Editorials
Best & Worst ’10: MICAH’S TOP 10 OF 2010
Since I watch an ungodly amount of horror (around 275 films viewed and reviewed so far in 2010), the bulk of which is DVD/Blu-rays, I opted to put together a list of the best films that had disc releases this year. What that means is you won’t see any films on this list that had a wide release (The Crazies, NOES) or didn’t have a disc release at all (Hatchet II), but you will see several films that had releases in other countries, appeared in festivals or limited engagements AND had a 2010 U.S. disc release.
Now that we are clear, let me say that this was a tough list to put together. I didn’t feel there were any runaway winners like Trick `r Treat, Martyrs or Let The Right One In from last year. There were, however, plenty of fine efforts that made for a well-rounded and enjoyable year in home viewing.
Without further ado, my top 10 disc releases of 2010.
BC (Best/Worst) | Micah (Best/Worst) | Keenan (Best/Worst) | Theo (Best/Worst)
Best One Sheets | Worst One Sheets
Most Memorable Moments | Top Trailers | Memorable Quotes
MICAH’S TOP 10 OF 2010
My immediate reaction to this film was I didn’t like it that much (hence my not-so-glowing BD review). But I watched it again and realized this is the film that the fans wished Lost Boys: The Tribe would have been. It’s full of homages, throwbacks and skydiving vampires. And what’s not to like about that? Corey Feldman nails his return as Edgar Frog with his hilariously low, Christian Bale-like Batman voice, complete with one-liners and random grunts galore. This film is better than a host of pictures with much bigger budgets. Death to all vampires!
There weren’t a lot of horror films released this year with as disturbing a premise. That said, the film’s buzz led to some being disappointed. But considering I personally know people who threw up during their first viewing, the film was onto something. Besides what I already mentioned, I put this film in my top 10 DVD releases for one other reason: crazy German guy. Well, him and the fact that I take way too much pleasure in doing my creepy impersonation of crazy German guy (“Is Rohypnol. Is date-rape drug.”) Here’s to the 12-person sequel, which sounds like a whole lot of middles to me.
The first of a few films that were made a few years ago but finally received a proper DVD release in the U.S. in 2010. Parasomnia has its own unique voice – an absolute rarity these days. An almost-surreal fairytale darkness surrounds the film, including a haunting score that will send chills down your spine. William Malone (FeardotCom, House on Haunted Hill) manages, for the first time in his career, to create something that is both visually stunning and unnerving at the same time
Picking up moments after the American ending of Neil Marshall’s original film certainly didn’t help this sequel in the horror community. Heck, even making a sequel seemed an exercise in futility. But somebody somewhere needed to make money, so – little surprise – a sequel to one of the best horror films of the 2000s was ordered. Funny thing, while it doesn’t come close to capturing the hopelessness and near-unbelievable tension of the original, it does hold up very well as a direct-to-disc sequel. It is plenty claustrophobic and manages to successfully continue what Marshall started.
In the tradition of Shaun of The Dead, Doghouse is an above-par horror comedy from the U.K. Call it misogynistic. Call it dumb. Call it whatever you will, but this is a fun, bloody romp of a she-zombie movie. Doghouse features piles of gooey special effects, exceptional zombie makeup and just enough dry Brit humor to make this a really enjoyable effort. Director Jake West (Evil Aliens) is coming into his own and is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with in the horror comedy circles.
Adam Gierasch’s throwback tribute to the horror classic comes across as fresh, twisted and boob-centric. One of the few remakes that actually honors (read: doesn’t disgrace) the original material. Channeling 1988 perfectly, the film captures all that was good with low-budget `80s horror: punk rock, over-the-top gore and nudity on levels that rival early `90s Cinemax (or should I say Skinemax?) after midnight. Gierasch even manages to update the infamous lipstick scene to a rather astounding and noteworthy level. Night of the Demons is an impressive remake that belongs on any `80s horror lover’s DVD/Blu-ray shelf.
This French love story just so happens to take place during a zombie infestation. This is exactly the kind of chick flick I can get behind. What makes this film stand out is the heartbreaking relationship between the girlfriend and her infected lover. The slow, methodical and incredibly painful transformation the boyfriend endures directs a human eye toward the suffering and, in doing so, captures emotions rarely explored in this genre. Of course, it’s not all about the love — there are plenty of splattertastic kills and bandits, as expected in a zombie flick. Mutants has set a new standard for RomZom (if someone hasn’t yet, I’m going to trademark the term) films.
Easily one of the highest-concept horror flicks of the past few years. I mean, c’mon. An evil stepdad locks a hottie teen, her autistic brother AND a blood-thirsty tiger in their house … during a hurricane. As ridiculous as it sounds, this film is actually a well-executed and taught thriller. Director Carlos Brooks delivers suspense in spades, ratcheting up the tension to near-unbearable heights. Top-notch directing combined with the excellent performance from Briana Evigan and a top-notch cameo from Meatloaf make Burning Bright one of the biggest and best surprises of the year.
It seems fitting to select a nearly five-year-old festival film, which FINALLY received a DVD release, as one of this year’s best disc releases. Writer/director J.T. Petty takes a deconstructionist look into why we watch horror and at the same time forces the audience into a voyeuristic peek at some of the most perverse underground horror in existence. S&Man manages to do something very rare — it strikes a nerve close to home and undoubtedly will make even the most seasoned horror veterans pause to think.
Simply put, Adam Green created one of the best films within the survival horror genre. It’s perfectly paced, plausible (mostly) and absolutely terrifying. By playing on all-too-real fears of isolation and being trapped, Green delivers a film that is incredibly stressful to watch. The last film that left me as emotionally drained as Frozen was the phenomenal The Descent.
Tormented, 2010: Moby Dick, 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, Best Worst Movie, Sea of Dust, The Roommate (Japan), Bad Biology, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, Harpoon: The Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre
“Elevated Horror.” Of all the combinations in the English language, that one is the most insufferable.
It represents almost a decade of scary movies that, for the most part, took themselves too seriously. Horror responds to the moment, so its “why so serious” lean makes sense as we scuttle through the “worst of times” equation of Charles Dickens’ famous opening lines. But there’s still an opening and a need for a lighter approach; one that not only has fun with its audience but takes the piss out of a genre that is seemingly letting its newfound “respectability” go to its head.
Wes Craven believed devotees see horror films to let out their fears one primal scream at a time. At their core, these movies are roller coasters; they bring us as close to the edge as possible before pulling us back into a safety net of reality. The need for a bigger and badder coaster increases during times when the size of that net decreases.
There’s a thrill that comes from imagining being in a foot race with a madman, or outthinking the hordes of zombies on the other side of the door, plus the scavenger humans coming behind them. There’s even a rush that comes from imagining how one might deal with possession to see good triumph over evil in the end. It’s all about building tension and releasing it through catharsis. That cathartic release usually sounds like screams followed by laughter, which signals relief. Genre heavy hitters over the past 10 years offered very little of that respite when the credits rolled. Films like Hereditary, The Witch, Talk to Me, and even Smile (pick one) keep that tension going after the screen fades to black.
Hereditary
As the genre became obsessed with creating trauma metaphors, that lack of release made sense. Anyone with even a small sample size of traumatic experiences knows those emotions don’t magically resolve themselves in an allotted run time. But how much trauma can one take? Especially when there’s a mess going on outside that few of us can escape from. Movies offer that off-ramp, no matter how short.
Everything can’t be, nor should it be, “elevated.” Audiences need thoughtful explorations of life’s ills via monsters as much as they need murdering masked maniacs with kitchen knives. And no, it doesn’t have to go any deeper than that. Sometimes, a knife is just a knife, and it’s still worth our time and respect. As weird as it sounds, that simplicity is comforting not in spite of the trauma but because of it.
The worst of times should manifest more than just anguish. People need to laugh just as much as they need to think seriously about this moment in time. Even the Scream franchise forgot the meta rock upon which it built its church when the latest foray sacrificed the subtle comedy for serious drama. Scary Movie returned at the perfect moment. It provides the necessary laughs, but it’s not a cure-all.
This isn’t a call for Scary Movie imitators but a return to a mainstream landscape where Killer Klowns from Outer Space sat with The Serpent and the Rainbow, nestled neatly with the latest Nightmare on Elm Street, which took nothing away from The Vanishing.
They Live
Even They Live, John Carpenter’s horror sci-fi satire sandwich, kept its tongue firmly in cheek while discussing serious ideas still relevant in 2026. Yes, a film about aliens taking over the world through subliminal messaging only visible through coded sunglasses is, in fact, a tad silly. Carpenter understood that mainstream horror can’t become so self-important that it never looks itself in the mirror and laughs at that inherent silliness.
The thing is, horror historically excels at poking fun at itself. Most of the Scream franchise, The Cabin in the Woods, or The Blackening show adoration without kowtowing. They recognize tropes and trappings but invert them for an audience already in on the joke, but one that also finds solace in said conventions. This keeps the genre on its toes; once something gets parodied, it’s usually time to evolve. That breeds new ideas and fresh filmmakers, which not only strengthen the genre’s collective voice but also amplify it.
Get Out, as “elevated” as some critics want us to believe it is, is a cathartic, populist scary movie that spoke to an untapped audience rather than speaking down to them. Backrooms is one of the biggest horror hits in years, partially because it’s fine-tuned for modern-day teenagers instead of their parents. Movies like these tell everyone the genre is open for business; open for innovation and, yeah, open for new ways in which people can lovingly poke fun at with a wink and a nudge.
Horror needs dread as much as it needs laughter.
Catharsis is just as important as tension, and pulpy populism has the same merit as more high-brow material. Respectability shouldn’t come at the expense of an experience akin to walking through a haunted house. At a time when joy seems in short supply, horror should look to its past to map out its future, and make things just a tad brighter for audiences.
Backrooms
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