rooted in the paranormal.
Based on the classic gothic YA novel of the same name by Lois Duncan. Duncan also authored I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Isabelle Fuhrman, Victoria Moroles, Noah Silver, Taylor Russell, and Rosie Day round out a talented cast.
The author of Twilight and The Host, Stephenie Meyer, produced the movie. Cortés also directed the film Buried. They are calling Down A Dark Hall a supernatural thriller. But it sure seems like a horror movie. Watch the trailer, and you’ll see what I mean.
