After a summer scream season marked by Insidious prequel horror and Sinister scares, fall beckons with a flock of fright flicks (including Cooties, above). From terrors that may arise from failed relationships or weird grandparents to the pulse-raising prospects of cannibals, haunted houses, ghosts and zombies, these horror movies will surely make your heart race.
Bloodsucking Bastards
Release date: September 4
Cast: Fran Kranz, Pedro Pascal, Joey Kern, Joel Murray, Emma Fitzpatrick
Tell me more: In this horror-comedy, Evan is happy to have a lovely girlfriend and a steady paycheck. Things go south, though, after his girlfriend dumps him and his evil nemesis steals an expected promotion. Then things go really wrong when his office workmates start going through "changes" and bodies begin to pile up.
Did you know: Costar Pedro Pascal previously drew blood in a somewhat different role in Game of Thrones, when he went face-to-face with a mighty foe on behalf of Peter Dinklage.
The Perfect Guy
Release date: September 11
Cast: Michael Ealy, Sanaa Lathan, Morris Chestnut
Tell me more: Ready for a change in her life, a successful woman breaks up with her commitment-phobic boyfriend and then meets a kind, romantic and loving man who she thinks is a dream come true -- until he cracks one night and all kinds of horrifying secret personality faults start to come pouring out.
Did you know: Chestnut previously appeared with Lathan in The Best Man and its sequel, and with Ealy in Think Like a Man.
The Visit
Release date: September 11
Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Peter McRobbie, Deanna Dunagan
Tell me more: A single mother sends her two young children to visit their beloved grandparents for a week in the peaceful Pennsylvania countryside! Little does she know that the kindly old folks have started acting mighty peculiar -- and are far more dangerous than they appear.
Did you know: After The Sixth Sense, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan quickly became known for his memorable closing plot "twists," as also seen in Unbreakable, Signs and other thrillers.
Cooties
Release date: September 18
Cast: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBreyer, Leigh Whannell
Tell me more: A horror-comedy from actor-writer Leigh Whannell (Saw, Insidious) and Ian Brennan (TV's Glee) promises unexpected laughs and unapologetic thrills as a mysterious virus transforms schoolchildren into bloodthirsty savages, pitting them against their teachers.
Did you know: This is the first feature film by codirectors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion.
Before I Wake
Release date: September 25
Cast: Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay, Annabeth Gish, Dash Mihok
Tell me more: Still grieving the loss of their own son, a couple become foster parents to young Cody, a delightful lad with hidden powers, namely, his dreams -- and nightmares -- can come to life.
Did you know: Actors Thomas Jane and Dash Mihok have both appeared in movies about Marvel's comic book character the Punisher, the former in 2004's The Punisher and the latter in 2008's Punisher: War Zone.
The Green Inferno
Release date: September 25
Cast: Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Aaron Burns, Kirby Bliss Blanton
Tell me more:A group of young activists travel to South America to save a piece of the rainforest. On their return trip, however, their plane crashes in the territory of native inhabitants, whose eating habits are none too civilized.
Did you know: Director Eli Roth wanted remote Amazon villagers to appear in the movie but they'd never seen a movie before, so he showed them Cannibal Holocaust (1980), one of his favorite horror movies. After watching the notoriously graphic film, they agreed.
Crimson Peak
Release date: October 16
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska
Tell me more: A young woman marries a man who lives with his sister in a huge, stately mansion, only to discover that the house is filled with terribly frightening spirits.
Did you know: Director Guillermo del Toro drew inspiration from Italian filmmaker Mario Bava, who was known for his incredibly color-saturated genre movies.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
Release date: October 23
Cast: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Chloe Csengery, Mario Olsen, Brit Shaw
Tell me more: The fifth -- and, reportedly, final -- installment of the series promises to use spirit photography to reveal the titular "activity" for the first time. Whatever you call it, the trailer looks pretty terrifying.
Did you know: This is Gregory Plotkin's feature-film directorial debut. He is a veteran film editor who came on board the series effective with the second installment.
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse
Release date: October 30
Cast: Halston Sage, Tye Sheridan, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sara Malakul Lane, David Koechner
Tell me more: Three lifelong friends join forces with a cocktail waitress to defend their town against a zombie invasion.
Did you know: Director Christopher Landon previously wrote (or cowrote) the last four installments of the Paranormal Activity series; he also directed Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.
Rings
Release date: November 13
Cast: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Laura Wiggins
Tell me more: Samara, the little girl who terrorized audiences in the first two installments of the Ring series, returns; this time, the story revolves around a young couple who are mentored by a pleasure-seeking professor.
Did you know: In addition to Samara, rumor has it that another character from the first two movies will show up.
Victor Frankenstein
Release date: November 25
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay
Tell me more:Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his trusted assistant Igor want to provide aid to the human race but they go too far, and obsession turns to madness.
Did you know: Max Landis (Chronicle), son of filmmaker John Landis, wrote the screenplay, which tells the familiar story from the point of view of Igor.
See our Fall Movie Guide for a complete list of the fall movies to watch for
See our Fall Indie Guide for limited releases coming soon
