Five Horror Movies to look forward to in Spring 2009. Is horror becoming mainstream?

As the new year begins, so does a whole slew of new and renewed horror movies. The list is too long to mention, so I will break it down one season at a time starting with the best of the Spring season. I for one am looking forward to what seems to be a resurgence of the genre with remakes of Friday the 13th to Suspiria. This list only scratches the surface of what I think will be a great year in horror history.

First off is David S. Goyer's J-horror styled film, The Unborn, best known for penning the Blade franchise and The Dark Knight. The Unborn is about Casey Beldon, Odette Yustman (Cloverfield), fights for her life against a spirit possessing her, and she seeks Rabbi Sendak played by Gary Oldman to complete an exorcism to remove it.

My Bloody Valentine in 3-D, based on the 1981 title but with a twist. It's in 3-D and pick axes. Miners with pick axes. Some theaters don't offer the 3-D novelty, but with digital technology today, I recommend it. MBV stars Jensen Ackles from television's Supernatural and Jaime King,The Spirit, My bloody Valentine is about Tom who returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine's Day massacre and he becomes the primary suspect to the murders.


The Uninvited I think this is the most interesting horror film of all this Spring. Why? Yes, it's a remake based on a Korean film about a young girl Anna, who recovers at the hospital after the death of her mother and returns home to discover her father is engaged to her mother's former nurse. Anna is soon warned by her mother's ghost regarding the former nurse's ill intentions. Visually, this film looks like a thriller more than a horror giving it a chance to step out of the J-horror genre stylistically, and not become just another cliche with familiar scares and nothing to really be afraid of.


Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Another installment of the successful Star Wars sized horror franchise continues, and it's also a prequel. Again with the conflict of vampires and werewolves, in the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian becomes the leader of the werewolves to fight against Viktor, the leader of the vampires. This is an origin story to the series directed by special effects (creature designer) guru Patrick Tatopoulos, ID4, Silent Hill and the long awaited Trick'r Treat.


Finally, the return of horror legend Jason Vorhees in Friday the 13th about a group of teenagers and young adults find a run down Camp Crystal Lake, and a machete wielding killer dressed in a hockey mask, played by Derek Mears. All signs point to a continuation of the series and not a remake which will hopefully bring life to the dormant franchise. Directed by Marcus Nispel, director of one of the better remakes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.