12 original horror movies 2016

The Boy
Release Date: US January 22, UK February 19


The Walking dead’s Lauren Cohan stars in this tale of a Nanny who lands a gig looking after a child called Brahms in a gothic mansion. Trouble is, Brahms isn’t human, but rather a life-size doll. Instead of running a mile, Cohan’s character decides to stay, and is given a set of rules to follow in order to keep Brahms happy. She pulls a Billy from Gremlins however, and is soon on the receiving end of The Boy’s wrath.

31
Release Date: U.S. January 23, Elsewhere TDB


Rob Zombie is back with this tale of carnies vs. clowns which was recently hit with an MPAA rating of NC-17, aka the theatrical kiss of death. Set in 1975 the film follows five carnival workers who are kidnapped and thrown into ‘Murder World’ where they are hunted by a gang of murderous clowns. Zombie is currently appealing that certificate, so fingers crossed he wins and audiences will get the chance to see his latest effort in cinemas, uncut.

Nina Forever
Release Date: U.K. February 22 (Home Ents), Elsewhere TBD

When his girlfriend Nina dies, Rob’s life spirals out of control, culminating in a failed suicide attempt. But then he finds love with a work colleague, and slowly the healing begins. Trouble is Nina then returns from the dead, appearing when Rob and his new love are at their most intimate. A horror-comedy that packs an emotional punch, writer-directors the Blaine brothers expertly balance multiple tones, while the film features three powerhouse performances from Cian Barry, Abigail Hardingham, and Fiona O’ Shaughnessy as the sexy and beguiling Nina.

The Witch
Release Date: U.S. February 26, U.K. Match 11


The reputation of The Witch has been growing ever since it premiered at Sundance last January and won helmer Robert Eggers the best director award. Since then the film – a period piece that's set in 17th-century New England – has terrified audiences at festivals all over the world. And that reputation is deserved, the story of a Puritan family searching for their missing child challenging, gripping, and genuinely frightening from start-to-finish. If you don’t believe us, just check out the marvelously creepy trailer above.

The Other Side of the Door
Release Date: U.S. March 11, U.K. March 18


Johannes Roberts (F, Storage 24) directs Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead) in a film that revolves around the efforts of a mother to bring her young son back from the dead. Those efforts involve travelling to an ancient temple in search of a door that apparently serves as a portal between two worlds. But when mum disobeys an order to never open said door, all hell – predictably – breaks loose.

A Man in the Dark
Release Date: U.S. & U.K. August 26

Many horror fans – myself included – were worried about the 2013 Evil Dead remake. But we needn't have stressed, as director Fede Alvarez took the beloved property and managed to craft a kick-ass horror film that was respectful of the original while at the same time taking the premise in a new and even more bloody direction. So we can’t wait for A Man in the Dark, a film that finds Fede re-teaming with Evil Dead producer Sam Raimi, screenwriter Rodo Sayagues, and star Jane Levy for a tale of teens endeavouring to rob a blind millionaire, and having the tables turned on them in deeply unpleasant fashion.

The Neon Demon
Release Date: TBD

Nicholas Winding Refn has made a horror movie! Of sorts. The director of Bronson, Drive and Only God Forgives has cast Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves and Christina Hendricks in this tale of a an aspiring model who moves to LA in search of work, only for her youth and vitality to be “devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women.” Knowing Refn, the film will be unconventional, uncompromising, and unmissable.

The Devil’s Candy
Release Date: TBD


Sean Byrne hit it out the park with debut horror feature The Loved Ones, and the Australian writer-director smashes it again with belated sophomore effort The Devil’s Candy. Ethan Embry plays a painter who moves his family to a beautiful but strangely inexpensive farm-house in rural Texas, with the building inevitably having a dark past that soon starts to haunt those in the present. Heavy metal music and satanic possession feature prominently, with Devil's Candy giving haunted house horror an original and hugely entertaining spin.


Death House
Release Date: TBD



The premise for this one sounds derivative, involving as it does a bunch of notorious murderers escaping from a government facility. It’s the actors that have us salivating however, with Death House featuring the iconic likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Doug Bradley, Bill Moseley, Dee Wallace, Michael Berryman, Barbara Crampton, Ken Foree and many more. Here’s hoping the finished film can live up to that cast.

The Limehouse Golem
Release Date: TBD



An adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s 1994 novel Dan Leno and The Limehouse Golem, this murder-mystery is set in 1880 London and revolves around a series of grisly murders that so terrify the locals that they blame them on the mythical creature of the title. Woman in Black screenwriter Jane Goldman has penned the script, so expect the scares to be both plentiful and effective.

Holidays
Release Date: TBD




In 2015 we got a Halloween anthology horror entitled Tales of Halloween, and a Christmas anthology called A Christmas Horror Story. Holidays is going several better however, combining a bunch of special occasions in what promises to be brutal and bloody fashion. Segments revolve around Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas, while Kevin Smith’s will apparently concern Samhaim, the Gaelic festival that spawned Halloween.

Baskin
Release Date: TBD


This startling debut comes from the twisted mind of Turkish writer-director Can Evrenol. Based on his own 2013 short of the same name, the film features a group of macho cops arguing and fighting amongst themselves before heading out on a routine patrol. That patrol takes them to a remote building, but there’s nothing routine about what they find inside, with hell enveloping the men in one of the most shocking and disturbing final acts you’ll see onscreen this year.