By Giuliana Calix ’20

The 2017 film season is nearing its conclusion, but that doesn’t mean that genre films are going away. Several new horror films have debuted and are already earning critical and commercial success. Below are five new films that have peaked the interests of students around West Essex.

“Amityville: The Awakening” (PG-13)
“Amityville: The Awakening” was released on Oct. 28. and is the next installment in the famous series despite negative reviews for the previous films that did not make it to theatres. It follows main character Belle and her family in their new home. Belle realizes that they moved into the infamous Amityville house where evil lies.

“I’ve heard people talking about this before, and yeah I think I’ll go see it,” sophomore Gianna Silletti said.

“Annabelle: Creation” (R)
This past summer “Annabelle: Creation”, was released Aug. 11. It is the next entry in “The Conjuring” Universe and has earned commercial success. In the film, a car accident results in the death of a seven-year-old.

Following this, a spirit manifests itself, claiming to be the dead daughter and convinces the parents to allow it to possess a doll that the couple had built. The movie has earned support from students in West Essex.

“Me and a bunch of my friends saw the first one so we definitely had to see the second,” sophomore Marissa Matus said.

“Flatliners” (PG-13)
“Flatliners” is a remake of the 1990 film of the same name. In this psychological thriller five medical students decide to conduct a dangerous experiment to gain insight into what lies beyond life. They explore near death experiences by stopping their hearts for short periods of time.

The film has made decent money and could still prove a hit.

“Jigsaw” (R)
“Jigsaw” is the next entry in the popular “Saw” series. The film revolves around a group of people forced to particpate in a sadastic game with a serial killer. The games involve terrifying traps that will most likely lead to gruesome deaths for many of the characters.

Directed by the Spierig brothers, this is the first installment in years for the very popular franchise.

Distributor Lionsgate hopes to get the franchise back on track with this entry.

“Happy Death Day” (PG-13)
New movie “Happy Death Day” was realesed in theaters Oct. 13. It offers a comedic take on the usual Halloween stalker-slasher movies and is a riff on the popular 90s movie Groundhog Day.

In the film, main character Tree goes through a time loop in which events on the same day repeat over and over again.

“Mother” (R)
Though not as popular as other horrors, “Mother” has earned critical praise. When uninvited guests arrive at a couple’s home, their relationship is tested. This is a psychological mystery that deals with love, devotion and sacrifice. It has been controversial with audiences and critics alike, but has opened up much discussion on its meanings.

“Leatherface” (R)
The newest installment in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” series arrives and with it comes a flurry of good reviews. Many reviews point out the interesting new characters, a fresh story direction and more as reasons to why this films succeeds.

Furthermore, a change in directors shows a willingness to reinvent the series for the future. However, the release is poignant due to the death of the original director of the series, Tobe Hooper, and many hope the film will do him justice.