24. Tarzan (October 11)
Though based on the text Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, this animated motion-capture film may struggle to do strong business simply because of a lack of strong names in the relatively small cast. With Tarzan and Jane facing an army who are sent into the jungle after them, it seems to be pretty standard fare for a Tarzan reboot, yet a not-so-famous cast - including Kellan Lutz as Tarzan and Spencer Locke as Jane - could prevent this one from having any break-out success. When you think of a CGI Tarzan film, it's natural to think of big business, and a large promotional campaign, yet none of that has come to light yet, and given how rickety animations produced in Europe can be - this one was cobbled together in Germany - expect it to be a film that quietly flies under the radar before being forgotten about. Of course, I could be totally wrong...
23. Haunt (October 11 )
Mac Carter directs this spooky-looking horror that pits Harrison Gilbertson as Ethan, an introspective teen who makes friends with a new neighbour, and as the two become close romantically, they also begin to explore Ethan's home, which as they soon discover, is haunted. Though this sort of premise has been done to death, the PR notes insisting that it parallels the haunting element with the sexual awakening of the two young protagonists could make for a fresh take on an old premise. If nothing else, the presence of Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) in a supporting role makes us excited that this one could be a sleeper hit if marketed right.
22. Where the Devil Hides (October 11 )
Granted, it's hard to not have reservations about Where the Devil Hides (formerly named The Occult and then The Devil's Rapture) given that it comes from Christian E. Christiansen, who brought us the execrable "horror" film The Roommate, but perhaps with the right script, he can knock this interesting premise right out of the park. Taking place in a town called New Bethlehem, very strange things are afoot indeed; the town is a devout community controlled by a group of Elders, and there appears to be much suspicion surrounding six baby girls born on the same day. As they approach adulthood, these girls are kidnapped one after another - is it a serial killer, do the Elders have a hand in it, or is it something more sinister altogether? Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter stars.
21. Gravity (October 18)
Easily one of my most anticipated films of the year, Alfonso Cuaron's mysterious follow-up to his superb 2006 sci-fi Children of Men has the makings of an ambitious, affecting, mind-blowing film if the execution is on the money, which going from what we've seen so far, it just might be. The plot revolves around a medical engineer on her first Space Shuttle mission (Bullock) and the veteran astronaut (Clooney), who is making this his final flight. When an accident occurs, they are left stranded in space with limited oxygen and no communication with Earth; how they are going to survive is anyone's guess. The trailer makes it clear that this is going to be a visually stunning, superbly-acted sci-fi, and frankly, I'm just glad that a studio believed enough in the film to give it an $80 million budget, given that it appears to be going the contemplative route rather than the sci-fi blockbuster route.
20. Seventh Son (October 25)
Seventh Son is based on The Spook's Apprentice, the first entry in Joseph Delaney's dark fantasy novel franchise The Wardstone Chronicles. A war is about to rage between the natural and supernatural, and John Gregory (Jeff Bridges), a Spook, fights for the humans. However, when a witch, Mother Malkin (Julianne Moore), escapes from prison, John is forced to take desperate measure to save our world. He has to train an apprentice named Tom Ward (Ben Barnes), who is the seventh son of a seventh son, to take her down once and for all. It may not sound like the most original premise ever, yet with director Sergei Bodrov (Mongol) at the helm, it just might be something else indeed...