Top 5 Best Horror Movies of 2010

As the year is coming to a close I can’t forget to mention this years greatest horror movies and boy… I have to say that I am sort of disappointed. Not because of the turnout but because the movies that I chose hardly fit into the category of horror. It’s rather sad that most of the ‘real’ horror movies made the top worst movies of the year and the dramas and thrillers made the top best movies. I blame this on the fact that all the studios were so preoccupied with remakes, sequels and slapping 3D onto all their films that they didn’t take the chance with a good ORIGINAL horror film. I would say it was a very disappointing year for horror but there were some diamonds in the rough… I just hope that someday these studios will learn. Below are my top picks for 2010 and I hope you enjoy.

Buried – Now I know it’s not a horror movie but goddamn is it scary! What can be more frightening than waking up, not knowing where you are, who captured you and finding out that you are buried in the ground in a wooden box? No, it’s not horror and it doesn’t have a monster or a ghost but it’s horror that people face over in the Middle East. What do you do in this situation? You can’t scream, you have limited oxygen and you only hope that you have light, water and a phone. This film was an indie movie that came out of Spain that hit big in theaters and rightfully so. What made Buried this good? The direction and set pieces (yes, set pieces) were a lovely homage to Alfred Hitchcock. We were thrown into the psyche of Paul Controy as he tries to figure out why he was put in a box. The cinematography was brilliantly choreographed, Reynolds’ performance was outstanding and the sound design made it feel like you were in that box with him. I found myself getting claustrophobic as I watched it. Personally, I thought it was one of the best movies of the year and not just within one genre.

The Crazies – I loved this movie. I loved it more than I thought I did back when I saw it. It was probably the best remake of the past 10 years and rightfully so. It was scary and I’ll admit that I jumped out of my seat several times and though I didn’t see the original… I’m willing to bet that it was far scarier than the Romero’s. What I especially loved about this film are the set pieces, mainly the car wash, which add not only to that small town feel but also that sense of a fading small-town America. Timothy Olyphant and Joe Anderson both demonstrated that they are badasses and that was probably the highlight of this film. Is it a zombie movie? No, it’s not. Is it a damn fine, action filled horror flick? You bet your dollar. Look for an especially creepy scene involving a pitchfork and a crazy doctor.

Shutter Island – If you knew me, you could understand why I was so thrilled when I found out that Martin Scorsese was going to direct a horror movie. To my surprise it wasn’t a horror but rather a thriller and a damn fine one. Everything from the art direction, to the performances all the way down to the opening and closing shots were so carefully crafted. I didn’t read the book so I can’t really compare the two but as a stand-alone movie it delivered the mystery, the chills and one sad ending. I’m not sure why many people didn’t like this after its release but I fear that it had something to do with the fact that many people guessed the ending. I’m not going to say that I disbelieve anybody but I am absolutely sure that a majority of the people who claimed they knew the ending are bullshitting because even my dad (who I swear moonlights as a detective) didn’t even catch this one.

Splice – This was a film that wasn’t really horror but rather a drama, or perhaps a thriller. Initially, I know a lot of people didn’t like this movie because it was too weird for them and maybe even funny to see Adrian Brody kissing a monster but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a breath of fresh air compared to all the remake, sequel, uninspired garbage that Hollywood was dishing out. The girl who played Dren was outstanding as a character that isn’t human but also a character that doesn’t talk. I thought the story was very compelling, produced well and brilliantly directed. It was one of those movies where it was so weird, and so awkward that I couldn’t keep my eyes off it. I wanted to know what would happen next. I think it’s one of the most underrated “horror” movies of 2010.

The Last Exorcism – Yes, it’s hard to believe that I have this movie as one of my top horror movies of this year but hear me out. It’s a very strange, unbalanced documentary that tapes into why people believe in God and how people can be manipulated to do things for God. The film shows great characterization and though it’s pacing is pretty awkward the film is a slow buildup to a very powerful yet controversial ending. It has minimal scares and it seems like an in-movie documentary on how Reagan was exorcised in The Exorcist. I think what I really liked about it was it’s commentary on contemporary religion.

HONORABLE MENTION

Devil – Unlike some people, I actually liked this movie. It wasn’t outstanding in any way but I wanted to see how it would be played out. I’m not one of those idiots that will immediately throw a movie to the side because the director turned into a hack because this movie wasn’t directed by said hack. The film was very gripping in the sense that I wanted to know how it would end. I liked the characters were somewhat stale but likeable, however I wanted more depth with the Mexican maintenance man… I felt he could have had a lot of potential. I know I am in the minority here but I would have preferred if Shayamalan directed this.

Rare Exports – Just in time for the Christmas season, this film is a dark but rather odd look at the Santa Clause mythology. I can’t really say if this is horror or drama or what type of genre this fits into but I can agree that it is one hell of a trip. The direction was very strong and the story was very imaginative. I found the characters likable and lovable but what takes the cake are the elves. Yes, Santa’s elves are naked old men and we get to see, up in front, them running in the snow. I would love to watch this fun, whimsical but dark movie again just so that I can truly appreciate it for the Christmas gem it is.

Here’s hoping that 2011 will be much bett— oh who am I kidding. It won’t be.

Review - The Last Exorcism (2010)

For some reason when it comes to horror movies that take place in the Deep South I’m always thrilled to see them. I don’t know why but I guess it’s because of the atmosphere and the atmosphere that is associated with the South. There are hardcore Christian evangelicals, exorcist stories, voodoo and other oddities. That’s why when I found out that The Last Exorcism was going to be a movie that takes place in a remote location in Louisiana I was ecstatic. The film is about Cotton Marcus and the documentary crew that he allows to follow him while he performs an exorcism on a little girl. The catch is: he is sort of a con man who only provides a Christian service to make people feel good in the end but little does he know that the girl is really possessed by a demon. Now, for what the movie was… it wasn’t bad but I wanted to see so much more out of this.

I loved Cotton Marcus’s character because I can sort of sympathize with him and I feel that he is a nice guy. The first half of the film spends time tapping into who he is and what his family is like and I enjoyed it. He says a lot of things about the Christian religion that is true and I agreed with him on several points. An example would be, people believe in Christianity because they need to believe in something to explain things and although Cotton doesn’t 100% believe in God, he still acts as a preacher to keep the faith and good spirit in these people. He’s a wonderful and sometimes humorous character. I sort of felt like this movie was like Paper Moon meets The Exorcism of Emily Rose because even though Cotton is a con man, he’s enjoyable to watch.

In terms of the storyline and how it progressed, this is where I have a problem. After we get to the farm where Nell (the girl who is under possession) lives with her father and brother, it gets slow and sort of drags on. I’m fine with this because it builds up tension but some of the scenes where the demon comes out of Nell… they just weren’t as scary as I wanted them to be. Of course, a POV shot of a cat getting killed and creepy baby sounds are fine but the scenes that could have been scary weren’t. When the Nell Demon was throwing a fit in her room, I wanted to see Nell on the wall crawling around as seen in the previews. The exorcism in the barn could have been done better as well. Seeing the body twisted and deformed is fine, it’s scary, but it wasn’t tense or ‘epic’ for lack of a better term. Near the end of the barn exorcism it takes a swan dive into randomness and then they begin talking about ‘blowing jobs.’ Again, I was left puzzled and wanting more.

Speaking of random, a lot of the scenes where Nell goes apeshit felt very random and they didn’t seem linear. When Nell starts drowning a ‘baby’ in the tub and we find out what it really is, I couldn’t help but laugh a little. I didn’t make sense. When Nell attacked Cotton on the porch it goes from intensity to ‘hush sweet baby’ in a mater of seconds. Even the barn scene ended like it was a drama.

A lot of people felt really angered by the ending. I don’t want to spoil too much of anything but lets just say that the people in this movie aren’t all who they appear to be. Consider this to be a **SPOILER ALERT**

Nell is possessed by a demon that violates young women, so you can guess what the ending includes but then that raises the question… why did the people throw the baby into the fire and what the hell happened? Well, from what I remember from Bible school, demons are forged in fire and they are born from it. Nell gave birth to either a demon in human form or the Antichrist. My guess is a demon in baby form. To release this demon from it’s human form, they had to throw it into the fire and that’s what Cotton ran towards with the cross. I felt cold and baffled but I liked the ending. Those who think it was a copout, sure, I agree but I liked it.

**END OF SPOILERS**

Overall, this movie had great characters that could have been given more. The girl who played Nell did a phenomenal job with her role. I wanted more scenes of the demon showing itself then just random snid bits here and there. I think the plot of the movie was great and the location really set the tone and atmosphere of the film but it wasn’t given anything else to expand on. As I stated before, it was decent for what it was but there could have been a lot more to it if they really sat down and thought it over. My friend said, it wasn't scary but if you really sat down and looked at it... it makes a great commercial for Orbit gum.