20 Most Anticipated Upcoming Horror Movies

The horror genre has rarely looked healthier than it does right now in the early days of 2018, from both a commercial and critical standpoint.

2017 saw the R-rated Stephen King adaptation It just barely miss out on being one of the top ten box office hits of the year, with takings of almost $700 million worldwide. Meanwhile, the success of Annabelle: Creation (global box office $306.5 million) pushed the overall takings of The Conjuring series over $1 billion; a rare milestone for a horror franchise.

On top of commanding audience attention, recent horror films have also been getting a fair bit more respect from critics. It scored 85% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, whilst Get Out proved one of the best reviewed films of the year, scoring 99% fresh, as well as garnering a few Golden Globe nominations - and Oscar nominations seem feasible.

2018 is already off to a reasonable start for horror, with Insidious: The Last Key doing fair business at the box office, though not necessarily going down a storm with critics. Still, critical approval tends to be a very minor concern for horror fans, so long as the films hit that right nerve.

Here's how the year ahead is looking horror-wise, at least as far as theatrically released films go. Some are big-budget films with well-established actors and directors, others much cheaper productions from comparative unknowns; but all should at least warrant curiosity from devotees of the genre.

At last - the Shaun of the Dead prequel we've long been holding out for! Sorry, just kidding, that's not what this film is at all. Although, cards on the table, we'd definitely go see that. (Reminder: The Winchester was the name of the pub.)

Fresh from Jigsaw, writer-director duo Peter and Michael Spierig take the helm on this fact-based chiller about Sarah Winchester, ageing heiress to the Winchester firearms company. Believing herself to be cursed, Winchester orders construction of a mansion, the Winchester Mystery House (a real place which still stands today), intended to house the ghosts of those killed by the guns bearing the family name.

Film legend Helen Mirren takes the lead; and given she's not known for taking horror roles, this bodes well for the material being a cut above the norm. And of course, the huge popularity of The Conjuring series proves that audiences have a taste for supernatural chillers rooted (however loosely) in true stories.

Jason Clarke, Sarah Snook and Angus Sampson co-star.

Release: 2 February.