Insidious

Director: James Wan

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591095

Review: A few decent performances but largely a bag of old tricks cobbled together fairly loosely.

Watch it if: You've never seen a horror movie before.

And if you liked: Sinister 2, Paranormal Activity, Poultergeist

Twixt

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1756851

Review: Seems to be attempting some sort of meta-narrative and tone but never really delivers a clear enough framework to make its utterly amateur-feeling construction seem intentional.

Watch it if: You're ok with a film abandoning any thread whenever it feels like it.

And if you liked: Shutter Island, Silent Hill

Into the Grizzly Maze

Director: David Hackl

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1694021

Review: Dumb as nuts and absolutely bonkers in its approach but never bores and manages to deliver a fair amount of fun.

Watch it if: You're ok with a film having no concept of subtlety.

And if you liked: Jaws, Jurassic Park, Predator

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Director: Ana Lily Amirpour

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2326554

Review: Doesn't quite land everything it's trying to do but still brings a fair amount of invention and fresh ideas to the party.

Watch it if: You want to see a new angle on an old style genre.

And if you liked: Let the Right One In, Donnie Darko

The Serpent and the Rainbow

Director: Wes Craven

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096071

Review: A little oddly paced but has a fair few effective horror sequences and a decent plot.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that's probably culturally insensitive.

And if you liked: Tales from the Crypt: Ritual, Zombie Flesh Eaters

Check this out: The Serpent and the Rainbow

Spectre

Director: Sam Mendes

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2379713

Review: Thinner on plot than it thinks and plods occasionally but is an absolute joy to watch with well paced action and some fun ideas.

Watch it if: You like James Bond films?

And if you liked: Skyfall, Casino Royale, Inception

Suspiria

Director: Dario Argento

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076786

Review: Striking in its visuals with a bizarre and surreal score tied together with an intriguing plot.

Watch it if: You can handle a lot of obvious ADR.

And if you liked: Rosemary's Baby, Don't Look Now, Black Swan

Check this out: Suspiria de Profundis

Some Kind of Hate

Director: Adam Egypt Mortimer

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3698558

Review: Has a fair amount of flair and style but doesn't really build its emotions well and ends up feeling overwrought rather than tumultuous.

Watch it if: You're ok with a lot of throat slits.

And if you liked: Hesher, Red State, Short Term 12

Night People

Director: Gerard Lough

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2856046

Review: Confusing and incoherent with excruciating dialogue and some really hard line cliche pitfalls.

Watch it if: You're ok with not following a film on any level.

And if you liked:

The Witch

Director: Robert Eggers

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4263482

Review: Haunting and tense with a nice slow build and some genuinely skin-crawling moments.

Watch it if: You're ok with a film not necessarily re-inventing the wheel but perfecting it.

And if you liked: The Wicker Man, A Field in England, The Crucible, Macbeth (2015)

The Final Girls

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2118624

Review: Doesn't quite hit the highs it could and settles too easily but still delivers a fair few laughs and fun moments.

Watch it if: You're interested in deconstructing horror cliches to a certain degree.

And if you liked: Friday the 13th, The Burning, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Scream

The Burning

Director: Tony Maylam

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082118

Review: By the numbers but by the numbers well with effective scenes of violence and a decent plot.

Watch it if: You can handle some violence and an unnecessarily leering camera.

And if you liked: Friday the 13th, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cropsey

Check this out: Andre Rand

The People Under the Stairs

Director: Wes Craven

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105121

Review: Runs a little long but delivers plenty of creep and invention tied together with some absolutely bombastic villain performances.

Watch it if: You want something that won't go where you expect it to.

And if you liked: Housebound, American Horror Story, Twin Peaks

Fear(s) of the Dark

Director: Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti and Richard McGuire

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0792986

Review: A few rough edges aside, visually striking with a strong sense of atmosphere and immersive sound design.

Watch it if: You like horror anthology stuff.

And if you liked: Waltz with Bashir, Persepolis

Christine

Director: John Carpenter

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085333

Review: A fun concept that builds well with some stunning visuals and a nice moody score.

Watch it if: You're ok with something having a slow build.

And if you liked: The Car, The Fly (1986), Carrie, American Graffiti

Check this out: Christine

Sicario

Director: Denis Villeneuve

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3397884

Review: Has a lot to say and says it well with gorgeous visuals and a haunting score.

Watch it if: You can handle some pretty intense violence.

And if you liked: Zero Dark Thirty, Apocalypse Now, Breaking Bad

Cooties

Director: Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2490326

Review: Leans a little into unnecessary stereotyping and doesn't quite stick the landing but delivers enough laughs and fun to justify a watch.

Watch it if: You can handle some very gross closeups of meat.

And if you liked: The Faculty, Child's Play, Braindead

Crimson Peak

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2554274

Review: An intriguing plot that chills the right amount with gorgeous design and incredible use of colour.

Watch it if: You can handle a fair amount of moth closeups.

And if you liked: The Devil's Backbone, The Others, The Innkeepers

Magic

Director: Richard Attenborough

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077889

Review: Doesn't quite know what tone its aiming for but delivers a good amount of atmosphere and performance.

Watch it if: You're not utterly horrified by ventriloquist's dummies.

And if you liked: Peeping Tom, Eyes Without a Face

Check this out: Magic

Horns

Director: Alexandre Aja

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1528071

Review: Teeters on the edge of greatness but rushes too often to fully land it despite solidly delivering in most ways.

Watch it if: You like Daniel Radcliffe.

And if you liked: Choke, Locke and Key

Check this out: Horns

Mr. Jones

Director: Karl Mueller

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2507280

Review: Too often resorts to overplayed jumps and spooks which is a shame as it holds some interesting ideas and angles on the genre.

Watch it if: You're not completely sick of found footage yet.

And if you liked: As Above, So Below, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Willow Creek, The Evil Dead

What We Do in the Shadows

Director: Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3416742

Review: Feels unfocused and never really reaches a real high point but delivers enough strong deadpan humour to make it worth watching.

Watch it if: You enjoy seeing the tropes of horror played with.

And if you liked: Young Frankenstein, For Your Consideration, This is Spinal Tap, Flight of the Conchords

Regression

Director: Alejandro Amenábar

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3319920

Review: Has a few nice flashes and flourishes but never really finds a strong footing which carries through to a fairly predictable plot.

Watch it if: You already have a general interest in Satanic imagery.

And if you liked: Sinister 2, The Mothman Prophecies

The Woman

Director: Lucky McKee

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1714208

Review: Deeply unsettling and raw with a few leaps in logic but a strong enough throughline to carry the whole thing.

Watch it if: You're ok with a film using a few broad strokes to make a larger point.

And if you liked: May, American Mary

Check this out: The Woman

May

Director: Lucky McKee

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303361

Review: Loses control of its tone to a certain degree in the last third but still brings a fair amount of mood and weirdness to the table.

Watch it if: You can handle a fair amount of uncomfortable awkardness.

And if you liked: American Mary, Blue Velvet, The Skin I Live In

The Purge

Director: James DeMonaco

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2184339

Review: Doesn't make the most of its interesting idea but taken as is delivers reasonably well with moody atmosphere and effective violence.

Watch it if: You're ok with a fairly humourless horror movie.

And if you liked: Series 7: The Contenders, You're Next, Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Fright Night

Director: Tom Holland

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089175

Review: Runs a bit long and has other pacing issues but delivers with some fun ideas and strong special effects.

Watch it if: You're ok with a fairly dated score and soundtrack.

And if you liked: Scream, Gremlins, Teen Wolf

Martin

Director: George A. Romero

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077914

Review: An eerie and effective film that manages to build sympathy for a character despite the horrific things he's done.

Watch it if: You can handle some uncomfortable scenes of assault.

And if you liked: Night of the Living Dead, Dexter, Let the Right One In

Pet Sematary

Director: Mary Lambert

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098084

Review: Spooky and fun in most of the right places with some nicely odd choices and some genuinely gnarly scenes.

Watch it if: You can handle a few rough moments.

And if you liked: An American Werewolf in London, Wake Wood, Child's Play

Check this out: Pet Sematary

The Martian

Director: Ridley Scott

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388

Review: Keeps a good pace while delivering visually with a lot of unexpected but welcome humour.

Watch it if: You're interested in a movie about problem solving.

And if you liked: Moon, Gravity, Interstellar

Check this out: The Martian

Poltergeist

Director: Tobe Hooper

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084516

Review: Fairly well made with some nice moments but far too long and largely inconsequential.

Watch it if: You've somehow never seen it like I hadn't.

And if you liked: Casper, Super 8, The Hole

Macbeth (2015)

Director: Justin Kurzel

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2884018

Review: Absolutely stunning in its visuals with a haunting score and strong performances.

Watch it if: You can handle the dense Shakespearean text.

And if you liked: A Field in England, The Wicker Man, Kill List

Housebound

Director: Gerard Johnstone

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3504048

Review: A little uncertain of its tone but largely holds together with a decent plot and consistently strong design.

Watch it if: You enjoy a comedy leaning horror movie.

And if you liked: The Innkeepers, The Pact, The Babadook, Stoker

From Beyond

Director: Stuart Gordon

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091083

Review: Bonkers and unpredictable with gorgeous lighting and really great and bizarre special effects.

Watch it if: You're ok with some odd sexual politics coming into the mix.

And if you liked: Re-Animator, Altered States, Hellraiser, Brain Damage

Check this out: From Beyond