2013 was a great year for horror and as far as I can see, 2014 is going to blow it out of the water. Let’s check out what are, in my opinion, the Top Ten Most Anticipated Horror of 2014. (In no particular order.)

1. The Sacrament

Release Date: 5/1/14 (internet) 6/6/14 (limited theatrical)

Director: Ti West

Starring: Kentucker Audley, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Kate Lyn Sheil, AJ Bowen

Plot: VICE Media reporters travel to a commune to find the sister of their cameraman. They are greeted by a Jonestown-like community and its charismatic leader. We quickly learn that things are not what they seem on the surface, and things take a turn for the worst.

Personal Comments: I LOVE TI WEST. I can not stress this enough. He is the slow-burn king of our generation. I will watch anything he puts out after seeing The House of the Devil, and The Innkeepers. As far as I can tell from the trailer, he’s staying true to his aesthetic and will not disappoint. This is by far THE movie to keep an eye out for this year.

2. The Green Inferno

Release Date: 9/5/2014

Director: Eli Roth

Starring: Lorenzo Izzo, Ariel Levy, Sky Ferreira, Darryl Sabara

Plot: A group of Americans travel to the Amazon to help a dying tribe but are instead taken captive by them.

Personal Comments: Eli Roth is one of my favorite current horror directors. I am a pretty big fan of Cabin Fever and I enjoyed the first two Hostel films, so I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt. I’ve been waiting for a really good cannibal movie to come out for a while, and I’m hoping that this is it.

3. The Babadook

Release Date: TBA

Director: Jennifer Kent

Starring: Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West

Plot: A mysterious book called The Babadook appears in the house of Amelia and her son, Sam. After reading the book, Sam believes that he has seen the character from it in his dreams. Initially Amelia is skeptical until she starts seeing glimpses of The Babadook herself.

Personal Notes: I’ve personally not seen any other works of Jennifer Kent, but the trailer for this movie is enough to have me anxiously awaiting its release. (The fairly high reviews and general buzz in the horror community don’t hurt either.)

4. Cooties

Release Date: 10/10/14

Director: Cary Murnion, Jonathan Milott

Starring: Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Elijah Wood, Jack McBrayer

Plot: Virus outbreak turns elementary school kids into teacher massacring savages.

Personal Notes: This movie looks so fun. I love horror comedies and unless it’s extremely poorly written, I don’t see a cast like this failing. Crazy infected elementary students on a rampage? Count me in. October can’t come soon enough.

5. Grand Piano

Release Date: 3/7/14 (limited theatrical release)

Director: Eugenio Mira

Starring: Elijah Wood, John Cusack, Tamsin Egerton, Kerry Bishe, Alex Winter

Plot: A pianist with stage fright makes his big return, only to discover a message on his music sheet. The message warns death if he plays a wrong note.

Personal Notes: Elijah Wood has been taking the horror world by storm these past few years, and I am so thankful for it. This movie looks downright intense. I love being kept at the edge of my seat just waiting for one wrong move. I am a self proclaimed gore fanatic, but I also enjoy horror with less frills, and this seems pretty raw. I’m also a sucker for John Cusack, and I think he’ll fit the role of his character perfectly. I’ll admit the plot seems kind of silly, but with the right atmosphere and solid acting, this could be a fantastic flick.

6. XX

Release Date: TBA 2014

Director: Jennifer Lynch, Jen and Sylvia Soska, Karyn Kusama, Mary Harron, Jovanka Vuckovic

Starring: TBA

Plot: Anthology horror film directed by and starring females.

Personal Notes: I am so stoked on this movie. I haven’t really heard much about it, but I’ve heard enough to know that I am soooo down to see it. I am all about the women of horror, and in the past couple of years female directors have been rising in what was previously a pretty male dominated scene. With shorts by the Soska sisters who directed American Mary, and MARY HARRON(!!!) the director of American Psycho, HOW CAN I NOT BE EXCITED FOR THIS?

7. Big Bad Wolves

Release Date: 1/17/2014 (limited theatrical release)

Director: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado

Starring: Lior Ashkenazi, Tzahi Grad, Doval’e Glickman, Rotem Keinan

Plot: “A series of brutal murders puts the lives of three men on a collision course: The father of the latest victim now out for revenge, a vigilante police detective operating outside the boundaries of law, and the main suspect in the killings – a religious studies teacher arrested and released due to a police blunder.”

Personal Notes: I don’t know as much about this movie as I do about the rest on this list. Since April ’13 it’s been making the rounds on the festival circuit and creating quite a buzz. I’m big on revenge films when done right, and this looks quite stellar. I haven’t seen any horror movies out of Israel that I’m aware of, but this looks like a great one to start with.

8. Horns

Release Date: TBA

Director: Alexandre Aja

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, James Remar

Plot: A young man’s girlfriend is mysteriously murdered and the town suspects him to be the culprit. In the aftermath of this, he sprouts strange horns from his head that help him to discover what really happened to her.

Personal Notes: I’ve been hearing about this movie for a while now and am anxiously awaiting its release. Alexandre Aja is well revered in the horror community for directing such gems as Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes (2006), and Piranha 3D, and has been associated with the New French Extremity film movement. I am a big fan of Haute Tension (known as High Tension in the US) and of Maniac which he produced and co-wrote. Definitely different from what he’s done previously, and the same can be said of Daniel Radcliffe in this role. Either way, the anticipation of this movie alone has made it a must see in 2014 for me.

9. Tusk

Release Date: TBA 2014

Director: Kevin Smith

Starring: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez

Plot: Wallace, a podcast host, finds the story that could change his career in a man named Mr. Howe. Howe is a seafarer and adventurer with a thing for walruses. During his attempt to get an interview, Wallace goes missing, and the co-host of his podcast and his girlfriend set out to find him.

Personal Notes: This video here is episode 259 of SModcast where the whole idea came about, it starts coming together around 18 mins.

I’m a huge Kevin Smith fan. I love every movie he’s done sans The Movie that Shall Not Be Named. Red State received mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. The plot to Tusk sounds absolutely ridiculous and if done right, has major potential to be extremely weird, hilarious, and possibly even creepy. It’s really awesome to be able to see an idea sprout out of nothing and then actually be followed through and created.

10. Cheap Thrills

Release Date: TBA 2014

Director: E.L. Katz

Starring: Ethan Embry, Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, David Koechner

Plot: Two friends meet a couple at a bar that puts them through a series of dares each worth a different amount of money. How far will they go?

Personal Notes: I love the plot of this movie. How far will these blue collar guys go, how much degradation will they endure to win this money? Sounds like it’s going to be pretty gory and gross, but the context behind the movie will keep it from becoming a “gore for the sake of gore” kind of film. (Not that I have any problem with those types of movies. :P)

Penny Dreadful

The first episode of Penny Dreadful airs on 5/11/14 on Showtime.

The Strain

The Strain is set to premiere on 6/22/14