Ryan Ranc

“A Quiet Place: Day One,” written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, follows survivors Samira (Lupita Nyong'o) and Eric (Joseph Quinn) in New York City on the first day of the invasion of creatures that kill anything that makes sound.

“Despicable Me 4,” directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage, follows Gru (Steve Carrell) and his family as they are forced to go into hiding after notorious villain Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) tries to hunt them down and steal Gru’s newborn son as revenge for embarrassing Maxime back at the two’s school talent show.

“MaXXXine,” the long-anticipated sequel to “X” written and directed by Ti West, follows Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) as she ventures into Hollywood during the 1980s to finally become a movie star all while being targeted by a mysterious killer mimicking the Night Stalker.

“Longlegs,” written and directed by Oz Perkins, follows FBI Agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) as she’s put on a case to discover who the serial killer “Longlegs” (Nicolas Cage) really is. As she digs deeper into the countless murders, she begins to realize she may be more connected to the killer than she initially realized.

“Alien: Romulus,” directed by Fede Álvarez, is a back-to-basics “Alien” film, taking place 20 years after the original. It follows an ensemble cast of teenagers seeking escape to another planet. To free themselves from exploitative mining jobs, they attempt to hijack an abandoned ship. Their plans are thwarted after releasing an army of Facehuggers that impregnates one of them, evolving from an egg and becoming a fully grown Xenomorph.

“Terrifier 3,” written and directed by creator Damien Leone, takes place five years after the events of “Terrifier 2.” Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and her younger brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) attempt to move on from the vicious Art the Clown’s (David Howard Thornton) holiday season murder spree. As a great evil awakens Art again for another slaughter fest, it’s up to Sienna to finally put a rest to the terror that haunts her and the town.

The “V/H/S” franchise stands as one of the most impressive in the horror genre. Each installment takes around five short horror films that all tie into one time period. For the case of 2024’s “V/H/S/Beyond,” directors Jay Cheel, Jordan Downey, Christian Long, Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal and Kate Siegel all crafted their own unique stories based on one common topic rather than a time period: aliens.

“The Creep Tapes,” created by Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass, continues the “Creep” franchise after the success of the two found footage movies. The show follows Josef (Mark Duplass), also known as Peachfuzz, as he goes on a murderous spree killing those who stand in his way. Each episode is a new tape recorded by the killer featuring stories of different victims. The first three episodes premiered at Fantastic Fest and all six will be released on Shudder later this year.

“American Spirit,” written and directed by Christopher Yates, follows old friends Melody (Yasmeen Fletcher) and Jonathan (Cooper Roth) as they recount their high school years after they bump into each other one night during their junior year of college.

“American Spirit” made its debut at this year’s Austin Film Festival helmed by two UT alumni, director Christopher Yates and cinematographer Eric Johnsen, who were both radio-television-film students in 2019. The Daily Texan interviewed the local stars on the red carpet and dove into how the film came to be. The Daily Texan: Was the...