Let’s face it, 2014 wasn’t the best year for horror releases. Sure there were a few fantastic horror flicks that came out of 2014 but overall it was a disappointing year. If you’re wondering what 2015 has in store for horror releases then sit back and get ready. I scoured the internet looking for 2015 horror releases and found some pretty decent sounding flicks. This of course isn’t a complete list and won’t, for example, have any indie features on it but there’s enough here to whet your appetite!! Where applicable I also included the expected release date (all dates are subject to change).
THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH (January 2nd)
This is of course the eagerly anticipated sequel to Daniel Radcliffe’s well made 2012 ghost story THE WOMAN IN BLACK. The story follows a group of children evacuated from WWII danger zones and living at the isolated Eel Marsh House. This one is directed by Tom Harper, the film also stars Helen McCrory, Jeremy Irvin, Phoebe Fox, and Oaklee Pendergast. Here’s the plot crunch:
40 years after the first haunting at Eel Marsh House, a group of children evacuated from WWII London arrive, awakening the house’s darkest inhabitant.
Look for this one in theaters now. Check out the trailer:
[REC] 4: APOCALYPSE (January 2nd)
Here’s one I’m really looking forward to!! This one promises to the scary, gory, and also be a solid end to the REC franchise and (hopefully) answer all our questions. This fourth installment is directed by Jaume Balagueró, who co-directed the first two REC films with Paco Plaza. Check out the plot crunch:
The television reporter Ángela is rescued from the building and taken to an oil tanker to be examined. However, it is unbeknown to the soldiers that she carries the seed of the mysterious demonic virus.
I’m sure everything works out fine for Ángela and all those soldiers!! [REC] 4: APOCALYPSE stars Manuela Velasco, Paco Manzanedo, and Héctor Colomé. Look for this one on various VOD platforms. Check out the trailer:
IT FOLLOWS (March 27)
This film has been getting a ton of positive buzz and being hailed as the “scariest film of 2015″ (a pretty bold claim). This buzz and these claims are based on the IT FOLLOWS screening at the Cannes Film Festival, not generally known for their hardcore horror fans. But the story sounds promising and weird enough. From what I can gather, IT FOLLOWS seems to be about a sexually-transmitted supernatural curse. Sounds interesting, right!! Here’s the plot crunch:
For 19-year-old Jay, fall should be about school, boys and weekends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, or something, is following her. Faced with this burden, Jay and her teenage friends must find a way to escape the horrors that seem to be only a few steps behind.
This is the horror debut from writer-director David Robert Mitchell and stars Linda Boston, Caitlin Burt, and Heather Fairbanks. Check out the trailer:
PHANTASM: RAVAGER (no known release date)
This entry in the franchise is coming 17 years after the last film in the series, PHANTASM IV: OBLIVION, and is presumably that final film in the PHANTASM franchise that will (hopefully) answer all the questions fans of this series have had. Unfortunately series creator Don Coscarelli didn’t return to direct (but did co-write) and handed over the job to David Hartman, who’s resume is filled with cartoon experience. From what I can find, or more accurately not find, there’s no official plot released and even with a teaser-like trailer, not much is known about this film. The good news is that Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm, and Michael Baldwin are all returning to close off the franchise. Check out the teaser and the huge, menacing, silver ball!!
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 (June 5th)
I hope this installment injects some fresh blood into the popular franchise. This is a prequel and takes place before the incidents of the doomed Lambert family. This time Leigh Whannell, franchise writer and actor, is taking over the director’s chair. Whannell has a solid horror pedigree and wrote the first three SAW films (the best ones in my opinion). Check out the plot crunch:
A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.
INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3 stars Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Stefanie Scott, Dermot Mulroney, and Lin Shaye. Check out the teaser trailer below:
POLTERGEIST (July 24th)
This kind of makes me wonder … This is obviously a remake of the 1982 classic film, POLTERGEIST, but even though we have a release date for the remake we don’t have any artwork, no trailer (not even a teaser), and no official plot crunch. But we do know that Sam Raimi produced this and he did a fantastic job on the EVIL DEAD remake. This remake is directed by Gil Kenan, who previously directed the animated MONSTER HOUSE, and is written by David Lindsay-Abaire, who previously wrote OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL and RISE OF THE GUARDIANS. Here’s the best plot crunch I could find:
A young family are visited by ghosts in their home. At first the ghosts appear friendly, moving objects around the house to the amusement of everyone, then they turn nasty and start to terrorize the family before they “kidnap” the youngest daughter.
Sounds like a pretty straight forward remake of the original. Keeping my fingers crossed with this one. Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Jared Harris star.
SINISTER 2 (August 21st)
I admit that I wasn’t really a fan of the original SINISTER but maybe the sequel will be better. We again don’t know much about this one … there’s no poster, no trailer, and no detailed plot crunch besides the following:
A young mother and her twin sons move into a rural house that’s marked for death.
Ciaran Foy is directing and if he brings some of the same style he brought to 2012’s CITADEL, then I think we’re in safe hands!! The sequel stars Shannyn Sossamon, James Ransone, and Nicholas King.
Definitely a solid looking monster!!
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN (October 2nd)
After 2014’s horrible I, FRANKENSTEIN, I’m hoping this film reestablishes the good name of “Frankenstein.” This one is directed by Paul McGuigan, who directed 2006’s really fun crime-thriller, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN; is written by Max Landis, who wrote 2012’s hugely entertaining CHRONICLE, and stars Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, and Jessica Brown Findlay. So we have a solid cast, writer, and director. Check out the plot crunch:
Told from Igor’s perspective, we see the troubled young assistant’s dark origins, his redemptive friendship with the young medical student Viktor Von Frankenstein, and become eyewitnesses to the emergence of how Frankenstein became the man – and the legend – we know today.
Unfortunately there’s no poster or trailer yet but this one promises to be at least interesting. Right?
CRIMSON PEAK (October 16)
Guillermo del Toro returns to his element, the Gothic supernatural romance, and I am stoked!! Hopefully this will pave the way to del Toro getting to make Lovecraft’s IN THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS the way he wants to make it … with an R-rating!! This aside, I’m really looking forward to seeing a new film by del Toro in the genre that put him on the map. Check out the plot crunch:
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.
This also boasts a damn good cast to boot: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain, and Jim Beaver. Can’t wait for this one!!
KRAMPUS (December 4th)
If you don’t know by now, Krampus is the flip side of the coin to Santa. If you ever wondered what happens to the naughty kids on Santa’s list well that’s where Krampus comes in. Krampus is a creature of legend and is the demon-thing that punishes children during Christmas. Each year Krampus seems to become more and more popular and is even becoming a cult icon. In 2013 Jason Hull made a fantastic short film titled, KRAMPUS: THE CHRISTMAS DEVIL that no doubt raised more awareness for this plucky little demon. But this film, KRAMPUS, is directed by Michael Dougherty, the filmmaker behind the fantastic anthology film, TRICK ‘R TREAT. KRAMPUS stars Emjay Anthony and Allison Tolman. Unfortunately there’s no trailer or official plot crunch available.
WYRMWOOD (February 15th on various VOD platforms)
Are you ready for an action-horror flick from Australia? I am!! Directed and co-written by Kiah Roache-Turner, WYRMWOOD stars Jay Gallagher, Bianca Bradey, and Leon Burchill. Check out the plot crunch:
Barry is a talented mechanic and family man whose life is torn apart on the eve of a zombie apocalypse. His sister, Brooke, is kidnapped by a sinister team of gas-mask wearing soldiers & experimented on by a psychotic doctor. While Brooke plans her escape Barry goes out on the road to find her & teams up with Benny, a fellow survivor – together they must arm themselves and prepare to battle their way through hordes of flesh-eating monsters in a harsh Australian bushland.
Check out the teaser trailer … it’s like MAD MAX meets UNDEAD:
Here’s some other horror films to keep your eyes on:
THE LAZARUS EFFECT: Directed by David Gelb and starring Evan Peters, Olivia Wilde, and Mark Duplass, this one follows a team of research students who can raise the dead. It has a PG-13 rating so I’m not expecting RE-ANIMATOR-style craziness, but I’m a huge fan of Mark Duplass so I’m looking forward to this one. (February 27th)
KITCHEN SINK: Another horror comedy in which the title aptly describes the plot. Humans, vampires, and zombies are in mortal battle with each other with a few teenagers stuck in the middle. Directed by Robbie Pickering and starring Vanessa Hudgens, Ed Westwick, and Mackenzie Davis, this one is definitely geared towards a younger audience. (September 4th)
THE VISIT: A horror comedy from M. Night Shyamalan. Don’t run away in fear, people … I’ve read some good things about this one. Written and directed by Shyamalan and starring Kathryn Hahn, Ed Oxenbould, and Erica Lynne, THE VISIT is about some weird things happening after two young kids visit their grandparents. (September 11th)
FRIDAY THE 13TH reboot: Absolutely nothing is known about this one and I haven’t heard any new info on this one. There’s no cast (besides Derek Mears as Jason and he’s not confirmed), no plot, no writer, and no director for this one … but it has a release date (November 13th). I’m hoping that the rumors about this one being found footage aren’t true. To be honest I’d be really surprised if this film is released in 2015.
DIGGING UP THE MARROW: This is another one that I’m really looking forward to. Adam (HATCHET franchise) Green writes, directs, and stars in a film that starts off as a documentary on exploring genre-based monster art but takes a weird turn when a guy contacts the filmmakers claiming he can prove that monsters are real. This also stars Ray Wise and Will Barratt. Look for this one on VOD in March.
MUCK: Written and directed by Steve Wolsh, MUCK puts Kane Hodder back in his element. There’s an ancient burial ground, screaming teens, and an ancient evil at work in MUCK so I’m sure Hodder is having fun!! Look for this one to drop on VOD platforms in March.
REGRESSION: Written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar (OPEN YOUR EYES, THE OTHERS), REGRESSION stars Ethan Hawke as a father who’s accused of a crime he has no memory of committing. This one involves a satanic cult up to no good and looks like it could get dark!! (August 28th)
SCOUTS VS ZOMBIES: Take your typical “zombie outbreak” scenario and add zombies. This one is directed by Christopher Landon, the director of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES, and stars Halston Sage, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Tye Sheridan as some Scouts trying to prevent a zombie outbreak. (October 30th)
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER: Considering this one is directed by Breck Eisner and stars Vin Diesel I’m expecting this film about the last witch hunter battling an uprising of a new witch coven to be more of an action film than anything else. But then again Eisner did a great job with THE CRAZIES remake!! This also stars Rose Leslie and Eliah Wood. (October 23rd)
DARK SUMMER: Directed by Paul Solet, DARK SUMMER has an extremely generic plot crunch, “A teenager is placed on house arrest while his mother is traveling for work,” has no artwork, but it has a trailer. It stars Peter Stormare, Stella Maeve, and Grace Phipps. This one is scheduled for a VOD release on January 9th. Check out the trailer:
BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE: Written and directed by Nick Szostakiwskyj, BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE stars Shane Twerdun, Michael Dickson, and Carl Toftfelt as a group of archaeologists who after uncovering a strange structure in Northern Canada, dating over ten thousand years old, they find themselves isolated when their communication systems fail. It’s not long before they begin to feel the effects of the solitude. Check out the trailer:
THE VATICAN TAPES: I hate to be cynical on films that we know very little about, but THE VATICAN TAPES sounds about as standard and generic as you can get. It’s a found footage film (strike one) about a leaked tape showing an exorcism at the Vatican going very wrong (strike two). Oh yeah … it’s also PG-13 (strike three). This one is directed by Mark Neveldine and stars Djimon Hounsou, Kathleen Robertson, and Michael Peña. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised with this one. Maybe? (February 27th).
UNFRIENDED: Here’s another one that’s not filling me with a sense of overwhelming confidence. Originally titled “Cybernatural” (I’m not kidding) this one is about cyber-bullying. A group of people who caused someone to kill themselves due to posting an embarrassing video online are forced to stay in a chat room or die. Again, I’m not kidding here. Directed by Levan Gabriadze and starring Cal Barnes, Matthew Bohrer, and Courtney Halverson, this one is “told entirely from a young girl’s computer desktop” and promises to “[redefine] ‘found footage’ for a new generation of teens.” I’m thinking I already have a contender for one of the worst films of 2015!!
EJECTA: Here’s a sci-fi flick that sounds promising. Two men witness an unexplainable event in the atmosphere on the eve of a historic solar storm and then find themselves being hunted down by a terrifying life form. Directed by Chad Archibald and Matt Wiele, written by Tony Burgess (who wrote the novel “Pontypool Changes Everything,” which was adapted into the fantastic film, PONTYPOOL), and starring Julian Richings, Lisa Houle, and Adam Seybold, EJECTA looks like a promising sci-fi/horror flick. Check out the trailer: (February 27th)
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION: Again, I’m finding it hard to get excited over this one. I enjoyed the first two PARANORMAL ACTIVITY films but since those we’ve gotten nothing but worse and worse sequels (and one prequel thrown into the mix). The past film in the franchise, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES made my Worst Horror Films of 2014 list. THE GHOST DIMENSION is directed by Gregory Plotkin and stars Billy Shepperd and Tyler Craig. There’s no official plot synopsis yet for this one but I bet we can all figure it out. (March 13th)
THE GREEN INFERNO: This was supposed to be released in 2014 but there was apparently some problems with funding the release. I’m hoping we’ll be able to see this one this year (there’s still no release date listed for it). THE GREEN INFERNO is directed and co-written by Eli Roth and stars Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, and Aaron Burns. It’s about a group of student activists from New York City who travel to the Amazon to save the rainforest. Once they arrive there they soon realize they’re not alone. This is a throwback/homage to the great Italian cannibal flicks of the 1970s and 1980s. I’ve heard great things about this one and hope it gets a 2015 release!! Check out the trailer:
So this should give you a good idea of what to expect in horror releases in 2015. There’s some definite strong films coming out and what looks like some real stinkers!! Let me know in the comment section below what films you’re looking forward to.
Stay Bloody in 2015!!!
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