HORROR FAVOURITES WATCHED IN 2016
SAD GIRLS FILM CLUB FAVOURITE HORROR FILMS WATCHED IN 2016
Okay, so I went through my checklist and realised I did not watch as many 2016 releases as I thought I did. So this list is for me to compile the HORROR movies I’ve enjoyed this year because horror is the only genre I watch consistently. Hah!
A story revolving a crime plotted by two “normals” to steal the inheritance of one of the “freaks”. Showing us the harsh realities that external beauty is nothing compared to the beauty that lies within. Interspersed throughout the movie are a few scenes depicting the daily life of the “freaks” in the carnival.
“We accept you, one of us! Gooble Gobble!”
A really lovely film that I find hard to categorise in horror but apparently that’s been done for over 80 years. The main driving force of this cult movie is not only the story but the “freaks”. The movie offers us slivers of their real lives when they performed in the carnival and shared with us that deep down, we’re all just people.
If you like: The Elephant Man (1980), Frankenstein (1931), American Horror Story: Freak Show, watching the “Human Torso” lighting a cigarette, a bunch of “freaks” sticking together.
So this time around instead of genre (it’s horror), I’ll include the subgenres they belong in, something for everybody.
For those people looking for a bone to pick or those who somehow miraculously are not associated with the essence of horror .
TW: VIOLENCE, GORE, BLOOD.
Subgenre: Slasher, Home Invasion
Erin goes on a holiday retreat with her fiancé and meet his large family. The remote lodge that they live in is attacked by animal masked infiltrators and one by one they’ve taken out. Can she protect her family when unbeknownst to her, the real villain is actually one of them?
I know what you’re thinking.
What a cliché, home invasions with animal masks.
Add that with the fact slasher movies were pretty much stale by the time this movie came out (I blame all those terrible reboots of classic 80s horror).
Slasher as a subgenre was played out but add it with the cliché of a home invasion plus a huge roster of possible dead people, this turned out surprisingly well. The acting above average and the build up of suspense was great. The deaths celebratory worthy. All in all, an enjoyable film in general.
If you like: Scream (1996), The Purge (2013), slasher films with a modern twist, final girl tropes, turning pretty much everything into killing machines.
Directed and written by Michael Dougherty
Four seemingly unrelated events are interconnected on a fateful Halloween day. Expect horror fundamentals such as vampires, creepy neighbours, unappeased souls, revenge and murder.
There isn’t a lot of good horror anthology stories but that hasn’t stopped directors from trying, ie. Holidays (2016), Southbound (2016). Trick’r Treat had a clear context with a singular object tying them together. The stories were not entirely new but seeing as how each short had it’s own plot twist, it helped in strengthening a whole new form of story-telling. There is also the endearing trope of following the rules of Halloween, which I personally appreciate.
If you like: Halloween (1978), Orphan (2009), creepy children, seeing Brian Cox as a crazy old man, Halloween the holiday or anthologies.
PSA: Holidays (2016) was terrible especially Kevin Smith’s part. There wasn’t a second which I wasn’t cringing. Southbound (2016) was enjoyable.
8. The Final Girls (2015)
Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson
Written by M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller
Subgenre: Slasher, Comedy
Max goes to a special double-feature horror film which starred her dead mother. As the theatre goes up in flame in an accident, Max and her friends escape the fire by ripping a hole in the screen only to be transported into the film. Trying to escape the film, the odd bunch of friends cooperate to defy all horror movie rules and tropes while Max is attached to the character played by her mother.
Laughing at every other campy horror film out there. It’s not mocking them but parodying them in the highest form of flattery there is. The movie is a classic throwback on every horror film surrounding camps and introduces a younger audience to the classic 70s and 80s era of horror. Not to mention it perfectly breaks all 4 walls with fluidity.
If you like: that Randy from Scream (1996) character that spouts horror movie rules every other 5 minutes, 70s or 80s horror aka Friday the 13th (1980), watching teenagers trying to stop death aka Final Destination (2000-2011), Taissa Farmiga of American Horror Story fame, Adam Devine’s naked dad bod.
Directed and written by David Robert Mitchells
Subgenre: Supernatural, Psychological
Jay finally has sex with her boyfriend until he reveals that he has just set loose a supernatural creature on her which will keep haunting her until she passes it to someone else. Teaming up with her friends, Jay tries to find a way to get rid of it.
A different take on something teenagers right now are actually afraid of instead of chainsaw welding maniacs. A slow-building movie that relies on suspense more than scares.
If you like: Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), creepy murderers killing teenagers for having sex, creepy stalker killers.
Directed and written by Gerard Johnstone
Subgenre: Paranormal, Comedy
Kylie is stuck in home arrest in a house her mother believes to be haunted. Secrets are unraveled when the mother daughter duo discover that a teenage girl died in their house. Suspicion arises within everybody as paranormal activities rage throughout their house.
A movie that doesn’t try too hard to be funny that is also not lacking in shocks. Nor does it rely on gimmicky tricks, just good old writing and directing to best present the story. Shoutout to the amazing performance by Rima Te Wiata.
If you like: Skeptical main character, quirky mother and daughter relationships, What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Directed and written by Sean Byrne
Follow the story of Lola as she abducts the senior boy of her dreams to celebrate prom with her in her house after he rejects her. As the night wears on, only then does the boy realise how disappointment can truly create negative repercussions.
“Bring the hammer, Daddy.”
This movie cemented my personal preference for Australian horror. This is gore. Like unashamedly gory. But don’t let the blood distract you from it’s brilliantly written plot or captivating performances. A different insight in the killer teenage girl trope.
If you like: Scary girls doing scary things, Carrie (1976) and its remake, Prom Night (1980), Jennifer’s Body (2009), American Mary (2013), Australian horror, highly suggestive incestuous relationships.
Directed by Mike Flanagan
Written by Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel
Subgenre: Home Invasion, Thriller
A deaf-mute author who stays in an isolated house in the middle of the woods attracts the attention of a murderer who hunts people as game. The murderer decides to play a game of cat-and-mouse with her while using her disability as leverage.
Using more ambient tones as well as amplifying the sounds of creaks, thuds and bumps, the movie succeeds in creating an immersive experience for the audience. Not only can we associate with her fear psychologically but the convincing atmosphere allows us to empathise with her the disadvantages due to her disabilities (and also rooting her to win!)
If you like: Panic Room (2002), The Babadook (2014), Don’t Breathe (2016), watching disabled women kick ass.
3. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard
Subgenre: Metahorror, Comedy
A group of five friends decides to spend their weekend in a cabin belonging to one of their relatives. Barely a day in and strange happenings begin to materialise, leaving them fearing for their lives and wondering if something else is behind their doomed fate.
There’s a Randy from Scream dude again. This movie challenges all things horror by attempting to break every possible rule and trope in the genre while trying to get a laugh out of it. The ridiculous plot coupled with the very highly realistic visual effects is so reminiscent of the splatter films of yore that I cannot but fall in love. Highly entertaining, highly gory. Proceed with caution but with a light heart.
If you like: The quintessential Scream series, Tucker & Dale VS Evil (2010), torture porn, gore, every monster in the genre, a hammerless Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams’ shredded body.
2. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Directed and written by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement
Subgenre: Vampire, Comedy
Follow the lives of three vampires from different walks of life trying to adapt into modern society. Filmed in mockumentary style, watch as they juggle their vampiric duties like sourcing for food with normal modern problems like hustling their way into clubs.
“We’re vampires, we don’t put down towels.”
Check out the original post: THISMOVIEISFUCKINGHILARIOUS
If you like: The Office but with vampires, Shaun of the Dead (2005), Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, anything that is not Twilight.
Directed by Robert Eggers
Subgenre: Witch, Supernatural
A Puritan family is banished from their Christian town and is forced to survive by living at the edge of the woods where unexplainable powers threaten to disrupt their lives. The family is tormented by an unforeseen evil that stems from one of their own which no amount of religious fervency seem to able to stop.
The production and costume design itself can blow you away for its historical accuracy and atmosphere building. The combination of the cinematography as well as the chilling soundtrack perfectly illustrates the isolation as well as the eeriness of the impending doom of the family.
Check out the original post: HIGHLYACCURATECOSTUMES
If you like: The Exorcist (1973), The Poltergeist (1982), The Craft (1996), the devil or anything occult in general, creepy children talking to creepy animals.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010)
Written by Eli Craig and Morgan Jurgenson
A pair of hillbillies with good intentions are mistaken as murderers based on their appearances by a group of college kids. A series of misunderstanding and accidents lead to a few hard-to-explain deaths and all suspicion seems to be placed on the innocent pair.
The accidents are so absurd that the probability of it happening in real life is next to 0 but surprisingly, all these ridiculous deaths work so well in the movie, you’d spend most of your time laughing your ass off.
If you like: Shaun of the Dead (2005), Zombieland (2009), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) with less chainsaw but equally murder-y.
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