In pics: The top 20 absolutely stunning movie posters of 2015

The year is drawing to a close and we look back at some of the most stunning movie posters of 2015. From Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! to The Revenant and Sicario, this year gave us some real stand-outs.

They say one mustn’t judge a book by its cover. We’re sure this sentiment must also extend to movies and their posters. That being said, is there any better way to build up excitement for a movie? We think not. And so, we’ve compiled (curated?) some of the best movie posters of the year for your viewing pleasure.

Recently, we’ve noticed a pleasant return to more artistic, personal movie posters like the timeless Drew Struzan posters from the ‘70s and ‘80s. There is something uniquely old-fashioned about the movie poster. Perhaps because this is the one form of film advertising that hasn’t changed since the first time someone decided to promote a movie. Even the wildest fantasies, the flashiest effects-driven tentpoles and the glossiest superhero team-up films are all brought down to earth by one thing: The humble poster.

For the purposes of this compilation we’ve set a few rules: The posters must be official, not fan art and they must be for films scheduled for release in 2015, either theatrically or in festivals. That’s pretty much it actually.

19. Crimson PeakDirector - Guillermo Del Toro. Cast - Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain.

18. Ant-ManDirector - Peyton Reed. Cast - Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas.

17. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!Director - Dibakar Banerjee. Cast - Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Neeraj Kabi.

16. Knight of CupsDirector - Terrence Malick. Cast - Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett.

15. The MartianDirector - Ridley Scott. Cast - Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels.

14. MacbethDirector - Justin Kurzel. Cast - Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard.

13. HunterrrDirector - Harshvardhan Kulkarni. Cast - Gulshan Devaiah, Radhika Apte, Sai Tamhankar.

12. The WitchDirector - Robert Eggers. Cast - Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson.

11. TangerineDirector - Sean Baker. Cast - Mya Taylor, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez.

10. Lost RiverDirector - Ryan Gosling. Cast - Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Saoirse Ronan.

9. CourtDirector - Chaitanya Tamhane. Cast - Vira Satidhar, Vivek Gomber.

8. Hitman: Agent 47Director - Aleksander Bach. Cast - Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto.

7. MinionsDirectors - Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin. Cast - Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm.

6. Queen of EarthDirector - Alex Ross Perry. Cast - Elisabeth Moss, Katherine Waterston

5. By the SeaDirector - Angelina Jolie Pitt. Cast - Angelina Jolie Pitt, Brad Pitt.

4. The Hateful EightDirector - Quentin Tarantino. Cast - Samuel L Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh.

3. The Peanuts MovieDirector - Steve Martino. Cast - Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, Mariel Sheets

2. The RevenantDirector - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Cast - Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy.

1.SicarioDirector - Denis Villenueve. Cast - Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro.

Now, it is not mandatory that a good poster must always belong to a good film. But if one attracts your attention and compels you to check the movie out then there’s nothing better than that.

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And here are some that didn’t make the cut but deserve mention.