Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination – an epic tour through the dark corners of desire

This exhibition of gothic ephemera, from Sadean dresses to possessed ventriloquists, is not so much about art as it is an inquiry into the liberation of the mind

Violette review – fine biopic of Simone de Beauvoir’s protege

Emmanuelle Devos brings enormous charisma to this story of writerly ambition and romantic disappointment, writes Peter Bradshaw

Gone Girl review – David Fincher thrills with portrait of love gone wrong

Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck are today’s Bergman and Boyer in a twisted tale of murder, misogyny and love gone wrong, writes Peter Bradshaw

Seminar review – egos duel in creative-writing comedy with Roger Allam

Allam is a joy to watch in Theresa Rebeck’s smart, clever play about a faded novelist and his charges, writes Michael Billington

A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing five-star review – a courageously feminist production

Eimear McBride’s award-winning novel transitions perfectly to the stage in Corn Exchange’s startling and upsetting Dublin theatre festival show about the impact of sexual abuse, writes Helen Meany

Fields of Blood review – an absorbing study of religion and violence

Karen Armstrong traces the links between religion and violence from ancient Egypt to modern jihad, writes Salley Vickers

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s ‘Learned’ review – Lena Dunham’s hilarious memoir

Lena Dunham’s life story is as witty, frank and intense as she is, writes Nina Stibbe

Scottish Ballet: The Crucible/Ten Poems review – dance of the dead and the ‘demons’

A lovingly crafted celebration of Richard Burton reading Dylan Thomas is paired with a brave edit of Miller’s monumental drama, writes Alice Bain

Victoria: A Life review – the monarch brought to vivid life

AN Wilson makes engaging use of diaries and letters to conjure the energy and emotions of the grieving Queen Victoria, writes Natasha Tripney

Stone Mattress review – Margaret Atwood’s deft touch illuminates old age

In this collection of nine stories, Margaret Atwood peels away layers of the human experience, says Anita Sethi

Six Poets: Hardy to Larkin review – Alan Bennett’s favourite poets

Alan Bennett reveals far more of himself than he does of Hardy, Larkin, Betjeman and co in this nonetheless enjoyable anthology, writes Kate Kellaway

George Osborne: the Austerity Chancellor review – a biography far too in love with its subject

Janan Ganesh’s fawning account of the rise of George Osborne is too blinded by his achievements to grapple with less pleasant facts, writes Chris Mullin

The Copernicus Complex review – Caleb Scharf’s balanced view of the hunt for ET

If Earth is so unremarkable, why haven’t we found signs of alien life? By Robin McKie

Hockney: the Biography Volume 2 review – portrait of the artist as the eternal adolescent

David Hockney comes across as emotionally detached and incurably eccentric in this second volume of Christopher Simon Sykes’s biography, writes Peter Conrad

Us by David Nicholls review – the One Day author has raised his game

The Booker longlisted tale of a family falling apart on holiday has real philosophical depth, says Matt Haig