Top 6 Sundance Horror Flicks We're Most Excited For!
Sundance Film Festival ran from January 24th to February 3rd and there seemed to be a lot of great movies that premiered. Based on reviews from various sites, I’ve narrowed down a list of 6 movies I’m super excited about.
Obviously, we could have to wait ages for some of these. That’s the downside to festivals – you hear all this exciting stuff and then don’t see the flick for years. BUT regardless – here’s my run down of the top six films I’m most anticipating:
Little Monsters
Lupita Nyong’o stars in this zombie comedy. She plays Miss Caroline, a kindergarten teacher who is beloved by her students. Dave, Alexander England, is an uncle who is recovering from a bad breakup. His nephew Felix, Diesel La Torraca, is one of the students. Dave agrees to chaperone a school trip to a petting zoo.
Next to the zoo is a government facility that is testing something shifty and dangerous. They accidentally unleash a zombie virus that affects the petting zoo and its inhabitants. Josh Gad also stars in this flick as a children’s entertainer at the zoo. The three adults must fight for their lives and protect their students.
It sounds like it could be a lot of fun, and Nyong’o is honestly perfect in everything so I’m not too worried.
The Hole in the Ground
Directed by Lee Cronin, this is an Irish horror flick. I’ve heard lots of people raving about this one and the trailer makes it look like a dark and dreamy kind of story. It will be released on March 1st.
Sarah O’Neill, played by Seána Kerslake, is trying to run from her broken past and build a new life for her and her son Chris (James Quinn Markey). They move into a home on the edge of a rural town. After a night having fun at an amusement park, the two run into a seemingly crazy woman on the road. She tells them her son was taken by a legendary creature known as a Changeling.
One night in their new home, the two hear noises and Chris disappears. Sarah while searching discovers a gaping hole in the ground, and when she returns home she finds her son safe and sound. But soon she begins to wonder if Chris is a Changeling, and if that mad old woman was telling the truth.
I fucking love the Changeling lore, YA fantasy is filled with retellings of that, so I’m super excited to see a terrifying version of it!
The Wolf Hour
This movie I’m incredibly excited for, because I have agoraphobic tendencies that I struggle with every day. It will be interesting to see it in a horror movie setting done right. Starring Naomi Watts as June Leigh, she is an agoraphobic recluse. She was a famous writer who wrote an autobiographical novel that destroyed her family. She then locked herself inside her apartment and never left.
Set in 1977 during the Son of Sam, June is stuck inside watching it happen. She begins being harassed by an unknown person who rings her bell all the time and basically driving her crazy.
Apparently, Naomi Watts is absolutely incredible and the film feels super claustrophobic. I’m super keen to see this one! It is written and directed by Alistair Banks Griffin.
The Nightingale
This is the follow-up to Jennifer Kent’s debut, The Babadook. This is a period thriller about Australia’s blood-stained colonial past. The lead is a woman named Clare, played by Aisling Franciosi, who is a young Irish convict. Set in 1825, she is serving her seven-year sentence for theft. She is bent on revenge of a British officer who committed a terrible act against her family.
This sounds like it’s a heavy subject matter and an even heavier film. There’s some mixed reviews out there but I’m absolutely curious to see how this turns out. I’m also a massive fan of historical horror.
The Lodge
Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, this is their follow-up from Goodnight Mommy. This is a slow burn English language film starring Riley Keough, Richard Armitage, Alicia Silverstone and Jaeden Lieberher.
When Laura finds out her husband Richard is divorcing her and marrying a much younger woman, she goes home and kills herself. Her two children, Mia and Aiden are placed with their Dad Richard and his new partner, Grace. Grace has an interesting past – she is the sole survivor of a cult. When Grace and the kids are left alone at a rural getaway for the holidays, things get spooky.
They wake up and find there’s no power, the food is gone and so are their warm clothes. Grace’s secret meds go missing too. The rest of the film is that of madness and secrets.
I love the premise of this film. You know I’m all about anything with cults involved. I’m really excited to watch this and get the whole story!
Wounds
Written and directed by Babak Anvari, this is based on the novella, The Visible Filth by Nathan Ballingrud.
Will (played by Armie Hammer) is working at a bar and lusting after a woman who is not his girlfriend. One night a student leaves a cell phone behind that starts receiving texts about a thing in a tunnel and a cursed book. Will looks through the phone and something takes over him and his life.
Shock Waves talked about it briefly and it sounds really intriguing!
So that’s it! There were obviously a lot more films that appeared during the festival, but these are the ones I’m most excited for and am keeping my eyes on!
Let me know which film from Sundance you’re most excited for in the comments below.
