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PREVIEW THE NUN (15)
IN 2016 horror The Conjuring 2, a pair of paranormal investigators are haunted by a demonic nun called Valak, who they eventually consign to the fiery pits of Hell.
Corin Hardy directs this eagerly anticipated prequel, which reveals the origins of the hideous holy sister.
In 1950s Romania, a young nun (Bonnie Aarons) takes her own life at an abbey. Novitiate Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga, above) experiences disturbing visions of the nun and the Vatican dispatches her to Romania in the company of an experienced Catholic priest, Father Burke (Demian Bichir).
Aided by a local villager called Frenchie (Jonas Bloquet), Father Burke and Sister Irene unearth the order’s dark secrets and confront a malevolent force that lurks in the shadows, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims.
YARDIE (15) ★★★★★
IDRIS ELBA’S feature directorial debut opens in 1973 Kingston, Jamaica – a capital city stained with the blood of innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire of the rival Tapper and Spicer gangs.
Ten-year-old Dennis Campbell, aka D (Antwayne Eccleston), lives with his older brother and idol, Jerry Dread (Everaldo Creary), who is determined to end the bitter feud through the power of music.
Jerry organises a block party on neutral ground, which momentarily unites the warring factions.
A gunshot rings out and D watches in horror as Jerry becomes the latest casualty of the turf war.
A decade later, D (now played by Aml Ameen, above) works for music impresario King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd), who dispatches his best man via plane to England with a consignment of drugs.
D senses something is awry at the handover and flees the lair of hardman Rico (Stephen Graham), seeking refuge with his estranged wife and their child.
In a cruel twist, Jerry’s murderer is also in London and D scents an opportunity to avenge his brother.
THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS (15) ★★★★★
PHIL PHILIPS (voiced by Bill Barretta) is a disgraced former cop in present-day Los Angeles who accepts cases on behalf of fellow puppets, who are treated as second-class citizens because they are felt rather than flesh and bone. When his older brother Larry (Victor Yerrid), who starred in popular 1980s TV show The Happytime Gang, is targeted by a psychopath, Phil reunites with human former partner Detective Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy, above) from the LAPD to crack the case.
His old flame Jenny (Elizabeth Banks) is also in the killer’s sights along with co-stars Goofer (Drew Massey), Lyle (Kevin Clash) and the twins Cara (Colleen Smith) and Ezra (Ted Michael).
Contrary to the title, The Happytime Murders inspires little joy.