The Last Horror Blog: Fall's Horror Movie Preview

With the kids back in school, and football (real football – not soccer…) season just about to get under way, it can only mean one thing – summer is over. Fall is my favorite season, not only because it means the heat goes away and the bluster of summer steps aside for the crisper autumn air, but also because it’s Halloween season – which is like Christmas for horror lovers.

It used to be that October was the month where everyone released their fright films, but the past few years have seen something of a shift towards January. That’s okay – there are still plenty of horror movies headed your way for the remainder of 2016. Today, we take a look at the ones you’re not going to want to miss.

September

The Disappointments Room

Release Date: September 9

Disturbia director DJ Caruso teams up with Kate Beckinsale in this upcoming chiller about a mother and her young son who release evil forces when they open a locked door in their country dream home.

The trailer for The Disappointments Room doesn’t look to deviate from the standard haunted house formula Hollywood has employed in recent years, but there’s no denying the film looks slick and polished even if the scares seem largely predictable.

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Blair Witch

Release Date: September 16

For me, this is the biggest horror film on the list – and also assuredly the most divisive. The original Blair Witch Project is either one of the genre’s greatest achievements or a completely overhyped case of the emperor wearing no clothes depending on who you ask. I suspect that will both help and hurt Adam Wingard’s update.

After the disastrous original sequel, Book of Shadows, I’d be more suspicious of this update – but Wingard and writing partner Simon Barrett’s involvement should have horror fans cautiously optimistic at the very least.

The new film finds a different group of young people wandering into the witch’s territory – looking for the original documentary team. Check out the trailer and see what you think.

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October

Ouija: Origin of Evil

Release Date: October 21

The original Ouija, released back in 2014, wasn’t a particularly great horror film even by Hollywood standards, but that isn’t stopping Universal from going back to the well with a prequel.

The new film, set in the 1960s, will give us the origin of the evil (hence that title…) of the board. It’s used by a charlatan medium – but things take a turn for the creepy when her daughter starts exhibiting signs of real psychic power.

If the first outing couldn’t make you forget Tawny Kitaen’s Witchboard, maybe this one will.

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Rings

Release Date: October 28

It’s been a few years since we had a new movie in the Ring franchise, but Paramount is set to change that with the release of Rings – which hits theaters just in time for Halloween.

The spooky death video is back – and viewing it means you die in seven days. It doesn’t look like much has been added to the Ring mythology in this new outing (which owes back to Hideo Nakata’s 1999 original), but the trailer looks decent – which was a surprise to me, because I felt like the creepy girl ghost subgenre had run out of steam years and years ago.

So, is it nostalgia or is Rings actually going to be a surprise horror hit? We’ll know by the time you’re done taking down your Halloween decorations.

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December

Incarnate

Release Date: December 2

Game of Thrones’ Red Witch Carice Van Houten stars alongside Aaron Eckhart in this supernatural thriller about an exorcist who actually enters the subconscious of the possessed to do battle with the demons inside. He gets more than he bargained for in his latest case, naturally.

While the premise sounds interesting, I’m not 100% sold on Incarnate. It’s a WWE (the professional wrestling company) production, in association with Blumhouse. Blumhouse knows the genre, but the WWE’s cinematic output has been sketchy at best. Will Incarnate be their breakout hit? It could be, but I wouldn’t bet money on it.

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Keep Watching

Release Date: December 2

Two horror movies in theaters on the same day – and in December? Has the world gone mad?

The second December 2 release is Keep Watching – which was originally titled Home Invasion, and probably tells you exactly what this movie is about.

Bella Thorne headlines (with The Walking Dead’s Chandler Riggs also amongst the cast) the feature, which is a found footage production that finds a family in a fight for survival against home invaders – who appear to be broadcasting the footage to a worldwide audience. I say “appear” because none of the film’s online plot synopses are very clear and we haven’t seen a trailer yet.

Insert your own “Keep Watching for more details” joke here.

Bye Bye Man

Release Date: December 9

We wrap things up with one more December title (December has more wide release horror movies than October. This is weird), Bye Bye Man.

Director Stacy Title’s feature film looks like a bit of a cross between Sinister and Final Destination. Allegedly based on a true story (what isn’t these days?) the film finds a group of college students unwittingly releasing The Bye Bye Man when they move into their new place off campus.

The character’s backstory says that he’s basically the malevolent supernatural force responsible for inspiring people to commit terrible acts of evil – and now it’s up to the three students to try and stop him. The trailer looks interesting, at least.

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