30 Notable Horror Movies of 2018


We've still got almost a whole year ahead of us and within that comes a slew of new horror films, so you might as well just grab yourself a marker or prep your calendar app because here's my personal list of 30 notable horror movies (some good, some ehhh) to look out for this year:

(Release dates are subject to change)
(List Last Updated: March 1st 2018)


Winchester
February 2, 2018 (Theaters)



This marks the return of the Spierig brothers, who fans may remember previously helmed the 2010 vampire flick Daybreakers. The movie stars Helen Mirren and Jason Clarke and tells the real life tale of the Winchester home, which is said to be "haunted by the ghosts of those killed with Winchester rifles." While the film's trailer didn't really amaze me, I still have hopes for the movie itself thanks to the talented crew behind and in front of the camera.

The Cloverfield Paradox
February 4, 2018 (Netflix)



Previously known as God Particle, this is another movie that's reportedly set in the Cloverfield universe, much like 10 Cloverfield Lane was. I like the idea of these different movies all being set in the same universe, with each one kind of giving out more and more information about what's going on and where the series is potentially headed. The movie premieres on Netflix after the Super Bowl.

The Ritual
February 9, 2018 (Netflix)



Directed by David Bruckner (The Signal, Southbound), the story sees a group of men hiking deep into the wilderness and discovering macabre and ritualistic items along with something potentially supernatural. Yeah, I'm intriguied, and the fact that it's debuting on Netflix means it's almost a can't miss.

Hellraiser: Judgment
February 13, 2018 (VOD)(DVD)



Yes, we have yet another Hellraiser sequel on the way, and once again, Pinhead is NOT played by Doug Bradley, but I digress. The story focuses on detectives on the hunt of a serial killer and getting mixed up with the cenobites. Apparently we'll see a number of new cenobites this time 'round and of course pseudo Pinhead will make his obligatory appearance. Much like the past sequels, this low-budget fair will premiere on DVD.

Annihilation
February 23, 2018 (Theaters)



While this may not be a full blown horror flick, it does seem to teeter on the edge of one. Plus this is Alex Garland's second directorial debut after the much-praised Ex Machina and with a premise about scientists exploring an area where the laws of nature don't necessary apply, uhh yeah, it definitely has my interest.

The Cured
February 23, 2018 (VOD)


Previously titled The Third Wave, this unconventional zombie flick stars Ellen Page as a survivor set in the aftermath of a virus that turned people into zombie-like monsters. A cure has been found and now society is separated between those that were once infected and those that remained human. I'm curious to see how this turns out and I'm especially open to new-ish ideas for old sub-genres.

The Strangers: Prey at Night
March 9, 2018 (Theaters)



If you're a fan of the first movie (like I am) then you know the long wait we've had to endure to finally get a sequel. After many years of talks and rumors it's finally here and judging from the trailer it actually looks pretty decent. The story sees a family encountering the same villains from the first movie while staying the night at a mobile home. I'm hoping it's as good as the first, if not, better than its predecessor.

Children of the Corn: Runaway

March 13, 2018 (VOD)(DVD)


This never-ending series continues with the 10th installment coming out in March and juding from the trailer it looks like your typical COTC movie. Though I'm personally not too excited about this one, I'm sure there are fans out there looking forward to it...right? RIGHT??

Pyewacket
March 23, 2018


The film's title references a supernatural entity that assists witches, so you can expect a bit of occultism in this movie, which so far has received fairly positive reviews from the festival circuit. I'm always down for a new movie involving witchcraft. IFC Midnight will distribute the movie sometime later this year.

Terrifier
March 27, 2018 (VOD)



The nefarious Art the Clown is back with his own movie this time, after appearing in a couple short films that were featured in Damien Leone's All Hallows' Eve. I've been waiting to see Art get his own movie ever since I saw him in the original Terrifier short in 2011.

Incident in a Ghost Land

April 2018 (Rumored)


I'm hoping the reported April release date is accurate since it looks like something that I'd want to see soon. It's also the latest entry from Martyrs director Pascal Laugier and while the filmmaker's last effort starring Jessica Biel, entitled The Tall Man, wasn't as good as some would've hoped, I found the ending to be at least somewhat clever. Hopefully this new flick is as good and potentially brutal as the trailer makes it seem.

The Endless
April 6, 2018 (Limited)


This comes to us from directing duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who are a couple talented filmmakers to definitely keep an eye on. They entered the scene with the mysterious cabin in the woods movie Resolution (2012) and followed that up with the Lovecraftian horror romance Spring (2014) and now they're back with The Endless, which tells the story of a couple brothers who escaped a "death cult" years ago only to realize that there may have been some truth to their beliefs afterall. If anything, the two filmmakers know how to tell an interesting tale and seem to get better with each movie. Lets hope this is no exception.

A Quiet Place
April 6, 2018 (Theaters)



Who knew Jim from The Office would eventually start directing movies, letalone a movie from our beloved genre. So far not much has been released for this film aside from some pics and a compelling teaser, which depicts a family trying to stay absolutely quiet from someone or something on the outside. The big question is what are they afraid of? Hopefully whatever it is will be a nice surprise to the audience.

Ghost Stories
April 20, 2018 (VOD)



This is a new British horror anthology starring some familiar faces like Martin Freeman. Being a fan of anthologies I have some high hopes for this one.

Cold Skin
June 1, 2018 (VOD)


I'm actually really looking forward to this upcoming Lovecraftian creature feature, which seems to mix a bit of romance into it. I also dig the cast and it appears that they're using a lot of pretty decent practical FX, which is always a plus. At the moment it doesn't have any US distribution that I'm aware of, but hopefully it'll get picked up soon.

Hereditary
June 8, 2018 (Theaters)



This is probably one of the most hyped horror films this year, especially after it received all the rave reviews out of Sundance. Normally I don't pay much mind to festival praise since critics tend to overrate and hype up movies, but judging from the trailer this looks like the hype may actually be warranted. Hopefully it's as good as it seems.

The First Purge

July 4, 2018 (Theaters)



This latest sequel to The Purge franchise is actuallly a prequel that's said to take place on Staten Island and focus on the very first experimental purge. I'm a fan of the series and I'm curious to see how things started out before it became an official government sanctioned annual thing.

The Predator
August 3, 2018 (Theaters)



Though it may not be a flat out horror film I decided to add this anyway since it's a film that I know a lot of us have been looking forward to. The story is said to be set between Predator 2 and Predators and will focus on the Predator roaming through suburbia (rumored). Naturally a team of skilled soldiers are after it. I've been a long time fan of the Predator films and while the recent movies have been decent, they were nowhere near as good as the original two movies, which this is reportedly in similar tone to.

The Meg
August 10, 2018 (Theaters)



This movie has essentially been in development for a couple decades and it's finally making its way to theaters this year. Jason Stathom stars as a deep sea diver, who accompanies scientists as they encounter the giant prehistoric shark.

Slender Man
August 24, 2018 (Theaters)



This isn't the first Slender Man movie to come out, but it is the first to actually use the name. Though judging from the trailer the similarities between the online legend and his movie counterpart may be pretty slim. I'm just hoping it's just a poorly edited trailer and the movie itself is good, because there's so much untapped potential with the character.

The Nun
September 7, 2018 (Theaters)



The Conjuring universe just keeps getting bigger and I'm actually okay with that. I enjoyed the Conjuring films and while the first Annabelle spinoff wasn't all that great, the prequel more than made up for it. Now we're getting this spinoff of the infamous Nun from Conjuring 2 and there's even talks of developing a Crooked Man spinoff as well. This film will reportedly explore more about the Nun and go into more detail as to who/what she is.

Goosebumps 2
October 12, 2018 (Theaters)



Family friendly horror or not, I enjoyed the first movie for the most part and am curious to see how things pan out for this sequel. Word was that the studio had two scripts to choose from, depending on if they could secure Jack Black again as Stine. The last I heard it would focus once again on Slappy, but so far nothing official has been released. Honestly I'd be surprised if the movie even meets the October release date.

Halloween
October 19, 2018 (Theaters)



This is probably the movie most of us are excited to see this year, especially since Carpenter himself is working close with the project. The story takes place after the events of the first movie, so it ignores all the past sequels. Nick Castle is also back as Michael along with Jamie Lee as Laurie Strode. Sure, David Gordon Green and Danny McBride seem like an odd choice to helm the pic, but I'm hopeful that they know what they're doing.
 
Overlord
October 26, 2018 (Theaters)



Looks like we might be getting two Cloverfield movies in one year. Apparently this has recently been confirmed to be the 4th movie set in the Cloverfield universe. Even if it had nothing to do with Cloverfield I'd still be interested in seeing this since it's set during WWII and follows a couple paratroopers caught behind enemy lines fighting off supernatural Nazi experiments.

Suspiria
TBD 2018



Assuming this long gestured Suspiria remake does finally hit theaters this year it should be pretty interesting to say the least. Starring Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton the film's director has revealed that his take on the movie is "cold, evil and really dark."

Slaughterhouse Rulez
TBD 2018



Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are back in this new horror comedy directed by Crispian Mills (A Fantastic Fear of Everything), which reportedly has a release in the UK later this year. Pegg and Frost are also producing the pic, which tells the story of a British boarding school that becomes a "bloody battleground when a mysterious sinkhole appears at a nearby fracking site unleashing unspeakable horror." While I dig the storyline, they already had me at "Simon Pegg and Nick Frost." Unfortunately, there's no US distribution for this one yet (that I  know of), so we may not actually see it until next year.

Nightmare Cinema
TBD 2018


This is a new horror anthology headed by producer Mick Garris (The Stand, Masters of Horror), who put together an interesting slate of directors for the segments in the movie. We've got Alejandro Brugues (Juan of the Dead), Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins), David Slade (30 Days of Night), and Ryuhei Kitamura (Midnight Meat Train, Versus). I love anthologies and this is very high up on my list.

Cargo
TBD 2018



This is a new zombie flick starring Martin Freeman as a desperate father looking for someone to take care of his infant daughter before he ultimately turns into a zombie. I'm a little burnt on zombie flicks, but I like the Australian setting and it seems like the movie may deliver more of an emotional journey than the standard zombie fair.

Muse
TBD 2018


Spanish director Jaume Balagueró (The Nameless, Darkness, [Rec] movies) is back with this latest supernatural haunter, which looks pretty decent from the trailer. I'm hoping all the best scenes are in the movie, but I'm mostly interested since I'm a fan of the director's work.

Polaroid
TBD 2018



This movie's release date has been pushed several times last year until it was removed from the schedule entirely, but at one point it was supposed to get an August theatrical release. While delays like that are never a good sign, the movie itself looks like it has some potential, especially with character actor Javier Botet ([Rec], The Conjuring 2, IT) on board as the supernatural entity, so we know we're at least in for something freaky looking.