Hello, spring! Even though everything’s in full bloom outside, we still prefer the dark. Genre fans already have plenty to see in cinemas right now – with previous Imagine titles such as Nicolas Cage satire Dream Scenario, stylish vampire comedy Humanist Vampire Too Sensitive to Kill or gender-bending Conan the Barbarian ode Conann – but the following months have even more titles to look forward to. These are our favourites.
Monkey Man
In cinemas since 4 April
Already screening: Dev Patel’s unparalleled Monkey Man, an action thriller doubling as a critical statement on the currenct corrupt sociopolitical climate in India. All-rounder Patel wrote the screenplay, directed the film ánd plays the lead in a Mumbai-based story of an anonymous fighter bursting with suppressed anger who infiltrates the sinister elite through his participation in illegal fight clubs. Patel’s inspirations range from Korean crime films, Hong Kong actioners and Indian mythology to – yes – ABBA. The fantastic (and violent) result really needs to be seen on the big screen.
Civil War
In cinemas 11 April
If Men was Alex Garland’s take on #metoo, Civil War is his grim vision of the near future of the United States. Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura play journalists reporting a devastating civil war. It’s the end of the US as we know it.
Tiger Stripes
In cinemas 11 April
Sometimes growing up means having to let the monster inside you…loose! In this Malaysian festival favourite, Zaffan is struggling with puberty: her friends don’t really understand her, and her parents are even more of a lost cause. But, worse, Zaffan has also discovered that her physical self hides a terrifying secret. Tiger Stripes won the Sea Devil Award for best feature at Imagine 2023. It also won big at Cannes.
Augure
In cinemas 18 April
Another Club Imagine title in which Koffi, a young Congolese man, is met with exclusion and superstition whilst visiting family in Kinshasa with his pregnant wife. Augure (Omen) is dynamic and energetic magical realism, empathically inspired by director Baloji’s own life experiences.
Sting
In cinemas 25 April
Anyone with a spider phobia best stay away… In Australian horror film Sting, an entire apartment complex is entangled in a chilling web when a young girl’s pet turns into a bloodthirsty monster.
The Beast
In cinemas 9 May
Director Bertrand Bonello (Zombi Child, Nocturama) explores the influence of AI on our humanity through a love story spanning three time periods. A romantic, philosophical and visually overwhelming puzzle with Lynchian undertones and Léa Seydoux and George MacKay as star-crossed lovers.
The Sweet East
In cinemas 9 May
Screened at Imagine 2023. Lilian, a rebellious highschooler from South Carolina, feels like an Instagram-age granddaughter of Alice, Dorothy and Lolita, sucked into a Wonderland ruled by the wizard of Bros. Audacious, fearless, and oblivious to consequences, she navigates reality, and spine-chilling fantastic encounters like a social media feed.
Krazy House
In cinemas 16 May
Local heroes Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil (New Kids) are back with their first international feature, a balls to the walls action parody of American 90s sitcoms. Think Married with Children, retro sweaters and Sunday service, but add vomit, shit and blood – and Jan Bijvoets with a Russian accent.
IF
In cinemas 16 May
Director John Krasinksi has left the Quiet Place-universe (prequel Day One is being released in June!) for a magical adventure about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends. Voiced by, among others, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Steve Carell, with Ryan Reynolds and Krasinksi as the leads.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
In cinemas 23 May
Rolling into summer with a new chapter from George Miller’s sand-strewn universe: an origin story for the coolest character from Mad Max: Fury Road. Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy doubling for Charlize Theron) is kidnapped from the Green Place of Many Mothers and ends up with a motorcycle gang in the desert. It all feels wonderfully familiar.
Boy Kills World
In cinemas 30 May
The last of our spring recommendations. An insane post-apocalyptic action film starring Bill Skarsgård (It) as Boy, a deaf young man who, with the help of a shaman and his own imagination, takes on a corrupt and crazy matriarch (Famke Janssen) to avenge his parents’ death.
And that’s not all! Also on the big screen in April and May are exorcism story Godless, a ballerina vampire in Abigail, Michael Keaton does Michael Keaton in Knox Goes Away, another Planet of the Apes, cli-fi The End We Start From, horror film Tarot, Amat Escalante’s new thriller Lost in the Night and Renny Harlin’s The Strangers, Chapter 1 (the first in a new series).
Have fun in the cinemas this spring! We’ll see you at the next Club Imagine 21, 22 and 23 June.
Boy Kills World
