Editorials
Brad Picks the Best Horror Films of 2018!
Top 5 Horror Films of 2018
5. Upgrade (d. Leigh Whannell; OTL Releasing)
Calling back to ugly and crude techno-horror like Hardware and RoboCop, Upgrade is this year’s best crowd-pleaser that’s littered in action and covered in gore. Leigh Whannell puts a unique spin on the camerawork that gives the dizzying, nonstop action a distinct and fresh flavor (there are some ridiculously cool shots that I’m quite sure I’ve never seen before). The film also satisfies the nostalgic sweet tooth while still finding a way to deliver something that feels new. Upgrade also sticks its landing and then some as Whannell delivers a double twist that’s right in line with his Saw, Insidious and Dead Silence screenplays. With the help of Logan-Marshall Green‘s intense performance, Upgrade is going to be a timeless cult classic that will be infinitely fun until the end of time.
4. A Quiet Place (d. John Krasinski; Paramount Pictures)
John Kraskinski’s directorial debut is the ultimate horror trope turned into a feature. The use of silence is one of the greatest tools in a horror film in creating suspense, and with A Quiet Place, there’s no break in the tension; it’s literally an hour and a half of nervous silence. This was no easy task, as the film does an admirable job of keeping logic in check and everything realistic, although one does wonder how one sound alerts the creatures while another doesn’t? But I digress, Krasinski sets the tone early on with the decision to kill one of the family’s children, one that makes the film feel immediate and dangerous, with a whole lot at stake. The way Krasinski deals with tragedy and family dynamics is the heart of the film that’s soaked in dread and tension. Movies should tell a story with pictures, not words, which makes A Quiet Place is a textbook example of solid filmmaking. On top of it all, there’s wonderful creature design, exquisite sound design, and I loved the minimalist approach – save a family, not the world.
3. Revenge (d. Coralie Fargeat; Neon)
Coralie Fargeat‘s aptly-titled Revenge helicopters to a desert canyon in which Rings star Matilda Lutz must fight for her life against three wealthy, middle-aged CEOs. Poetically timed for release this year, the film is an allegory for workplace harassment, abuse, and how it’s handled. While strong on social commentary, it’s also harrowing, thrilling, and immensely entertaining. Fargeat ratchets up the tension in what is one of the most violent and bloody films of the year. Revenge reaches such heights that, when the end credits smash on screen, it will leave most viewers sitting in silent reflection for several minutes. Social commentary aside, Revenge is fucking hardcore.
2. Suspiria (d. Luca Guadagnino; Amazon Studios)
It’s impossible to fully digest Luca Guadagnino‘s new take on Dario Argento’s Suspiria, which truly is the most divisive film of the year. Weirdly reminiscent of Hereditary (but not quite as good), Suspiria also leans heavily on outstanding performances, especially by Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton. While it may be a little too pretentious for some, I loved the subtle inclusion of the “Me Too” movement and felt the film was extraordinarily socially relevant. Under the surface, the pic actually carries very important lessons that were tied beautifully to a story about a once powerful coven.
I love films like Suspiria, in which the filmmaker is allowed to go completely off the rails and do whatever they want. Amazon Studios allowed Guadagnino to make an extremely expensive movie that is not only a hard sell, but also notably difficult to release in theaters. You don’t have to like it or even see it, but let’s not pretend films like Suspiria are anything but a gift to the horror community.
Suspiria is long and maybe a bore to some, but this writer was enthralled and wishing it would never end. I expect it to make some subtle Oscar noise in various departments, although it’s going to have to fight through Hereditary and Lady Gaga’s performance in A Star is Born to make any real waves.
1. Hereditary (d. Ari Aster; A24)
I think by now it’s pretty clear I’m not only a sucker for Satanic horror, but also arthouse horror. I like challenging films that break from the norm and offer something fresh and new. What’s most appealing about Ari Aster’s debut is that it feels dangerous, as his filmmaking is both fearless and unapologetic. Hereditary is not the kind of film you watch with your parents or take a date to see, it’s one that has a direct relationship with each and every viewer who experiences it. It’s infective and, at times, alarmingly brutal – I liken it to having a night terror while you’re awake. It’s misery and pain captured in a bottle and the result is punishing look at a family falling apart.
The real terror comes in Aster’s ability to plug the story into the real world, which amplifies the scares. While I won’t go as far as to declare it the scariest movie ever made, it’s traumatic in a way that some scenes would have scarred me as a child; you can’t unsee some of the shit thrown at you. And while I don’t really agree with The Exorcist comparisons, I do think Hereditary is this generation’s Rosemary’s Baby.
All of this is enhanced by Toni Collette’s Oscar-worthy performance, which lifts Hereditary up from being a modern masterpiece to one of the greatest horror films ever made.
From child-eating witches to village-burning dragons, fairy tales have always had a foot in the horror genre. That’s why it makes sense that, for every The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia, there are also darker and more adult-oriented stories about magical worlds inhabited by ravenous monsters and cruel villains.
Funnily enough, these sinister tales were precisely the ones that I gravitated towards back when I was a kid, and I was reminded of this while watching Netflix’s recently released I Am Frankelda, Mexico’s first ever feature-length stop-motion animation and one hell of an entertaining parable about the intersection between fiction and reality.
In honor of this special kind of horror-adjacent fairy tale, today I’d like to share this list recommending six Dark Fantasy films that horror fans might enjoy.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining Dark Fantasy as fantastical stories that don’t shy away from the more macabre elements that fuel classic fairy tales. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own grim favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
I’m fascinated by bizarre attempts at blockbuster filmmaking – especially when the resulting movies are somehow still fun despite their corporate-mandated origins. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is precisely one of these strangely compelling studio projects, as this surprisingly successful action-thriller boasts a lot of heart (and tongue-in-cheek humor) for a CGI-heavy creature feature.
Directed by Dead Snow’s Tommy Wirkola, Witch Hunters re-frames the classic fairy tale as an origin story for a duo of badass monster-slayers. Of course, it’s the flick’s anachronistic aesthetic and overall visual flair that make it stand out from other action-horror endeavors from around the same time.
5. The Wolf House (2018)
Made in the tradition of faux cursed films in the same vein as Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made, the eerie backstory to 2018’s Chilean animated flick The Wolf House (La Casa Lobo in the original Spanish) already makes it a nightmarish experience before the flick even really begins.
After all, the movie is presented to us as a faux propaganda film produced by the leader of a death cult (heavily inspired by the real life Colonia Dignidad), with this hybrid animated feature using complex movie magic to simulate a single uninterrupted shot as it tells the story of a lazy young girl who runs away from an isolated colony and encounters a creepy old house in the woods.
4. The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Out of all the Monty Python alumni, Terry Gilliam has had the most interesting career outside of the original comedy group. From fascinating canceled projects (such as his scrapped adaptation of Watchmen) to dystopian parodies that feel more relevant by the minute (1985’s Brazil), even his “lesser” films are still intriguing in their own way.
2005’s The Brothers Grimm is one such project, with this peculiar movie attempting to combine the comedian-turned-filmmaker’s unique visual style with a more blockbuster-oriented plot reimagining the titular brothers as con-artists rather than mere writers. The end result isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it’s still a legitimately fun ride with plenty of memorable monsters and wonderful performances by both the late, great Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
3. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010)
2010’s Dante’s Inferno game may have a reputation as something of an unapologetic God of War clone, but I’d argue that the now-obscure game was aesthetically unique enough to deserve a bigger fanbase. However, while the title remains trapped on the seventh console generation, its highly underrated anime adaptation is a lot easier to get a hold of!
Animated by 6 different studios in order to make the 9 circles of hell feel unique from each other, this may not be a completely faithful adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s poem, but it’s still one heck of a great (not to mention gory) time that I’d highly recommend to fans of Netflix’s take on Castlevania.
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
My personal favorite entry in the Underworld franchise, Rise of the Lycans, is a highly ambitious prequel that actually works better if you haven’t had the story spoiled to you by the previous Underworld films.
While the rest of the series features plenty of urban fantasy elements as the movies combine machine guns and modern environments with gothic storytelling, Patrick Tatopoulos’ prequel fully embraces its fantastical origins and tells a classic tale about a doomed romance between a werewolf and a vampire amid a medieval uprising.
And the best part is that we get a lot more Michael Sheen as the fan-favorite Lucian.
1. Solomon Kane (2011)
One of my personal favorite movies on this list, MJ Basset’s criminally underseen adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s other iconic warrior is thoroughly steeped in horror ambience and features plenty of memorable monsters. However, it’s also a classic origin story for a swashbuckling hero that wouldn’t feel out of place in a tabletop RPG.
While I’ve already written about how the film deftly combines both horror and fantasy elements without breaking the bank, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to recommend the bizarre movie where James Purefoy expertly plays a puritan John Wick.
It’s just too bad that we never got the other films in this intended trilogy.
You must be logged in to post a comment.