We hope you had an extremely happy Halloween, because this November was definitely not made for horror lovers. With a few notable exceptions the month is a bit of a dead zone for fans of the genre, but there are still some exciting debuts in film and television and video games, if you know where to look!
For example, you can head to theaters right now and see Terminator: Dark Fate, the latest film in the sci-fi franchise that began as an ambitious techno slasher about a time traveling murder robot. The series evolved in the decades that followed but it still owns its horror roots, and the new film features a scary new Terminator, a few twists on the mythology, and the long-awaited return of Linda Hamilton to the franchise!
In her review here on Bloody-Disgusting, Meagan Navarro calls the film “a powerful beacon of hope for a once dying franchise.”
If you’re looking for something more family-friendly today, you can head on over to the newly formed Apple TV+, where one of their first new shows is a reboot of the classic series Ghostwriter. A whole new generation of kids has to team up with a ghost in a bookstore and clash with characters released from literature in the latest version of the nostalgia property.
And while we’re at it, Hulu has also just released the latest installment of their Into the Dark horror anthology series, with a feature-length entry called Pilgrim. The film is directed by Marcus Dunstan (The Collector), and tells the story of a troubled family getting their Thanksgiving holiday interrupted by historical re-enactors.
If you can wait a week, Shudder has a promising new action-horror hybrid from director Yûji Shimomura (Death Trance) called Re:Born, a fight movie that’s been described as not unlike a video game. And just one day later gamers can finally get their hands on Death Stranding, a bizarre-looking new game from Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid), featuring Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead as some kind of post-apocalyptic hero trying to reconnect the remnants of society, and also there’s a creepy baby. Something like that. Every preview looks bizarre but also fascinating.
Also on November 8 comes the long-awaited motion picture adaptation of Doctor Sleep, a.k.a. the sequel to The Shining. Directed by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House), the film stars Ewan McGregor as a grown-up Danny Torrance, who must overcome his own inner-and-outer demons to protect a young girl with “The Shining” from a group of psychics that wants to devour her. I wrote in my review for BD that Doctor Sleep is a stunning and frightening film about trauma and substance abuse, a worthy successor to The Shining, and a complex work of thoughtful film criticism.
It’s not strictly a part of the horror genre, but there’s no denying that the Adult Swim series Rick and Morty has some genuinely horrifying episodes and elements. The acclaimed animated series returns for a fourth season on November 10. (Insert “Pickle Rick” reference here.)
Shudder is back with several new debuts in November, including A Bluebird in My Heart on November 14. The film tells the story of an ex-con who tries to get his life together, only to be thrust back into action when a person he cares about is assaulted. Then, on November 21, Shudder hosts the debut of Nektrotronic, a demonic internet ozploitation horror comedy that “wears its penchant for dumb jokes and physical comedy on its sleeve.”
The month closes out with two major releases from filmmakers with huge followings. Rian Johnson’s follow-up to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the ensemble murder mystery comedy Knives Out, debuts on November 27 in theaters. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Evans, Toni Collette, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon and more as suspects in the murder of a mystery author, played by Christopher Plummer, being investigated by private detective Daniel Craig. Joe Lipsett saw the film and described it as “a crowd-pleaser” in his review for BD.
And last but not least, M. Night Shyamalan debuts an all-new TV series on Apple TV+ on November 28! Servant stars Toby Kebbell and Lauren Ambrose as parents of a newborn who hire a nanny, who discovers that all is not what it seems at their house.
Which films and shows and video games are YOU most excited for in November 2019? Let us know!
