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!

Ghost Stories: Review

‘Ghost Stories’ is written and directed by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson and is based on their stage play of the same name. I heard a lot of buzz around this film so naturally I wanted to check it out not long after seeing ‘A Quiet Place’ what’s better than 2 new horror movies in a week?

‘Ghost Stories’ started off very strong for me, an interesting premise as we follow Professor Philip Goodman (played by director and writer Andy Nyman) who’s ambition in life to to debunk the supernatural in many forms, particularly in his reality show ‘Psychic Cheats’ where he exposes fraudulent, self proclaimed mediums who use people’s grief and vulnerability for profit. Our protagonist is then contacted by another professor, one who he admires greatly that caused him to follow this path in life. From there Goodman is challenged to debunk three paranormal cases that his role model failed to explain.

The acting is strong through out the film form the whole cast, Martin Freeman (Sherlock, Fargo) is great as always, Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show, The Corpse Bride) also gave a strong performance, but for me the spotlight was stolen by Alex Lawther (Black Mirror, End of the F***ing World) as he portrays a young man with a very difficult home life who has been pushed to his emotional limits by his experiences with the paranormal, whilst also providing some great laughs through his awkward and eccentric actions. In all honesty, I feel Nyman’s performance was the most lacking in this film, it was by no means bad and he definitely had some great moments, but I feel he was the only actor that was not consistent in his delivery.

In terms of writing it does feel somewhat disjointed as we move from each ghost story there isn’t a great deal of carry over until the last one leads in to the final act of the film. This is where my main criticism of this film comes in to play. While the final act brings forward a large realisation to the audience, once this is done, the script goes to great lengths to make what has been revealed very obvious, to the point where it feels like it is beating you over the head with it despite said revelation being very clear. This revelation also caused me to feel that a lot of what took place prior in the film had lost a great deal if not all of it’s impact.

Two aspects of the film I really enjoyed aside from Lawther and Freeman’s performances were the visuals and the score. The use of framing and shot composition within this film is fantastic, creating a many chilling as well as beautiful shots. The designs of the ghosts and paranormal beings through out the film is very unique, not sticking to the norm in any major way, especially in the form of what appears in the second story. The set designs is also a great addition to the high quality visuals through out the film.
The score by Frank Ilfman adds so much character to this film. Whilst following some genre tropes such as high rising strings intended to build up tensions before a scare, he creates some really gorgeous themes, a particular favourite of mine takes place in the third story whilst Martin Freeman’s character is left home alone. Compositions like this really allow a film to build a true sense of identity.

As for the fear factor, ‘Ghost Stories’ does have a great deal of tension built up through out, with a combination of long drawn out shots, a suspenseful score and eerie imagery coming together to create some very unnerving scenes. It cannot be understated how well the visuals are utilised to create a sense of  unease in each story in the film, it was by far my favourite part of the film. However, the over reliance on jump scares in this movie was a real let down for me, and don’t get me wrong, I like a good jump scare every now and then, but for one they need to feel earned and have something to really be feared present for me to consider it a good scare. While some of these sorts of scares were present in ‘Ghost Stories’, it was much more common to see some very cheap false scares and unearned jump scares.

‘Ghost Stories’ was an enjoyable watch with many elements to enjoy, but as a whole, it left something left to be desired for myself. I’d say it is worth seeing if you are a fan of horror but go in with checked expectations as there are elements that may disappoint.
Overall, I’m going to give ‘Ghost Stories’ 67%!

Have you seen ‘Ghost Stories’? If so what did you think of it? Let me know in the comments and let’s talk about it! If you haven’t, check out the trailer below and check it out if you like what you see.