William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with their five children in the remote wilderness of 1630s New England. When their newborn son suddenly disappears and their crops fail, the family begin to turn on each other and soon find themselves being torn apart by a malevolent force of black magic.

Why we’re looking forward to this: It seems to have been an age since there has been a good new witchcraft horror film, so anyone who has seen the trailer for this Robert Eggers directed chiller will be in no doubt about what a mouth-watering prospect it is. With its 15^th century period action taking place in an era and place so synonymous with superstition and witchcraft, The Witch looks both beautifully realised and creepy as hell, while the storyline of a Puritanical father and mother who, driven by a fear born of their beliefs, appear increasingly dangerous as they turn on their own, also looks to be one with a lot of scope for chills.

If the buzz coming from various film festivals is anything to go by, The Witch is definitely going to be a film not to miss — and we can’t wait to see it!

The Witch is set to hit cinemas in February 2016.

JASON HICKS