Welcome to Horror Explorer, a curated column showcasing the month’s best movies, series, books and everything else spooky worth checking out. I’m William Earl, the editor of Variety.com and the publication’s resident horror enthusiast. Please drop me a line at [email protected] if there’s something I should check out for next month’s missive.
Wolf Man (In theaters Jan. 17 via Universal Pictures) — Leigh Whannell’s “The Invisible Man” follow-up is another retelling of a Universal Monsters classic, and early footage looks as kinetic as his other work. With a killer cast, including Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, it’s sure to be an early highlight of the year’s horror slate.
Presence (In theaters Jan. 17 via Neon) — Steven Soderbergh gets experimental in this unique first-person ghost story. The camera is roaming through the house as a family in grief, led by Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan, faces a tragic mystery. Horror fans looking for a creative take on the genre will be drawn into this unique storytelling exercise. (Read Variety’s full review here.)
Companion (In theaters Jan. 31 via Warner Bros. Pictures) — Drew Hancock’s sci-if thriller is filled with jaw-dropping moments, so it’s great to go in as blind as possible. Suffice it to say that the game cast (including Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage and Harvey Guillén) adds depth to the twists and turns along the way.