Top Horror Films of 2018!

The end is nigh! With the end of 2018 and the first year of Movie Night Massacre, I like to look at all the films that I enjoyed in the world of horror. For anyone who has been following this blog since it began as a new years resolution of sorts, you may remember that my first ever post was my top films of 2017!

9. The Nun

Now, I am very aware that a lot of people did not enjoy this film, and while I am completely aware of the flaws of the film, it didn’t stop me enjoying it as a fun, creepy if somewhat generic entry in ‘The Conjuring’ universe. The film looks gorgeously shot, full of enjoyable creepy moments and a moody, unsettling atmosphere. While the film as a whole was nothing special (hence why it is at the lowest point of this list) I still had a lot of fun with it, and would happily watch it again. You can check out my full review here!

8. The Secret of Marrowbone

I was very excited to check out this film as it starred some of my favourite up and coming actors in Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth and Charlie Heaton. While it didn’t fully live up to my expectations, with Heaton’s performance feeling somewhat lacking and the pacing feeling a little messy, I still really enjoyed this film, again, really nice cinematography, an immense air of mystery and a really strong final act.
A haunting family drama, haunting being meant in this most literal of senses. You can check out my full review here!

7. Ghost Stories

When I first reviewed ‘Ghost Stories’, I was definitely not it’s biggest fan, after countless reviews praising every aspect, I went in expecting more than I got. But after having a while (8 months to be exact) to think about it and process the character of the film, the clever story telling devises and the truly great paranormal sequences as well as some highly enjoyable performances, I have changed my mind, it is a really strong film, however, I still feel somewhat disappointed with the ending as I feel it takes away a great deal from the rest of the film. However, the vast majority of the film is still down right scary and unnerving!

6. Insidious: The Last Key

‘Insidious: The Last Key’ is the latest instalment in the ‘Insidious’ franchise, one of my absolute favourite modern horror franchises and I was very happy with this addition to the story of the further and those entangled within it’s grip. The creature design as usual is original and unsettling, the characters are well fleshed out for the most part thanks to Leigh Whannel’s great writing and film is highly enjoyable, frightening and brimming with character from start to finish. You can check out my full review here!

5. Annihilation

Alex Gartland is the sci-fi mastermind that brought us the mind shattering ‘Ex-Machina’, and while ‘Annihilation’ is not as mind melting, it is much more intense, expansive and action packed. Clear inspiration being drawn from ‘Aliens’ as we follow a team throw an other worldly landscape (this time set on a slowly terraforming Earth) how ever, the threat is not as straight forward as a vicious alien creature despite what my choice of image may suggest. If you love sci-fi horror then I would definitely recommend checking out this gem! You can check out my full review here!

4. The House That Jack Built

My latest review was for ‘The House That Jack Built’, a dark, twisted tail full of violence, abuse and gallows humour. I won’t repeat myself too much, as the review is still fresh.
The artistry on display in ‘The House That Jack Built’ is incredible, as writer and director Lars Von Trier displays a brutal and surreal film that also stylistically manages to feel all too real in particular scenes. This film is not for everyone, but if like myself you enjoy slow burn horror with an artistic flair then I would highly recommend checking this film out!

3. A Quiet Place

These next three films is where I have a great difficulty in putting one above the other, because I absolutely adored them all, but there can be only one! So in third place is John Krasinski’s ‘A Quiet Place’, a film that uses silence to build one of the most intense and suspense filled film’s I have ever seen. The sense of family is extended to audience in way that allows us to feel the loss, fear and dread of out protagonists in such a way, that each action and every event that takes places matters to us. This is a big factor for a strong horror film in my eyes because if we as the audience don’t care what happens to the characters, then what is there to be scared of? ‘A Quiet Place’ is absolutely brilliant and utterly unnerving! You can check out my full review here!

2. Halloween

‘Halloween’ was so, so nearly first as it has everything I could have wanted it to. A brilliant score by John Carpenter himself (that I have had on loop on Spotify ever since it was released), brutal kills, a great story, great scares and unexpected heartfelt touch that made this film hit in a sentimental way that only makes you love it more. Aside from one moment in the film that leaves you questioning what the writer’s were thinking as a result of how out of nowhere it is, this film is outstanding. The perfect sequel to John Carpenter’s original. You can check out my full review here!

1. Hereditary

‘Halloween’ and ‘A Quiet Place’ were the only two horror films this year that met my expectations. ‘Hereditary’ is the only one that exceeded them. The only film I left feeling an emotional tole after witnessing it. I felt unsettled, uncomfortable, scared and shocked. I always love a film that can make me feel this wide range of fear filled emotions. The several layers present in this film culminate to create an immeasurable sense of discomfort and fear. The dramatic tension present in the family, the mental health related undertones of the story and the supernatural elements all come together to make one of my now all time favourite films. One last aspect I truly love about the film is the way in which it feels as though I have barely scratched the surface of the hidden details present in this film and the way in which it feels like there is something new to be found with each watch. ‘Hereditary’ is a horrifying and utterly unnerving film, filled with immediate shocks as well as slow burn tension and subtle background details that are perhaps even scarier than what is clearly presented to us! You can check out my full review here!

Favourite Non-Horror Film of 2018: The Shape of Water

I couldn’t not give at least a slight mention to ‘The Shape of Water’ as it is my overall favourite film of the year. I love every single scene and every moment. I saw it several times in the cinema and bought it immediately when it was released and watched it countless times since. This movie is the sole reason I haven’t watched more movies this year, as I have just opted to put it on instead. You can check out my full review here!

If you have made it this far, thank you so much for reading my top horror films of 2018! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did enjoyed writing it. I’ll be back in the new year with my most anticipated films of 2019 list! What did you think of the movies I listed? Let me know in the comments or on the comments of what ever social media you seen my post this review on! In The meantime, stay creepy!

A Quiet Place: Review

Today I went to see John Krasinski’s ‘A Quiet Place’, a claustrophobic, intense and unnerving horror/thriller starring Krasinski (The Office US) himself, Emily Blunt (Looper, Sicario) as well as child actors Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe.
Since I first heard about this film I was really excited to see it, the concept alone had me greatly intrigued and the casting combo of Krasinski and Blunt got me even more excited.

Without giving too much away, ‘A Quiet Place’ is about a family in the midst of some form of post-apocalyptic event surrounding the arrival of creatures that will attack if a single noise is made. The story focuses on our protagonists struggle as a family in this hostile and nerve wracking environment as they have to live a life near void of sounds and verbal interaction.

Let’s get one thing straight. ‘A Quiet Place’ is named what it is for a reason. From the off set there is little to no sound aside from very quiet steps, breathing and the subtle drone of the wind. Aside from what I feel is a great, eerie and very complimentary film score.

The acting from all 4 leads is strong and believable through out the entire film, with the family dynamic standing at the forefront allowing us to really care for these people. With a lack of dialogue, the cast are left to display their emotions and intentions with nothing but body language and facial expressions. I truly masterful feat.

This comes in tandem with Krasinski’s outstanding direction as well as his powerful performance. He allows every character to feel like a genuine, real person, while crafting beautifully shot scenes and incredibly well paced editing. This film was clearly Krasinski’s passion project and it shows in every aspect in which he was involved.

The screenplay and writing of this film is fantastic, despite a major lacking in spoken dialogue, there are still scenes of sign language that comes across with a great amount of both heart and desperation. The exposition is given with great subtlety, everything we find out about this family, their situation and what has happened to the world is all revealed by very clever means. This smart writing extends itself beyond the story as both the characters actions feel very grounded, for better or worse. Any bad decision made by our protagonists comes across as a mistake made out of emotional desperation as opposed to bad writing which further allows you to really stand in the shoes of this family as they silently fight for survival.

In terms of the fear factor many may be wondering about, I can say very confidently, this film is intense, suspenseful and had me on the edge of my seat through out. The use of silence through out the film is used to great effect as long drawn out scenes with little to know sounds allow the audience to be drawn in to the survivalism of said silence, causing us to feel that we must remain as silent as possible too, to avoid a grizzly fate.
Before the title of the film even makes it’s way on to the screen, the stakes are set, and they are set very high as the ruthlessness of these creatures is shown in a chilling manner. These stakes are not taken lightly through out the rest of the film, every character shows with every fibre of their being that they are deeply afraid to make a single sound and will go at great lengths to avoid doing so.

‘A Quiet Place’ really got me. I was on the edge of my seat near enough the entire run time. It’s silence caused the cinema room to remain just as silent, allowing the viewing to feel very much like a special event. I really enjoyed this film and I will be giving it 87%!

Thank you for taking the time to read this review, have you seen ‘A Quiet Place’? If not, check out the trailer below! I highly recommend seeing this film. If you have seen it, what did you think about it? Let me know in the comments and we can talk about it!