Top 10 Most Anticipated Horror Movies of 2014!

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

The new year is already almost here, can you believe that? And with an all new year comes new horror flicks to get excited about. In this list I’ve pulled together 10 of my most anticipated horror films of 2014, and trust me this shit wasn’t easy! The thing about looking forward to a new year filled with terror is that it’s hard to actually pinpoint what’s going to be worth a damn. There are also going to be plenty of amazing horror films to come creeping out of the dark (as they always do) in the coming year that we haven’t even heard of yet. I’ve managed to narrow it down to what I hope will be some fun and interesting horror flicks to be hitting the new year. Hopefully you’ll find a couple in here that you’re looking forward to as well!
Okay… now where do I begin?

1 – Godzilla

How could I not put the King of the monsters at number 1? This is certainly the biggest movie on the list, and why not? It’s GODZILLA! Gareth Edwards has a lot to prove here as he has only one feature film under his belt, but after seeing the very first trailer, this one looks to be in perfectly good hands. The few shots we see in the trailer of GODZILLA towering over the remains of a ruined city are simply amazing. We’ve been waiting for GODZILLA to make his epic return and it looks like Edwards was up to the task. Time will tell with this one, but for now things are looking up… way up. That’s it for now, folks! I’m sure you’ve got a few suggestions that I’ve missed, so please leave them below!

2 – Hellions

Two of my favorite things are coming together with Bruce McDonald’s upcoming feature film HELLIONS as it brings horror and Halloween together in what sounds like a pretty nasty little thriller. The film is about a pregnant teen who must survive a Halloween night from Hell when three malevolent trick-or-treaters come knocking. Adding to my anticipation is the fact that this is the first horror feature we’ve seen from McDonald since his brilliant zombie-esque indie flick by the name of PONTYPOOL. I’m hoping that McDonald brings some of the same horror elements to HELLIONS that made PONTYPOOL so damn unsettling. Also, we’ve only been treated to one still from the flick thus far, and it’s of a f*cking blood bath. ‘Nuff said!

3 – Deliver Us From Evil

DELIVER US FROM EVIL is the new title of Scott Derrickson’s upcoming supernatural thriller which was previously known as BEWARE THE NIGHT. I’m pretty happy that I was able to include this one on the list because not too long ago the film was sitting on a 2015 release date, and nobody wanted to wait that damn long to see what SINISTER’s Scott Derrickson had up his sleeve for his next horror venture. In a surprisingly confident move, Screen Gems opted to move the film to a 2014 release right in the middle of summer—possibly to capitalize on this past summer’s success of THE CONJURING. DELIVER US FROM EVIL has quite the concept that deals with everything we love about this genre—demons, exorcisms, paranormal forces and so on. It tells the story of a New York cop who meets a renegade priest when he is pulled into a case which the priest convinces him, against the officer’s religious beliefs, is demonic related. Together they work to solve the case and combat the paranormal forces working against them. And it’s all being led by Eric Bana with the gorgeous Olivia Munn co-starring!

4 – See No Evil 2

If you would have told me a couple of months ago that this would land on my “most anticipated” list I would have been shocked, to say the least. The original film is a decent little slasher with plenty of the red stuff, but it’s pretty forgettable in my opinion and not something I really cared to see a sequel to. Insert the Soska Twins along with two gorgeous and talented leading ladies—Danielle Harris and Katharine Isabelle—and you now have my attention. With a line-up like that it’s hard to image this one disappointing! With Kane returning and a few extremely talented ladies leading the rush, I’d say that we are in store for a pretty wicked horror flick!

5 – Grand Piano

Elijah Wood is about to play the shit out of a piano in the Eugenio Mira-helmed thriller GRAND PIANO and I can’t f*cking wait! We see Elijah Wood’s name a lot around these parts because he has been tackling one horror project after another lately. Most recently we saw Wood in the remake of William Lustig and Joe Spinell’s 1980 cult classic MANIAC, and what a f*cking flick that is! Wood is trading in some bloody mannequins for a piano in which he is forced to play his best concert ever to save his life. And who better than John Cusack to be doing the dirty deeds? This almost has a Hitchcockian set-up, and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together.

6 – XX

Regular readers of AITH know just how much we love the ladies around here, so how could I not include the all female horror anthology XX? There aren’t a whole lot of women directors in cinema, and there are even less taking a seat behind horror films. XX sees some heavy hitters in the genre take on a story of their very own including Jennifer Lynch (BOXING HELENA), Mary Harron (AMERICAN PSYCHO), Karyn Kusama (JENNIFER’S BODY), sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska (AMERICAN MARY) and Jovanka Vuckovic (THE CAPTURED BIRD). And to top it all off, each segment will also feature a female lead character. There’s a ton of potential here, especially with so many talented women at the helm. No cast has been announced just yet, but I’d imagine we’ll be seeing some solid talent in the line-up.

7 – Only Lovers Left Alive

Vampire films have been a staple in cinema since the era of silent films, so it’s no wonder that people (especially horror fans) have such a soft spot for the classic monsters. Lately we’ve been seeing a return to form for the blood suckers with films like LET THE RIGTHT ONE IN and Neil Jordan’s BYZANTIUM, so I’m hoping that Jim Jarmusch’s ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE can continue the trend. The story for this one is quite simple as it follows two vampires who have been in love for centuries, and it’s being led by an incredible cast. Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton together as a couple of vamps have already sold me on this one, but the supporting cast of Mia Wasikowska, John Hurt and Anton Yelchin is just as impressive.

8 – The Quiet Ones

It’s nice to see Hammer Films digging their claws into the horror genre once again, and their latest haunter THE QUIET ONES looks to be another solid entry into their growing library. The film was inspired by some clownshit crazy “true story” of some scientists who essentially tried to create a ghost. Whether you believe in that kind of stuff or not, there’s no denying that it’s one hell of a set-up for a horror flick! While director John Pogue only has one directing credit to his name (QUARANTINE 2: TERMINAL), THE QUIET ONES is exactly the kind of flick that finds a big audience, so hopefully he’ll deliver the goods—and I certainly think he will, especially with the always brilliant Jared Harris taking the lead.

9 – Horns

Daniel Radcliffe under the direction of horror maestro Alexandre Aja should be one hell of a site to see, especially considering Radcliffe is sporting a wicked pair of horns that make people confess their darkest desires and most hidden secrets. I haven’t loved everything Aja has put out there, but HIGH TENSION remains as one of my favorite horror flicks so I’ll always keep an eye out for what he’s up to when it comes to the horror genre. Aja has had his feet firmly planted in the genre for years now, and with Radcliffe starting to show up more and more in horror, this could potentially make for one hell of a pairing. With diabolical powers at his command, I for one can’t wait to see how this one turns out.

10 – Oculus

This is as good a place to start as any. Mike Flanagan’s supernatural haunter, OCULUS, is one that I’ve been excited to check out for quite some time. While horror films of the supernatural variety are a dime a dozen these days, it’s the good ones that really matter, and it looks sounds like Flanagan has delivered on that note with this one. It centers around a spine-chilling supernatural tale of two damaged siblings who, as children, witnessed their parents’ harrowing descent into madness and murder. Sounds pretty legit, right? After it hit the festival circuit this year it was met with a hell of a lot of praise for its unsettling and disorienting bouts of terror and it’s one that I can’t wait to check out.

Honorable Mentions

These honorable mentions were left out of the top 10 for no particular reason other than the fact that this is a Top 10 list and I simply ran out of room! Ti West’s THE SACRAMENT is a flick I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced, and the fact that he teamed up with Eli Roth makes this one all the better. BIG BAD WOLVES is another flick we’ve been talking about here on AITH for what feels like forever and it’s finally going to get a release in 2014… thank god! Speaking of Eli Roth, his return to horror is the CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST inspired THE GREEN INFERNO which looks raunchy as hell and a return to form for the director. And last, but certainly not least isn’t even a movie! Guillermo del Toro’s “The Strain” will head to FX in 2014 and it’s backed by one hell of cast. If it holds true to the novels then this should bring vampires back to their terrifying roots. Now let’s get this shit started!