The return of a fan favorite franchise, the critically acclaimed new movie from a modern day genre visionary, and a slasher from the perspective of the Jason Voorhees-like killer.
It’s all headed our way in the coming weeks. And it’s only the tip of the iceberg…
Here’s all the new horror releasing in theaters and at home in May 2024!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
I SAW THE TV GLOW – MAY 3 (LIMITED), MAY 17 (WIDE)
Fresh off the haunting and singularly creepy indie We’re All Going to the World’s Fair,Jane Schoenbrunis back withA24‘sI Saw the TV Glow, releasing only in theatersMay 3.
In I Saw the TV Glow, “Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.”
Meagan Navarro wrote in herSundance review for BD, “I Saw the TV Glowoffers a layered and authentic portrait of identity, wrapped in ’90s nostalgia and surreal imagery that embeds itself deep into your psyche.” Meagan continues, “Schoenbrun delivers a singular vision of arthouse horror that entrances for its fevered dream style and insanely cool imagery.”
Justice Smith(Jurassic World Dominion) andBrigette Lundy-Paine(Bill & Ted Face the Music,Bombshell) lead the cast of the upcoming horror movie.
SOMETHING IN THE WATER – MAY 3
Samuel Goldwyn Films is bringing director Hayley Easton Street’s shark attack movieSomething in the Waterto select theaters and VOD outlets at home onMay 3.
In the upcoming aquatic horror movie, “An idyllic destination wedding turns into a battle for survival. The film follows Meg (Hiftu Quasem,Ten Percent), who tentatively attends the wedding of old friend Lizzie (Lauren Lyle,Outlander) in the Caribbean along with fellow pals Cam (Nicole Rieko Setsuko,Eavesdropping) and Ruth (Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart,One Four Three), plus her former partner Kayla (Natalie Mitson,The Larkins) who she parted ways with after both survived a deeply traumatic event.”
Naturally, the wedding party is invaded by hungry sharks and all hell breaks loose.
TAROT – MAY 3
Originally titledHorrorscope, Screen Gems is getting set to unleashTarotin theaters on May 3, which has been rated PG-13 for “horror violence, terror and bloody images.”
When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings – never use someone else’s deck – they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards in the upcoming Screen Gems horror movieTarot. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings.
ArtistTrevor Hendersondesigned the eight monsters for this movie!
Larsen Thompson, Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley, AvantikaandJacob Batalon star.Tarotis written and directed bySpenser Cohen & Anna Halberg.
NEW LIFE – MAY 3
From the producers ofSomething in the DirtandThe Mortuary CollectioncomesNew Life, a tense thriller of apocalyptic proportions coming to theaters and On Demand May 3.
The feature debut by writer/directorJohn RosmanstarsSonya Walger(“For All Mankind,” “Lost”),Hayley Erin(“Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists”), andTony Amendola(Annabelle,The Curse of La Llorona).
New Lifefollows “a mysterious woman on the run (Hayley Erin) and the resourceful fixer assigned to bring her in (Sonya Walger). As their two stories inexorably link, the stakes of their pursuit rise to apocalyptic proportions.”
FOUNDERS DAY – MAY 7
After being released exclusively in movie theaters this past January, the tricentennial-themed slasher movieFounders Day is headed home on May 7 courtesy of Dark Sky Films.
In this “bold political slasher” from theBloomquist Brothers, a small town is shaken by a series of ominous killings in the days leading up to a heated mayoral election.
As accusations fly and the threat of a masked killer darkens every street corner, the residents must race to uncover the truth before fear consumes the town.
Erik BloomquistdirectedFounders Day, written by Erik andCarson Bloomquist.
Devin Druid(13 Reasons Why),Emilia McCarthy(SkyMed),Amy Hargreaves(13 Reasons Why),Catherine Curtin(Stranger Things),William Russ(Boy Meets World),Naomi Grace(NCIS),Olivia Nikkanen(The Society),Jayce Bartok(When They See Us),Andrew Stewart Jones(Gotham),Tyler James White(The Villains of Valley View),Erik Bloomquist(Weekenders),Adam Weppler(Long Lost),Kate Edmonds(The Third Saturday in October),Dylan Slade, andArun Cameron Storrsstar.
MIND BODY SPIRIT – MAY 7
A yoga influencer discovers just how flexible fear can be inMind Body Spirit, a new found footage horror movie thatWelcome Villain Films is bringing to Digital on May 7.
Matt Donato raved in his4-star review, “Mind Body Spiritis a knockout horror session for the livestream era, which has me desperately waiting to see what its creators and stars do next.”
InMind Body Spirit, “Anya, an aspiring yoga influencer, embarks on a ritual practice left behind by her estranged grandmother. She documents the practice on her YouTube channel for the world to watch, allowing her audience intimate access to her journey.
“But what starts as a spiritual self-help guide evolves into something much more sinister. As Anya becomes obsessed with the mysterious power of the practice, she unwittingly unleashes an otherworldly entity that begins to take control of her life – and her videos. Now Anya must race to unlock the truth, before her descent into madness threatens to consume her mind, body and spirit. By the time she reveals the true nature of the ritual, will it be too late?”
Mind Body Spiritwas written and directed byAlex Henes & Matthew Merenda.
The upcoming horror film starsSarah J. Bartholomew,Madi Bready,KJ Flahive,Anna Knigge, andKristi Noory, and was produced byDan AsmaandJesse McClung.
THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 – MAY 17
The first film in a new reboot trilogy from director Renny Harlin(A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Master, Deep Blue Sea), The Strangers: Chapter 1 hits theaters on May 17.
Madelaine Petsch(“Riverdale”),Froy Gutierrez(Hocus Pocus 2),Rachel Shenton(The Silent Child),Ema Horvath(“Rings of Power”) andGabe Basso(Hillbilly Elegy) star.
Based on the original 2008 cult horror franchise, the project features Petsch, who drives cross-country with her longtime boyfriend (Gutierrez) to begin a new life in the Pacific Northwest. When their car breaks down in Venus, Oregon, they’re forced to spend the night in a secluded Airbnb, where they are terrorized from dusk till dawn by three masked strangers.
Here’s the full official synopsis: “After their car breaks down in an eerie small town, a young couple are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive.”
Renny Harlin(Cliffhanger,Deep Blue Sea,Die Hard 2) is directing from a script byAlan R. CohenandAlan Freedland(The Freak Brothers,Due Date).Lionsgatewill distribute worldwide.
NIGHTWATCH: DEMONS ARE FOREVER – MAY 17
Shudderis bringing the 1994 Danish thrillerNightwatch and its just-announced surprise sequel Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever to their streaming service on Friday, May 17.
The sequel was written/directed byNightwatch‘s creator,Ole Bornedal. Original cast membersKim BodniaandUlf Pilgaard, along with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, are back.
Here’s the official synopsis: “22-year-old medical student Emma (Fanny Leander Bornedal) has just taken a job as the night watch in the same forensic department where her parents were once almost killed by the famed psychopathic police inspector Wörmer. The events led to her mother’s suicide, and her father Martin (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) has turned to tranquilizers to suppress the memories. Determined to investigate what exactly happened to them, Emma tracks down and confronts Wörmer, only to unintentionally reawaken his bloodthirst and ignite a violent revenge on everyone who sealed his destiny years ago.”
PANDEMONIUM – MAY 28
DirectorQuarxx(All the Gods in the Sky) explores the peculiar, welcoming all those hungry for wonder inPandemonium, a unique cinematic blend of fantasy, drama, genre, and humor.
Pandemoniumwill be released on Blu-ray in theUK May 27and theUS & Canada May 28.It will also be streaming on ARROW in the UK/US/CA/IRE from May 27.
Arrow Videopreviews, “Pandemoniumtakes the viewer on a chilling journey as three interconnected stories unravel in this macabre exploration of tales depicting fallen souls. From the intricacies of everyday drama to the realms of supernatural intrigue, each narrative weaves a haunting tapestry that blurs the lines between the mortal and the supernatural.”
Nathan (Hugo Dillon) and Daniel (Arben Bajraktaraj) are caught in a road accident that kills them both. As they come to grips with their deaths, Nathan confronts his past and the consequences of his actions. Now trapped in the hellish void of Pandemonium, he encounters tortured souls like Jeanne (Manon Maindivide), a disturbed child; Julia (Ophélia Kolb), a grief-stricken mother; and Norghul (Jean Rousseau), the guide of the great void. Will he find a way to escape the torment that awaits him for eternity?
IN A VIOLENT NATURE – MAY 31
One of the most talked about new horror movies at Sundance this year was In a Violent Nature, uniquely framing a classic slasher movie from the perspective of its undead killer.
IFC Films will release In a Violent Nature exclusively in theaters on May 31.
In the film, “When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it. The undead golem hones in on the group of vacationing teens responsible for the theft and proceeds to methodically slaughter them one by one in his mission to get it back – along with anyone in his way.”
Chris Nash wrote and directed In a Violent Nature. Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor star in the slasher film.
