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.

Often, it’s difficult for actors to make the transition from one role they are hugely famous for into other roles. That’s especially true if you’ve grown up playing one character. People often have a hard time thinking of you as anything else.

Case in point is actor Daniel Radcliffe who will, almost certainly, always be thought of by many as Harry Potter. However, that hasn’t stopped the actor from trying to branch out and leave Harry behind. One of those attempts is a new project from Momentum Films and Exclusive Media Group’s Hammer called The Woman in Black.

In the film, Radcliffe plays a young lawyer who travels to a mysterious house to settle the affairs of the spooky mansion’s owner. Of course, we’ve got a teaser from the film to show you right now.

Click through to check out the teaser. The Woman In Black is currently shooting for a February, 2012 release.

So, what do we think? Can Radcliffe move on to other, more mature roles or will he always be Harry Potter to you? Sound off in the comments!