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Were in the boom times!
Here are Vultures picks for the top horror films of 2019 so far.
Annabelle Comes Home
The motto for theConjurings expanded-universemovies has generally been Good enough!
Annabelle, were happy you came home.
This is horror filmmaking at its most stripped down.
Dora Madison stars as an artist trying to make rent whose agent sucks and whose brain is creatively blocked.
But is the blood sucking real, or is it all just a drug-fueled dream?
And either way, can her body and her relationships bear the cost of her newfound manic creative drive?
And thats what makes it a great time.
In a movie about a rabid man-eating boar.
Its intimate and beautiful and brutal and unique and increasingly hard to watch.
Deep Murder
Deep Murderhas managed to hack the system.
and complete commitment to its in-world rules, its practically impossible for this movie to fail.
with such gusto you cant help but respect it.
Hagazussa: The Heathens Curse
Hagazussahas been making its way to audiences for a long time.
(Vulture named it one of itsmost anticipatedhorror films of 2018.)
There are Taylor Swift sing-alongs.
There is Lupita slaying the undead while she convinces her students the entire day is just one big game.
And theres Josh Gad getting punched in the face.
Instead,Luzfunctions like a feat of hypnosis.
Its short, just 70 minutes, and yet deliberately paced and tough to untangle.
But its also enveloping in its weirdness a truly art-house horror experience.
If youre looking for a genre picture to challenge and unnerve you, check outLuz.
Midsommar
Ari Asterfollowed upHereditarywith abody horrorlaced, brightly lit mindfuck that only he could make.
But its not all in his head.
Its funny, frantic, bloody, and keeps you guessing at every turn.Actiooooooooon!
If youre feeling a semi-hard-core, its a slice of perfection.
His follow-up, an adaptation of Ryu Murakamis novelPiercing, is just as intimate but much more surreal.
Its a sort of love story for people who likepsychosexual foreplayand violence, and Pesces execution is thrilling.
Ready or Not
Ready or Notis the feel-good genre rager of the summer.
WatchReady or Notand receive the bonuses of a bow-and-arrow armed Andie MacDowell and a coked outMelanie Scrofano.
Starfish
Its been a great year for narratively adventurous genre films.
White has been writing, directing, and producing short films for years, butStarfishis his feature debut.
Virginia Gardner stars as Aubrey, a girl attending the funeral of her best friend.
Its notA Quiet Place, though.
Its haunting and visually arresting and occasionally has some scary-ass monsters.
Think survival horror as a dream sequence.
This contained creature feature is director J.D.
Writer and directorDan Gilroys follow-upto the enthrallingNightcrawlersees him reuniting with Rene Russo and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The death scenes are fantastic.
The narcissism is dialed up to the max.
The bangs on Gyllenhaal are unforgettable.
A wonderfully fun blend of camp and horror.
Homesteaders were out in the middle of nowhere, vulnerable to murderous passersby and/or malevolent spirits.
The scope ofThe Wind, from director Emma Tammi and screenwriter Teresa Sutherland, is enjoyably narrow.
