{"id":5692,"date":"2019-03-21T00:10:50","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T00:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=5692"},"modified":"2019-05-03T22:46:50","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T22:46:50","slug":"6-horror-films-you-shouldnt-miss-from-sxsw-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atomtickets.com\/movie-news\/6-horror-films-you-shouldnt-miss-from-sxsw-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Horror Films You Shouldn’t Miss From SXSW 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

South By Southwest\u2019s Film Festival track is never short on horror options – shout out to my\u00a0Midnighters<\/a>\u00a0crowd – but 2019 upped proverbial antes in terms of spotlight treatment. Open with Jordan Peele\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Us<\/span><\/i>? Close with Kevin\u00a0<\/span>K\u00f6lsch<\/span>\u00a0and Dennis\u00a0<\/span>Widmyer<\/span>\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Pet\u00a0Sematary<\/span><\/i>? Premiere Michael Chaves\u2019 \u201cConjurverse\u201d spin-off\u00a0<\/span>The Curse Of La Llorona<\/span><\/i>? In addition<\/em> to 12:00am park ranger survival stories, demonic imaginary friends, and sweet-as-pie paranormal rom-coms?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this tumultuous year of 2019, SXSW asserted itself as one of the U.S.\u2019 premiere mainstream horror-friendly film festivals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a five-year veteran of Texas\u2019 massive destination festival, I\u2019ve made it my mission – each visit – to screen every<\/em> horror-classified title possible. In 2019, my film fest equivalent to a\u00a0<\/span>Pok\u00e9dex<\/span>\u00a0(Letterboxd, essentially?) collected \u2018em\u00a0all, one might say, so I\u2019m\u00a0bringin\u2019 my cream o\u2019 the crop to Atom as a starting point for curious audiences. Leg work completed, rankings etched in digital stone. Here they are – my six favorite horror films from SXSW 2019!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Boyz\u00a0In The Wood\u00a0(Release Date TBD)<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Boyz in the Wood (Credit: Patrick Meller)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Filmmaker\u00a0<\/span>Ninian\u00a0Doff<\/span>\u00a0– who cut his teeth on Chemical Brothers and Royal Blood music videos – jumps into wild-and-outrageous\u00a0midnighter\u00a0territory with the uber-confident\u00a0<\/span>Boyz\u00a0In The Wood<\/span><\/i>. Comparisons to<\/span>\u00a0Attack The Block\u00a0<\/span><\/i>and\u00a0<\/span>Hot Fuzz\u00a0<\/span><\/i>are<\/span>\u00a0hilariously apt, as well as psychedelic\u00a0<\/span>The Most Dangerous Game\u00a0<\/span><\/i>hallucinations. And yeah, Doff\u2019s\u00a0title is 1,000% referencing\u00a0<\/span>John Singleton\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Boyz\u00a0N The Hood<\/span><\/i>\u00a0given classist undertones about underprivileged masses being \u201cculled\u201d by the wealthy few who rule social hierarchies. There\u2019s so much<\/em> going on, and\u00a0Doff\u2019s\u00a0greatest achievement is keeping a tight rein as bored lawmen, masked hunters, simple farmhands, and street(un)wise teens collide in a puff of hash smoke.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dean (<\/span>Rian Gordon), Duncan (<\/span>Lewis Gribben), and underground freestyler DJ\u00a0Beatroot\u00a0(Viraj Juneja) are forced into \u201c<\/span>Duke of Edinburgh Award\u201d participation – a weekend trek across Highlands isolation meant to sculpt \u201cboys into men\u201d – with golden-child Ian (<\/span>Samuel Bottomley) as their assigned fourth. Before they can even reach their first campsite, \u201cThe Duke\u201d (Eddie Izzard) appears with a\u00a0rife\u00a0and starts blasting in their direction. It\u2019s kill or be killed as old-world dinosaurs attempt to eradicate youths who\u2019ve wasted what they\u2019ve inherited, set to a score of Run The Jewels and pumped full of urban aggression. Generational warfare with a hip-hop attitude – and quite possibly the most fun you\u2019ll have with a movie in all of 2019 (if that\u2019s when this beatdown drops).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Little Monsters\u00a0(2019 TBD)<\/h2>\n
\"Lupita

Lupita Nyong’o in ‘Little Monsters’ (Credit: Neon Pictures)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Horror comedies are my jam, and with that admitted,\u00a0<\/span>Abe Forsythe\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0Little Monsters<\/span><\/i>\u00a0won me over the minute<\/em> adolescence and mature themes intersected.\u00a0<\/span>Cooties\u00a0<\/span><\/i>once unleashed a zombie outbreak on elementary school levels – infecting children with tainted chicken nuggets – but\u00a0<\/span>Little Monsters<\/span><\/i>\u00a0makes kindergarten-age students the main priority for safety. Enter Lupita Nyong’o<\/span>\u00a0as Miss Caroline – who\u2019s enchanting enough to drive the Magic School Bus – and\u00a0<\/span>Alexander England<\/span>\u00a0as Dave, Felix\u2019s (Diesel La\u00a0Torraca) heartbroken single uncle who falls head-over-heels for Miss Caroline\u2019s lollipop pleasantness. Together they must chaperone as zombie killers when an American test facility unleashes walkers on an unaware petting zoo type of farm, reimagining the apocalyptic scenario into a fun game to keep the kiddos sedated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with Nyong’o\u2019s unshakably badass ode to real-life-superhero caretakers everywhere and England\u2019s failed metal guitarist seeking stability, Josh Gad stokes the flames of pessimistic chaos<\/a> as children\u2019s television host Teddy\u00a0McGiggle\u00a0– now despicably\u00a0shellshocked\u00a0instead of goofy-voiced (cursing out children, swigging alcohol, etc.). As zombies tear into animal carcasses and chase the children through rounds of \u201ctag,\u201d Forsythe maintains a vicious bite while never losing the innocence of moody tantrums, blissfully unaware good natures, and Nyong’o ukulele\u00a0<\/span>balladeer<\/span>\u00a0distractions (playing Taylor Swift covers).\u00a0<\/span>Little Monsters<\/span><\/i>\u00a0bakes sugary morsels into flesh-eating destruction and features a defining genre role from Nyong’o – as far as horror comedies go, school is in session.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Snatchers\u00a0(2019 TBD)<\/h2>\n
\"Snatchers

Snatchers (Credit: MAKE GOOD Content)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Any plot synopsis explanation for\u00a0<\/span>Stephen Cedars<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Benji Kleiman\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Snatchers\u00a0<\/span><\/i>sounds like ramblings from behind a padded wall. Mary\u00a0Nepi\u00a0plays Sara, a newfound \u201ccool girl\u201d whose obsession with clique statuses leads to her deflowering by dumb-as-bricks stud Skyler (<\/span>Austin Fryberger). Unfortunately, Skyler contracted some pregnancy curse on his family vacation to Mexico and Sara finds herself ready to burst with monster offspring in days. Hayley (<\/span>Gabrielle Elyse) comes to Sara\u2019s aid despite their falling out sophomore year, hours before a feisty arachnid-lookin\u2019 creature rockets out of Sara\u2019s birth canal cannon. Like high school isn\u2019t hard enough without dooming humanity?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throw\u00a0<\/span>Teeth, Critters<\/span><\/i>, and Detention<\/span><\/i>\u00a0into a blender, and you\u2019ve got\u00a0<\/span>Snatchers<\/span><\/i>. Practical effects define this devious jumping bean of a creature with even more surprises in store that shouldn\u2019t be spoiled. Bodysnatching qualities allow the beastie to control human vessels, which leads to many a pursuit as Sara\u2019s journey comes with multiple commentaries – sexual pressures on teenagers, male\/female responsibilities in unexpected pregnancies, existing options – drawing parallels to the way\u00a0<\/span>It Follows<\/span><\/i>\u00a0was described as an STD horror story. Just, way funnier?\u00a0Nepi\u00a0and Elyse are mini Tina Fey\/Maya Rudolph clones while Fryberger overplays alpha-bro horniness to a cursed degree. Keep your eyes peeled for this hormonal horror comedy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Villains\u00a0(2019 TBD)<\/h2>\n
\"\"

Maika Monroe and Bill Skarsg\u00e5rd in ‘Villains’ (Credit: BRON Studios)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I love a good \u201cwrong place, wrong time\u201d pressure cooker, and\u00a0<\/span>Villains\u00a0<\/span><\/i>is one such home invasion where hints of good versus evil are blurred into oblivion.\u00a0<\/span>Bill\u00a0Skarsg\u00e5rd (Mickey) and Maika Monroe (Jules) star as lovebird bargain-value criminals who break into a middle-of-nowhere residence with sights on their family sedan. While rummaging through the non-threatening belongings of whoever lives there, a startling secret appears chained-up in the basement. Then, before\u00a0Mickey and Jules can flee, they\u2019re confronted by owners George (Jeffrey Donovan) and Gloria (<\/span>Kyra Sedgwick) – dressed in puritanical button-ups and Sunday-best representation. Such commonplace disguises for devious wolves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jules and Mickey find themselves handcuffed and trapped by their ’70s sitcom captors. What begins as the couple’s petty crimes – stolen money and dreams of Florida beachside living – ends with a flipped narrative as Donovan and Sedgwick play southern-comfort hosts with even meaner streaks. All parties involved own their roles – victims of circumstance, enacted psychopaths, relationships caked in blood – with a heavy emphasis on\u00a0Skarsg\u00e5rd\u00a0and Monroe\u2019s blistering chemistry and Skarsg\u00e5rd’s deadpan comedic timing. It’s as impressive a character study as it is bloody-good imprisonment entertainment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Us\u00a0(March 22)<\/span><\/h2>\n