Welcome to Horror Explorer. A curated column highlighting this month’s best movies, series, books, and anything spooky worth checking out. I’m William Earl, Variety’s executive digital director and the magazine’s resident horror enthusiast. If there’s anything you’d like to see in next month’s public records, please contact us at wearl@variety.com.
marquee madness
Image credit: © STUDIOCANAL SAS © Reiner Bajo
“Dracula” (in theaters Feb. 6 from Vertical) — Director Luc Besson puts a romantic spin on the classic vampire story, starring Caleb Landry Jones as the titular vampire and Christoph Waltz as his legendary nemesis Van Helsing.
“The Strangers – Chapter 3” (in theaters Feb. 6 via Lionsgate) — Madelaine Petsch plays the increasingly formidable final girl in the final chapter of Renny Harlin’s “Strangers” trilogy.
“Cold Storage” (in theaters Feb. 13 from Samuel Goldwyn Films) — An all-star cast including Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Vanessa Redgrave, Lesley Manville and Liam Neeson stars in this horror comedy about a deadly fungus that escapes from a military base. Big screenwriter David Koepp adapted his novel into a mashup of this genre.
“Psycho Killer” (released in theaters February 20th by 20th Century Studios) — Producer Gavin Pollone’s feature directorial debut, starring Georgina Campbell and Malcolm McDowell. The story revolves around a police officer chasing down a serial killer who killed her husband.
“Scream 7” (in theaters Feb. 27 from Paramount Pictures) — Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox headline another installment in the long-running series, this time with original author Kevin Williamson in the director’s chair. We hope some other alumni will stop by the branch.
off the beaten path
Image credit: Provided by Cat People
“Whistle” (in theaters Feb. 6 from Independent Film Company and Shudder) — Dafne Keene leads a supernatural tale about an Aztec death whistle that spells doom for those who blow it. The film will be directed by Corin Hardy, who directed the 2015 indie film The Hallow and The Conjuring spin-off The Sister.
“The Mortuary Assistant” (premiering February 13 on Shudder) – Willa Holland and Paul Sparks star in this video game adaptation directed by Jeremiah Kipp. Logline? A young woman is working the night shift at a mortuary when strange things begin to happen.
“The Honey Bunch” (premiering on Shudder February 13) – Film festival favorite “Dead Lover,” the latest film from real-life filmmaker couple Grace Glowiecki and Ben Petrie, stars a couple who emerge from a coma and rebuild their relationship after disturbing memories surface during intensive care.
appalling book
Image credit: Courtesy of Crooked Lane Books
The Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer (on sale February 10th from Crooked Lane Books) — A viral Instagram trend is getting the “Rosemary’s Baby” treatment as influencers turn to the dark arts to maintain lifestyles that sound too good to be true. A follow-up page-turning look at Schaefer’s “Serial Killer Support Group.”
“Dollface” by Lindy Ryan (released February 24th by Minotaur Books) – Ryan’s suburban slasher pits gossipy PTA moms against slashers and puts a juicy, irreverent, bloody twist on the genre.
Night of the Mannequin by Stephen Graham Jones (released February 24th by Thor Nightfire) – A reprint of one of Jones’ novellas, this love letter to ’80s slashers is a tight, creepy book that benefits greatly from the horrors of childhood.
killer series
Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/PEACOCK
“The ‘Burbs” (released Feb. 8 on Peacock) — Based on the cult-favorite Joe Dante film, this series follows Keiki Palmer as she moves to the suburbs and discovers her neighbors are privy to dark secrets. Paula Pell, Mark Proksch, and Justin Kirk are among the comedy heads of the cast.
