“Consecration”
If a film features a nun covered in blood, we’re seeing it opening weekend. That resolve only doubles when said nun is being played by Jena Malone. (Note: This is not the last time the “The Neon Demon” actor will appear on this list.) “Consecration,” directed by Christopher Smith (“Triangle,” “Severance”) from a script he co-wrote with Laurie Cook (producer, “Barbarian”), centers on Grace (Malone), who discovers dark secrets at a Scottish convent following her brother’s suicide. Danny Huston (“The Aviator”) and Ian Pirie (“The Last Duel”) also star. The crew is also very much worth geeking out over — costumer Emily Newby (“Flux Gourmet,” “Spencer”) has assembled some truly iconic nun looks; and composer Nathan Halpern (“Swallow,” “Watcher”), whose music has graced some of the best modern indie horror films, is behind the score.
Release date: In theaters February 10 via IFC, then TBD via Shudder.
“Cuckoo”
After two seasons of blowout performances on “Euphoria,” everyone is anxious to see Hunter Schafer make her feature film debut. That feature will likely be “Cuckoo,” a Neon film by writer-director Tilman Singer (“Luz”). Schafer stars alongside Dan Stevens (“The Guest”), Jessica Henwick (“Glass Onion”), and Astrid Berges-Frisbey (“I Origins”). Little else is known about the film, other than that it was shot in 35mm in Germany and a first look still features a very beat-up Schafer hiding from a blurry figure. (We think that might be newcomer Kalin Morrow, who’s credited as “The Hooded Woman.”) Sounds creepy, we’re in.
Release date: TBD via Neon.
“The Deliverance”
Here’s something that wasn’t on our 2023 bingo card: Lee Daniels directing a horror film. But direct one he has, with an epic $65 million budget. The film, which Daniels wrote with Elijah Bynum (“Hot Summer Nights”) and David Coggeshall (“Orphan: First Kill,” “Prey”), is inspired by the Ammons haunting case. In 2014, Latoya Ammons made national news for claiming that her family had experienced haunting and demonic possession in their Gary, Indiana home. Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) plays Ebony, the film’s family matriarch, while Mo’Nique (who is collaborating with Daniels again for the first time since their post-“Precious” feud began) plays a social worker helping the family through a series of exorcisms. Other cast members include Aunjanie Ellis (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Omar Epps (“Love & Basketball”), Caleb McLaughlin (“Stranger Things”), and Glenn freakin’ Close. The internet is going to explode when this hits Netflix.
Release date: TBD via Netflix.
“Evil Dead Rise”
It’s been ten years since the “Evil Dead” reboot, with Sam Raimi working tirelessly on another standalone film for the franchise. Well, the resurrection is finally upon us. Lee Cronin (“The Hole in the Ground”) was hand-picked by Raimi to write and direct “Evil Dead Rise.” This will be his second feature film, but he’s not the only fresh face involved. Lily Sullivan (The “Picnic at Hanging Rock” series) and Alyssa Sutherland (“The Mist”) co-star as sisters Beth and Ellie. When Ellie turns into a demonic monster, Alyssa must fight to save her nieces and nephew from their own mother. Based on the trailer alone, this looks like a blast, and Cronin reportedly “had to hire an industrial kitchen” to produce all the fake blood necessary for filming. What more can we ask for?
Release date: April 21 via Warner Bros.
“The Exorcist”
David Gordon Green may not have stuck the landing on the “Halloween” franchise, but he’s getting another whack at horror classics with his upcoming “Exorcist” trilogy, the first of which debuts this October. “The Exorcist,” which Green co-wrote with Peter Sattler (“Camp X-Ray”), serves as a direct sequel to the original film, and sees the father of a possessed child (Leslie Odom Jr.) seek advice from Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn, reprising her original role). As in all good horror movies, Ann Dowd will be there, plus the demon Pazuzu is making a reappearance, so we’re going in optimistic.
Release date: October 13 via Universal.
