We enter April filled with anticipation and hopefulness for a normality we have not felt in a long while. This month brings a lot of atmospheric and horror-centric films, so grab the popcorn and a hand to hold – we’ve got some wild ones!
Starting with the spooky, we have You Won’t Be Alone. A directorial debut for Goran Stolevski, who also penned the script, the story concerns a young witch who has gone feral in the woods. After she accidentally kills a peasant, she finds she is able to take that person’s shape and, out of curiosity, decides to try and live among humans. The plot seems to take place over a long period of time, with the witch changing forms and actors throughout. Noomi Rapace plays one version of her, and the film’s primary language will be an old Macedonian dialect. It release on April 1.
Next up, the fastest thing alive gets a sequel with Sonic the Hedgehog 2. A follow-up to the financially successful first entry, the second introduces fan favorites Miles “Tails” Prower and Knuckles the Echidna, along with bringing back Jim Carrey as the evil Dr. Robotnik. Tails will be voiced by her video game voice actor, Colleen O’Shaughnessy – something of a rarity in Hollywood films to cast actual voice actors. Knuckles will be voiced by Idris Elba, which I’m sure will be a delight to behold. The family friendly flick will zoom into theaters (and your heart) on April 8.
For a complete genre shift, strap in for The Northman. Directed by Robert Eggers, who also gifted us with The Witch and The Lighthouse, the third of his “the” films takes place during the tenth century in Iceland and features a Viking prince out for revenge after his father’s murder. With a cast including Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe, it’s sure to be a treat to see them speak era-appropriate dialog with all the fervor the story demands. It hits theaters on April 22.
For your second horror this month, check out Hatching. A Finnish film, the story follows a young girl, Tinja, who is desperate to please her mother, a woman obsessed with perfection and the image of her family. After finding a mysterious egg, Tinja brings it home … and it hatches into something of her doppelganger, which acts on her repressed emotions. The trailer gives off an insanely creepy body horror vibe, along with some truly wonderful puppetry, so prepare to make several grossed-out faces throughout this chilling nightmare. It comes to theaters and on demand on April 29.
Lastly, as a quick aside, I recommend that you don’t watch The Book of Boba Fett. It’s a jumbled mess of plot and characters, with an unhealthy dose of nostalgia and a wholly stagnate “protagonist,” lacking any true motivation, who is upstaged by literally anyone with a pulse. Bring the hate: I’ll die on this hill!
