9. Last Days on Mars (TBA)
Having premiered to largely positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival last month, Last Days on Mars is a sci-fi thriller starring Liev Schreiber, Romola Garai, Elias Koteas and Olivia Williams as Mars explorers who find themself contending with a bacterium that slowly begins turning the crew into a gang of violent zombies. Though the premise is hardly original, reviews so far suggest that the style - namely the cinematography and score - help to elevate it, as do the performances. Don't go in expecting a masterpiece, but simply an atmospheric slice of sci-fi, and it seems you won't be disappointed. A release date is pending, though it's the sort of film one can imagine will show up on VOD in a few months.
8. Only Lovers Left Alive (TBA)
One of the best films I saw at Cannes this year, Only Lovers Left Alive is everything you would expect from a vampire film directed by Jim Jarmusch. Vampiric Adam (Tom Hiddleston) is fed up with his dull American existence, and re-connects with his long-time lover, Eve (Tilda Swinton), who is living half-way around the world, but their idyllic rendezvous doesn't last long, as soon enough they have to contend with Eve's sister Ava (Mia Wasikowska), and also a dire need to top up their blood supply. Though this is as beautifully filmed and superbly acted as one would expect, the real surprise is how stingingly funny the film is, engaging with its vampire premise in a postmodern manner that is quite unlike any treatment you've ever seen before. At this rate, it just might end up being one of 2013's best films outright.
7. Random (TBA)
Granted, I'm never going to get too excited about a horror film starring Ashley Greene after last year's horrific (and not in the way that was intended) The Apparition, but Random (originally called Satanic) sounds considerably more interesting as it depicts a college girl alone on campus over Thanksgiving who is terrorised by a gang. Anyone who's ever stayed at a campus over a holiday knows how bleakly desolate it can be, so if the film taps into that fear, then it could be one to remember. Though Greene's involvement keeps me skeptical, director Oliver Blackburn's previous film Donkey Punch was nothing if not a completely distinctive, unforgettable thriller in spite of its flaws. I'll be hoping for the same here.
6. Under the Skin (TBA)
Here's a film I can't wait to see; based on Michael Faber's novel about an alien who trawls around Scotland disguised as a beautiful woman (Scarlett Johansson), this one could prove to be plenty of fun if it engages with the inherent daftness of its premise and has some fun with it. With director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) at the helm, expectations will be relatively high for a film that is reportedly minimalist and meditative, though hopefully won't be able to resist the urge to get Scar-Jo in more than a few compromising positions and make the most of her intimidating sexuality. Don't expect it to be a big box-office hit for her career, but this could be one of the year's most diverting indie smashes if done right.
5. Haunter (TBA)
Director Vincenzo Natali appears to be going the postmodern horror route for this ghost movie about a teenager who dies in 1986 and finds herself unable to leave her parents' home. She intends to save a girl living there from the same fate, and given how the trajectory is normally a living girl setting a ghost free, it will be interesting to see how this role-reversal of sorts plays out. With an actress as talented as Abigail Breslin playing the lead, there's plenty of potential for this one, and of course, Natali's track record for barmy sci-fi stands for itself with the brilliant Cube and the flawed but fascinating Splice.