Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures have handed out new release dates for the action-thriller Spectral (August 12, 2016) and the horror project Krampus (November 25, 2015).

Spectral currently has the August 12, 2016 date all to itself, although it comes one week after one of the 9 DC Comics movies that were announced earlier this month, and the Untitled Smurfs Movie on August 5, 2016. Spectral stars James Badge Dale, Emily Mortimer, Bruce Greenwood and Max Martini, following a group of special ops soldiers tasked with destroying supernatural forces before they take over New York City. Nic Mathieu is directing from a script by George Nolfi and John Gatins, based on an original treatment by Ian Fried.

Krampus, which was first announced back in May, will go up against Pixar's The Good Dinosaur, 20th Century Fox's The Martian and Warner Bros.' Midnight Special next November. The story is based on an ancient Pagan demon who goes out searching for naughty children to punish during the Christmas holiday. Michael Dougherty (Krampus) is directing from a script he co-wrote with Todd Casey and Zach Shields. This project is unrelated to director Kevin Smith's Anti-Claus, which was first announced back in April.

In related news, Open Road films has moved Nightcrawler from October 17, 2014 to October 31, 2014, where it will go up against Before I Go to Sleep in wide release, along with Horns, ABCs of Death 2 and Why Don't You Play in Hell? in limited release.