Ok, so we (I, in particular) have taken some crap over our not hating some movies that people really seem to have hated this year... fair enough. The best of list which you're about to read will make up for it. Trust me.
If you haven't seen these movies, or even heard of some of them, get a hold of them ASAP and love them as they deserve to be loved.
Many of the Honorable mentions following the "Top 10" could be top 10 in their own right. Don't ever let order fool you, they are all quite worthy, each in their own way.
[REC 2]- (Check the review here) And the winner is... the best horror sequel we have seen in recent memory. Improving on the original in every way (and the original was a great movie), [REC 2] went the demon route that we'd hoped it would, and kicked our asses thoroughly in doing so. Creepy, bloody, and above all, smart, this movie swings for the fences and goes yard. Beyond yard even. You owe it to yourself to find both of these movies and watch them back to back... and then wait for patiently for the next two installments, which have been announced as on their way.
Buried- (Check the review here) Claustrophobic, engaging and truly terrifying, Ryan Reynolds and his one man show took an interesting premise and made it work despite its restrictions. If this movie doesn't have you squirming and fidgeting nervously like a fat girl writing her first love letter, then you indeed have nerves of steel.
Piranha 3D- (Check the review here) Why is such a tongue-in-cheek, cheesy, 80's throwback of a movie so high up in the top 10? Why, because it's made of pure awesomeness, and has no shame in its excess, and might be the most fun we've had at the movies in a long time. Alexandre Aja know his horror flicks, and aside from the lackluster Mirrors, has manages to make 3 fantastic horror flicks in his thus far short career. Two of those were remakes. Think about that for a minute. If you like buckets of blood, tons of hot chicks, 80's style horror cheesiness and fun, this is the movie for you.
Paranormal Activity 2- (Check the review here) Another sequel that lived up to its predecessor (and in our opinions, surpassed it), PA2 delivered the scares in droves. I can't tell you why, but this movie had me so creeped out at one point, that I needed a breather. I'm not being dramatic, and I'm not a super pussy ( all the time, anyway), it was just that good. PA 3 is on the fast track for November 2011, and this time, I will not be skeptical. Nervous is a better word. Scared even.
Black Swan- (Check the review here) Yeah, yeah, yeah... "It's not a real horror movie, why is it on this list?!?" Well listen here, it is a horror movie, just the high brow kind. There's an evil swan in it, and murder, and scary stuff happens, and bloody things happen, and Natalie Portman gets it on with Mila Kunis... of course it's horror! All sarcasm aside, this is a great mind fuck of a movie, and you'd be missing out not to add this to your must see lists.
Red Hill- (Check the review here) Now here is one that may not be true horror, but needs to be seen. Of all the movies on our list, this one may be the most obscure, so we need to sing its praises. Bloody, brutal, tense, and just an all around well made revenge western (for lack of a better descriptor), Ryan Kwanten sheds his goofy True Blood image and show that he can tackle some good dramatic material. Excellent movie, and you need to seek it out and watch it now. I'm not kidding. Go. Now.
A Serbian Film- (Check the review here) What to say about this movie... Sick, depraved, stomach turning, nasty, exploitative, pornographic, gorgeous, well made, solid, and memorable. Is that enough for you? If you decide to watch this, be warned; it really is a rough ride, and some of not all of you may watch a lot of it from between your fingers. Like I said in the blurb from the review, if you wanna really show how tough you are, get your balls up and watch it with a date. If they don't storm out on you in disgust, marry that person.
Frozen- (Check the review here) The 2nd of 3 movies in our top 10 with hard to sell set pieces, Frozen strands 3 people on a ski lift for 90 minutes and makes it watchable, fun, and above all, pretty damned creepy. Like it or not, this movie at least deserves credit for having the balls to try something completely out of the box. Along with Buried and Burning Bright, I was amazed at how well the filmmakers pulled this one off.Speaking of...
Burning Bright- (Check the review here) "A thriller centered on a young woman and her autistic little brother who are trapped in a house with a ravenous tiger during a hurricane." Try not to laugh too loud at reading that synopsis, because with what must be hands down the most ridiculous plot synopsis ever that wasnt meant to be a wacky comedy, this movie kicked some major ass. This is my personal favorite of the year, not because it was the best, but because it was so good and left me smiling in satisfaction when all was said and dine. DO NOT BALK at seeing this movie. If you do, it's really your loss.
The Walking Dead- Yes, it's a TV show... but you know what? Shut up. We as horror fans should all be humbled at the will and skill of Frank Darabont and the balls of AMC to give us such an awesome, weekly zombie show. A weekly zombie TV show. That's huge in so many ways that it makes little sense to go into them. Add to that the fact that it's not some cheesy, shoddy mess that it might have been had Darabont and AMC not been involved, and it makes it even more special. It was the highest rated cable TV show ever at one point during its initial 6 episode run, and the 13 episode 2nd season is on its way. This is must see TV, and a pretty big moment for horror.As for the runners up, they are all deserving of your time and effort, so seek them out and give them a spin in the ole' DVD player. We've reviewed most of them, for a more detailed word on each film, check the sidebar.
Blood Creek- Way underrated. A Nazi necromancer and zombie horses... what else needs to be said?
The Killer Inside Me- Good pulp horror fiction.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)- Best premise ever, and a great movie. Dieter Laser is creepy as hell.
The Lovely Bones- Gorgeous and moving, and thoroughly terrifying, especially for parents.
Lake Mungo- Haunting and subtle, this is definitely an under the radar gem.
Dread- Clive Barker's Books of Blood movies have been great lately, and this one is really, really good.
The Crazies- Hell of a remake, and Timothy Olyphant is as awesome s ever. If you haven't seen his TV show Justified on FX, you're missing some really good stuff.
The Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre- Craziest title of the year, and one of the most entertaining flicks to boot.
Predators- Laugh if you will, but this movie kicked some major ass, despite it starring Adrien Brody. He was awesome in this.
Monsters- VERY light on the monsters, but an excellent monster flick none the less.
Let Me In- Thought we'd hate it, but we ended up liking it quite a bit. The original is the better movie, but don't discount this one off hand.
Machete- Danny Trejo rules. Nuff' said.
The Horde- Fun and bloody, what more can you realty ask for?
Tormented- A surprising British flick that ended up being pretty fun.
Repo Men- Great movie, and fairly disturbing in concept. Jude Law is an ass kicking machine in this one!
Night of the Demons- Better than expected, but flawed. Still, it was a fun ride.
Kick Ass- Yes, it's a comic book movie and not the least bit horror, but it's so amazing that we had to include it here. Absolutely amazing.
Rammbock- The Germans pulled off a pretty good little zombie/infected flick here.
Devil- It makes me mad to like an M.Night Shamalalalanan movie after what he's done to moviegoers over the past few years, but it was pretty good.
The Loved Ones- Last but not least is a great little Aussie prom-gone-wrong movie, that made for a great time.
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