Editorials
The 10 Best Foreign Horror Films of 2018!
*Keep up with our ongoing end of the year coverage here*
As 2018 comes to a close, we take a look at the very best foreign horror films that the year has had to offer!
There is so much horror out there—both old and new—that it’s incredibly easy to miss some of the major titles that come out each year. Not only is to difficult to be aware of every upcoming horror film, but not all titles get major releases in every market. Sure, everyone saw Halloween and Hereditary, but here are some brilliant films from across the world that may not yet be on your radar. This year was incredible for domestic horror, but there are lots of exciting horror projects that are brewing outside of North America, too. So here’s a helpful list of some of the more impressive foreign endeavors from 2018!
Revenge
Directed by Coralie Fargeat; France
Revenge goes for the throat and while it can be painful to watch at times, it amounts to an incredibly cathartic revenge story about female empowerment more than anything else. There are plenty of women scorned revenge films and the problem with many of them is that you have to endure so much physical and sexual abuse before the revenge actually begins. Revenge, however, finds a much more comfortable balance and this is very clear about Jen kicking ass, not being beaten down. Part of what makes Revenge such a memorable experience is Matilda Lutz’ performance as Jen. It’s unreal to watch this vicious near-death experience that she goes through essentially lead to her rebirth as a kick-ass Terminator-like force. Lutz sells both sides of the performance and the film turns up the psychological and cat and mouse elements to her rampage rather than reduce it to simply a violent bloodbath. The final showdown with her abuser is also such a visceral and messy fight that boils the film down to its gender binaries in a really moving way.
Luz
Directed by Tilman Singer; Germany
Luz’ plot about a taxi driver who goes to the police after she’s been assaulted is very simple at its surface level, but this is actually a shockingly unique and mysterious way to tell a story of obsession and demon possession. It touches on the lengths that a demon will go to secure their prey in a very unconventional style. The film also puts to use regression therapy and hypnosis as a means to help solve a crime and the mime-like results and impeccable sound design are one of the most creative things that I’ve seen in a movie all year. Luz is deeply confident in its storytelling and nothing is over-explained to the audience. Luz is only 70 minutes long, but it packs a lot into that runtime. It also feels like it’s some kind of lost relic from the ‘70s and carries a very Fulci-esque aesthetic. There is no doubt that this film will surprise you in one way or another.
Family
Directed by Veronica Kedar; Israel/Germany
Veronica Kedar writes, directs, and stars in Family and it’s one of the more jarring looks at a fractured family that you’ll come across (this would actually make for a great double feature with Hereditary). Family explores why Lily would suddenly kill her entire family, but it presents the story in non-linear fashion to keep the audience guessing and generate mystery over this seismic act that she commits. This non-linear nature jumps through Lily’s life to depict various experiences with her family and why she’s grown to resent them to the point of murder. Family delicately handles these glimpses into this family’s past and it’s a strong way to make this story more layered. It also handles the difficult task of humanizing Lily, who begins the film as a monster, but is full of depth and emotion by the end. Family makes for an engrossing character study and psychological puzzle that actually has a lot to say about humanity. It makes certain strong stylistic choices, like how it presents itself almost like a session of therapy or inexplicably turns into a musical that help Family stand out even more.
Field Guide to Evil
Directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Peter Strickland, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Katrin Gebbe, Can Evrenol, Calvin Reeder, Ashim Ahluwalia, Yannis Veslemes; Austria, Greece, Poland, Germany, Turkey, USA, India, Hungary
Anthology films always wield a lot of potential, especially when they can put a bunch of new filmmakers on your radar or approach a common theme in a creative way. Field Guide to Evil’s approach is to pull from classic pieces of cultural folklore for its inspiration. As a result, the film pushes a gentler more archetypal attitude than a more aggressive horror anthology, but the whole point of this film is to highlight how horror stories from across the world and throughout different cultures still share many similarities. Not all of the eight stories here are winners, but they all tap into the same energy that makes this a fun, unusual anthology experiment, warts and all. These stories want to have fun and push a tradition of the form more than outright terrify their viewers. That being said, the variety in content here and how the movie specifically looks to be globally minded is wonderful. This will likely be your first exposure to many of these directors, even if there are a few slightly bigger names like Veronika Franz (Goodnight Mommy) and Can Evrenol (Baskin, Housewife) on the roster, too.
Ghost Mask: Scar
Directed by Takeshi Sone; South Korea, Japan
Ghost Mask: Scar plays in the world of plastic surgery and facial reconstruction, which can be a delightfully eerie field when in the right context. Ghost Mask: Scar looks at Miyu, who travels to Seoul in order to find her missing sister. Miyu doesn’t find her sister, but she does run into someone who certainly looks a lot like her and just like that the film begins to touch on areas of mistaken identity and wanting to be someone else. Ghost Mask: Scar is a very slow burn, but its final ten minutes go completely off the rails in psychotic lunacy and justify the entire picture. The film isn’t perfect, but the metamorphosis that these characters go through and the heavy things that are said about family and identity will stick with you just as much as the bloodshed.
Holiday
Directed by Isabella Eklöfl; Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey
Holiday is almost the antithesis to Revenge. It’s incredibly violent, features one of the most brutal, extreme rape scenes this side of Irreversible, and it was said to be the darkest film to come out of Sundance this year. Holiday is an exercise in endurance to get through, but it’s a film that’s worth it due to the complex character of Sascha and the tragic story that’s she caught in. Sascha is the trophy girlfriend to an abusive drug lord and she basically receives pain wherever she turns. However, Sascha learns to accept this abuse as the price of being this kingpin’s girlfriend and a crushing case of Stockholm Syndrome develops. It’s devastating to see Sascha turn down her possible escapes from this lifestyle and the film wants the viewer to ask if she’s even complicit in all of this. Holiday isn’t for everyone, but it still manages to subvert the typical expectations for this variety of revenge story. It’s an unflinching, fearless film and it’s clear that the film’s female director, Isabella Eklöfl, wants the audience to stew in that tension and trauma.
Terrified
Directed by Demián Rugna; Argentina
Terrified is the perfect kind of disturbing ghost story that gets under your skin and stays there for the rest of the film. This is easily one of the scariest movies to come out of this year and Rugna’s film is a masterpiece in tones and genuine scares. What’s even better is that nothing in Terrified is exactly new. All of this has been done before in one sense or another, but the film still makes it work and creates a tense, unnerving experience in the process. Terrified also deserves points for rather than making its focus a haunted house, it makes it a whole haunted neighborhood. It’s a fun twist on the typical supernatural idea and allows much fuel for the film’s many scares. Demián Rugna is definitely someone to keep your eye on.
Cold Skin
Directed by Xavier Gens; Spain/France
Frontier(s) filmmaker, Xavier Gens, returns with a much more methodical picture that attempts to dip its toe into the Lovecraftian pool with a delicate story about who the real monsters are. A man ventures to a secluded island that’s inhabited with a bizarre fish-like humanoid race. Cold Skin is a little clunky in its execution and at times does feel like a watered down take on The Shape of Water, but the movie boasts gorgeous cinematography and Gens still creates something beautiful here, even if it isn’t as deep as it thinks it is. If you can connect to the humanity within the film’s monsters then Cold Skin should work for you.
Ravenous
Directed by Robin Aubert; (Quebec) Canada
Ravenous manages to do the seemingly impossible and finds a way to make a new zombie film that feels different and challenging. Zombies are such an overdone genre that have been pushed in every extreme at this point, but the film’s intimate story of a small Quebec village that’s attacked by zombies is an immensely thrilling experience. The film doesn’t try to weave an overly complicated plot and instead falls back on sympathetic characters and the juxtaposition of peace and silence with mayhem. The film carries a relaxed attitude at times, but terror can strike at any moment and it’s this balance that makes Ravenous feel so unique, even if it’s built off of old ideas. It’s easy to see why Netflix jumped on this film for international distribution.
House of Sweat and Tears
Directed by Sonia Escolano; Spain
House of Sweat and Tears focuses on “She,” the leader of a twisted cult, however, the film notably takes place at a point where “She” begins to lose control of her followers. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure plagues the dreams of the cult members and it looks like this unseen force may gain favor and push “She” out of control. More than anything, House of Sweat and Tears really speaks to the horrors and brainwashing ability of cults that will completely erase a person’s identity. There’s one scene in the film that involves slapping that’s no different than anything seen in The Master. There’s also a devastating act of penance that involves glass in shoes that’s extremely hard to watch. It’s a testament to the powers of the film’s sound design, but it also really boils down what this film is about – commitment and sacrifice. A character also gets freaking crucified in this movie, so there is no shortage of disturbing images here, even if it does operate with a quiet intensity for the most part.
Honorable Mentions: Pascal Laugier’s Incident In A Ghost Land, Tower. A Bright Day, Possum, Ghost Stories, as well as Veronica and Cold Hell, which we included on last year’s list, but have now finally seen wider releases
Five decades ago, Stephen King published the story of a bullied girl with telekinetic powers and forever changed the world of horror.
Carrie follows a high school misfit who seeks revenge for a hideous prank by psychically destroying her senior prom. The name Carrie White has become synonymous with the concept of a formal dance thanks to a flawless adaptation from Brian De Palma. Now fifty years after the film’s release, Mike Flanagan is putting his own stamp on the troubling story.
Rather than a feature film, the writer/director will expand King’s relatively slim debut novel into an eight-episode miniseries for Amazon Prime set to premiere on October 7.
Flanagan is no stranger to the world of Stephen King. A long-time Constant Reader, he first made waves with his daring adaptation of Gerald’s Game (2017), a novel many fans considered un-filmable. His underrated Doctor Sleep merges the disparate plot of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining with King’s original source material, and his 2024 genre-bending tearjerker The Life of Chuck faithfully executes one of the author’s most metaphysical novellas.
He’s currently mired in pre-production for an expansive adaptation of The Dark Tower series, keystone to King’s connected universe, and Warner Bros. recently announced that Flanagan will helm a new version of The Mist, King’s 1980 novella which sees a small Maine town overrun by otherworldly monsters.
Considering the vast array of the author’s previously unadapted material, an obvious question arises. Why reimagine Carrie in 2026? Noting the timeless nature of the content, Flanagan expressed his desire to bring the story of a bullied girl into modern times, mirroring his approach to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. He explained, “The only way to approach it was to build something new out of the ingredients of Carrie. Otherwise, there’s really no purpose in trying to retread ground that’s been so beautifully walked before.”
His miniseries will maintain the novel’s bloody bookends while delivering “big surprises” along the way.
A New Prom Night Nightmare
The roughly 60-second teaser introduces Summer H. Howell as Carrie White just before the moment of catastrophe. Standing in a prom dress, she smiles at her applauding classmates with an ominous crown perched upon her head. Moments later, Carrie unleashes a rage-filled scream into the night air while promgoers rush for the exit doors. But careful examination of this scene shows Carrie wearing a different, albeit dirty dress as she seems to telekinetically punish her peers.
In an exclusive first look with Entertainment Weekly, Flanagan explains that in his version of the story, “the events of that prom are going to be completely different.” An open trunk emitting a crimson glow does hint at the pig’s blood dumped on Carrie’s head, but it’s likely Flanagan’s formal dance will be a different kind of horror altogether. Despite these changes, the series may end with the widespread destruction outlined in the source material. Unlike any previous adaptations, King’s novel ends with the near-total destruction of Chamberlain, Maine. A flaming street in Flanagan’s trailer promises similar carnage no matter what prank sparks Carrie’s deadly revenge.
The Monstrous Addition of Social Media
On the opposite end of this fiery conclusion is an extreme act of bullying that brings together the story’s main cast. King’s novel begins as Carrie gets her first period while showering in the girls’ locker room. Completely unaware of the concept of menstruation, the sheltered girl thinks she’s bleeding to death. Her classmates respond with vitriolic rage. Led by ultra-mean girl Chris Hargensen (Alison Thornton), they mock the terrified teen while pelting her with tampons. Glimpses of this disturbing event reveal that Flanagan has excised the scene’s nudity while adding a seismic update. As Carrie sobs in the shower stall, Chris and her friends film the breakdown with their phones.
Other scenes note the presence of social media, bringing King’s fifty-year-old story into the digital age.
Flanagan’s adaptation promises to explore the destructive power of social media, an often invisible entity with a potential for harm rivaling Carrie’s own powers. While King’s tormented heroine suffers in front of a small group of girls, Flanagan’s version of the incident will likely become a viral video, potentially circling the globe on social media. Similar to Katt Shea’s criminally underrated The Rage: Carrie 2, which includes elements of revenge porn exploitation, Flanagan’s modern retelling will distinguish itself by exploring the nebulous cruelty of online bullying, a force ten times more powerful than the irl pranks King first envisioned.
A Completely Reimagined White Family
In addition to modernizing these canon events, Flanagan hints at updates to Carrie’s oppressive upbringing at the hands of her mother, Margaret White (Samantha Sloyan). Dead before the novel begins, we never meet Carrie’s domineering father Ralph, known to carry a bible alongside his gun. Flanagan’s White household will be an altogether different beast. In his version of the story, Carrie and her mother have been hidden away in the unassuming home, forced out of hiding by Ralph’s unexpected death. Perhaps we will finally meet this elusive man whose shadow hangs over his wife and child. Considering the White family’s fundamentalist lifestyle, this reimagining hints at tradwife culture and a home ruled by staunch patriarchal control.
Whereas King’s Carrie has been tormented by her classmates since Kindergarten, Flanagan’s Carrie will be a wide-eyed newcomer to public school, eager to make friends and engage with her peers. We glimpse Carrie cozying up to Chris and the equally popular Sue Snell (Siena Agudong) as she navigates a new social scene. Of course, we know this kindness is part of an elaborate plot designed to lull Carrie into a false sense of camaraderie, setting up an atrocious act of public humiliation. These brief moments of feigned compassion put Sue’s own complicity into question. Will Flanagan’s version of the character find the courage to defend Carrie from vicious bullies or will she succumb to peer pressure and join in the mob mentality?
Perhaps the biggest deviation from King’s original text is the relationship between Carrie and her mother. King’s Margaret White is a horrifically abusive religious zealot whose worldview has been hardened by internalized misogyny. She shames Carrie for menstruating, locks her in a closet to “pray,” and regrets not killing her child in infancy. She’s also responsible for Carrie’s social ostracization. Known to berate her neighbors for their “sins,” Margaret forces her daughter to live by an extreme code of conduct and disallows any potential friends lest they corrupt the girl with their worldly ways.
Flanagan’s version of the character is perhaps just as much a victim as Carrie herself. Also trapped inside her home, his Margaret is overly vigilant, her own trauma manifesting as strict control. Describing a more sympathetic depiction of the iconic villain, Flanagan explains, “Our Margaret White is a woman who fiercely loves her daughter and wants to protect her from this world … [She] doesn’t know how to do that and thinks the way to protect her is to close her off; not punitively, but to create this private utopia.”
Despite this potential softening, Sloyan’s Margaret may still have a sharp edge. Though she has appeared in many Flanagan projects, from Hush (2016) to The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), she is best known for her role as the abhorrent Bev Keane in the poignant saga Midnight Mass (2021). Perhaps inspired by King’s Margaret White, Bev is pious and sadistic, willing to punish anyone who does not adhere to her warped approximation of Catholicism.
Flanagan specifically wrote Margaret with Sloyan in mind, likely remembering the actress’s eerie ability to create deceptive empathy and shift our allegiances on a dime.
Expanding Stephen King’s Telekinetic Universe
While most of King’s story deals with an unthinkable prom night in Chamberlain, Maine, large sections of the semi-epistolary novel see experts debating the nature of telekinesis. Do Carrie’s frightening abilities represent a new phase in human evolution or is the prom night carnage merely a fluke? King settles the debate with a shocking denouement in which a young mother recounts her infant daughter’s ability to dangle her crib toys in midair. We’re left to wonder if she will become another tormented girl who surprises the world with metaphysical strength.
Flanagan plans to build out this brief scene while amplifying themes of female empowerment. After introducing our main cast of characters, episode two will open with an unrelated story in which we meet another girl with the TK gene. Each subsequent chapter will expand this world, building out a roster of telekinetic young women. Considering King’s fondness for stories about powerful kids, often described as possessing “the shining,” Constant Readers will no doubt have their eyes peeled for various Easter Eggs nodding to the author’s vast catalogue.
Giving Carrie Her Own Voice
Perhaps the most striking distinction in Flanagan’s new trailer is the extent to which we hear Carrie’s voice. The sneak peek is fully narrated by the titular prom queen as she demands accountability. “I want to know why,” she explains while detailing Chris’ elaborate plan. Aside from the aforementioned coda, King’s book essentially ends with the aftermath of the prom night tragedy, leaving little time for Carrie to reflect. His shifting narrative does bring the reader into her fragile mind, though not before she’s been cowed by relentless cruelty. We watch Carrie sink into bloodthirsty revenge, but never hear a considered desire for justice or repair.
Flanagan’s original monologue allows Carrie to voice her pain and mourn the life she could have had. We’re also treated to a mug shot-style photo of Chris with a bruised and bandaged face, implying that the mean girl will have to answer for her senseless sadism.
Flanagan is known for filling his series adaptations with heartwrenching speeches that cut to the heart of his thematic intentions, and this teaser seems to follow suit. After years of fans, critics, and scholars analyzing Carrie’s pain, perhaps his modern retelling will offer the titular anti-hero a chance to finally speak for herself.
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