Connect with us

Editorials

5 Pretty Good Horror Movies You Might’ve Missed in 2016

Published

on

Mr. Disgusting’s Top 10 Horror Films | Several More Must-See Horror Films | Kalyn’s Top 10 | Trace’s Top 10 | Trace’s Worst 510 Best Posters | Worst Posters | Best Trailers | Luiz Picks the Best Horror Shows | Chris’ Best Blu-rays 2016: The Year Netflix Embraced Horror | 10 Sci-fi Movies You May Have Missed | 13 Most Disturbing Horror Movie Moments |
5 Pretty Good Horror Movies You Might’ve Missed in 2016
[Poll Results] The Bloody Disgusting Readers Chose the 10 Best Horror Movies of 2016
10 Biggest Horror Stories of 2016
Let’s Play Pretend and Give Academy Awards to 2016’s Best Horror Movies


Every year, there are horror movies that nobody talks about.

What I’ve always found interesting about movies and the way we react to them is that we only really pay attention to the GREAT ones and the TERRIBLE ones. At the end of every year, for example, many of us take a look at the best and worst the genre had to offer, and in doing so, we tend to ignore a large swath of films that really don’t fall into either category. Which is kind of a shame, because many of those not great and not terrible movies are pretty damn good.

So let’s talk about some of them, shall we? Here are 5 horror movies I saw in 2016 that fall into the “pretty good” category… 5 horror movies that I really haven’t seen anyone talking about.

the-pack-2016

1) THE PACK

Man’s best friend becomes a family’s worst nightmare in Aussie horror flick The Pack, the directorial debut of Nick Robertson. In the film, a family of four facing eviction from their isolated farmhouse comes face-to-face with true terror when a pack of feral dogs show up on the property. On paper, wild dogs may not seem like terrifying horror movie villains, but Robertson brings those vicious predators to the screen with such effectiveness and straight-faced seriousness that The Pack may make you think twice about adopting a four-legged friend. Rather than using CGI or even animatronics, Robertson had real German Shepherds dyed black to create his villainous beasties, and it’s so damn effective. It doesn’t hurt that you genuinely care about the characters. There’s admittedly not much to the movie, and it certainly doesn’t reinvent any wheels, but it’s a solid home invasion film and one of the better animals-run-amok movies in recent memory.


nina-forever

2) NINA FOREVER

Brothers Ben and Chris Blaine got wonderfully weird and surprisingly deep with their debut feature, Nina Forever. Appropriately billed as “a fucked up love story,” the film centers on Rob, who has recently attempted suicide in the wake of his girlfriend dying in a car accident. Rob finds new hope when he meets Holly, but their relationship is tested when Nina returns from the dead. Boldly and unconventionally exploring that gaping wound left behind when we lose someone we love, Nina Forever is a wholly original look at love, loss, and crippling grief. It’s equal parts disturbing, twisted, and oddly beautiful, driven by fearless performances from Abigail Hardingham and Fiona O’Shaughnessy. Once you see it, you will likely never forget the title character.


AVA_FILM_STILL_HAZELDEMON

3) AVA’S POSSESSIONS

Taking place in the direct aftermath of an exorcism, Ava’s Possessions is a film that approaches the subject of demonic possession from an entirely different angle, reminding that with a little ingenuity, old ideas can be made new again. Written and directed by Jordan Galland, the horror-comedy tells the story of Ava, who is recovering from a recent possession that seems to have left a little blood on her hands. Bursting with a vibrantly colorful style and escorted by an original score courtesy of Sean Lennon, Galland’s third feature blazes across the screen like a breath of fresh air, and his observations about post-possession life are often quite hilarious – at the center of the story is the Spirit Possessions Anonymous support group, and Galland has a whole lot of fun establishing a world wherein demonic possession has become a normal part of society. Ava’s Possessions is a fresh take on a very tired sub-genre, and it’s a unique experience all its own.


hangman-found-footage

4) HANGMAN

One of the creepiest horror movies released this year was undoubtedly Adam Mason’s Hangman, which yes, is another found footage film – but it’s a slice of POV horror that reminds how effective the filmmaking style can still be when properly utilized. In the film, the Miller family returns from vacation to find their house ransacked, and what they don’t know is that a masked stranger placed cameras all around their home while they were gone. To make matters worse, the killer, like Billy from Black Christmas, is still inside the house. Watching Hangman, you get the sense that you’re watching something you should not be, as you’re literally put inside the sick headspace of the villain. We watch the family sleep, take showers, and go about their daily lives, and it’s pretty unsettling to play that fly on the wall of their home. This is the sort of movie that will continue to creep you out while you lay in bed, questioning if someone, somewhere, is watching you.


emelie

5) EMELIE

It’s a common cliche that babysitters in horror movies will never reach the end of the movie unscathed, but with Emelie, director Michael Thelin goes in the complete opposite direction. The titular babysitter in this one, played by an incredibly devilish Sarah Bolger, is the villain rather than the victim. Emelie shows up at a couple’s home and poses as Anna, the last-minute replacement babysitter they’ve never so much as seen a picture of. Though she initially seems to be the perfect babysitter, letting the kids run wild and have fun, the night soon takes a turn for the sinister when Emelie makes them participate in a series of increasingly disturbing games. Emelie is one of the most memorable horror villains in recent years, inflicting psychological torment on the children in a way that is altogether more terrifying than anything a hulking brute like Jason Voorhees is capable of. Thelin isn’t afraid to smash taboos and show the true depths of Emelie’s depravity, making the babysitter-gone-wrong film a tense and unsettling experience that is often hard to watch. The final act isn’t great, but Emelie is boundary-pushing horror that’s quite unforgettable.

Can you think of any pretty good horror movies released in 2016 that deserve more recognition?

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

Editorials

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

Published

on

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.

LEPRECHAUN

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.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

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.

Continue Reading