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Best & Worst ’10: HORROR GUY KEENAN’S TOP 10 OF 2010

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It was a rough year finding good horror films in theaters. The last two years seemed to have some great gems. Not to mention a lot of theaters pulled some great horror movies out way to early (but I won’t go into that whole shenanigans right now). I had to look elsewhere for decent horror and stumbled upon a few I think will be soon to be classics. So read below and check out my top list of 2010.

Mr. Disgusting (Best/Worst) | Ryan Daley (Best/Worst) | David Harley (Best/Worst)
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

HORROR GUY KEENAN’S TOP 10 OF 2010

10. Paranormal Activity 2 (October 21; Paramount Pictures)


The first Paranormal Activity was huge success in theaters, it was no surprise a second installment would get green lit. People all over demanded this film just as much, if not more than the first. The film promised more scares then the first and it delivered. What I really liked about this film is that it takes place during and after the first film, so you get to see certain scenarios intertwine with scenes from the first film. It also really delves into Katie’s family history a bit more but doesn’t give too much away. This installment also plays with the audience. Knowing when the sun goes down the scares come out. Or when someone’s talking a scare cannot happen. Paranormal 2 really learns what worked and what didn’t in the first film and plays off that. Paranormal 1, to some people, is the scariest film they have ever seen. It’s great to see a second installment in a series keep the scares cracked up to eleven and then go beyond that.

9. The Dead Matter (July 30; Precinct 13 Entertainment)


This is a film done by Edward Douglas the composer of Midnight Syndicate. His music has been playing in haunted attractions for years now and he finally gets to take a dip in the vast directing pool. The Dead Matter is just as haunting and creepy as the gothic soundtracks Ed puts together every year.

The film tells the story of a woman who wants to contact her deceased brother and stumbles upon a relic that can control the dead. She ends up getting mixed up with two warring vampire lords who want to control the power of the relic, where as one vampire hunter wants nothing more than to just destroy it. The Dead Matter feels like a story right out of the popular role playing game ‘World of Darkness’ bringing different fictional creatures together into the same world. I hope to see more installments in the Midnight Syndicate series in the near future just as good as this one.

8. The Wolfman (February 12; Universal Pictures)


The Wolf Man had a slew of problems getting a solid release date. Pretty much pushing the film back almost two years later. I wouldn’t say the outcome was the best but, I certainly enjoyed what I watched. Just as long as The Wolfman did not turn out to be another CG adventure romp like Universal’s last take on the classic monster series with Van Helsing, I would be ok with it. This Wolfman’s story is quite different from the original 1941 classic. It had a strong Victorian/gothic feel to it which I really enjoyed. Throwing Talbot’s father into the mix was really something new and enjoyable for the story as well. Rick Baker’s make-up FX on the Wolfman was nothing short of amazing. Even the gore was amped up way more than I ever thought Universal would allow. A lot of problems dealt with the score which Danny Elfman composed. But the end result was flat out magnificent and is now my favorite score of 2010. As I said before, I know this film wasn’t perfect but I enjoyed the hell out of this in the theaters. And if anything just watch this for the medical scene. You won’t regret it.

7. Shutter Island (February 19; DreamWorks Studios)


When I heard Martin Scorsese was doing a supernatural thriller I about shat myself! Though, once I watched the trailer I was a bit concerned. Could I already know the twist before even seeing the film? It looks that way at first but this is really a smart film that takes you one way and turns you another. I’m not a huge Leonardo DiCaprio fan but he was really captivating in this film and made me a fan. Also starring in the film is Jackie Earle Haley who stars in the film for just a short moment but really does a wonderful job portraying a psycho patient in the asylum and really became the face of Shutter Island for me. Scorsese does a great job with the writing material he was given and really came along way in executing the film beautifully. The outcome may not be what you expect but you are still floored by the journey. A real work of art in my opinion.

6. Dread (January 29; After Dark Films)


Now I watch a lot of the ‘8 Films to Die For’ movies and they all end up being pretty low key. Nothing memorable, and nothing to rant and rave about. Which is why I was amazed by this film. Dread was directed by up and coming director Anthony DiBlasi. DiBlasi works closely with Clive Barker on a lot of his short story adaptations, such as The Midnight Meat Train, Book of Blood and even the up and coming Hellraiser remake. Dread is a story about three college students who set out to document what other people dread most. What sets Dread apart from a lot of Clive’s other stories is that it takes place in the real world, which really creeps the crap out of me. The story expands more than just what scares people and really starts to mess with the students conducting the studies. Making certain characters go off the hinge and start doing some really horrible and disgusting things to each other. You can’t expect anything less from a horror master like Clive Barker with DiBlasi by his side.

5. Let Me In (October 01; Hammer Films)


I, like most horror fans was very skeptical about the remake to Tomas Alfredson 2008 instant classic Let the Right One In. It was a beautiful story already and I felt it had no reason to be remade in the first place. But I have to remember we live in America and Hollywood doesn’t have any original ideas anymore so they have to go and steal other great films from around the world and remake them. I felt the same way about [Rec] and the soon to be remade, Martyrs. But Let Me In does something most other foreign remakes don’t. It improved on the story and added certain elements from the book written by John Ajvide Lindqvist that the Swedish film adaptation skipped over. Now I’m not saying that the remake is better than the original. But both have their own great qualities. By all means don’t limit yourself to just the remake. Go out and watch the original. Both child stars in the remake do a remarkable job at making the relationship between Oskar (Owen) and Eli (Abby) believable. Even the violence is more on par to the book then in the Swedish version. All in all, I’m just happy to see that Cloverfeild director Matt Reeves did not butcher such a beautiful story. It’s also nice knowing more people have a chance to see one of the best vampire stories of all time.

4. Frozen (February 05; Anchor Bay)


After the success of Adam Green’s 2006 slasher flick Hatchet, Green went scouting to the snowy mountains of Utah looking to film his next big thriller Frozen. The story is very simple. Three twenty something’s go skiing and con a ski lift operator to let them ride the slopes up for free. Once on the lift the operator switches out with someone else and a bit of confusion is set in that ends with one of the operators shutting down the lift for the weekend, leaving the three kids stuck high in the freezing cold.

Think Open Water but a lot less boring. Green does a great job of investing time in getting to know the three characters and helping you relate to them. So when certain horrifying obstacles come their way you really fear for these kids. The whole time I was watching the film I would ask myself “What would I do if I were in that situation?” And pretty much all the outcomes are played out magnificently! I definitely think Frozen is the best ìstrandedî type film I have ever seen. I personally cannot stand the cold (hence why I live in Florida) so this flick was painful for me to watch. And I don’t see myself ever going snowboarding again. Thanks Adam Green.

3. Coffin Rock (October 12; IFC Films)


A lot of Australian horror films have been coming out in the last year. They really have been putting out some Grade-A horror over there. Now I wouldn’t call Coffin Rock a horror as much as I would call it a suspense thriller. But if the scenario that played out in the film happened to me then hell yeah I’d call it horror! The film follows a married couple who are trying to have a baby with no luck. The young woman goes out drinking one night stressed about her situation when she runs into a young stranger and makes the mistake of sleeping with him. Little does she know that the young man is bat shit crazy and is going to pull the Fatal Attraction card on her. Coffin Rock is a really intense film till the very end and never gets dull. It also has few real disturbing scenes involving animals as well. Coffin Rock really makes you think twice about sleeping around with just anyone. Who knows what kind of skeletons they may hide in there closet.

2. The Loved Ones (N/A; Madman Films)


Remember that girl who asked you out to prom and you politely turned her down because you were already going with someone else? Well what if she wasn’t going to take no for an answer? That’s the case in this intense Australian horror film. Though, there is much more to this film than that. It really has everything from pristine and painful to watch gore to beautify set up shots. I would really love to say more about this film but I may give too much away. You really should just see it for yourselves when it releases state side early next year.

1. Piranha 3D (August 20; Dimension Films)


Director Alex Aja has been very hit or miss as of late. The Hills Have Eyes remake was far better than the original, delivering amazingly brutal scenes and intense gore. Whereas Mirrors lacked in storytelling, it had one of the most brutal death scenes I had seen in theaters last year. I wasn’t really sure what to think when going into see the remake to Roger Corman’s 1978 classic? I mean the original as fun as it was lacked quite a bitÖeven if it was film about killer Piranha’s. Well this remake really knocked me on my ass. Piranha 3D was MADE for fans of gore. I mean people’s faces get ripped off; they get torn in half, upside down, inside out. The list just goes on and on. You can’t really look to much into the plot seeing as how it’s a film about god damn prehistoric man-eating fish killing people, so that is already out the window. Not to mention we get to see great actors like Richard Dreyfuss and Christopher Lloyd come back to the big screen just to have fun. But the movie centers on the kills and it does it splendidly. The make up team killed it on this film! If you missed the 3D version of the film, it’s really ok. The 3D is just as good as the 3D in Clash of the Titans which was horrible. But the great thing about Piranha is that it doesn’t even need the 3D to be good. It’s already a fantastic blood soaked film all on its own!

Honorable Mentions:
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (May 4; CAV and 1428 Films)


This was possibly the best documentary on a film series I have ever seen. It blows away docs like His Name Was Jason and the Halloween 25 years of Fear documentaries. Never Sleep Again really gets down into the nitty-gritty reality of making the nightmare movies from how certain shots were really done, who hated who on set, what certain underlining messages really meant in the films and so on. Not to mention pretty much everyone involved in these movies (besides Johnny Depp who couldn’t make the recording) is in this thing. I’m talking everyone from Gaffer #2 to Wes Craven. And you get your monies worth. This 2 disk set is LONG and enjoyable till the very end.

The Walking Dead (October 1; AMC TV)


Have been a huge fan of Robert Kirkman’s comic series since issue one and I am still current to this day. I was very excited to see “The Walking Dead” get picked up by AMC. Not only do I get a fantastically original zombie episode every week on cable tv, but it’s done by non other the Frank Darabont who worked on The Mist film adaptation along with a slew of other amazing films. The series has really taken shape so far this season since it aired on Halloween night and is growing by each episode. The great thing about “The Walking Dead” is that sometimes you may not even see a zombie one whole episode, but that the undead are almost an afterthought with the characters holding amazing performances. In a zombie apocalypse if you take everything away from someone, how do they cope with that? We get to see these people go off their rocker and have to deal with life. And to me that is the most frightening thing next to zombies. “The Walking Dead” is currently airing on AMC, Sunday nights and is already in preproduction on season 2 after all the positive feedback it has gotten this last season.

Parasomnia (July 13; Rising Storm Productions)


This film is pretty much everything I expected out of the Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Amazingly creepy dream sequences! When you have Hollywood backing a million dollar franchise and the CGI we have today, you would think Platinum Dunes could whip up some awesome and frightful scenes. Nope, we get some kids turning into dust and a few of the same shots from the original movie redone. Parasomnia really goes that distance in the dream world and is visually pretty freaky.

Editorials

The 10 Scariest Moments in the ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Franchise

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scariest Ghostbusters

WARNING: The following contains mild spoilers for the Ghostbusters franchise. 

Yes, Ghostbusters is a horror movie – gateway horror to be exact. Setting aside the fact that the title literally contains the word “ghost,” a foundational element of the scariest genre, the franchise follows a group of paranormal researchers who battle entities attacking from beyond the grave. After countless rewatches, the classic films and newer sequels may not scare us much anymore, but how many times have we as genre fans asserted that a film does not have to be “scary” to be considered horror?

Genre classification is nebulous and any film that centers on ghosts has a place in the sprawling house of horror. Yes, it’s true that most viewers over the age of thirteen will find more to laugh about than scream while watching a Ghostbusters film, but each entry contains a handful of terrifying moments. With Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire uniting three generations of the parascientific warriors, perhaps it’s time to highlight the most frightening moments from each phase of this legendary franchise. 


Ghostbusters (1984)

A Haunted Library

scariest Ghostbusters movie

Ivan Reitman’s original film begins with a campfire tale come to life. We follow an unsuspecting librarian as she ventures deep into the stacks to reshelve a book. With her hair blowing from a spectral breeze, we watch a hardcover float across the aisle to the opposite shelf. A second book follows, but the librarian remains unaware. She finally notices the disturbance when card catalog drawers open on their own spewing cards into the air like literary geysers. She flees through the maze of narrow stacks only to come face to face with a mysterious force who blows her back with a powerful roar. We won’t see the Library Ghost (Ruth Oliver) until a later scene, but this introduction firmly positions the film that follows in the world of horror. On first watch, we can only speculate as to the ghost’s malevolence and whether or not the librarian has survived the encounter. It’s the perfect introduction to a world in which ghosts are not only real, they will pounce on unsuspecting humans at the drop of a … book. 

Shaky Ground

The original finale may not be the film’s most terrifying moment, but it has become the franchise’s most iconic image. When faced with choosing a form for Gozer (Slavitza Jovan), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) inadvertently conjures up an image from his childhood. Moments later, a set of once-cheery eyes peer through the skyscrapers. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man towers over the city, stomping and destroying everything in its path. While there’s definitely something terrifying about a jovial mascot turned deadly killer, what happens moments before is arguably scarier. 

The Ghostbusters arrive at the luxury apartment building to throngs of adoring fans. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) plays into this hero-worship and promises an easy solution to a supernatural problem. But before they can enter the building, lightning strikes the upper floors sending massive chunks of brick and cement raining down on the barricaded street. The ground begins to shake and a giant fissure swallows the entire team. It’s a destabilizing moment made all the more terrifying by its shocking reality. Speculation about the existence of ghosts may vary from person to person, but there’s no doubt that sinkholes are very real. It’s entirely possible that the ground we’re standing on right now could spontaneously begin to crumble, sucking us down into a seemingly bottomless void beneath the earth. 


Ghostbusters II (1989)

Runaway Baby

Ivan Reitman’s sequel begins with a sly update on the life of a beloved character as Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) pushes a baby carriage containing her infant son Oscar (Henry and William Deutschendorf). When last we saw the attractive cellist, she was kissing Venkman in the wreckage of Gozer’s demise and the thought of this loveable lady’s man becoming a father may be more nerve-wracking than anything contained in the first film. We never learn much about Oscar’s real father, but we do discover that fate has a sinister plan for the adorable child. While Dana chats with her landlord, Oscar’s carriage rolls a few feet away. Dana reaches for the handle, but the buggy begins speeding down the sidewalk careening through the busy crowds. As if guided by unseen hands, the carriage twists and turns, then abruptly swerves into oncoming traffic. Cars honk and veer out of the way, but the racing carriage marks a collision course with an approaching bus. The wheels screech to a halt moments before what would surely be a deadly crash and Dana rushes to embrace her vulnerable child. This harrowing scene is likely to terrorize any parent who’s experienced the fear of trying to protect a baby in an unpredictable world.  

Sewer Screams

scariest Ghostbusters scene

While investigating the second film’s primary villain, Vigo the Carpathian (Wilhelm von Homburg), three of the Ghostbusters venture into the sewers hoping to find a growing river of slime. Ray, Winston (Ernie Hudson), and Egon (Harold Ramis) trek down an abandoned subway line while speculating about the hordes of cockroaches and rats they hear scurrying behind the walls. These vermin may be scary, but there are more malevolent monsters lurking in the dark. Ray and Egon both amuse themselves with the tunnel’s echo but Winston’s “hello” goes unanswered. Moments later, a demonic voice bellows his name from the dark end of the corridor. Waiting behind him is a severed head floating in the empty tunnel. As he tries to retreat, the team finds themselves surrounded by dozens of ghoulish heads that disappear faster than they materialized. Moments later, a ghostly train hurtles towards them, swallowing Winston in its spectral glow. Egon theorizes that something is trying to keep them from reaching their destination with effective scares designed to frighten the Ghostbusters and audience alike.  


Ghostbusters (2016)

Haunted Basement

Like its predecessor, Paul Feig’s remake opens with a spooky vignette. Garrett (Zach Woods) gives a tour of the Aldridge Mansion, a 19th century manor preserved in the middle of the busy city, and walks visitors through a troubling history of excess and cruelty. Hoping to inject a bit of excitement, he pauses near the basement door and tells the horrifying story of Gertrude Aldridge (Bess Rous), a wealthy heiress who murdered the house’s many servants. Hoping to avoid a public scandal, her family locked her in the basement and her restless spirit can still be heard trying to escape. Garrett triggers a trick candlestick to fly off the shelf, hinting at the spirit’s presence, but a late night incident shows that the deceased murderess may actually be lurking in her ancestral home. While closing up for the night, Garrett hears ominous noises from behind the barricaded door and watches the knob rattle against the heavy locks. An unseen attacker hurls him through the house and eventually drives him down the basement stairs to a sea of green slime pooling on the floor. The stairs crumble leaving the tour guide hanging on to the door frame for dear life as a spectral figure glides toward him with menacing hands outstretched. Once again, we won’t see the fully revealed ghost of Gertrude Aldridge until later in the film, but this terrifying opening sets the stage for a dangerous showdown with an army of the dead.

Mannequin On the Move

The scariest moment of the 2016 remake is arguably the vicious online hatred sparked well before the film’s release. In response to brutal comments posted to the first official trailer, the cast returned to film an additional scene in which they react to dehumanizing negativity. But another sequence may cut closer to the heart of this upsetting experience. The Ghostbusters respond to a call at a concert venue and split up to cover more ground. Patty (Leslie Jones) enters what she calls a “room full of nightmares” and immediately reverses course to avoid a multitude of mannequins stacked haphazardly in the dark. As she walks out the door, one of the faceless creatures turns its head her way. Walking on its own, this sentient prop follows her down the hall, pausing the moment she turns around. Eventually breaking cover, the mannequin chases Patty down the hall to the rest of the team. They unleash their proton packs and make quick work of the gargoyle-like ghost. Though this connection is surely unintentional, it’s a terrifying parallel to a faceless monster sneaking up to attack a woman simply trying to do her job. 


Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Smoke and Monsters

While Ghostbusters: Afterlife is nowhere near as scary as the horror films playing in the local summer school science class, Jason Reitman’s legacyquel does contain its share of frights. The film opens with a harrowing scene as we join Egon (Oliver Cooper) in the last moments of his life. Racing away from a sinister mountain, Egon’s truck collides with an unseen force and flips upside down in a field of corn. The elderly scientist races back to his crumbling farmhouse with a trap in hand, intent on ensnaring this invisible being. Unfortunately, the power fails and Egon has no choice but to hide the trap under the floorboards and wait. He sits in a comfortable old chair as a horrifying cloud of smoke drifts in behind him, momentarily forming the shape of a fanged beast. Demonic hands grab him from within the chair, likely causing the heart attack that will be listed on his death certificate. But his abandoned PKE meter below the chair activates, reminding us that Egon may be deceased, but he is far from gone.  

The Terror Returns

scariest Ghostbusters moments

Ghostbusters: Afterlife turns out to be a touching tribute to Harold Ramis as his friends and family unite to complete the beloved scientist’s heroic mission. In addition to a tearjerker ending, Reitman also includes a bevy of callbacks to the original film. Not only do the Spenglers square off against the team’s first enemy, Gozer (Emma Portner), the nonbinary entity brings back the Terror Dogs that once possessed Dana Barret and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). These demonic beasts first rear their ugly heads while Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) stops by Walmart to buy a midnight snack. While the horde of mini marshmallow men are eerie in their gleeful self-destruction, the ghostly canine that chases him through the store is the stuff of nightmares. Early iterations of this fearsome creature are hindered by ’80s-era special effects, but Reitman’s version feels frighteningly real. While Gary frantically tries to find his keys, this Terror Dog snarls at him from atop his car dashboard, leaving the endearing science teacher with no way to escape. 


Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Frozen Dinner 

After a film set in a small mountain town, the opening of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire takes us back to New York circa 1904. We see the fire station in its early years as a horse-drawn carriage responds to a call. Arriving at the scene, a fireman tests the door for heat and watches in horror as his hand instantly freezes. Inside, they find jagged shards of ice surrounding and piercing a frozen dinner party. Guests are posed in various states of ice-covered surprise while an eerie record skips in the corner. A figure covered in brass armor we will come to know as a Fire Master is crouched in the corner clutching a mysterious orb. When the fireman touches this rippling sphere, the frozen diners’ heads begin to explode, an ominous precursor to the chilling threat awaiting the newest Ghostbusting team. 

Lights Out

If Ghostbusters: Afterlife featured the lo-fi gear of the 80s, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hurls us into the future. Wealthy financier Winston Zeddemore has been surreptitiously building a new containment unit to relieve pressure on the original model along with a secret lab designed to study ghosts and haunted objects. In addition to fancy new gadgets and gear, this facility contains several captured spirits like a fanged Wraith and a speedy Possessor. Lab techs assure the astonished Spengler team that they are perfectly safe, but it seems they’ve overestimated the facility’s security. Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Lars (James Acaster) are studying the aforementioned orb when the power goes out, leaving them stranded in the dark with a cache of haunted objects. Not only does the ancient sphere hold a deadly spirit, the proton fields containing the captured ghosts have just been disabled. These terrifying creatures begin to drift through the walls toward the defenseless lab techs, perhaps at the bidding of an evil commander. Thankfully the generator kicks on in the nick of time, drawing the ghosts back into their cells. It’s a tense moment reminding us that no matter how charming the Ghostbusters may be, they still spend their days with evil spirits just waiting for an opportunity to wreak havoc.  


The Ghostbusters franchise excels at mixing humor and fear, practically setting the blueprint for the modern horror comedy. Moments from the original two films terrified a generation of gen-xers and elder millennials and newer iterations are currently scaring their kids. The fifth franchise installment effectively passes the proton pack torch to a new generation of Ghostbusters and we can only hope additional films will continue to induct future generations of Ghostbusters fans into the horror family as well. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now playing in theaters. Read our review.

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