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Jump scare! Evil villain! These are fall’s most exciting horror movie releases.
An Airbnb rental gone wrong and another ‘Frankenstein’ adaptation highlight this autumn’s horror crop
Fall is the season that horror hounds spend the whole year dreaming about. It’s not just the incipient chill in the air but also the forward march toward Halloween — aka Christmas for scare addicts — that usually sees studios roll out their best horror films of the year. And this autumn should be no different.
Produced by horror titan Jordan Peele, “Him” is the story of aspiring football player Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), who is recovering from a devastating and potentially career-ending brain injury. He is then invited to train with legendary quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) at the isolated compound he shares with his influencer wife, Elsie (Julia Fox). But something unsettling, and possibly supernatural, is going on at the compound. The second half of the trailer “makes it pretty clear that this is a horror movie,” said Bloody Disgusting. And with Peele (“Get Out”) involved, hopes are high for another horror sensation. (in theaters Sept. 19)
‘Bone Lake’
Bone Lake | Official Trailer | Bleecker Street - YouTube
Borrowing its chief conceit from “Barbarian” — a double-booked rental home — “Bone Lake” is a clever double entendre that “isn’t just a fun name” but also a “promise,” said Nightmare on Film Street, resulting in a “seductive piece of cinema that takes an average thriller and slowly cranks up the crazy.”
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A couple, Diego (Marco Pigossi) and Sage (Maddie Hasson), arrive at their lakeside rental to reconnect only to find another pair, Will (Alex Roe) and Cin (Andra Nechita), have also booked it. Rather than waste a perfectly lovely vacation house, the four decide to split it, which results first in sexual tension and then madcap violence. (in theaters Oct. 3)
‘Frankenstein’
Frankenstein | Guillermo del Toro | Official Teaser | Netflix - YouTube
A Guillermo del Toro adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel starring Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and top-tier scream queen Mia Goth sounds like a dream for horror fans. A movie that del Toro has “been dreaming of for decades,” the film “may be the culmination of del Toro’s artistic life,” said The Associated Press. For those unfamiliar either with the source material or the countless screen adaptations, the story follows Victor Frankenstein, an alchemist who brings a misshapen creature made of discarded body parts to life in 19th-century Switzerland and eventually pursues his monstrous creation to the ends of the Earth. (in theaters Oct. 17; Nov. 7, Netflix)
A follow-up to the surprise 2021 hit “The Black Phone,” director Scott Derrickson’s sequel begins several years after the events of the first film. The original, based on a 2004 short story by Stephen King's son Joe Hill, was about a boy named Finney (Mason Thames) who was abducted by The Grabber (an unrecognizable Ethan Hawke) who then receives supernatural phone calls from past victims offering somewhat obtuse clues about how to escape the villain’s soundproofed basement. In “Black Phone 2,” Finney and his younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) are drawn to a camp where The Grabber appears to be stalking new victims. That’s about all you can glean from the “creepy new trailer that makes good on that promise of The Grabber returning,” said Fangoria. (in theaters Oct. 17)
The latest from “Longlegs” director Osgood Perkins, “Keeper” is set in a remote cabin rented for the weekend by Liz (Tatiana Maslany) and Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland). When Malcolm has to leave abruptly, Liz is left alone to deal with some kind of supernatural menace. While it’s hard to glean much more than that from the typically trippy Neon-produced trailer, it seems safe to say that Liz isn’t the first or only victim. All we see is a “relationship on the brink, influenced by the unfolding wickedness around the couple,” said Deadline. Horror fans are hoping for a return to form from Perkins, whose first 2025 release was the Stephen King adaptation “The Monkey.” (in theaters Nov. 14)
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David Faris is a professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of "It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics." He's a frequent contributor to Newsweek and Slate, and his work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Republic and The Nation, among others.
