We feverishly anticipate a fresh flock of fright flicks in 2016. The new year promises horror movies drawn from real life in Japan, a creepy doll in England, zombies in England, a worldwide epidemic, and 17th century witches in New England -- and that's just the first couple of months.
Pictured below, we've rounded up the horror movies that have us giddy with excitement. Where available, we've gathered trailers. Note that release dates are very much subject to change.
Release date: January 8
Cast: Natalie Dormer, Taylor Kinney, Yukiyoshi Ozawa
Tell me more: In search of her missing sister, a woman ventures into a forbidding woodland known as the Suicide Forest. Reportedly, the real-life location has seen a large number of suicides, the most in all of Japan.
Release date: January 22
Cast: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, Ben Robson
Tell me more: Director William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside) turns his attention to the 'creepy doll' horror subgenre, as an American nanny takes a job in England, only to learn that she must care for a life-sized boy doll who may actually be alive.
Release date: January 29
Cast: Teresa Palmer (below in Warm Bodies), Emily Alyn Lind, Alicia Vela-Bailey
Tell me more: "A woman is haunted by a creature that only appears when the lights go out." Yup, that official synopsis sounds scary to us! James Wan (The Conjuring) produced.
Image: Everett
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Release date: February 5
Cast: Lily James, Lena Headey, Matt Smith, Douglas Booth
Tell me more: When it comes to life in 19th century England, romance and class differences must defer to war against an army of zombies.
Release date: February 19
Cast: Analeigh Tipton (below in Damsels in Distress), Sofia Black-D'Elia, Michael Kelly
Tell me more: After a virus kills most of mankind, a young woman in quarantine documents her family's new life while protecting her sister. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Catfish, Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 4) directed.
Image: Everett
Release date: February 26
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
Tell me more: A sensation on the festival circuit last year, this horror-thriller is set in 17th century New England and focuses on a family that is torn apart by black magic.
Release date: March 11
Cast: Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto
Tell me more: A grief-stricken mother accidentally upsets the balance between life and death when she participates in an ancient ritual so she can say good-bye after her young son is killed.
Release date: April 1
Cast: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Laura Wiggins
Tell me more: Samara, the little girl who terrorized audiences in the first two installments of the Ring series, returns; this time, the story revolves around a young couple who are mentored by a pleasure-seeking professor. (Photo below from director's Instagram account.)
Release date: April 8
Cast: Kate Bosworth, Thomas Jane, Jacob Tremblay, Annabeth Gish, Dash Mihok
Tell me more: Still grieving the loss of their own son, a couple become foster parents to young Cody, a delightful lad with hidden powers, namely, his dreams -- and nightmares -- can come to life.
Release date: April 15
Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bella Thorne, Cameron Monaghan
Tell me more: A single mother with three children moves her family into a home with a haunted past. Franck Khalfoun (2012's Maniac) directed.
The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Poltergeist
Release date: June 10
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Frances O'Connor, Simon McBurney
Tell me more: No official plot line has been released, though director James Wan has teased location shooting in the U.K. with set photos via social media (below).
Release date: July 1
Cast: Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson
Tell me more: Conflicting reports about the possible plot have emerged, though none have been confirmed as of yet. (Photo below from The Purge: Anarchy.)
Image: Everett
Release date: July 15
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth
Tell me more: Paul Feig's new version promises to update the original while retaining the basic premise of ordinary people who team up to fight ghosts in the modern day. (Photo below from director's social media account.)
Release date: August 26
Cast: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette
Tell me more: From director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) comes a tale of teenagers who underestimate the capabilities of a blind man when they break into his home. (Alvarez and Levy in photo below from Evil Dead set.)
Image: Everett
Release date: September 2
Cast: Natalie Dormer (below), Stanley Tucci, Matt Smith
Tell me more: After a global pandemic turns most of mankind into violent creatures, the survivors desperately search for "Patient Zero" and a possible cure.
Image: Everett
Release date: September 23
Cast: Dane DeHaan (below in Life After Beth), Mia Goth, Jason Isaacs
Tell me more: A European "wellness spa" proves to be an unexpectedly terrifying and unhealthy location. Gore Verbinski (The Ring) directs
Image: Everett
Release date: October 21
Cast: Henry Thomas, Elizabeth Reaser, Doug Jones, Lin Shaye
Tell me more: Mike Flanagan (Oculus) directs a sequel to last year's surprise hit (photo below) about the dark powers of a spirit board.
Image: Everett
Release date: December 2
Cast: Liv Tyler
Tell me more: A sequel to the extremely unsettling 2008 (photo below) original sees the return of the three deadly home invaders as they plague a family that has been evicted from their home due to the economy.
