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10 BEST HORROR FILMS OF 2016 – Chris Crum’s Picks

Published

7 years ago

December 19, 2016

Well, it’s that time of year again. It’s time for everyone to rank what they believe are the best horror films of 2016. My rankings are very loose, as they could easily flip flop with one another from day to day. There were plenty of other movies that could’ve slid in too, and there are still some 2016 releases that I haven’t gotten a chance to see yet. Anyway, these are the ten I’ve settled on, and as I look through them now in list form, it strikes me how very different they all are from one another. That tells me that there is a lot of variety in horror these days, even if it doesn’t always seem that way on the surface.

Best Horror Films of 2016

10. The Conjuring 2

I was surprised by how much I liked The Conjuring 2 when I saw it in the theater last summer. I like The Conjuring, but was never as high on it as most seemed to be. I left my viewing of The Conjuring 2 feeling completely satisfied and enamored by how good James Wan still is at creating creepy jump-scare scenes. The movie also had some heart, which helped too. Upon revisiting it in my living room recently, I didn’t get quite as much out of it as that initial theatrical viewing, but it’s still a solid entry in an over-saturated sub-genre.

9. Don’t Breathe

Don't Breathe - Best horror films of 2016

Don’t Breathe was one of the biggest surprises for me this year. Having seen the trailer a handful of times in the theater and not being an incredibly big fan of Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake, my expectations just weren’t incredibly high. The aforementioned trailer gave me the impression that, like many others, it was basically showing the entire movie, but boy was I wrong. The movie went in some directions that I don’t think anybody who didn’t have it spoiled for them could have possibly seen coming, but that was only part of the reason it made my list. Don’t Breathe is suspenseful throughout with solid performances, particularly from Stephen Lang as The Blind Man, who was as iconic a villain as any other antagonist in horror this year. It was also directed quite well, and Alvarez has now won me over. I’m looking forward to more from him.

8. Clown

Yeah, yeah. Clown’s been out there for a long time. I know, but it wasn’t released in the U.S. until this year, so I’m including it. As most killer clown movies have proven, getting this sub-genre right is pretty hard to pull off, but Clown knows exactly what it is and completely embraces its absurdity, resulting in a delightfully fun movie that feels as though it would have been at home on early 90s video store shelves alongside titles like Man’s Best Friend, The Dentist, and The Ice Cream Man. Is it super scary? No, but as far as I’m concerned it’s pure entertainment.

7. The Greasy Strangler

The Greasy Strangler - best horror films of 2016

The Greasy Strangler could really appear at any spot on this list or not on it at all, depending on the day and the environment in which I’m watching it. If you’ve had the opportunity to see it both with a crowd and at home (alone, or with one or two other people), you likely understand. Fortunately, I was in a crowded theater the first time I saw it, and it was non stop hilarity throughout the movie’s entire duration. It was as if the theater had been filled with nitrous oxide and seemingly everyone had a great time. Playing on a quiet night at home, however, The Greasy Strangler just doesn’t have the same impact (at least without drugs). That said, the theatrical screening was one of my most memorable movie experiences of the year and a complete blast. The soundtrack is insanely wonderful too. I look forward to breaking this movie out every now and then through the years (unfortunately, I live in an area where theatrical screenings are highly unlikely) and reliving all the glorious bullshit artistry as best as I can.

6. The Neon Demon

The Neon Demon - Best horror films of 2016

Immediately after watching The Neon Demon the first time in the theater, I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about it, but I knew I felt something good. As I reflected during the drive home, I came to realize that I kind of loved it. Upon a second viewing, this was confirmed. This is one that will be returned to repeatedly throughout the years to come. Of this, I have no doubt. Its commentary is only outshined by its sheer beauty, score, and general bat-shit craziness. With the occasional sprinkle of apparent Argento nods to add just a little more flavor, Nicolas Winding Refn created one of his most memorable films yet. This one was just the right amount of weird with plenty else to latch onto and balance it out.

5. Beyond the Gates

Beyond the Gates - best horror films of 2016

Beyond the Gates is one of those movies that’s just fun to watch, and while I’ve only seen it once so far at the time of this writing, I can imagine that I’ll be revisiting it more frequently than some of the other movies on this list. It’s not entirely about nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake for me, because while my family did own the Clue VCR Mystery Game, horror VHS board games were sadly never part of my life. Watching this makes me wish they had been. There are some entertaining gore gags, the characters are enjoyable to be around for the duration of the film, and Barbara Crampton is wonderful as always. I can’t see ever throwing this on and not having a good time.

4. The Invitation

The Invitation - Best horror films of 2016

The Invitation is genius in its delivery of tension, and is masterfully directed. The performances are fantastic, and the score helps keep the tension from ever easing up. Considering how much of this movie is just people hanging around talking at a dinner party, it says a whole lot about how much talent when into making the movie on both sides of the camera. It has emotion, dread, and a great climax and conclusion. It’s an absolutely beautiful film and an original one at that.

3. The Witch

The Witch. People love it. People hate it. Personally, I love it. I don’t know what I can say about it that hasn’t already been said (and debated). I think it’s gorgeous. I appreciate the slow-paced dread that it brings to the table. I think the acting is on point. I think its “less is more” approach that is often criticized is an asset. The score is unsettling, and overall, the movie feels authentic. The authenticity (such as the language and depiction of the period in which the movie is set) is one of those “hotly debated” aspects of The Witch, but in the end, I could give a fuck. It feels authentic enough to me. Writer/director Robert Eggers obviously cared a great deal about the film he was creating, and the passion shows. And yes, Black Phillip rules. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say The Witch is on par with The Shining (my favorite movie of all time), it’s obvious that the Kubrick classic was an influence (something Eggers admits himself), and that influence most likely plays right into my own taste.

2. Trash Fire

Trash Fire Movie - The Best Horror films of 2016

I first had the opportunity to see Trash Fire at the Knoxville Horror Film Festival in October. Its mix of black humor, drama, and horror played very well with the crowd, myself included. It was the first feature to play at the festival, and despite some other fine movies, it was never topped in my opinion. Upon a second viewing at home, it held up entirely, and confirmed to me what I thought when the credits rolled upon my first viewing. This is one of 2016’s best for sure. It’s a return to form for Ricky Bates, who impressed genre fans with Excision a few years ago, as it’s very much of the same caliber, if not a higher one.

The performances and writing are what shine above all else in this movie, and like the most refreshing movies do, it gave me some things I had never seen before. I just love Trash Fire.

1. Green Room

Green Room - best horror movies of 2016

The number one spot has to go to Green Room, which was a fantastic follow-up to Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin, which is equally great. This guy knows how to take a simple premise and turn the tension up to full blast. Green Room adds some nasty on-screen violence, mixed with great performances for a flick that absolutely lives up to the hype that preceded its release. Saulnier is one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. It’s a tragedy that we lost Anton Yelchin, who turned in a great performance in this movie, but many will experience his work through this film (and others) for years to come, and receive an endless amount of enjoyment from what he contributed to cinema.

Having come out fairly early in the year, Green Room has remained the “one to beat” for me for many months, and I just don’t think anything that I’ve seen has topped it. It’s one of those movies that I immediately wanted to watch again as soon as the credits (and that badass Creedence song) ended.

Note: While I’m not including it as an official entry on the list, I would be remiss to not mention Kubo and the Two Strings, which had what I found to be among the creepiest villains of the year in Kubo’s two aunts. It’s another great release from Laika Entertainment, the stop-motion animation company behind Coraline and Paranorman, and it’s worth putting your eyeballs on.

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Lists

New to Netflix (U.S.) This Month [May 2024]

Published

1 hour ago

May 2, 2024

Timothy Rawles

atlas movie Netflix starring Jennifer Lopez

Another month means fresh additions to Netflix. Although there aren’t many new horror titles this month, there are still some notable movies well worth your time. For instance, you can watch Karen Black try to land a 747 jet in Airport 1979, or Casper Van Dien kill giant insects in Paul Verhoeven’s bloody sci-fi opus Starship Troopers.

We are looking forward to the Jennifer Lopez sci-fi action movie Atlas. But let us know what you are going to watch. And if we have missed something, put it in the comments.

May 1:

Airport

A blizzard, a bomb, and a stowaway help create the perfect storm for the manager of a Midwestern airport and a pilot with a messy personal life.

Airport ’75

^{Airport ’75}

When a Boeing 747 loses its pilots in a midair collision, a member of the cabin crew must take control with radio help from a flight instructor.

Airport ’77

A luxury 747 packed with VIPs and priceless art goes down in the Bermuda Triangle after being hijacked by thieves — and time for a rescue is running out.

Jumanji

Two siblings discover an enchanted board game that opens a door to a magical world — and unwittingly release a man who’s been trapped inside for years.

Hellboy

^Hellboy

A half-demon paranormal investigator questions his defense of humans when a dismembered sorceress rejoins the living to wreak brutal vengeance.

Starship Troopers

When fire-spitting, brain-sucking bugs attack Earth and obliterate Buenos Aires, an infantry unit heads to the aliens’ planet for a showdown.

May 9

Bodkin

^Bodkin

A ragtag crew of podcasters sets out to investigate mysterious disappearances from decades earlier in a charming Irish town with dark, dreadful secrets.

May 15

The Clovehitch Killer

^{The Clovehitch Killer}

A teenager’s picture-perfect family is torn apart when he uncovers unnerving evidence of a serial killer close to home.

May 16

Upgrade

After a violent mugging leaves him paralyzed, a man receives a computer chip implant that allows him to control his body — and get his revenge.

Monster

_Monster

After being abducted and taken to a desolate house, a girl sets out to rescue her friend and escape from their malicious kidnapper.

May 24

Atlas

^Atlas

A brilliant counterterrorism analyst with a deep distrust of AI discovers it might be her only hope when a mission to capture a renegade robot goes awry.

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory

The Camp Cretaceous gang come together to unravel a mystery when they discover a global conspiracy that brings danger to dinosaurs — and to themselves.

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Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Never Hike Alone 2’

Published

2 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Jacob Davison

There are fewer icons more recognizable than the slasher. Freddy Krueger. Michael Myers. Victor Crowley. Notorious killers who always seem to come back for more no matter how many times they are slain or their franchises seemingly put to a final chapter or nightmare. And so it seems that even some legal disputes cannot stop one of the most memorable movie murderers of all: Jason Voorhees!

Following the events of the first Never Hike Alone, outdoorsman and YouTuber Kyle McLeod (Drew Leighty) has been hospitalized after his encounter with the long thought dead Jason Voorhees, saved by perhaps the hockey masked killer’s greatest adversary Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) who now currently works as an EMT around Crystal Lake. Still haunted by Jason, Tommy Jarvis struggles to find a sense of stability and this latest encounter is pushing him to end the reign of Voorhees once and for all…

Never Hike Alone made a splash online as a well shot and thoughtful fan film continuation of the classic slasher franchise that was built up with the snowbound follow up Never Hike In The Snow and now climaxing with this direct sequel. It’s not only an incredible Friday The 13th love letter, but a well thought out and entertaining epilogue of sorts to the infamous ‘Tommy Jarvis Trilogy’ from within the franchise that encapsulated Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning, and Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Even getting some of the original cast back as their characters to continue the tale! Thom Mathews being the most prominent as Tommy Jarvis, but with other series casting like Vincent Guastaferro returning as now Sheriff Rick Cologne and still having a bone to pick with Jarvis and the mess around Jason Voorhees. Even featuring some Friday The 13th alumni like Part III‘s Larry Zerner as the mayor of Crystal Lake!

On top of that, the movie delivers on kills and action. Taking turns that some of the previous fils never got the chance to deliver on. Most prominently, Jason Voorhees going on a rampage through Crystal Lake proper when he slices his way through a hospital! Creating a nice throughline of the mythology of Friday The 13th, Tommy Jarvis and the cast’s trauma, and Jason doing what he does best in the most cinematically gory ways possible.

The Never Hike Alone films from Womp Stomp Films and Vincente DiSanti are a testament to the fanbase of Friday The 13th and the still enduring popularity of those films and of Jason Voorhees. And while officially, no new movie in the franchise is on the horizon for the foreseeable future, at the very least there is some comfort knowing fans are willing to go to these lengths to fill the void.

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News

New Vampire Flick “Flesh of the Gods” Will Star Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac

Published

2 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Cameron McFarland

80s nostalgia is still going strong in the horror community. As proof of this, Panos Cosmatos (Mandy) is developing a new 80s themed vampire film. However, unlike some of the other nostalgia bait films that have come out recently, Flesh of the Gods is packing some serious talent.

First, the film is written by the legendary Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en). If that wasn’t enough, the film will star Oscar Isaac (Moon Knight) and Kristen Stewart (Underwater).

Variety gives us a glimpse into the story line, stating that: “Flesh of the Gods is set in glittering ’80s L.A., where married couple Raoul (Oscar Isaac) and Alex (Kristen Stewart) each evening descend from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into the city’s electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with a mysterious and enigmatic figure known as Nameless and her hard-partying cabal, the pair are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.”

Cosmatos offers his own opinion of the film. “Like Los Angeles itself, ‘Flesh of the Gods’ inhabits the liminal realm between fantasy and nightmare. Both propulsive and hypnotic, ‘Flesh’ will take you on a hot rod joy ride deep into the glittering heart of hell.”

Producer Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up) seems to also be excited about The Flesh of the Gods. “This director, this writer, these incredible actors, vampires, choice ’80s punk, style and attitude for miles… that’s the film we’re bringing you today. We think it’s wildly commercial and wildly artful. Our ambitions are to make a movie that ripples through popular culture, fashion, music and film. Can you tell how excited I am?”

Flesh of the Gods is set to begin filming later this year. It will launch at Cannes with WME Independent, CAA Media Finance, and XYZ Films. The Flesh of the Gods does not currently have a release date.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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