September 2023 Horror Preview

September 15, 2023 Stephen Beason

September brings us closer to Halloween and marks the 35th Anniversary of John Carpenter’s THEY LIVE as well as the 40th Anniversary of CHRISTINE – but what new terrifying tales await us? Find out only in the Red River Horror monthly horror preview!

September 8th

The Nun II:

To think that THE NUN almost didn’t happen – Originally, director James Wan had a different villainous demonic presence in mind for 2016’s THE CONJURING PART II. He even had an entire creature suit commissioned, but due to budget and time constraints, the idea was scrapped in favor of what would become its own horror franchise and perhaps one of the most recognizable faces of the entire The Conjuring Universe.

Bonnie Aarons (MULHOLLAND DRIVE) returns as Sister Valak in this 1956 France-set supernatural thriller that also stars Taissa Farmiga (The Conjuring veteran, Vera Farmiga’s younger sister) and Anna Popplewell (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA).

You can read our very own Eddie Caiazzo’s write-up on THE NUN II only on Red River Horror here

September 14th

SATANIC HISPANICS:

Alejandro Brugues (JUAN OF THE DEAD), Gigi Saul Guerrero (BINGO HELL), Mike Mendez (BIG ASS SPIDER), Demián Rugna (TERRIFIED), and Eduardo Sánchez (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT) come together for a raucous horror/comedy anthology film that is drawing massive attention and praise on the indie circuit (even from the likes of Guillermo Del Toro himself).

The lone survivor of a gruesome massacre in El Paso recounts five different stories of the harrowing events that unfolded, each a segment by one of the five filmmakers.

I love the ingenuity of the premise and I’m excited to check this one out when it hits limited release later this month.

September 15th

A Haunting in Venice:

Based on the series’ previous installments, I can only hope Tina Fey isn’t embroiled in some terrible controversy by the time this film releases (I joke, but I mean, come on, Johnny Depp then Armie Hammer, Russell Brand, and Letitia Wright, yikes, what kind of luck does Kenneth Branaugh have with casting? I digress!)

A Haunting in Venice is based on the 1969 Agatha Christie novel Hallowe’en Party and sees the franchise take a supernatural turn as Kenneth Branaugh’s Hercule Poirot must solve a murder that occurs during a seance. The all-star cast is rounded out by Michelle Yeoh fresh off her Oscar Winning performance in last year’s breakout smash EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, Jamie Dornan (FIFTY SHADES OF GREY), and Kelly Reiley (YELLOWSTONE).

September 22nd

It Lives Inside:

From the producers of GET OUT and the distribution company behind INFINITY POOL comes this seemingly DRAG ME TO HELL-inspired tale of culture shock from first-time director Bishal Dutta.

Bishal said in a statement at South by Southwest “On one hand, it is a love letter to the community and culture that raised me while on the other, it is a visceral experience that is designed to instill the same raw terror in its viewers that my favorite horror films instilled in me.”

Hard to argue with a sales pitch like that.

September 29th

Saw X:

Last but certainly not least, the tenth (wow, really?!) installment in this absolute juggernaut franchise of the horror world – James Wan and Leigh Whannel essentially reinvented the horror genre twice in their respective careers, once with SAW, and again with INSIDIOUS.

It is mind-boggling to say that what started as a pulpy, low-budget, almost comic book-esque homage to David Fincher’s SE7EN quickly became a sprawling 10+ film franchise.

A legacy sequel of sorts set directly after the events of the first film, but before SAW II, Saw X sees cult favorite Tobin Bell reprise his role as the elusive Jigsaw Killer – director Kevin Gruetert said recently that this installment will feature Tobin Bell’s John Kramer “…more than in any other Saw film”, adding that “Kramer is the center of the story.”

Could this be a true return to form for the series? I sure hope so.