Directed by: Ti West
Written by: Ti West
In The Sacrament. Vice reporter Sam (AJ Bowen) and his cameraman Jake (Joe Swanberg) follow Patrick (Kentucker Audley) to utopian community Eden Parish, where Patrick’s sister Caroline (Amy Seimetz) has fallen under the sway of a Jim Jones-esque religious leader who simply goes by Father (Gene Jones). The story largely proceeds how you’d expect it to, but the found footage format gives The Sacrament an urgency that makes the devolution into violence almost unbearably stressful to watch.
13. The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Orion Pictures
Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Written by: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
The original 1976 film The Town That Dreaded Sundown was based on actual murders that occurred in Texarkana, a town on the border of Texas and Arkansas. The 2014 version, produced by American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy — and written and directed by his frequent collaborators — is equal parts sequel and remake. It’s a more meta take on the slasher film: Final Girl (Addison Timlin) is first attacked by the Phantom at Texarkana’s annual Halloween screening of The Town That Dreaded Sundown. The success of Gomez-Rejon’s pseudo-reboot is its ability to not get bogged down by its own cleverness.
12. Willow Creek
Dark Sky Films
Directed by: Bobcat Goldthwait
Written by: Bobcat Goldthwait
Another found-footage horror film, Willow Creek is unique — the film tracks enthusiastic Bigfoot believer Jim (Bryce Johnson) and his girlfriend Kelly (Alexie Gilmore) as they search for the elusive crypto-hominid — it’s not as shocking as Goldthwait’s past efforts. Still, it offers real terror and some surprising humor that reflect the writer-director’s considerable skills.
11. Starry Eyes
Dark Sky Films
Directed by: Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer
Written by: Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer
The price of fame isn’t a particularly original notion, but Starry Eyes takes it to a riveting (and stomach-turning) new place. Aspiring actor Sarah (Alex Essoe) is desperate for her big break, and when she’s up for a part in the mysterious filmThe Silver Scream, she finds herself pushed to her limit: Her body deteriorates and she begins to transform into something unrecognizable. More to the point, it leads to some truly inspired body-horror gross-outs: There is a shower scene in particular that leaves a lasting impression, whether you want it to or not. The sheer power of Starry Eyes’ imagery is what elevates it past the somewhat familiar Faustian plot.
Directed by: Kevin Smith
Written by: Kevin Smith
In Tusk, podcaster — and typical Smithian asshole — Wallace Bryton (Justin Long) is lured to Manitoba by eccentric retired seaman Howard Howe (Michael Parks). After being drugged and mutilated, Wallace realizes he’s being held captive by a lunatic who will stop at nothing until he has transformed Wallace into something inhuman. The grotesquerie of Tusk’s body-horror elements is grounded by strong performances from Long and Parks, as well as a script from Smith that isn’t afraid to mine humor from unimaginable suffering.
Directed by: Doug Aarniokoski
Written by: Doug Aarniokoski and David Loughery
Nurse 3D is largely about aesthetics: Inspired by photographer (and Lionsgate chief marketing officer) Tim Palen’s work, the film is basically a concept. But that concept — a homicidal nurse takes revenge on cheating men — gives the incomparable Paz de la Huerta free reign to be as freaky, naked, and bloody as she wants to be. Nurse 3D may not be high art — and with that title, that’s probably to be expected — but it’s still a relentlessly entertaining vehicle for its unique star.
Directed by: Alexandre Aja
Written by: Keith Bunin
Ig Parrish (Daniel Radcliffe), falsely accused of the rape and murder of his girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple), grows devil horns that bring out the basest urges in everyone around him, which he hopes will lead him to the true culprit. Radcliffe is great as Ig .With a role that lets him delve into the darkness, Radcliffe continues to shed his Harry Potter past. For those unfamiliar with the source material, Horns may be a tougher sell, but giving oneself over to the film is a rich and satisfying experience.
7. Afflicted
Automatik Entertainment
Directed by: Derek Lee and Clif Prowse
Written by: Derek Lee and Clif Prowse
Afflicted gives the found-footage genre a thoroughly 2014 spin by making its protagonists YouTubers. Filmmakers Derek Lee and Clif Prowse play versions of themselves, ostensibly: two friends who embark on a European vacation while filming it all for their web series. The men seem so enmeshed in the world of YouTube — the affected personas and the desire for instant feedback — thatAfflicted feels realer than so many forays into found footage. Even as Derek begins to exhibit signs of vampirism, the film remains grounded in reality. Everything must be documented and uploaded, no matter how horrible.
6. Late Phases
Dark Sky Films
Directed by: Adrián García Bogliano
Written by: Eric Stolze
Nick Damici stars as Ambrose, a blind Vietnam veteran who moves into a retirement community and is almost immediately attacked by a werewolf. Ambrose is not your typical horror film protagonist, and that’s what makes him so fascinating to watch: His age and disability, so rarely seen within the genre, give the audience so much more to invest in. Because Ambrose knows exactly what attacked him and when the creature is coming back, the story itself is simple; the thrill is in watching him prepare for the next full moon, all while convincing his son Will (Ethan Embry) that there’s still a lot of fight left in him.
5. Housebound
Semi-Professional Pictures
Directed by: Gerard Johnstone
Written by: Gerard Johnstone
In Housebound Morgana O’Reilly stars as Kylie Bucknell, a thwarted thief who’s forced into house arrest alongside her overbearing mother Miriam (Rima Te Wiata). Miriam is convinced that her house is haunted, but Kylie — who openly disdains her mother and resents her new living arrangements — refuses to give in to superstition… That is, until she experiences some unexplained disturbances. Housebound takes unexpected turns as Kylie uncovers the root of the haunting, but the film’s true success is maintaining a consistent level of laughs and scares throughout.
4. Oculus
Relativity Media
Directed by: Mike Flanagan
Written by: Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard
Perhaps the most mainstream release on this list, Oculus is a very pleasant surprise, a deeply unsettling horror film that takes terrifying and startling turns. Shifting back and forth between the past and the present, the film follows siblings Kaylie and Tim Russell (Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites as adults, Annalise Basso and Garrett Ryan as kids) in their attempts to destroy a haunted mirror that Kaylie believes to be responsible for the death of their mother Marie (Katee Sackhoff). It might sound silly on the surface, but Oculus is adept at repeatedly subverting audience expectations, using the mirror’s ability to warp reality to great effect. There are plenty of shocking moments throughout, but it’s the gut-punch of an ending that leaves the most indelible impression.
3. The Taking of Deborah Logan
Directed by: Adam Robitel
Written by: Gavin Heffernan and Adam Robitel
The Taking of Deborah Logan takes everything you think you know about found-footage horror and possession films and turns that on its head. For her thesis, Mia (Michelle Ang) leads a documentary team making a movie about Alzheimer’s patient Deborah Logan (Jill Larson). As Deborah’s symptoms become increasingly strange, her daughter Sarah (Anne Ramsay) suspects that there is something else at play. This is one of the most terrifying possession films in recent memory, preying on a very real fear of human illness and losing one’s mind, while also delving into the supernatural. You may think you know where The Taking of Deborah Logan is going, but the film refuses to be constrained by its genre. Larson is thoroughly committed to her role, making Deborah a tragic but terrifying figure, and creating a harrowing viewing experience.
2. The Babadook
IFC Midnight
Directed by: Jennifer Kent
Written by: Jennifer Kent
Over the past several weeks, The Babadook has earned extensive critical acclaim and become one of the most buzzed-about horror films of the year. The Babadook is a simple but truly frightening horror film, and the creepy boogeyman at its center isn’t even the scariest thing about it. Amelia (Essie Davis) is a widow who can barely keep control of her hyperactive son Samuel (Noah Wiseman), whose rich imagination begins to get the better of her. While the Babadook itself is scary, Amelia’s insomnia-inspired descent into madness, which manifests in the form of rage and ambiguous delusions, is worse. How much of the threat is real and how much is in the heads of Amelia and her son? It’s terrifying either way.
1. Under the Skin
A24 Films
Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
Written by: Walter Campbell and Jonathan Glazer
Jonathan Glazer’s bizarre arthouse film might not be considered horror by many, but its aims are deeply rooted in the genre. Scarlett Johansson coming from her amazing performace in Lucy is nameless alien creature lets the men she encounters look at her, but only so she can kill them — without touching them at all, it’s worth noting. Horror is often criticized as misogynistic, but so many horror films traffic in the same subversion and turn a knowing eye back on the viewer. Under the Skin isn’t a traditional horror or sci-fi film — but there’s really nothing traditional about it. Thematically, however, it’s about confronting the realities of the way men look at women and the destructiveness of sexual desire. What could be more horrifying than that?
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=link}