All eyes are on Daniel Radcliffe as he dissects a haunted estate infested with hate mail and dusty dolls. From the director of Eden Lake, Susan Hill’s foggy fairy tale with deep theater roots uses toys that go bump in the night and a dead lady with a knack for lace to deliver some pretty decent scares — enough at least to sprout hairs on Harold Potter’s chest.
It’s like: The Others meets Insidious.
Take: Screamers.
Premieres: Today

Find showtimes online at fandango.com.

Get your hands dirty with Oren Moverman’s filthy-cop tale that uses the LAPD division’s sordid history as a vehicle. Leading the director’s second tortured-soul piece, Woody Harrelson swaps his pressed soldier uni from The Messenger for a dirty badge and a Date Rape Dave moniker. It’s been running rampant through fests and the Indie Spirit Awards, proving Harrelson’s best when he’s at his worst.
It’s like: Bad Lieutenant without “California Love.”
Take: A dirty rotten scoundrel.
Premieres: February 10

Find showtimes online at fandango.com.

Freaks and Geeks tomboy Linda Cardellini graduates to army soldier in Liza Johnson’s subtle and understated indie drama. As Kelli, a woman who’s been to hell and back, she struggles to fit back in with her small-town circle. It had such a strong Cannes-do attitude at the fest, we hope you think Cardellini’s outcast is as standout as we do.
It’s like: The Hurt Locker meets Safe.
Take: The mom squad.
Premieres: February 10 (on iTunes February 28)

Find showtimes online at fandango.com.

We just wanna dance with this brassy, globe-trotting number. Showing at film festivals from Telluride to Hong Kong, the Spanish ’toon about a Cuban piano man, a sultry songbird, and a little thing called love is in harmony with sweeping greats like Casablanca and Gone with the Wind. On that note, it’s no wonder Oscar’s tooting its horn with a nomination.
It’s like: Once upon a jazz age.
Take: Your music man.
Premieres: February 10

Find showtimes online at fandango.com.

Though David Mackenzie’s apocalypse with heart divided 2011 Sundancers, there’s no denying his love story, which lingers long after the credits roll. In a world where scratch ’n’ sniff is just mean, two Glaswegians fall in love one lost sense at a time. We almost wrote the flick off as goofy, tasteless nonsense — until the deeper message was staring us right in the face.
It’s like: Children of Men meets Love’s Kitchen. Make sense?
Take: A big whiff.
Premieres: February 10 (On Demand since January)

Find showtimes online at fandango.com.

In high school, we dodged our exes; the scrappy footballers of the Manassas Tigers dodge bullets. Actual bullets. The inner-city underdog story touched down at SXSW first, scored with The Weinstein Company, and has now intercepted Oscar attention for best doc. Peek inside coach Bill Courtney’s playbook, which took the Tigers to (and through) a special season worth screening.
It’s like: Friday Night Lights meets Hoop Dreams.
Take: Tight ends. Or fresh men.
Premieres: February 17

Find showtimes online at fandango.com.

Native Alaskan Andrew Okpeaha MacLean puts his hometown, Barrow, on the map with his awarding-winning Eskimo thriller. Living north of the Arctic Circle’s isolated cold shoulder, homies Qalli and Aivaaq conceal an accidental homicide, both hoping the other doesn’t crack. MacLean uses an entirely Inuit cast. (Even has his nonactors spit out rhymes sweeter than an Eskimo Pie. It just doesn’t get cooler than that.)
It’s like: Less than Zero in Paranoid Park.
Take: A polar opposite. Discuss later.
Premieres: February 17

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Writer/director Jill Sprecher (of Clockwatchers fame) reteams with her sister for a sharp grifter tale that had us reaching for our wallet before and after the show. Total douche Mickey Prohaska (brilliantly played by Greg Kinnear) bungles all endeavors, including an attempt to defraud an elderly Wisconsin farmer (that’s you, Alan Arkin).
It’s like: The Spanish Prisoner in Cedar Rapids.
Take: Your conscience as your guide.
Premieres: February 17

Find showtimes online at fandango.com.

Seems odd to include disturbing cinema with that of an animated jazz feature and Harry Potter alum, but here goes. Freaking out SXSWers, Ben Wheatley’s relentless horror flick (it’s hammer time) crept its way through the festival circuit before settling into IFC Midnight’s hub. About a desperate man with murderous to-dos, the mutating chiller has “cult classic” written all over it.
It’s like: [Insert suburbia drama here] meets The Wicker Man.
Take: A No. 2.
Premieres: Today (On Demand since January)

Find showtimes online at fandango.com.