Well, to be fair we don’t know if the haunted house movies of summer 2020 are going to be scary. However, it does seem summer 2020’s Silver Screen entertainment is shaping up to be one filled with haunted house movies.
Which is sort of appropriate right? Given the whole coronavirus stay-at-home lockdown stuff we’ve endured this year.
And for any of you conspiracy theorists out there, could there be one in that? Summer is a popular time for horror movie releases, but have we ever had so many haunted house ones? Is it a coincidence that there are this year? Or is there something else at play here?
What? I don’t know, but it is interesting at the very least, right?
Anyway, haunted house movies, summer 2020, here are the three movies being released, plus an honorable mention. It’s not exactly set in a house, but you’ll see why I included it.
1. You Should Have Left
Release Date
June 18, 2020
Where to Watch
VOD everywhere
About
From Universal Pictures:
In a new psychological thriller from Blumhouse Productions and legendary screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, Panic Room), Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried star as a couple seeking a restful vacation on an isolated edge of the world only to discover that secrets demand a reckoning … and travel with you.
In this terrifying, mind-twisting tale, a father fights desperately to save his family from a beautiful home that refuses to let them leave.
Theo Conroy (Bacon) is a successful middle-aged man whose marriage to his much younger actress wife, Susanna (Seyfried) is shredding at the seams, frayed by her secretiveness, his jealousy, and the shadow of his past.
In an effort to repair their relationship, Theo and Susanna book a vacation at a stunning, remote modern home in the Welsh countryside for themselves and their six-year-old daughter, Ella (Avery Essex). What at first seems like a perfect retreat distorts into a perfect nightmare when Theo’s grasp on reality begins to unravel and he suspects that a sinister force within the house knows more than he or Susanna have revealed, even to each other.
Based on the novel by best-selling German literary sensation Daniel Kehlmann (Measuring the World), You Should Have Left is written and directed by David Koepp (Stir of Echoes). The film is produced by grandmaster of terror Jason Blum (The Purge and Halloween franchises), Kevin Bacon and Dean O’Toole (Walk Like a Panther), and is executive produced by Jeanette Volturno, Couper Samuelson and Derek Ambrosi.
Trailer
2. Relic
Release Date
July 10, 2020
Where to Watch
VOD everywhere
About
From IFC Films:
RELIC tells the story of Edna (Robyn Nevin), an elderly and widowed matriarch who goes missing, and her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) and granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) who must travel to their remote family home to find her. Soon after her return, they start to discover a sinister presence haunting the house and taking control of Edna.
Trailer
3. The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It
Release Date
September 11, 2020*
*I also saw release dates for September 9 and 10 so I’m not entirely sure if Friday, September 11 is right.
Where to Watch
Theaters (But will it also be made available on VOD? No word yet. I’ll be sure to update if I hear.)
About
From Diableo Productions:
Ed and Lorraine Warren return to investigate a case in the 1980s. A terrifying case of murder and a mysterious evil presence shakes even the paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, however very seasoned. In this case from their secret files, Ed and Lorrain start by fighting to protect the soul of a little boy, then switch to a radically unknown world. It is the first time in the history of the United States that a man suspected of murder has pleaded demonic possession as a line of defense.
(It doesn’t sound like it’ll be a haunted house movie but it’s about Amityville, one of the most notorious haunted house cases ever.)
Trailer
Honorable Mention: Antebellum
Release Date
August 21, 2020
Where to Watch
Theaters (But will it also be made available on VOD? No word yet. I’ll be sure to update if I hear.)
About
From Lionsgate Movies:
Successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe) finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. ANTEBELLUM is a terrifying new thriller from the producer of the acclaimed films GET OUT and US, and groundbreaking directors Gerard Bush and Christoper Renz (Bush+Renz) – an exciting new voice in filmmaking.
Why HM?
Would this be considered a haunted house movie? Not sure. It does look freaky and frightening, though, and it does involve plantation homes and slave cabins, so there is a housing component. That’s why I have it an honorable mention.
Plus, it looks twisted as all get out…pun not intended, but it’s by the same producers who did Jordan Peele’s Get Out so I’m patting myself on the back for working in the reference.
Trailer
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Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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I need to see all four of these movies. I will be watching “You should have left” this week since it’s finally been released. 🙂 I’ll let you know if it’s worthy of 5 stars.
You should have left looks SO good! Talented stars, too. I’m definitely seeing it. Antebellum looks interesting, too. I’ll put it on my to-see list for sure.
So what did you think? I saw it too but…I liked the acting but not the storyline so much. But Kevin Bacon always does a great job so that was worth it.
Kevin Bacon nailed it acting-wise. Wasn’t nuts about the plot BUT it was nice to see a new movie at home. lol
I can’t wait for Conjuring 3.
I’m really, really, really hoping they’ll stream it as On Demand because I want to see it too, but can’t risk going to a theater. I may have to rely on you to tell me how it is if you see it!