September’s New Movies – ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ ‘Speak No Evil,’ and More

Another month is almost over, and September brings some of the year’s most anticipated and buzz-worthy releases. After 36 years, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) rises again with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Plenty of horror films debut to help the Juice usher in the Halloween season: The Front Room, Speak No Evil, Never Let Go, The Substance, Bagman, Apartment 7A, and Azrael. Sebastian Stan gets a little more than he bargained for with A Different Man, a wild psychological ride. There’s also Megalopolis, the ambitious sci-fi social parable that writer-director Francis Ford Coppola spent decades developing, finally hits theaters.

But creepy thrillers aren’t all September offers. Peter Dinklage becomes a Western bounty hunter; Dave Bautista gets his John Wick on; and Kevin Smith‘s high school comedy takes us to his semi-autobiographical past. Transformers One shares the origin story of the Autobots and the Decepticons, and Lupita Nyong’o leads an all-star voice cast — including Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, and Mark Hamill — in DreamWorks’ Studio Ghibli-inspired animated adventure, The Wild Robot.

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

It’s showtime. The ghost with the most returns to stir up more trouble in the sequel to Tim Burton‘s original Beetlejuice, which includes returning cast members Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara, as well as Wednesday star Jenna Ortega as Lydia Deetz’s (Ryder) daughter Astrid.

‘The Front Room’

The lives of Belinda (Brandy) and her husband Norman (Andrew Burnap) take an unexpected turn when Norman’s mother Solange (Kathryn Hunter) moves in. Her presence starts shoving the couple apart, especially when Belinda suspects her stepmother has ties to the devil.

‘His Three Daughters’

Three very different sisters — Katie (Carrie Coon), Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) — reunite to take care of their ailing father (Jay O. Sanders), navigate their grief, and heal their complex but loving relationship.

‘Rebel Ridge’

When a corrupt police force in the small town of Shelby Springs illegally seizes the bail money that Terry (Aaron Pierre) has set aside for his cousin, it won’t end well for them. Terry will protect his family without flinching.

‘The Thicket’

The Thicket follows Reginald Jones (Peter Dinklage), a ruthless bounty hunter who accepts a $10,000 offer from Jack (Levon Hawke) to find and rescue Jack’s kidnapped sister, Lulu (Esmé Creed-Miles). But there are strange things at work in the Thicket, the same place Lulu’s abductors plan to take her.

‘Speak No Evil’

Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) seem like a lovely couple — enough for fellow couple Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy) to visit them at their isolated home. But Paddy and CIara are not as they seem, and what should be a family vacation descends into horrifying chaos.

‘The Killer’s Game’

Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is in a bit of a pickle. Diagnosed with a terminal illness and not wanting his girlfriend Maize (Sofia Boutella) to watch him deteriorate, the unstoppable assassin places a hit on himself. But the hospital made a mistake; Joe’s healthy as can be, and Marianna (Pom Klementieff), a vengeful enemy, refuses to cancel the hit.

‘My Old Ass’

What if you could advise your younger self? 40-something Elliott Labrant (Aubrey Plaza) has that chance thanks to some unexpected magic. As the older Elliott chats with her 16-year-old self (Maisy Stella), they stumble their way through life — and the wiser Elliott warns the younger away from a boy named Chad (Percy Hynes White).

‘Uglies’

Based on the YA book series by Scott Westerfeld, Tally Youngblood (Joey King) lives in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world where cosmetic surgery defines true “beauty.” Any 16-year-old who doesn’t turn themselves “Pretty” is an “Ugly” derided by society. After excitedly waiting for the operation, Tally has a change of heart and finds a different way to live.

‘The 4:30 Movie’

Kevin Smith describes The 4:30 Movie as his “most personal film to date.” Inspired by the many times a teenage Smith snuck into R-rated movies, a young boy (Austin Zajur) tries to balance his love for movies with his crush on his classmate Melody (Siena Agudong), and somehow get back into his local theater after the manager (Ken Jeong) bans him for life.

‘Transformers One’

Before they became enemies, constantly fighting over the fate of Earth, Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth) and Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry) were once friends. Known as Orion Pax and D-16, respectively, and raised on their home planet of Cybertron, the young Transformers itch to prove themselves as fighters.

‘Wolfs’

Jack (George Clooney) and Nick (Brad Pitt) aren’t partners. They’re the best professional fixers in the world, and they’re the best because they work alone. But when their higher-ups charge them with cleaning up the same situation, they discover that this simple task — hiding a dead body — is more complicated than anyone realizes.

‘Never Let Go’

A creature has haunted a mother (Halle Berry) and her two sons (Percy Daggs IV, Anthony B. Jenkins) for years. They live in an isolated forest and stay bound together by a rope at all times; it’s all that keeps them safe. But this supernatural being will find a way to break them apart.

‘A Different Man’

Edward (Sebastian Stan) successfully undergoes an operation to remove his neurofibromatosis, a condition characterized by three benign tumors. He feels rejuvenated and hopeful — until Oswald (Adam Pearson), an actor, prepares to play Edward in a play inspired by his neurofibromatosis journey.

‘Omni Loop’

A single pill lets Zoya (Mary-Louise Parker) travel five days into the past. The quantum physicist has a black hole growing in her chest — which isn’t just scientifically unheard of, but incurable. No matter how often she goes back in time, five days isn’t enough; she can’t find a way to save herself. But Paula (Ayo Edebiri), a brilliant student, might be able to help her master time travel.

‘The Substance’

Demoralized by the ageism surrounding her, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) agrees to a black market experimental injection that promises to unlock a “younger, better, and perfect” version of herself. What follows is a living nightmare — a body horror informed by the #MeToo movement.

‘Bagman’

Across every culture, a mythological bagman eats children. Patrick (Sam Claflin) is having routine nightmares about a similar figure kidnapping his young son Jake. He dismisses them as just that — nightmares. Soon, Patrick realizes the horrible truth and must save his son from a seemingly unstoppable evil.

‘Killer Heat’

A love triangle between identical twin brothers (Richard Madden) and the object of their affections, played by Shailene Woodley, gets “violent” in Killer Heat. More details are forthcoming, but the drama that unfolds prompts the presence of a detective called “The Jealousy Man” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

‘The Wild Robot’

A typhoon sweeps Roz (Lupita Nyong’o), a friendly service robot, away from her creators and onto an island populated by an array of wild animals. Roz integrates with the world around her, making friends and discovering the beauty of nature — and accidentally adopting Brightbill (Kit Connor), a baby goose who needs a mother.

‘Megalopolis’

All empires eventually fall. Set in an alternate America modeled after Ancient Rome and called New Rome, architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) is determined to reform New Rome into a true utopia. If that means tearing it down first, that’s a necessary evil to accomplish his vision and prevent humanity’s inevitable socioeconomic collapse.

‘Apartment 7A’

Apartment 7A serves as a prequel to Rosemary’s Baby and follows Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner), a dancer who dies by suicide not long after Mia Farrow‘s Rosemary moves into the apartment complex. What led to such a tragedy? What did Satan’s loyal servants Minnie (Dianne Wiest) and Roman Castevet (Kevin McNally) have to do with Terry’s death?

‘Rez Ball’

Rez Ball, described by director Sydney Freeland as “Friday Night Lights, but it is from an Indigenous perspective,” follows New Mexico’s Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team shattered by the death of their “star player” and dear friend. For his memory, they refuse to lose the championship.

‘Azrael’

The Rapture prophesized by the Christian Bible has happened, taking millions of souls to heaven and leaving behind a broken society beset by evil entities. Azrael (Samara Weaving) flees from her captors after they offer her to these creatures as a human sacrifice. But it doesn’t matter if Azrael’s enemies are demons or her fellow humans: she plans to survive.