Every October, the best streaming services unleash the usual suspects for best horror movie recommendations for spooky season: Halloween, Hocus Pocus, Trick ’r Treat, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, as someone who spends most of the year watching horror films (and writing about them), my seasonal viewing tends to lean toward those that evoke the Halloween spirit without ever mentioning it.

The truth is, the best Halloween movies don’t need pumpkins or masks, because it's all about evoking the scent of rotting leaves, the hum of something ancient beneath the surface, and the creeping sense that the world is slightly off its axis. Here are eight films I return to every October, and not because they’re about Halloween, but because they have the “vibe” of the season.

Robert Eggers' The Witch (2015)

A lot of people call Robert Eggers one of the best modern horror directors, and that reputation started with The Witch. It doesn’t look or feel like a typical Halloween movie, but it feels like something old and sinister has been unearthed.

Set in 1630s New England, the slow-burning horror flick follows a Puritan family exiled from their community, trying to survive on the edge of a dark, unforgiving forest. Isolated and stretched thin, their belief in God and in each other starts to fracture as something evil starts creeping in.

From its brutal opening to the witches’ sabbath finale, The Witch plays mind games. Eggers doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares, but builds tension through authentic language (so good that I purchased the screenplay) and the movie’s atmosphere.

Anya Taylor-Joy, in her breakout role as Thomasin, brings a quiet intensity and is part of the reason it remains one of her best movies.

David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows (2014)

David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows features one of the most unsettling horror villains in recent memory, not a monster with a single face, but one that constantly changes, moving from body to body like a cursed STD. The film doesn’t take place in October, but it might as well. It lives in a kind of endless dusk, full of bare trees, outdated cars, and the quiet rot of suburban life.

Disasterpeace’s synth-heavy score contributes to numerous incredible horror music moments that add to the unease, transforming everyday streets into dreamlike dead zones. Watching it during autumn feels like walking home alone after a Halloween party, quiet, cold, and humming with the sense that something’s not quite right.

Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others (2001)

Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others is gothic horror done to perfection. It’s all fog-drenched estates and whispering children. It's one of a handful of PG-13 scary movies that is actually terrifying.

Nicole Kidman gives one of her most restrained performances as Grace, a devout woman trying to protect her photosensitive children from the outside world, only to discover that the haunting may be coming from within. Set in post-World War II England, the film evokes the stillness of a household that has lost its sense of purpose.

It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to light candles, draw the curtains, and surrender to the season’s melancholy.

Ari Asters' Hereditary (2018)

Hereditary might be the ultimate Halloween movie, but it isn’t. No pumpkins, no costumes, just sunlight, grief, and the slow rot of a family coming apart. Still, few films capture the mood of October better.

Plenty of horror films deal with grief, but Hereditary towers over the rest. The family home becomes a living thing, infected from within. Toni Collette’s performance as Annie Graham is a full-body breakdown. She wasn’t just snubbed for an Oscar, but robbed. Her rage and sorrow are so raw, and if you’ve experienced a personal loss, then you know it feels like she stops acting and is living the pain. Ari Aster trades in slow, creeping dread for scares that are structural. Miniatures echo the real world, while seance lighting flickers through hallways. And by the time we reach the final scene, a literal crowning of generational doom, we, the audience, are begging for a reprieve.

Henry Selick’s Coraline (2009)

On paper, Coraline is a children’s movie. In practice, it’s one of the most disturbing animated films ever made.

Henry Selick’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novella invites us into a pastel-colored dreamscape that slowly peels away to reveal something monstrous. Coraline Jones, voiced by Dakota Fanning, finds a secret door to a mirror world where her “Other Mother” seems too perfect, until she offers to sew buttons over Coraline’s eyes.

The film’s tactile stop-motion texture gives it a hand-crafted eeriness; every fabric wrinkle and flicker of candlelight feels alive. Coraline is Halloween for the imaginative, as well as a timeless story about curiosity and the danger of getting exactly what you wish for.

Jack Clayton’s The Innocents (1961)

Before The Others, there was The Innocents. Jack Clayton’s adaptation of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw remains one of the most psychologically precise ghost stories ever filmed.

Deborah Kerr stars as a governess who becomes convinced the spirits of former servants possess her young wards. What makes the film timeless isn’t the hauntings themselves, but the uncertainty surrounding them. We don’t know if the ghosts are real or if the governess is losing her mind.

Freddie Francis’s luminous black-and-white cinematography is stunning, with every reflection, every open window, feeling like a portal. Modern horror owes a debt to The Innocents, and watching it in October feels like paying homage to the genre’s haunted lineage.

Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak (2015)

Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak is a gothic fever dream. It’s not a horror film in the conventional sense, as it's more a romantic tragedy drenched in blood and candle wax, but its imagery is pure Halloween bliss.

Mia Wasikowska plays Edith, a writer drawn into a marriage with a doomed baronet (Tom Hiddleston), and his sinister sister (Jessica Chastain) along for the ride. Their decaying mansion bleeds red clay through its floors, as if the earth itself were hemorrhaging.

Del Toro treats horror as a form of art history, referencing Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and The Haunting, while crafting a visual world that feels like a haunted museum exhibit. I’m so excited for his Frankenstein to land on the 2025 movie schedule, because the man knows how to make heartbreakingly sincere, macabre masterpieces.

Jack Clayton's Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Jack Clayton (again!) directed this under-appreciated book-to-screen adaptation of the classic Ray Bradbury novel. It's a film that should be a Halloween staple, but never quite found its audience. However, fortunately for you, this one has just landed on streaming; all you need is a Disney+ subscription.

Set in a small Illinois town, Something Wicked This Way Comes captures the bittersweet essence of fall better than almost any movie. A mysterious carnival arrives, offering townsfolk their deepest desires, at a soul-shattering cost.

Jason Robards delivers a quietly devastating performance as a father confronting his own aging and regret, while Jonathan Pryce’s Mr. Dark oozes charisma and menace. It’s a movie about temptation, and the price of second chances, which are the very emotions that stir every October when the air cools and the world seems briefly bewitched.

Why These Movies Capture The Spirit Of The Season

Halloween doesn’t just live on a date on the calendar, but in the atmosphere of the fall season. It's flickering candlelight, whispering trees, and the feeling that something ancient has taken notice of you. It, as I said before, is a vibe.

Each of these films taps into that same electricity at the intersection of something sacred and fascinating. So this year, skip the predictable slashers and put on something that makes your soul ache a little. Because the best Halloween movies, in my opinion, don’t need jack-o’-lanterns, they just need that spooky season spirit.

When we look back on co-writer/director Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak, the first thing most think of is how the picture went from being a box office dud to a cult favorite. For me though, I like to think of that project as one of the first to properly expose me to the world of a sub-genre I’ve grown to love quite a bit: the gothic romance. As we wait for the 2025 movie schedule to deliver us del Toro’s spin on Frankenstein, now feels like an appropriate time to dig into why this came to be, and how successors like Nosferatu benefited from the film.

I will say before we start that this feature will be rife with spoilers. But if you haven’t seen Crimson Peak, you’re in luck! Peacock subscription holders can catch not only this Mia Wasikowska-starring beauty for themselves, they can also make it a double feature with Robert Eggers’ recent vampire tale.

Crimson Peak’s Deceptive Marketing Was A Slight Blessing In Disguise

For a kid that couldn’t get into Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre when they were assigned in high school English, Crimson Peak’s story might not have grabbed me if it wasn’t for one of the factors that Guillermo del Toro credits with sinking the movie at the box office. To speak to that point further, please enjoy the teaser trailer that started a campaign of terror:

Did you notice how that teaser felt more like it promised either threatening ghosts and/or the possibility of possession? I think a lot of people did, which may have led to Crimson underperforming at the box office. Though I agree that selling Mr. del Toro’s follow-up to Pacific Rim as a pure horror experience was definitely misleading, I will begrudgingly admit that it helped hook me in.

Edith Cushing’s Story Is A Tragic Romance With Horror Touches

At this point we were all familiar with del Toro’s genre spectacle fare, so we all probably expected something as outlandish as Hellboy, but in period costumes. However, the trio of Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, and Mia Wasikowska were embroiled in a very human drama throughout Crimson Peak.

If anything, young Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) and her romance with Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) is one of great tragedy. When you arrive at the movie’s big reveal of what’s actually going on in Allerdale Hall, there’s a sadness that tinges the rest of the picture, with no character escaping its influence.

Digging back into the archives a bit, I was able to pull the audio from the movie's press conference I attended back in 2015. From that treasure trove of information, I pulled these remarks from del Toro, as he explained what he felt was the true romance of this tale:

We’re going to have to jump into spoilers a bit more from this point on. So consider this your last chance to avoid the twists and turns involved, and a great opportunity to read my Crimson Peak review from 2015. As for those of you who remain, it’s time to talk about those ghosts.

The Ghosts Aren’t The Villains Of Crimson Peak

Would it really be a Guillermo del Toro movie if there wasn’t at least a touch of the supernatural? The man literally published a book with the title At Home With Monsters, so there was bound to be something not of this world included. But, just like in the real-life ghost story that inspired Crimson Peak, the ghosts aren’t really here to hurt us.

Edith’s ability to see spirits isn’t something that terrorizes her in this story, quite the opposite. Ghosts of various figures that died at the hands of the incestuous Sharpe siblings, as well as Edith’s late mother, are actually warnings meant to protect her from winding up like all the other victims.

When her mom’s warning isn’t enough to shoo her off, Thomas’ dead wives show her the literal evidence to what’s been going on this whole time. Spectral interference isn't meant to trip up our young female protagonist here, but rather it serves as an influence to secure her from the horrors that seek to prey upon her.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Latin Influences Feel Like Taking Part In My Own Roots

Chastain’s Lucille Sharpe gets one of the best lines of dialogue in this film, as she talks about how her love for her brother is a type of romance that “makes monsters of us all.” While that moment can universally be understood, it takes me back to how del Toro spoke at the press conference about his approach to making this particular movie. That explanation was as follows:

I know that Latinx people are not a monolith, but cultural evidence shows that the “Latin temperament" is something we’ve seen time and again in fiction. Seeing The Shape of Water director take that influence and apply it to what feels like an episode of The Gilded Age makes me happy as both a fan of fiction, and as someone with Latinx roots myself. It also kind of explains why my father and I both enjoy the romance at the heart of Gone with the Wind.

Crimson Peak’s Outlook On Love Is A Refreshing Contrast Of Victorian Tradition

There’s one final piece of knowledge I want to share from the press tour, and it’s something that underlines what really works about this story for me. Guillermo del Toro’s knowledge of Victorian drama really shined through when he shared with us the following breakdown of how fiction from that era treated the subject of sex, and why subverting it was key:

Taking a classic form of storytelling and updating it for modern times, with a heaping helping of gore and distress, is not easy. A steady hand is needed to achieve such goals, as we saw with Robert Eggers’ mastery over Nosferatu. I think del Toro would be proud to know that Crimson Peak still hits as hard for me as it did when I first saw it.

While scrambling to read Frankenstein when sick in junior year cracked the door open on gothic romance for me, Edith’s battle for survival threw it wide open for future enjoyment. Recognizing that in 2025 is apt timing, as the del Toro adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic will be hitting Netflix at some point in the year to come.

That means now’s the time to start digging further into the sub-genre, as I prepare for what’s to come. So if you haven't taken a trip through the secrets, the terror, and the bittersweet romance that Crimson Peak offers, you officially have one less excuse not to correct that.

Horror is the only film genre whose viewers may seek feeling horrified, paranoid, and horny within a single scene, and all without any judgment passed. Eroticism has co-mingled with instruments of fear since the dawn of cinema, with vampires and Frankenstein-made creatures still haunting cinemas today. So expect nothing less from all the upcoming horror movies on the horizon. (Less so for upcoming horror TV shows, but one can hope.)

Rather than using these crystal balls to look to the future, however, I'm instead focusing on many of the sexiest horror movies that already exist. To be clear, ones that are actually watchable for traditional narrative reasons, though everyone's mileage will vary. A similar best-of list compiling slasher porn parodies surely resides somewhere online, but not here.

So get ready for an amorous onslaught of vampire vixens, sensual seamen, and manipulative Mia Goths.

1. American Psycho (2000)

• Cast: Christian Bale, Justin Theroux, Josh Lucas, Samantha Mathis, Reese Witherspon, Willem Dafoe
• Director: Mary Harron

Mary Harron’s 2000 psychological horror American Psycho is a highly stylish adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel, starring Christian Bale as everyone’s favorite raincoat-wearing axe murderer Patrick Bateman. As a satire, the movie espouses the pompous, money-obsessed behavior and ideals that it’s simultaneously condemning, but it’s hard not to feel a mild twinge from seeing Bale, Jared Leto and others with immaculate suits and haircuts (and business cards). And for anyone out there who lost their virginity to Huey Lewis or Phil Collins, Patrick is on soundtrack duties.

Stream it on Paramount+ and Prime Video.

2. Angel Heart (1987)

• Cast: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling
• Director: Alan Parker

The genre-blending horror Angel Heart would already make the shortlist of sexiest horror movies simply for Robert de Niro oozing evil, bearded mystique as Louis Cypher. But it's the devilish and tawdry goings-on between Rourke's Harry and Bonet's Epiphany that send it over. In seemingly every scene, Rourke drips with either rainwater or sweat, creating quite a lasting look. And Angel Heart’s more extreme scenes were edited down to secure its R rating, just just imagine...

Stream it on Pluto TV.

3. Black Swan (2010)

• Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder
• Director: Darren Aronofsky

Having previously crafted the sex-infused horrors of Requiem for a Dream's "ass to ass" sequence, Darren Aronofsky sent the Oscar-winning Natalie Portman pirouetting into audience's nightmares as Black Swan's obsession-driven dancer. (Not that the film was pushed as a horror release.) Obsessions and pleasures are compatible bedfellows, of course, and Nina is surrounded by carnal energy. Even it only happens in Nina's mind, that just makes it more applicable as a fantasy, amirite?

Stream it on Disney+ and Hulu.

4. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

• Cast: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Waits
• Director: Francis Ford Copolla

While debates can be made about the worth of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a literary adaptation, its inherent physical (and perhaps emotional) lust cannot be denied. Francis Ford Copolla’s 1992 vampiric romance hits many notches on the “sexy horror movie” checklist, from Dracula’s brides enamoring Keanu Reeves’ Jonathan Harker to Sadie Frost’s hyper-eroticized take on Lucy Westenra to rugged Anthony Hopkins as the best Van Helsing ever. But what sizzles harder than anything is the on-screen passion between Gary Oldman’s shapeshifting bloodsucker (in his mustachioed younger form) and Winona Ryder’s Mina. And for those watching the edited version: if you squint from far away, the older Count’s hair kinda looks like boobs.

Rent it on Prime Video or Apple TV.

5. CAM (2018)

• Cast: Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Devin Druid, Michael Dempsey, Samantha Robinson
• Director: Daniel Goldhaber

2018’s Cam is an exercise in “write what you know,” with screenwriter Isa Mazzei crafting a doppelgänger horror story around a camgirl performer, a profession she’d previously held, with the film’s director Daniel Goldhaber having worked with her in that realm. Likely due to their life experiences, Cam approaches its inherently sexual subject matter with authenticity, as opposed to the salaciously cringey vibes that so many others would have been riddled with. For all the worries that viewers have about Madeline Brewer’s Alice (a.k.a. Lola_Lola) as she falls down the rabbit hole, there’s something not altogether unpleasant about the idea of two Lola_Lolas out there, albeit with fewer fake suicides.

Stream it on Netflix.

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6. Cat People (1982)

• Cast: Nastassja Kinski, Malcolm McDowell, John Heard, Annette O’Toole
• Director: Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader followed American Gigolo up with his 1982 remake of the 1940s horror Cat People, and there would be no confusing which one came first considering how overtly kinky and horny the ‘80s revision is. (Even by 2024 standards.) Nastassja Kinski and Malcolm McDowell star as siblings Irena and Paul, who are revealed to be part of a bloodline of feline creatures who turn into panthers after having sex, and can only return to human form through murder. In a word, it’s quite rawr.

Rent it on Prime Video or Apple TV.

7. Crimson Peak (2015)

• Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver
• Director: Guillermo del Toro

While one’s mileage may vary when it comes to Crimson Peak’s story from top to bottom, the general consensus is that Guillermo del Toro did a commendable job with the film’s sexualized elements, from Mia Wasikowska’s Edith being a horny virgin to essentially everything that Tom Hiddleston does when he’s on screen as her worldly significant other Thomas. Like, it’s obviously not as hot when his character’s being an ass or when his incestuous relationship is revealed, but it’s not impossible to just mute the movie and lose track of context in those cases. Del Toro’s lush visuals allow for such suspensions of disbelief. And I think most would agree that the apex comes in the form of Edith and Thomas consummating their marriage for the first time.

Rent it on Prime Video or Apple TV.

8. Don't Look Now (1973)

• Cast: Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie, Hilary Mason, Clelia Matania
• Director: Nicolas Roeg

Nicholas Roeg’s 1973 classic Don’t Look Now is undoubtedly sexy in chosen moments, while jarringly tragic in others. Just like real life! Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie go through some unexpectedly haunting events in the aftermath of their daughter's death, while also delivering one of cinema's most authentically raw sex scenes, including the rare and all-important "man giving oral to his partner" shots. That the scene is echoed later is also of note, though the story goes in far less sexual directions from then on.

Rent on Pluto TV or YouTube TV.

9. Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (1988)

• Cast: Cassandra Peterson, W. Morgan Sheppard, Daniel Greene, Susan Kellerman, Edie McClurg
• Director: James Signorelli

The words “sexy” and “horror” can’t be said together in any capacity without including Cassandra Peterson’s genre maven Elvira, whose big-screen arrival came in the form of 1988’s Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. (No worries about branding mix-ups with that one.) The goofy plot sees the hostess moving her massive coif and equally massive cleavage from Los Angeles to a conservative-minded Massachusetts town, where she obviously insults everyone with her out-there nature. Even as a PG-13 release, Elvira’s cinematic debut makes the cut because Peterson has been a sex symbol icon for decades without missing a beat, or a neckline stitch.

Streaming on Prime Video, Pluto TV, Tubi, and AMC+.

10. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

• Cast: George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Salma Hayek
• Director: Robert Rodriguez

More than a decade before Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse, they delivered the similar genre-swapping romp From Dusk Till Dawn. Notably delivering ER fave George Clooney's transition to cinema while burning "dancing Salma Hayek" into viewers' welcoming brains, the movie flips from a raunchy robbery-gone-awry to an all out massacre inside a Mexican strip club populated by vampires. Tarantino is gross enough to ruin the bell curve, but Tom Savino's completely illogical crotch gun swings it back around.

Stream it on Pluto TV.

11. Hellraiser (1987)

• Cast: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman, Doug Bradley
• Director: Clive Barker

Whether or not you think Doug Bradley’s iconic monster himself (itself?) is a looker, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser is a sensual feast for those with more sadomasochistic tastes. (The memorable moniker Pinhead came in the sequel, to phrase it winkingly.) The Cenobites’ puzzle box unlocks unending carnal extremes, with Higgins’ Julia and Laurence’s Kristy becoming acutely aware of its powers in horrifying ways. Or heavenly ones, depending on one’s perspective.

Stream it on Prime Video, Pluto TV and Tubi.

12. The Hunger (1983)

• Cast: Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, Cliff De Young, Dan Hedaya
• Director: Tony Scott

As the perhaps surprising directorial debut from action movie mastermind Tony Scott, 1983’s The Hunger wasn’t so well received at the time. But like many genre standouts, its popularity grew over time, in part for being one of the most erotic vampire movies in existence, thanks to the love triangle between characters played by the OMG trio of Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon. To everyone’s credit, perhaps, The Hunger’s sexual themes and scenes were among the more highly regarded aspects of the film early on, and they’ve all maintained their sensual sense of danger in the years since.

Rent it on Prime Video and Apple TV.

13. Infinity Pool (2023)

• Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman, Jalil Lespert, Amanda Brugel
• Director: Brandon Cronenberg

It’s no shock that Infinity Pool comes from Brandon Cronenberg, son of The Fly and Crash director David Cronenberg, in that the 2023 film is the cinematic equivalent of diving down an extreme-internet rabbit hole in the early 2000s, and may indeed inspire a similar kind of guilt-ridden concupiscence when watching the multitude of fetishes and kinks on display. It’s probably too psychological to delve into how the concept of doubles and cloning plays into the film’s sexual impact, so we’ll just let that part slide while focusing on everything else Alexander Skarsgård’s novelist gets into.

Stream it on Hulu and Disney+.

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14. Interview With The Vampire (1994)

• Cast: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater
• Director: Neil Jordan

As it tends to go with sexually tinged vampire movies, much of what makes Neil Jordan’s Interview with the Vampire a horny movie comes from inherently disturbing situations that would be quite different outside of cinematic context. Brad Pitt’s Louie quasi-courting Kirsten Dunst’s underage vamp Claudia is one, while the unwitting victim stripped and murdered by the Théâtre des Vampires is another, and generally speaking, it’s probably not great to lust after murderous bloodsuckers just because they look and talk like Antonio Banderas’s Armand. But hey, it’s New Orleans, baby, so laissez les bons temps rouler.

Rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

15. Jennifer's Body (2009)

• Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody, J.K. Semmons
• Director: Karyn Kusama

Screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Karyn Kusama joined forces for 2009’s fatal femme film Jennifer’s Body, which brought Megan Fox’s sex symbol energy to the horror genre in a big male-chomping way alongside Amanda Seyfried. Despite the subdued response upon its initial release, Jennifer’s Body has since reached newfound popularity as a poster child for feminism in genre cinema. And that poster would probably be a centerfold of some kind, with succubus Jennifer Check posed and poised to feed on anyone who dares to cross her path.

Stream it on Peacock.

16. Lady Frankenstein (1971)

• Cast: Rosalba Neri (as Sara Bey), Joseph Cotten, Mickey Hargitay, Paul Müller
• Director: Mel Welles

While Frankenstein lore isn’t often a nexus of horror and sexuality — with all respects to Ella Lanchester — the 1971 Italian film Lady Frankenstein added a jolt of electricity to the story, as well as a bunch of seductive body parts that were not stolen from graves. Starring Rosalba Neri and Hollywood icon Joseph Cotten, the Mel Welles feature maybe isn’t the most memorable from beginning to end, but features some truly uncomfortable moments of coitus interruptus.

Stream it on Tubi, SlingTV and Plex.

17. Lifeforce (1985)

• Cast: Steve Railsback, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay, Patrick Stewart, Mathilda May
• Director: Tobe Hooper

Texas Chain Saw Massacre helmer Tobe Hooper and Alien scribe Dan O’Bannon created the textbook definition of a cult move with 1985’s Lifeforce, whose legacy for years hinged largely on being “that movie with the naked space vampire.” That clothing-optional shapeshifter, portrayed by Mathilda May, isn’t the only reason why Lifeforce’s reputation is so much more positive now than it was around its panned release, to be sure. But if you’re talking sexy horror movies specifically, “naked space vampires” are as formidable as threats get.

Stream it on Prime Video and Tubi.

18. The Lost Boys (1987)

• Cast: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Keifer Sutherland, Dianne Wiest, Edward Hermann
• Director: Joel Schumacher

The concept of eternal youth has never been more sexually charged with hair-metal swagger than in the timelessly ‘80s classic The Lost Boys. Patric, Gertz and Sutherland are the most brooding and reluctant throuple imaginable, and the power dynamics only add to the twisted allure. And Joel Schumacher isn’t ageist, either, with Wiest and Hermann bringing their own hawt vibes. Which Corey Haim’s Sam would just die thinking about. The one movie where necking makes as much sense as sex.

Rent it on Prime Video or Apple TV.

19. The Love Witch (2016)

• Cast: Samantha Robinson, Jeffrey Vincent Parise, Gian Keys, Laura Waddell
• Director: Anna Biller

While a good number of genre flicks spice their narratives up with romance and sex, Anna Biller’s 2016 technicolor horror-comedy The Love Witch focuses squarely on the dalliances of its bewitching Elaine, portrayed with Hollywood starlet perfection by Samantha Robinson. The ‘60s setting gives Bewitched in an alt-universe where Elizabeth Montgomery played a horny widow who may have snapped and killed Darren, with some delightful Munsters-esque camp rounding out the more salacious side of things. It’s the rare form of sexy horror movie that doesn’t inspire pangs of awkward self-judgment.

Streaming on Peacock, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Philo.

20. MaXXXine (2024)

• Cast: Mia Goth, Kevin Bacon, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Cannavale, Elizabeth Debicki
• Director: Ti West

The third film in Ti West’s trilogy kicked off by 2022’s slasher X and 2023’s psychological horror Pearl, the ‘80s-set sequel MaXXXine goes all-in on the era’s exploitative excess. Mia Goth again rules the screen as Hollywood starlet-in-training Maxine in her quest, no matter whose testicles and faces she has to destroy in the process. Even without the focus on pornography and outright horror as Maxine’s first outing, Goth is a fountain of sexually confident power throughout, whether or not a cigarette is dangling from her lips. What’s sexier than success?

Stream it on HBO Max.

21. Mulholland Drive (2001)

• Cast: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Robert Forster, Dan Hedaya
• Director: David Lynch

Still serving as the penultimate film in David Lynch’s bizarre oeuvre, 2001’s Mulholland Drive takes audiences from the sensual glamour and confidence of Old Hollywood to its sleazy and regretful antithesis, with Naomi Watts ostensibly delivering two distinct performances opposite Laura Harring’s femme fatale. It’s the relationship between their characters, darkly twisted yet authentically loving, that really take Mulholland Drive into wet fever dream territory, despite the unsettling notion that someone’s tiny grandparents might be watching voyeuristically from the floor. Lots of things about this movie are confusing — with its horror distinction sometimes needing defense — but its effect on horny viewers is as clear as the L.A. sky.

Rent it on Prime Video or Apple TV.

22. Nosferatu (2024)

• Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe
• Director: Robert Eggers

Regardless of one's thoughts about Count Orlok's somewhat polarizing mustache, it's hard to deny the erotic romance throbbing and spurting throughout Nosferatu. Robert Eggers has a way with imbuing sensuality into his disturbing tales through gauzy aesthetics, attractive actors and, well, actual sex scenes. WIllem Dafoe doesn't need to be in them to make them more effective all the same.

Stream it on Peacock.

23. Raw (2016)

• Cast: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Naït Oufella, Laurent Lucas, Joana Preiss
• Director: Julia Ducournau

Coming-of-age movies are always good for awkward sexual chemistry, and director Julia Ducournau’s 2016 body horror Raw certainly fits the bill. Garance Marillier’s vegetarian veterinarian Justine suffers a case of “food poisoning” and suddenly finds herself obsessed with the idea of eating meat…any kind of meat…even if it’s her own. For those with oral fetishes, Raw is either a dream or a nightmare, and the fact that Justine’s journey is joined by her sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf) just complicates all the feelings.

Buy it on Amazon.

24. The Shape Of Water (2017)

• Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg
• Director: Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water is like much of his filmography, in that it portrays sexually heightened acts and behavior without lust-filled gratuity or rampant titillation. Its inherent sexiness isn’t really beholden to the visuals, but the assurance from the filmmaker that Elisa’s inner pleasure is always at the forefront, whether it’s through the knowledge of her daily bathtub masturbation sessions or her not-exactly-erotic sex scene with the fish-man. It’s more complex than campers getting shanked after cabin boinking, in any case.

Rent it on Apple TV and Prime Video.

25. Species (1995)

• Cast: Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker
• Director: Roger Donaldson

Certainly not the only horror movie out there with a hawt extraterrestrial at its center, 1995’s Species stars Natasha Henstridge as its extremely deadly (and also extremely provocative) human-alien hybrid Sil. Unlike some horror and sci-fi movies’ more complex sexual charges, Species wears its horniness right on its ooey-gooey sleeves in the way a slasher movie does, only this time it’s the malicious big bad handling all the nudity and sex scenes. There’s even full-on penetration, at least by way of Sil’s tongue penetrating a dude’s throat and neck. And it should probably come as a surprise to no one that Sil’s alien nature was designed by H.R. Giger.

Stream it on Prime Video, Pluto TV and Tubi.

26. Stoker (2013)

• Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver
• Director: Park Chan-wook

On paper, in theory, and in practice, Park Chan-wook’s wickedly intense 2013 thriller Stoker probably shouldn’t harbor any sexual desires among its viewers, given the fact that the film starts with death and mourning, and its other main ingredients are psycho-incest lust and murder. And yet… There’s something about the mansion and its gothic aesthetic, about the way Matthew Goode’s Charlie brings mischief and mayhem to the prim and pristine lives of Nicole Kidman’s Evelyn and Mia Wasikowska’s India, about the all-out taboo nature of everything happening within those walls. It stokes, it stokes.

Rent on Prime Video and Apple TV.

27. The Substance (2024)

• Cast: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid
• Director: Coralie Fargeat

The Substance is a brilliant and brilliantly performed movie that cuts as deep as its story. But it also happens to be the kind of movie where, if you turn the sound down and purposefully ignore all the meaningful text and subtext, there's a bonkers amount of surface-level titilation to wade through. Unfortunate as it may be that the surface is that of a bathroom floor.

Stream it on Mubi.

28. Suitable Flesh (2023)

• Cast: Heather Graham, Bruce Davison, Johnathan Schaech, Barbara Crampton, Judah Lewis
• Director: Joe Lynch

Inspired heavily by Stuart Gordon’s H.P. Lovecraft offerings, Joe Lynch’s body-swapping romp Suitable Flesh is an appropriately naughty and monstrous take on Lovecraft’s “The Thing on the Doorstep,” with Lewis’ Asa essentially possessed by the horniest entity imaginable. The whole movie feels like one of prepubescent David Lynch’s wet dreams adapted into an episode of Tales from the Crypt, presumably also with Graham as a hawt therapist.

Stream it on Hulu, Disney+, Shudder, and Philo.

29. Teeth (2007)

• Cast: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais, Hale Appleman, Lenny Von Dohlen
• Director: Mitchell Lichtenstein

Technically more of an amusing cautionary tale than purely erotic horror for dental hygenists, Mitchell Lichtenstein’s 2007 feature Teeth follows Dawn O’Keefe, a perfectly normal teen who happens to have teeth in her vagina that excel at severing penises. (Can't think of a second-best option.) An indie body horror with a feminist spin, Teeth could possibly be the greatest “horny teen” horror ever if not for all the genital-thrashing trauma involved.

Stream it on Plex and Fandango at Home.

30. Thirst (2009)

• Cast: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-vin, Kim Hae-sok, Shin ha-Kyun, Park In-hwan
• Director: Park Chan-wook

Four years before Stoker, Park Chan-wook dipped his toes into erotic horror waters (or blood in this case) with the 2009 vampire tale Thirst. Song Kang-ho stars as Catholic priest Fr. Sang-hyun, whose hospital volunteer work coincides with his newfound unquenchable desire for all things sanguine. Thirst's passion for other bodily pleasures is evident through Sang-hyun’s illicit exploits with ennui-stricken lover Tae-ju (Kim Ok-bin). Definitely one of the more twisted takes on sexy vampire lore out there.

Rent it on Prime Video or Apple TV.

31. Under The Skin (2013)

• Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Adam Pearson, Paul Brannigan
• Director: Jonathan Glazer

Instantly polarizing upon its 2013 release, Jonathan Glazer’s dreary sci-fi feature Under the Skin is a lo-fi adaptation of Michel Faber’s 2000 novel, starring Scarlett Johansson as a nameless alien who makes easy prey out of her victims thanks to her ample sexuality. To be sure, Under the Skin’s sexiness is largely about the surface-level vibes, as the film’s disturbing denouement is hardly alluring, and its story can be interpreted in a number of anti-sexual ways.

Rent it on Prime Video or Apple TV.

32. The Wicker Man (1973)

• Cast: Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Lesley Mackie, Ingrid Pitt
• Director: Robin Hardy

Robin Hardy’s 1973 classic The Wicker Man is steeped in the push and pull between overt and repressed, whether it’s in regards to information that Edward Woodward’s police sergeant is looking for, or the seductive nature of Summerisle and its very willful inhabitants. As it can often go with films set within cult-ish communities, The Wicker Man taps into psychosexual threads that run deeper than corporeal pleasures and stick around longer than more direct imagery might. Not that it lacks in that department, either. But all the Isle of Horndog-ness would be for naught if not for that gut-punch of a final act.

Stream it on Pluto TV and Tubi.

• The Sexiest Movies Streaming On Amazon Prime Right Now

33. X (2022)

• Cast: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, Scott Mescudi, Martin Henderson, Owen Campbell
• Director: Ti West

Given that it’s ostensibly about making a pornographic movie, Ti West’s 2022 hit X could either be seen as a no-brainer for a sexy movies round-up, or it could be viewed as too obvious a choice to truly qualify. (Read our X review!) Of course, both are kind of true, and kind of aren’t, since X features more than a few harrowing moments that completely remove thoughts of libidinous pleasure from one’s mind. But hey, it’s also a movie about people who want to fuck and have a good time doing it, and nothing is sexier than that. Up until a certain point in the runtime, anyway.

Stream it on Max.

Not everyone agrees on what makes the best cup of tea, the same way that not everyone will agree on what makes the sexiest horror movie, but part of what makes being a movie fan so enjoyable is sharing those opinions and hearing what others are into as well. If we all agreed on everything, horny or otherwise, it'd make for a pretty boring life.

When it comes to one of the most famous directors, I’m sure there are many that might come to your mind. You could be thinking of Steven Spielberg, maybe the famous James Cameron, or perhaps even Wes Anderson, but for me, I’ve always thought about Guillermo del Toro. The man's work has impacted a good portion of my life, and from some of his movies, I’ve really learned to appreciate both good horror movies and fantastic fantasy films. 

But this list is for those who have never seen Guillermo del Toro’s movies before, and today, we’re going to talk about his best, from some of his earlier directed movies to some of the most recent. For anyone who wishes to see, these are Guillermo del Toro’s best movies. 

Cronos (1993)

First up on the list, we need to talk about Cronos, the first feature film that Guillermo del Toro ever directed. In this horror film, the audience is let into a world where a strange device gives the user the ability to obtain eternal life. But with this kind of power comes destruction, and now, after four hundred years, it’s back to cause more pain. 

Even for a film from a first-time director, Cronos is still so good and deserving of being on this list. Not only is it a great international horror film, but it also features a stellar story that genuinely gives me chills to this day. I would suggest anyone watch this if they want to get into del Toro’s movies. It's utterly unique.

Stream Cronos on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Cronos on Amazon.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Arguably, Pan’s Labyrinth is the most popular del Toro film, and for many reasons. This astounding dark fantasy film takes place in the 1940s in Spain, and mainly follows a little girl who starts to find herself in a magical world when she ends up moving in with her stepfather. But even if everything at first seems magical, there are creatures and darkness lurking around every corner. 

I could go on for hours about how much I love Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s, like, the perfect amount of both horror and fantasy, and something that pleases my movie-watching brain. This movie is the perfect film to show to anyone who doubts that del Toro is a master of horror and fantasy because it’s just fantastic. The film won and was nominated for several Academy Awards. 

Stream Pan’s Labyrinth on Starz. 
Rent/Buy Pan’s Labyrinth on Amazon.

Hellboy (2004)

Remember when Hellboy came out in 2019 and people were upset about everything with that film? It could be because it was nowhere like this version of Hellboy, released in 2004 and starring Ron Perlman. In this film, we follow a demonic beast who has turned into a superhero, and using these powers, he decides to help keep the world safe from the most dangerous monsters you could think of – all of the paranormal kind. 

Hellboy kicks ass in the best way. Guillermo del Toro really does prove that he can do it all by directing a superhero movie, but everything else in this film is great as well. I love the cinematography (which was also done by del Toro) and the story. And I’ll just say this here, I love David Harbour, but Ron Perlman’s portrayal of Hellboy just can’t be beat. 

Stream Hellboy on HBO Max. 
Rent/Buy Hellboy on Amazon.

Mimic (1997)

In this film, del Toro decided to step a little more into the science-fiction horror realm, and create the film Mimic. In this movie, we follow a scientist who takes it upon herself to create a mutant kind of insect to kill cockroaches that have been infecting and killing children in NYC. But sadly, over the course of a few years, she finds out that this insect has not died as she originally planned – but has only grown stronger, and much more monstrous. 

I’ll be the first to say that out of everyone, Guillermo del Toro really knows how to make the viewers squirm, whether that be how he’s able to build suspense, or for the gnarly prosthetics and makeup he uses for his monsters, but wow, does this film get under your skin in the best way. It’s truly unlike any horror film out there and one I believe every person who loves horror should see – just, ah… maybe stay away from it on a full stomach, is all I’ll say. 

Stream Mimic on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Mimic on Amazon.

Crimson Peak (2015)

When I say del Toro can direct anything, I mean anything, including gothic romance films. In Crimson Peak, we are taken back in time to the Edwardian era in England, and our main protagonist is Edith, a young woman and aspiring author who ends up moving to a beautiful mansion with her new husband and his sister. But as she moves in, she starts to have ghostly visions, and now it’s up to her to decipher what they mean. 

Something I really love about Crimson Peak is that at this point in del Toro’s film career, it had really been unlike anything he had ever done before. We’ve seen him do horror and fantasy and sci-fi but I had never seen him do romance so well, and yet there’s a romance in here that truly took my breath away. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but just go into this blind and watch it from beginning to end. I’ll always be upset that it didn't do better at the box office. 

Stream Crimson Peak on Netflix. 
Rent/Buy Crimson Peak on Amazon.

The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

This film is amazing. The Devil’s Backbone is another horror film from Guillermo del Toro that is set in Spain and takes place during the Spanish Civil War, mainly focusing on a little boy who has lost his father in the war. But as soon as he arrives at an all-boys orphanage, he discovers that this place is haunted – and there are deep, dark secrets that are beginning to be discovered. 

This film is so well done from start to finish, and it is another example as to why Guillermo del Toro is a fantastic director all around. His ability to build suspense while still keeping the audience scared and on the edge of their seat is something that I truly love and need more of in my life. Even del Toro himself has said it’s one of his best movies. 

Stream The Devil’s Backbone on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy The Devil’s Backbone on Amazon.

The Shape Of Water (2017)

Moving on to a romantic fantasy film, we look at The Shape of Water. This is an interesting film that tells the story of a cleaner who speaks with sign language and works at a government facility which just so happens to be containing a humanoid amphibian creature – basically a fish person – but she ends up falling in love with him and does everything in her power to help him escape. 

Yes, the premise is a bit out there but trust me when I say that the movie really is expertly directed and beautifully shot. The performances are fantastic all around and I could go on for hours about how the love story is actually very sweet in many ways – I just, uh, never need to see a certain scene again and if you know, you know. I’ll just let you all be surprised. 

But the rest of the film is amazing – the film earned thirteen Academy Award nominations, won both Best Picture and Best Director, becoming the first fantasy film since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to win. 

Stream The Shape of Water on FreeVee through Amazon.
Rent/Buy The Shape of Water on Amazon.

Nightmare Alley (2021) 

Last but not least, we need to talk about Nightmare Alley. While it unfortunately came out in 2021 and didn’t have a big debut at the box office since it was around the same time Spider-Man: No Way Home was in theaters, Nightmare Alley is an amazing neo-noir psychological thriller film that tells the story of a carnival worker who will do anything to try and make his career bigger and better – including using people to his advantage that could end dangerously. 

Nightmare Alley was nominated for four Academy Awards, and has some really cool visual design and skillful storytelling. The entire Nightmare Alley cast is great, but I have to give special praise to Bradley Cooper, who rocked it in his starring role and deserved way more credit than he got. 

Stream Nightmare Alley on Hulu. 
Rent/Buy Nightmare Alley on Amazon.

There are truly so many amazing films that Guillermo del Toro has had a hand in creating, but these were just some of his best directed films that I had to focus on. And if you’re craving more Guillermo del Toro after this, be sure to check out his new Netflix series, Cabinet of Curiosities, featuring even more creepy, scary stories. Happy watching! 

In an event that many would consider to be a long time coming, Jessica Chastain won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 94th Annual Academy Awards. Her performance in 2021’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye earned her the nomination, which was also her third, having previously been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 2012 for The Help, and for her leading role in Zero Dark Thirty the following year.

However, the California native - who is also known for superhero movies like X-Men: Dark Phoenix, horror movies like It: Chapter Two, and action thrillers like The 355 - has given plenty of other performances that critics and audiences alike would agree deserved similar accolades. Let’s revisit these performance by checking out Jessica Chastain’s best movies available now on streaming, for digital rental, or on physical media, starting with her best work in the eyes of the Academy.

The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (HBO Max)

Tammy Bakker (Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Jim (Andrew Garfield), build one of the largest empires in the history televangelism, until a series of shocking scandals are revealed, threatening to destroy their relationship and their reputation.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain disappears into the role of the titular televangelist in The Eyes of Tammy Faye - a bold, revealing biopic from The Big Sick director, Michael Showalter, that is based on a 2000 documentary of the same name.

Stream The Eyes Of Tammy Faye on HBO Max.
Buy/Rent The Eyes Of Tammy Faye on Amazon.
Get The Eyes Of Tammy Faye on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Help (HBO Max)

A young, aspiring author (Emma Stone) interviews Black maids (Oscar winners Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer) for a book about their perspective on the White women who employ them in 1960s Mississippi.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain received her first Academy Award nomination for playing good-hearted, ostracized socialite Celia Foote in The Help - writer and director Tate Taylor’s 2011 adaptation of the novel by Kathryn Stockett.

Stream The Help on HBO Max.
Buy/Rent The Help on Amazon.
Get The Help on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Zero Dark Thirty (Amazon Rental)

A CIA operative (Jessica Chastain) struggles to endure the moral inner conflict and emotional turmoil of carrying out heinous interrogation methods while spending several years searching for the whereabouts of wanted terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain received her second Academy Award nomination for her mesmerizing performance as the lead of Zero Dark Thirty - originally intended as a chronicle of the failed attempts to catch the orchestrator of the attack on September 11, 2001, before his capture ten years later - from Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow.

Buy/Rent Zero Dark Thirty on Amazon.
Get Zero Dark Thirty on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Take Shelter (Tubi)

A construction worker (Michael Shannon) begins to question the safety of his family and his own sanity after he begins to experience a series of strange, foreboding visions of an oncoming apocalyptic event.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: If you ask me, Jessica Chastain should have received an Academy Award nomination, as well as Michael Shannon, for their riveting portrayals of a husband and wife threatened by the dwindling mental health of one in Take Shelter - a masterful, heart-stopping family drama from writer and director Jeff Nichols.

Stream Take Shelter on Tubi.
Buy/Rent Take Shelter on Amazon.
Get Take Shelter on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Jolene (Tubi, Pluto TV)

A young, orphaned woman (Jessica Chastain) sets off on her own at age 15 and spends the next several years traveling the country in search of some sort of normalcy, finding heartbreak and disappointment at every turn.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: In 2008, after various appearances in TV shows such as ER, Jessica Chastain made her theatrically released, feature film debut as the title role of Jolene - director Dan Ireland’s harrowing adaptation of the story by award-winning author E.L. Doctorow.

Stream Jolene on Tubi.
Stream Jolene on Pluto TV.
Buy/Rent Jolene on Amazon.
Get Jolene on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Tree Of Life (Hulu)

A disillusioned, modern day man (two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn) struggles with questions of existence, purpose, and faith as he recalls his complicated relationship with his father (Oscar winner Brad Pitt) while growing in Waco, Texas, in the 1950s.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: The one film that Jessica Chastain has said had the most profound impact on her life and career and is most difficult to re-watch for how accurately it captures her “heart and soul” is 2011’s The Tree of Life - a bizarre, inventive, and thought-provoking existential analysis that only writer and director Terrence Malick could make.

Stream The Tree Of Life on Hulu.
Buy/Rent The Tree Of Life on Amazon.
Get The Tree Of Life on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Lawless (Rental)

Three brothers (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, and Jason Clarke) fight to keep a moonshine business afloat in the midst of unwanted offers of partnership and the arrival of a corrupt police officer (Guy Pearce) in Depression era Virginia.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain steals the show as Maggie Beaufort, a waitress who falls in love with Hardy’s Forrest Bondurant, in Lawless - writer Nick Cave (yes, the musician) and director John Hilcoat’s 2012 adaptation of Matt Bondurant’s historical novel about his own family, The Wettest County in the World.

Buy/Rent Lawless on Amazon.
Get Lawless on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Interstellar (Paramount+)

A former science engineer and pilot (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey) leads a team of explorers on an expedition through the unknown reaches of outer space in order to find a new home for mankind as the Earth rapidly grows unlivable.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain is one of the three brilliant actresses from 2014’s Interstellar cast who play the role of McConaughey’s estranged, earthbound daughter, Murph, over the course of several decades, in co-writer and director Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning, visually stunning, mind-bending space odyssey.

Stream Interstellar on Paramount+.
Buy/Rent Interstellar on Amazon.
Get Interstellar on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Martian (Amazon Rental)

In the wake of a deadly storm, the botany expert (Matt Damon) of a space exploration mission is assumed dead and abandoned by his crew on Mars, where he struggles to survive as NASA struggles to figure out a way to bring him home.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: While Jessica Chastain did not get to be the one to go into space or rescue Matt Damon in Interstellar, she got to do both the following year as the disco-loving Ares III commander, Melissa Lewis, in The Martian - one of the sharpest, most intense, funniest, and simply best space movies from director Ridley Scott which is based on Andy Weir’s acclaimed novel.

Buy/Rent The Martian on Amazon.
Get The Martian on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Crimson Peak (Netflix)

A young writer (Mia Wasikowska) falls for a wealthy, English aristocrat (Tom Hiddleston) who invites her to live with him and his sister (Jessica Chastain) at their lavish family estate, unwitting to the shocking secrets and vengeful spirits that lurk within the walls.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Guillermo del Toro, who previously produced the Jessica Chastain-led horror film, Mama, in 2012, directs the actress in a sinister (and, apparently, emotionally draining) performance as Lady Lucille Sharpe in 2015’s Crimson Peak - a chilling ghost story in the style of traditional, gothic costume dramas with stunning production design.

Stream Crimson Peak on Netflix.
Buy/Rent Crimson Peak on Amazon.
Get Crimson Peak on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

A Most Violent Year (Showtime)

An immigrant (Oscar Isaac) and his wife (Jessica Chastain) aspire to achieve the American dream by capitalizing on the crime and corruption surrounding them, which also threatens to destroy them, in 1981 New York City.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Before they both starred in X-Men movies and eventually reunited for HBO’s Scenes from a Marriage, Jessica Chastain gave an electrifying, femme fatale-inspired performance opposite her longtime friend Oscar Isaac as her onscreen husband in 2015's A Most Violent Year - a captivatingly dark period piece partially inspired by true events from writer and director J.C. Chandor.

Stream A Most Violent Year on Showtime.
Buy/Rent A Most Violent Year on Amazon.
Get A Most Violent Year on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Zookeeper’s Wife (Netflix)

A woman (Jessica Chastain) and her husband (Johan Heldenbergh) use their zoo in Warsaw, Poland, as a sanctuary for hundreds of Jewish refugees - and animals, too - in the wake of the Nazi invasion in 1939.

Why it’s one of the best Jessica Chastain movies: Jessica Chastain is a tour de force as one of the boldest and most heroic figures of World War II-era Europe, Antonina Zabinska, in The Zookeeper’s Wife - an inspiring 2017 drama based on the book by Diane Ackerman from acclaimed director Niki Caro. 

Stream The Zookeeper’s Wife on Netflix.
Buy/Rent The Zookeeper’s Wife on Amazon.
Get The Zookeeper’s Wife on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Jessica Chastain will soon play another famous “Tammy” in George and Tammy - a Paramount+ original miniseries profiling the romance between country music star Tammy Wynette and George Jones, which will reunite her with Take Shelter’s Michael Shannon. She also will also star in the upcoming Netflix exclusive true crime story, The Good Nurse.

Fantasy movies are something I can get behind, and have been for many years. From the magical world of the Harry Potter series to the Lord of the Rings franchise, I have always adored it. However, there’s another genre within fantasy that I’ve also come to adore, and that’s dark fantasy. 

With popular movies like Pan’s Labyrinth and others that perfectly encapsulate what the genre is all about, dark fantasy is perfect for those who want a little bit more of a twist to their magic, with some sinister undertones or not-so-good characters. That’s where these picks come in handy. These are some of the best dark fantasy movies that are available to stream (or rent) right now. 

Pans Labyrinth (Netflix) 

Pan’s Labyrinth, taking place in Spain during the 1940s, tells the story of a little girl who somehow finds herself in a strange fantasy world filled with magical creatures after she and her mother move in with her stepfather. However, she finds that there is more to this world than just its whimsical side - as there is darkness as well. 

Guillermo del Toro is a master of fantasy, so it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that one of his most well-known films is here. Everything from its storyline to its characters make Pan’s Labyrinth a movie I could watch over and over, and still never get bored. Something else I love about it is its use of practical effects. The makeup is absolutely stunning, and I’m amazed every time I see it. 

Stream Pan’s Labyrinth on Netflix.
Rent Pan’s Labyrinth on Amazon.

Corpse Bride (HBO Max)

Tim Burton definitely knows how to make darker movies, and Corpse Bride is one of those. In this beautifully animated stopmotion film, we follow a young man who is nervous about marrying someone he hardly knows, so he decides to practice his wedding vows in the forest. As he places the ring on a supposed root while speaking, it's revealed that it is actually the finger of a dead woman. His words cause her to rise, and now, she is his corpse bride. 

Corpse Bride is such a fun movie, as it not only has elements that I believe younger children would enjoy, such as the animation or the music, and things that adults can love, too. The story of accepting love and moving on with life even once you’re gone is a powerful one, especially with this dark fantasy world of dancing skeletons and strange goons. 

Stream Corpse Bride on HBO Max.
Rent Corpse Bride on Amazon.

The Dark Crystal (Starz)

If you want a dark fantasy from way back, check out The Dark Crystal. Coming from the minds of Jim Henson and Frank Oz, the film takes place on the planet of Thra, a strange world inhabited by interesting creatures, including Jen. He is a gelfling who is tasked with finding a shard, and must use it to heal the titular crystal in order to fulfill an ancient prophecy, having to overcome obstacles such as the Skeksis, dark creatures who wish to stop him.

The premise sounds kinda strange, but hear me out when I say The Dark Crystal is worth your time. This is legit dark fantasy. While there are monsters and strange creatures, some moments really make you wonder why it was marketed as a family movie, when in reality, it's not. Henson, known for The Muppets, created something that is filled with lore, amazing designs, and fascinating puppetry, and it's something everyone who has a love for design should watch. 

Stream The Dark Crystal on Starz.
Rent The Dark Crystal on Amazon.

The City Of Lost Children (Amazon Prime)

In The City of Lost Children, we see a dystopian society, where a scientist is somehow unable to dream, which causes him to age quicker. Soon, he takes it upon himself to try and steal the dreams of children to stop aging, kidnapping them. However, his plans soon start to have repercussions. 

The City of Lost Children is one of those films that genuinely makes me shiver, because I hate the idea of someone literally going into my head and stealing my dreams. I may not be a child anymore, but that stuff still scares the crap out of me. What also makes this movie a fun dark fantasy is the scientist’s crew of strange creatures who live with him. Their interactions are really what sell this movie, and make it such a fun re-watch. 

Stream The City of Lost Children on Amazon Prime.
Rent The City of Lost Children on Apple TV+.

Horns (Pluto TV)

 In Horns, Daniel Radcliffe stars as a man who wakes up one morning with little horns protruding from his head, and strange powers he didn’t have before. Deciding to make the best out of a bad situation, he uses these powers to hunt down the true killer of his girlfriend (a crime he was falsely accused of) to make sure that she didn’t die in vain. 

Horns is certainly less fantasy-ish - meaning you won’t find crazy monsters or intense lore, but it’s certainly dark and has fantasy aspects that I know you would enjoy. Daniel Radcliffe pulls off the evil look, even after playing a hero for more than a decade in the Harry Potter franchise, and the rest of the cast is fantastic as well. Something I really like about it is the build-up of his powers, how he slowly starts to become even scarier over the course of the film, creating even worse situations. 

Stream Horns on Pluto TV.
Rent Horns on Amazon.

Sleepy Hollow (Starz)

Sleepy Hollow is based on the famous legend of the same name, following a young policeman who is sent to the town to investigate the murders that have been occurring. The only issue is that this murderer seems to be headless.

I gotta say, Sleepy Hollow is such an underrated gem of a movie. I feel like no one ever really talks about how great it is as not only a dark fantasy movie, but a great horror one, as well. Johnny Depp is perfect in the lead role, along with a talented cast who sell this film. What makes this such a great dark fantasy is not only its brilliant art direction, including every scene that has the famous headless horseman, but its dark humor, too. I can’t tell you how many times I laughed during this film, and that’s thanks to its great comedic timing and fun fantasy moments. 

Stream Sleepy Hollow on Starz.
Rent Sleepy Hollow on Amazon.

A Monster Calls (Netflix)

One of the most recent entries on this list, A Monster Calls is brilliantly done. In this dark fantasy, a young boy is living with his dying mother, is bitter about the situation and wishes to escape from his nightmares. One day, after midnight, he is visited by a strange monster, who offers to tell him three stories in exchange for the boy telling the fourth. He accepts, but this takes him on a long adventure.

A Monster Calls is one of the few on this list that will make you cry. I’m not going to reveal what it’s entirely about, because I feel like its the sort of movie you should watch for yourself, but I will say that the monster is far more than any of us expected, and really takes the young protagonist on a journey that culminates in a climactic, satisfying ending.

Stream A Monster Calls on Netflix.
Rent A Monster Calls on Amazon.

Beetlejuice (Pluto TV)

 Beetlejuice is a classic dark fantasy movie where a deceased couple starts to haunt their old home. When new inhabitants move in, it doesn't take long for another entity, the titular character, to try and terrify them to make them leave. But, the new owner’s daughter, Lydia, ain’t so easy to scare. 

I could go on and on and on about how much I love Beetlejuice. Not only is it a great example of what dark fantasy should look like, with fun monsters and great art direction, but the Beetlejuice cast is phenomenal. Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice? I don’t think he could have been played better. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are a great couple, Catherine O’Hara is amazing - heck, even Winona Ryder was brilliant as Lydia. The movie was so popular it even became a Broadway musical. 

Stream Beetlejuice on Pluto TV.
Rent Beetlejuice on Amazon.

Crimson Peak (Netflix)

Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak follows an author, wishing to write the next big novel, who moves into an old Gothic home with her husband and his sister. Upon arrival, she finds out that there are mysteries in this old house, along with dark secrets of the past. She takes it upon herself to discover what is happening there - and what her strange visions are. 

Crimson Peak is a movie that deserved so much more attention when it initially came out. It’s not the standard dark fantasy film, but the elements that it already has (ghost, cool art design, and interesting characters) are enough for anyone to enjoy. Even the horror aspects of this movie are fantastic, making this not only a fun dark fantasy but an excellently done horror movie. 

Stream Crimson Peak on Netflix.
Rent Crimson Peak on Amazon.

Legend (Amazon Rental)

Now, this is a campy fantasy movie that I adore with all my heart. Legend has one of the simplest premises ever - an evil monster wishes to cover the world in an eternal cloak of darkness by marrying a princess and killing everything that lives. However, a boy in the forest takes it upon himself to stop the monster.

It’s such a shame that Legend wasn’t that big of a hit when it first came out, because it has a lot going for it. Wonderful lore, really cool set design, an interesting story - even the casting was fantastic. The legendary Tim Curry as the Lord of Darkness is some of the best casting I think I have ever seen in a dark fantasy movie. Tom Cruise is even awesome in one of his earliest roles. There’s just something about this underappreciated film that I feel needs to be loved a little bit more. Thankfully, you can so that right now. 

Rent Legend on Amazon.

Coraline (Amazon Rental)

Last but not least, we have Coraline. This famous stopmotion film follows the titular character as she and her family move into a strange house. When she finds a hidden door and opens it one night, it reveals a mirror version of her world, where everyone loves her, except the people have buttons for eyes. However, her trips there start to grow increasingly eerie, and she realizes there is a dark past behind this fantasy realm. 

Raise your hand if Coraline terrified you as a child. *Raises hand.*

I definitely can’t be alone in thinking that Coraline had some decently scary moments, especially during the climax. However, Coraline is such a fun movie to watch that I can’t even be mad about it. From the dark fantasy world that she steps into, to the beautiful color scheme and terrifying creatures later on, this stopmotion film is stunningly dark and something that everyone who loves dark fantasy should see. 

Rent Coraline on Amazon.

Fantasy is something we can all get behind, but dark fantasy is truly where it’s at. If you’re looking for your next movie to watch with your friends during movie night, maybe check out one of these. Trust me, you won’t regret it. 

Whether it’s on a show like Sons of Anarchy or in a movie like Pacific Rim, Charlie Hunnam is one of those actors you can’t help but watch whenever he walks into the frame. He has this charisma and almost a certain edge that makes you love him when he’s playing a more heroic character and love to hate him when he’s taking on a more antagonistic and menacing role. 

And while it would be great to go through and talk about all the great Charlie Hunnam movies and TV shows, for the sake of brevity, today we’re just going to dive into 10 of the actor’s best performances from various points in his career that make a case for him being one of the great and underappreciated actors of our time.

Sons Of Anarchy (2008 - 2014)

The landmark FX drama series Sons of Anarchy, which is essentially Hamlet on wheels, follows the titular motorcycle club, also known as SAMCRO, based in the fictional small town of Charming, California, with a main focus on club vice president (and later president) Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the son of the group’s late co-founder. Created by Kurt Sutter, the series was one of the most popular around during its seven-season run, and served as a launching pad for young actors as well as a major platform for the likes of Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, and Taylor Sheridan before he left the show to pursue work behind the scenes that culminated with Yellowstone.

Through it all, Charlie Hunnam’s portrayal of Jax Teller, a man being pulled in every direction, is brilliant and is a good reason why so many associate the actor with the role even years after its final episode aired.

Stream Sons of Anarchy on Hulu.
Buy Sons of Anarchy on Amazon.

The Lost City Of Z (2016)

The 2016 biographical drama The Lost City of Z, written and directed by James Gray, explores the life and times of famed British adventurer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) as he sets off on a dangerous expedition into the heart of the Amazon rainforest to find and document what he believes to be a lost civilization. Risking his family, reputation, and life, Fawcett, alongside his son Jack (Tom Holland), aims to prove everyone wrong (even his own fears and doubts) in one final attempt to track the rumored “lost city of Z” once and for all.

Though not all that successful at the box office, The Lost City of Z was a critical hit and has since become one of the best movies on Amazon for those seeking thrilling adventure and the exploration of the human spirit.

Stream The Lost City of Z on Amazon.
Rent/Buy The Lost City of Z on Amazon.

King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017)

If you ever wanted to see how Guy Ritchie would handle Arthurian legends, look no further than the 2017 action-adventure film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. In this take on the legendary tale, Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) rises through the ranks to take back his rightful throne after his uncle, Vortigern (Jude Law), claims it as his own following the death of the king, Arthur’s father. Filled with Ritchie’s trademark fast-paced action, smash mouth dialogue, and general sense of coolness, the movie is made all the better thanks to Hunnam’s charismatic portrayal of King Arthur.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword wasn’t the biggest success at the box office and received a great deal of unfavorable reviews, but don’t let that take the wind out of this fun movie’s sails. 

Rent/Buy King Arthur: Legend of the Sword on Amazon.

Cold Mountain (2003)

One of the biggest movies of the year in 2003, the Civil War epic Cold Mountain tells the story of Confederate soldier W.P. Inman (Jude Law), as he fights like hell to get back to the love of his life, Ada (Nicole Kidman), in North Carolina. But W.P. isn’t the only one fighting battles and facing uncertainty as he works his way back home, as Ada is forced to not only keep her modest farm in working order, but also ward off the villainous Captain Teague (Ray Winstone) and his right-hand man, Bosie (Charlie Hunnam), who will do just about anything to take the land and Ada’s hand.

Charlie Hunnam’s take on the creepy and downright deranged character is brilliant here and provides for some of the more intense moments in Cold Mountain, and helps make this one of the best movies on Netflix. 

Stream Cold Mountain on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Cold Mountain on Amazon.

Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

Douglas McGrath’s 2002 adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens serial The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (shortened to Nicholas Nickleby here), follows the iconic, titular 19-year-old (Charlie Hunnam) as he goes from one situation to the next in Victorian era England, making friends and enemies while trying to make a better life for both his family and himself. In addition to Hunnam, the film’s all-star cast includes Anne Hathaway, Jamie Bell, Nathan Lane, Christopher Plummer, and more than a dozen other great acting talents, who are all top-notch here.

Already a rising star by the time he led Nicholas Nickleby, Charlie Hunnam’s career began to reach new heights from here and never really looked back.

Stream Nicholas Nickleby on Amazon.
Rent/Buy Nicholas Nickleby on Amazon.

Queer As Folk (1999 - 2000)

Not to be confused with the Showtime/Showcase co-production of the same name that became all the rage in the early 2000s, Russell T Davies’ 1999 dramedy series, Queer as Folk, follows three gay men — Stuart Allen Jones (Aidan Gillen), Vince Tyler (Craig Kelly), and Nathan Maloney (Charlie Hunnam) balancing life, love, and their various social circles. All three of the leads in the series are phenomenal throughout the show’s 10 episodes, and would all go on to have successful careers in the years following its debut.

The show itself became highly influential and is still talked about more than 20 years after it completed its two-season run in February 2000.

Stream Queer as Folk on Amazon.

Children of Men (2006)

Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 dystopian thriller Children of Men remains not only one of the best movies to feature Charlie Hunnam in the cast, but also one of the best movies of the past decade-and-a-half. Set in a world that has been ravaged by an infertility epidemic followed by a catastrophic influenza outbreak, the movie tells the story of Theo Faron (Clive Owen), a bureaucrat and former activist who is thrown back into the chaos of his former life when he is asked by his ex-wife, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore), to escort an asylum seeker named Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), who happens to be the first pregnant woman in nearly 20 years.

Along the way, Theo and Kee have to evade a group of militant radicals known as the Fishes, including two of their more prominent figures — Luke (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Patric (Charlie Hunnam) — who aren’t as noble as they would make you believe. An absolute emotional gut-punch, Children of Men is more than deserving of a revisit or first watch.

Rent/Buy Children of Men on Amazon.

Crimson Peak (2015)

Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 gothic horror film Crimson Peak follows Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) as she falls in love with Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), a charming, seductive, and mysterious man who comes in and takes her away to a sprawling estate he shares with his equally mysterious (and creepy) sister, Lady Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain). Separated from her family, friends, and everyone and everything she has ever known, Edith attempts to make sense of the strange happenings (and ghost sightings) that plague the mansion, which seems to be falling apart.

While this is going on, Dr. Alan McMichael (Charlie Hunnam), one of Edith’s closest friends back home, begins to investigate the strange brother and sister on his own, leading to him traveling to the remote mansion to confront the evil that lies there once and for all. 

Stream Crimson Peak on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Crimson Peak on Amazon.

Undeclared (2001 - 2002)

Following the cancellation of Freaks and Geeks in 2000 after only one season, Judd Apatow turned his attention to college life with the short-lived comedy series, Undeclared. Over the course of the show’s first and only season, Apatow introduced audiences to a group of college freshmen, with the primary focus on Steven Karp (Jay Baruchel) and his circle of friends. This includes Ron Garner (Seth Rogen), a nerdy Canadian with a dry sense of humor, and smooth-talking Englishman Lloyd Haythe (Charlie Hunnam).

Despite it only lasting 18 episodes before Fox pulled the plug, Undeclared has since become another Judd Apatow cult classic and gave future stars like Kevin Hart, Jenna Fischer, and Jason Segel plenty of time to shine.

Buy Undeclared on Amazon.

Pacific Rim (2013)

And then there is Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 kaiju vs. giant robots action flick, Pacific Rim. Set years after the towering monsters first walked out of the ocean and destroyed countless cities and killed billions worldwide, the movie follows a ragtag group of soldiers who use Jaegers to take on the fearsome beasts.

After years of endless fighting having put humanity on the brink of extinction, it all comes down to one final shot at survival, when Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) attempt to impossible: connect through the neural bridge to bring an old Jaeger into one final fight before it’s too late.

Rent/Buy Pacific Rim on Amazon.

This is just a small portion of all the great Charlie Hunnam movies and TV shows worth checking out. And, with an actor with his charisma and talented, expect to see even more great performances out of him as the years go on.

Tom Hiddleston has a very diverse body of work that includes plays, movies, television shows, and even voice acting. He's played a lot of great roles. However, most will always know him as Loki, the one burdened with glorious purpose. In June 2021, Marvel gave fans what they’ve always wanted: a Loki series. Fans may have to wait until Loki Season 2 to see Hiddleston take on the iconic role again, but the Marvel anti-hero is just one of the best Tom Hiddleston roles.

Though Hiddleston has been in critically acclaimed TV shows like The Night Manager and given highly praised performances in plays like Coriolanus, Betrayal, and Hamlet, we’re limiting this list to ranking the best Tom Hiddleston roles and performances in movies. For this list, I mainly selected only films where he had a significant amount of screen time or his character was vital to the film’s plot. So, let’s begin our ranking of Tom Hiddleston’s best movie performances.

10. Midnight in Paris (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Midnight in Paris is the Woody Allen movie about writer Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), who after midnight finds himself in 1920s Paris with the great artists of the time, such as Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody), and the Fitzgeralds, Zelda (Alison Pill) and F. Scott (Tom Hiddleston). Midnight in Paris is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime right now.

I don’t (obviously) know F. Scott Fitzgerald personally, but every book I’ve read by him or about his life makes me believe that Hiddleston did an excellent job portraying The Great Gatsby writer. He came off like a quiet, talented writer madly in love with a wife who may be too much for him, but his devotion to her was too intoxicating to let go. I ranked this performance so low because Hiddleston is not in Midnight in Paris enough to fully let us see his version of Fitzgerald.

9. Archipelago (Edward)

Archipelago is a movie about a mother and her two children on holiday on the island of Tresco. They’re there as a vacation and celebration before Edward (Tom Hiddleston) travels to Africa to perform volunteer work. Archipelago is one of Hiddleston’s first film performances. He brings Edward to life in subtle, calm moments. We get a good sense of who Edward is from dialogue and his interactions with those around him.

He very much wants to seem like someone who has his life figured out, but he’s clearly wearing a mask, like the rest of his family. Archipelago is a movie with less plot and more of a character study of a family falling apart, both as individuals and as a family. There is tension there, but more under the surface. Hiddleston plays Edward well but the film doesn’t allow him to showcase too many varied emotions, at least not as much as some of his other roles.

8. Kong: Skull Island (Captain James Conrad)

Kong: Skull Island is one of the recent additions to the King Kong and MonsterVerse franchise. Set in the 1970s, a group of Vietnam War soldiers and scientists end up on a mysterious island where King Kong is the least of their worries. Hiddleston’s character, James Conrad, is hired to help as a hunter-tracker. He joined the trip kind of as someone just there to fight if necessary, but he eventually becomes the leader and helps keep many of them alive.

When you think of Hiddleston, you don’t necessarily think action-star. However, he manages to be pretty badass as Conrad in Kong: Skull Island. It’s a different role from Hiddleston’s norm, and he does a great job of convincing you that he could kick your butt if necessary. Kong: Skull Island is an enjoyable action movie but like many action movies, it doesn’t quite give its actors a range of plot points to work with to show off their acting skills.

7. War Horse (Captain James Nicholls)

War Horse is Steven Spielberg’s 2011 drama about the bond between a young boy and his horse during World War I. Some consider War Horse one of Spielberg’s best films. It's an emotional roller coaster that easily consumes you as you watch it.

Tom Hiddleston is only in War Horse for a short period, but in that small time frame, he’s able to let you know everything you need to know about James Nicholls. He’s a good man, but maybe too good to survive this war. I’m sure if Hiddleston’s character had more time in War Horse, he would definitely rank a bit higher.

6. High-Rise (Robert Laing)

High-Rise is one of those films that feels very surreal, and it being set in the '70s makes the whole trippy, stylistic nature feel right. In basic terms, it’s a film about a group of people living in a new luxury high-rise. Some are from lower classes and others more wealthy. Tom Hiddleston’s character, Robert Laing, is in the middle of the high-rise and of medium wealth.

Hiddleston is the star of this film, and he must be the narrator and a character who hasn’t quite lost it yet, like the others, but easily able to go either way. Hiddleston keeps Laing as the moral compass for most of the film. However, he’s a very shaky compass, as his ambition and desires could easily push him over the edge.

5. The Deep Blue Sea (Freddie Page)

Tom Hiddleston stars opposite Rachel Weisz in this film about a woman who begins an affair. Hester (Rachel Weisz) eventually leaves her husband, William (Simon Russell Beale), for her lover, Freddie (Tom Hiddleston). The romance between Freddie and Hester is very passionate, but not the most stable romance.

It’s easy to see why Hester falls for Hiddleston's Freddie: he’s exciting, attractive, and a bit dangerous. He’s the quintessential posh bad boy. However, you can also easily see why this relationship is doomed to fail. It’s passionate but lacks security and emotional stability. Hiddleston makes you love and hate Freddie all in a matter of moments and makes you empathize with Hester’s dilemma.

4. Thor (Loki)

Thor follows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) as he’s banned from Asgard and sent to Earth as punishment for his reckless behavior. While on Earth, Thor learns what it truly means to be a king and hero. Meanwhile, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is plotting to take over Asgard.

I think many Marvel Cinematic Universe fans fell in love with Loki the minute he made his debut in Thor. The Marvel movies have just made fans grow even more fond of Loki. The reason fans fell in love with Loki in the first Thor movie is because Hiddleston portrayed him with so much depth. He was never just a villain. He was a man who always felt he was different and in his brother’s shadow. That misplaced loneliness and anger led to bad decisions, but he’s Loki, so you kind of just forgive him.

3. Crimson Peak (Sir Thomas Sharpe)

Crimson Peak is Guillermo del Toro’s Victorian Gothic film about a young woman, Edith (Mia Wasikowska) who marries a man named Thomas (Tom Hiddleston) and goes to live with him and his sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain), at their mansion called Crimson Peak. Unfortunately, ghosts have been warning Edith for years to stay away from Crimson Peak.

Something about Tom Hiddleston screams Victorian Gothic villain or love interest, so he was perfectly cast in Crimson Peak. Hiddleston also plays anti-heroes or villains turned sympathetic extremely well. He’s able to seduce viewers as he seduces Edith, have them turn against him, and then pull them right back in when he shows that he has a heart. Lovable villains/anti-heroes are Hiddleston's bread and butter. He does it so well. Crimson Peak is currently one of the best movies on Netflix.

2. Only Lovers Left Alive (Adam)

You know what Tom Hiddleston also screams? Actor who could play the heck out of a vampire. He gets that chance in Only Lovers Left Alive. He stars opposite Tilda Swinton in Jim Jarmusch’s dramedy vampire flick. Only Lovers Left Alive follows vampire soulmates Adam (Hiddleston) and Eve (Swinton) as they’re reunited after some time apart.

At times, Adam is so tragic. He’s the depressed vampire that has become the norm in pop culture, but then other times, Adam is hilarious. In particular, when Adam and Eve have to deal with Eve’s annoying sister, Ava (Mia Wasikowska), Only Lovers Left Alive becomes extremely funny. Swinton and Hiddleston play off each other well and you completely believe they are these vampire soulmates, forever linked. Only Lovers Left Alive is one of Hiddleston’s most nuanced performances as he adds so many comedic and dramatic layers to Adam.

1. Thor: The Dark World (Loki)

Thor: The Dark World is the 2013 sequel to Thor. It follows Thor’s rule of Asgard as the Dark Elves start to make trouble for him and those who he loves back on Earth, like Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). The Thor universe movies are probably my personal favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, but I think we can all agree that Thor: The Dark World was one of the weaker Thor and the MCU movies. However, this is the best Loki movie.

It’s after the Avengers, where he went full baddie and tried to take over Earth. This movie redeems Loki and fully establishes him as this complex character who will never quite be good and will never quite be evil. The tone of Loki as a character is set in Thor: The Dark World. We see this version of Loki in Thor: Ragnarok and the Loki TV series. He’s a trickster but he’s also this character who will always be ruled by his emotions and ties to those he loves, despite himself.

As far as we know Tom Hiddleston’s upcoming projects don’t involve any 2021 movies coming out, so we have to wait until 2022 to see his next best role in movies, but we’ll be anxiously waiting to see what new Tom Hiddleston character we’ll grow to love, whether they be antihero, hero, or just a man. Loki Season 1 is available to stream on Disney+. Stream it here.

It is a little disappointing that Tom Hiddleston is not starring in any upcoming 2021 movies, but knowing that he will be reprising his role as Loki on the God of Mischief’s highly anticipated self-titled TV spin-off and on Disney+ animated Marvel anthology series What If…? this year is a pretty good consolation. It is also reassuring to know that some of the best Tom Hiddleston movies are available on streaming, for digital rental, or to purchase as a physical copy as we wait for those shows to premiere and more films to premiere. The following are 11 great titles starring the talented, award-winning Brit, starting with one of his first major roles ever.

The Gathering Storm (2002)

Backbench Parliament member Winston Churchill (Albert Finney) seems to be the only one concerned about Adolf Hitler in pre-World War II-era London.

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: A 21-year-old Tom Hiddleston plays Randolph Churchill, the only son of Winston Churchill, in The Gathering Storm - an HBO original movie that earned two Golden Globes, including one for the late Albert Finney as the famed British prime minister.

Stream The Gathering Storm on HBO Max. *

Rent The Gathering Storm on Amazon. *

Buy The Gathering Storm on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Midnight In Paris (2011)

An American author (Owen Wilson) is magically visited by prominent artistic personalities of the 1920s in the wee hours of the night during a European getaway with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams).

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: Tom Hiddleston plays The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald in another historical figure portrayal (but with a fantasy twist) in Midnight in Paris - a charming, inventive, Oscar-winning comedy which also united him with fellow Loki cast member Owen Wilson for this first time.

Rent Midnight in Paris on Amazon. *

Buy Midnight in Paris on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.*

I Saw The Light (2015)

The meteoric rise of country music legend Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston) and his marriage with fellow musician Audrey Williams (WandaVision cast lead Elizabeth Olsen) to  being burdened by his declining health, as a result of his debilitating alcoholism.

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: Tom Hiddleston once again plays an influential artist opposite a fellow Marvel star in I Saw the Light, which is more of a straightforward biopic by comparison to Midnight in Paris, but still shines brightly thanks to the actor's stellar performance as Hank Williams.

Stream I Saw The Light on Tubi. *

Rent I Saw The Light on Amazon. *

Buy I Saw The Light on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

War Horse (2011)

After his beloved horse is sold into the calvary, a young man (Jeremy Irvine) enlists into the British military in order to find him during the first World War.

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: In yet another period piece in which he shares the screen with a fellow Marvel movie actor (this time Doctor Strange star Benedict Cumberbatch), Tom Hiddleston plays a World War I-era military captain in War Horse - director Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel which was also made into a stage play and one of best movies on Netflix at the moment.

Stream War Horse on Netflix. *

Rent War Horse on Amazon. *

Buy War Horse on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Crimson Peak (2015)

A young writer (Mia Wasikowska) hoping to outrun the ghost of her tragic past falls for a wealthy socialite (Tom Hiddleston), marries him, and moves in with him and his sister (Jessica Chastain) in their large gothic estate, where, as it turns out, even worse ghosts exist.

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: Once again, we have another period piece starring Tom Hiddleston and a Marvel movie actor (X-Men: Dark Phoenix star Jessica Chastain), and this time as siblings, too, with Crimson Peak - a visually stunning ode Victorian horror from writer and director Guillermo del Toro.

Stream Crimson Peak on Netflix. *

Rent Crimson Peak on Amazon. *

Buy Crimson Peak on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

A moody Detroit rock star (Tom Hiddleston) enjoys a reunion with his love (Tilda Swinton) whom he has been in an on-and-off romance with for centuries, seeing as they are both immortal creatures of the night.

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: While not a period piece, Only Lovers Left Alive qualifies as yet another romantic drama that borrows from traditional horror elements (namely that of vampire fiction) starring Tom Hiddleston and another Marvel movie star (Doctor Strange's Ancient One Tilda Swinton), but told through the extremely non-traditional eye of writer and director Jim Jarmusch.

Rent Only Lovers Left Alive on Amazon. *

Buy Only Lovers Left Alive on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.*

High-Rise (2015)

A young doctor (Tom Hiddleston) moves into a luxurious skyscraper where he experiences a class struggle of chaotic and surreal proportions in 1975 London.

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: There are no other Marvel movie stars among the top-notch cast of British actors led by Tom Hiddleston in High-Rise, but director Ben Wheatley's adaptation of J.G. Ballard's satirical sci-fi novel gets just as weird, if not weirder than, any superhero movie you could think of, making it one of the strangest, but also best, movies on Amazon Prime at the moment.

Stream High-Rise on Hulu, on Amazon Prime, on Tubi, on Crackle, on Plex, or on Vudu. *

Rent High-Rise on Amazon. *

Buy High-Rise on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Night Manager (2016)

A former British soldier (Tom Hiddleston) in charge of the late shift at a Cairo hotel is enlisted by the MI-6 to infiltrate the inner circle of a wanted illegal arms dealer (Hugh Laurie).

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston TV Shows: Based on the book by master spy novelist John Le Carré, the acclaimed AMC original miniseries The Night Manager (which also stars Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 actress Elizabeth Debicki) earned Tom Hiddleston his first Golden Globe win.

Stream The Night Manager on Amazon Prime. *

Rent The Night Manager on Amazon. *

Buy The Night Manager on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

A former British special forces tracker, an ambitious photographer, government scientists, and an army troop fresh off the Vietnam War encounter a building-sized gorilla on a remote island once thought to be nothing but a legend in 1973.

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: We get a triple threat of Marvel movie stars (Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, and Samuel L. Jackson) in Kong: Skull Island - director Jordan Vogt-Roberts shamelessly thrilling B-movie epic which is required viewing before you see Godzilla vs. Kong on HBO Max or on the big screen.

Stream Kong: Skull Island on HBO Max. *

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Buy Kong: Skull Island on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Early Man (2018)

After a tyrannical Bronze Age revolutionary (Tom Hiddleston) intrudes on his home, a young, intrepid caveman named Dug (Eddie Redmayne) tries to fight for his peaceful, prehistoric style village's freedom.

Why it’s one of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: Tom Hiddleston does what he always has done best as the voice of Lord Nooth, the ruthless main antagonist of Early Man - a fun, inventive rewrite of history ancient history from the Academy Award-winning director Nick Park, who is better known as the creator of the Wallace and Gromit series and movies as well.

Stream Early Man on HBO Max. *

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Buy Early Man on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Tom Hiddleston’s Marvel Movies (2012-2019)

Tired of living in the shadow of his heroic brother, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and having abruptly discovered his hidden Frost Giant ancestry, a shapeshifting Asgardian (Tom Hiddleston) accepts his destiny as a purveyor of chaos and destruction.

Why they are some of the best Tom Hiddleston movies: Loki immediately became the modern gold standard for cinematic supervillains in the early years of the MCU thanks to Tom Hiddleston's killer performance as the God of Mischief.

Stream Thor on Disney+. *

Rent Thor on Amazon.*

Buy Thor on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon*. *

Stream The Avengers on Disney+.

Stream The Avengers on Amazon Prime. *

Rent The Avengers on Amazon.*

Buy The Avengers on on DVD/Blu-ray Amazon*. *

Stream Thor: The Dark World on Disney+. *

Rent Thor: The Dark World on Amazon. *

Buy Thor: The Dark World on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon*. *

Stream Thor: Ragnarok on Disney+. *

Rent Thor: Ragnarok on Amazon.*

Buy Thor: Ragnarok on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon*. *

Stream Avengers: Infinity War on Disney+. *

Rent Avengers: Infinity War on Amazon. *

Buy Avengers: Infinity War on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+. *

Rent Avengers: Endgame on Amazon. *

Buy Avengers: Endgame on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

I highly recommend binging all of the Marvel movies above to make sure you are completely caught up with Loki's journey in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before Friday, June 11, 2021. That is the day on which Marvel's Loki TV show, which will take place after the strange, game-changing events of Avengers: Endgame, debuts on Disney+.

If you have not heard already, this spin-off series is looking to be pretty trippy and we would not want you to put yourself in a situation that makes you even more confused. However, in case superhero movies are not your cup of Earl Grey tea, is there another Tom Hiddleston movie or TV show from our list above that you prefer to watch on streaming instead?

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Streaming services have evolved pretty exponentially over the course of the past few years. With new, original films becoming premium offerings to subscribers, every month brings a new chance to gain some market share in the world of the movies. But that hasn’t totally overwritten the desire for platforms such as Netflix to still score some pre-existing titles for its streaming library. April 2021’s lineup shows the value of maintaining a fresh batch of incoming films from legacy libraries, and Netflix has done a rather fine job with its latest additions.

If you’re looking forward to April’s new field of titles, but want to see the full picture, you can see April’s full incoming lineup below. And if you’re compelled to revisit the best and the brightest add-ons from March’s crop of titles, that’ll be provided further down as well. But for now, let’s highlight some of the most excellent movies headed to Netflix in April 2021.

Insidious

The world is still waiting on actor Patrick Wilson to make his directorial debut with the latest installment of the Insidious franchise. Which makes now the perfect time to revisit the first film in the saga, which introduced Wilson’s Josh Lambert and his family that makes up the bulk of the Insidous universe’s foundation. No matter how many times we watch it, there’s still some moments that scare the hell out of us, and we’re hoping Insidious 5 gives us more of the same when it arrives.

Legally Blonde

Speaking of legacyquels, Legally Blonde has that long awaited third entry coming, with Reese Witherspoon set to become Elle Woods yet again. It’s hard to believe that this year marks 20 years since Elle first went to Harvard, and proved that it totally wasn’t hard to become a legal mind of our time. We won’t see Elle again until 2022’s debut of Legally Blonde 3, so we’re just going to have to make do with bending and snapping back to the case that started it all.

Leprechaun

Before she took a break from Ross on Friends and butted heads with Reese Witherspoon on The Morning Show, Jennifer Aniston did battle with the Leprechaun from the famed horror franchise of Leprechaun films. That first film left quite the impression, spawning sequels, reboots, and memes aplenty, and even Spiral director Darren Lynn Bousman wants to bring back the Leprechaun saga, as it rightfully should be allowed to do. Though it is hard not to enjoy the low-budget charm of that first film, deadly puns and all.

The Pianist

Before he struck it big as a member of the Wes Anderson Repertory Company, actor Adrien Brody made a name for himself with a huge Oscar win through the film The Pianist. Based on the true story of composer and Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, Brody’s central performance was so charged that it netted him awards and accolades upon the film’s release. It’s no secret why, as the intensity of The Pianist’s story is something that still resonates with audiences to this very day.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Here’s a hell of a time loop for you readers to dig into: former Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat was inspired by the book The Time Traveler’s Wife, and created the character River Song as a result. And now, years after his departure from running the TARDIS and its universe, Moffat will be adapting another version of Audrey Niffenegger’s best-selling book as an HBO series. While he’s worked with the material before, we still wish him the best of luck, as watching Eric Bana and time travel expert Rachel McAdams deal with a romance out of order is a hard act to beat.

Yes Man

It’s really funny that the Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man would be headed to Netflix not too long after the platform has debuted its own spin on the same story. Much like the Jennifer Garner comedy Yes Day, Carrey finds himself in a spot where he’s encouraged to say “yes” to everything that comes along. What results is a movie that would make a good natured double feature with Netflix’s own family comedy, and a case for the two worlds to collide, just to see Jim Carrey and Jennifer Garner goof it up a bit on screen.

The Master

Here we are, staring down another year where Amy Adams has been passed over for an Academy Award nomination. Though finding the talented actor nominated doesn’t mean she’ll win, as she’s yet to score a trophy at the big show, despite putting in amazing work in films like Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master. You’ll find a lot of people talking about sterling performances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix when they talk this film up, but pay close attention to Ms. Adams’ ruthlessly brilliant turn the next time you indulge in this masterpiece.

Available 4/15/21

Crimson Peak

If studios listened to Guillermo del Toro a little more, they might find themselves enjoying the results a bit better. Take the case of Crimson Peak as an example: del Toro wanted to make the film for $25 million, but the studio allowed the film to be made on a $50 million budget. While that extra money was definitely put to good use in this lush and haunting gothic romance, it raised the bar for what would have allowed the film to be considered a financial success. Though, to be fair, the end result is too beautiful to argue with, and already has its loyal legion of fans.

Available 4/16/21

Synchronic

Even in a year as chaotic as 2020, there were still some under the radar hits that had people talking, much like the film Synchronic. Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead continued to earn a reputation as outside the box thinkers, as this time travel drug drama starring Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan turned a lot of heads with its trippy tale. And now, Netflix subscribers will get to dive into the mystery head first thanks to Synchronic making its way into the April lineup.

Available 4/16/21

Miss Sloane

If you were looking for a good time to have a Jessica Chastain film festival, then you might want to start clearing your schedule out for some time later in April. Not only is Crimson Peak being added to Netflix’s library, but The Zookeeper’s Wife and Miss Sloane are also being loaded into the library next month. Though if you’re strapped for time, we’d recommend keeping both Guillermo del Toro’s twisted romance and this Michael Clayton-esque thriller on the bill, at the bare minimum.

Available 4/19/21

These titles and more will be the stuff that Netflix subscribers’ dreams are made of, but be warned: titles are subject to change and availability, so contents may shift in the time between now and their planned debut. And don’t forget, unless specifically noted, all titles above come online at the first of the month. Stay safe, stream responsibly and we’ll see you back here around this time next month for June’s movie highlights on the Netflix platform!

Calculating the success or failure of a movie extends beyond simply looking at how much money it makes. Several vital factors play a role in how well a film does, and that is something that Guillermo del Toro has had to cope with throughout his career. In fact, while recently talking about his 2015 gothic horror love story, Crimson Peak, del Toro explained that the film ultimately failed at the box office because of its relatively high $50 million budget. The Shape of Water's director said:

A movie like Crimson Peak may have technically grossed $25 million more than the budget, but that figure only factors in how much it costs to shoot the movie. Between marketing costs and countless other elements, a movie needs to clear far more than its production budget in order to break even. Crimson Peak has arguably developed a cult following since its theatrical run (even Stephen King raved about it), but its high price tag basically made it impossible for the film to achieve mainstream financial success.

That tricky equation of budget size highlighted in Guillermo del Toro's interview with Deadline is something that he has become all too familiar with over the course of his career. This phenomenon is perhaps most notable in the $411 million worldwide gross for his $190 million Pacific Rim. Like Crimson Peak, Pacific Rim is a film that has developed a rabid fanbase, and it will even receive a sequel called Pacific Rim: Uprising in 2018, but compared to other 2013 movies like Iron Man 3 or Man of Steel, it didn't become a full-blown hit.

This issue even reared its head on Guillermo del Toro's most recent film, The Shape of Water, which cost a fraction of his Crimson Peak budget. Specifically, del Toro planned to make The Shape of Water for $12 million in black and white, but Fox Searchlight offered him a budget of $19.6 million to produce the film in color. That figure is reportedly shoestring compared to what he managed to accomplish, so for many fans of del Toro's work, hope remains high that it can make enough money in its theatrical run to achieve mainstream success.

On that note, make sure to catch Guillermo del Toro's work on The Shape of Water, which is now in theaters.

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If there's anything Guillermo del Toro's movies have taught the world, it's that monsters are people, too. And much like the creatures of his films, del Toro has taken what's normally considered genre filmmaking and turned it into a brilliant, lush playground for his imagination to truly run wild. But out of all of his children, which ones does he value the most? Well, according to a recent Q&A, the man himself ranked his six best films as follows:

This was in response to a specific criteria though, as the Reddit commenter who asked Guillermo del Toro about his ranking of his films based on how close they came to his vision, as well as how passionate he was about the film's creative process. Out of the 10 films that he's directed, those six films were selected and ranked accordingly. While each film is a winner in its own right, as well as in the eyes of their creator, Pacific Rim was apparently the most fun and most artistically aligned to what del Toro intended for audiences to see.

Looking at that list of films as a movie fan, it's hard to rank those films on face value. But looking at some of the pitfalls and stories behind some of those films, you can see where they may have fallen behind. Take Pan's Labyrinth, for instance. While the film did go on to make a big splash for Guillermo del Toro's career, it was almost sabotaged by the fact that several possible studios were willing to offer more financing if the film was made in English, and with bigger stars. Even The Shape of Water ran into some studio-suggested changes, as his original black-and-white vision was swapped for the more colorful approach that the film currently inhabits.

But sitting right at the top of the list, in all of its towering glory, is Pacific Rim;__a movie that suffered its own problems, but more on the box office receipt end. And yet, that film was so much of a product of unbridled faith and limitless imagination that Guillermo del Toro feels like it's the best film he's put out there. Though there are no losers in this line-up, as del Toro clearly loves all of his children, there are clearly some films that were easier and more satisfying to make than others. It happens when you're a director known to push the boundaries of the monster realm, exploring the places few others venture out to.

The Shape of Water is in limited release now, and it will expand to more theaters this Friday, December 8.

While some of you may not have noticed it, 2016 has been an absolutely outstanding year for the horror genre. The Witch started the year off strong, but since then we have been effectively spooked by The Conjuring 2, Hush, Don't Breathe, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and more. Sadly, the same can't be said for the last few years, which have had a few standout titles at best, amongst plenty of mediocrity.

That being said, there are some horror movies from the last five years that were dismissed by critics, but deserved more shrift than they got -- and that's what we're here to talk about today. While not a complete list, we've compiled a batch of what we feel to be some of the most underrated horror movies to come out since 2011. Check out our choices, read our reasons, and then hit the comments section at the bottom with your own selections!

Final Destination 5

In 2011, the Final Destination franchise was in serious trouble. What had started as a fun series built around Rube Goldberg-esque death scenarios seriously wore out its welcome by the time that the stupidly-titled The Final Destination rolled around -- and as a result people weren't paying much attention when director Steven Quale's sequel rolled around. This is unfortunate, because the truth is that it's one of the best in the run.

Final Destination 5 immediately gets points for not having a stupid title, but it gets even more for bringing back everything fans love about the franchise. The inciting incident doesn't top Final Destination 2 (nor will anything now or in the series' future), but it most definitely features some of the most shocking and gruesome deaths that the movies have to offer -- including the gymnastics incident and the "malfunction" at the laser eye center. It also deserves a tremendous amount of credit for featuring one of the best manufactured twists we've seen in mainstream horror in the last few years, so if you haven't learned about it yet, do yourself a favor and put this one on your to-do list immediately.

Silent House

Elizabeth Olsen immediately established herself as a fast rising star in 2011, in large part because of her role in the critically-acclaimed cult drama Martha Marcy May Marlene. What most people forget, however, is that Olsen had two features at the Sundance Film Festival that year - the other being Chris Kentis and Laura Lau's Silent House. The rave reviews received by the former effectively drowned out the middling reviews received by the latter, but it's actually something that genre fans should give a chance.

Silent House's big hook is that the movie is a home invasion thriller that happens in real time and in one continuous shot -- and while the truth is that there are a few invisible cuts, the film is scary and effecting. It's approach creates a unique claustrophobia as Elizabeth Olsen's Sarah hides from her attackers all around her family's old, dilapidated house, and while the finale is far from the best horror ending we've seen in recent years (that award going to The Babadook), it doesn't totally undercut the intense thrills that precede it.

Evil Dead

As a result of multiple genre changes from project-to-project, a lot of people forget the initial intentions of Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead. While cult audiences eventually fell in love with Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams and his sassy one-liners in the sequels, Raimi primarily brought his brothers and his friends into the backwoods of Tennessee to shoot a remarkably gruesome, horrific horror movie. Because of this misperception, a lot of critics dismissed director Fede Alvarez's mostly humorless, absolutely disgusting Evil Dead "remake" in 2013 -- but the truth is that the film is the an important piece within the larger franchise puzzle, and executes Sam Raimi's original vision with passion and disturbing energy.

The word "affecting" doesn't quite do 2013's Evil Dead justice, as it is one of the few films in recent years that makes you want to crawl under your seat so badly that you're willing to risk the stickiness and popcorn residue. From some gnarly face dissection with a piece of jagged mirror, to artful application of an electric carving knife, to an unholy use of a box cutter, the movie makes even the most seasoned horror vet want to turn from the screen every five minutes. I still have my fingers tightly crossed that Jane Levy will one day make her way to Starz's Ash vs. Evil Dead.

Paranormal Activity 3

There isn't a more divisive franchise in modern horror than the Paranormal Activity movies -- with some deriving legitimate chills from the action, and others deriving legitimate boredom. The Blair Witch Project-esque "is it real?" question helped float the first movie, but each successor faced the question of how to make security cam footage interesting. It's a serious problem in the underwhelming Paranormal Activity 2, but Paranormal Activity 3 actually does have a particular spark.

In this case, it's hard not to give credit to directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, who were just coming off the controversial success of Catfish. Not only is Paranormal Activity 3 a nice franchise change-up in that the story is set back in the late 1980s (literally a bit of found footage in the Paranormal Activity universe), it also actually utilizes some cool cinematic tools -- the standout being the camera strapped to an oscillating fan. It sucks that the series ultimately ended quite pitifully, but this is a bright spot within it.

The Visit

I'm like many of you: I lost faith in M. Night Shyamalan years ago. In fact, I lost faith a lot earlier than most, as I fell off the writer/director's bandwagon after the twist in Unbreakable. Of course, it's still hard to ignore the true talent on display in The Sixth Sense, and the truth is that The Visit is a surprising small-scale horror film.

In addition to being one of the better examples of found footage in recent years (a genre that has been somewhat unfairly written off), the effectively creates a skin-crawling atmosphere out of what many of us would consider completely ordinary: a trip to grandma and grandpa's house. It does come with the patented M. Night Shyamalan twist, but it's a modest one that doesn't take over the story and instead merely heightens it. Surely many of you are still on the fence about Shyamalan, but between The Visit and his buzzed-about upcoming Split, it looks like the guy is on a road to redemption.

Insidious

It's weird to think that James Wan was shocking audiences with the original Saw a full 13 years ago, but he has seriously come a long way since then, and established himself as one of Hollywood's premiere genre filmmakers. To date, his crowning achievements have been both of the Conjuring movies, which combine based-on-a-true-story elements with period horror to generate a compelling series -- but not to be overlooked is the first Insidious, which didn't quite get the reviews it deserves when it dropped back in 2011.

The film is part of the same paranormal spirit subgenre that has become irritatingly popular in mainstream horror, but James Wan has proven himself one of the few filmmakers who can work it properly. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne make a great duo playing a pair of parents facing down an evil spirit that is tormenting their son, and it manages to simultaneously create its own cool mythology and special aesthetic with the introduction of The Further. The sequels that followed aren't as good, but the first Insidious is a fun, haunting ride.

Sinister

When watching writer/director Scott Derrickson's Sinister, there are moments when it's hard to focus on the figures in the frame simply because the empty space finds itself more captivating. The movie weaves a largely ordinary story about a grisly murder that seems to be haunting the new residents of a spooky house, but what makes the underwhelmingly-reviewed film work is the atmosphere and growing suspicion that evil is going to creep out of a dark shadow.

While genre tropes like spooky kids and demon faces in photographs won't blow any horror junkie away, the film does stay with you just because of how it makes you feel while watching it. The R-rating allows for the videos being watched by Ethan Hawke's Ellison Oswalt to be effectively dark and disturbing, but it's the terror outweighs the horror in this one, and even more impressive is that Sinister doesn't overly exploit it with cheap jump scares. It's not perfect, but with time and reflection we feel it's now fair to call it underrated.

Crimson Peak

Guillermo Del Toro stands tall as one of the film industry's seriously under-appreciated auteurs. Even when the critics do connect with his work, it's rare for the filmmaker to get much love at the box office (particularly domestically). In the case of Crimson Peak, it was a loss on two fronts -- as the film was neither supported by big buzz, or general movie-goers. It's sad, because while it may not be the best representation of Del Toro's skills, it is an epically beautiful and well-told gothic horror story.

There admittedly isn't a tremendous amount to the script - which has only a modestly decent mystery propelling it and completes with a predictable twist -- but boy is Crimson Peak absolutely stunning. The film's eponymous house is a true piece of art, and every angle that reveals a new portion of it manages to deepen its beauty. It also certainly doesn't hurt to pack the cast with a powerful triumvirate in Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Tom Hiddleston, who all deliver fantastic turns. In summation, it's Guillermo Del Toro's most underrated work.

Twitter has given us many gifts since it was invented, and now it's possible that it has bestowed upon us one of the best memes to ever meme the internets. Ladies are now being encouraged to name their vaginas after the last film they saw. I know! This article is going to be awesome!

The meme started a couple of days ago, and has quickly become a popular way for the women of Twitter to get in on some pure, nonsensical fun. The basics are super simple: let everyone know what the name of your vagina would be based on the last movie you saw. Some people are sticking to the last film they saw in a theater, like Twitter user @Christinaa_A, who now has one of the naughtiest vagina names on (fake) record:

Ahem...Sausage Party, indeed. Some of the names will likely make ladies of all ages stand up and cheer. Just take a look:

No Country for Old Men? Amen, sister! What? OK, never mind. As can be expected with a process this silly and random, many of the new names turn out dirty in a major way, and will give you all kinds of mental pictures you probably don't want swirling around in your head during the workday...or, possibly, at any time of the day.

Oh, dear. A lot of elderly ladies just got very uncomfortable and have no idea why. It's like the mention of Midnight Meat Train has caused a disturbance in the vagina force. Speaking of force, some of the names are quite strong and demanding of our attention. Which is fitting, I think, considering what it is we're discussing here.

Now that, friends, is a vagina that demands to be noticed and treated with a fitting level of respect. A vagina named Crimson Peak will not be ignored! Actually, neither will this vagina, if I'm thinking about the title in the correct terms.

Oh, who the hell am I kidding? Of course I'm thinking about the title in the only terms that you can think about that title in relation to vaginas. She last watched The Jungle Book, people. It's pretty obvious what's being said here, whether it's true or not, am I right?

Just for reference, since I know you must all be wondering, my vagina has a first name now, and it also happens to belong to a totally awesome dude who is the chosen one. That's right, folks, I am now in possession of a vagina named Keanu. And, because the internet is frequently a wonderful place where dreams can come true, I'm A-OK with that.

Usually February isn't a great time for new DVD and Blu-ray releases, but this year the major studios seem to have gone all out. There are some splashy awards contenders heading to Blu-ray and DVD this month, but also some fun releases,including a new edition of Snow White and even Sabrina The Teenage Witch: The Complete Series. You can check out all of the big releases that will be available, below.

And if you are looking for what came out in January, you can check out our full list, here.

February 2

Our Brand Is Crisis Blu-ray

Outwardly, Our Brand Is Crisis has a lot going for it, including a snappy title, a compelling cast list and an interesting directorial choice in Eastbound & Downs’s David Gordon Green. While Our Brand Is Crisis does have some hilarious moments coupled with some intriguing political moves, the Sandra Bullock-starrer doesn’t make for the awards hopeful the early previews made us optimistic for. Still, some great verbal sparring between Bullock’s Jane and Billy Bob Thornton’s Pat is worth watching and as Jane attempts to nab a win for her political candidate Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida), her team (Scoot McNairy, Zoe Kazan, Ann Dowd and Anthony Mackie) and the shenanigans they get up to are worth a watch. Just don’t go into this one expecting something special. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set is devoid of bells and whistles, but there is one bonus feature with Sandra Bullock that is available if you want to hear all about actors talking about their roles. You can order Our Brand is Crisis here.

Suffragette Blu-ray

Suffragette is about a lot of things: marriage trouble, workforce issues, equal rights for women, poverty, abuse. The film stars Carey Mulligan as Maud Watts, a laundress who has worked since her prepubescent years, but has been unhappy with her situation, thanks to living in poverty and being abused by her boss. When the suffragette movement goes into full swing in her neighborhood, she inadvertently gets involved, but begins to like what she sees from her suffragette comrades, Emily (Natalie Press), Edith (Helena Bonham Carter) and Violet (Anne-Marie Duff). Sarah Gavron’s movie isn’t exactly a fun film, in fact it’s mostly a worst-case scenario about what a woman’s lack of freedom could look like. Still, it’s a compelling reminder that society has come a long way, and still have a long way to go. A remarkable number of extras are actually available with Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s set, including the now-basic audio commentary and a featurette and a VFX featurette, the latter of which I wouldn’t have presumed was a huge deal for this sort of movie. Order your own copy here.

Other February 2 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Bridge of Spies

Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs Blu-ray

Truth

Our Brand Is Crisis

Show Me A Hero

Suffragette

Falling Skies: The Complete Fifth Season

The Last Witch Hunter

Rock the Casbah

Meadowland DVD

Big Stone Gap

Mercy Street

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Complete Second Season

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet

The Land Before Time: Journey of the Brave DVD Walmart

The Beauty Inside

For Better Or For Worse Hallmark DVD

My Boyfriends’ Dogs Hallmark DVD

Extraordinary Tales

The Keeping Room

Man Up

Week of February 2 Digital Releases

Spotlight

The 33

Zombie Fight Club

Steve Jobs

February 9

Crimson Peak Blu-ray

Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak follows more squarely under gothic romance than it does horror film. The setting is as spooky as you would expect from a Del Toro film, and there are ghosts and monsters—of a sort—involved, but Crimson Peak is mostly about deep emotions and how those emotions can sometimes be as frightening as they are compelling. It starts with a girl, Edith (Mia Wasikowska), the wealthy daughter of a businessman who is eager to fall in love. She believes she has found it in Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), who lives with his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain), in a big, drafty and tattered estate built on red clay. But not everything is as it seems in the big, old house, and soon Edith’s very life is at stake. The rest unfolds in moments of suspense and gore, in a twisted and emotive narrative that plays out slowly, but ends on a satisfying note.

The extras within Crimson Peak’s Blu-ray set totally run the gamut from deleted scenes to information about gothic romances and costume design. The latter segment "Hand Tailored Gothic," is a little weird to navigate to, but otherwise I have no complaints about Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s set. Crimson Peak won’t be a movie for everyone, but if you do like it, you can order it over at Amazon.

Spectre Blu-ray

Spectre in the 24th installment in the James Bond franchise and quite possibly the last to feature Daniel Craig. It’s a pretty fun movie with a spectacular opening sequence that makes great use of the new M (Ralph Fiennes) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), but makes less great use of its villain, Ernst Stavro Blomfeld (Christoph Waltz), whose name is the least cartoon-ey thing about him. Still, despite the fact that Spectre impresses a little less than its predecessor, Skyfall, Sam Mendes' still mostly works, employing plenty of the gadgets we’ve come to love from the Bond films, not to mention the one-liners. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment knows where the money is at with Sony’s latest Bond film. One of the bonus features focuses on the opening sequence in the film, which places James Bond in Mexico City just in time for the Day of the Dead. "Bonds Biggest Opening Sequence" is the best extra on the disc and worth a watch. Catch the movie on Blu-ray, here.

Grandma Blu-ray

Lily Tomlin makes nearly everything better, which is why she is absolutely crushing it on Netflix's Grace & Frankie and in Grandma despite being in her seventies (a time when many other actresses and actors are already out of the game). In Paul Weitz's Grandma, the subject matter will be tough for some. A burdened 18-year-old named Sage (Julia Garner) enlists the help of her freewheeling grandmother Elle (Tomlin) in order to try and raise money for an abortion so she can continue her life plan. The subject matter is handled deftly and with emotion, and side performances from Elle’s former lovers (Sam Elliott and Judy Greer) as well as her daughter (Marcia Gay Harden) help to keep the story grounded and engaging. The Sony Picture Home Entertainment isn’t a loud movie or a big budget one and the Blu-ray set as such isn’t particularly highfalutin; still there are more extras than you would guess for a low budget flick on this disc, including a shorter Q&A and longer audio commentary from the cast and director. Order your own copy here.

Other February 9 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Love the Coopers

MI-5

Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection

The Leftovers: The Complete Second Season

99 Homes

Week of February 9 Early Digital Releases

Legend

The Night Before

The Peanuts Movie (February 12) Glassland (February 12) Sandcastles (February 15)

February 16

Steve Jobs Blu-ray

Steve Jobs is about a personality more than it is about a person. It’s not particularly interested in where the Apple co-founder was born or where he ended up. Instead, it’s interested in the aggressive, straight-ahead, relentless personality of a man that both fascinated and infuriated those around him. Told through the lens of several high profile speeches the visionary gave, Steve Jobs lets viewers know the subject in a way a simple list of facts never would have. That’s the key here. Liberties are taken. Details are changed, but director Danny Boyle and the magnificent cast that includes Michael Fassbender are able to get the spirit right. Fans looking to get further inside the head of the pioneer will especially enjoy Universal's Blu-ray set, which includes multiple feature commentaries that talk about Jobs, as well as a wonderful featurette about the larger making of the movie. You can buy it at Amazon, here.

Trumbo Blu-ray

Jay Roach's Trumbo isn’t a movie about standing up for what you believe in. It’s a movie about the degrees to which people stand up for what they believe in. It’s about what people are willing to sacrifice and what they will never gamble, even with good odds. During the height of the red scare, Dalton Trumbo was one of the most famous screenwriters in the world. He was blacklisted and sent to jail for being a Communist, along with several others. Some of them fought harder, faster and more aggressively. Trumbo fought to manipulate his way back into the very system that pushed him away. It’s an inspiring story of compromise, and it’s no surprise Jay Roach’s film was nominated for some Academy Awards. Fans of history will definitely enjoy the flick, and hopefully they’ll enjoy Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray set, although extras are light on the disc. A few featurettes are included, which include a look back at the historical Dalton Trumbo and a look at how Bryan Cranston transformed himself into the screenwriter. You can buy it at Amazon here.

The 33 Blu-ray

Heartwarming stories aren’t typically the big releases out this time of year, as it’s a lot of awards hopefuls and artsy films that are vying for people’s attentions. However, if you’re looking for a story with a happy-ish ending, The 33 is it. If you’ve paid attention to the news over the past several years, you are probably already familiar with the Chilean Mining Disaster that made daily headlines around the world in 2010. We already know the ending to the actual incident, so we already know the ending to The 33. But a strong cast (including Antonio Banderas, James Brolin, Juliette Binoche and Rodrigo Santoro) keeps the momentum up in the movie's less riveting moments, when all of the claustrophobia from the mining incident has set in and the men can only wait. And wait. And wait. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set doesn’t delve much into the history behind The 33, but fans who do want to purchase the film will also get an Ultraviolet copy. Order it here.

Black Mass Blu-ray

Johnny Depp has a penchant for playing interesting and intricate characters, and it’s hard to get more interesting than gangster Whitey Bulger. The 2015 biopic is directed Scot Cooper and tells the story of Whitey Bulger’s gang who is living and working in South Boston in the 1970s. Flashbacks and flash forwards are implemented, giving the movie an intriguing pace and feel, which is at some moments slow and others violent. If you are interested in the Winter Hill Gang, you’ll doubtless find a lot to like here, but as far as American Gangster films go, this isn’t the most compelling gang-related big screen endeavor we’ve seen in recent years. Luckily, it does have a stacked cast, including Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Fargo’s Jesse Plemons and Kevin Bacon, and is worth at least one watch. If you do go a step further and purchase Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s big Blu-ray set, you’ll get a DVD and Ultraviolet copy of the flick, as well as a few bonus features that look at the history of the film and how Johnny Depp approached the role. Order it here.

Togetherness: The Complete First Season Blu-ray

While HBO is known for several long-running dramas and comedy, in the past year, the subscription cable network has actually ramped up its programming quite a bit. One of the network’s newbie comedies is Togetherness, the offbeat comedy starring Mark Duplass, Amanda Peet, Melanie Lynskey and Steve Zissis. Brett and Michelle Pierson (Duplass and Lynskey) are married but having problems when they let their friends Tina and Alex (Peet and Zissis) stay in their home while they work out the shit in their respective lives. This leads to some fun days, some drama, and a cliffhanger ending in the final episode that makes us very happy that HBO has renewed the series for a second season. Togetherness is clearly not the flashiest of HBO’s shows, and as such, HBO Home Entertainment’s bonus set is not too flashy, either. There are deleted scenes on the disc that help to flesh out moments between the characters more and interviews with Amanda Peet (who is married to Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff). Lots to love here if you want to revisit the show again, but this is not a must-purchase if you have access to HBO Now or Go. Order the Blu-ray here.

February 16 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Estranged (February 12) Trumbo

Girls: The Complete Fourth Season

Criminal Activities

Peaky Blinders: Series Two

Labyrinth of Lies

Sabrina The Teenage Witch: The Complete Series DVD

Week of February 16 Early Digital Releases

Room

The Affair

Creed

The Danish Girl

February 23

Fargo: Year 2 Blu-ray

Fargo’s first season was tightly scripted and highly entertaining, but with a change of setting and a jump back in time, Fargo: Year Two is given free rein to tell a wild and compelling story. The Sioux Falls Massacre is mentioned a few times by Keith Carradine’s Lou Solverson. In Year Two, we head back to 1979, where a much younger Lou Solverson (Patrick Wilson) is just returning from Vietnam to do more local, but no less bloody work as a policeman. A murder mystery leads him to cross paths with a slew of interesting individuals, including Peggy and Ed Blumquist (Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons), the Gerhardt crime family, lead by Floyd (Jean Smart), and more. Also, Season 1’s Martin Freeman is back as the narrator, which is pretty swell. If you haven’t seen it, yet, I won’t spoil the more fanciful, absurd parts of Season 2, but I will say, all 10 episodes of the Noah Hawley-led program are a doozy and the split screen camera work and beautifully shot landscapes look really great on Blu-ray.

There’s a cute little sticker on the front of the packaging that promises "fascinating" cast and creator interviews. They’re not (although they are extensive, with one specific interview feature running at 45 minutes). But that’s okay, because there are a lot of other fun extras with the set--like the one about crime in the Midwest--spread across the three Blu-ray discs. You can order Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s set over at Amazon.

Spotlight Blu-ray

Spotlight is a careful, well-organized movie that doesn’t care about being showy. It eschews big emotional moments for slow, methodical story development, which makes a lot of sense. The case against the Catholic Church wasn’t built in a day. It was built by the members of the Spotlight team in steady stream, though long nights and dogged determination. Spotlight honors that workload, and it does so in a way that lets viewers really understand how hard it is to break a story. It never contrives or manipulates either. It just uses great performances by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and a whole lot more to let viewers connect. The strategy works too. Director Tom McCarthy’s end result is very compelling and very emotional, without every feeling cheap or undeserved. Not surprisingly, many of Spotlight’s features focus on journalism. They’re extremely compelling, and given how much the film will affirm viewers’ faiths in journalism, one would imagine Universal's featurettes, including "The State Of Journalism," will be consumed a lot more than most Blu-ray extras. You can pick up the disc over at Amazon here.

February 23 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

The Good Dinosaur

Secret In Their Eyes

Spotlight

Fargo: Year 2

Doctor Who: The Husbands of River Song

Extraction

I Smile Back

Diablo

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar

Week of February 23 Early Digital Releases

Brooklyn

In the Heart of the Sea

Victor Frankenstein

Yosemite

My All American

Day Out of Days

A huge chunk of the dazzling, big budget movies are released around the holidays, but January is a time when a lot of films are gaining awards notice, which means there are plenty of movies heading to Blu-ray and DVD before the Oscars air on February 28. Among this month’s big Blu-ray releases are The Martian and The Walk, but there are some excellent Digital movies hitting homes this month, too, including but not limited to Straight Outta Compton, Crimson Peak and Black Mass. Give the full list a look, below.

If you’re still keen to check out December releases, you can see them all here.

January 5

The Walk, Blu-ray

Juggling and street work aren’t enough of an emotional high for Philippe Petit, a real-life tightrope walker who is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the film. Other bit players like Ben Kingsley and Charlotte Le Bon show up as characters supporting Petit in his biggest of big endeavors—aka walking between the Twin Towers on a tightrope—but this is mostly Gordon-Levitt’s rodeo. Overall, Robert Zemeckis’ lengthy story about the makings of a tightrope walker does have one big payoff: the walk itself, which is shot from such angles that the stakes are high and the visual effects are glorious. Having seen it on Blu-ray, I can only imagine what The Walk looks like in 3D, but I'd guess only good things can be said about that copy. If you were inspired by many of the dazzling effects in The Walk, you can catch the Blu-ray bonus features,which explain how very few practical effects had to be built in order to make the Twin Towers and Petit’s very famous walk come to life. The man of the hour even pops up in the extras, and an alternative opening and other deleted scenes provide even more whimsy and character background in the film. You can order your own copy over at Amazon.

Flesh and Bone, Blu-ray

It’s long been assumed that delicate and stunning ballet choreography only comes with a lot of pain. Regardless, the lead in Starz’s ballet drama Flesh and Bone, Claire (newcomer Sarah Hays), is used to a lot more pain than the kind sustained in her feet and ankles. She’s run away from home and her brother (Josh Helman) does not behave in a very brotherly manner toward her. This is one ballet story that’s not particularly romantic. Newcomer Sarah Hay is willing dancer but a troubled young woman and she’s surrounded by a well-acted cast who all play their own distinctive parts in her ultimate tale, including great turns from Damon Herriman as Claire's watcher and homeless neighbor Romeo, Ben Daniels as the compelling ballet head Paul Grayson and Irina Dvorovenko as the aging prima donna Kiira. It’s an overly dark story and often unsettling, but once you turn on the eight-episode series, it’s likely you’ll binge-watch your way through. Starz’s Blu-ray release is a barebones affair, with only a behind-the scenes feature called "Creating the World of 'Flesh and Bone" available with the set to "flesh out" Breaking Bad scribe Moira Waley-Beckett’s limited event series. Order your own copy, here.

True Detective: Season 2, DVD

Few shows elicited such a monumental amount of anticipation as True Detective did in the time between the polarizing Season 1 finale and the equally polarizing Season 2 premiere. With a positively stellar cast that includes Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn and Taylor Kitsch, the sophomore season of the dark and violent HBO drama centered on the aftermath surrounding the murder of a California land developer with a hand in way too many cookie jars. It came with everything one would expect from a neo-noir, from distinct murders to oodles of smoking to a moodiness so thick you can’t put a bullet through it. The complication-filled season was either ploddingly boring or exceedingly tense, depending on what you were looking for, and audiences were keen on expressing exactly what they thought of it all. The DVD set features a few features that fans will enjoy, including a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at the city block-spanning shootout centerpiece and a brief overview of the season as a whole. (The location-porn extra compiling overhead shots of California locations was questionable.) I most enjoyed the commentaries with the stars and creator Nic Pizzolatto that accompanied two episodes, including the finale. If this sounds up your gritty alley, go ahead and order your own copy over on Amazon.

Other January 5 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

The Visit

Sicario

Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser

Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse

The Green Inferno

Sleeping With Other People DVD

Broad City: Season 2 DVD

Condemned

Captive

Agatha Christie’s Partner in Crime

Week of January 5 Digital Releases

Galavant: Season 1 Our Brand Is Crisis

Jem and the Holograms

Straight Outta Compton

Legend

New Girl: Season 5 (January 6)

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (January 7)

American Crime (January 7)

January 12

The Martian, Blu-ray

Above all else, The Martian is a love letter to problem solving. It’s a big budget, over-the-top reminder that human beings are capable of accomplishing incredible things when they work together and have their backs against the wall. To get stranded Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) back from Mars, the smart people over at NASA must scheme, bicker, lie, barter and use their incredibly well-developed brains. It’s a gigantic ordeal, and thanks to Ridley Scott’s careful direction, it always feels exciting and understandable. The math may be too complicated for most of us, but the spirit is alive and exciting. Plus, with a slew of incredible supporting performances featuring everyone from Jeff Daniels to Donald Glover to Jessica Chastain, The Martian has as much talent as any film released in 2015. Extras include a gag reel--which I guess makes it more of a comedy?--and some behind-the-scenes featurettes that look at the making of the movie, all courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Plus, there are some Ares focused extras, many of which can be viewed online. The Martian is absolutely one of a handful of must-own movies that came out in 2015. Own it now.

Hotel Transylvania 2, Blu-ray

Director Genndy Tartakovsky came back for the Hotel Transylvania sequel, and because he and most of the main cast are back, the result is another pretty cute and warm comedy that can be enjoyed by family members of all ages. It’s one issue is that it takes a while to get into the main narrative, as we need to catch up with characters like Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his pals Frankenstein (Kevin James), Wayne (Steve Buscemi), Griffin (David Spade) and Murray (Keegan-Michael Key), not to mention the nuptials between Mavis (Selena Gomez) and Jonathan (Andy Samberg) and a pregnancy before the movie can get to the real story. This is just a speed bump created when Hotel Transylvania 2 decided to tell a story at a much later time than the original movie, but once we get into through the beginning, the pace is quick and entertaining. You’ll have a blast, and so will your kids.

One of the things I really like about Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s set is that it is pretty interactive. The characters from the movie will talk to you—or preferably your kids—when you pop the disc in, enticing you to stay for a sing-a-long "scary-oke." Some deleted scenes are also included and audio commentary, but the extras that are more kids-geared are always going to be better for this sort of release than commentary from Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel and Allen Covert. Disney has enough of an adult fandom that I don’t think it has quite the same problem, but with this release, stick to the Scary-oke. Order your own copy of Hotel Transylvania 2 over at Amazon.

January 12 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Sinister 2

Mr. Robot: Season 1

Paranormal Activity 5: The Ghost Dimension

Irrational Man

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride The Devil Wears Prada: The 10th Anniversary Blu-ray

The Stanford Prison Experiment

All of My Heart

Week of January 12 Early Digital Releases

Black Mass

Goosebumps

The Last Witch Hunter

Burnt (January 15)

January 19

The Intern, Blu-ray

Nancy Meyers has made a career out of directing romantic, sentimental movies (and The Parent Trap). This time around, the writer and director ultimately opted to look at a different sort of relationship, creating The Intern, a story about a young woman named Jules (Anne Hathaway) who is just getting her first big experience as a boss and the relationship she cultivates with her retired intern, Ben (Robert De Niro). This seems like a pretty uncomplicated plot, but Meyers’ viewpoint is generally complicated, and Jules’ stressed relationship with her husband Matt (Anders Holm) actively plays into the plot, as well. Luckily, there are plenty of hijinks that come when Ben begins to engage with a bunch of other millenials (loveably played by Adam Devine, Zack Pearlman, Nat Wolff and Christina Scherer). It’s a fun movie and an engaging one, although not one that is meant to be groundbreaking or Awards-worthy. Three featurettes come with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set and do a lot to explain how Meyers came up with the idea for The Intern and hired a lot of young (or at least young-ish) comedians to really add to the script. Another segment looks at the fashion in the movie, but we gotta say, that one's a little less exciting. If you are just finding The Intern or would love to revisit the movie, you can order your own copy of the film, here.

Straight Outta Compton, Blu-ray

Straight Outta Compton is about more than the music that made N.W.A. famous, but the music is also what propels the music biopic film into something a bit more enigmatic and fun. While largely focusing on the rise of N.W.A. and the behind-the-scenes drama that caused problems for the rap crew, the movie also touches on a lot of cultural problems facing Los Angeles in the early nineties, although there are gaps in its narrative. It’s not a fun, feel-good movie, but thanks to solid performances from Paul Giamatti (playing Jerry Heller), Corey Hawkins (playing Dr. Dre), Jason Mitchell (playing Eazy-E), O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube) and a solid pace, Straight Outta Compton’s 2 ½ hour runtime flies by. Not only do you get a lot of movie with Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s set, the extras are extensive. A slew of deleted scenes, including on musical performance, exist with the Blu-ray. A ton of behind-the-scenes extras look at the origins of the film and feature both the actors and the real-life musicians who were available to interview and spent time on set (including DJ Yella, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, who has also had a prolific acting career in the days since N.W.A was a thing). Many of them also were producers on the movie, and seem to be actively involved with production. If you liked the movie, the extras are fascinating; check ‘em out with your own copy over at Amazon.

Other January 19 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Straight Outta Compton

Everest

The Diary of A Teenage Girl

Continuum: The Final Season (Season 4)

12 Monkeys: Season One

Jem and the Holograms

Week of January 19 Early Digital Releases

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (out of the vault)

Suffragette

Spectre (Friday, January 22)

January 26

Goosebumps, Blu-ray

The cleverest thing about Goosebumps, Rob Letterman’s film adaptation of the kid-horror works of R.L. Stein, is the fact that it adapts almost all of the author’s popular characters and plotlines into one smorgasbord of a supernatural thriller. Like Slappy, the menacing ventriloquist dummy? He’s here. How about the Lawn Gnomes, or the Invisible Boy? They’re here, as well. So is Stine, though the author is played by Jack Black, who needs the help of two teenagers (Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush) when all of his literary creatures escape from their books. Both funny and fun, Goosebumps succeeds as an introduction to horror, and as a nostalgic tribute for anyone who read every R.L. Stine book growing up. Grab a flashlight, crawl under your covers, and enjoy the Blu-ray. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s set comes with a few jazzy extras, including an alternate opening and a blooper reel. However, the really fun ones are the behind-the-scenes extras, which teach the kids at home things like gas and water don’t mix and how to make their own monster masks. If your kids want to look like R.L. Stine’s characters, take a look at "Creaturefied!." You can order your own copy of Goosebumps, here.

Other January 26 Blu-ray And DVD Releases

Burnt

Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete Third Season

Downton Abbey: Season 6

Legend

Week of January 26 Early Digital Releases

The X-Files (The New Series) (January 25)

Crimson Peak

Truth

As much as I love horror movies and as much as this genre, more than any other, has had a disproportionally huge impact on my life, I can admit that it’s an up and down proposition for sure. There are great, unique, inventive examples of what the genre can be and do mixed in there right along with straight-up garbage (I can’t begin to tell you how much I hated The Gallows without breaking into a fit of cursing). But let’s not dwell on the negative. With that in mind, let’s run down the best, most interesting movies horror had to offer in 2015.

10. Unfriended

Everything eventually gets its own movie, and now social media has Unfriended. While a story told entirely through Facebook, Skype, Snapchat, and the like sounds awful in a what-the-hell-are-they-thinking kind of way, at its best, this is a clever, tense little horror outing that makes decent use of its gimmick instead of letting it weigh the picture down. A pseudo cautionary tale about the dangers of the modern age in which we live where nothing goes unseen and nothing is ever fully deleted, Unfriended tells the story of a group of friends haunted by a malicious online spirit. It does peter out a bit towards the end, but it starts surprisingly strong, maintains a decent momentum, and has the good sense not to overstay its welcome.

9. Cub

Cub is not going to appeal to everyone, but if you’re in the mood for a vicious, nasty little horror throwback, you can do a lot worse than this Belgian flick. It’s certainly not afraid to get down and dirty and mean when it needs to, and fits nicely into the "kids go camping and find something scary they didn’t expect" subgenre. The plot that revolves around the weird kid in a scout troop is not particularly original, but the film takes you on a dark, twisted ride full of backwoods terror, brutality, and ambiguity, all of which helps smooth over any rough patches. Cub ends on its weakest note, but overall this is a well-paced horror flick that will be most appealing to devout genre heads.

8. Bone Tomahawk

A cannibal horror western starring Kurt Russell with one hell of an epic mustache? Where do I sign up? Turns out I sign up at S. Craig Zahler’s Bone Tomahawk. Set just after the Civil War, in a place that hovers between civilization and savagery, Bone Tomahawk is a slow burn of a movie—a fact that has turned many viewers off—playing out something like a horror take on John Ford’s The Searchers that devolves into sheer terror. The plot revolves around a group of frontier men who embark on a mission to rescue a group of people held captive by cannibalistic cave dwellers, and if that doesn’t sound like a great time, you probably won’t want to watch this movie.

7. The Final Girls

Meta horror comedies are a dicey proposition, but Todd Straus-Schulson’s The Final Girls is a fun send up of the genre, one that hides a surprisingly moving tale of letting go beneath the surface. As a young woman grieves the recent loss of her mother, who just so happens to be a legendary scream queen, a veteran of the slasher craze of the 1980s, she and her friends find themselves pulled into the very world of her mom’s most famous movie. As the two generations reunite, they must band together to defeat the maniacal celluloid murderer. Full of winks and nods to the subgenre, The Final Girls is a blast that transcends its trappings.

6. Turbo Kid

Not a spoof as much as it is a loving send up of the cheap international Mad Max knock offs that proliferated in the 1980s, Turbo Kid has the makings of a perfect midnight movie and serves as a nostalgic blast in the face for those of us who are a certain age. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland a young comic book enthusiast must assume the persona of his favorite superhero to battle a vicious warlord and save his only friend, even though she’s a raging weirdo. Full of geysers of blood, impaling, a soaring synth score, and the highest stakes arm wrestling matches you’ve ever seen, Turbo Kid is a damn fine time, regardless of your genre predilections.

5. Crimson Peak

Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak has taken a lot of flack because it’s more of a period gothic romance mystery than the straight-ahead horror film many people wanted. It’s not as much a ghost story as a story with ghosts, and it’s an underrated movie that I don’t think got as much love as it deserved when it was released. Similar in style to his Devil’s Backbone (still his best film), Crimson Peak crafts an ethereal, moody aesthetic, one where spirits seem to swim through the air, harbingers in a world of disheveled nobility, warnings of dangers ahead instead of threats themselves. It does stumble out of the gates and takes too long to get where it needs to, but with an intricate color scheme, otherworldly melodramatic performances from Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain, Crimson Peak is a strange, unique, and fascinating journey.

4. What We Do In The Shadows

As far as teen melodramas go, sexy vampires, sparkly or otherwise, may be played the hell out, but Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi of Flight of the Conchords (the latter will also direct Thor: Ragnarok for Marvel) took a ridiculous concept and turned out a fantastic vampire comedy. A group of roommate vampires in modern days find themselves stuck in a mundane rut of paying bills, trying to keep the house clean, and similar commonplace concerns. As silly as the set up is, the world building is in depth and complete, and What We Do In The Shadows pays strict respect to extant vampire lore. Funny as hell, there’s real emotion involved as well, and this helps the movie transcend what could have been just a fun gimmick and become something greater that another wacky horror comedy.

3. The Gift

Joel Edgerton has routinely shown himself to be a fantastic actor, but in 2015 the Australian thespian turned his attention towards directing, and for his first time in the big chair, he delivered a tense, eerie thriller. Starring Edgerton, Jason Bateman, and Rebecca Hall, The Gift is essentially a three hander, and a meditation of how traumatic events, specifically teenage bullying, can linger and play out for both the bullied and bully. Not a terribly fresh set up, Edgerton crafts a dark, twisted film that ratchets up the pressure and psychological drama until you’re about to explode. Not only a strong debut, it’s one of the best thrillers in recent memory, and wraps up with an ending we’re still talking about.

2. It Follows

David Robert Mitchell’s moody horror joint It Follows will probably be remembered for two things. First, for being the true artistic triumph of the genre in 2015, and delivering a creepy, inventive movie that shows the true potential for what you can still accomplish within the horror framework. Second, it scared the pants back on everyone who saw it. Sex equaling death is not exactly new ground for a horror movie (who dies first in every slasher? The ones having sex, that’s who), but It Follows gives the formula a nice tweak, cranking up the fear and paranoia the whole way through. Mitchell also made a lovely looking movie, and continued to spread the gospel of Maika Monroe, who had a hell of a year herself and is, justifiably, about to be everywhere.

1. Deathgasm

I didn’t have more fun at a movie this year than I did watching Deathgasm. A demonic, heavy metal horror film about a band that plays a song so dark, so evil, that it calls forth the King of the Demons? Two words: Yes, please. It’s like the cast and crew of this New Zealand-produced outing personally asked me what I wanted to see in a movie and then did exactly that. There’s metal (duh), buckets of blood, slackers galore, crass humor, and more heart than you may expect out of a movie named Deathgasm. You should track this down and watch it as soon as you possibly can. You’ll thank me, I promise.

American movies that don’t recoup their production costs and make a good profit domestically have at least one major hope in turning things around, and that hope lies with China. This is the situation recent release Crimson Peak finds itself in. The film opened to a disappointing $13.1 million here, and for a movie that has an estimated production and advertising budget of $73 million, the movie really needs China’s help. Unfortunately, they probably won't get it.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, China always says no to films that include anything that portrays ghosts, cults, or general supernatural plots in a realistic way. For obvious reasons, this spells trouble for Crimson Peak. The plot of the gothic romance centers on a young woman who can see ghosts and communicate with them. And, of course, she moves into a scary as hell haunted mansion. In other words, uh oh, Crimson Peak.

With a population that’s quickly nearing 1.4 billion people, the hope that the massive numbers of potential ticket buyers in China will come through is hard to resist. The problem, though, is that the Chinese government has these rather strict protocols when it comes to films of a ghostly nature.

The creepy crawlies of the movie could look cartoonish and totally fake, but if, in the world of the movie, the supernatural threat is real, your film simply will not pass Chinese censors. It should be noted, though, that this supernatural censorship has not come close to stopping Chinese filmmakers from going all out with otherworldly movie plots.

Those geniuses have discovered a rather simple way to subvert the system. All they have to do is guide the audience through a moody, jump-scare filled film, and then completely undo all their hard work by revealing the spectral sights to be completely false. 

That’s right. Whatever ghost, demon, or hellish beast is revealed will end up being a figment of the character’s imagination. Maybe the poor person is crazy. Maybe they were taught to believe in such things but they aren’t really real. Maybe this beacon of supernatural activity was really dreaming the whole time. Either way, you will be led on a fantastic ride that ends to reveal a movie-long lie. 

The whole point of horror movies is to show us something that’s not real (at least not for most of us, thank goodness). They immerse us in a dangerous world that’s hard to escape and would surely make a lot of people who were exposed to it wish they had died long before getting wrapped up in it. In short, scary movies show us how good our lives really are. If we can’t embrace the scares, they’re no good to us.

Now, many a filmmaker has carefully provided amended versions of their movies to suit Chinese theaters. But, if writer/director Guillermo del Toro went this route, how long would the film be? Ten or 15 minutes? Something tells me that making a lot of money with a Chinese release because everyone says Hey, go see this movie. It won’t take up any time at all! is probably not the direction the filmmakers want to go.

After two weekends at number one The Martian dropped low enough to let some of the usual October doldrum entries have a shot at number one. One of the 20th century's most popular children's book series got an adaptation and took the opportunity.

If you were in middle school or junior high in the 1990s you were probably part of the group of young readers that made R. L. Stine a household name. His book series, at its peak, sold more than 4 million copies each month. This weekend, an adaptation of Goosebumps starring Jack Black banked $23 million scare up the number one spot at the box office.

The Martian added $21 million to its now $143 million domestic total, dropping to second place and handily topping Steven Spielberg's latest drama Bridge of Spies. Despite having major names attached (directed by Spielberg, written by the Coen brothers, starring Tom Hanks), it settled for a quiet $15 million debut. Putting that against its $40 million budget, the movie is going to have to draw heavily on international sales to get out of the red.

Guillermo del Toro's latest offering Crimson Peak took a hard hit, landing a fourth place opening with just $12 million. That's his lowest wide opening release since Mimic in 1997, but better than his last fantasy horror flick Pan's Labyrinth. That film was a foreign language entry that didn't see the inside of more than 1,200 screens during its release in North America but still managed $37 million over the course of its run. Del Toro has a strong international following and the movie has $13 million in foreign sales to date, but it still has some ground to cover to catch up to its reported $55 million production budget.

Pan took a hard but not unexpected hit dropping more than 60% and slipping to sixth place. To date it has only earned $25 million domestically and another $25 million internationally, against a hefty $150 million budget, locking in its spot as one of the years biggest busts. Feel-good sports flick Woodlawn opened in the number nine spot with $4 million.

For the full weekend top ten, check out the chart below:

Goosebumps *

$23,500,000Total: $23,500,000LW: N

THTRS: 3,501

The Martian

$21,500,000Total: $143,795,658LW: 1

THTRS: 3,701

Bridge of Spies *

$15,380,000Total: $15,380,000LW: N

THTRS: 2,811

Crimson Peak *

$12,850,000Total: $12,850,000LW: N

THTRS: 2,984

Hotel Transylvania 2

$12,250,000Total: $136,409,388LW: 2

THTRS: 3,533

Pan

$5,860,000Total: $25,738,183LW: 3

THTRS: 3,515

The Intern

$5,405,000Total: $58,730,982LW: 4

THTRS: 2,707

Sicario

$4,500,000Total: $34,662,613LW: 5

THTRS: 2,130

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

$2,750,000Total: $75,411,970LW: 6

THTRS: 1,967

With the way that Crimson Peak opens, you'd half expect it to be based off of a book. The truth is, the film is an original creation inspired by Guillermo del Toro's love of Gothic romance, Hammer horror films, and a visitation that his mother experienced as a child.

As part of the recent press rounds for Crimson Peak, I was part of a group of journalists present for a press conference with del Toro himself. During the course of our time together, a lot of interesting facts were divulged involving the process that went into crafting the story. Perhaps the best part of the entire conversation was the fact that we actually got to listen to Guillermo del Toro tell us a ghost story. This wasn't just a fabricated campfire story, mind you – the following tale is from an actual occurrence from his mother's childhood:

That scene should sound familiar, as it's been used in the advertising campaign for Crimson Peak throughout the trailers and ads. In addition to the story that Guillermo del Toro shared about his mother's visitation, Crimson Peak was inspired by many works of the Victorian era.

In particular, del Toro cited Mary Shelley and Anne Radcliffe – two of the most popular writers of the era – as strong inspirations for his work co-writing Crimson Peak with frequent collaborator Matthew Robbins. Every inch of the film's story oozes these inspirations, as the story could have easily been a novel on the shelves in Victorian England. All of those varying inspirations coalesced to become the finished product, which you can see a taste of in the trailer below.

When del Toro revealed to the audience that he'd been obsessed with ghosts since he was 11, there wasn't a surprised spectator in the house. The supernatural is one of the standard elements in the del Toro toolbox, along with dark fairy tales and innovative creature designs. Crimson Peak is no exception, as its ghosts range from shocking, emaciated figures with skeletal faces to mere spectral visages of persons who have recently departed. If the description of the latter sounds like it's a signal of disappointment, it's not – as even the ghosts with a familiar face take on interesting qualities that make them a visual delight.

Personal experience is an invaluable inspiration when it comes to creating a work of fiction like Crimson Peak. With his obsessions and his life stories at his side, it's clear that Guillermo del Toro's passion for cinema and storytelling won't be extinguished anytime soon. These are early days, and we should all be excited to see what's next.

Crimson Peak is in conventional and IMAX theaters as of this evening.

Haunted houses are a true staple of the horror genre. The setup of having a group of characters gather together in a place where evil presides and get picked off one by one is a real classic, and one that filmmakers and storytellers have been molding and crafting in unique ways for decades and decades. Cinema history is full of these terrifying locales, and now we’re celebrating some of the best of the best.

Writer/director Guillermo del Toro will be unleashing his own vision of the gothic haunted house story this weekend with the release of Crimson Peak, and it’s inspired us to look back at the history of the subgenre and highlight some of the most creative and horrific that we’ve seen in decades past. Read on… if you dare!

Evil Dead/Evil Dead II

The cabin in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead and Evil Dead II wasn’t built for nefarious purposes. It’s just a cabin in the woods. Unfortunately, Professor Knowby had to read from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in the basement of the building and unleash a terrible evil that wound up infecting pretty much the entire forest around the remote location. As a result, the whole place is insanely terrifying, and not only do people get possessed and killed, but even inanimate objects and plant life get a fill-up on malevolence and lash out. This is a dangerous, dangerous place… and we really hope that it somehow winds up returning in the upcoming Ash vs. The Evil Dead series.

Beetlejuice

As far as ghost hauntings go, the truth is that you could do a lot worse than the spirits of Adam and Barbara Maitland. They’re good people, and they understandably don’t want anybody living in their house while they’re still hanging around – dead or no. These facts alone don’t really qualify Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice for this list, but the fact that they turn to the eponymous bio-exorcist in order to try and solve their problem is what winds up qualifying the home as a destination to avoid. It’s cool to float around the dinner table singing "Day-O," but the fun and games really stop when the sandworms start showing up.

The Old Dark House

As far as old, classic haunted house movies go, they don’t come much older or more classic than James Whale’s The Old Dark House. Released in 1932, it stands as one of the earliest films of the horror subgenre, and its titular location is definitely a place that anyone is going to want to stay away from. It’s bad enough that you have to deal with the hosts – the grim Horace and the religious nut Rebecca – but then there’s the fire-loving, psychotic Saul who is just waiting to be released so that he can burn the whole place to the ground.

The Shining

Ah, the Overlook Hotel – not only one of cinema’s great haunted houses, but also one of the most iconic locations in the history of the medium. From its weird carpet patterns, to those crazy events in Room 237, to those creepy bits of advice from that old bartender in the ballroom, locations don’t come more malevolent than what’s seen in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, and it’s hard not to be in awe of its majesty. There are few films in history that operate quite so intricately and beautifully, and the film’s genius director really does a breathtaking job of turning the ordinary looking building into a place of living, breathing evil.

The Haunting

As a guy, I would certainly be hesitant to spend a night in Hill House from Robert Wise’s The Haunting, but I would be especially reticent if I were a lady. After all, the first four women who took up residence there wound up dying horrific deaths from terrible accidents. Between that history, all of the sharp cries, banging on the walls, and the creepy messages presumably left by the dead former tenants, this is far from an ideal place to ever call home.

Thir13en Ghosts

Steve Beck’s Thir13en Ghosts from 2001 is the only remake you’ll be finding on this list, and while it’s not exactly a good movie (lacking in any real substantial scares or interesting characters), there is a lot of credit due for the production design and creation of ghost hunter Cyrus Kriticos’ spirit-filled home. The ever-shifting nature of the mansion is quite impressive, with the timing of the sliding glass walls doing a great job to disperse the release of the individual ghosts, separate groups, and move the plot forward. It’s such an awesome haunted house that it’s a shame everything else in the movie isn’t up to its level.

The Amityville Horror

Stuart Rosenberg’s Amityville Horror gets special mention on this list not just for presenting an especially terrifying haunted house, but also for being the only film on this list that’s based on true events (if you believe those kinds of things). Despite the friendly name of the town it resides in, the residence at 112 Ocean Avenue has an awfully horrific past, with a mass murderer for a former owner, and it doesn’t do a ton of great things for the family living inside it - as the Lutz family so horribly discovered. The plot of the film unfolds over a good amount of time, but I wouldn’t want to spend a single night at this place.

House on Haunted Hill

When looking for quality classic horror, Vincent Price is a name that movie-lovers can always return to, and while he had his hand in many subgenres during his career, his great haunted house film is William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill. The supernatural isn’t super strong with this one, as is discovered as the plot unfolds, but the film certainly takes big steps in making its titular home into something out of a nightmare, and the place has no shortage of murderous villains dangerous.

The Cabin In The Woods

Are we stretching the definition of ‘Haunted House’ here a little bit? Perhaps a little – but we are still discussing a residence that was built for nefarious purposes and has a whole ton of creatures and beasts ready to be unleashed from beneath it, so I think that it still qualifies. The titular cabin from Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods gets a whole ton of points for execution creativity, a wide variety of monsters, and the extreme danger level that exists in the place – as it ultimately proves impossible for any of the characters to really escape.

Poltergeist

Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist taught us all a very important lesson back in 1982: it’s a really bad idea to build a house on top of an old Indian burial ground – especially if you’re not even going to bother removing the bodies before starting construction. The Freeling family learned this all in the harshest way possible (especially because the haunting wasn’t at all their fault), but the positive side of things is not only that everybody winds up surviving, but also that cinema history gained yet another amazing haunted house.

We've seen Jessica Chastain take on a cavalcade of intense and demanding roles throughout her career, but none has had as much of an effect as her role in Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak. Apparently Lady Lucille Sharpe has rarely ever had a good day in her life, and that showed in Chastain's masterful performance... but it came at a cost.

While attending the recent press conferences held in New York, with the cast and director of Crimson Peak in attendance, I was able to learn that The Martian actor had gone into the film constantly being told by friends that playing the villain was one of the best experiences that an actor could ever engage in. This was not so in the case of the extremely cold and restrictive Lady Lucille, the uptight sister to Tom Hiddleston's Sir Thomas Sharpe. But just how hard did Lucille's demeanor hit Jessica Chastain? In her own words, this is was the ultimate toll of the Crimson Peak experience:

In addition to becoming an imposing figure of foreboding doom and control, Chastain had to keep many plates spinning in the air to give Lucille the full actor's treatment. Not only did she have to work with a dialect coach to maintain her English accent, which was a bit of a challenge, considering she was filming her role in A Most Violent Year at the same time, but she also had to learn how to play the piano. Learning the piano is, by itself, a daring task; but Chastain wasn't learning how to play "Chopsticks" or "Happy Birthday." Instead, she had to learn pieces from the works of classical composer Fredric Chopin. If you're curious how much of a chore that must have been, take a listen to one of his pieces in the video below and see for yourself:

As for getting into the character's psyche, Chastain had no problem locking that down quickly, as she had some excellent sources of inspiration in her quest to become her most evil self. For starters, she told us that she decorated her trailer with the most depressing and Gothic imagery she could find, which helped re-acclimate to the dreary atmosphere that the film's Allerdale Hall projects. So the moment that she would come back from filming in New York, she would be able to get back into the groove of things on set. Film wise, Chastain used a holy trinity of crazy performances as the fuel to Lady Lucille's fire of madness. Drawing from Misery, Rebecca, and What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, you can start to see the formation of a character that Jessica Chastain loved to play, but is glad to be finished with.

You can tell that those films served her well, as she exudes both the calm air of depression that Lucille inflicts on all around her, as well as the off-the-rails behavior she eventually exhibits later on in Crimson Peak's dramatic third act. This stew of Gothic villainy drained Chastain to the point where once it was over, she needed more of a break than she thought. Which of course begs the question, would she ever do it again? Despite the intense experience of playing Lady Lucille really getting to her, her answer was very promising:

While she's definitely got the more positive aspect down with her current work on The Zookeeper's Wife, as well as the recently successful blockbuster, The Martian, it's good to know that she would still consider playing the villain again. Let this be a note to the writers and producers of Bond 25: while Jessica Chastain is ready to take your calls, just make sure she gets to have fun while threatening the world.

Crimson Peak hits theaters this Friday, in Conventional and IMAX presentations.

Out of all of the taboos that Crimson Peak chooses to embrace during its course of events, there are quite a few from the Victorian era that the film chooses to explore. However, the greatest taboo the film focuses on is more of a modern problem, as Guillermo del Toro feels that in today's world, the biggest taboo is pure love.

I was part of a recent press conference with the cast of Crimson Peak, and among the attendees was del Toro himself – who was a fount of information about projects past, present and future. But front and center was his beloved Crimson Peak, a film that the director is so passionate about – all thanks to his obsession with the Gothic romances of the Victorian era. While the film is steeped in the polite and "proper" behavior of the period, Guillermo del Toro used the film as a sort of an antidote to the modern notions of romance. More specifically, del Toro explained the juxtaposition as follows:

For as much as Guillermo del Toro is all about shock value, he never abuses the audience's tolerance. Even in Crimson Peak, not all of the scares are simple exercises in loud noises and sudden starts. So naturally, his take on the salacious material that a modern love story would portray is more restrained, and much more passionate. Though you may see Tom Hiddleston's ass, it's not a gratuitous shot, but merely a natural inclusion in a sequence where his character, Sir Thomas Sharpe, and Mia Waskiowska's Edith, are making love. In a more modern film, the sex angle would probably be played up in a more erotic way, but that would only feed the point that del Toro is making about films today.

Listening to del Toro speak about how much he loves the Victorian era of writing, as well as putting together every facet of Crimson Peak, you can tell that this man loves what he's doing. He was even up front with everyone in the room, as he laid out his main tenant of genre film-making:

While he tackles genres that are off the beaten path, and certainly off the path of your typical high brow Academy voters, Guillermo del Toro approaches his films with the intensity, and the verisimilitude, that a director that tackles historical epics would similarly employ. Crimson Peak is probably the most grounded film he's tackled, despite the presence of ghostly apparitions throughout. It's a true treat to experience first hand, and you'll get the chance to do just that when the film opens this Friday. Stay tuned to Cinema Blend for more of our Crimson Peak coverage throughout the week.

Through the course of 9 films, Guillermo Del Toro has shown some of the widest range of any director in Hollywood, while at the same time staying in the reliable genres of Fantasy and Horror. With Crimson Peak coming to theaters in the near future, audiences will soon be receiving another dose of the dark magic that makes Del Toro the visionary entertainer that he’s come to be known as.

With our eyes cast to the future, our thoughts turn back to the past as we count down the top 5 films of Guillermo Del Toro’s career.

5. Pacific Rim

While Pacific Rim is a popular film in the work of Del Toro’s canon, it’s definitely one of the less grounded entries. That’s not to say the film isn’t awesome, as it still draws from the director’s fascination of fantastical beasts, parallel universes that exist on top of ours, and awesome mechanical devices. If there’s anything Pacific Rim should be celebrated for, it’s got to be the imagination and pure joy that goes into each frame of it. With the feeling of a war movie crossed with a Godzilla picture, Pacific Rim is too damned mind-blowing to leave off the list.

4. Cronos

Cronos is the one that started it all. With Guillermo Del Toro’s feature film career taking off with this feature, Cronos is the biggest indicator of recurring themes and influences that Del Toro would use. Part Spielberg movie, part darker take on a story out of The Twilight Zone, Cronos is a smaller-scale story that shows off Del Toro’s other greatest strength in his work - his characters. What the film lacks in budgetary flash, it more than makes up for with the story of Jesus Gris and his battle to stop a rich businessman from obtaining the key to an unholy, extended life span.

3. Crimson Peak

While we can’t go into too much detail about just why we loved Crimson Peak just yet, it’s a safe bet to put it this high up on the list of the bets of Del Toro. What we can say, though, is that not only is this Guillermo Del Toro’s most colorful film, it’s also his most "serious" as it eschews most of the usual genre trappings and tells a gothic love story. Inspired by the greats of the genre, particularly Mary Shelley and Ann Radcliffe, Del Toro crafts a story that uses the supernatural in such an ingenious way that its trailers don’t do it justice. Come for the ghosts, stay for the smoldering thriller.

2. Hellboy II: The Golden Army

While all of Guillermo Del Toro's films paint a layer of fantasy and magic over the traditional world we live in, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is probably his most ambitious film that does so. While Hellboy teed up the franchise to be something great, its sequel makes the play that drives the franchise into such a state of impression that fans are still clamoring for the final entry to a proposed trilogy to this day. Ron Perlman’s performance in the part he was born to play anchors a cast of strong supporting actors, as well as the world that Del Toro and comic creator Mike Mignola crafted for the B.P.R.D. to play around in. It is a world of whimsy and danger that not only makes us believe there’s a market of trolls in New York, but that there’s also a demon ready to kick their asses for information.

1. Pan’s Labyrinth

It’s easy to drool over Guillermo Del Toro’s works as a fanboy, a visionary director, and a purveyor of material both shocking and terrifying. But his best work is the most dramatic film he’s ever made, which also happens to be one of the most beautifully crafted fairy tales ever. Pan’s Labyrinth takes the horrors of the Spanish Civil War and filters them through the wildly imaginative viewpoint of Ofelia - a young girl who discovers a world of creatures that are both beautiful and frightening. As lushly imagined as it is shocking and visceral, we can’t wait to see how Del Toro and music legend Paul Williams reimagine this film as a full scale Broadway musical.

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Before Jamie Dornan was offered the role of Christian Grey in Fifty Shades Of Grey there was an entire rigmarole involving Charlie Hunnam. The Sons Of Anarchy star was originally cast as the titular character, however, just over a month after he was confirmed for the part Hunnam dropped out. Since then there’s been a cloud of mystery over why he departed, but now the actor himself has opened up about leaving, and clearly it was a period of tremendous pain for him.

Speaking to V Man Magazine, via Yahoo, about dropping out of the production, Hunnam looked to clear up some of the rumors that have circulated over why he actually left. From the sound of things, Hunnam just wasn’t in the right mental shape to proceed with the demanding role. The English actor explained:

After it was announced that Charlie Hunnam wouldn’t be starring as Christian Grey, rumors started to swirl that he left because of the, as the actor himself puts it in the interview, “the explicit nature of the sexuality of the piece.” There’s just one problem with that theory, and any of you who have ever seen Queer As Folk will know exactly what that is.

That’s because Charlie Hunnam starred in Russell T. Davies’ (Doctor Who) explicit gay drama when he was just 18-years-old, and the actor responded to people who thought he couldn’t handle the slap and tickle of Fifty Shades Of Grey by emphatically declaring:

Instead, Charlie Hunnam made sure to point out that the real reason for his exit was due to a scheduling clash. Having given his word to director Guillermo del Toro, who he’d had previously worked with on Pacific Rim, that he’d star in Crimson Peak, Hunnam felt obliged to stand by his word and feature in that film. 

This was despite the fact that Hunnam only has the fourth lead in the horror flick, while Fifty Shades Of Grey went on to become a Valentine’s Day event picture that grossed $569.7 million. Basically, if he had starred as Grey, Hunnam would easily be a further echelon up the Hollywood ladder now. But that would have come with its own set of problems, and since his career is doing just fine without his appearance in Fifty Shades, he seems OK with his decision.

A sequel to Fifty Shades Of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, will be released on February 10, 2017, while James Foley has stepped in and replaced Sam Taylor-Johnson as the film’s director. 

"Normal" is not typically a word associated with the works of Guillermo del Toro, and it seems that trend will continue with his his upcoming haunted house thriller Crimson Peak. How do we know this? Because del Toro really even refuses to call it a "haunted house movie," instead seeing it as something much, much more.

Crimson Peak is expected to have a presence this week at San Diego Comic-Con, and it was while discussing the film with Entertainment Weekly that del Toro explained it's not merely the story of a residence inhabited by ghouls. Instead, the movie's titular mansion is instead much more of a metaphorical representation of the sketchy, shadowy characters that dwell within it. Said the director,

In the past, Guillermo del Toro has talked about getting inspiration from Robert Wise's The Haunting, Jack Clayton's The Innocents, and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and it's easy to see how his view of Crimson Peak is reflected by those titles. Taking a more modern example, it will be interesting to see how this movie operates in relation to Drew Goddard's brilliant The Cabin In The Woods, which is another title that can be seen as operating like a "sinister trap" for its inhabitants. Of course, del Toro's movie has the gothic vibe going for it, so that really should immediately set it apart.

Based on an original script by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, Crimson Peak follows a young author (Mia Wasikowska) who finds herself swept away by a mysterious and seductive stranger (Tom Hiddleston) to a house on top of a mountain. What she doesn't realize until it's too late, however, is that there is a deep secret and deep evil that rests within this home, and she must find her way out before it's too late. The fantastic cast also include Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, Doug Jones, and Burn Gorman, and the film will be arriving in theaters courtesy of Universal and Legendary Pictures on October 16th.

Those of you who are very excited for this title should do themselves a favor a pay close attention to the news this week, as there are surely big things in store for the movie. Legendary Pictures will have its very own San Diego Comic-Con panel in the infamous Hall H on Saturday afternoon, and it's expected that Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak will have a significant presence (if not only because the Comic-Con crowd loves the director). Of course, we'll be covering the event from on the ground in San Diego, so stay tuned!

Guillermo Del Toro loves a good ghost story, and it looks like he brought us just that with the first Crimson Peak trailer. Little did we know that the full trailer, just dropped below, would give us an even better and creepier look at just what Uncle Guillermo has cooked up in his manor of death and deceit.

The official Crimson Peak Facebook page dropped the new look at Del Toro’s latest horror offering, and judging by the fact that Stephen King is officially on record stating that the film is "gorgeous and terrifying… it electrified [him]," it looks like the man has done his job, and then some.

Crimson Peak tells the story of Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), a young woman with a fascination for ghosts, as well as two charming gentleman callers (Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam.) Of course, most Victorian-era stories would focus on that turmoil, but it’s settled rather quickly when Edith marries Sir Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) which is also right about the time that things start to get freaky. Not only are there ghosts that Lady Edith fully believes are haunting the halls of Crimson Peak’s titular estate, but there’s also something weird going on between Sir Thomas and his sister, the deeply unsettling Lady Lucille (Jessica Chastain.)

What that something is, we don’t know, but there are a lot of theories that could fly from what we’ve been shown in this trailer alone. Those theories only really occur after the credits have dimmed though, as this trailer doesn’t fail to grab the attention of us viewers, as it leads us down the miniature version of the haunted house tale we’ll be able to experience for ourselves this fall. Probably the best part about this trailer is that it doesn’t feel like Crimson Peak is giving away too much of its secrets, or even its undoubtedly more bloody moments, in this further peek into its madness.

And make no mistake, Crimson Peak has a lot riding on it, as it’s another joint venture between Universal and producing partner Legendary Pictures. With Jurassic World sharing that same distinction before it, it’s a good bet that executives are going to be watching these two films very keenly to see if the era of good feelings between the two can resume, or if it’s time to shake the line up around a little bit to avoid another Blackhat. Going on what we’re seeing in this trailer though, we’d like to think that there’s nothing to worry about, and our trust in Guillermo Del Toro only further boosts our confidence that this dark and sexy night terror could be something worth being haunted over.

Crimson Peak opens in conventional and IMAX theaters on October 16, and we’ll be among the first in line to see what Guillermo Del Toro has in store for our scare craving psyches.

The King of Horror has opened up on one of the most anticipated films of the year, and his high praise has only given us more to look forward to. When you're a world renowned horror author with an incredible cult-following, your opinions matter. So when Guillermo del Toro gave Stephen King a first look at his upcoming film, Crimson Peak the author’s reaction was sure to put some weight on how the film was received. And from the King’s response, it looks like we’re in for a real treat with this horrifying flick.

And King didn’t stop there either. Just the phrase ‘fucking terrifying’ would be welcomed praise from the best-selling author. But, the film touched King so much so that he went on to add an even bigger compliment.

Damn. If I wasn’t already excited to see Tom Hiddleston take on the villainous gentleman role of Thomas Sharpe, I certainly am now. Stephen King’s kind words towards the film are some of the first reactions we’ve heard, since del Toro is still putting some finishing touches on his product for its Fall release this year. But, King’s compliments were also met by his son and another accomplished author, Joe Hill who claimed Crimson Peak to be the most beautiful horror film of them all. He also went on to tweet that del Toro’s masterpiece is a "blood-soaked AGE OF INNOCENCE, a gloriously sick waltz through Daphne Du Maurier territory".

Crimson Peak tells the story of a young author named Edith Cushing, played by Mia Wasikowska who upon marrying a mysterious 19th century gentleman, Hiddleston’s Thomas Sharpe, moves into a dangerously eerie mansion that her betrothed once called home. Thomas begins to show some unsuspected qualities, as does the rot-infested mansion, and Edith is forced to question her original perception of the once charming fellow. While the mysterious evil lingers through the house, tormenting Edith, a kind Dr. Alan McMichael, played by Charlie Hunnam hopes to sweep her away from the madness. Take a look at the haunting trailer below:

For Guillermo del Toro, this film marks a return to the horror genre since our last glimpse with Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The director often shifts between dark fantasy pieces such as the critically acclaimed, Pan’s Labyrinth and more mainstream action movies such as his most recent, Pacific Rim. Crimson Peak is sure to top the box office with names attached such as Hiddleston, Wasikowska, Hunnam, and Jessica Chastain, but with praise from the King and Prince of Horror themselves, this film looks to gain serious critical reception as well. Crimson Peak looks to ‘fucking terrify’ audiences when it hits theaters October 16, 2015.

The trailer for the upcoming horror thriller from director, Guillermo del Toro, Crimson Peak has made its haunting, mind-blowing debut. From what we see, it's riddled with fantastic, horrifically creepy imagery put through the lens of a Victorian, steampunkish aesthetic style. This film certainly appears to have Del Toro back at his visually vicious best.

"Has anyone died in this house? Specific deaths? Violent deaths?" She asks? Well, considering that the abode which you currently occupy seemingly resembles the structural epitome of "violent deaths," I think we can at least make an educated guess on that answer being a resounding, "YES!"

The film stars Tom Hiddleston as Thomas Sharpe, a mysterious 19th century gentleman coming from what appears to be a desirable pedigree. He romances and marries a young, exquisite author named Edith Cushing, played by Mia Wasikowska. In the midst of an amorous newlywed bliss, Thomas felt it was as good a time as any to take Edith to a giant, creepy, rot-infested mansion he used to call home, located in the mountainous region of Cumbria in northern England. Once there, she finds it to be an even more dangerous and creepy of a place than it appeared on the estate’s inauspicious exterior.

Later meeting Thomas’ clearly emotionally-scarred sister, Lucille, played by Jessica Chastain, secrets would become apparent; not just about this gigantic abhorrent abode that time forgot, but about her new husband, who may not be the sweet, charming fellow that he seemed. Soon, ravaging wraiths makes themselves present, tormenting young Edith, which will provide her fodder for the book she’ll never live to write if things keep going the way they seem. Thankfully, another guy has her back in Dr. Alan McMichael, played by Charlie Hunnam, who is looking to take her away from this mansion of madness. (And maybe woo her away from her creepy new husband. Especially after what he did to New York and Asgard.)

For director, Guillermo del Toro, this film represents a return to the ultra-stylistic horror-leaning genre that we last saw him visit with 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army. (Not counting his work directing the TV pilot for The Strain.) However, one look at the imaginative, atmospheric, shadowy mise-en-scène and thoughts may immediately be evoked of his groundbreaking 2007 fantasy epic, Pan’s Labyrinth.

While Del Toro took a bit of a giant robotic stylistic detour in 2013 with Pacific Rim, the director actually once had his hands on The Hobbit until Peter Jackson eventually swooped back in, prompting dollar-sign-eyed executives to turn that into trilogy. For Del Toro, however, he would be left itching to make another atmospheric epic. Afterwards, an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness, which would have had James Cameron producing, would also slip through his fingers. Now, Crimson Peak seems to represent Del Toro’s chance to get back to the gothic, reality-bending repertoire that brought him to the dance with this love-letter to the old haunted house genre.

Crimson Peak looks to break up Victorian-era newlyweds with extremely creepy, ectoplasmic game-changing secrets on October 16.

Benedict Cumberbatch has become one of the most sought after actors in Hollywood, but he's not the only British star who has achieved that level in recent months. Tom Hiddleston earned an army of fans following his dynamic performance as the God of Mischief Loki in both Joss Whedon's The Avengers and Kenneth Branagh's Thor, and that popularity has led to some new and interesting roles for the star. As a result, having Hiddleston replace Cumberbatch in Guillermo del Toro's upcoming gothic haunted house story Crimson Peak is pretty much a lateral move.

It was just two weeks ago that we learned the Sherlock star was dropping out of the project, but now Legendary Pictures has revealed that Hiddleston has been brought aboard to take his place in the cast. Based on a script written by del Toro, Matthew Robbins and Lucinda Coxon, the film follows a young author (Mia Wasikowska) who gets married to a man (Charlie Hunnam) who turns out not to be who he appears to be. While it's unclear how they will fit into the plot, Hiddleston will be paired with Jessica Chastain in the story and the two of them will play a pair of aristocratic siblings.

Hiddleston currently has a cool slate of films coming up, with Alan Taylor's Thor: The Dark World scheduled to be the next to arrive in theaters (though it won't be out until November 8th). Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive - in which the star plays a vampire - will be featured at the New York Film Festival in October, and the actor also has a small role in James Bobin's Muppets Most Wanted, which will be out early next year. You can watch previews for all three films below:

Thor: The Dark World

Only Lovers Left Alive

Muppets Most Wanted

In the press release announcing the casting it's also revealed that the film is now being both produced and financed by Legendary Pictures, but their new deal with Universal Pictures may have them come in as a financier at a later date. Production on the film is scheduled to start in January 2014, and while the movie doesn't have an official release date yet its expected that we won't get to see it until 2015.

As Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak has moved through the casting process it's had it's fair share of ups and downs - and today things are being shaken up once again. Benedict Cumberbatch, who signed on to the film all the way back in April, has decided to opt out of the project and is no longer attached.

Variety, which first reported the news, doesn't cite a reason for the Sherlock star's departure but notes that the movie does still have an absolutely stellar cast lined up, a list that includes Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Pacific Rim lead Charlie Hunnam. There are few details available about the plot of the film, but it's been described as a gothic haunted house story about a young author (Wasikowska) who discovers that her husband is not who he seems to be. Cumberbatch and Chastain were going to play a pair of aristocratic siblings, though now it seems as though the Academy Award-nominated actress will have to find a new brother.

This is the second cast change that Crimson Peak has had to make this summer. Back in January it was Emma Stone who was in talks to play the female lead in the new film, but she was forced to drop the project due to scheduling conflicts (presumably caused by the new Woody Allen movie that she is set to star in). Wasikowska entered talks for the part this past June, and given her brilliant performance in Chan Wook-Park's Stoker earlier this year one can only imagine that she'll feel right at home in del Toro's house of horrors. Production on the film is gearing up to start in February of next year, meaning that we will probably see the finished product some time in 2015.

While Cumberbatch dropping out of Crimson Peak is certainly not good news, fans of the actor can at least take solace in the fact that he will be absolutely everywhere on film and television in the next few months. This fall alone he has roles on the big screen in Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate, Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, John Wells' August: Osage County, and Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The third season of Sherlock will also be on TV before the end of the year, and he is attached to upcoming projects like The Penguins of Madagascar, and the the Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game.

Legendary Pictures and del Toro are already on the hunt for a new actor to play the part, so stay tuned in the coming weeks for updates both about why Cumberbatch dropped out and who will be signing on to replace him. For now, just think of what could have been and watch the Sherlock season three teaser below.

Fresh off her second Oscar nomination and a long string of roles that prove she can do just about anything, Jessica Chastain is finding yet another way to stretch her talents. Variety reports that she's the latest actor to join Crimson Peak, the next project from director Guillermo del Toro that's described as a haunted house thriller. A long list of impressive names have been added to the cast in recent days, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Charlie Hunnam and Emma Stone.

Though a haunted house thriller feels like a far cry from Chastain's Juilliard training and Zero Dark Thirty role, she's already worked with del Toro once in a spooky story, starring in this year's surprise horror hit Mama, which del Toro executive produced. Because it came out in the doldrums of January Mama didn't get a ton of attention, but it's currently the fourth-highest grossing film of the year, with a solid $127 million worldwide take on a $15 million budget. It's proof that, yes, Jessica Chastain really can do anything. There are no details on her role in Crimson Peak just yet, but there's truly no telling what kind of part she's in for. A ditzy Southern belle? A punk rock bassist? A terrifying CIA agent? An idealized mother from the 50s? She's done it all!

Crimson Peak isn't set to start shooting until February of next year, but we don't have to wait long for del Toro in the meantime-- he'll be back, along with Hunnam and another amazing cast, for Pacific Rim this summer. Chastain, no longer in every fifth movie that comes out, is currently only scheduled to ,a href=http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Jessica-Chastain-Colin-Farrell-Sign-Liv-Ullmann-Miss-Julie-35421.html>team up with Colin Farrell to star in Liv Ullmann's Miss Julie-- though given the rate at which she usually works, I wouldn't expect her schedule to stay so open for long.

(Jessica Chastain image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com)

Sure, Benedict Cumberbatch still has one of the stranger names in Hollywood, but he's fast becoming a household name. The stellar British series Sherlock is only the start of it. He’s also put in quality performances in almost every film he’s been in, including War Horse and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, but it will be his evil villainy in the upcoming Star Trek: Into Darkness is going to rocket him into the forefront of the American consciousness.

So after having worked with Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, and J.J. Abrams, Cumberbatch is now set to work for another massively popular and talented director, as The Hollywood Reporter reveals he has just signed on for Guillermo Del Toro’s next project, the haunted house gothic romance thriller Crimson Peak, produced by Legendary Pictures. Del Toro’s films usually come with a bit of secrecy attached, so it’s really no surprise that Cumberbatch’s place within the film has not yet been revealed. He’ll be joining a cast that already includes Charlie Hunnam and Emma Stone.

We’ll probably have to wait quite a while after the July 12, 2013 release date of Del Toro’s “giant monsters vs. giant robots” action flickPacific Rim to actually get any real details about Crimson Peak, but for now, we know it will be a turn-of-the-century subverted take on gothic romances and haunted house films in general, it will take place in both American and Cumbria, and that it involves a woman discovering that her husband isn’t exactly what she thinks he is. Sounds like most marriage stories nowadays.

Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim isn't going to be in theaters until July, but already we're getting excited for the filmmaker's next big project. Back in December it was announced that the director's next gig would be the new haunted house flick Crimson Peak, and while it's been said that the movie will work to break conventions of the genre while playing with both classic and modern elements, details about the story have been kept to a minimum, with del Toro playing the whole thing close to the chest. And while he's still not ready to show his hand, he is at the very least giving us a peek at his cards.

Total Film recently got to speak with del Toro for the latest issue of their magazine, and when the conversation turned to the new horror flick a few new details about the project were delivered. Confirming that the movie will indeed be his follow up to the giant monsters vs. giant robots blockbuster that it Pacific Rim, the director wouldn't reveal any specifics about the plot of his next endeavor, but did mention that there will be two different settings and will be a period film set at the "turn of the century" (presumably the start of the 20th). "Half of the movie takes place in America, and the other half takes place in a crumbling mansion in Cumbria," del Toro said to the site. "And basically it’s a ghost story and gothic romance, trying to subvert the rules of the usual gothic romance."

Expounding on that point, he added said that Crimson Peak will have two different tones, with the second half of the story entering into shadier territory than the first. "The first half is a love story, then that love story turns darker, he said. "And it’s at the same time a ghost story. I’m working at this moment with Lucinda Clarkson who is a really great playwright from the UK. She has the proper degree of perversity and intelligence to turn it into something interesting to watch." Nothing has been officially confirmed by the studio yet, but previous reports have said that del Toro has been talking to both Emma Stone and Charlie Hunnam about the project. Could they be the couple at the heart of the love story?

The director also added that he and writer Travis Beacham are already working on a sequel to Pacific Rim (as was also reported back in December), though they are taking time with that particular project and making sure that it's up to snuff. Said del Toro, "We want to take however long it takes to really find out the idea and try to bridge something that really makes the mythology roll...The great thing about Legendary is they’re willing to take it to completion in the right way. They’re giving us the leeway. Imagine that we’re generating the comic book. We’re learning more about the [Pacific Rim] world we’re creating day by day."

Charlie Hunnam is likely going to become a huge movie star once Guillermo Del Toro’s giant-freaking-monsters-versus-giant-freaking-robots blockbuster Pacific Rim hits theaters in July. Then again, Taylor Kitsch probably felt the same way right around this point last year with John Carter on the horizon. But this is a clear sign that Hunnam’s solid in the new blockbuster because Del Toro appears ready to lock his star up for his next film, as well.

The director’s moving quickly to assemble a cast for Crimson Peak, a ghost story that recently attracted Emma Stone’s attentions. Now Variety is reporting that Del Toro’s Pacific Rim lead, Hunnam, is “in negotiations” to co-star alongside the Amazing Spider-Man beauty for a production that wouldn’t begin shooting until February 2014.

We aren’t really sure why Del Toro would have to wait that long to begin production on the horror story, seeing as how his immersive, post-conversion 3D work on Pacific Rim will likely be wrapped up long before the movie’s July release. So he should have the second half of this year to get busy, particularly if he’s lining up a male and female lead. Maybe he has to wait for Stone and Hunnam’s schedules to open up? Stone’s about to dive into Marc Webb’s Spider-Man sequel, but Hunnam has nothing on the docket that we know of.

The trade has no specific details about Del Toro’s Crimson Peak outside of the fact that the director and Lucinda Coxon are rewriting a script that he initially banged out with Matthew Robbins. If you can’t wait for Peak, you can kill time with this weekend’s Mama, which Del Toro produced.

Emma Stone has done superhero movies, she's done broad comedies and she's done Oscar nominated dramas, and soon she may add a ghost story to her growing film resume. The young actress, who was just in theaters last week palling around with Ryan Gosling in Gangster Squad, is now in talks to play the lead in Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak.

First announced last month, the project is said to be inspired by the classic haunted house films, like The Haunting and The Shining, and will both have and subvert tropes of the genre. While a deal has not yet been completed and there aren't any character details available, Variety says that Stone is negotiating to star and that the script - originally penned by del Toro and Matthew Robins - is undergoing a rewrite by the director and British writer Lucinda Coxon. Production on the movie isn't scheduled to begin until February of next year as the director is still working on Pacific Rim, his giant mechs vs. monsters epic that will be in theaters this summer.

Being one of Hollywood's most sought after stars, it should come as no surprise that Stone's schedule has been busy of late. In addition to the omnibus comedy Movie 43, which will be out later this month, she also voices one of the leads in DreamWorks Animation's The Croods and is getting set to reprise her role as Gwen Stacy in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with Andrew Garfield, Dane DeHaan, Shailene Woodley and Jamie Foxx.

Guillermo del Toro has a number of projects at various stages of development, but now he has apparently nailed down which one he wants to direct once he has completed work on the upcoming monster vs. robot epic Pacific Rim. Moving away from sci-fi and back to horror, it has been revealed that the Mexican filmmaker has named the ghost story Crimson Peak as his next effort.

Deadline says that the script was originally written by del Toro and his writing partner Matthew Robbins, and it is now undergoing a rewrite done by the director and Lucinda Coxon. Much like Pacific Rim, the film will be made with Legendary Pictures and presumably released by Warner Bros.

While the filmmaker didn't drop any details about the plot - simply saying that it's "a very set-oriented, classical but at the same time modern take on the ghost story" that will allow him to "play with the conventions of the genre...and at the same time subvert the old rules" - he does say that it's inspired by movies like Robert Wise's The Haunting, Jack Clayton's The Innocents, and Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. He aims to start production on the movie in early 2014.

He adds that a key reason that he wants to make the movie is because of how much freedom and trust he got while working on Pacific Rim with Legendary. After describing that experience as "the best experience I have ever had making a movie, period," he apparently pitched executives Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni his ideas for At The Mountains of Madness, The Count Of Monte Cristo, and Crimson Peak. Of the three projects, Tull and Jashni reacted to the third name the most. The hope is still alive for his H.P. Lovecraft project, however, Legendary wants to put some space between it and Pacific Rim. Said Del Toro, "My hope is, down the line we can do it. People ask how do I choose projects. All the projects in my roster are there because I love them, but the financing process is serendipity. And often, the ones I think will happen don’t, and the ones I think won’t happen, do."

Pacific Rim will be in theaters July 12, 2013.