From elevators to pools, horror comes up with a lot of strange and isolated settings. The following ten movies, though, are just a small sample of what the genre has to offer whenever characters find themselves getting stuck in one place.

The Telephone Box (1972)

In 1972, there were at least three movies about trapped people, and all three came from television. On top of two American TV-movies, The Screaming Woman and The Longest Night, there was the Spanish featurette called La Cabina (or The Telephone Box). Antonio Mercero offered a sort-of prototype for future cinematic endeavors, albeit one that doesn’t initially present itself as horror. Yet soon enough, the victim in this wordless tragicomedy, a man (José Luis López Vázquez) who merely entered the story’s flashy and seemingly ordinary namesake, experiences sheer terror.

Frozen (2010)

In Adam Green‘s chilling horror movie, three friends (Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Zegers, Emma Bell) are stranded in a chairlift. Luck isn’t on their side, though, as the ski resort they’re at is now shut down due to inclement weather. This leaves the trio hanging in mid-air, vulnerable to the elements and to each other. Frozen is psychological horror for the most part, but eventually, the physical threats make themselves known.

Devil (2010)

Intended as the first of three standalone movies produced by M. Night Shyamalan, John Erick Dowdle‘s Devil wound up as the only entry in The Night Chronicles. The characters spend a brief amount of time outside of the bottle before they’re then sentenced to that most dreadful elevator. Once they’re inside, the story transforms into a suffocating journey of mistrust and evil.

247°F (2011)

Slipping into the sauna after a long and hard day is some people’s idea of heaven. For the characters in Levan Bakhia and Beqa Jguburia‘s movie 247°F, it’s their hell. Scout Taylor-Compton, Christina Ulloa and Travis Van Winkle played the unlucky sauna-goers who have no apparent way of escaping their steamy deathtrap. Soon enough, it’s apparent no one’s coming to save them.

ATM (2012)

In addition to three coworkers becoming trapped inside a freestanding ATM booth, David Brooks‘ movie includes a mysterious killer. One who waits outside and hurts any helpful bystander. You will have to gloss over the fact that the characters (Brian Geraghty, Alice Eve, Josh Peck) parked their car out of reach in order to make the story work. Nonetheless, ATM is a tense watch.

12 Feet Deep (2017)

This isn’t the only pool-set movie here, but Matt Eskandari’s 12 Feet Deep is the more plausible of the two. In this story, Alexandra Park and Nora-Jane Noone play not-so-agreeable sisters who end up beneath a fiberglass pool cover. The center they were swimming at is also closed for the upcoming holiday and, of course, there are no staff members available to free them. Making matters worse, one of these siblings is diabetic.

The Pool (2018)

In this high-concept creature-feature, Ping Lumpraploeng throws a couple (Theeradej Wongpuapan, Ratnamon Ratchiratham), their dog, and a random crocodile into a drained swimming pool. What then follows is a story that is both grueling and ridiculous. Indeed, The Pool would be far less watchable without its determined and unafraid execution. Sadly, none of that same gusto was carried over to the Indian remake.

4×4 (2019)

Unlike 2006’s Penny Dreadful, which is also about someone trapped inside of a car, the thief in Mariano Cohn‘s 4×4 cannot physically leave his vehicular prison. There’s no discernible way for him to get out, seeing as how the SUV has been made to prevent escape. The owner is also rather inclined to let the protagonist (Peter Lanzani) die. This twisted movie has been remade twice so far; first in 2022 as Dongalunnaru Jaagratha, and then more recently in 2025 as Locked.

Fall (2022)

A fear of heights isn’t at all necessary to enjoy Fall, but you might also develop one after watching. The two characters (Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner) in Scott Mann‘s movie do what most people wouldn’t do, and that’s climbing a decommissioned, 2000-foot tall TV tower. Your sympathy for these unnecessary risk-taking climbers is challenged all throughout, but ultimately, you’re scared for them. The extreme scaling doesn’t end there, either; a sequel called Fall 2: Deadpoint involves an even higher stunt in the sky that, naturally, leads to danger.

#Manhole (2023)

Things are not what they seem in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri‘s #Manhole. What starts off as a tale of unfortunate circumstances quickly spirals into something more menacing. The protagonist (Yūto Nakajima) is set to get married when he drunkenly falls into an open manhole. He then tries to use social media to help make his escape, but someone above ground isn’t about to let that happen.

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Though overcoming random twists of fate is largely what makes horror so empowering, it’s hard not to feel pity for these unfortunate souls and wonder how their lives would have unfolded if they’d managed to avoid the tragedies that befall them.

The following is a collection of thirteen characters badly in need of a four leaf clover and a bit of wishful thinking about how their stories might have played out differently.  

Marion Crane: Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classic is known for many things. This groundbreaking film is a prototype for the Slasher subgenre, a boundary pusher for on screen violence and sexuality, and its infamous shower scene is a masterclass in editing and composition. But Psycho is also an example of spectacularly bad luck. Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is on the run. Having quarreled with her non-commital boyfriend and stolen $40,000 in cash from her boss, she’s driving across the countryside in hopes of a better life. But a day into her stressful travel, she encounters a heavy thunderstorm. Distracted by the pouring rain, she takes a wrong turn off of the highway and winds up at the notorious Bates Motel. As it turns out, the soft-spoken man at the front desk is hiding more than just sandwiches in the creepy house at the top of the hill. Yes, Marion could avoid her fate by simply taking the money to the bank as planned, but that hardly warrants the watery grave she winds up in. To make matters worse, she begins toying with the idea of returning the money and making amends before washing off the stress of the day with a shower. Stopping to rest at any other motel along the highway would afford her the chance to do just that.  

Sally, Franklin, and Friends: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Tobe Hooper’s horror masterpiece begins with John Larroquette’s dulcet description of an infamous case of bad luck. Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), her brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) and their three friends set out on a summer road trip to make sure their ancestor’s remains have not been disturbed by local grave robbers. However, due to a nationwide fuel shortage and poor planning, they find themselves out of gas in rural Texas. Hoping for a dip in a swimming hole to escape the brutal heat, Pam (Teri McMinn) and Kirk (William Vail) inadvertently stumble into the home of Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and his deranged family. Though none of the group fares well, Sally in particular suffers from extremely bad luck. Fleeing from the chainsaw toting giant, she seeks help in the butcher’s own home and is forced to jump out a second story window to escape. Even then she finds shelter in the nearby gas station, only to wind up in the clutches of the family patriarch. Though it’s often argued that the Hitchhiker (Edwin Neal) marks the van with his blood, if the group had thought to bring their own gas, they would have had the ability to just keep driving.

Burt and Vicky: Children of the Corn (1984)

Fritz Kiersch’s adaptation of a Stephen King short story features a traveling couple that doesn’t even need to leave the road to run into bad luck. Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton) are passing through Nebraska on their way to Burt’s new job in Seattle. Hoping for a bit more scenery, they’ve turned off the highway and find themselves driving through the endless cornfields of Gatlin. In a classic case of “wrong place at the wrong time,” they run over an injured boy who stumbles out from between the rows of corn lining the road. Seeing that his throat has been slashed, they quickly realize something more sinister is afoot. They put the body in the trunk of their car and drive to Gatlin in search of help. Unfortunately, the small town has been overrun by a cult of murderous children who worship an entity known as He Who Walks Behind The Rows. As adults, Burt and Vicki would be perfect sacrifices to their brutal god. Before the accident, Vicki’s biggest problem is wondering if Burt will ever propose. Though the conclusion to King’s story is much darker than that of Kiersch’s film, Vicki would likely prefer to worry about that rather than how to escape from a giant cross made of corn. 

Charley Brewster: Fright Night (1985)

Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is your average horror obsessed teenager trying to get lucky with his girlfriend Amy (Amanda Bearse). One night while watching horror host Peter Vincent’s (Roddy McDowall) movie of the week, he notices two men moving a suspiciously large box into the house next door. After spying on an intimate moment from his bedroom window, Charlie discovers that his mysterious new neighbor, the devastatingly handsome Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon), is a vampire. After rejecting Jerry’s offer to look the other way, Charley becomes the next target of the centuries-old monster who has also become fixated on Amy. Charley must enlist Vincent’s reluctant help to rid his street of the ancient blood-sucker. We never learn why Jerry chooses this specific house and it’s also possible that if Charley didn’t spend so much time with his binoculars, he would never learn Jerry’s true identity. Or maybe if Jerry would just close his blinds, he could avoid detection. But there’s no doubt that Charley spends much of the film wondering why out of all the neighborhoods in all the world, Jerry has to move into his. 

Jim Halsey: The Hitcher (1986)

One might argue that picking up hitchhikers is always a risk, but Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) happens to stumble on the textbook answer as to why. On a cross-country trip to deliver a car, Jim finds himself dozing off and picks up a hitchhiker hoping to distract himself with a bit of conversation. Unfortunately, the man he lets into his car, John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), is the epitome of a land shark. This psychopathic murderer is in the midst of a killing spree, hitching rides with unsuspecting motorists then killing and mutilating everyone in the car. Offering John a ride kicks off a deadly game of cat and mouse over the mostly deserted rural highways. Though he survives the initial encounter, Jim finds himself not only hunted by John, but suspected of his crimes by local law enforcement and the subject of a massive manhunt. The weathered and beaten-down man Jim becomes at the end of the film is a far cry from the happy if slightly aimless one who sets out on the trip. In the film’s opening scenes, Jim tells his passenger that his mother warned him never to pick up hitchhikers. It takes him mere minutes to realize the veracity of this advice and Jim will spend the rest of the film wishing he had just kept on driving. 

Paul Sheldon: Misery (1990)

Paul Sheldon (James Caan) might just be the world’s most unlucky author. Having finally finished his newest novel at a luxurious mountain lodge, he downs a bottle of champagne and drives the icy roads down the mountain into a raging blizzard. Not surprisingly he veers off the road and crashes, breaking both his legs and sustaining numerous other injuries in the process. Though Paul does cause the crash by drinking while intoxicated and choosing not to wait out the storm, he’s found by the worst possible rescuer. It’s a stroke of incredible luck for unhinged former nurse and #1 fan Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who stumbles across her favorite author in his demolished car. After installing Paul in her guest room rather than a hospital, Annie’s plans begin to form and the unlucky writer learns the true meaning of the word misery. In addition to this coincidence, Paul also has the astonishingly bad luck of having just killed off Annie’s favorite character, prompting a literary hostage situation that would go on to win Bates an Academy Award. He also only has a single copy of his new novel, of which Annie is decidedly not a fan. Though King’s story does allow Paul to write his best novel yet as a result of the situation, there’s no doubt he, and his feet, frequently wish he had chosen to spend another night in the hotel. 

Georg, Anna, Georgie, and Rolfi: Funny Games (1997)

Michael Haneke’s Austrian film about the worst vacation ever is a hard one to stomach. Georg (Ulrich Mühe) and Anna (Susanne Lothar) have a quiet trip planned to their vacation home with son Georgie (Stefan Clapczynski) and dog Rolfi, but their idyllic trip is cut short when two unassuming young men knock on the door. At first asking for eggs, they put the family through a series of horrific “games” and ask them to bet whether they’ll be alive by 9:00 the next morning. What makes this film so devastating is that despite working as hard as they possibly can to survive, the family keeps running into bad luck. Anna seeks help in the wrong place and time. Georgie happens to find a gun that isn’t loaded. Anna does manage to save herself but … well if you know, you know. Heneke tips the scales in favor of his villains and makes a controversial point about cinematic violence by depriving the family of any way out. Naming the family’s dog Lucky in his 2007 American remake just adds insult to injury. Had Georg and Anna chosen any other weekend for their trip, they would likely be enjoying a breakfast of omelets and toast right now. 

Frank: 28 Days Later (2002)

Perhaps the most improbable example of bad luck befalls Frank (Brendan Gleeson) in Danny Boyle’s game-changing apocalyptic contagion film. After surviving more than (wink) 28 days of a zombie outbreak and escaping a London overrun with a deadly virus, Frank meets his tragic end simply by looking up at the wrong moment. Accidentally unleashed by animal rights activists, the Rage virus turns anyone infected into a bloodthirsty monster within ten to twenty seconds and can only be spread by infected saliva and blood. But that’s precisely what falls in Frank’s eye. A single drop of infected blood from a corpse resting above him transforms the kindhearted father into a raging zombie-like monster in a matter of seconds. There’s no guarantee that Frank would fare any better with the soldiers the group encounters moments after his death. But simply not looking up would certainly spare his daughter Hannah (Megan Burns) the trauma of watching Frank go from loving father to life threatening beast in less than a minute. The only consolation is that the virus’s miniscule incubation period does give him the chance to say goodbye. It’s a heartbreaking moment that reminds us how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away. 

Susan and Daniel: Open Water (2003)

Every swimmer’s worst nightmare comes to harrowing life in Chris Kentis’s low-budget aquatic horror hit. Susan (Blanchard Ryan) and Daniel (Daniel Travis) are hoping to rekindle their relationship and take a much needed break from their hectic work schedules with an island getaway and snorkeling excursion. In a near perfect example of dumb luck, they happen to book a pass with a careless crew and an obnoxious fellow diver who diverts everyone’s attention. Having swam off for a bit of privacy, Susan and Daniel reemerge to find the boat gone. This small error leads to devastating results as the couple is now stranded in the middle of the ocean and forced to fight off stinging jellyfish, snacking fish, and hungry sharks. Any number of small actions – the captain taking an accurate headcount, storing their gear more prominently, staying closer to the group – could lead to their rescue. But by the time the search party is launched the next morning, they’ve already drifted far away from the original dive site. Though the trip does end up bringing the couple closer together, they likely spend the last day of their lives wishing they had followed Susan’s suggestion and gone skiing instead. 

Chris: Wrong Turn (2003)

Rob Schmidt’s hillbilly horror film and the ensuing franchise is practically defined (and titled) by bad luck. Chris (Desmond Harrington) is headed to an out of town job interview when a chemical spill causes him to take a deadly detour through the West Virginia hills. Years before the ubiquity of GPS, he’s forced to pull over at a gas station for directions that will lead to the worst luck of his life. Chris runs into another car full of detoured travelers also stuck on the dirt road. Jessie (Eliza Dushku) and her friends are stranded after suspiciously placed barbed wire snags the tires of their Range Rover. They quickly become the targets of sadistic mountain cannibals and one by one meet grisly ends. Ordinarily sticking to the original route would be enough to save their lives, but the ill timed road blockage is what sends the unlucky travelers into the hungry clutches of monsters. With better chemical containment systems in place, Chris might be happily working at his new job and Jessie would be tolerating her lovingly obnoxious friends at another campsite. 

Juno: The Descent (2005)

Juno (Natalie Mendoza) probably doesn’t believe in luck. The headstrong leader of Neil Marshall’s nightmarish cave horror is used to pushing herself past her limits. She leads a group of her adventurer friends to Borum Cave in the Appalachian mountains for a spelunking trip. Or at least that’s what they think. Unbeknownst to her friends, Juno has led them to a new cave system with hopes that charting and naming it themselves will mend their fractured relationships. She’s also hoping to give Sarah (Shauna Macdonald), still grieving over the deaths of her husband and daughter, a much needed boost of positivity. And likely hoping to assuage her own guilt of sleeping with Sarah’s husband. Though she is admittedly leading her friends into danger, Juno runs into some spectacularly bad luck. Of all the caves she could have chosen to trick her friends into discovering, she happens to find the one with the subhuman monsters. Of course one could argue that the reason the cave is as yet undiscovered is that previous explorers have all been eaten by the creatures lurking within.

James and Kristen: The Strangers (2008)

Perhaps the most unlucky of all, James (Scott Speedman) and Kristen (Liv Tyler) become the target of murderous psychopaths simply because they happen to be home. The young couple has planned a romantic weekend at a remote vacation home after their friend’s wedding reception, but the evening gets off to a rocky start before they even reach the doomed house. While still dressed in her bridesmaid’s dress, Kristen rejects James’s own proposal, leaving the couple on the outs at the worst possible time. Later that night a strange girl knocks on the door asking for Tamara, unleashing a night of hell as three masked killers torment the couple for the sole purpose of their own entertainment. Who knows how many doors the masked killers knock on before someone finally answers, but James and Kristen pick a supremely unlucky time and location for a romantic getaway. Doubly unlucky is their friend Mike (Glenn Howerton) who happens to check on the couple at the worst possible moment. 

Joe, Parker, and Dan: Frozen (2010)

In Adam Green’s snowy horror film, Dan (Kevin Zegers), his childhood friend Joe (Shawn Ashmore), and his girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell) wind up in a perfect storm of bad luck, literally. Simply hoping for a cheap day on the slopes, the three bribe their way onto a ski lift. Unfortunately, there’s a blizzard moving in and the resort closes down early to avoid the deadly weather. The three find themselves stuck on a chair high above the snowy mountain with a pack of hungry wolves waiting below. When a snowplow does check the slope, the driver happens to turn around at the exact moment at which Joe throws his helmet. Any number of things could save them from this icy hell. Had they chosen to ski on Saturday instead of Sunday, they would be saved when the lift reopened. Had the attendant they bribed not been distracted by his lost vacation time, he could have given his replacement more specific instruction. Had they stopped on a section of the lift closer to the ground, or at least over powder, Dan’s jump to the ground might be easier on his legs. Hell, had the wolves already found a meal, maybe they wouldn’t be so interested in the skiers dangling above. But their fates align in the worst possible way, leading to a deadly and devastating trip down the mountain. 

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on March 17, 2022.

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It’s not just a lethal killer or creature that protagonists must battle, but environmental risks like dehydration, starvation, or exposure. Sometimes, there’s no extraneous threat at all, and death comes in the form of nature itself. Those who want to survive will have to think on their feet, adapting quickly to stave off unforgiving elements.

This week’s streaming picks highlight survival horror movies that see their characters battling against multiple threats in intense bids to outlive, outlast, and of course, ultimately survive.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Crawl – Prime Video

Crawl functions as a lean, mean thriller, delivering white-knuckle intensity and Alexandre Aja’s trademark brand of brutal suspense. Kaya Scodelario stars as Haley, a young woman who heads into a hurricane to retrieve her father, Dave (Barry Pepper). She barely has enough time to find him injured in the crawlspace underneath his house before the alligators trap them in place, and the hurricane’s rising floodwaters cause time to be of the essence. It’s a survival thriller heavy on intense action sequences, grounded by the affecting bond between a father and daughter.

Frozen – Hoopla, Prime Video, the Roku Channel, Tubi

Adam Green makes the weather the thing to fear most in his survival thriller Frozen. A weekend getaway at a ski resort in New England becomes a harrowing fight for survival for three skiers when they’re trapped on a chairlift high off the ground. Abandoned on a mountain resort now closed for the week, the friends face frostbite, hypothermia, starvation, and a pack of hungry wolves down below. With no help in sight, these characters must take drastic measures to survive. It’s the type of survival horror movie that’ll make you feel the icy chill and rethink breaking the rules.

Out of Darkness – Paramount+

Andrew Cumming’s feature directorial debut executes its high concept with impressive ambition. Not only does it travel back 45,000 years in time to tell the survival thriller, but Cumming and screenwriter Ruth Greenberg developed a fictional language for their characters. The film introduces six early human settlers in the midst of an arduous journey to find new land. They’ve traveled countless miles across desolate tundras, with food scarce and the elements harsh. As they approach a forest, it becomes clear that something is watching, stalking, and preying upon them one by one. Survival odds are harrowing in the Stone Age, long before this disparate group realizes they’re being hunted.

Rituals – Fandor, Prime Video, Tubi

Hal Holbrook stars in this wilderness set slasher. Five doctors set out for their isolated trek nestled deep in the Canadian wild. It’s meant to let off steam from their otherwise stressful lives, but the expedition runs afoul of lousy luck straightaway. Shoes go missing, and accidents occur. As they make their way upriver, the men discover a crazed hunter is stalking them. Borrowing from Deliverance, Rituals forges a distinct path rooted in the slasher movie. While the fivesome begins their trek prepared for the wilderness, lethal booby traps quickly throw all the rules out the window, leaving them vulnerable and on the run.

The Ruins – Pluto TV

A relaxing summer vacation lounging by the resort pool turns into a harrowing fight for survival when a group embarks on a trip to a remote archeological dig in the jungle. They get trapped atop the Mayan temple by the locals and think the harsh elements are the worst of their problems. That’s before they realize the site harbors a very deadly and cunning evil. Instead of a masked maniac picking off unlucky vacationers, it’s one demented killer plant instead. The seemingly sentient vines pick off the group one by one in often gruesome ways. That’s not to downplay the survival elements, though; the blistering sun and a lack of food or water means that death is inevitable the longer they remain.

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That promises to be the case in The Canyonlands.

In this slasher, an adventurer guide hesitantly accepts a job to take five contest winners on a rafting trip down the Colorado River in Utah. The adventure quickly takes a deadly turn when the group camps off the river for the night. They find out that they’re not the only ones out in the remote canyonlands, and it doesn’t want them to leave.

The Canyonlands marks the feature debut by writer/director Brendan Devane. Scored by Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger from Umphrey’s McGee, the slasher stars Stephanie Barkley, Marqus Bobesich, Jesse Buck-Brennan, Ari Anderson, Dennis Connors, and Lauren Capkanis.

The Canyonlands is available now on VOD. For its release, we’re taking a look at eight of horror’s most unforgiving environments.

A Lonely Place to Die

Five friends embark on a trip to the Scottish Highlands for hiking and mountaineering. It gets off to a harrowing start, and that’s before they stumble upon a young kidnapped girl. Her kidnappers don’t take too kindly to the intrusion, and a dangerous cat and mouse game ensues. From rock climbing to treacherous rivers below, everything about this environment is unforgiving. It lends to some intense sequences.

Anaconda

Things get deadly when a documentary crew gets accosted by a snake hunter on the Amazon river. Evading a giant anaconda snake and a ruthless hunter would be enough for anyone, but the Amazon and its surrounding jungle offer no shortage of ways to die. That quickly becomes clear when the crew’s leader gets stung by a large wasp that made its way into his scuba regulator during a dive. Or when the boat gets trapped thanks to debris blocking the river passage.

Cold Prey

This slasher is nestled in a secluded area deep within the snowy mountains. A group of friends decides to venture off the beaten path for their snowboarding getaway, but that choice turns fatal when a leg break causes them to seek shelter at an abandoned lodge. They discover its home to a masked maniac. The isolated winter location presents many obstacles for survival, including a lack of cell service and perilous ravines.

Crawl

A daughter and her injured father face off against territorial alligators in the crawlspace beneath the house. Compounding the life-or-death situation is a raging Category 5 hurricane, causing rapid floodwaters. It’s a series of highly suspenseful obstacles for the pair and the family dog, and they didn’t even have to leave the house- nature found them.

Frozen

Breaking the rules seldom pays off in the genre. When a trio of friends talks a ski lift operator into giving them a free pass up the mountain for one last run down before closing, they’re forgotten in a mishap. Stranded and abandoned on a mountain resort now closed for the week, the friends face frostbite, hypothermia, starvation, and a pack of hungry wolves down below. With no help in sight, these characters must take drastic measures to survive.

The Lodge

At first, nothing seems particularly unforgiving about the comfy winter lodge at the center of this film. What’s meant to be a relaxing holiday getaway for family bonding turns into something far more harrowing when dad gets called away on business. A stepmom’s plans to thaw icy tensions with two angry children derail after a power outage leaves them without heat or water. Then stepmom’s sanity starts to crumble. It’s a chilling reminder of just how close the threat of nature lurks, waiting for one false step.

Ravenous

A remote Army outpost on the fringes of the western frontier proves particularly treacherous for those stationed there when a stranger arrives with a tale of his caravan murdered by a rogue guide. When a group sets out into the wilderness to verify the claims, they realize far too late they’ve let a dangerous person into their den. The remote location in a cold, mountainous region makes it difficult for the protagonists to seek help. Outside of a murderous maniac, they also have to contend with frostbite and hunger.

The Ruins

Step one in horror survival: avoid uncharted areas at all costs. Friends on vacation in Mexico learn the hard way when they opt to visit an archeological dig deep in the jungle. They get trapped on a Mayan pyramid by hostile locals, who are quarantining them due to the carnivorous plant that inhabits the ruins. The sentient, gruesome nature of the vines makes for one of the most ruthless movie monsters. Still, the protagonists face severe dehydration, starvation, and an assortment of heat-related ailments under the blazing sun.

The Canyonlands is available now on VOD. 

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Green had made his name in horror with the bayou-bound, classic style slasher hit Hatchet in 2007. The movie made Victor Crowley a new horror icon and Adam Green a director to watch. His next feature as writer/director could not have been further from that film. Rather than a hot and sweaty setting with a maniac killer, Frozen focuses on three characters stuck on a ski lift for a sub-zero night and day and has no villain but nature and the elements. It is not a fantastical story with over-the-top gore effects, but fully grounded in a plausible, relatable, and frightening reality. 

The film’s greatest strength is its characters. If we, as the audience, are not on board with these three people, the film falls apart. At the center of this triad is Dan Walker (Kevin Zegers)—the glue that holds the three of them together. He and Joe Lynch (Shawn Ashmore, whose character name is a nod to Adam Green’s own close friend) have been best friends since first grade. They have a bond rarely found between young men in movies; one of deep, but completely platonic love for each other. Add Dan’s girlfriend Parker (Emma Bell) to the mix and you have a new dynamic. To Lynch, Parker is “Yoko” forcing herself into the middle of their “John and Paul” world. He clearly resents her, but leaves it unspoken. Still, his actions are antagonistic from the beginning.

The film then takes these characters and their interpersonal dynamics and puts them in an impossible situation, trapping them together in a ski lift chair on a Sunday night with the knowledge that the resort will not open again until the following weekend. The temperature is dropping rapidly and heavy weather is moving in. This is reminiscent of classic Hitchcock scenarios like Lifeboat (1944) which confine disparate characters to a small, single location. In many ways this is all just a device to strip away the veneer of friendly interactions, young brash masculinity, and personal toleration to see what these characters have left when faced with their own mortality. Ultimately, we find that they are good people at heart, but it takes pain, grief, rage, and fear to find that—and it isn’t always pretty along the way.

At first, the trio attempts to deal with their situation by shooting the normal college age bullshit to help each other feel some semblance of normalcy. They have an oddly inappropriate, but somehow hilarious discussion about the worst possible ways to die. Clearly, they are all thinking the same thing, but no one will actually say “freezing to death.” And for the record, Lynch is right, the Sarlaac pit is definitely the worst way to die.

The key moment that tests their limits is when Dan decides to jump from the lift, positing that even if he hurts himself, he can crawl down the mountain for help. He quietly admits to Lynch that he has to jump because he is too afraid to stay in the lift. Unfortunately, when he jumps, both legs break on impact. Hoping to help his friend, Lynch makes an attempt to climb along the cable to the nearest tower and climb down its ladder; but fear overtakes him, and he is unable to get very far. 

Then the wolves arrive.

Some may call the wolves the villains of the piece, but I disagree. The wolves in Frozen are not being evil, personal, or even particularly vicious. They are just being wolves and doing what wolves do. The natural world in this film is not a Freddy, Jason, or Victor Crowley—it doesn’t care that much. There is nothing personal here, no bloodlust or vengeance. It is merely the relentless, uncaring circle of life and death that takes Dan. As cold as it sounds, he is killed by the natural order of things. As the wolves surround him, Dan is clearly terrified but accepts what will happen and in his last moments calls out to Lynch, “don’t let her look!” Being the faithful friend, Lynch grabs Parker’s face to keep her from turning her head toward the carnage below as Dan is torn to pieces by the elements of this world that simply do not care about anything but their own survival.

Many meanings can be poured into the wolves. They are trauma, personal demons, depression, outside forces that destroy, even fear itself. Whatever they represent to each viewer, it all comes down to the fact that they do not care about you. The wolves of life are indifferent, which is something even more cruel than hatred or revenge. Their only instinct is to hunt, feed, and survive. The question becomes: how will each person deal with such impersonal, savage, and unrelenting forces?

Parker and Lynch are alone now. These antagonists must figure out how to get along well enough to survive. The scene following Dan’s death may be the most important and revealing in the film. Here, our two survivors have to face their grief. Parker begins to turn on Lynch. “Why did you let him jump?” Lynch responds with rage, blaming her not just for the moment Dan jumped, but for everything. If she hadn’t decided to come along, he and Dan could have spent the day together. If she hadn’t taken so much time getting down the mountain on earlier runs, they would have gotten in more ski time and wouldn’t have felt the need to take the last-minute lift back up. “Maybe if you had just stayed home and not tired to force yourself into every little aspect of his life my best friend wouldn’t be dead right now,” he screams at her. Parker’s response is a small, simple, and rather beautiful moment. Instead of lashing back, as she certainly has every right to do, she recognizes that fear and grief are doing the shouting. Instead of shouting back and escalating the situation even further, she slides closer to Lynch and leans against him. It is not a moment that conveys any sort of sexual tension or affection, but simple human understanding. It is a moment that says, “I know that you are hurting, and I am hurting too.” Lynch begins to apologize and says he didn’t really mean it. The fact is, though, that he does mean every word of it, but realizes that he can set it aside because he does care for Parker after all.

Again, purely in a sense of human connection and shared grief and experience.

The rest of the film alternates between attempts at escape and quiet moments, sometimes of silence, sometimes of dialogue between Parker and Lynch giving us great insights into both characters. Overnight, Parker’s hand is frozen to the safety rail, causing major wounds to her palm. She does not tell Lynch about it and hides her hand in her sleeve or coat pocket for the remainder of the film. Likewise, Lynch hides the fact that his hands have been severely wounded by his attempt to shimmy along the overhead cable. These kinds of quiet, strangely solitary moments are some of the best in the film. Both characters attempt to have moments of privacy though trapped together in this extremely small and decidedly not private space. 

At the end of the film, as Parker, the lone survivor, is being driven off to safety after her harrowing escape by the kindly person who finds her at the side of the road, I get a similar feeling to what I get at the end of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Parker is not raving and laughing as Sally is at the end of that movie, but I get the same sense that she will never fully recover from this. Parker may not have faced a family of homicidal cannibals and a chainsaw wielding maniac, but she does face elements just as relentless. Though her reaction is far more internal, Parker has made just as narrow of an escape.

As I write this, the weather is getting colder outside. My state is going into a second lockdown due to alarming increases in cases of COVID-19. Once again, my family and so many others across the country are returning to that “trapped inside together” feeling. Many of us have never left it. It is interesting to me that, ten years after its release, Frozen seems so very relevant to our situation in 2020. We are facing forces far beyond our control. Nature has produced something that is unrelenting and uncaring, affecting everyone, whether directly or indirectly, regardless of age, race, gender, economic status, fame, politics, or religion. It has respect for nothing but its own survival. But we are in this together, trapped in our own small cells, but still all facing the same elements. Frozen feels like a microcosm of that reality. Like Dan, Parker and Lynch, we need each other to make it through. We may not always get along. We may blame each other for things going wrong along the way, but now is the time to put our differences aside, draw together and admit that we are sharing this very human experience. 

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The Shining

The Shining is a worthwhile watch any time of year, including the 4th of July. But the very setup, in which Jack Torrance and his family take up residence in the Overlook Hotel to watch over it during the harsh winter months, means that the snowy winter months are peak viewing conditions. The Torrance family is isolated inside, slowly terrorized by the hotel’s ghosts within, while the outside world is cut off from them due to major blizzards. The unrelenting snowfall factors into the third act in a major way, making you feel the cold from the comfort of your couch.

Curtains

Six young actresses are spending their weekend at a remote mansion enduring what may be the most eccentric audition for a movie role. Naturally, it’s the perfect setting for a masked killer to start picking them off one by one, and it just so happens to be winter. There aren’t very many slashers set in icy weather, and Curtains takes full advantage of its winter setting. The most memorable kills involve the creepy masked killer using the weather against the victims, including the film’s best death sequence set on a frozen pond. Sickles and ice skating equal bad news.

Blood Glacier

Sometimes winter set horror is too bleak. Enter Blood Glacier, an Austrian horror comedy about the discovery of a strange liquid leaking from a melting glacier in the Alps, and its bizarre affect on local wildlife. As in, that red liquid is turning everything into deadly mutated creatures. This is pure camp that doesn’t take itself seriously, and delivers spit-taking lines like, “Stop eating that banana while you’re crying!” Memorable characters, monstrous creatures, and an icy mountain setting means Blood Glacier is a winter wonderland of silly horror meant to be consumed among friends.

Storm of the Century

The residents of Little Tall Island are trapped without outside access thanks to a dangerous blizzard that only continues to worsen. Trapped with them is an ominous stranger, who quickly makes a statement by murdering a long-time neighbor. Penned by Stephen King, Storm of the Century builds suspense as the stranger continues to dangle his motivations out of reach while exploiting the darkest secrets of the residents. The outside world may be dangerous thanks to harsh weather conditions, but sometimes inside is even more dangerous.

Ghost Story

Based on Peter Straub’s beloved novel, Ghost Story tells of two generations of men haunted by the same woman. The snowy New England winter setting is perfect for this tale of the supernatural; it chills inside and out. There’s an old tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas time, and while this isn’t a Christmas movie, it is a great example of why the tradition exists in the first place. Alice Krige owns this movie, and legendary artist Dick Smith’s special makeup creations are worth the price of admission alone.

Frozen

Often in winter set horror, the setting keeps the characters trapped in place with the killer or supernatural entity closing in around them. Adam Green refreshingly makes the weather the thing to fear in his survival thriller Frozen. A weekend getaway at a ski resort in New England becomes a harrowing fight for survival for three skiers when they’re trapped on a chairlift high off the ground. An incoming storm has the resort shut down, with no one aware that anyone was left behind. Worsening conditions means time is an urgent matter as the trio face frostbite, wolves, each other, and death. This one will make you rethink going outside during winter.

Trollhunter

Before director André Øvredal unnerved with The Autopsy of Jane Doe, there was this fantastic twist to Norwegian folklore. A group of students venture into the frigid forests to investigate a series of unusual bear killings, but find something much more dangerous is responsible. The landscape plays a major factor into this stunning world, and Øvredal quickly establishes an eye for detail. The fascinating mythology and great special effects make this a fun watch, and gives a new spin on the found footage subgenre.

Cold Prey

A group of five friends snowboarding in a secluded area of the mountains in Jotunheimen are forced to find shelter when one breaks their leg. They take refuge in a deserted lodge, completely abandoned save for the homicidal maniac dubbed the Mountain Man. Cold Prey is a fantastic modern slasher with a stunning snowy backdrop that does factor into the group’s fight for survival. Suspenseful, brutal, and with one of horror’s most underrated final girls in Jannicke. Cold Prey 2 is also great, and borrows heavy story cues from Halloween II. So, make it a double feature.

We Are Still Here

Similar to Ghost Story, this too is a ghost story set in 1979 New England winter, though this particular supernatural haunter is more closely aligned with the works of Lucio Fulci. Couple Anne (Barbara Crampton) and Paul Sacchetti (Andrew Sensenig) move into a new home in a rural area after the loss of their only son. Deep depression in a dreary winter would be enough for any couple to contend with, but their new home happens to be the cursed Dagmar house and its just awoken from a 30-year slumber. It’s hungry for blood. We Are Still Here takes a quiet haunted house story and revs it up to an explosive, gory finale.

The Thing

Of course, no winter set horror list could exist without the pinnacle of movies set in sub-freezing temperature. John Carpenter’s The Thing is pure paranoid perfection. A shape-shifting alien flees from a Norwegian research station and finds solace in the American research station in Antarctica, before viciously consuming its victims and assuming their appearance in this glorious special effect driven spectacle. The sub-zero setting means there’s no place to flee, and the crew soon turn on one another as it becomes less clear who is still human. Even if they can defeat the monstrous entity, surviving the elements is far less certain.

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Buried – Coffin

If you don’t think Buried is a horror movie, then you clearly don’t suffer from neither claustrophobia or cleithrophobia, because Buried is absolutely a horror movie for anyone suffering from one of those two phobias. Not only does it feature a stellar performance from Ryan Reynolds, who really knocks it out of the park, but it somehow manages to make a one-man show that never leaves the confines of a coffin entertaining throughout its entire 95 minute runtime. It’s an excellent effort from director Rodrigo Cortés and it’s a shame that it’s not brought up more often in conversation.

Cube – Giant Cube Puzzle Rooms

Shitty acting aside, Vincenzo Natali’s (Splice) Cube is an insanely clever film whose influence can be seen in films like Resident Evil and The Cabin in the Woods). The plot is simple: five strangers wake up in a cube-shaped room that is linked to over 17,000 other cube-shaped rooms, many of which feature fatal traps. They must work together to find their way out, but as tensions rise they find that one of their own may be more dangerous than any of the traps they encounter. A remake is supposedly in the works at Lionsgate, and while it could be interesting to see how they update the plot, you should definitely give the original a watch first.

Frozen – Ski Lift

If you’re a regular reader of my posts, you probably know that I’m a huge fan of Frozen, Adam Green’s terrifying ski lift-set horror film. The majority of the film takes place on a ski lift (the shoot was apparently pretty grueling) and it’s enough to make this snow skier wary of them on all future vacations. Hatchet may get all of the attention when Green’s name is dropped, but Frozen is what he deserves the most accolades for.

Devil – Elevator

Remember when the trailer for Devil was released and a YouTube video in which an entire theater-full of people laughed at M. Night Shyamalan’s name went viral? It’s a shame that happened, because Devil is actually a pretty decent movie (if you can ignore Jacob Vargas’ multiple religious monologues). The end reveal of who the devil is may not be completely worth it in the end, but it’s able to maintain a considerable amount of tension and instill plenty of paranoia during its brief 80-minute runtime. It makes you wish that director John Erick Dowdle (The Poughkeepsie Tapes; As Above, So Below) got more work.

Splinter – Gas Station

Splinter, aka one of the most underrated creature features ever made, is a nifty twist on The Thing that really gets under your skin. The creature itself, which is never given a name, is what us horror audiences always clamor for: original. It’s a parasite that causes black splinters to grow out of its host and turn them into mindless monsters. Like many of the other films on this list, Splinter runs at a brief 82 minutes. With all of the talent on display here, it makes one wonder why director Toby Wilkins’ only other directing credit is The Grudge 3 (which is no gem, but it is light years better than The Grudge 2).

What are some of your favorite horror films set in one location? Let us know in the comments below!

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***SPOILERS BELOW***

Evil Dead (2013)

Evil Dead is arguably one of the best horror remakes in existence, and the finale is a big part of the reason why. First, it rains blood. Then, Mia (who has just been released from the clutches of demonic possession) is attacked by a monster known as the Abomination (no relation to the Marvel Comics character) who proceeds to push a Jeep on top of Mia’s hand. Next, Mia severs her own hand to free herself and then shoves the chainsaw into the Abomination’s face, resulting in a chainsaw blowjob that ultimately vertically splits the thing’s head in half. It’s a bravura moment for the character and the film.

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Cleithrophobia (Fear of Restricted Movement)

I have to be able to move my arms around. If my arms are constricted and I can’t move them around I have a literal panic attack. Even if I’m in a large, open room, but tied to a chair (my cousin did this to me once when I was younger), I freak out. Watching scenes with people being buried alive makes me extremely anxious, none more so than the below scene from Kill Bill: Volume 2.

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But that’s not stopping Lee Hardcastle from taking those two films and mashing them into something that’s just 100% amazing. Using claymation, Hardcastle took the audio from the classic “blood test” scene in The Thing but replaced all the characters with ones from Frozen. It’s still absurdly gory and the amount of detail that has gone into it is truly fantastic.

Give it a watch below!

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However, there are people that are far more talented than myself in this respect. However, these people might also suffer from being ever so slightly twisted and demented, resulting in some incredibly strange and potentially NSFW coloring book images that can be seen below.

If these were the work of a child, I’d recommend a therapist posthaste.

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Still, Frozen is so big that a horror version of the film deserves some attention here on Bloody Disgusting as I’m sure more than a handful of you have been forced to watch the film.

In addition, Japanese artist, Yoko, imagined what would look like if it were directed/animated by Tim Burton. Check out these pretty cool images below.

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Now, I never thought the film needed a musical number but it turns out that Jon And Al Kaplan have a very different view on what’s necessary. So, they whipped up “Frozen: The Musical”, a three and a half minute musical number that tells the story of the film with singer Julia Olsson taking on the voice of Emma Bell. Check out the video below!

You can purchase the group’s album The Legolambs Musicals via iTunes.

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What is horror? What counts as horror? You guys might have noticed a few films in my “Best And Worst” that don’t necessarily fit the conventionally accepted mold for a genre film. Chronicle and The Grey for example, are two movies that more than likely would not be filed on the “Horror” shelf at Blockbuster or under the “Horror” tab in iTunes.

The reason they’re featured here? Sometimes it’s fun to write about movies that, while they have horror elements, stretch the scope of the content we feature on the site. It’s fun to have more colors to play with and, more importantly, it’s fun to expose you guys to this stuff. I like talking to the readers about it, conversing with you in the comments about what does or doesn’t turn you on about any given film. It’s not for hits, believe me. If you think something like The Grey pulls in more traffic than Maniac or Texas Chainsaw 3D you’re wrong. I feel that discussing films that might seem tertiary to the genre improves the quality of the overall conversation. It provides a better context in which to discuss the nuts and bolts of the pure horror films that drive 95% of our “movies” page.

It’s also incredibly entertaining to talk about movies that skirt genres rather than embrace them wholeheartedly, since it allows us to look at the very criteria we use to define those genres. Let’s talk more inside (spoilers within)…

A few days ago I was having a debate with a couple of my good friends on Twitter. One of them I know in real life, Brian Collins. As a BD alum and the creator of HMAD (along with Collins’ Crypt at Badass Digest), you probably already follow him and respect his opinion. If not, get on it – he’s a great writer with a great voice. The other participant was Matt Serafini, who writes for Dread Central. I only know him online and by reputation but I also like him, respect his opinion and have had nothing but positive interactions with him (even when we disagree).

They were discussing year-end horror Top 10’s that included stuff like Chronicle, and – I’m paraphrasing here – why they felt there was no place for a movie like that on one of these lists. Now, I can sort of see their point.* Like I said, depending on who you are you might not file that movie under the “Horror” section of Blockbuster. At one point during the discussion, Brian wondered why I just didn’t include The Avengers on my list, seeing as both films are “superhero movies” and that The Avengers is a superior piece of work.**

It’s certainly a worthwhile question so I figured I’d examine my own motives here, and I came to the conclusion that I don’t particularly think of Chronicle as a superhero movie at all. Sure it has some superhero tropes, chief among them being the fact that the three leads acquire telekinesis. They can move things with their minds and eventually they learn to fly. Fine. I’ll also grant that it covers more than a few “origin story” beats. But I’d still argue that any relation Chronicle has to the superhero genre is far more tenuous than its connection to horror. For starters, the three leads don’t do anything remotely heroic. They don’t save anybody, they don’t team up to fight a greater villain, and they don’t seem particularly interested in using their powers for anything other than furthering their own interests. They’re not even that good at flying seeing as one of them gets struck by lightning and killed while pretty much doing nothing. This is a film where our protagonist/antagonist uses his powers to pull teeth out of a bully’s face. Where his inner torment combined with his new abilities enable him to exact revenge on those who have tormented him. By the end of the film Dane DeHaan’s Andrew is a bloodied monster hellbent on destroying anybody who gets in his way.

Where’s the line between something like this and Carrie? Tone? I’ll grant that while both films end in mass telekinetic carnage induced by a severely troubled outsider with an unstable home environment, Carrie introduces its foreboding tone right at the start, while Chronicle descends into its character’s madness. Fine. But don’t tell me that a slow burn precludes something from the genre since Chronicle spends a greater percentage of its runtime dealing with horrific concerns than something like The Innkeepers (which I included on my best of ’11). Even if this doesn’t tonally feel like a horror movie during much of its runtime, it feels even less like a superhero movie.

Is it scale? Is Chronicle a superhero movie because of the destruction wrought upon Seattle during the finale? If so, then is Carrie a superhero? In the book she destroys the whole town. If Brian DePalma had kept the scale of the book would his film have been a superhero movie? Of course not. Or do we judge horror movies because of the elements contained within them? ParaNorman is on a lot of year-end horror lists. Rightfully so, it’s a movie with zombies and a witch so it’s absolutely fair game. But it also lacks a sense of menace and isn’t scary. If we’re going by what would be filed under “Horror” at Blockbuster, I don’t think ParaNorman belongs there either. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong on your list if you want it there.

When it comes to something like The Grey, I feel like the answer is a bit more simple. It’s a film about the unflinchingly punishing nature of the universe, where death is literally around every corner. A movie where our characters are subjected to the horrors of winter and are hunted and torn apart by wolves. Is The Grey not horror just because it stars Liam Neeson? If so, is Frozen horror just because Adam Green directed it? Because one could argue they have more than a few things in common. 

All of this being said, I’m not fighting for Chronicle or The Grey to be classified as 100% horror. I’m fine with them filed under whatever genre pleases you. I recognize that this is an inherently messy argument, one with no winners. But there are also no losers. That’s the great thing about film discussion. It’s always messy. And we carry on within that messiness because the conversation, rightfully, never ends.

*It should be noted that Serafini argued that he hates seeing a slot wasted when legitimate horror films are struggling for attention. I see where he’s coming from, but I also don’t think there were a lot of “legitimate horror” films this year that were top 10 material. If anything, I would have put Sinister on my Top 10 in lieu of Chronicle. Neither of those films really “needs” my attention.

**I don’t want to put words in Brian’s mouth here, it’s more than possible he made the analogy as an offhand comparison that wasn’t meant to be taken entirely seriously. Still, it’s what got me thinking abut this piece in the first place.

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So you have a found footage project coming up? “I do… I haven’t announced it yet but I guess I can give you the exclusive [laughs]. We’re still negotiating with a distributor but we’ve shot half of it on our own and now we’re just wrapping it up.” And this is you behind the camera right? “Yes. Writing and directing.”

Miller directed last year’s short Infected which starred Alexis Peters, BD alum Brian Collins, David Foy and A.J. Bowen. He also served as second unit director on Hatchet 2 and Frozen so he’s definitely been working on his chops. I’m definitely interested to see where this goes.

This year’s Halloween Horror Nights dates are September 21, 22, 28, 29 and October 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 31.

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Both Emma Bell (Frozen, “The Walking Dead”), Julia Stiles (Bourne Ultimatum, The Omen (2006), “Dexter”) have been cast in the new thriller pilot “Midnight Sun” for NBC. They join previously announced Titus Welliver.

The show “follows the mysterious disappearance of Midnight Sun, a group living on a cult-like commune in Alaska.”

Per Deadline, “It centers on Leah Kafka (Stiles), a female FBI cult specialist leading the investigation that uncovers a larger conspiracy. Also cast in the pilot, written by Lisa Zwirling, is Emma Bell as Rory, the cult leader’s (Titus Welliver) daughter.”

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So far it looks pretty fun to me. I’m not completely blown away (and I suspect I’ll like some of the four installments more than others) but I suppose the point is that this is kind of a lark for all involved, a chance to stretch out before their next feature.

From the depraved minds of directors Adam Rifkin (Detroit Rock City, The Dark Backward), Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs, Driftwood), Adam Green (Hatchet, Frozen), and Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2, Knights of Badassdom), Chillerama is a festival of gore, guts, goofiness and good times.

“It’s the closing night at the last drive-in theater in America and Cecil B. Kaufman (Richard Riehle, Bridesmaids, Hatchet) has planned the ultimate marathon of lost film prints to unleash upon his faithful cinephile patrons. Four films so rare that they have never been exhibited publicly on American soil until this very night! What could possibly go wrong?”

Chillerama is out on DVD and Blu-Ray November 29th. Check out the trailer after the jump.

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I’ve been pretty fortunate over the years as I’ve been able to attend many film festivals, and see a hefty amount of flicks before they receive distribution. If we’re to continue to be the #1 source for horror, we need to stay ahead of the curve. While the best & worst lists of Bloody Disgusting contributors mainly focus on films already released in theaters/DVD/Blu-ray/VOD, my list carries quite a few titles you’ve yet to see. Keeping constant to my previous lists, inside you’ll find my top 10 films that I saw in a theater this year. Based on my picks, I can’t pretend that I’m not concerned about the state of our genre. With the exception of Overture Films, the studios came up extremely short this year. Sigh.

MR. DISGUSTING’S TOP 10 OF 2010

10. Devil (September 17; Universal Pictures)

I’m a pretty big fan of the Dowdle brothers – having enjoyed both The Poughkeepsie Tapes and Quarantine quite a bit – but my nerves were shot when I learned that M. Night Shyamalan would be producing their thriller Devil. After such dumpers as The Last Airbender and The Lady in the Water, it’s hard to get behind anything Shyamalan does. With that said, I’ve always thought Shyamalan could be an amazing producer, which he put on display with Devil. The scope of the low budget studio pic was enormous, considering the crux of the film takes place inside of an elevator. As the title might indicate, Devil is heavily doused in religious themes, but never spits it in your face. Even the twist felt unforced and complimented the lessons and themes of the duration of the flick. Devil carried some solid scares, and was suspenseful enough to keep me engaged from the first to the very last frame.

9. Insidious (Screened at TIFF; Sony Pictures)

The director of Saw and Dead Silence is back with yet another in-your-face horror film that’s guaranteed to stand the test of time. James Wan reteams with writer/star Leigh Whannell on this haunted house pic that takes some bold moves and risks everything in the wake of a truly bizarre finale. Carried solely on colorful and unique imagery you’ve come to expect from a James Wan film, the Australian director has cemented himself as a horror legend. Whether you think Insidious is good or bad, it’s a movie you’ll revisit countless times in the next 20 years. Even with disturbing imagery giving the film its momentum, Insidious carries quite a few impressive scares and asks the viewer to be a little forgiving with their suspension of disbelief. If you can hop on board, it’s a ride you’ll never forget.

8. Rubber (Screened at FanTasia; Magnolia Pictures)

I struggled with putting Rubber on my top ten list, solely because it’s an experiment in filmmaking. It’s not quite horror, and to be frank, it’s not quite a movie either. But it does scream “f*ck Hollywood”, and says quite a bit about cinema by today’s standards. Any movie that has a set of balls this big deserves some serious praise.

7. A Serbian Film (Screened at SXSW; Invincible)

What can I say about A Serbian Film that hasn’t already been spewed across the web. You either get it or you don’t. You’re either willing to accept it or you’re not. It’s a harsh, brash, dark feature that has already lost 99% of its viewers. (Most of the SXSW audience stormed out of the premiere.) But beyond the shocks, there’s a politically charged theme, and the filmmaking itself is something stunning to behold. As I stated in my review, A Serbian Film is this year’s “dark” version of “Alice in Wonderland”, a film that takes the viewer down the rabbit hole so far that their psyche will never be the same. If you want to feel something in the theaters again, A Serbian Film will bring out every emotion.

6. Frozen (February 5; Anchor Bay)

Director Adam Green moves from his fun ‘80s slasher Hatchet to Frozen, an adult horror film that deserved way more attention than Anchor Bay gave it. The Sundance Film Festival selection proved that Adam Green is capable of serious cinema, and that he can be an elite filmmaker. It’s hands down one of the most suspenseful films of the past few years; it had me biting my knuckles quite a few times. And knowing that Green opted to shoot the film in the freezing cold Park City, Utah is beyond commendable (even though psychotic).

5. Cold Fish (Screened at TIFF; TBD)

A Japanese horror comedy that channels the great Takashi Miike, Cold Fish is a serial killer thriller that has so many twists and turns that it’s impossible to guess what’s going to happen next. It’s bloody, violent, funny and exquisitely dark; the lengthy runtime feels like minutes as director Sion Sono takes you on the craziest ride of your life. Don’t let this one pass you by, make an effort to track it down and see it.

4. Phobia 2 (Screened at Fantasia; TBD)

It’s rare when a quality anthology comes along – it’s even rarer when a solid Thai horror film is released. Walking into a screening of Phobia 2 at the Fantasia Film Festival I expected to walk out after 20 minutes, only I found myself with my jaw on the floor when the closing credits began to crawl. While each segment has its flaws, the wrap-around story is so magnificent that I wish it were its own movie. Not since Scream have I seen such a brilliant take on our genre – but what makes Phobia 2 so intriguing is it’s reflection on Asian horror. The finale of the anthology is nothing short of brilliant and will earn a bold place in your Asian horror collection.

3. We Are What We Are (TBD; IFC Films)

This family drama is tonally similar to Let the Right One In and tells a sad, dark tale about a family of cannibals fighting to survive after the loss of their father/leader. Guaranteed to split audiences, this Mexican horror film doesn’t carry much blood or violence, but it’s hard to ignore just how well made it is. I think many of you will be pleasantly surprised, with the rest of you sending me luscious hate mail that I’ll quickly delete

2. I Saw the Devil (TBD; Magnolia)

I think my review said it all: “I could talk for hours about I Saw the Devil, but nothing I can say will ever do it justice. The film is an experience; it’s something that will have you emotionally invested in the characters, while also covering your eyes at the extreme violence.”

1. Let Me In (October 1; Overture)

I cannot speak highly enough of Matt Reeves’ English-language version of “Let the Right One In”. I know there are a few “remake” haters in the audience, but it’s hard to ignore how Reeves took the same story and made it 50x more chilling. It would take me pages for me to explain just how good Let Me In is, which is why I implore you to read my review. It’s my favorite movie of the year (Stephen King’s too), and I’m quite proud of my review.

Honorable Mentions:

Darren Aronofsky‘s Black Swan would have landed #2 on my list had it not ended up being more of a drama than horror. Without giving anything away, the finale sort of changes how the film should have been covered here on BD. CAV and 1428 Films’ Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy could have easily landed in my top 3 picks, only it’s a straight-to-video release. This could quite possibly be the single best horror movie documentary ever assembled. Ever. EVER. I struggled at keeping Breck Eisner’s The Crazies remake off of my top 10 list. It really deserved to be on there, even though the replay value isn’t as strong as I had hoped. It was also odd for me to keep a Saw film off my list, considering Saw V might have been the only one NOT to make a list. Saw 3D was a great way to end the franchise and was an hour and a half of bloody tongue-in-cheek fun. I’d also like to give some props to Twentieth Century Fox’s Predators for not sucking, and to Warner Bros. Pictures’ Splice for doing something so incredibly daring.

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