Editorials
Meagan Shares Her Picks For 10 Best Horror Moments of 2017
*Keep up with our ongoing end of the year coverage here*
Horror has had a tremendous year, especially when it comes to box office success. While horror has always been a healthy, profitable genre of film, the massive box office victories from just Get Out and IT alone have really made the general public take notice. It’s not just the mainstream triumphs of horror that’s worth celebrating, but also the simple fact that 2017 ushered in a ridiculous amount of great horror movies. From major theatrical releases to smaller, independent offerings, 2017 has made it extremely difficult to narrow down the best horror films of the year. Instead, let’s look back at horror’s best moments of the year. Warning; there will be some spoilers, but I’ll keep them out of titles and images so you can skip them. From explosive scenes of brutality or overwhelming surprises of fan service, here are horror’s 10 best moments of 2017:
Split – The Final Scene
After a string of not so well received films, M. Night Shyamalan revitalized his career by teaming up with Blumhouse Productions, a production company with an uncanny ability to take a low budget horror film and make massive profits. This also happened to be the case with Split, released in January, a month known as a sort of wasteland for theatrical releases. Casting James McAvoy as lead antagonist Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man suffering dissociative identity disorder with 23 distinct personalities, was a stroke of genius. McAvoy’s performance was worth the price of admission. But even if you were feeling lukewarm on the film, it was the final scene after the narrative wrapped that landed one of horror’s biggest surprises of the year: Bruce Willis reprising his role as David Dunn from Unbreakable. Shyamalan just unleashed a secret sequel to his hit from 2000, and none of us knew until the final reel. Brilliant.
Get Out – The Police Lights
There are so many great moments in Jordan Peele’s directorial debut that it’s tough to hone in on just one. The imagery, the symbolism, and the amazing cast made for one of the year’s best films. Catherine Keener’s Missy sending Daniel Kaluuya’s Chris to the Sunken Place was a tough contender, as were any of Betty Gabriel’s scenes as the tortured Georgina. Throughout all of them, the audience remained in enraptured silence, a rarity for the theater-going experience these days. It wasn’t until Chris gained the upper hand over his treacherous girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) that hope deflated the moment the police lights started flashing on the quiet road. That is, until Lil Rel Howery’s Rod emerges, along with the reveal that it wasn’t the police but a TSA patrol car. It was the moment the audience erupted in cheers, receiving the most cathartic ending possible for both viewers and Chris. It wasn’t Peele’s original ending, but I’m so glad this was the one he ultimately went with.
Better Watch Out – Home Aloned
Chris Peckover’s demented Christmas set home invasion film never takes the expected route, a sort of rarity in the sub-genre. In fact, there’s a point in the story where the entire set up, in which teen Ashley babysits 12-year old Luke only to find themselves victims of intruders, is completely yanked out from under the viewer. From there, it gets extremely dark and twisted. While Levi Miller and Olivia DeJonge’s performances as Luke and Ashley, respectively, would warrant them award nominations in any other context, it’s the scene in which the film Home Alone becomes a verb. Spoiler: The scene where Luke tries to demonstrate how Kevin McCallister’s booby trap involving a swinging paint can would really work in real life makes for one of the most shocking, memorably violent scenes of the year.
Cult of Chucky – That Exclusive Blu-ray Post Credit Scene
Don Mancini’s latest in the franchise dropped on Netflix in October, which is likely where most people caught up on what happened to Nica after the events of Curse of Chucky. The Netflix version still offered that fun reunion of sorts, bringing Nica, Chucky, Tiffany, and Andy Barclay together in one bold sequel. But watching it on Netflix meant missing out on a lot of great gore. Most importantly, it meant missing out on one of the biggest surprises of fan service of the year. The post credit scene, offered exclusively for home release, brought one more important franchise character back into the mix; Christine Elise’s Kyle from Child’s Play 2.When things seemed dire for Barclay, Kyle brought a thrilling beacon of light. The continuity is fantastic, but even more exciting is the prospect of seeing more of a beloved character I’d never thought I’d see again. Well done, Mancini.
Victor Crowley – Adam Green Pulls a Fast One
In August, a special anniversary screening was held to celebrate the 10th year of director Adam Green’s slasher Hatchet. The swamp-dwelling killer, played by fan favorite Kane Hodder, met his final end in Hatchet III, where Green announced he’d finished with this particular franchise, much to the dismay of a rather fervent fan base. Yet it was George A. Romero that convinced Green that Crowley wasn’t finished. Somehow, Green managed to pull off an incredibly difficult secret to maintain, working on a new sequel in the series. For the lucky fans that thought they were seeing an anniversary showing of the original Hatchet were the first to lay eyes on Victor Crowley, instead, with the cast and crew in attendance. That no one knew or suspected the sequel was in the works made for one of the best, most memorable moments in horror this year.
IT – Rock Fight
There’s so much that made IT such a monstrous hit at the box office. Bill Skarsgard’s take on Pennywise surely inspired a new generation of coulrophobics, and the various ways in which It terrified its child prey was the stuff of nightmares. What really made Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s beloved novel, though, were the Losers Club and the actors who portrayed them. While Pennywise handled all of the scares, it was the main core of kids that really made you care. So in a film full of standout, chilling scenes, it’s the rock-throwing showdown between Henry Bowers and his bully gang versus the Losers Club. Why? Not only is it ridiculously satisfying to see the group pay Bowers back, but it’s the first time the group becomes whole. It’s not only a major bonding incident, but a crucial practice run for working together to defeat Pennywise.
Annabelle: Creation – Setting up the True Dark Universe
This summer brought a prequel/sequel to less than well-received spinoff of The Conjuring, Annabelle. Luckily, with David F. Sandberg at the helm, this prequel far surpassed its predecessor in terms of quality, story, and scares. Oh, so many scares. As fun and as terrifying as this entry is, it’s the small scene where Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) shows Samuel (Anthony LaPaglia) a photo of her and her fellow nuns at her old convent. Samuel points out a fifth, creepy nun that Sister Charlotte hasn’t seen before. That nun, of course, is the very same one from The Conjuring 2, in a set up for the upcoming spinoff. This small nod is hugely significant, because this is the precise moment where it hits home that The Conjuring universe is the exact Marvel-like equivalent in horror that the Dark Universe was hoping to achieve, starting with The Mummy.
Gerald’s Game – That Cringe-Inducing Scene
Whether you loved or hated the epilogue at the end of Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the “unfilmable” Stephen King novel, there’s no denying that you’ll ever forget that scene once you see it. There are a number of creepy moments, especially thanks to Carel Struycken’s Moonlight Man. But the scene that steals the entire show is that in which Carla Gugino’s Jesse uses broken glass to cut deep into her wrist, use her own blood to lubricate, and slowly pull her hand free from the handcuffs, skin and all. The slow, excruciating peeling of her skin, in a brutal de-gloving, was enough to cause actual fainting during its premiere at Fantastic Fest, in Austin, TX.
The Devil’s Candy – Jesse Takes Zooey to School
In a year of insane moments of gore and scares, the moment in which Jesse (Ethan Embry) drives his daughter Zooey (Kiara Glasco) to school, bonding over metal the entire way, seems like a rather bland scene. It is, and it isn’t. It doesn’t offer much in the way of anything remotely shocking, but it does manage to achieve something that most films don’t bother with much; character development. The relationship between father and daughter in director Sean Byrne’s highly anticipated follow up to The Loved Ones was so relatable and endearing that it made you completely invested in their plight. Jesse and Zooey bonding over a mutual love of heavy metal was affectious, but more importantly, it made the stakes extremely high.
Raw – Bikini Wax from Hell
Julia Ducournau delivered one powerhouse debut with her coming of age cannibal tale. Part body horror, part cannibal horror, and all parts awkward journey into self-discovery, Justine’s first semester in veterinary school is one I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. After breaking her lifelong vegetarianism in a hazing ritual, Justine’s hunger for meat becomes insatiable. But the most memorable moment in her story comes when her older sister Alexia attempts to give her a bikini wax. When the wax gets stuck on Justine’s skin, Alexia wants to try and cut it off with sharp scissors. Justine’s flight or fight kicks in, literally, knocking Alexia over, causing her to accidentally cut off her own finger in the process. Alexia faints at the sight. Justine does the proper thing by calling an ambulance, but then hunger takes over and poor Alexia is left without a finger to reattach at the hospital. It’s twisted and shocking, and handled with a wry sense of humor that makes this scene one for the ages.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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