March 2024 Horror Preview
Three months in! Marching onto the preview…
March 1st
Mickey’s Mouse Trap: Starting the month off strong (?) comes the latest in a string of direct-to-video, bargain bin, mean-spirited slashers hoping to profit off the success of a beloved children’s character’s recent public domain status – WINNIE THE POOH: BLOOD AND HONEY and THE MEAN ONE (to some extent) followed this formula with varying degrees of success depending on who you asked, so with Disney’s beloved mascot hitting the public domain back in January, slasher Steamboat Willie was only a matter of time. A group of teens stalked by a murderous mouse in an amusement park – I, for one, can’t stand this trend, but some of you dig it so, more power to you, I suppose.
Enjoy this twisted game of cat and mouse (I’ll show myself out) when it hits VOD in early March.
March 5th
T-Blockers: A transgender filmmaker and her group of queer friends face a town of people infected by murderous parasites. While I like the idea of a trans character lead, especially in this setting, and I’m a sucker for any meta-commentary in films, especially films that feature characters in the industry – this trailer looks a little rough around the edges with some obvious indie film budgetary constraints and some dialogue that borders on very on-the-nose territory.
That said, never judge a book by its cover as the film premiered at Melbourne Queer, Fantasia International, and Outfest LA, to extremely positive reviews. Will I be proven wrong? Find out when this neon-lit horror flick girlbosses its way into limited release.
March 8th
Imaginary: Oh hey it’s that cute family-friendly comedy with Ryan Reynolds – oh, wait! This is the other imaginary friend movie releasing this year!
Going all the way back to Captain Howdy in THE EXORCIST, the concept of a sinister imaginary friend has been a common trope in horror films. Jeff Wadlow (FANTASY ISLAND, KICK-ASS 2) returns to Blumhouse with this unsettling film about a woman who moves back into her old family home only to discover her childhood stuffed bear, Chauncey, might have been more than just a toy…
March 11th
Azrael:
Though no trailer has officially been released yet, Azrael looks like an exciting and fresh horror film that might be my most anticipated of the month.
Directed by E.L Katz (THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR, SCREAM: THE TV SERIES, SWAMP THING), written by Simon Barrett (THE GUEST, YOU’RE NEXT), and starring Samara Weaving (SCREAM IV, READY OR NOT, ASH VS EVIL DEAD) – Azrael comes with quite the pedigree.
Per The Hollywood Reporter: “Azrael is set in a world in which no one speaks and centers on a devout, female-led community that hunts down a young woman, the self-titled character played by Weaving, who has escaped her imprisonment.“
With a bonkers premise like that and this level of talent attached, Azrael sounds like a recipe for success in my book. It will premiere at the 2024 South by Southwest Festival on March 9th, 2024, but you can catch it in select theaters on March 11th, 2024.
March 22nd
2024 might be the year of Sydney Sweeney – excluding MADAME WEB, she’s had a string of recent successes between EUPHORIA, ANYONE BUT YOU, and her turn on THE HANDMAIDS TALE.
Her latest and most unconventional role is IMMACULATE. She plays Cecilia, a devoutly religious American woman who’s offered the role to join a prestigious convent in the Italian countryside but is this idyllic abode too good to be true? Find out when (not) THE NUN hits theaters – and most likely Hulu – later this month!
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire:
Who ya gonna call? The sequel to 2021’s well-received GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE and the fifth in the franchise overall (I’m only counting four) sees the return of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson as well as Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, and McKenna Grace with newcomers Kumail Nanjani and Patton Oswalt rounding out the star-studded affair. Ghostbusters, new and old, join forces to fight an ancient spectral evil in this fun family-friendly romp. Maybe not the best-looking film on this list but certainly the most fun.
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL: Last but certainly not least is this exciting and subversive twist on the found footage genre – in what might be one of my most anticipated films of the year, vastly underrated actor David Dastmalchian stars as the not-quite Johnny Carson host of a fictional 1970s variety and talk show. Supposedly derived from a long-lost master tape of a Halloween episode where the host interviewed a parapsychologist, and the subject of her latest book, the sole survivor of a satanic cult’s mass suicide.
This looks original, gnarly, and meta as hell – in other words, right up my alley! I’ll be first in line to catch this when it hits streaming late this month.
Reader Submitted Films – Release Dates and Trailers
March 1 – After Life
March 1 – MURDARITAVILLE
March 11 – Doctor Jekyll
March 19 – Beware the Boogeyman
March 19 – H.P LOVECRAFT’S THE OLD ONES
