So, it's that time of year again. As we close out 2015 and cast our eyes forward to 2016, we take stock of our lives and what's important...which, for me, mostly involves nearly a hundred horror flicks released this year so I can write a blog post brief summaries for less than a quarter of them, to be read by, like, six people. Luckily, I lead a rich inner life.
In all seriousness, 2015 wasn't a bad year for horror. It didn't seem to quite have the weight that, say, 2014 had(which was a really decent year) but it had a lot of great stuff. This list will go through the top 15 horror films, and will be followed by two more lists: The Ten Worst Horror Films of 2015, and "Close, But No Cigar: The Interesting Failures and Modest Successes of 2015 Horror Films" where I'll discuss movies that were very interesting but didn't quite make it to the top.
So, let's get to it. #15 to #1.
15. Wyrmwood:Road Of The Dead
The first of five horror comedies to make the list-a surprising development considering my love/hate relationship with those-Wyrmwood has a lot of fun with the cliche Zombie movie stuff that, while no Shaun Of The Dead, is generally so filled with good will and insanity that it can't be anything less than charming. Filled to the brim with energy, it moves by a fast clip and drapes itself with escapist fantasy elements that might annoy hardcore Zombie film fanatics, but everyone else should probably a good time if you keep an open mind.
14. Deathgasm
While it doesn't quite land every single joke or scare, Deathgasm has some fun with it's own boundless affection for both horror and heavy metal. Like most horror comedy mash-ups, the story is as dumb and simple as it can be: it doesn't want to bog you down with any sort of deep intellectualism or deep-seated emotional resonance, instead focusing entirely on audacious scenes of ultra-violence and deliberately tasteless sight gags(one scene features, without a trace of irony, our hero using a large, black dildo as a weapon...in slow motion) but never becomes offensive or TOO over the top. It's interesting that Deathgasm is one of two horror films focusing on metal(the other, the self-serious and occasionally TOO unsettling and unpleasant Some Kind Of Hate, won't make any of the lists on this blog, but was kind of interesting) to get released this year.
13. Unfriended
Somehow, someway, this movie managed to make the list. Despite a slow start, Unfriended gradually and surprisingly becomes one of the suspenseful horror flicks in quite some time. Presented entirely in real time, and paced with a breakneck speed, the film manages to make a lot out of very little. It really is a miracle of a film: everything about it LOOKS like it's going to be a disaster. For my part, I spent the first twenty minutes mocking it online and then suddenly ended up breathless and on the edge of my seat and realizing I was seeing something special, especially considering it was a studio film. While it's not the first film to utilize the webcam/laptop desktop, it does take it in a supernatural direction...the highest praise I can give the film is that it somehow manages to make a "No Profile Photo selected" icon scary. A pleasant surprise.
12. Creep
Mark Duplass made two horror films this year, and both are notable in that they were be on my list. Creep is an excellent little "found-footage" film while his other, The Lazarus Effect, is going to be smack dab in the middle of my "worst of" list. The real story of this film is indeed Duplass, who stars as a man who has hired a videographer to detail what are said to be his last days before he succumbs to cancer. What actually happens is not something I'll spoil, but it sure as hell isn't cancer. It's an amazing performance, an unusual film, and one of the more unsettling experiences I've come across this year in horror.
11. Cub
While Cub is another slow starter, it makes up for it by a willingness to go for some gutsy things, both thematically and in action. There's some excellent imagery to go along with this twisted coming-of-age tale, along with a fascinating discussion on the male gaze and the objectification of Women that focuses on the internal logic with a straight-forward thought process that doesn't seek to judge, only to understand. Not everything works in it, but it's very watchable and visceral.
10. The Voices
Ryan Reynolds has always had a bit of a tough go of it when it comes to successful box office and critical acclaim. The Voices features one of Reynold's best performances, filled with earnestness and honesty even as it's both goofy and menacing. The character-a sweet natured but categorically insane young man-struggles with his murderous urges and terrifying delusions(all shown from his perspective, such as the above image) while trying to be a nice, happy guy. It's a horror comedy with a bit more to it, but the story really is Reynold's excellent performance and the ever radiant Anna Kendrick also breezes beautifully through the film as well.
09. Queen Of Earth
A last minute entry that became the most pleasant surprise of 2015. While not ostensibly a horror film(along with Ex Machina, which is coming later in the list), it has a lot of horror movie trappings that qualify it to be here. It isn't SCARY, really, but it's undeniably creepy. As Elizabeth Moss(giving an excellent performance) slowly loses her mind more and more, things get intense and have the feeling of absolute dread. Moss's co-star Katherine Waterston gives an equally strong performance featuring a quiet sense of menace. Strange little film, but brimming with a creeping tension that undeniably leaves the viewer on edge long after the credits roll. It probably should be higher on the list, but it's questionable genre qualifications keep it #9.
08. We Are Still Here
A very interesting little pseudo-ghost story that balances scares and fun without strictly becoming a horror-comedy. It's self-aware without becoming a self-parody. The monsters look good, which is needed because it helps the fact that some story elements don't particularly make an awful lot of logical sense. But it has a great sense of fun and is a wonderful old-school horror flick with a great deal of affection for genre conventions.
07. Bone Tomahawk
Like Queen Of Earth, this film's horror credentials are a bit suspect-in many ways it's a fairly straight western and a very interesting ensemble character piece-but a very aggressive and graphic third act places it pretty squarely in the horror category. When a group of feral, cannibalistic native americans kidnap some townsfolk, four men from very different backgrounds and possessing very different philosophical viewpoints form a posse and head into the dangerous desert terrain to rescue the taken folks...only to find themselves in way over their heads. Matthew Fox gives one of the best performances of his career as a wealthy, unerringly polite (but dickish) man-about-town. It's a wonderfully understated performance, fitting in well with equally restrained performances from stars Kurt Russell and Patrick Wilson. I almost didn't get to it, because somehow I just found out that it existed a few weeks ago. I don't know where this movie was hiding, but I'm glad I found it.
06. Cooties
While a lot of the audacious sequences of cannibalistic eight-year-olds does tend to somewhat leave the viewer cold(not that there aren't SOME successful scenes in that arena), the exceptional adult cast keeps things afloat, along with a very funny script. Actor and co-writer Leigh Whannell does have one of my favorite comedic exchanges ever with star Allison Pill, and Elijah Wood manages to have a lot of fun with his nerdy role(he's become something of a horror genre star as of late, hasn't he?). It might not be as funny or as scary as it probably should be, but it's still very entertaining.
05. Spring
One part body horror, one part love story, Spring is unlike anything else this year. Last year, directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead made the strange meta-fiction film Resolution and their follow-up doesn't disappoint. While far more interested in approaching the love story elements than the horror elements, the two get balanced well enough to not feel forced or under stimulated. When a young America, reeling from a tragic series of events, travels to Rome and meets a beautiful young Woman things seem to looking up, but when he discovers she has a strange secret things become far more complicated. The two stars are great, and the movie makes an incredibly wise decision with it's resolution. Very strong stuff.
04. Goodnight, Mommy
Goodnight, Mommy is a fascinating little film. Beginning with a fully telegraphed "twist" the movie tricks you into being insulted...only for you to realize that the real twist is coming, and it's a doozy. The film is filled with strange imagery, quiet moments of reflection, and a subtly creepy tone of imminent doom. It comes across a little pretentious at times, and is clearly designed for the art house crowd, but it really is a creepy film and extraordinarily beautiful.
03. The Final Girls
I can't remember the last time a horror film, or a horror comedy, managed to make me choked up. Somehow, though, The Final Girls combines emotional resonance with Kim Carnes' Bette Davis Eyes to create one of the most affecting scenes in recent memory. That emotional resonance is key to grounding what is otherwise a flighty, endlessly tongue-in-cheek slasher movie deconstruction about a group of modern day teens who find themselves inexplicably trapped in a cult horror film from the '80s. The premise is silly, but the characters are interesting, honest and believable as they bounce through an impossible situation. But, seriously: at its heart, it's all about a very emotional story about loss.
02. Ex Machina
I'm sure somewhere someone will read this and decry my decision to include Ex Machina on this list. I honestly did debate whether or not to include it, but ultimately decided it had enough in common with the genre to warrant inclusion, particularly an understated but undeniably violent climax. The story, a rumination on the nature of humanity but also one of the most mature and intelligent discussions on gender roles(especially from a direction never really talked about: the objectification of Women at the unwitting hands of "good" men), is a fascinating and creepy one, punctuated with excellent performances from stars Alicia Vikander(who nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for her creepy performance) and Domhnall Gleeson(who mixes comedy with genuine menace). It may not fit exactly, but I found the film to be very creepy and disturbing, easily capable of holding its own against most direct genre entries.
01. It Follows
When looking at other top ten lists across the internet, it feels almost like cheating to place It Follows as the #1 movie. EVERYONE has been placing this film at #1. There's a reason for that, however, and it's that the movie really is that good. It manages to both be a creepy movie about mortality and the fleeting nature of youth and innocence, but also a strong throwback to the supernatural flicks of the eighties(one of quite a few movies to invoke that era in 2015). There's some really strong film-making going on throughout It Follows and some interesting characters(particularly from star Maika Monroe, who hopefully will become a breakout star), with a pulsing and effective score punctuating the frightening proceedings. It really was something special, and definitely features some talent to watch in the future.
Thanks for reading. Check these films out, let me know what you think in the comments, what-have-you. Coming up next, the ten worst films of the year. And by next, I mean much later today. Catch you on the flipside.
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