We have a lot to cover this month, so let’s jump right into it. With four festival hits seeing a release in March alongside a handful of great looking films, It’s certainly shaping up to be one to remember. But before we get started, here’s a quick recap of what I watched in February:
- The Voices (review): What a performance from Ryan Reynolds. This one was fantastical, crazy, funny and plenty weird. The slasher genre has been around for a while, but never have we seen one quite like this.
- Wyrmwood (review): It’s hard to find a good zombie movie these days, and while this one struggles with its characters and story, there’s plenty of carnage and indie charm that keeps the wheels turning.
- Digging up the Marrow (review): Adam Green perfectly blends reality into fantasy with his latest film, one that’s rooted in terrifying monsters and great performances. Despite getting tripped up in its final moments, this is one hell of a movie.
- Maps to the Stars (review): While this film will no doubt have its fans, I just couldn’t find myself getting wrapped up in the story thanks to its impossible-to-like characters. It’s best quality was the dark humor and performances from Julianne Moore and Mia Wasikowska.
March 6
Avenged (VOD)
Director: Michael S. Ojeda
Cast: Amanda Adrienne, Tom Ardavany, Ronnie Gene Blevins
A deaf girl is brutalized by a murderous gang who are then hunted by her when the bloodthirsty spirit of an Apache warrior inhabits her lifeless body.
Faults (VOD)
Director: Riley Stearns
Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lance Reddick, Leland Orser
Claire is under the grip of a mysterious new cult called Faults. Desperate to be reunited with their daughter, Claire’s parents recruit one of the world’s foremost experts on mind control, Ansel Roth.
March 9
Bates Motel (A&E)
Season: 3
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Vera Farmiga, Max Thieriot
This season focuses on the evolution of the Bates family and dives head first into Norman’s waning ability to stay in denial about what’s happening to him and the lengths he will go to gain control of his fragile psyche. The dramatic events of last season leaves Norma reluctantly more aware of Norman’s mental fragility and is fearful of what he is capable of.
March 13
Muck (VOD)
Director: Steve Wolsh
Cast: Kane Hodder, Bryce Draper, Lachlan Buchanan
After narrowly escaping an ancient burial ground, a group of friends find themselves trapped between two evils, forcing them to fight, die, or go back the way they came.
March 20
Backcountry (VOD)
Director: Adam MacDonald
Cast: Missy Peregrym, Eric Balfour, Melanie Mullen
An urban couple go camping in the woods and find themselves lost in the territory of a predatory black bear.
Spring (VOD)
Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Cast: Lou Taylor Pucci, Nadia Hilker, Vanessa Bednar
A young man in a personal tailspin flees the US to Italy, where he sparks up a romance with a woman harboring a dark, primordial secret.
Zombeavers (VOD)
Director: Jordan Rubin
Cast: Rachel Melvin, Cortney Palm, Lexi Atkins
A fun weekend turns into madness and horror for a bunch of groupies looking for fun in a beaver infested swamp.
March 27
Nightlight (VOD)
Director: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Cast: Shelby Young, Chloe Bridges, Carter Jenkins
Five friends play a game in a ”mysterious” forest with a long history as a beacon for troubled young people contemplating suicide.
It Follows (Theatrical)
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi
For nineteen-year-old Jay, Autumn should be about school, boys and week-ends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, something, is following her. Faced with this burden, Jay and her friends must find a way to escape the horrors that seem to be only a few steps behind.
Predictions
What you shouldn’t miss:
This is probably our best month of horror yet, with plenty of “must see” titles on the horizon. What you want to keep an eye on here is Faults, Backcountry, Spring and It Follows.
- Faults is a no-brainer with a wonderful cast of Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Leland Orser going head-to-head in a psychological war. The buzz on this one is that it’s special brand of thriller with some great performances.
- Backcountry has the potential to put the nature-run-amok sub genre back on the map with its terrifying true story of a couple being hunted by a bear. What more do you need to know? Again, this is another one with plenty of praise, so check it out!
- Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are a couple of the most exciting up-and-coming directors working today, and their new film Spring promises their best work to date. Blending both romance and horror, this one is no doubt the most unique film on the list.
- And finally, It Follows. Other than The Babadook, I don’t think there was a more talked about horror film last year. This year, however, some are already drumming it up to be one of the very best.
What you should take a chance on:
There are so many good choices this year that you would be fine taking a shot in the dark on any of them. If you want my advice, though, take a chance on Zombeavers, Avenged and Bates Motel.
- Believe it or not, but Zombeavers is actually quite a lot of fun. It knows exactly what it is—stupid entertainment with gorgeous woman and plenty of blood. If you’re willing to sit down and watch a movie with zombie beavers, then you’ll walk away satisfied.
- Word from across the pond is that Avenged is every bit as ridiculous as it looks. While the revenge angle is nothing new, a girl being possessed by a bloodthirsty Apache spirit is, so there’s that.
- A&E did the impossible a couple of years ago when they debuted their new series Bates Motel, a show that seemed like it was going to crash and burn before it even got off the ground. Telling the origin story of one of Hitchcock’s greatest films—set in modern times no less—was a bold move, and it’s one that happened to work. Give it a shot, I think you’ll be surprised.
Which film are you looking forward to the most?
It’s a tie between Spring and It Follows! What about you? What are you looking forward to the most this month?
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A lot of these look excellent!!
Another GREAT post!
(I was disappointed in Girlhouse….)
Yeah, there are so many great looking movies this month. I skipped Girl House—it looked like it was trying too hard.
It really did and – surprisingly – there weren’t even enough boobs…
You would think that if they were going to do one thing right, it would have been the boobs.
You would think and it was actually PAINFUL to watch the lead cover her boobs constantly…
SPRING is a GREAT movie!
That’s what I’ve heard. Can’t wait to see it!
You won’t be disappointed. It is a masterpiece.
I’ve been meaning to watch Bates Motel since it first came out, and I STILL haven’t gotten around to it yet. I think it’ll jump to the top of the list though, no more stalling! :-p
Give the first season a shot, I think you’ll be surprised. Pretty sure S1 and S2 are on Netflix now (if you have it).
Yup, I will. And yup, I do. 😀
Nice man. I really love this monthly post and hopefully you keep it going. I was a fan of Zombeavers. I think it’s a hell of a lot of fun and plenty of riffing on horror convention.
Haven’t heard too much about most of the others. Backcountry is the one that intrigues me the most. Am a fan of that subgenre.
Glad to hear that, man! Zombeavers is great, and surprisingly so. Backcountry looks like it has a lot of potential. Some really good films headed our way, that’s for sure.
Spring sounds very interesting and it looks really gorgeous
No doubt! Their first film, Resolution, was truly something special so I’m pretty excited to see what they’ve done with Spring. Hearing some great things about it, too.
Looks like a hell of a month for horror! Sa-weet!! Zombeavers is gonna top my list based on the name alone. 😉 Seriously though, excited about Faults and It Follows. Spring sounds pretty cool as well. And Nightlight sounds kind of fun – willing to give that one a go. Tried watching Bates Motel but for reasons wasn’t able to get into it, which was disappointing.
Zombeavers is as ridiculous as it sounds. A really fun movie! Going to be an awesome month, that’s for sure. I really dig Bates Motel, Vera Farmiga is something else on that show. She’s such a great actress.
Great selection here. I will keep my eyes peeled for It Follows, looks good. Plus, after The Guest, I would like to see what else Monroe can do in horror.
Yeah, she’s definitely one to keep an eye on. Looks great!
Can’t believe I’m about to say this, but my first choice would be Zombeavers. I’m serious! A movie of this nature that doesn’t take itself too seriously gets my vote.
I had a ton of fun with Zombeavers. It’s goofy fun and knows exactly what it is. Definitely worth a look!
I respect the creative brainwave behind the blending of zombies + beavers.
It’s so appropriate, huh? Surprised it took this long, actually haha.