January is generally considered adumping monthwhen studios unload movies that they don’t have a lot of faith in, although some incredible horror films stand in the face of this supposition. While awards season tends to give accolades to films released toward the end of the year, some truly astounding horror movies have carved out impressive legacies despite coming out during January. Plenty ofcult classics, surprise hits, andunder-the-radar triumphs have proven that January isn’t a lost cause for releases.
Some ofthe best horrors evermade were surprisingly released in January and defied the longstanding idea that this was a bad time to put out a scary movie. It’s often good to go against the grain and take audiences by surprise during a release window that’s generally quiet when it comes to horror movies. It should also be noted that all following release dates relate to the movie’s wide theatrical release in the United States and some of these films may have premiered outside of January on the film festival circuit or in other regions.
Mama
Cast
Mama is the 2013 feature-length adaptation of Andy Muschietti’s horror short film of the same name. It follows a pair of little girls, Victoria and Lilly, who get adopted by a supernatural spirit. When their uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his girlfriend Annabel (Jessica Chastain) intervene, they realize that helping the feral children is no easy task.
There’s a lot riding on a filmmaker’s directorial debut, as they have yet to prove themselves with a successful feature film, which may have influenced the decision to release Andy Muschietti’sMamain January. This supernatural story wasbased on Muschietti’s 2008 Argentine short filmMamáand followed two girls abandoned in a forest cabin who were fostered by an unknown entity they called “Mama.” This otherworldly presence followed the girls to their new suburban home after their uncle took them in.
Mamawas a surprise hit at the box office that took in over $148 million (viaThe Numbers) against its $15 million budget and helped prove that January was not just a dumping ground for disposable films. With a creepy presence that valued old-school scares over cheap gore,Mamarecalled classic ghost stories and kept viewers on the edge of their seats. This early success for Muschietti opened the door to big-budget projects as he directed the Stephen King adaptationsItandIt Chapter Twoand broke into the superhero genre withThe Flash.
Body Snatchers
Body Snatchers is a 1993 science fiction horror film, directed by Abel Ferrara and based on Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers. The story follows an Environmental Protection Agency agent and his family, who uncover a chilling alien invasion in a small military town, where humans are being replaced by emotionless duplicates. The film stars Gabrielle Anwar, Meg Tilly, and Forest Whitaker.
There have been plenty of adaptations of the 1955 novelThe Body Snatchersby Jack Finney, a story that captured the paranoid society out of which it was produced. One of the best versions of this story was the 1994 releaseBody Snatchers, which told of a military base where soldiers were being replaced by perfect physical imitations grown from plantlike pods. With an utter lack of emotion, these sinister doppelgängers began to take over.
While the original story was written in the wake of McCarthyism and the fear of communism,Body Snatchersplayed out as a criticism of conformity within the militaryand the dangers of a herd mentality. With social and economic relevance,Body Snatcherswas a deeply layered film that questioned war and military life. Featuring great characterization and a strong sense of dread, those who loved the 1950s classic filmInvasion of the Body Snatchersshould be sure to check out this version.
Split
Split is a psychological thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan, featuring James McAvoy as Kevin, a man with 23 distinct personalities. As a new dominant personality emerges, Kevin abducts three girls, including the perceptive Casey, leading to a tense struggle for survival against his own inner turmoil.
The filmography of M. Night Shyamalan has been notoriously uneven, as studios were never sure if they had a major hit or a flop on their hands. While Shyamalan broke through with classic releases likeThe Sixth Sense, the widely derided failure of movies like his adaptation ofAvatar: The Last Airbendermeant he sometimes found his films being released in the cinematic graveyard of the month of January. While Shyamalan recaptured the excitement of his earlier career with the found-footage hitThe Visitin 2015, this was not enough to grant his next film,Split, a better release date.
However,Splitcontinued Shyamalan’s late-career resurgence asJames McAvoy gave an astounding performancein this sinister story of sociopathic schizophrenia and split personalities.Split’ssuccess even led to a sequel titledGlass, which brought together characters from Shyamalan’s earlier release,Unbreakable. Together, all these films make an incredible trilogy that encapsulates both the early and later stages of the director’s output.
Scream
Scream is a 2022 installment in the horror franchise, set 25 years after the original murders in Woodsboro. The film follows a new Ghostface killer who emerges to target a group of teenagers, bringing the town’s gruesome history back into the spotlight.
TheScreamfranchise is one of the most successful and recognizable properties in all of horror and has had many sequels and even a television anthology spin-off. TheScreammovies from director Wes Craven acted as metacommentaries on the very nature of horror films, with each installment satirizing the nature of sequels and trilogies. In honor of this legacy, the 2022 reboot ofScreamacted as a clever commentary on legacy sequels, reboots, and the current state of horror in Hollywood.
As the first film in the series not directed by Craven, who sadly passed away in 2015,Screamcarried forward the franchise legacy while paying tribute to the movies of the past. With the trio of Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette back for another showdown with Ghostface,Screamalso acted as a passing of the torch to a new, younger crop of actors. While it may not have had the same lasting impact as the original movies,Screamwas a clever, tongue-in-cheek reboot that pleased longtime viewers.
Although Steven Spielberg’sJawssignaled a watershed moment in the history of Hollywood and the dawning of the summer blockbuster, the similar monster movieTremorswas given a January release. This thrilling horror about a group fighting for survival against giant, prehistoric, worm-like monsters hungry for human flesh was a hit with critics and was hailed for its diverse cast and sense of humor. As the beginning of a major franchise with six direct-to-video sequels, althoughTremorsmay never have been the biggest box office draw, it still carved out an astounding legacy.
Tremorsplayed out as a great throwback to creature features of the 1950s while taking on many of the lessons learned by the litany ofJawsripoffs released since 1975. With a low-key, B-movie energy,Tremorsbecame a cult classicas its blend of action, comedy, and horror struck a chord with viewers. As one ofKevin Bacon’s most underrated movies, there was a lot to love aboutTremors.
Scanners
Scanners is a science fiction horror film directed by David Cronenberg. Released in 1981, the movie centers around individuals with telepathic and telekinetic abilities known as scanners. It follows a man with these abilities who is recruited to hunt down a rogue scanner leading a rebel faction. The film stars Stephen Lack, Jennifer O’Neill, and Michael Ironside, blending psychological tension with intense action sequences.
Canadian director David Cronenberg has produced some of the best body horror the world has ever seen and ranks among the finest filmmakers of all time. With a unique sense of style, Cronenberg’s earlier movies, likeScanners, leaned into his fascination with psychology and the darkest sides of human nature. As one ofCronenberg’s first movies to make an impact outside of his home country,Scannerswas an important addition to his filmography that stood in the face of the idea that January is a lost cause for horror releases.
Not only didScannersintroduce countless viewers to Cronenberg’s signature style, but it also gained a reputation as a true cult classic. With infamous scenes, such as Revok psychically causing a rival scanner’s head to explode, even thoughScannerswas released in January, any viewer who saw it would be thinking about it the whole year through. The success ofScannersled to a series of spin-offs and sequels without Cronenberg’s involvement.
Wrong Turn
Wrong Turn is the seventh installment in the American slasher series of the same name and serves as a reboot of sorts. Its story focuses on a group of six friends, who, while hiking on the Appalachian Trail, find themselves hunted by a group of settlers who call themselves the Foundation.
The originalWrong Turnfrom 2003 owed a lot to the legacy ofThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but the film had enough unique appeal to kickstart an entire franchise with five sequels. However, by 2021, it was time for a fresh start, andWrong Turnwas rebooted with a story that saw friends hiking along the Appalachian Trail encounter people who have lived in the mountains for hundreds of years. As a great example of a reboot done right,Wrong Turnactually added to the franchise’s legacy and did not just merely repeat the same tired notes.
With Mike P. Nelson on directing duties, the originalWrong Turnscreenwriter Alan B. McElroy was brought back for this reboot, which gave it an incredible connection to the franchise’s origins.Wrong Turnworked well as a standalone movie, and it was admirable that the filmmakers took a different approach when revisiting this property. Although some longtime viewers were disappointed at these changes,Wrong Turnwas an excellent January horror release.
M3GAN
M3GAN follows a toy company roboticist who creates an AI doll designed to emotionally bond with her orphaned niece. As the doll’s programming becomes excessively protective, it leads to unforeseen and alarming consequences. The film explores themes of artificial intelligence and emotional connections.
M3GANwas a truly outrageous and over-the-top horror smash success from Blumhouse Productions. With an unapologetically silly premise that managed to deliver laughs and scares in equal measure, this story about a sentient robot’s obsessive connection to a young child hit all the right notes. As a satire dealing with themes of artificial intelligence, the dangers of children raised on technology, and unhealthy grieving habits,the serious undertones ofM3GANwere hidden in its offbeat and humorous style.
As one of Allison Williams' best movies,M3GAN, along with previous successes likeGet Out, showcased her as an actress to watch in the world of horror. As a production company, Blumhouse are notable for allowing their filmmakers significant levels of creative freedom, and the unique nature ofM3GANproved this business model was paying off. With a sequel and spin-off movie on the way, despite being released in January,M3GANlooks set to be just the beginning of a brand-new horror franchise.
Cloverfield
Directed by Matt Reeves, Cloverfield is a found-footage disaster movie that follows a group of people seeking safety during a state of emergency. When New York City is attacked by an unknown monstrous entity, chaos ensues. A group of friends document their attempts to flee the city and find sanctuary from an onslaught of monsters on a handheld camcorder - footage which is designated as an account of the “Cloverfield” incident.
Despite being released in the dumping ground of January, the found-footage horror classicCloverfieldreceived a clever marketing campaign from Paramount. With details of the film kept under wraps, a cryptic teaser trailer encouraged widespread speculation about the film’s plot, and viewers turned out in droves to check out this January release. Directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J.J. Abrams,Cloverfieldfeatured an unknowable creature terrorizing the area “formerly known as Central Park” and was a Lovecraftian nightmare of epic proportions.
Taking in an incredible $172 million at the box office (viaBox Office Mojo),Cloverfieldstruck a chord with viewers and gained widespread critical acclaim. With slow-building tension, incredible pacing, and a massive monster pursuing those fleeing New York City,Cloverfieldpowerfully echoed the unnerving environment of post-9/11 American society. With two sequels,10 Cloverfield LaneandThe Cloverfield Paradox, the legacy of this found-footage film has only grown in the years since its release.
From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn is a horror movie directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. It follows criminal brothers Seth and Richie Gecko (George Clooney and Tarantino), who take a family hostage in a bar that turns out to be a haven for vampires. The film also stars Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, and Salma Hayek, and has since become a cult classic.
Director Robert Rodriguez blended Western, horror, and vampire stories with his cult filmFrom Dusk till Dawn. Starring Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, and Quentin Tarantino, the plot followed two American brothers who take a family hostage, only to find themselves trapped in a saloon filled with vampires as they attempted to cross the border into Mexico. With a style that embraced excess violence and over-the-top sexuality,From Dusk till Dawnfeatured a screenplay written by Tarantino himself.
As a pulpy crime drama that leaned into a B-movie aesthetic,From Dusk till Dawnwas an action-packed journey that built toward its chaotic conclusion with incredible energy. Despite its January release window,From Dusk till Dawnfound a passionate audience and was followed up by two direct-to-video sequels. WhileFrom Dusk till Dawnmay be a minor release in both Rodriguez’s and Tarantino’s back catalogs, it’s also one of the funnest movies either of them has ever been involved in.
