Movie Monday: 2011 Horror Movie Season Is Upon Us!

I don’t know about you, but I love late summer. It ushers in the start of the horror movie season. (There’s always a few horror movies sprinkled throughout the year, but late summer is when they seem to crop up all over.)

I decided to make a list for myself of movies and their release dates, because you know one of my favorite haunts to jaunt to is the movie theater. I figured I’d share it, in case any of you wanted to mark your calendars also.

You’ll see a couple of movies that aren’t quite “horror.” Some fall more into sci fi or mystery & suspense, but for the purpose of my viewing habits their dark flair caught my attention. If I could find movie posters, I included those images too.

JULY

 

Cowboys and Aliens –  July 29 (This one looks really good. So far it’s weighing in with a “fresh” rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. We’ll see if that holds up after it debuts this weekend.)

AUGUST

Rise of the Planet of the Apes – August 5 (Planet of the Apes was one of my faves as a kid. Hoping this one doesn’t get too cheesy with the CGI and such.)

Final Destination 5 – August 12 (I saw the preview for this one when we went to see Horrible Bosses. My initial reaction five seconds is was, “This looks good. Has my attention.” Then it shifted to, “Hmmm, this looks familiar…” Ten seconds later, “Another one? What is this? Final Destination 50?” No, just five. I think they’re trying to put a new twist on it, if I deciphered the trailer right. I probably won’t see it in the theater, but probably will succumb, as I always do, and watch it on DVD.)

Fright Night – August 19 (Let’s hope it doesn’t suck as much as the slasher movie remakes have all sucked.)

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark – August 26 (Another remake of a 1973 movie by the same name. I want to say I say it, because it looks familiar, but I don’t remember. Unmemorable the first time around? Maybe they made the remake less forgettable.)

SEPTEMBER

 

Shark Night 3D – September 2 (It’s scary to me they make these movies. Just stay out of the freaking water if it’s shark infested. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist! Yet, the screenwriters always contrive someway for people, mostly good looking, half-naked teenagers, to enter the water…)

 

Contagion – September 9 (This falls into the sci fi category, but I’m a sucker for virus movies threatening humanity. Plus, it’s got quite the A-list cast, including Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet. Might be good.)

The Apparition – September 9 (A presence is accidentally conjured during a university parapsychology experiment and haunts a couple in their home, feeding on their fears…need I say more?)

Creature – September 19 (Like Shark 3D, this one, too, is set in Louisiana. Except instead of a shark it’s a creature named Lockjaw that terrorizes them.)

Dream House – September 30 (This is more of a mystery & suspense, but it looks good. It also stars one of the stars from Cowboys and Aliens: Daniel Craig.)

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil – September 30 (Here’s part of the description “Tucker & Dale vs Evil is a hilariously gory, good-spirited horror comedy, doing for killer rednecks what Shaun of the Dead did for zombies.” It had me at “horror comedy” and “Shaun of the Dead.”)

OCTOBER

World of the Dead: The Zombie Diaries 2 – October 1 (I never saw the first one, but judging from ratings on IMDB I wasn’t missing much. Still, I love zombie movies so I’ll be sure to watch the first one. Then I’ll decide if this one is worthy of a jaunt to the theater or Redbox.)

Taxidermist – October 1 (Here’s the description on Rotten Tomatoes: “Discredited surgeon kills and stuffs unsuspecting guests at a secluded bed and breakfast.” Gulp. That’s not very nice! But might make for an interesting movie premise.)

Intruders – October 7 (Again, not much to go on except the description on Rotten Tomatoes: “A horror/thriller centered on the origin of the monsters that are born in childhood and are passed on by the family. )

The Thing – October 14 (Another remake? This time of the John Carpenter 1982 hit by the same name.)

Red State – October 19 (Not quite sure what this one is about except that it is a horror, it was written and directed by Kevin Smith, and it’s about a reverand “who brings his own brand of zealotry to a wayward group of teens.” That sounds like a sure recipe for horror.)

Paranormal Activity 3 – October 21 (Yes, they did. They shouldn’t have, but they did. Ugh.)

In Time – October 28 (This one is another sci fi, with mystery & suspense inclinations. It stars Justin Timberlake, which may or may not be spooky to some.)

The Innkeepers – October 31 (Ghost hunters chasing spirits in a New England inn. A movie about spooky stays? Appealing to me! It’s a movie about the kind of places I like to travel to in real life.)

Invasion of the Not Quite Dead – October 31 (Love how it’s described on Rotten Tomatoes: a small community must face the threat of an alien invasion of the NOT QUITE dead variety in this spoof of Zom B-MOVIES.” Hopefully it’s funny.)

Which ones are you looking forward to hitting the theaters?