Superheroes, super anti-heroes, killer clowns, giant robots, witches, another return to Middle-earth, and multiple vampires await at the movie theater this fall. Read all about io9’s most anticipated 25 fantasy, horror, and sci-fi films coming between now and the end of 2024—with the usual note that this is Hollywood we’re talking about, and therefore all release dates are subject to change.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Michael Keaton’s Ghost With the Most is back in this decades-anticipated sequel that could mark a career comeback of sorts for Tim Burton. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are also back, with newcomers Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, and Justin Theroux joining the spooky shenanigans. (September 6)
The Front Room
Max and Sam Eggers—brothers of acclaimed horror auteur Robert, whose Nosferatu is also on this list—make their co-writing/co-directing debut with this tale of a pregnant woman (Brandy) tangling with her husband’s dangerously overbearing stepmother (Andor’s Kathryn Hunter). (September 6)
Speak No Evil
This is a remake of the 2022 Danish film about a vacation getaway from hell that still haunts our nightmares: it may be unnecessary, but having James McAvoy slip into the role of the complex, infuriating, cringe-inducing, deeply disturbing main villain makes us morbidly curious all the same. (September 13)
Transformers One
The first animated, theatrical Transformers movie in nearly four decades is more than meets the eye. This origin story of two of our favorite characters (Optimus Prime and Megatron) also serves as a dive into the lore of the Transformers franchise itself along with being a moving tale of two friends who become mortal enemies. We’ve already seen it and can’t wait for you to do the same. (September 20)
The Substance
Demi Moore stars as an aging actress who makes a very questionable decision in order to combat the sexist, male-driven Hollywood machine. The result is one of the most shocking, gruesome, and sure-to-be controversial films in recent memory. Think John Carpenter, Darren Aronofsky, Peter Jackson, and David Cronenberg all ground up and injected into your veins. Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid are also along for the ride too. (September 20)
Super/Man
DC Studio’s next big release isn’t James Gunn’s latest entry in his new comics universe, but Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s touching documentary about Christopher Reeve, from his path to becoming the most iconic cinematic version of Superman, to the tragic accident that made him a staunch advocate for disabled people. (September 21)
Azrael
Ready or Not’s Samara Weaving stars in this apparently dialogue-free action-horror thriller written by Simon Barrett (You’re Next, The Guest) about a woman who escapes a cult intending to sacrifice her. That this all takes place in the post-apocalypse, in a world where monsters freely roam, ups the stakes even more. (September 27)
Sleep
We’ve already seen this South Korean thriller but it’s so good we can’t wait to see it again. It follows a couple on the verge of their first child who begins to have some issues. Mainly, every night, the husband sleepwalks with no memory of what he did or where he goes, muttering about really creepy, scary stuff. He and his wife do their best to combat it but we all know that sleep wins eventually. Seek this one out when you can. Just don’t watch it before bed. (September 27)
The Wild Robot
Lupita Nyong’o stars as a robot named Roz in DreamWorks’ sumptuous-looking new animated film. Roz finds herself shipwrecked on an uninhabited forest island, and forced to fend for herself—until she finds herself bonding with an orphaned goose. (September 27)
Apartment 7A
Julia Garner will presumably encounter a building populated by devil worshipers in this Rosemary’s Baby prequel from Natalie Erika James (Relic); Dianne Wiest steps into the role of Minnie Castavet, the ultimate nosy neighbor, immortalized by Ruth Gordon’s Oscar-winning performance in the 1968 feature film. (September 27 on Paramount+)
Megalopolis
The latest film from Oscar-winning film legend Francis Ford Coppola follows a fictitious city that’s first destroyed and then remade by an architect with the ability to manipulate time. Everything about it—its long-delayed production, its more recent controversies, its incredible cast led by Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, and Shia LaBeouf—has us beyond curious. (September 27)
Salem’s Lot
After delays and release-strategy shuffles, to the annoyance of Stephen King fans and even the veteran author himself, this latest take on the oft-adapted vampire tale is finally seeing the light of day. Gary Dauberman (a veteran of both the Annabelle and It franchises) wrote and directed, and Lewis Pullman (Outer Range, Lessons in Chemistry) plays protagonist Ben Mears. (October on Max)
Joker: Folie à Deux
Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix are back with their long-awaited, highly anticipated sequel to the Oscar-winning Joker, which before Deadpool & Wolverine held the title as the highest-grossing R-rated film ever. Joining the mix this time is Lady Gaga as an equally grounded Harley, some manner of musical numbers, and full frame 70mm IMAX screenings. If the film hits the zeitgeist even half as hard as the first movie, it could be the movie event of the fall. (October 4)
Terrifier 3
Art the Clown is baaack in this Christmas-themed, pre-Halloween release that’s poised to be even bigger—and will almost certainly be even gorier, as impossible as that is to imagine—than 2022’s surprise indie breakout Terrifier 2. (October 11)
Smile 2
Parker Finn’s 2022 hit about an entity that displays its possession over its victims by forcing their faces into a leering, horrifying grin gets a sequel; this time, the story revolves around a pop star (Aladdin’s Naomi Scott) whose world tour downshifts into expressive terror. (October 18)
Venom: The Last Dance
Tom Hardy is back as Eddie Brock in what promises to be the biggest Venom sequel yet. This time around, as a wrap-up to the trilogy, Venom’s home planet will figure out his whereabouts and at some point, they take over a horse. It’ll be dumb, it’ll be fun, it’ll be Venom. (October 25)
Here
The team behind Forrest Gump—director Robert Zemeckis, writer Eric Roth, stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright—are all back for an ambitious, curious, but potentially wondrous film about everything that happens over the course of history in one single place. This means the camera in the film never moves as the story starts near the beginning of history, goes through the many lives of humankind, into the future, and more. (November 1)
Wicked
See how the movie is just called “Wicked?” Makes you think you’re going to get the full Wicked story from beginning to end, right? Well, curb those expectations. This is, in fact, just the first half of Wicked, with the second half out next year. But, luckily for this fall movie preview, the first half of the musical Wicked is much better than the second half. Incredible music, incredible sets, and hopefully an incredible (partial) adaptation of the hit, Wizard of Oz-inspired musical. (November 22)
Heretic
Scott Beck and Bryan Woods—who co-wrote A Quiet Place and The Boogeyman—co-wrote and co-directed this psychological thriller that follows what happens when Mormon missionaries (Sophie Thatcher, Chloe East) knock on the door of a man (Hugh Grant, firmly in his villain era) who welcomes them in… a little too enthusiastically. (November 24)
Y2K
Jaeden Martell, Julian Dennison, Rachel Zegler, Fred Durst, and Alicia Silverstone star in a period sci-fi disaster comedy about what might have happened if, in 1999, the Y2K bug did actually impact the world. In the first feature by Saturday Night Live alum Kyle Mooney, Y2K starts a technological apocalypse and we see what happens with, hopefully, hilarious results. (December 6)
Kraven the Hunter
Sony’s latest attempt to make its non-Spider-Man Spider-Man movies happen brings us the rise of Sergei Kravinoff, the legendary Kraven the Hunter (with the furry collar mantle taken on by Aaron Taylor-Johnson), as he embraces his family’s legacy as masterfully violent hunters in a quest for revenge. But will it be able to top Sony’s other superhero movie offering of the year, 2024’s best picture of 2003, Madame Web? (December 13)
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
So you’ve got your live-action Lord of the Rings movies. You’ve got your Lord of the Rings TV show. And now you’ve got a Lord of the Rings movie that’s neither of those things. It’s a full-fledged, big-budget anime released by a U.S. movie studio set between the events of the show and movies focused on a crucial battle with the Rohan. It’s a big bet for this hugely popular franchise and we hope it pays off. Imagine major franchise anime become a thing? (December 13)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Sega’s mega-successful gaming adaptation hopes the third time’s the charm, especially as this time Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and even Dr. Robotnik find themselves teaming up to take on the ultimate lifeform: Keanu Reeves. Who happens to be playing Shadow the Hedgehog. (December 20)
Nosferatu
All we want for Christmas is this reimagining of the silent-film classic from Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman), starring professional monster-portrayer Bill Skarsgård as the blood-sucking Count Orlok. The rest of the cast is killer, too: Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, and Willem Dafoe. (December 25)
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Aardman’s return to the world of Wallace and Gromit for the first time since 2008 is pulling out the big guns, when the inventor and his canine pal find their new “smart gnome” business is being sabotaged by the return of an old foe: animation’s greatest villain, Feathers McGraw! (Winter on Netflix)
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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