Spring is in the air, and so is horror! BetweenBaghead,The First Omen,Abigail, the werewolf-themedBlackout, and the French movieInfested, we have plenty of options when it comes to scares.Though it’s not technically horror,Alex Garland’sCivil Waris certainly going to terrify us.Dev Patel’s going to kick ass and take names inMonkey Man, and so isHenry Cavilland his ragtag 1940s crew inGuy Ritchie’sThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,Bill SkarsgårdinBoy Kills World, and, of course, the crew ofZack Snyder’sRebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver.
Many new independent films with fascinating concepts are on their way as well, whether it’s the French thrillerThe Beast, Macedonia’s Academy Award submissionHousekeeping for Beginners, the Pakistani-Canadian dramaIn Flames, directorMinhal Baig’sWe Grown Now, the time traveling romance dramaThe Greatest Hits, and the unstoppableZendaya’sromantic sports dramaChallengers. Plus,Gillian AndersonandBillie Piperfictionalize the story of how BBC reporters secured the 2019 interview with Prince Andrew inScoop, and the one-of-a-kindThe People’s Jokerfinally gets its time to shine.
Release Date: April 4 on Prime Video
Rudy (Rudy Mancuso) always hears music. Whether he’s walking down the street, going to school, or figuring out his growing feelings for Isabella (Camila Mendes), everything has a rhythm. If only Rudy could turn his life’s random rhythms into a song, metaphorically and literally.Música, an unconventional coming-of-age romance, marks the directorial debut of musician and YouTube star Rudy Mancuso.
Release Date: April 5 in Theaters
If you’re invited to a creepy house, just say no. Iris (Freya Allen) takes charge of her father’s estate after his death. She didn’t think a “special tenent” was part of the bargain, but there’s a witch necromancer in the basement. Iris must keep her creepy tenent inside. Unfortunately, the witch wants out — badly.Ruby Barkerco-stars inBaghead, anindependent horror filmby directorAlberto Corredor.
Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) has lived many lives. As part of a DNA purifying experiment, she’s remembering her past incarnations and feeling their emotions. But emotions are dangerous in directorBertrand Bonello’s futuristic world, especially love. Collider’sChase Hutchinson calledThe Beast"a monumental and menacing science fiction journey."
The First Omen
BetweenThe Nun,Immaculate, andThe First Omen, I’m starting to feel bad for all these fictional nuns. A prequel to 1976’sThe Omen(if you couldn’t guess), Sister Margaret Diano (Nell Tiger Free) realizes terrible things are happening at her convent. Specifically, an apocalyptic demonic conspiracy. Could these ladies please catch a break?
Girls State
Release Date: April 5 on Apple TV+
Women can change the world. Teenage girls in Missouri are determined to do just that. DirectorsJesse MossandAmanda McBaine’sGirls Statefollows a group of brilliant, driven, empathetic, and outspoken young women who plan to run for political office.Girls Stateis a follow-up toBoys State, a similar premise set in Texas with high school boys.
The Greatest Hits
When Harriet (Lucy Boynton) listens to music inThe Greatest Hits, she time travels. Literally. Certain songs transport Harriet to the past. There, she reunites with her beloved boyfriend, whose death she’s actively grieving. Harriet wonders if she can prevent his passing, but doing so might mean losing her future.
Housekeeping for Beginners
Dita (Anamaria Marinca) has no interest in being a mother. After her partner is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Dita agrees to adopt her orphaned daughters. Dita also has no interest in marrying a man, but to legally validate the adoption, she might have to manage a marriage of inconvenience.Goran Stolevski’sHousekeeping for Beginnersis an intimate story about found family filled with LGBTQIA+ characters, and was Macedonia’s submission for theAcademy Awards' Best International Feature Film category.
Monkey Man
If you need me, I’ll be over here, going feral with excitement overMonkey Man. Modern legend Dev Patel’s feature-length directorial debut earned a standing ovation at its South by Southwest premiere. Inspired in part by the Hindu deity Hanuman,Monkey Manfollows Patel’s Kid as his quest for revenge becomes about something more: saving innocent lives from their corrupt oppressors. Oh, yeah, andJordan Peeleproduced it.
The Old Oak
Instead of welcoming Syrian refugees with open arms, the residents of a once-prosperous English mining town treat them with hostility. However, TJ Ballantyne (Dave Turner), the owner of the beloved Old Oak pub, finds his preconceptions challenged by Yara (Ebla Mari), whose dreams of being a photographer were cut short by war. The pair bond over humanity’s shared joys and tragedies, because other people are all we have in this world.
Release Date: April 5 on Netflix
In 2019, British journalist andNewsnightanchor Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) interviewed Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell). Securing the special was a massive “get,” and Maitlis held Andrew accountable for the child sexual abuse allegations made against him and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. Andrew resigned from public duties after the interview aired. Based onScoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking InterviewsbySam McAlister(Billie Piper),Scoopdramatizes how the historic moment came to be.
