April is appropriately preparing us for summer’s heavy-hitting horror movies. With the release of films such as Sinners and Until Dawn, even those who aren’t typically into horror will have a lot to look forward to. Luckily for those interested in these movies, about half of them will be streaming on Shudder. Let’s take a look at the 5 biggest horror movies releasing in April. This list descends from #5 to #1.
The Ugly Stepsister
| Release Date | April 18th |
| Director | Emilie Blichfeldt |
| Main Cast | Lea Myren, Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp |
| Duration | 105 minutes |
Beauty is everything here
Synopsis
Elvira competes with her beautiful stepsister for the attention of the prince, resorting to extreme measures.
Overview
The Ugly Stepsister story is based on the original story of Cinderella but told from the perspective of the evil daughter. This horror movie is Emilie Blichfeldt’s directoral debut, so there isn’t much of a style we can sort of expect except what is shown in the trailer. The film premiered at Sundance to positive reviews, so this might surprise some horror fans. The Ugly Stepsister will most likely appear on Shudder after its theatrical release as the streaming platform has acquired to rights to the film.
Fréwaka
| Release Date | April 25th (Shudder) |
| Director | Aislinn Clarke |
| Main Cast | Clare Monnelly, Bríd Ní Neachtain |
| Duration | 103 minutes |
What does she see?
Synopsis
A nursing student taking care of an elderly woman confronts her past while also dealing with strange occurrences in the house.
Overview
The trailer for Fréwaka is what interested me the most. It sort of reminded me of The Front Room, which came out last year. I think this film might be even scarier than that, as the horror doesn’t appear to ultimately come from the elderly patient but instead, other sinister forces. The film so far has positive reviews from those that have seen it abroad or in film festivals, which is exciting.
825 Forest Road
| Release Date | April 4th (Shudder) |
| Director | Stephen Cognetti |
| Main Cast | Joe Falcone, Elizabeth Vermilyea, Kathryn Miller |
| Duration | 101 minutes |
Mannequins’ are always creepy
Synopsis
A family attempting to escape a traumatic past end up in Ashland Falls, only to discover the town harbors a dark secret.
Overview
From the trailer of 825 Forest Road, the entity in this film looks incredibly creepy. That being said, what gets me most excited about this film is the director, Stephen Cognetti. He is the director and writer of the Hell House LLC franchise. Although this film isn’t found footage like his previous ones, Stephen has demonstrated that he can create not only great scares but also an intense and unsettling atmosphere.
Until Dawn
| Release Date | April 25th |
| Director | David F Sandberg |
| Main Cast | Ella Rubin, Odessa A’zion, Michael Cimino |
| Duration | N/A |
Synopsis
A group of friends travel to a valley in hopes of finding answers to the disappearance of a friend. There, they get stuck in a time loop where they are murdered and are only able to escape if they can survive until dawn.
Overview
Until Dawn is based on the video game of the same name. Although certain story elements are similar to the original game, this film is completely different in its narrative. That might rub some fans the wrong way, but as someone that has played Until Dawn a dozen times, I like that this film isn’t a 1 for 1 adaptation as the game already had a movie-like quality to it. That being said, I’m not sure about the direction this film is taking, but director David F Sandberg gives me hope as his previous horror films are great. I think the trailer also looks promising, and the premise can lead to a lot of cool deaths and scares.
Sinners
| Release Date | April 18th |
| Director | Ryan Coogler |
| Main Cast | Michael B Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell |
| Duration | 90 mins |
Synopsis
Twin brothers return to their hometown only to find out something wicked is awaiting them.
Overview
Sinners has a multitude of things working in its favor. Ryan Coogler is at the helm directing and is once again working with Michael B Jordan. This actor/director pair is one of my favorites, as both are incredibly talented and have shown they can reliably put out great quality work. I have not seen Ryan Coogler direct a horror film before, so I’m curious how this aspect of the movie will turn out. I thought the Sinners might only incorporate a bit of horror, but after seeing the trailer, it does not look like this film will hold back on the scares.
