Editorials
10 Must-See Independent Horror Films of 2016!
Yesterday, we put the spotlight on ten 2016 studio horror films that we were most excited for. Now we turn our attention to ten independent horror films that we are most excited for this year (some of which we’ve already seen)! This list was a bit more difficult to make, as there are just so many independent horror films being released this year. It almost seemed cruel to limit it to just ten, but here we are. Back in my end-of-2015 posts, I mentioned how I didn’t think 2015 was as great of a year for horror. That is because many of my favorite films were screened at festivals that had not seen a wide release at the time. Well, their time is now, and I can confidently say that 2016 will be a much better year for our favorite genre. This is assuming that they all see a 2016 release, as some of these films have yet to obtain a distributor. Since it is only January, we are optimistic that they will all see a release sometime this year (unless they get Green Inferno‘d). Without further ado, here are ten must-see independent horror films (hopefully) getting released in 2016.
The Witch (A24 Films) – February 19th
As Kalyn already mentioned in her review, The Witch is a fantastic film. I was fortunate enough to catch this at Fantastic Fest back in September, and I can tell you that she is absolutely right, though I fear it is destined to be the It Follows or The Babadook of this year due to overhype. The Witch is a very scary film, but the lack of traditional scares may turn some people off (I can practically hear the cries of “That’s it?!” coming from theaters that weekend). That being said, it is a moody, atmospheric film that deserves all of the accolades it has received so far and is on track to be one of the best films, horror or otherwise, of 2016.
The trailer for Ti West’s upcoming adaptation of A Christmas Carol raised a lot of eyebrows when it dropped earlier this week. While plenty of folks initially dismissed Ebenezer as a derivative project meant to cash in on the recent wave of unnecessary prequels that expand the backstory of beloved characters (such as 2023’s Wonka), Charles Dickens’ original novel already made a point of exploring Ebenezer Scrooge’s origins in detail – meaning that this new film is likely just a particularly faithful adaptation of the source material under a different name.
Couple that with the fact that the movie is being helmed by a genuine horror auteur and I think it’s safe to say that the latest iteration of the first modern ghost story is in good hands.
That being said, one detail that immediately jumped out at me during the brief teaser (other than a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nod to Johnny Depp’s iconic bedroom death scene from the original A Nightmare on Elm Street) is the fact that many of Ebenezer’s ghosts appear to have been directly lifted from the iconic John Leech illustrations that accompanied the first edition of Dickens’ novel.
Here are a couple of stills from the trailer compared to the original artwork:
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
The Phantoms in ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Ebenezer’
Marley’s Ghost in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
Mainly working with old-school wood and steel engravings that would later be transferred to print, Leech was instrumental in crafting the iconic look of history’s most influential phantoms – especially since Dickens is said to have been deeply involved with the creation of these so-called “comic illustrations.”
And since the novel is commonly said to have popularized spiritualism in Victorian England, much of the ghostly iconography that we still see in genre media to this very day (including some of Ti West’s previous films) can be traced back to the author’s partnership with Leech.
Ebenezer won’t be the first A Christmas Carol adaptation to borrow heavily from these designs, but I can appreciate how Ti West is incorporating an important part of horror history into his latest film.
Ebenezer will be available in theaters starting November 13.
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