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Mr. Disgusting Picks the Best Horror Films of 2016!

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Top 10 Horror Films of 2016


Three witch movies in the top 10? I didn’t even realize it was a trending subgenre until I went through all of the films released this year. But when you really think about it, there aren’t that many movies centered on witches, not to mention done in uniquely different ways… at least until now.  There’s three in this list, three! I love that all of them are vastly different not only in story but in tone, aesthetics and in how it approaches scares. With the found-footage subgenre seemingly buried for good, will we see a rise in witch-themed horror stories in 2017?

James Wan also make a dent, again, proving why he’s one of the best in the genre, while there were quite a few surprises that include Train to Busan and the Cronenberg meets Lovecraft tale, Evolution.

While 2016 is considered one of the worst years in recent memory, us genre fans will remember it as being one of the best for horror. Whether it was an independent foreign film about the birth of a serial killer, or a studio-backed colorful haunter that breathes new life into the slasher genre, there was a bit of magic all over the horror spectrum. 2016 was pure fireworks.

10. LIGHTS OUT (D. David F. Sandberg)

lights out diana

Let’s give a hand to James Wan for taking a chance on David F. Sandberg, who took a short film with no story and turned it into one of the best new horror franchises. While the movie is exceedingly melodramatic, it’s also fucking scary. Stamped with the Wan-produced seal of quality, this spookfest is jam-packed with jump scares that aren’t just cheap shots but are well-developed jolts that pay off. It’s a fun gimmick that never takes itself too seriously, which is why the introduction of the new horror icon, Diane, works so well. Speaking of, Diane is the best new horror villain since Saw‘s Jigsaw, easily comparable to Freddy Krueger, that sets the stage for multiple sequels. This is one franchise where I expect the follow up to be even better than its predecessor.


9. TRAIN TO BUSAN (D. Sang-ho Yeon)

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South Korea delivered the goods this year with their social issues really connecting to the zombie subgenre. While The Wailing was more about aesthetics, Train to Busan went full Tom Cruise. Sang-ho Yeon’s film channeled Brad Pitt’s World War Z by delivering non-stop zombie action on a massive scale. In fact, Train to Busan may just be one of the best zombie films of all-time. By placing much of the action on a train it creates off-the-charts tension that runs between avoiding the hordes of the undead, but also coexisting with other survivors that are more concerned with avoiding their own extinction. George A. Romero would probably laud Train to Busan, which takes all of its cues from his Night of the Living Dead.


8. EVOLUTION (D. Lucile Hadzihalilovic)

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Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s French-language Evolution romanticizes David Cronenberg in a horrific fairytale of a boy investigating his bizarre life that becomes increasingly suspect. Evolution is the kind of film that gets under your skin with its horrific imagery and ideology that mixes in with Lovecraftian lore. It’s a terrifying folktale come to life, a sea version of The Witch, one that’s just as striking as it is unnerving.


7. THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (D. André Øvredal)

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I’m not quite sure I’ve ever seen anything like The Autopsy of Jane Doe, which is a horror film that quite literally peels back like a nesting doll. Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox star as son and father, respectively, who conduct an autopsy on a Jane Doe. The scares amplify as they continue to crack Jane Doe open, building up to a third act shocker that delivers one of the biggest sucker punches of the year. Claustrophobic and brooding, Øvredal never gives the audience a moment to breathe, suffocating them with skin-crawling sounds and images that should leave the audience shaken to their core.


6. GREEN ROOM (D. Jeremy Saulnier)

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Jeremy Saulnier continues to grow as a filmmaker, upping the ante with each and every film he delivers. Green Room is just about as perfect as this taught thriller can be, boasting a frightening performance by Patrick Stewart (who’s weirdly omitted from the front page of IMDb’s credits). Green Room follows the simple premise of a group of teens who witness a murder and become the targets of a madman. Green Room reminds me of the 90’s classic Judgment Night only as vicious and brutal as a hardcore horror slasher. Saulnier pulls no punches, hitting audiences with a visceral and traumatic cinematic experience that’s ironically beautiful to watch. The secret is out on Saulnier who is going to propel up the Hollywood ladder.


5.THE CONJURING 2 (D. James Wan)

CONJURING 2 Crooked Man

It’s hard to argue against James Wan being the modern king of horror. The filmmakers is behind more than a handful of monstrous franchises from Saw to Insidious, Conjuring, Anabelle and even Lights Out (with The Nun forthcoming). He’s a master of horror that delivers punch after punch of scares that connect with not just genre fans, but general audiences. The Conjuring 2 was his first attempt at a fish out of water tale, pulling audiences to London to watch a family tortured by a poltergeist. Having not watched the first film in quite some time, my gut tells me that I liked this follow up even more than its predecessor. The tear-jerker subplot between Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) is the heart of Conjuring 2, which boasts more scares per minute than any other horror film this year. Wan has so many tricks up his sleeve as he sets up potent payoffs and mixes them with intense visuals (from the Nun to the Crooked Man). Conjuring 2 is an instant classic that comes from a director determined to deliver high quality horror to theaters everywhere.


4.DON’T BREATHE (D. Fede Alvarez)

Stephen Lang and Dylan Minnette star in Screen Gems' horror-thriller DON'T BREATHE.

The director of Evil Dead reteams with Jane Levy in this fun house of horror thriller that traps a trio of thieves in a house with a blind veteran who is more deadly that they could have ever imagined. While there’s some issues with character development (the kids are sort of the worst and hard to both sympathize and empathize with), Don’t Breathe is still one of the most tense films in years (Trace called it “Hitchcock on crack,” and he couldn’t be more right). The house acts as its own character, setting the stage for so many twists and turns that continually left my jaw agape. The turkey baster sequence is one those moments that will live in horror infamy, while Stephen Lang’s vicious and punishing performance as the blind man makes him a genre icon for the ages. The only real caveat is that it lacks replay value and loses most of its power on second viewing.


3.THE EYES OF MY MOTHER (D. Nicolas Pesce)

The Eyes of My Mother

Any other year Nicolas Pesce’s The Eyes of My Mother could have took the honors of the best horror film of the year. Shit, it bumped Fede Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe down a slot, a film I was convinced would take top honors in this year’s list (I’ve softened on it a bit). The Eyes of My Mother is a riveting, poignant, grim and realistic look at the birth of a serial killer (Kika Magalhaes). It’s a fresh perspective from a up and coming filmmaker that delivers one punch after another. The film’s power comes from the sympathetic framing of the killer that presents her in a way that makes it both brutal and tragic. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like Eyes of My Mother and can’t recommend it enough. Pesce is a force to be reckoned with that’s delivered a genre classic that will be revered for years to come.


2.BLAIR WITCH (D. Adam Wingard)

Blair Witch Review

I’m still perplexed by the backlash this found-footage sequel took. Was it “over hyped”? Were viewers expecting something else? Are viewers sick of found footage? Or maybe the movie just sucks? Whatever the reason, I still loved it, and think it’s a game-changer (in the sense that this is what VR horror movies could look like in the next few years). While the hate is strong for the third film in the franchise, I did see a fair share of horror fans who agreed with my take. I thought Blair Witch was a sledgehammer of a horror film that punished audiences with abusive sound design and a third act that pulls the rug out from under those expecting a straight up remake. Yes, the first hour is a rehash of Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick’s The Blair Witch Project, but, from my perspective, this was to set up the final sequence that comes out of left field. Even many of those who don’t agree with my passion for the film have come out to acknowledge the power of the fun house rollercoaster ride finale that’s straight-up chaos. Maybe time will heal Blair Witch and it will eventually be embraced by horror fans, but for now its legacy is as twisted as any Shyamalan finale.


1.THE WITCH (D. Robert Eggers)

February Horror Releases

Blair Witch and The Witch couldn’t be more different from one another. While the former is more of a fun house theatrical experience, Eggers’ period horror is pure witchcraft. Anya Taylor-Joy breaks out in this gorgeous film that follows a family in 1630s New England that is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession. From the performances to the sound design, score and cinematography, The Witch is a cinematic revelation that comes from the same soul as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The authentic aesthetics give a tremendous amount of weight to the suspense, creating tension that never lets up. While The Witch won’t connect with every viewer, those who found themselves immersed in Eggers’ world will find joy in repeat viewings as this film will be remembered as an all-time great.

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Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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