In the mood for some entertainment? Take a look at this week's lineup of horror movies showing on the big screen in and around Kansas City.
Here are the highest-rated horror films to catch in theaters, based on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer Score, which reflects the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics.
(Movie descriptions courtesy The Movie Database; showtimes via Fandango. Movie ratings and showtimes are subject to change.)
Midsommar
A young couple travels to Sweden to visit their friend’s rural hometown and attend its mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly descends into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
Set to be released on Wednesday, July 3, "Midsommar" already has a Tomatometer Score of 86 percent and an Audience Score of 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
"The studios have been treating audiences like newborns (formula, round the clock). So when a movie like 'Midsommar' comes along, and goes out of its way to so flamboyantly flout convention, it deserves credit just for being undefinable," according to John Anderson of the Wall Street Journal, while the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips said, "The movie works best, I think, as a black-comic treatise on what can befall a garden-variety passive-aggressive mixed blessing of a boyfriend if he's not careful."
It's screening at AMC Ward Parkway 14 (8600 Ward Parkway) through Monday, July 8; Regal Kansas City (3200 Ameristar Drive) through Thursday, July 4; Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet (1400 Main St.) through Thursday, July 4. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Annabelle Comes Home
Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her “safely” behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target—the Warrens' 10-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.
With a Tomatometer Score of 70 percent and an Audience Score of 72 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Annabelle Comes Home" is well worth a watch.
"The reason the movie works, I think, is simple. The actresses are all strong," noted Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune, while the Globe and Mail's Brad Wheeler said, "What follows is excellent, uncomplicated and well-wrought house-of-horrors fun, complete with a message about self-blame and the real things that haunt us."
In the mood for popcorn? It's playing at AMC Ward Parkway 14 (8600 Ward Parkway) through Sunday, July 7; Regal Kansas City (3200 Ameristar Drive) through Thursday, July 4; and Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet (1400 Main St.) through Thursday, July 4. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
Child's Play
Karen, a single mother, gifts her son Andy a Buddi doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature. A contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic.
With a Tomatometer Score of 60 percent and an Audience Score of 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, "Child's Play" is well worth a watch. Tribune News Service's Katie Walsh said, "Who would have guessed that a 'Child's Play' film would leave us with less popcorn-rattling jump scares and more existential questions about the role of Alexa in our lives?" and Espinof's Kiko Vega noted, "A well-made modern retelling of this classic horror film that accurately portrays the times we live in."
Want to see for yourself? It's playing at Regal Kansas City (3200 Ameristar Drive) through Thursday, July 4. Click here for showtimes and tickets.
This story was created automatically using local movie data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.
