What can fans of the horror genre expect from movies released in 2016? Underworld, Purge, Conjuring, The Ring, and Amityville Horror will all have prequels or sequels heading to theaters this year along with films featuring zombies, ghosts, and other scary beasties that go bump in the night. Here’s a preview of what horror fans can look forward to throughout 2016:
Horror Movie Preview
31 (TBD) starring Sheri Moon Zombie, Malcolm McDowell, Judy Geeson, Lew Temple, Judy Carr, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, and Jeff Daniel Phillips
The Plot: On October 30, 1975, five carnival workers were kidnapped and held hostage until the following night (Halloween), where they are put in a compound. They’re told that they are there to take part in a game named “31” where the goal is to survive past the next 12 hours. This is made difficult by the fact that they are not alone; a violent gang of evil clowns are there and stalking their every move.
Amityville: The Awakening (Apr 15, 2016) starring Bella Thorne, Cameron Monaghan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Taylor Spreitler
The Plot: Belle (Bella Thorne), her little sister, and her comatose twin brother (Cameron Monaghan) move into a new house with their single mother Joan in order to save money to help pay for her brother’s expensive healthcare. But when strange phenomena begin to occur in the house including the miraculous recovery of her brother, Belle begins to suspect her Mother isn’t telling her everything and soon realizes they just moved into the infamous Amityville house.
Before I Wake (Apr 8, 2016) starring Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Annabeth Gish, Dash Mihok, and Jacob Tremblay
The Plot: Jessie (Kate Bosworth) and Mark (Thomas Jane) decide to take in a sweet and loving 8-year-old boy, Cody. Unbeknownst to them, Cody is terrified of falling asleep. At first, they assume his previous unstable homes caused his aversion to sleep, but soon discover why: Cody’s dreams manifest in reality as he sleeps. In one moment they experience the incredible wonder of Cody’s imagination, and in the next, the horrific nature of his night terrors. To save their new family, Jessie and Mark embark on a dangerous hunt to uncover the truth behind Cody’s nightmares.
The Boy (Jan 22, 2016) starring Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, Ben Robson, and James Russell
The Plot: Greta (Lauren Cohan) is a young American woman who takes a job as a nanny in a remote English village, only to discover that the family’s 8-year-old is a life-sized doll that the parents care for just like a real boy, as a way to cope with the death of their actual son 20 years prior. After violating a list of strict rules, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events bring Greta’s worst nightmare to life, leading her to believe that the doll is actually alive.
Cell (TBD) starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Stacy Keach
The Plot: When a powerful signal is broadcast across mobile networks worldwide, cell phone users’ minds are instantly and dangerously re-programmed. Heading north through New England in search of his wife and son, Clay Riddell (Cusack) is joined by a group of survivors hoping to fend off the bloodthirsty and hyper-connected “phoners.”
The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist (June 10, 2016) starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O’Connor, Madison Wolfe, Lauren Esposito, Patrick McAuley, Benjamin Haigh, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Simon Delaney, Franka Potente, and Simon McBurney
The Plot: Reprising their roles, Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, star as Lorraine and Ed Warren, who, in one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
A Cure for Wellness (Sep 23, 2016) starring Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth, and Celia Imrie
The Plot: The movie follows a worker who is sent to rescue his boss from a European “wellness spa soon” and realizes that he’s trapped and discovers that the facility has a more sinister purpose than just serving the healthy needs of it patients.
Delirium (Sep 30, 2016) starring Topher Grace, Genesis Rodriguez, Patricia Clarkson, and Callan Mulvey
The Plot: A man inherits his family’s mansion and comes to believe it’s haunted.
The Forest (Jan 8, 2016) starring Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Eoin Macken, and Yukiyoshi Ozama
The Plot: Rising with terrifying grandeur at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan, the legendary real-life Aokigahara Forest is the suspense-filled setting of the supernatural thriller. A young American woman, Sara (Natalie Dormer), journeys there in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared. In the company of expatriate Aiden (Taylor Kinney), Sara enters the forest having been well warned to “stay on the path.” Determined to discover the truth about her sister’s fate, Sara will have to face the angry and tormented souls of the dead that prey on anyone who dares come near them. These malevolent spirits lying in wait for Sara at every turn will plunge her into a frightening darkness from which she must fight to save herself.
The Labyrinth (Oct 18, 2016) starring James Franco, Josh Peck, Jim Parrack, and Jason Ritter
The Plot: An alcoholic father is given a final chance to redeem himself by a mysterious barkeep. A Mandroid (part man, part android) desperately searches for energy before his battery power dies. A new homeowner stumbles upon the secrets of the universe in his very own basement. The stories within The Labyrinth are sure to provoke, inspire and entertain audiences.
Lights Out (July 22, 2016) starring Teresa Palmer, Emily Alyn Lind, and Gabriel Bateman
The Plot: Based on the short film by David Sandberg, the story centers on a supernatural entity attacking a family, with one of the members required to step up to protect them from a threat that can be seen only when the lights go out.
A Man in the Dark (Aug 26, 2016) starrin Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, and Stephen Lang
The Plot: Three teenagers break into the wrong house when it turns out that the man who lives there is a psychopath.
Ouija 2 (Oct 21, 2016) starring Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, Doug Jones, Parker Mack, Sam Anderson, Kate Siegel, Annalise Basso, and Lulu Wilson
The Plot: In Ouija 2, the sequel to fall 2014’s sleeper hit that opened to No. 1 at the box office, a group of unsuspecting friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they unleash an evil from the other side that only they can send back.
Patient Zero (Sept 2, 2016) starring Natalie Dormer, Matt Smith, John Bradley, Stanley Tucci and Agyness Deyn
The Plot: In Patient Zero, an unprecedented global pandemic of a super strain of rabies has turned the majority of humankind into highly intelligent, streamlined killers known as ‘The Infected.’ One victim, Morgan (Smith), who is asymptomatic and can communicate with the infected, leads the last survivors on a hunt for Patient Zero and a cure.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Feb 5, 2016) starring Lily James, Sam Riley, Bella Heathcote, Douglas Booth, Lena Headey, Matt Smith, Jack Huston, and Charles Dance
The Plot: A zombie outbreak has fallen upon the land in this reimagining of Jane Austen’s classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England. Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) is a master of martial arts and weaponry and the handsome Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) is a fierce zombie killer, yet the epitome of upper class prejudice. As the zombie outbreak intensifies, they must swallow their pride and join forces on the blood-soaked battlefield in order to conquer the undead once and for all.
The Purge 3 (July 1, 2016) starring Frank Grillo, Edwin Hodge, Betty Gabriel, Kyle Secor, JJ Soria, Mykelti Williamson, and Elizabeth Mitchell
The Plot: Expanding upon the explosive universe introduced in the sleeper hits that have earned $200 million at the worldwide box office, Universal Pictures’ The Purge 3 reveals the next terrifying chapter of 12 hours of anarchy that is sanctioned annually by the New Founders of America.
Rings (Apr 1, 2016) starring Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Laura Wiggins, and Zach Roerig
The Plot: The third film of the Ring franchise finds Samara and the VHS tape once again killing those who watch it.
Underworld V (Oct 21, 2016) starring Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, and Charles Dance
The Plot: The plot is being kept a secret however The Hollywood Reporter says it will focus on “a new and younger generation of vampires and werewolves who are locked in a seemingly never-ending battle between supernatural races.”
Viral (TBD) starring Analeigh Tipton, Michael Kelly, and Sofia Black-D’Elia
The Plot: Per IMDB – “Following the outbreak of a virus that wipes out the majority of the human population, a young woman documents her family’s new life in quarantine and tries to protect her infected sister.”
When the Bough Breaks (Sept 16, 2016) starring Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Theo Rossi, and Jaz Sinclair
The Plot: John and Laura Taylor (Morris Chestnut and Regina Hall) are a young, professional couple who desperately want a baby. After exhausting all other options, they finally hire Anna (Jaz Sinclair), the perfect woman to be their surrogate – but as she gets further along in her pregnancy, so too does her psychotic and dangerous fixation on the husband. The couple becomes caught up in Anna’s deadly game and must fight to regain control of their future before it’s too late.
Yoga Hosers (TBD) starring Harley Quinn Smith, Lily-Rose Depp, Johnny Depp, Justin Long, Austin Butler, and Tyler Posey
The Plot: Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie are teenage besties from Winnipeg who love yoga and live on their smartphones. But when these sophomores get invited to a senior party by the school hottie, the Colleens accidentally uncover an ancient evil buried beneath their Canadian convenience store.
2016 Preview:
This post was last modified on February 23, 2016 10:48 am