Crimson Peak

Set in in the 19th Century, young author Edith Cushing is living together with her charming new husband Sir Thomas Sharpe in a crumbling mansion set within the mountainous, rural region of Cumbria in the north of England, where she soon discovers that he is not quite who he appears to be.

Why we’re looking forward to this:  anyone who has seen Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone or Cronos will know only too well that director Guillermo del Toro is an undisputed master of thoughtful horror that is infused with myth, romance and the otherworldly, so the idea that he is bringing what he’s calling a “ghost story and gothic romance” to the big screen is massively exciting. With a script written by del Toro, a nineteenth century English setting and a vibe that looks to be harking back to the likes of The Innocents and The Haunting, the idea of Crimson Peak looks drool-inducing on paper, and with a great cast on board that includes the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam, it is surely going to be on the 2015 must-see lists of any respecting genre fan.

Crimson Peak is out in cinemas 16^th October 2015.

The Babadook

After losing her husband in an accident on the way to give birth, a single mum finds her sanity stretched to breaking point by the malcontent of her increasingly difficult young son. When a child’s popup book titled Mr Babadook mysteriously appears in the house an evil entity is unleashed on the home, the boy’s bad behaviour becomes worse and the sleep deprived mother … unhinged.

Why we’re looking forward to this: we’ve been banging on about how great The Babadook is since we first caught it at Frightfest earlier this year, and with it now having hit screens across the UK, Europe and now America, it seems that critics and cinema goers alike agree that this is an absolute must see. Brilliantly realised by writer/director Jennifer Kent and superbly played by lead Essie Davis, The Babadook is a supernatural horror that not only brings the chills with great effect, but perhaps more importantly explores the themes of loneliness, depression and the darker regions of the human psyche fantastically well.

The Babadook is without a doubt one of the best horror films to be released in recent years and if you were not lucky enough to catch it at cinemas, or if indeed you have already seen it, its upcoming DVD and Blu-Ray release is going to be an absolutely must-have when it hits stores.

Buy a copy or Mr Babadook will get you!

The Babadook is released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 16^th February 2015.

JASON HICKS