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Best 11 Horror Films Of 2017- James Jay Edwards’ Picks
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11. 78/52
The shower scene in Psycho is possibly the most scrutinized and analyzed scene in movie history (film geeks might make an argument for the Odessa Steps sequence in Battleship Potemkin, but I digress). Well, 78/52 is a documentary all about that scene and more. If there’s ever anything that you’ve wondered about the making of Psycho in general or the shower scene in particular, it’s probably in 78/52. A must-see for Psycho fans, or just for people who like to know how things tick behind the scenes.
10. IT
You may be tired of reading about IT by now, but there’s a reason why it’s so talked about. It’s terrific. Bill Skarsgard is no Tim Curry, but to his credit, he doesn’t try to be. And the kids are both lovable and relatable, so IT basically turns into Stand by Me with a killer clown. Of course, Part 2 was the weaker half of the 1990 television mini-series, so we’ll have to see how that plays out. But Part 1 of the new IT was pretty fantastic (and it has the box office receipts to back it up).
9. Kong: Skull Island
Ape-Pocalypse Now! Yes, Kong: Skull Island is on this list. This is the most fun Kong has been since 1976. Sure, Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson seem like they’re in a completely different movie, but Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, and John C. Reilly are in on the joke and they all understand that Kong is King. And the big guy looks better than ever. I can’t wait for this rebooted King Kong to take on the rebooted Godzilla.
8. It Comes at Night
After last year’s indie breakout fringe movie Krisha, a lot of people thought that director Trey Edward Shults should try his hand at making a bona-fide horror movie. It Comes at Night is what he came up with. It’s one of those movies where it feels like nothing is happening, when in reality, everything is. A new twist on the old cabin in the woods motif.
7. The Blackcoat’s Daughter
The Blackcoat’s Daughter was actually made in 2015, but it just saw release this year after a long period in distribution limbo. I’m a little jealous of people who have never seen it, as I wish that I could experience it for the first time again. Nevertheless, let’s all thank the cinematic super-heroes at A24 for saving this wonderful film from purgatory.
6. Raw
For my money, no movie had nearly as many “holy shit!” moments this year as Raw. It’s been touted as both a cannibalism exploitation flick and a body horror movie, but it’s really just one of those shockingly beautiful horror films that only come along once in a blue moon.
5. War for the Planet of the Apes
And speaking of Ape-Pocalypse Now! These new Planet of the Apes movies just keep getting better. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was great, and War for the Planet of the Apes is even better. Seamless visual effects and a knockout performance from mo-cap superhero Andy Serkis (can we nominate him for an acting Oscar yet?) anchor this blockbuster spectacle.
4. Split
Whenever people think of M. Night Shyamalan movies, the first thing that comes to mind is “The Twist.” Of course Split has a twist, and it’s an awesome one that literally changes everything that has come before it, but it’s unlike any other Shyamalan twist (purposely being vague so as to not spoil it for the two or three of you who may not have heard about it yet). But enough about twists, Split also has the year’s single best performance with James McAvoy’s flawless portrayal of a person with 23 personalities (although he only shows six or seven of them – slacker!).
3. Gerald’s Game
On paper, Stephen King’s Gerald’s Game is an unfilmable novel. Oculus director Mike Flanagan said “hold my beer” and delivered one of the most tense and suspenseful experiences of the year. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon your point of view), Gerald’s Game dumped right to Netflix, so Carla Gugino’s incredible performance won’t garner any Oscar love. But look at the bright side: most of you can probably watch Gerald’s Game right now if you want to. So do it.
2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The Killing of a Sacred Deer is the kind of movie that will get me in trouble for including, as it’s not the average, run-of-the-mill horror movie. It’s an ominous, atmospheric, creepy little gem that takes a right turn at the halfway point and goes places the viewer never expects it to go. Again, not strictly horror, but as much of a horror film as we’re bound to get out of director Yorgos Lanthimos.
1. Get Out
For my money, Get Out was flat-out the best movie of the year, horror or otherwise. On the surface, it’s just a creepy sci-fi/horror flick, but once you let it sink in, you realize that writer/director Jordan Peele has tricked you into thinking about the many ills of modern society. This is why I have high hopes for Peele’s Twilight Zone reboot.
So, what did I miss? What are your favorite horror movies from 2017?
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Movies
‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments
It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.
We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.
“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”
That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”
Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:
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Movies
‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening
Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.
Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.
Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.
Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.
Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.
The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.
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News
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date
Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.
Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.
These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:
According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”
Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.
Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.
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