2013 Horror Highlights

All-round awesomeness:

You’re Next

Pitch black comedy, slasher vibes, gore- what’s not to like? This film is smart and fast-paced, and I loved seeing the total transformation of the main character (played by Sharni Vinson). Her demeanor at the beginning of the film, in the awkward ‘meeting the family’ scenarios, is sweet and utterly adorable. She then springs into action the second they come under attack; she’s strong, resourceful, and a joy to watch. Such a brilliant performance. The script is great too; the interaction between the characters in certain scenes is particularly funny, interspersed with moments of violence and the kind of gore you can really get your teeth into. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun watching a horror movie.

Scariest:

V/H/S/2

I enjoyed V/H/S,  but it felt inconsistent due to certain segments being significantly better than others. Also, the central story about the discovery of the tapes themselves was insipid almost to the point of feeling unnecessary. V/H/S/2, however, is an absolute treasure chest of horror gems, and it also utilises a much more engaging central story with a great pay-off at the end. Each segment is unique and entertaining; I was fully engaged throughout, and some are downright terrifying which is obviously a bonus. It’s everything the first one should have been.

Best cinema experience:

The Conjuring

We know the drill when it comes to haunted house movies such as this. Or do we…? This film is much scarier than I expected. I put that down to the fact that James Wan’s skills are so finely tuned by now, he can expertly build tension to unbearable levels, dangle us in suspense for what feels like an eternity, then break the tension at the perfect moment and give you an immediate heart attack. He doesn’t even have to deliver a nasty visual to acheive this; sometimes he shows very little and we still get a good scare. Formulaic? Yes, but that is true of so many horror films I see, and I won’t discredit this film for that reason. It’s an amazing piece of work.

My favourite:

American Mary

I can’t remember the last time I fell in love with a protagonist the way I have fallen in love with Mary Mason. She is strong yet vulnerable, intelligent, beautiful, deadly, and strong-minded. The character is so compelling, I rooted for her every second of the film, right the way through to the dramatic finale. The film itself has a strong body-horror theme; it reminded me a little of David Cronenberg (more specifically ‘Dead Ringers’, with the body modification & clinical vibe). It has some distressng visuals, which are actually quite subtle in the sense that they’re infrequent; we’re not overexposed to the torture and gore. It really got my imagination going, and parts of this film will stay with me forever.

Best remake/sequel:

Maniac

As remakes go, it really doesn’t get better than this. I loved this film! One of my favourite things about it was its somewhat conflicted tone. Super modern and stylish, particularly in terms of the mise en scène, with a retro soundtrack. It’s dark, brooding, and intense; this is largely down to Elijah Wood’s amazing performance. A genius bit of casting. All these elements combine to create a heavy mood- I found myself observing in an almost trance-like voyeuristic state at times, as I silently watched the horrific events through Frank’s eyes. I particularly like the scenes where Frank cruises the city streets at nighttime. It is bleak yet beautiful, and well worth a watch.

Celluloid Screams highlight:

The Battery

A great zombie movie that focuses almost exclusively on the relationship between the two protagonists trying to find their way, post zombie apocalypse. This relationship is so well constructed; the film has a great script and I loved the way the characters’ personalities clashed. It creates humour and emotion within the context of their situation. We’ve all had that conversation about our big plan in the zombie apocalypse- where we would go, who we would go with, and what weapon we would use etc. This film deals with the realities of these choices with more emphasis on the survival aspect than fighting off the zombies, which I really liked. The characters are so human; they end up in situations that I could completely imagine myself getting into if I were stuck in that world.

Biggest letdown:

Insidious 2

This was an interesting one for me; I genuinely thought I would enjoy it. This film seemed to be lacking something. What really surprised me were the ‘scary’ scenes- the tension builds as you would expect it to, but then breaks either too soon, or not at all! The scares are still there, but they lack the build-up to really pack a punch. The end result is a jump scare without the dread. Not at all what I expect from James Wan. I was, however, happy to see more expeditions into ‘The Further’ (the garish realm of smoke, echos and  multicoloured lights which I liken to a journey on a ghost train, and I mean that in the best way possible). This was the fun element of ‘Insidious’, the part that didn’t take itself too seriously, and I was pleased to see more of that. They should make a third which is 100% set in ‘The Further’….