Top 10 Genre Flicks To See In Spring 2018!

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

F*ck yeah boys and girls, the wintertime is finally over. Okay, sorry east-coasters, that was a bit insensitive given that f*cking DAY AFTER TOMORROW snowstorm y’all are currently under. I apologize. But moving on…

With springtime not only comes the changing of weather, the blooming of leaves, the air of love, etc. Hell no, we also get a whole new slate of movies to look forward to seeing. Granted, this year seems a little light on major studio fare worth seeing between April and June, but so be it, there’s still plenty of quality titles set for release in the next couple of months. Actually, take note now, April 6th is going to be a ripe old day at the theater. Beyond that, we have a pretty good mix of high-profile and low-key fare, both big and little. We have a Blumhouse joint or two, a Netflix original, a Billy Friedkin documentary and a handful of promising indies. So, enough talk, let’s get into our Top 10 Genre Flicks to see in Spring of 2018 below!

#1. HEREDITARY (JUNE 8TH)

By all accounts, HEREDITARY is the next great American horror movie to come in the lineage of recent genre paragons like THE WITCH and THE BABADOOK. That alone would be good enough for us to award a top spot, but when you include the rave reviews the always superb Toni Collette has been garnering for her central turn, you bet your ass this has the highest anticipation for us sharpened Arrow in the Headers. I mean, have you seen that trailer? F*ck me, I’m getting shades of Nic Roeg mixed with Malick. Which sounds terrifying! Written and directed by feature first timer Ari Aster, the movie focuses on the intense breakdown of familial bonds when an a grandmother passes away and long-held genetic secrets come unearthed. Our man C.Bum bestowed a superlative 9/10 rating on the flick out of Sundance, proving once again A24 is the place to be for prestige horror!

#2. YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (APRIL 6TH)

Scottish director Lynne Ramsay has been turning heads, prying eyes and leaving maws agape with her bold and brazen brand of storytelling in movies like MOVERN CALLAR and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. So when she teams up with equally intense Joaquin Phoenix for a disquieting character study in YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE, we’re all the f*ck in! Adapted from the Jonathan Ames novel of the same name, the story follows a traumatized war-vet who makes it his vocation to track down missing girls. When he gets in too deep with his newest case, his warped and fractious mind-state leads him down a path that may be too perilous to recover from. If that doesn’t wholeheartedly sell you, consider the fact our guy Chris Bumbray gave the flick a perfect 10/10 score out of Sundance a few months ago. How the hell can we top that?!

#3. A QUIET PLACE (APRIL 6TH)

From every stitch of footage I’ve seen of John Krasinski’s daring A QUIET PLACE, the more I believe it can only go one of two polar opposite ways. This is either going to be a great movie or a god awful one, and thankfully, early critical word has seemed to support the former. The premise alone just seems like such a delicate high-wire act that a single misstep could send the entire thing plummeting to the bricks. Starring Krasinski himself opposite his beauteous bride Emily Blunt, the story centers on a family of four fighting for survival – in total silence – as they navigate unforgiving terrain where mysterious creatures hunt by sound. Krasinski retooled the script as well from an original by Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, with the family unit rounded out by youngsters Noah Hope and Millicent Simmonds.

#4. THE ENDLESS (APRIL 6TH)

Anyone privy to Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead’s coiling curio SPRING from a few years ago or even their searing feature debut RESOLUTION already knows their follow-up, THE ENDLESS, is an absolute must-see. No joke! The fact the movie has been leaving the horror/sci-fi community astir since making the festival rounds only reinforces the need to see the film when it releases on the overcrowded date of April 6th. Also starring both Benson and Moorhead as brothers, this story follows the two ten years after escaping a UFO death cult. Upon returning to see how far the message has spread, the two bros are forced to reconsider their core beliefs when a cryptic looming event poses a massive existential threat. Made for a mere million bucks, the film also stars Callie Hernandez and Emily Montague.

#5. WHERE IS KYRA? (APRIL 6TH)

To know me is to know my undying love for Michelle Pfeiffer, and after a very impressive 2017 that saw her star as Ruth Madoff in THE WIZARD OF LIES, the sultry sexpot in MOTHER! and the glamorous socialite in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS – it appears even greater things abound for the soon to be 60 year old screen goddess. Indeed, Pfeiffer is earning some of the best reviews of her career for her leading work in WHERE IS KYRA?, a strapping psychological drama from Nigerian born director Andrew Dosunmu (MOTHER OF GEORGE, RESTLESS CITY). The film, also starring Kiefer Sutherland, Sam Robards and Suzanne Shepherd – sees Kyra’s (Pfieffer) life and fragile state of mind dangerously deteriorate when she loses her job and fails to care for her ailing mother. Drama can be horrifying too, remember, and by all accounts, Pfieffer leads the charge in a haunting and harrowing tale inner-demons coming to light.

#6. THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH (APRIL 20TH)

Lets hear a round of applause for horror hall of famer William Friedkin, who, after a seven year absence from moviemaking (KILLER JOE yo!), is still going strong at 82 years young. He returns this April with a subject that made him a millionaire 45 years ago: Exorcism. Yet, knowing he could never outdo THE EXORICST – critically or commercially – Friedkin has chosen to log a documentary account of THE DEVIL AND FATHER AMORTH instead. And frankly, the setup couldn’t be simpler: Father Gabriele Amorth performs his 9th exorcism on an Italian woman. The same woman! Not sure about you, but yeah, SOLD! Not only is this of personal fascination for Friedkin, who never actually witnessed a real exorcism prior to making his horror classic, but at soon to be 93 years of age, Father Amorth has been renowned as “The Vatican Exorcist,” as well as the “Dean of Exorcists.”

#7. BAD SAMARITAN (MAY 4TH)

Sure this one seems to be cribbing much of DON’T BREATHE’s brilliantly unpredictable premise, but so what, BAD SAMARITAN features David Tennant as a baleful baddie, and for that, we’re more than willing to give this so-called lowlife a day in court. As for that premise, it revolves around a pair of home-invading burglars who unwittingly break into a house where a young girl is being held captive. All sorts of shite backfires from there, as you can imagine, which will no doubt call into question who, if anyone, is the real protagonist of the piece. Robert Sheehan and Carlito Olivero play the two larcenists, Kerry Condon plays the poor strung up captive depicted above. Director Dean Devlin, coming off the laughable lunacy of GEOSTORM, looks to rebound with with this gritty thriller when it drops May 4th.

#8. CARGO (APRIL 19TH)

Strike one up for a Netflix original! Now, not to air dirty laundry, but I’ve heard this lilitputian Martin Freeman is one prickly fella. And he’ll damn sure get zero sympathy around here for publicly decrying how Sherlock Holmes is no longer fun anymore due to lofty fan expectations. Boo f*cking hoo Martin, act like a professional! That out of the way, yes, let’s all look forward to the kind of fun Freeman will be having via CARGO, a post-apocalyptic thriller Netlfix will debut on April 19th. What’s cool about this story – aside from Freeman proving to be both the only savior of, and greatest danger to, a young baby he must escort out of the Australian bush – is how it features an Aboriginal subplot as well. See, with only 48 hours before he’s fully infected by a zombie-like epidemic, Freeman must deliver his baby to safe haven.

#9. CORBIN NASH (APRIL 20TH)

To be real with you, we almost inserted into the lineup, batting 9th, a whole host of indie genre joints ranging from MARROWBONE to WILDLING, to SEVEN YEARS OF NIGHT to TRAFFIK. But in the end, something about the casting combo of Corey Feldman, Malcolm McDowell, Rutger Hauer, Courtney Gains and Bruce Davison gives CORBIN NASH an undeniably nostalgic 80s feel that is too damn enticing to miss this April. You with us? Good! CORBIN NASH comes from the brothers Jagger – Ben and Dean – with both writing, the former directing and the latter starring. Best yet though is the mashed-up premise about a rogue police detective hell-bent on finding his parents’ killers, only to be killed himself and reincarnated as “the ultimate killer” in order to seek revenge. Set in the nocturnal underworld of Los Angeles, demon hunting has rarely looked this fun!

#10. TRUTH OR DARE (APRIL 13TH)

Jesus Christ, what’s next, SPIN THE BOTTLE? I’ll bet dollars to dogshite such is already in the pipeline over at Blumhouse. If not, I want story credit for when they do make teenybopper movie about a demonic bottle. Equally laughable, right? Until then, we can spend our imminent Friday the 13th with TRUTH OR DARE, the insipid guilty pleasure about a gaggle of dumbass teens fending off a sinister force striking those quick to tell a lie or refuse to complete a dare. Sure to cull a cool $20 mil against a typical $5 million Blumhouse budget, this Jeff Wadlow directed flick (CRY WOLF, KICK-ASS 2) is the kind of PG-13 kiddie horror we’ll either laud for killing off a host of hated characters, or amusingly lambaste for being so damn dumb and dimwitted. Either way, TRUTH OR DARE could be a fun game to play this Friday the 13th!