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!

The House That Jack Built: Review

‘The House That Jack Built’ is the latest and possibly last film my controversial film maker Lars Von Trier and start Matt Dillon as the film’s name sake, Jack, a psychopathic serial killer with an obsessive cleaning compulsion. As you can imagine, this combination can and does result in a brutal and grim, yet darkly comedic viewing experience!

The story if broken in to a selection of violent incidents which felt like a bit of a strange choice at first but overall it really worked to bring together a string of savage murders that happen a great deal of time apart. Von Trier did a great job tying these stories together along with some great yet nihilistic and scathing dialogue. The depiction of Jack as a character immensely fascinating as he fits the serial killer mannerisms perfectly. Intense, self obsessed and socially stunted while at the same time, having a eerie but intriguing charm to him as you dislike him greatly as the monster of a human being he is, but you can’t help but enjoy him as an interesting and captivating lead character.

Matt Dillon’s performance as Jack was truly brilliant as he was very transparent in his performance, allowing the audience to see him purely as this character, rather than just an actor playing a role. Riley Keough also gives a very memorable performance as Jacqueline, an overly trusting woman who is manipulated by Jack to a sad and painful extent. Uma Therman and Bruno Ganz also give highly enjoyable and memorable performances, but for myself, Dillon and Keough’s performances were both highlights.

Having never seen a Von Trier film before, while hearing plenty about him, I was unsure what to expect from his direction but he honestly really impressed me with his masterful direction of all of the cast as he brought out some very unforgettable and horrifying moments. The direction of the camera work and cinematography was a particular highlight for me as I felt a great deal of the shots and scene compositions were absolutely stunning. The decision to go with a mainly handheld camera style really added to a sense of realism in a way that not many films manage to achieve. My main issues with the film lie in a few decisions made by Von Trier, in particular, when narration is taking place, having static images related to what is being discussed, sit on screen as it really slowed down the pace of the film in my eyes and I feel there could have been a lot more interesting visual story telling done in it’s place. My only other issue is in relation to a factor in the last ten or so minutes of the film, nothing too bad but certain statements felt a little bit on the nose and felt out of place in an other wise very ambiguous film.

The visual effects in this film were handled excellently, as from what I could tell, the vast majority of the gruesome imagery that takes place on screen was fulfilled with hauntingly believable practical effects. There are a handful of partially computer generated scenes near the end that do stick out in a rather odd manner. Whether this is the result of poor CGI effects work or are a result of the strange and specific vision of Von Trier, I am unsure, but they did stand out to me none the less.

The score and soundtrack for this film was rather interesting as it was combination of traditional drawn out horror/thriller/drama film music, none of which was particularly memorable but what did stand out was the inclusion of a piano motif/leitmotif of renowned pianist Glenn Gould performing J.S. Bach’s ‘Partita #2’. The way in which this is incorporated in to the film is brilliant and provided a great deal of character to the film in a way the original score did not.

But is ‘The House That Jack Built’ scary? Well, not in the conventional sense, but there is definitely scenes filled with tension and suspense. Von Trier manages to create a uncomfortable sense of realness through out the film that causes we as the audience to be drawn in to an alarming level, so when the graphic and gruesome moments strike, they shock us to a greater capacity than they would have otherwise. This coupled with the truly evil central character of Jack, guiding us through this journey of misery and discomfort allows us to see a very familiar evil that is very much present in our reality.
The scariest aspect of  ‘The House That Jack Built’ is that Jack could be anyone.

Mild spoiler below, scroll past picture for spoiler free continuation.

 

It also must be said, as a word of warning and without giving too much away, there are scenes that depict (through movie magic of course) the killing and mutilation of children and animals. While it is nothing beyond the same grisly fate of adults in this film, that can be very taboo for a lot of people, so just a friendly word of warning.

As a whole, I, for a lack of better word, really enjoyed ‘The House That Jack Built’. It’s unique, brutal, and funny in a very dark way. As a horror fan, I definitely feel this film was described as way more upsetting, distressing and disgusting than it actually was. For the average horror fan, this will be an artistic, slow burn film with touches of gallows humour. This film is not for everyone, so if you like straight forward serial killer centric, fast paced horror, this might not be the film for you. If you enjoy slow burn horror films with an artistic flair to them, then this might be for you. The best way I could describe this film to someone is if you took ‘American Psycho’s humour and general themes of nihilism and coupled it with the artistry of ‘Mother!’ and combined the two’s brutality and bloodshed, then you might get something like ‘The House That Jack Built’.

I’m going to give ‘The House That Jack Built’ 79%!

Have you seen ‘The House That Jack Built’ yet? If so what did you think about it? Let me know in the comments and lets talk about it! If you have read this whole review before ever looking in to anything about this movie then you can check out the trailer below!

Stay creepy and thanks for reading!