Best Of: Year Two

Remember your second birthday? Twas a lovely time that probably involved cake, presents, eating paste, and if you’re anything like the Deadly Doll’s House, revisiting the best movies you watched and reviewed that year.


A countdown:

25. The Refrigerator

Sometimes a VHS transfer of a silly little genre film no one has ever heard of is a wonderful thing. This enjoyment is amplified when the viewer in question (i.e., me) works for an appliance company and has been wondering privately, “Where ARE all the good films about killer refrigerators?” Thankfully, 1991’s exists in goofy glory. By no means a buried gem, The Refrigerator nevertheless has an incredibly sweet spirit about it, focusing on a pair of newlyweds experiencing real marriage problems as their antique gateway-to-hell vintage fridge does its part to make their lives more miserable. I don’t necessarily endorse a journey through a hell frozen over to find this unreleased quickie, but you know what? It made me happy. And gave me further proof that there is indeed a horror movie made for every existing noun. 

24. Uzumaki

Imagine Hausu in an open space, then add a lot of snails. That's kind of how I took this manga-inspired horror from 2000, a bizarre but eerie trip into...I have no idea. Nope. I understood just about nothing of this one, but that in way meant I didn’t love it.

23. The Burrowers

Following the haunting S&Man, J.T. Petty is slowly proving himself to be a fascinating mind behind genre film. The Burrowers was his more mainstream attempt at horror, and yet even with that conventional sense of modest studio money, it’s a marvel to behold. Set in the Old West, the film follows a few cowboys (wonderfully played by a gaggle of character actors like Clancy Brown and William Mapother) as they search for missing civilians who have been snatched up by weirdly monstrous worm things. The film is dark and atmospheric, but also funny in a manner you rarely see onscreen, helped immensely by the clever dialogue and cast chemistry. Historical horror fans can’t go wrong.

22. Repulsion

Roman Polanski is a hard person to like, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a filmmaker to admire. I will forever defend the wonders of Rosemary’s Baby, which made his 1965 precursor, Repulsion, a film that I would inevitably praise. Catherine Deneuve is a shy manicurist with an absolute phobia of men and sex. When left alone for the weekend, she descends into a paranoid madness, something not helped in the least by a rumbling and manic jazz score. A Criterion release, Repulsion is simply essential viewing for genre or general fans of great direction.

21. Ganja & Hess

Did I enjoy this psuedo vampire love story? Not necessarily. Made by Bill Gunn as the antithesis of blaxsploitation, Ganja and Hess moves at a pace that makes molasses look like Jesse Owens. It follows a maybe vampire and his maybe new squeeze. It has no musical montages, midnight hunts or blood splattered showers. But with two great lead performances from Duane Jones and Marlene Clark, Ganja and Hess is a weirdly entrancing tale that is undoubtedly unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s the film I most want to revisit, yet don’t necessarily look forward to rewatching. When you’re a film lover who cherishes those kinds of puzzles, Ganja and Hess is clearly a hearty recommend. 

20. Street Trash

I generally disagree with boohooers who like to rant about the lack of true independent spirit in modern cinema, but when it comes to something like the gritty, gory, pooped out in the backyard of Brooklyn classic Street Trash, I can at least understand their point. 1986's bum body melt classic is enjoyable in a way that's impossible to duplicate. It's messy. Amateurish. Nonsensical and sleazy and yet, something about it made me say 'aw.' I can't quite explain why, but I swear the world of Street Trash exists on the same plain of the universe--albeit, a far different corner--as Sesame Street. Just trust me on that one. And watch the movie. 

19. Eyes Without a Face

Getting classy with the classics, I watched Eyes Without a Face to fill in some of those cinematic holes in my ‘50s foreign list. This French thriller is as sad as it is beautiful, as horrifying as it is sympathetic, and ultimately, a unique treat far more disturbing than its date would suggest. 

18. Lo

Fresh and original, Lo is a pseudo musical about a man whose quirky girlfriend was dragged to hell by the titular worm-like demon. As he tries to bring her back, our everyman hero is treated to a theatrical flashback into his relationship, complete with the occasional song and Nazi horned monster. Lo is one of those films you simply have to admire, and independent and unique story with hints of Joss Whedon-like humor and loads of charm. 

17. Splinter

Sometimes you don’t necessarily need a musical sequence or Christopher Nolan complex plot to be a good, memorable film that connects with your target audience. Enter Splinter, Toby Wilkins’ lightweight little horror movie that’s reminiscent of early Stuart Gordon. A likable couple is taken hostage by a gun-toting tough guy (a wonderful Shea Whigham) and his drug addict girlfriend, but that’s the least of their problems once the oddball quartet encounters a zombifying parasite inside a gas station convenience store. With great stop motion effects and four genuinely good performances from our leads, Splinter is, plain and simple, a refreshing dish of horror comfort food.

16. House of the Devil

Last Halloween, you couldn’t throw a popcorn ball at the blogging community without hitting a fan of Ty West’s ‘80s throwback thriller. I got there eventually, and covered in delicious popcorn balls I am indeed. The lovely Jocelin Donahue. plays an unlucky babysitter who slowly--eveeeeer soooooo slooooooooowlllllllyyyyyy--discovers the wealthy and weird older couple about to pay her rent aren’t quite what they seem. West’s style is sublime as it weaves an increasingly tense atmosphere, taking you to the point where you start to forget you’re watching a horror film just in time to be blindsided when it hits. Added to the mix are above average performances (particularly from the spunky Greta Gerwig as a talky best friend) to make House of the Devil a true and rare treat.

15. A Boy and His Dog

Notable for being the first time I ever thought to myself, “Hm. That Don Johnson can act!” Also a bizarre post-apocalyptic romp that involves one of the most interesting man/dog relationships in cinema history, as well as cannibalism, androids, and Jason Robards with painted rosy cheeks. Based on a Harlan Ellison story and directed with full abandon by L.Q. Jones, A Boy and His Dog is not necessarily a perfect film, but it’s one that offers surprise after surprise (plus more work for not so classily dismissed Tiger of the original Brady Bunch). 

14. Sugar Hill

On the other side of Ganja and Hess is the 1974 blaxsploitation vengeance tale with a side of zombies tossed in. The titular heroine is as kickass as she is gorgeous, and when a group of detestable white men kick her man to death, you better bet she’s summoning a top hat -wearing devil and his pinball eyed minions to serve some justice. I don’t know who in this world could possibly not enjoy Sugar Hill, but I imagine such monsters are related to the same people who seem to keep this film from getting a proper DVD release.

13. The Good Son

Rediscovering this 1993 thriller simply made me happy, which, much like #5 on my list, isn’t necessarily a mark of quality as much as it is my own odd taste. Starring a stretching-out-his-comfort-zone Macauly Culkin post Home Alone 2, The Good Son is  a modern telling of sorts of The Bad Seed. Over the top, ridiculous, melodramatic, and weirdly hilarious.

12. Mark of the Devil

I own a barf bag once sold with second run screenings of Mark of the Devil, a 1970 period piece that wanted (and wants) its audience to believe it was the Saw of the ‘70s. What surprised me the most about Mark of the Devil, however, (aside from just how blue young Udo Kier’s eyes are) was how GOOD a film it actually was. Filled with some of the scariest, most interesting faces to ever break a camera lens, Mark of the Devil doesn’t shy away from gore (see: the rape and extended torture of a pretty blond nun) but it also tells an actual story about witchcraft hysteria in medieval Europe. Sure, the poster wants you to remember a severed tongue, but Mark of the Devil will have you thinking back on some of its performances, its landscape, and general construction instead.

11. Triangle

As film lovers, we sometimes deserve a challenge, something Christopher “Severance” Smith's time traveling mindtrip Triangle gives us in spades. A strong Melissa Leo stars as a distracted single mom on a day yacht trip with some very unlucky friends and then---well, to begin a synopsis defeats the very purpose of this film, which uses plot in a magnificent way while also giving us an extraordinary landscape on open water. It's a hearty recommend for a day your brain is fully functioning and another shot in the armor of modern movie haters' claim that there's nothing smart happening in horror. 

10. Right At Your Door

When a dirty bomb explodes in LA, a stay-at-home husband must decide whether to let his possibly infected wife inside. What follows is the closest thing I've seen to a modern day episode of The Twilight Zone, an almost two-man show that has you inevitably wondering, 'what would I do?' Actors Rory Cochrane and Mary McCormack do a fantastic job, as does director Chris Gorak in infusing a shoestring budget with true terror. Not necessarily the scariest film I've seen all year, but one that had a lasting effect and easily deserves more attention than a scant Sundance release earned it.

9. Wrong Turn 2: Dead End

I’m a casual fan of 1999’s backwoods horror and wasn’t expecting great things from its fan-favorite sequel. But holy hillbilly, Wrong Turn 2 is joyous from the opening to the ending credits. Henry Rollins earns demigod status as a military maven turned reality show host, now forced, along with self-aware stereotypes, to battle West Virginian mutants. You’ve seen the story told before, but director Joe Lynch approaches Wrong Turn 2 with such all-out energy that at the end of the day, you’ve just had some of the most enjoyable 90 minutes of your life.

8. The Children

Another modern marvel that succeeded in making me squirm, Tom Shankland’s The Children is, quite possibly, the best cinematic equivalent of birth control ever put to screen. Two yuppie British families relax in the snow with a gaggle of kids and one sour teenager girl. Nobody thinks much of little Paulie’s car sickness...until it seems to spread and lead his cousins on an all-out murder spree. Brutal, scary, and not without depth (see my article in Issue 10 of Paracinema where I compare it to last year’s #1, Who Can Kill a Child?), The Children is an incredibly unsettling and well-made horror film that holds up on repeat viewings.

7. And Soon the Darkness

I'll point all thanks of this movie to my honorary little sister in horror blogging, Andre over at The Horror Digest. This 1960 (now remade) film takes place over a single day--and day it is, title be true--as a pair of vacationing English nurses are separated in a quiet French village. As someone who's lived abroad, I found And Soon the Darkness to be incredibly effective at capturing what it feels like to not speak the language of the only people who might help or hurt you. This film (by The Devil's Rain and Dr. Phibes director Robert Fuest) is the very definition of a slow burn, a full 100 minutes of mystery that doesn't necessarily climax into the biggest blowout, but drags you in so deep that by the time our heroine (wonderfully played by Pamela Franklin) uncovers the truth, you're holding your breath and squirming in fear. 

6. Antichrist

A feel-good film? Only if you’re a masochist. Lars Von Trier isn’t known for making light-hearted romps, so starting with a plot wherein a couple loses their toddler to tragedy is taking us in an already doomed direction that’s about to get a whole lot worse. Still, this is a gorgeously drawn film with two incredibly lead performances (Sandra Bullock owes Charlotte Gainsbourg her Oscar, first-born child, and Southern grit) and miles of material worthy of hourlong arguments. 

5. Drive-Thru

Ever find yourself in a mood where life suddenly seems to be perfect, a wonderful world filled with gleeful possibilities where everything tastes like cheddar cheese and dark chocolate? That’s how Drive-Thru, a random straight-to-DVD slasher starring not just one, but TWO Gossip Girl veterans, made me feel one boring Monday when its poster piqued my Instant Watch interest. Featuring an evil fast food mascot in the guise of a 7’ tall urban-talking clown (named, of course, Horny), Drive-Thru isn’t a good film by any means, but there’s something about its attitude that just feels like a Happy Meal. It wouldn’t shock me to learn that the film reels actually contain cocaine or some form of upper that convinced me I had just seen the best movie of all time. I’m still not really convinced that I DIDN’T.

4. Magic

When a villain terrifies Hannibal Lector, you know you’ve made the right film. Magic was recommended to me by dear friend Damocles, and truly, I will never forgive him for doing that...even if the film makes #4. Dummies are simply horrifying, but Magic, with his gigantic blue eyes, too-cute sweater vests and eerie little accent, is now a frequent flyer in my nightmares. No wonder why Anthony Hopkins threatened to set the doll on fire during filming.

3. Lake Mungo

Easily the most chilling film I’ve seen since I can remember what the word ‘chilling’ actually meant, this Australian Instant Watch isn’t quite a horror film, but I know I’m not alone in dubbing it the most terrifying feature released this year. Following a grieving family after the drowning of their teenage daughter, Lake Mungo unfolds like an episode of Unsolved Mysteries but grabs you in a way that physically hurts. Though there’s almost no blood, jump scares or gore, this is an incredibly cleverly crafted tale that slowly creeps into your psyche.

2. End of the Line

When you spend too much time talking to Internet entities about movies, you hear one argument repeated more than you can stand: there are no good modern horror directors. To them, I say two words: Maurice Devereaux. His earlier Running Man-ish comedy, Slashers isn’t a classic, but it bares the mark of a true filmmaker with an affection for the genre. End of the Line, on the other hand, is a terrifying, smart, and genuinely original subway set horror movie about an apocalyptic cult wreaking havoc in the underground tunnels. It’s heads smarter than most of what you see on the big screen, plus incredibly atmospheric and scary. I remember exactly how I felt after watching it a year ago: regretful that it just missed my year end list. Watch. It.

1. The Exorcist III

As some bloggers who will not be named have observed, I REALLY like to talk about The Exorcist III. Those who haven’t seen the film can’t possibly imagine why. The second sequel to a classic, made in the 1990s with studio interference? What could possibly be good bout such a movie? Turns out, almost everything. Directed by novelist William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist III works primarily for three reasons: superb dialogue, engaging performances (it helps with heavyweights like Brad Dourif and George C. Scott) and a few incredibly staged scares that will elicit audial responses of fear. It's not perfect--yes, the studio's interference over the script is obvious--and yet it somehow succeeds in being absolutely terrifying, plot contrivances be damned.