The new year in horror gets off to a good start this week with the release of period horror thriller The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, as well as the modern-day zombie shocker [REC] 4: Apocalypse. What dark delights await in the balance of 2015?
We took a close look at upcoming horror films from the major studios, as well as independent fright flicks that have already been scheduled to hit theaters. (Bear in mind that distributors will keep adding indie titles, especially, to the release calendar throughout the year.) Below you'll find our picks for the most anticipated horror movies of the year -- so far!
What We Do in the Shadows (Feb. 13)
From Jemaine Clement and Taiki Waititi, the deadpan comedy duo behind the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, comes a sly take on the vampire genre, as three friends deal with the challenges of being bloodsuckers in the modern day.
The Lazarus Effect (Feb. 27)
Medical students learn how to bring dead people back to life with, we'll guess, deadly and unforeseen consequences. Evan Peters (Quicksilver in X-Men: Days of Future Past) leads a cast of youthful stars, including Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass and Donald Glover.
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (March 13)
The sixth installment in the series is evidently a direct sequel to Paranormal Activity 4, although no plot details -- or even hints -- have been released yet. All we know for certain is that the movie will be released in 3D.
Spring (March 20)
Lou Taylor Pucci stars as a young man whose life quickly falls apart in the U.S., prompting him to flee to Italy, where he encounters a beguiling woman (Nadia Hilker). Their relationship quickly blooms into passionate romance before terrifying secrets from her past emerge, threatening their future together.
It Follows (March 27)
Already touted as one of 2015's scariest horror movies, It Follows has been described as a "brilliantly atmospheric pulse-pounding thriller [that] introduces a new kind of ghoulishly obsessive spirit: one that's sexually transmitted. Oh, you heard that right. It Follows tracks the story of one girl whose perfect first date ends with her being infected with a curse that finds her being endlessly followed by an angry spirit only she can see. A spirit, mind you, that will keep following her until it kills her... unless she passes it on to someone else."
Unfriended (April 17)
A group of teenagers all receive a mysterious message from a classmate. All well and good, except she killed herself the year before. The movie was conceived and developed by Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter); Levan Gabriadze directed.
Insidious Chapter 3 (June 3)
Veteran horror scribe Leigh Whannell (Saw), who penned the first two installments of Insidious, makes his directorial debut with this prequel, again featuring a psychic named Elise (Lin Shaye). She helps the family of a teenage girl plagued by a supernatural entity. Dermot Mulroney also stars.
Poltergeist (July 24)
Said to be a "reimagining" of the 1982 horror classic, the new version stars Jared Harris as a former academic who is now the host of a TV horror show. He comes to the aid of a suburban family that comes under attack by an unfriendly ghost; Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt also star. Sam Raimi produced, and Gil Keenan (Monster House) directed.
Sinister 2 (Aug. 21)
Writers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill again conjure up a horrifying vision, as a a young mother and her twin sons move into a house in the country. They soon discover that their new home has been "marked for death." Shannyn Sossamon stars; Ciaron Foy, who made the tense indie thriller Citadel, directs.
The Visit (Sept. 11)
M. Night Shyamalan directs his first horror movie since 2008's The Happening. It's a low-budget affair about two children who visit their grandparents, who live on a remote farm in Pennsylvania. Then they learn terrible secrets that suggest their week-long visit may have fatal consequences.
Victor Frankenstein (Oct. 2)
Max Landis (World War Z) wrote this origin story for Igor, the long-suffering friend and eventual assistant to Victor Von Frankenstein. Daniel Radcliffe stars as Igor, with James McAvoy as the good doctor and Jessica Brown Findlay as a romantic interest. Paul McGuigan (Wicker Park) directed.
Crimson Peak (Oct. 16)
Guillermo del Toro's new horror offering is a period tale set in and around a spooky old mansion in northern England in the 19th century. A new bride (Mia Wasikowska) discovers that her husband (Tom Hiddleston) is not who he appears to be. Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam also star.
Scouts vs. Zombies (Oct. 30)
A coming-of-age zombie movie, this horror-comedy stars Tye Sheridan, Logan Miller and Joey Morgan as scouts who must save their town after an outbreak of zombies. Christopher Landon (Paramormal Activity: The Marked Ones) directs.
Friday the 13th (Nov. 13)
Six years after the last reboot comes a new reboot of the venerable franchise. Rumors have been swirling about which characters will be featured; at one point, Jason Voorhees was said to be out, while more recent rumors suggest that his mother will have an active role. It's also been reported that the movie will be set in the 1980s; whatever (and whoever) is involved, it's sure to be a must-see for horror fans.
Krampus (Dec. 4)
Allison Tolman, who was fabulous in the TV version of Fargo, stars in a new horror-comedy from director Michael Dougherty, who made the wonderfully macabre anthology Trick 'r Treat. It's based on a legend about a pagan demon who punishes the wicked.
