Radcliffe is going to be an absolute expert on story arcs that see a hero, gaining powers from a dark force, who tries using them for good. While his newest role might be another trip down that familiar aisle, it probably won’t run the risk of reminding to many people of his Potter history.

AICN has let it slip that Radcliffe has been tapped to star in Alexandre Aja’s latest film:

HORNS is about a young man who wakes up one morning with devil horns protruding from his forehead and the ability to influence people to do bad things.  He uses his powers to try and figure out who raped and murdered his girlfriend. 

Aja is one of the most exciting horror filmmakers working today, with the ability to push passed the boundaries of what people expect, even in the over saturated horror market. Based on the synopsis of Horns, it sounds as if Aja has found another avenue for him push the envelope.

The casting of Radcliffe as the lead in this new project speaks volumes for what the former Mr. Potter wants his career to be. By sticking with horror and genre films he is embracing an aspect of what made him famous in the first place.

Plus a few years doing high-end horror has to be a welcome change of pace after a decade of Harry Potter.

January and February are habitually known as the dumping ground for studios to test out their films that they have less faith in than their major tentpole or franchise films. That certainly doesn’t seem to be the case this weekend, as 2 very different genre film topping the box office.

First, a second generation sci-fi writer, Max Landis’ Chronicle about 3 friends that develop superpowers and figure out which side, good or evil, they want to fight for. The film, which got an 85% on RottenTomatoes, managed to pull in an estimated $22 million this weekend, which is nearly double what the production budget of the film was. Easily, a success.

With the plethora of horror genre infused films this year, movie goers are in for an explosion of multifaceted cinema experiences.

From a variety of novel adaptations mixed with dark fantasy elements to entities in the form of haunted objects and locations, there will be much to choose from for the gore connoisseur.

January 13, 2012 – Don’t Go in the Woods

Don’t go in the Woods (Distributed by Tribeca Film) is yet another youth thriller centering on a band. Heading out to a cabin for rest, recreation, and creative inspiration, this group receives more than they bargain for.

January 20, 2012 – Underworld: Awakening

(Distributed by Sony Screen Gems) is the fourth in the franchise in a world of vampires and lycans’ existence has been discovered by man-kind. These forces must ban together to fight a common enemy in the biggest struggle for both species.

If you’ve been the star of one of the most successful film franchises of all time and now that’s over, you might want to consider trying to go in a different direction with your career. If you’re Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, that’s kinda what you’ve done with your upcoming film The Woman In Black.

In the film Radcliffe plays a lawyer who travels to a remote English village and discovers that the ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals. The horror thriller is a remake of a 1989 TV movie which was adapted from a play which, itself, was adapted from a novel by Susan Hill. You follow all that? Good.

We’v got a new trailer for the film to share with you today. In it, Radcliffe does his best to overcome the notion that he should just pull out his wand and blast the ghost with his magical powers. Does he succeed? You be the judge.

Check out the trailer after the jump. The Woman In Black is set to hit theaters on February 3rd of 2012.

The story picks up where Part I left off. If you really need to know, you can always rewatch the last movie (Heaven help you), but I’m a casual fan and had no trouble jumping right in. Harry and co are holed up in the Weasley family safehouse with Mr. Ollivander (John Hurt) and one of the goblin bankers of the Wizard World’s enormous vault Gringott’s. The group needs him to break into the vault and destroy a chalice that holds part of the soul of Lord Voldemort (or “Horcruxes” for the Potter fans)—and break in (and escape) they do. I’m pretty sure the entire sequence is the most accurate movie representation of the US’s financial collapse we’re likely to see.

From there they travel back to the wizarding school Hogwarts to destroy another Horcrux and oust Snape as the acting Headmaster. At the same time, Voldemort’s army (why was the wizarding world so scared of him before? It appears the whole of them were his allies?) prepares to march on Hogwarts while Harry scrambles to finish up the tasks that will ensure Voldemort’s total destruction. I won’t dwell on recapping because 1) it’s not particularly necessary and 2) anyone reading this will likely already know, so we may as well just get right into the review.

For all the complaints that were and could be (justifiably) leveled against Part I, Part II is a rather wonderful return to form, evoking the grandeur of the previous Potter films but furthering it with higher stakes and a more serious tone. Many have lauded the later Potter films for their “darkness,” and while I didn’t quite agree with them then, the credit is now well deserved.