The Complete Guide to Horror-Thriller Movies in 2019
If you love horror movies and terrifying thrillers, there is enough to scare you all year round and not just during Halloween. Some of the most anticipated horror movies in 2019 are Us (opens 21 Mar) — Jordan Peele’s follow-up to his extremely well-received, socially conscious Get Out; Stephen King’s seminal Pet Sematary (4 Apr) where animals don’t stay dead (and not in the harmless, Frankenweenie way); and of course, fellow in Stephen King’s oeuvre and sequel to 2017’s It, It Chapter Two (5 Sep), where Pennywise the clown comes back to wreak more terror on the now grown-up Losers’ Club.
On top of that, there are more upcoming movies with release dates that have not yet been announced, so check back for updates every month!
Horror-Thriller movies opening in cinemas in 2019
(Click on each title in the numbered list to jump to that section if you don’t want to scroll through the entire list. This list will be updated periodically as new information/trailers come in. You can also click on each movie’s heading to go to their IMDb pages. Release dates below are for Singapore, but if you’re outside Singapore, IMDb can tell you fairly accurately what’s the release date in your country.)
- Escape Room (10 Jan)
- The Vanishing (17 Jan)
- Happy Death Day 2U (21 Feb)
- The Prodigy (7 Mar)
- Us (21 Mar)
- The Hole in the Ground (28 Mar)
- Pet Sematary (4 Apr)
- The Curse of the Weeping Woman (17 Apr)
- Brightburn (9 May)
- Greta (16 May)
- The Intruder (23 May)
- The Silence (23 May)
- Annabelle Comes Home (26 Jun)
- Child’s Play (11 Jul)
- Crawl (11 Jul)
- Ma (25 Jul)
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (15 Aug)
- Ready or Not (22 Aug)
- 47 Meters Down: Uncaged (29 Aug)
- It Chapter Two (5 Sep)
- Countdown (31 Oct)
- Doctor Sleep (7 Nov)
Director: Adam Robitel (“Insidious: The Last Key”)
Cast: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Jay Ellis, Tyler Labine, Nik Dodani, Yorick van Wageningen
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
Synopsis: ESCAPE ROOM is a psychological thriller about six strangers who find themselves in circumstances beyond their control and must use their wits to find the clues or die.
Director: Kristoffer Nyholm (TV’s “Taboo”)
Cast: Gerard Butler, Peter Mullan, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Synopsis: On an uninhabited island 20 miles from the rugged Scottish coast, three lighthouse keepers arrive for their 6 week shift. As they settle into their normal quiet routine, something unexpected, potentially life-changing occurs – they stumble upon gold. What follows is a tense battle for survival, fed by isolation, paranoia and greed, leading three honest men down a path to destruction.
Director: Christopher Landon (“Happy Death Day”, “Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse”, “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones”)
Producer: Jason Blum
Cast: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Suraj Sharma, Steve Zissis
Synopsis: Jessica Rothe leads the returning cast of HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U, the follow-up to Blumhouse’s (Split, Get Out, The Purge series) surprise 2017 smash hit of riveting, repeating twists and comic turns. This time, our hero Tree Gelbman (Rothe) discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead.
Director: Nicholas McCarthy (“The Pact”)
Cast: Taylor Schilling, Jackson Robert Scott, Colm Feore
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Synopsis: In her much-anticipated foray into the horror-thriller genre, Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Taylor Schilling stars in THE PRODIGY as a mother named Sarah whose young son Miles’ disturbing behavior signals that an evil, possibly supernatural force has overtaken him. Fearing for her family’s safety, Sarah must choose between her maternal instinct to love and protect Miles and a desperate need to investigate what – or who – is causing his dark turn. She is forced to look for answers in the past, taking the audience on a wild ride; one where the line between perception and reality becomes frighteningly blurry.
Director: Jordan Peele (“Get Out”)
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex,
Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Cali Sheldon, Noelle Sheldon
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Synopsis: Set in present day along the iconic Northern California coastline, US, from Monkeypaw Productions, stars Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson, a woman returning to her beachside childhood home with her husband, Gabe (Black Panther’s Winston Duke), and their two children (Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex) for an idyllic summer getaway. Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide feels her paranoia elevate to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. After spending a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers (Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Cali Sheldon, Noelle Sheldon), Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway. Us pits an endearing American family against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves.
The Hole in the Ground (28 Mar)
Director: Lee Cronin (debut feature)
Cast: Seána Kerslake, James Quinn Markey, James Cosmo
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: Trying to escape her broken past, Sarah O’Neill is building a new life on the fringes of a backwood rural town with her young son Chris. A terrifying encounter with a mysterious neighbour shatters her fragile security, throwing Sarah into a spiralling nightmare of paranoia and mistrust, as she tries to uncover if the disturbing changes in her little boy are connected to an ominous sinkhole buried deep in the forest that borders their home.
Directors: Kevin Kölsch (“Scream: The TV Series”), Dennis Widmyer (“Scream: The TV Series”)
Cast: John Lithgow, Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Synopsis: Based on the seminal horror novel by Stephen King, PET SEMATARY follows Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), who, after relocating with his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall (John Lithgow), setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.
The Curse of the Weeping Woman (17 Apr)
Director: Michael Chaves (debut feature)
Cast: Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez, Marisol Ramirez, Sean Patrick Thomas, Roman Christou, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, Tony Amendola
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Synopsis: La Llorona. The Weeping Woman. A horrifying apparition, caught between Heaven and Hell, trapped in a terrible fate sealed by her own hand. The mere mention of her name has struck terror around the world for generations. In life, she drowned her children in a jealous rage, throwing herself in the churning river after them as she wept in pain. Now her tears are eternal. They are lethal, and those who hear her death call in the night are doomed. La Llorona creeps in the shadows and preys on the children, desperate to replace her own. As the centuries have passed, her desire has grown more voracious … and her methods more terrifying. In 1970s Los Angeles, La Llorona is stalking the night—and the children. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Their only hope to survive La Llorona’s deadly wrath may be a disillusioned priest and the mysticism he practices to keep evil at bay, on the fringes where fear and faith collide. Beware of her chilling wail…she will stop at nothing to lure you into the gloom. Because there is no peace for her anguish. There is no mercy for her soul. And there is no escape from the curse of La Llorona.
Director: David Yarovesky (“The Hive”)
Cast: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones, Meredith Hagner
Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Synopsis: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? With BRIGHTBURN, the visionary filmmaker of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Slither” presents a startling, subversive take on a radical new genre: superhero horror.
Director: Neil Jordan (“Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles”, “The Crying Game”, “Breakfast on Pluton”, “Byzantium”, “The Brave One”, “Ondine”)
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Synopsis: A sweet, naïve young woman trying to make it on her own in New York City, Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) doesn’t think twice about returning the handbag she finds on the subway to its rightful owner. That owner is Greta (Isabelle Huppert), an eccentric French piano teacher with a love for classical music and an aching loneliness. Having recently lost her mother, Frances quickly grows closer to widowed Greta. The two become fast friends — but Greta’s maternal charms begin to dissolve and grow increasingly disturbing as Frances discovers that nothing in Greta’s life is what it seems in this suspense thriller from Academy Award®-winning director Neil Jordan.
Director: Deon Taylor (“Traffik”, “Meet the Blacks”)
Cast: Michael Ealy, Meagan Good, Dennis Quaid
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Synopsis: When a young married couple (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) buys their dream house in the Napa Valley, they think they have found the perfect home to take their next steps as a family. But when the strangely attached seller (Dennis Quaid) continues to infiltrate their lives, they begin to suspect that he has hidden motivations beyond a quick sale.
Director: John R. Leonetti (“Annabelle”, “Wish Upon”)
Cast: Kiernan Shipka, Stanley Tucci, Miranda Otto, John Corbett
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: When the world is under attack from terrifying creatures who hunt their human prey by sound, 16-year old Ally Andrews (Kiernan Shipka), who lost her hearing at 13, and her family seek refuge in a remote haven. But they discover a sinister cult who are eager to exploit Ally’s heightened senses.
Director: Gary Dauberman (Writer of “Annabelle”, “It”, “The Nun”)
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Synopsis: Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her “safely” behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target—the Warrens’ ten-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.
Director: Lars Klevberg (“Polaroid”)
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, Tim Matheson, Gabriel Bateman
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: A contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic, CHILD’S PLAY follows Karen (Aubrey Plaza), a single mother who gifts her son Andy (Gabriel Bateman) a Buddi doll, unaware of its more sinister nature.
Director: Alexandre Aja (“The Hills Have Eyes”, “Piranha 3D”, “Horns”)
Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: When a massive hurricane hits her Florida hometown, Haley (Kaya Scodelario) ignores evacuation orders to search for her missing father (Barry Pepper). Finding him gravely injured in the crawl space of their family home, the two become trapped by quickly encroaching floodwaters. As time runs out to escape the strengthening storm, Haley and her father discover that the rising water level is the least of their fears.
Director: Tate Taylor (“The Help”, “The Girl on the Train”, “Get on Up”)
Cast: Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Diana Silvers, Luke Evans, McKaley Miller, Missi Pyle, Corey Fogelmanis, Gianni Paolo, Dante Brown
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Synopsis: Everybody’s welcome at Ma’s. But good luck getting home safe. Oscar® winner Octavia Spencer stars as Sue Ann, a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie, a new teenager in town (Diana Silvers), to buy some booze for her and her friends, and Sue Ann sees the chance to make some unsuspecting, if younger, friends of her own. She offers the kids the chance to avoid drinking and driving by hanging out in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober. Don’t curse. Never go upstairs. And call her “Ma”. But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma’s place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on earth.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (15 Aug)
Director: André Øvredal (“Trollhunter”, “The Autopsy of Jane Doe”)
Cast: Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Zajur, Dean Norris, Austin Abrams
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: It’s 1968 in America. Change is blowing in the wind…but seemingly far removed from the unrest in the cities is the small town of Mill Valley where for generations, the shadow of the Bellows family has loomed large. It is in their mansion on the edge of town that Sarah, a young girl with horrible secrets, turned her tortured life into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has transcended time—stories that have a way of becoming all too real for a group of teenagers who discover Sarah’s terrifying home.
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (“Devil’s Due”), Tyler Gillett (“Devil’s Due)
Cast: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Synopsis: READY OR NOT follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband’s (Mark O’Brien) rich, eccentric family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell) in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.
47 Meters Down: Uncaged (29 Aug)
Director: Johannes Roberts (“47 Metres Down”, “The Strangers: Prey at Night”, “The Other Side of the Door”)
Cast: Sophie Nélisse, Nia Long, John Corbett, Corinne Foxx
Genre: Adventure, Horror, Thriller
Synopsis: Four teen girls diving in a ruined underwater city quickly learn they’ve entered the territory of the deadliest shark species in the claustrophobic labyrinth of submerged caves.
Director: Andy Muschietti (“It”, “Mama”)
Cast: James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Teach Grant, Bill Skarsgård, Andy Bean, Jaeden Martell, Wyatt Oleff, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Synopsis: Because every 27 years evil revisits the town of Derry, Maine, IT CHAPTER TWO brings the characters—who’ve long since gone their separate ways—back together as adults, nearly three decades after the events of the first film.
Director: Justin Dec (debut feature)
Cast: Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Lail, Anne Winters, Charlie McDermott, P.J. Byrne
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Synopsis: In COUNTDOWN, when a young nurse (Elizabeth Lail) downloads an app that claims to predict exactly when a person is going to die, it tells her she only has three days to live. With time ticking away and death closing in, she must find a way to save her life before time runs out.
Director: Mike Flanagan (TV’s “The Haunting of Hill House”, “Gerald’s Game”, “Ouija: Origin of Evil”, “Before I Wake”, “Oculus”)
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran, Bruce Greenwood
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: DOCTOR SLEEP continues the story of Danny Torrance, 40 years after his terrifying stay at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Still irrevocably scarred by the trauma he endured as a child at the Overlook, Dan Torrance has fought to find some semblance of peace. But that peace is shattered when he encounters Abra, a courageous teenager with her own powerful extrasensory gift, known as the “shine.” Instinctively recognizing that Dan shares her power, Abra has sought him out, desperate for his help against the merciless Rose the Hat and her followers, The True Knot, who feed off the shine of innocents in their quest for immortality. Forming an unlikely alliance, Dan and Abra engage in a brutal life-or death battle with Rose. Abra’s innocence and fearless embrace of her shine compel Dan to call upon his own powers as never before—at once facing his fears and reawakening the ghosts of the past.
