Tackling those scary New Year’s resolutions won’t seem so hard after you see the most terrifying movies coming up in January 2024. Take a mental stroll through the mind of a serial killer whose nonchalance in the face of the ultimate violent act sends a spine-tingling chill down your back. Explore the possibilities of what waits in the afterlife if the choices you make today are not deemed noble enough. Or better yet, plunge into murky waters and imagine a cold hand gripping your ankle. These films are sure to have something that will distract you from your return to reality after a leisurely holiday.
The Mummy Murders
Image via IMBD
Director: Colin Bressler
Cast: Jeff Caperton, Will Donahue, Aimee Michelle, Jason Scarbrough, Leila Scott
Leila Scott (Erzulie) portrays Alexis, a reporter from San Antonio, Texas, who takes it upon herself to investigate a string of disappearances thought to be in connection to a serial killer at large. As she uncovers the mystery, she realizes that the victims are being essentially mummified. The most shocking twist is when a man approaches her and, after a brief conversation, admits that he is the serial killer. Instead of running and calling the police, Alexis listens to the murderer, Joe (Jason Scarbrough), as he tells her the process and stories that took place in his violent acts. It’s a story unlike any other that will have you squirming with anticipation, asking yourself why she doesn’t get out of there, but at the same time, just as intriguing to learn about the psychopath’s firsthand recount of his history.
Watch on Apple TV
Night Swim
Image via Universal Pictures
Director: Bryce McGuire
Cast: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Gavin Warren, Nancy Lenehan
From the producers of M3gan, Night Swim will give you just one more reason to be terrified about swimming in the dark. Initially a short five-minute feature, the idea sparked a lot of interest in a full-length film. It starts when a retired baseball player, Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell), buys his family the perfect home with a swimming pool in the backyard. Unfortunately, their dream life quickly becomes a nightmare. Strange occurrences start happening as a creature appears to be lurking in the water, and Ray’s behavior turns violent. The family is terrorized not only physically but mentally, and their deceptive hallucinations create horrifyingly suspenseful scenes.
Night Swim
Feature length version of the 2014 short film about a woman swimming in her pool at night terrorized by an evil spirit.
Release Date January 5, 2024
Director Bryce McGuire
Rating PG-13
Runtime 118 minutes
Writers Rod Blackhurst , Bryce McGuire
Production Company Atomic Monster, Blumhouse Productions, Universal Pictures
The Seeding
Image via Youtube
Director: Barnaby Clay
Cast: Scott Haze, Kate Lyn Sheil, Alex Montaldo
When Wyndham Stone, portrayed by Scott Haze (Children of God), finds himself stuck within the confines of a walled-up desert canyon, his cries for help are almost answered when a group happens upon him. However, this group of young men begins to play with him, and he discovers he is not alone in this trap. Another woman appears named Alina, who is played by Kate Lyn Sheil (Equals) but provides no answers as to why the group is targeting them. The Seeding is a hauntingly original story that will have anyone who’s afraid of a dark, confined space on the edge of their seat.
Pandemonium
Image via IMBD
Director: Quarxx
Cast: Hugo Dillon, Arben Bajraktaraj, Manon Maindivide, Ophélia Kolb
Pandemonium is a relentlessly dark story about Nathan, played by Hugo Dillon (The Sisters Brothers), and his journey after dying in a car crash with Daniel, portrayed by Arben Bajraktaraj (The Last Boy on Earth), who caused the accident on his motorcycle. The two are forced to accept their fate as they confront their future eternity in hell. As they descend through the gates, terrifying monsters appear, but what makes the film interesting are the other humans who have also been sent to hell. The unexpected judgment that falls upon us in the path of good and evil is glaringly and uncomfortably evident in the film. It’s another brilliant idea from the provocative French artist and director Quarxx, and a must-watch for horror fans and cinephiles alike.
Founders Day
Image via IMBD
Director: Erik Bloomquist
Cast: Naomi Grace, Devin Druid, William Russ, Amy Hargreaves, Catherine Curtin
For fans of slasher films, Founders Day is the perfect horror movie for the new year. When a town is terrorized by a masked killer who uses a gavel to slay their victims, everyone becomes a suspect. As the leaders push to carry on with their traditional festivities of Founders Day, its citizens question whether it’s really a good idea. The movie is just as entertaining as it is scary, and while it might seem like just another teenage slasher flick, the political innuendos and tongue-in-cheek acting make you feel like you’re in on something with the director, Erik Bloomquist.
Founders Day
A small town is shaken by a series of ominous killings in the days leading up to a heated mayoral election.
Release Date January 19, 2024
Director Erik Bloomquist
Cast Naomi Grace , Devin Druid , William Russ , Amy Hargreaves
Rating R
Runtime 106 minutes
Writers Erik Bloomquist , Carson Bloomquist
Sunrise
Image via Lionsgate
Director: Andrew Baird
Cast: Guy Pearce, Alex Pettyfer, Olwen Fouéré, Crystal Yu, William Gao
When the crazed leader of a town, played by Guy Pearce (Memento), casts a man and his family out to be sacrificed to the local vampirical folklore, his plan backfires. Fallon, portrayed by Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike), survives the incident, only to be turned into a bloodthirsty creature himself. With the aid of a friendly family in a nearby home, he regains his strength, only this time with more power and vengeance on his mind. As he returns to the town, he begins to terrorize the people who took his family from him, feeding off of their fear. Sunrise has a good old-fashioned revenge plot with a twist, as the citizens of the town scramble to defend themselves.
Sunrise
A man, Fallon (Alex Pettyfer) roams the land as a creature of the night as he comes to terms with tragic loss of his family at the hands of a brutal demagogue, Reynolds (Guy Pearce).
Release Date January 19, 2024
Director Andrew Baird
Rating R
Writers Ronan Blaney