The darker side of summer
Horror films coming to DCA this July
While many associate horror films with October, or maybe even our Dundead Film Festival in May, we know that the darker side of cinema is one that can be enjoyed all year round. As if to prove our theory, this summer is bringing with it a whole host of new genre releases to look forward to. Here's our Dundead programmer, Michael Coull, to share more...
I've been immersed in horror films a lot this year, what with programming the festival for May, and the genre feels like it’s in a very good place in 2024. Over the past few years, it feels like more and more horror film-makers are breaking through, and the increase in diverse perspectives behind and in front of the camera has led to new ground being broken on what feels like a semi-regular basis. There's so much to look forward to and the summer is off to a really strong start.
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Join us for a one-off Dundead screening
It all begins with our monthly Dundead screening of The Moor. This confident folk-horror debut from director Chris Cronin tells the story of a woman and a bereaved father searching for clues about his son’s disappearance.
It stirs lots of interesting ingredients in to the pot, from the unavoidable parallels to infamous cases of real-life violence and the folky hints to something ancient and sinister to the grey massiveness of the land itself almost becoming a monster in its own right and elements of The Exorcist-style occultism. That it all works as well as it does is testament to Cronin's imagination.
Book now for new horror releases coming in July
July sees some highly-anticipated films hitting our screens,. There's MaXXXine, Ti West's sequel to X and Pearl, that follows Mia Goth's character to 1980s Hollywood where a killer lurks. Both of West's previous films went down really well with our Dundead audiences and the third instalment looks like it's going to bring a neon-hued, big city vibe to the series, with additions to the cast including Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey and Kevin Bacon.
In the prequel camp there's A Quiet Place: Day One. John Krasinki's A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II had audiences holding their breath and staying very still and, while he may not be returning this time, we're excited to see Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn and an adorable cat in the starring roles, and finding out how this alien story began.
Also coming up is Longlegs, a supernatural serial killer story featuring the one and only Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe (star of It Follows). After a creepy and cryptic teaser campaign, reviews have been stellar. Another film that comes with some ringing words of endorsement is Sleep, which Parasite director Bong Joon-ho described as "the most unique horror movie of the past decade”.
And there's more to look forward to
One of my most anticipated films of the year is Jane Schoebrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, released at the end of July. We screened her debut feature We’re All Going to the World’s Fair as part of our 2022 festival and it blew me away. The buzz about her follow-up has been nothing short of electric and she is one of those directors who really feels like the future of the genre to me.
If you’re into folk horror, keep an eye out for Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud herself) in Starve Acre. Director Daniel Kokotajlo’s previous film was an extremely intense domestic drama, and he looks like he has transferred that intensity to the horror genre.
Further off down the trail, we have Robert Eggers, director of The VVitch and The Lighthouse giving us his dark take on one of the most seminal horror films of all time, Nosferatu. The trailer just dropped and though it cleverly keeps Bill Skarsgard’s transformation into Count Orlock under a heavy black cloak there’s plenty of creepy, artful imagery.
