While in many cases, horror cinema has suffered from several years of the same, played out
- Hollywood formula - recently, the tides have started to shift - and it seems that
some of the most creative and innovative horror directors are stepping up their game for the
empowerment of the genre as a whole.
2019 is set to be the year of horror cinema reigniting its path, carving its way to the
top of the pile as a weighty contender of the cinematic form.
If you’ve seen Part 1 of this video - you’ll know that Stephen King’s horror classics
are back to form with Pet Sematary and IT Chapter 2 - and Jordan Peele’s sophomore
appearance with Us is on course to be one of the most exciting horror films of the year.
But - there’s much more where that came from.
Hello horror fans - and once again welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top
5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Horror Movies Coming Out In 2019 - Part 2.
Roll the clip.
Uhh - I could talk all day about how stoked I am for that clip - but you’ll have to
stick around to find out more…
Also, of course - this list is going to have a slight tinge of personal bias, because there
are some horror franchises bringing out some potentially decent remakes.
But these films are the ones that I’m most excited for.
And hopefully, you will be too.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Ma
Well, well, well.
Where do we even begin with this horror show?
Because if the trailer is anything to go by, Ma could very well be one of the most messed
up films of the year - in what appears to be an absolutely insane mash up of Jordan
Peele’s Get Out and Curtis Hanson’s 1992 classic, The Hand That Rocks The Cradle.
Slated to be released in May 2019 - Ma is a psychological horror starring the show stopping
Octavia Spencer, as well as being co-written and directed by Tate Taylor - the man responsible
for 2011’s The Help and 2016’s The Girl On The Train.
Spencer plays a woman named Sue Ann, a quiet loner who keeps herself to herself in a sleepy,
suburban Ohio town.
After a seemingly innocent gesture, Sue Ann agrees to buy booze for some local teenagers
- and then offers to let them drink in the comfort of her disused basement, so that they
won’t be tempted to drink and drive.
Pretty sweet deal, right?
Well, the kindness of strangers isn’t always as it may seem - and Sue Ann’s hospitality
soon turns into a frantic obsession.
If Octavia Spencer’s acting clout is anything to go by - this film is going to be brilliantly
painful to watch.
Also, it’s got Juliette freaking Lewis in it too - so it’s gotta be good.
Coming in at Number 4 - The Nightingale
Well - you get a bit of a guarantee with this one, because The Nightingale has already seen
a limited release at the Venice International Film Festival, as well as its premiere at
the 2018 Adelaide Film Festival - and spoilers, it’s pretty damn good - if not one of the
most harrowing and graphically violent films in the last few years.
As in, it’s really - really painful to watch.
But, violence is contextual - and this film really has a few contextual scars to leave.
Also, it’s the sophomore feature for Jennifer Kent, writer and director of 2014’s showstopper,
The Babadook.
So it’s got a bit of pedigree behind it.
Set in 1825, The Nightingale follows the story of Clare, a young Irish convict played by
Aisling Franciosi - in a colonial thriller that sees her chasing a British officer through
the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, hellbent on revenge for a terrible act of violence
and trauma committed against her family.
On the way, she enlists the service of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy, played by
Baykali Ganambarr - who is marked by the trauma of his own violence-filled past.
Listen, much like The Babadook, this isn’t a horror flick in the conventional sense - it’s
a period piece, it’s a revenge thriller - but it’s very DNA is built upon the true
mark of horror.
Swinging in at Number 3 - The Lighthouse
And sadly - Robert Eggers is playing these cards incredibly close to his chest, and there
has been next to nothing for this film in regard to actual footage.
But - despite that, this is, personally, one of my most anticipated horror films of this
year.
For one reason, and one reason alone - my boy, old Bobby Eggers - who, despite only
ever having one horror film beneath his belt, has quickly become one of my favourite directors
in horror cinema.
Oh, that one film beneath his belt?
Yeah, it’s 2015’s The Witch.
I’ll say no more.
Either way - I’m going to hedge my bets, and haphazardly stake my claim that Robert
Egger’s The Lighthouse is going to be one of the most captivating original horror flicks
of this year - and well, because of three things.
One.
It’s Bobby Eggers.
Two.
It’s set in 20th Century New England.
And three - it’s in Black and White.
Hey, that sounds like a winning combination.
Robert Eggers made it very clear with The Witch that he doesn’t make genre-films unless
they’re worth making - and 2019’s The Lighthouse hopefully will be no exception.
It stars Willem Dafoe as a lighthouse keeper named Old - which is already awesome - and
co-stars Robert Pattinson - who’s slowly been making a name for himself as a showstopper
in his own right.
If you can’t tell - I’m very excited.
Next up at Number 2 - Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark
And if you’ve already reached the conclusion that 2019 is going to be an incredible year
for horror, then you ain’t seen nothing yet - because we’ve only just begun.
And that’s a Bachman Turner Overdrive into a Carpenter’s reference if I’ve ever heard
one.
But yeah - how could we ever leave out the main man himself, the legendary Guillermo
del Toro - who’s back up to his old tricks once again - and horror cinema is all the
better for it.
In the past, del Toro has been a bit of a free-win for studios to sell movies by attaching
his name to it, and it hasn’t always worked - but this one, this one’s different.
Written by del Toro, further adapted from a screenplay by Dan and Kevin Hageman - Scary
Stories to Tell in the Dark is an adaptation in itself of the awesome children’s book
series of the same name by Alvin Schwartz.
Also, it’s being directed by Andre Ovredal, the man behind 2010’s Trollhunter and 2016’s
surprise horror starling, The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
There are so many things that just feel right about this film that it’s going to be a
colossal disappointment if it doesn’t all come together.
But - the talent is already there - the source material is already there - and del Toro seems
to be having an incredibly heavy hand in maintaining the legendary horror fantasy direction that
we all know and love him for.
If the trailer is anything to go by, this film is the stuff of childhood induced nightmares
- and I for one, can’t bloody wait.
And finally - coming in at our Number 1 spot - Midsommar
I am not going to say this lightly.
I am so damn excited about this film that it’s criminal.
While I think Jordan Peele’s Us is going to be a worthy contender, I truly think that
Midsommar is going to be the best horror film of 2019.
Written and directed by Ari Aster, as in the man responsible for Hereditary the most anticipated
horror film of 2018 - if my suspicions are correct, then Midsommar is going to be this
generations The Wicker Man.
And if that isn’t an accolade, then I’m not entirely sure what is.
I must have played this trailer like 20 times - and although I know you should never judge
a film by it’s trailer - I’ve just got a feeling that everything about this film
is right.
Despite looking absolutely horrifyingly beautiful - Midsommar is also showcasing some of the
best new talent in cinema, namely Florence Pugh of Outlaw King fame - and Will Poulter,
who after taking on Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch - I’m relatively certain is soon going to
be the most familiar face in cinema.
Will Poulter is awesome, guys.
The film itself, much in line with The Wicker Man, features a young couple who travel to
a remote Swedish village, for a festival that occurs every 90 years.
However, that beautiful, idyllic landscape soon reveals a much more malevolent motive
- and this particular horror fan can’t quite wait to find out what that is.
Remote communities, cults, ritualistic sacrifice - summertime, entrails, violent intentions,
old gods - yeah, mark my words, this one is going to be good.
Well - there we have it horror fans, that’s my list for the Top 5 Horror Movies Coming
Out In 2019 - Part 2 - please, let us know your thoughts in the comment section down
below - as well as any choice picks that you think we should be aware of.
If you can’t tell - I’m pretty excited.
Before we depart today’s Top 5 Scary Video - let’s take a look at some of your most
entertaining comments from over the past few days.
First up - Kishie Banger says -- Hi top 5 scary squad!
I just discovered this channel a few days ago and have been binge watching as much content
as possible.
Question of mine would be what was the recent horror movie you didn’t like??
Thank you!
-- and hey Kishie!
Welcome aboard, glad to have you here as a brand new horror fan.
Also - great question - and although there are quite a few, I’d have to say Bird Box
was the most disappointing *horror* film I’ve seen recently.
I say horror in inverted commas because - although it was marketed as a horror film, it really,
really wasn’t.
I hate not liking Sandra Bullock, cos she’s awesome - but yeah, just fell flat on its
face that one.
Great question though!
Well - there we have it horror fans - remember, more questions like that!
If you were a fan of this video, you know the drill by now - make sure to hit that thumbs
up button, as well as that subscribe bell - and we’ll be seeing you in the next one.
Cheers for sticking around all the way until the end - as per usual, I’ve been your horror
host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary Videos - and until next time, you
take it easy.