Top 20 Movies to See in Fall of 2018 (Part 1)!

#11. VENOM (OCTOBER 5TH)

Look, we don’t often cotton to superhero material, but there’s something too contagiously ill about Tom Hardy as the titular super-villain VENOM that it not only becomes an AITH must-see, but based on the trailer and kickass supporting cast, it shoots to the top of the motherf*cking heap. ZOMBIELAND’s Ruben Fleischer is at the helm, with Woody Harrelson, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate rounding out the stellar ensemble. Sure to be an origin story, there’s something awfully vindicating about seeing Sony and Marvel Entertainment codify VENOM as an action/horror/sci-fi flick. If horror is poison, then VENOM could be the much needed antidote!

Stay posted for Part 2 coming soon!

#12. UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (DECEMBER 7TH)

No fan am I of Robert David Mitchell’s IT FOLLOWS, and yet, there’s something too sultry and seductive about his new, hopefully-hipster-hating, Los Angelino-skewering UNDER THE SILVER LAKE. Now, I know our man C.Bum detested the flick as much as I do IT FOLLOWS, but supposedly Mitchell has gone back and made additional cuts, prompting the films release to be pushed back from summer to late fall. As for the story, Sam (Andrew Garfield), an aimless wastrel in L.A., becomes infatuated with a sexy blonde siren (Riley Keough) at the pool at his apartment complex. When she disappears, Sam is thrown into a head-spinning blender of murder, intrigue, mystery and scandal. And Silverlake hipsters.

#13. THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB (NOVEMBER 9TH)

Based almost solely on the strength of Fede Alvarez’s superb last outing DON’T BREATHE, his adaptation of THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB, starring Claire Foy, becomes damn near appointment viewing when it drops in theaters this November. With a script co-written with Alvarez by Steven Knight (LOCKE, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS), the story is a follow-up to the 2011 film version helmed by David Fincher. Only this time, the source novel is written by David Lagercrantz, not Stieg Larsson, who passed away in 2004. Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Merchant and Vicky Krieps round out the international cast in a story that sees Lisbeth and Michael resume their harrowing hacks and off-brand espionage. If nothing else, it will be fun to see how an Uruguayan director translates a Swedish book adapted by a British screenwriter. A tangled web indeed!

#14. LIZZIE (SEPTEMBER 14TH)

By all accounts, two riveting performances are featured in the imminent arrival of LIZZIE, a solemn account based on the infamous 19th century serial killer Lizzie Borden. Said performances include the films two leads, Chloe Sevigny as the titular terror, and Kristen Stewart, who plays Bridget Sullivan, Lizzie’s Sapphic mistress. Both women are tremendous actors, which is exactly what a true story of this ilk needs to give the proper respect it deserves. THE BOY helmer Craig William Macneil directs from a script by first-time scribe Bryce Kass (always iffy), but early word of mouth has been generally positive so far, so don’t let the inexperienced scribe deter you. It’s the ladies shows through and through, with potential nominations in waiting. Nobody’s beating Toni Collette though!

#15. THE GUILTY (OCTOBER 19TH)

So there’s a critical darling of Danish thriller about to drop in October called THE GUILTY, and it’s being touted as one of the most intense and indefatigably gripping experiences for any movie set in a single room. The setup is this: an ex-police officer, now an alarm dispatcher, receives a hysterical call from a kidnapped woman. The phone disconnects, leaving the man with only his phone to locate the woman and rescue her before her life is ended by brutal thugs. Most of the action takes place inside the call center, and yet, word is director Gustav Moller has fashioned one of the most tautly-wound claustrophobic thrillers to come about a long time. Near unanimous praise has washed in for THE GUILTY, a verdict too strong to avoid come this autumn.

#16. THE NUN (SEPTEMBER 7TH)

I’ll make a bet with you right now: THE NUN 2 will be far better than THE NUN. How do I arrive at this surmisal? Simple. Just look at ANNABELLE: CREATION and OUJIA: ORIGIN OF EVIL. It’s the second chapter in these kinds of flicks that goes on to rectify critical mistakes laid out by the first entry and deliver a solid follow-up. I’m willing to wager the trend continues. And yet, all that expected, THE NUN is still too perfect a premise for a horror movie not to want to bow to with come early September. Throw in director Corin Hardy coming off THE HALLOW, a decent little chiller, and IT scribe Gary Dauberman on the keys (as he was on the ANNABELLE movies), for us horror heads, let’s hope THE NUN preaches to the converted!

#17. THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (SEPTEMBER 21ST)

Eli Roth and Jack Black? Despite it being a light, frightful-family affair, said combo seems too good to miss when THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCKS IN ITS WALLS arrives in theaters September 21st. Granted, Roth hasn’t shown very well since THE GREEN INFERNO five years ago, but we’re willing to overlook the DEATH WISH debacle and see what kind of sensibility he brings to a PG rated horror fantasy. Perhaps its just the change of scenery he needs to get back on track. And if Black’s turn in the equally adolescent GOOSEBUMPS is any indication, there is more than enough room for effective family-driven spook stories to grace the big-screen. Besides, Cate Blanchett hamming it up opposite’s Black’s uproarious slap-shtick, clock or not, you already know what time it is!

#18. HELL FEST (SEPTEMBER 28TH)

Damn I love the simple setup to HELL FEST, the second feature from longtime editor and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: GHOST DIMENSION director Gregory Plotkin. Said setup goes as follows: Around Halloween, a masked slasher terrorizes a horror-themed amusement park while unwitting patrons suspect the veritable bloodshed is nothing more than part of the programmed entertainment. I am concerned about by the quality of writers brought on board (one wrote LEATHERFACE, the other POLAROID), but so deep is my affinity for Halloween-set horror flicks, as well as amusement park horror joints (THE FUNHOUSE yo!), that I’m willing to overlook the inexcusable and simply have a damn good time. Please, HELL FEST, be a damn good time!

#19. COLD SKIN (SEPTEMBER 7TH)

Xavier Gens is never one to pull punches, he’d prefer to level a viewer with a pure TKO. Indeed, the crazy Frenchman behind such frosty chillers as FRONTIERS and THE DIVIDE is back at it again with a period-set horror bonanza called COLD SKIN, which looks to be a nasty seaside creature-feature. The story picks up in 1914, as a man arrives at a remote arctic post to observe the harsh weather patterns. Once there he encounters a passel of ravenous ghouls hiding on the island with an appetite for foreign blood. The xenophobic metaphors may be a bit heavy-handed, but so what, this Gens fella is always good for a few unflinching stints of brutality his American counterparts simply cannot get away with. (Note: COLD SKIN has already been released in some international territories.)

#20. ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE (NOVEMBER 30TH)

An R-rated British musical zombie-comedy? F*ckin-A, where do I sign up?! For those in dire need of a little yuletide mirth this coming Christmastime, look no further than ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE, said romp of a genre-mashup coming from director John McPhail (WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?). Ella Hunt (INTRUDERS, COLD FEET) stars as the titular protagonist facing off with the end of the world, and in particular, zombified holiday icons such as Santa Claus, snowmen, elves, and hordes of undead denizens overrunning the small town of Little Haven. If recent indie British imports like GHOST STORIES and PREVENGE are any indication, this one could be another tasty little English dish!