Shazam! (2019) 92%D
irected by: David F. Sandberg
Starring: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel
Opening on: April 5, 2019
Hot off his two horror hits Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation, director David F. Sandberg picked up the reins to this DC superhero flick, about a teen who receives the power to transform into an adult hero with the powers of super-strength, flight, and more. Fourteen-year-old Billy Batson will be played by Asher Angel, while Chuck‘s Zachary Levi stars as Shazam himself.
Pet Sematary (2019) 91%
Directed by: Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Starring: Amy Seimetz, Jason Clarke, John Lithgow
Opening on: April 5, 2019
Stephen King adaptations became a hot commodity after the runaway success of IT last year, and the ensuing scramble resulted in this new version of the tale about a man who discovers the pet graveyard behind his home possesses the power to bring the dead back to life… with caveats.
Hellboy (2019)
Directed by: Neil Marshall
Starring: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane
Opening on: April 12, 2019
You may not have asked for a Hellboy reboot — how can they possibly improve on GDT’s original two takes on Mike Mignola’s graphic novel? – but we’re pretty sure you’ll take it when you hear who’s involved. The film, which will be distributed by Lionsgate, stars David Harbour (a.k.a. the chain-smoking, monster-smiting police chief of Hawkins), is directed by Neil Marshall (whose The Descent remains one of the scariest movies of the last two decades), and will feature Milla Jovovich as the Blood Queen, a sorceress after revenge.
The Curse of La Llorona (2019) 50%
Directed by: Michael Chaves
Starring: Linda Cardellini, Sean Patrick Thomas, Patricia Velasquez
Opening on: April 19, 2019
This James Wan-produced frightener stars Linda Cardellini as a widowed social worker who finds striking – and terrifying – parallels between what’s happening to a family she is investigating and the strange occurrences haunting her own.
Under the Silver Lake (2019) 51%
Directed by: David Robert Mitchell
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace
Opening on: April 19, 2019
Director David Robert Mitchell had a horror sleeper hit in 2015 with It Follows, and for his sophomore effort, he turns to understated mystery. Andrew Garfield stars as a man who embarks on a quest through Los Angeles to find a mysterious woman who has suddenly disappeared after the two of them shared a brief encounter. Originally slated for late 2018, it was moved back several months.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Directed by: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Starring: Everybody
Opening on: April 26, 2019
Avengers: Endgame promises to bring resolution to the conflict between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Thanos, the Mad Titan, which began in this year’s Infinity War. We know almost nothing about what will happen in the film – save for the fact Hawkeye is back, Ant-Man joins the fight, and Tony’s lost in space, all revealed in the first trailer – but the upcoming Captain Marvel (see above) will likely provide some clues, and considering this will mark the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “phase three,” we’ll probably end up saying good-bye to a few more characters.
