Last year, additions to horror like It Follows and The Nightmare brought a breath of fresh air to the genre. With that spirit, we look forward to a new batch of terrifying films coming our way in 2016. Whether they’re indies with a unique story and style or major studio releases revitalizing blockbuster franchises, here are 5 films we’re anticipating most this year.
5. Rings (April 1, 2016)
The Ring was arguably one of the best horror films of the 2000s. Launching the Asian inspired horror craze, The Ring succeeded in entertaining audiences with a new style of scares. Although the sequel was less satisfying, we’re ready to take another chance on Samara and the infamous, lethal video tape.
4. The Witch (February 19, 2016)
Already getting universal acclaim and overwhelmingly positive reviews after its Sundance debut, The Witch could easily wind up being the dark horse in the race for this year’s best horror film. Visually, it looks beautiful, but more importantly, it looks terrifying. The unnerving trailer is enough to get anyone eager to venture into the woods to see The Witch.
3. Leatherface (TBD)
We’ll always be terrified by the chainsaw-wielding horror icon Leatherface, so this installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is something we can’t help but get excited about. In this prequel, we go back in time again to meet the teenage Leatherface who escapes from a mental hospital to embark on the road trip from hell. Grab your meat hooks and hold on for what’s sure to be an exiting ride with Leatherface.
2. The Conjuring 2 (June 10, 2016)
Until I saw the trailer for this upcoming sequel, I think I forgot how truly scary The Conjuring was. I can’t wait to see what James Wan (the director of the original The Conjuring, Insidious, and Saw) has in store for us this time. Filmed under the working title The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist, this time the paranormal investigating couple Ed & Lorraine Warren travel to England to investigate the haunting of two girls. With the original creative team back for the sequel (including actors Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson), I’m excited to see what case the Lorraines tackle next.
1. 31 (TBD)
This is the one I’ve been waiting on for months. We’re big fans of Zombie’s previous films, and whether or not they’re all universally praised, we’re always thrilled to take the journey and see what Zombie has in store for us this time. When developing the premise for 31, the musician-filmmaker was inspired by the statistic that more people go missing on Halloween night than any other night of the year. With that in mind, 31 tells the story of a group of carnival employees who are kidnapped and forced to survive a sadistic game, fighting clowns and maniacs on Halloween night. That’s more than enough to get us in the theater to see Zombie’s latest addition to the genre.
Bonus: Amityville: The Awakening (April 1, 2016)
The real-life (questionably) “true events” that inspired the original 1979 Amityville film and its 2005 remake always gave me the chills, so I’m looking forward to seeing what this film has to offer inside the big house with the sinister, glowing eyes.
Are you getting excited about these latest genre offerings? There are plenty of other horror films heading our way in the next year that we haven’t touched on, so be sure to share what films you’re most looking forward to in 2016 with us below.
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So incredibly excited for all of these films, especially Rings and The Witch! It’s going to be a great year for horror movies (and horror fans). =)
We think so too! We can’t wait to see a ‘Rings’ trailer, and ‘The Witch’ must be great with all the glowing praise it’s been getting. Have you heard of any other films we should look into? Thank you for reading and following!
Regression comes out today, if you guys are into demonic possession movies. 🙂 I’ve also caught wind that A Man in the Dark and A Cure for Wellness are looking promising, both those don’t come up until Aug. 26 and Sept. 23. I’ll let you know if I hear of anything else that sounds good!
Yes! Please do! We are definitely giving “Regression” a chance and love a good demonic possession movie. I’ll start looking into ‘A Man in the Dark’ and ‘A Curse for Wellness’ too. Thank you for the recommendations!
Did you get a chance to see Regression? I haven’t seen it yet, but am eager to hear what fellow enthusiasts think of it!
We haven’t had the chance either unfortunately. We may have to wait for the VOD release and enjoy it at home. Let us know if you catch it before us and recommend it!
I’m morbidly curious about The Conjuring 2. Part of me screams “NO NO NO. Leave a good movie alone. A sequel is completely unnecessary, and it’ll probably suck!” Plus, there’s the fact that the first movie isn’t a movie that lends itself to repeat watches because it is very … expected/cliche. So if they’re just going to pull the same jump scare crap that they pulled in the first one…even if the plot is good, its gonna suck. Hmph.
I know how you feel. I was so impressed by the first film that I’m really nervous the sequel could be too much of a good thing. I wasn’t getting excited for it until I found out Wan, Farmiga, and Wilson were coming back… and then that trailer kind of got me looking forward to it. We’ll see what they come up with!