As of 2019, we’re living in a new golden age of horror. As terror continues to plague our reality, filmmakers have used movies to illustrate our present-day nightmares. This year is about feeling awake, and what better way to do that than to be scared bottomless by one of these bloodcurdling films.  

IT  Chapter Two

Bringing back the horrid clown once defeated by the Losers’ Club from the first movie released back in 2017, “IT Chapter Two” showcases Pennywise who returns to the town of Derry once again after being gone for 27 years. When people start disappearing, childhood friends convene to defeat the clown once again. Still scarred from the past, the friends must now face their deepest fears to destroy the ever more deranged Pennywise, who is now stronger than ever. The number of jump scares in this movie is insane along with the creepy clown factor. This movie truly ruins the reputations of clowns, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are fewer people in the local circus.

Child’s Play

The raving serial killer doll Chucky returns to the screen for another round of homicide, this time in a full redo of the plot contrasting it with the first “Child’s Play” (1988) where we knew the doll as Charles Lee Ray. Now we have a new “Child’s Play” that stars Aubrey Plaza as a young mother who gives her son a deranged and demonic toy as a birthday gift. While the concept of the first “Child’s Play” will be missed, this version truly made for a great horror film and definitely has many watching their own toys at night. However, the little doll wins the hearts of some and can even sometimes have that awe factor despite the brutal killing. 

Ma

In this psychological horror film directed by Tate Taylor, a woman played by Octavia Spencer allows a group of teenagers to party in her basement. The movie takes a dark turn as we discover what her true motives are tying back to a high school incident. In this suspenseful film, jumpscares do get the best of you. However, the movie has a bigger emphasis on comedy and gets more laughs out of the viewers than it does screams. Using Spencer to portray the character Ma, was a brilliant choice as I myself couldn’t stop laughing throughout the whole film. While the movie has it’s gore, it truly was a fun movie that was fun to watch with family and friends. 

Us

Starring an impressive cast that includes Winston Duke and Lupita Nyong’o, the movie follows a family who is stalked and terrorized by their doppelgangers. Like that of Jordan Peele’s previous hit, “Get Out” (2017), this movie proves to be yet another terrifying thriller. Where there is terror there is derangement, and this movie provides a lot of it. Like always, Peele has taken us into his ominous and disturbing world. 

Happy Death Day 2U

A sequel to the 2017 film “Happy Death Day” sees the original protagonist once again stuck in a never-ending loop of death. Only this time, instead of changing her personality for the better, she must discover who is killing her and her friends repeatedly. While not as scary, this movie still provides all of the Halloween feels and a sense of overwhelming suspense. It also provides for a few laughs, but not as much as the first film.