I know, I’m about three or four years late, but I just saw You’re Next this weekend. Horror movie. Kind of a slasher film meets Straw Dogs — a wealthy family convenes at their big-ass vacation home in the middle of nowhere, and a group of animal masked weirdos attempt to kill them one by one. It’s not a perfect movie, but it is a damn good one — and one that does some nice things with narrative structure. The film features some twists — not epic jerk-the-wheel twists like you find in Cabin the Woods (a movie I love more for its moxie than for its execution), but twists that pivot the story but never change what the story is.
I recommend the hell out of it and I wish I’d watched it sooner.
(Was it Sunil who recommended it to me most recently? Sunil? Maybe?)
We’re at a point where a lot of the big budget horror stuff is just kinda junky. Maybe it always was. Some of the more popular horror films released to theaters recently start off scary but quickly devolve into a similar pattern — they drift from horror into something approaching fantasy. (Or at least something silly.) And that’s not bad, always, but it’s not usually what I’m looking for. And then there’s the fact they’re remaking Poltergeist. I’m not sure why anybody would want to remake a movie that still holds up. You remake movies: a) that had potential but did not live up to that potential b) were awesome but are really showing their age or c) are movies to which you can really bring something new to the table. (Ghostbusters falls into that last category, I think.)
Anyway.
Point is, a lot of really cool, kick-ass, weird, wonderful, scary horror is being done in the margins — direct-to-video, indie, small film releases.
So: here I am, hanging out a sign.
The sign is dripping with blood.
I’m taking recommendations.
Good, small, even edge-case horror.
Double points if it’s available on Netflix streaming.
Let’s hear your recs, folks. I showed you mine, you show me yours.
Bella Higgin says:
I’ve been debating on whether or not to watch You’re Next for a while now, and I think you’ve just made up my mind for me 🙂
There’s a film I saw a while back called Would You Rather? It’s about a twisted millionaire who tracks down people who desperately need money for one reason or another, and offers to give them everything they need if they play his game. His game turns out to be…shall we say, extreme. I suppose it’s more of a psychological thriller than a straight-up horror, but it’s a fascinating look into what people will do when they’re desperate.
February 9, 2015 — 7:23 AM
maqhem says:
Would You Rather has a very interesting plot and I think it could have been a really great movie had it been maybe half an hour longer and, of course, had it had a bigger budget. There’s also The Purge – again, the idea is brilliant even if the execution is not. It’s about a family trying to survive the annual Purge where crimminals are allowed to “get it out of their system”. The Purge 2, however, is just garbage.
February 9, 2015 — 7:48 AM
travis says:
The deaths of Ian stone. No one has ever heard of it and it was amazing. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810823/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
I watch huge piles of random horror garbage that no one should see so I can pick out the gem.
Also,
Unmasked, the rise of Leslie Vernon. They rip apart slasher movies and there are great twists. Can’t recommend enough.
February 9, 2015 — 7:36 AM
angelomarcos says:
I hadn’t heard of this either until you mentioned it above. Have just googled it though, and it sounds excellent. The premise is kind of like a psychotic ‘Edge of Tomorrow’…
(orders DVD)
February 9, 2015 — 9:18 AM
Bane Stryfe says:
i have to second Unmasked, it is a wonderful movie and something definitely different in the world of slasher flicks.
February 9, 2015 — 10:18 AM
travis says:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437857/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
February 9, 2015 — 7:36 AM
Justine says:
The Kill List, Ben Wheatley. Two hitmen are employed to take down people on a ‘Kill LIst’. I don’t want to say too much about it, as it’s got a lot of twists, but it’s a very bleak, very well written and acted film that takes elements of English ‘kitchen sink dramas’ and marries them with a dark retelling of The Wicker Man. Also by Ben Wheatley, Sightseers – a couple take their caravan on a romantic drive around Yorkshire, leaving death and destruction in their wake. Not horror per se, but does have horror elements in there and is very very very funny in a very dark way. I’d like to recommend A Field in England, also by Ben Wheatley, but we’ve had trouble tracking down a copy. I’ve heard it’s brilliant and very scary, however.
Ben Wheatley is set to direct High Rise by JG Ballard next – could be his break-out film? I’m a big fan of his, as you probably can tell.
February 9, 2015 — 7:37 AM
Alex says:
Try Kill List, some British horror… Freaked me the hell out. Still not exactly sure what it was all about
February 9, 2015 — 7:39 AM
wildbilbo says:
Ok – for pure Lovecraftian goodness, I have a soft spot for In The Mouth of Madness. I wish they’d remake this – although Sam Neill is excellent in it.
February 9, 2015 — 7:40 AM
fakedtales says:
Triangle and Pontypool are a pair of horror films I bought on a whim when I first picked up a blu-ray player. They’re a little old at this point so they may be on Netflix where you are.
Triangle is about a group of people who go sailing, get stuck thanks to a freak storm and find a boat called Triangle, then things get weird as someone seems to be out to kill them and elements of the ship seem out of place, like they’ve been there before. It’s bonkers, in a good way.
Pontypool is about… not quite zombies. Word-zombies? It’s set in a radio station as reports of strange occurances linked to people suddenly acting angry start up.
Then there’s Detention. I’m not entirely sure if it’s a horror film, but it’s horror-ish. A person dressed as a horror film villain is killing attractive kids in a small town. You may have heard that one before. But it gets weird. Like Triangle it’s difficult to discuss without wrecking things. The main cast are intentionally the main characters from different genres of films, the plot involves fly blood, a giant stuffed bear, magnets, The Breakfast Club and an unhealthy love of 80’s & 90’s popular culture. It’s on UK Netflix and should be on yours, too.
February 9, 2015 — 7:43 AM
Nellie says:
I wasn’t sure what to think of Pontypool. It was different to say the least. I did watch it in entirety though, so that’s always a good thing with some of the ones on Netflix.
February 9, 2015 — 11:57 AM
Amber Keller says:
In case you haven’t watched it, you might want to check out Snowpiercer. And I liked Haunter. It had a fresh POV, and anything that breaks from the usual horror like you mentioned, is worth a gander. I believe they’re both streaming on Netflix. (I am a fan of Cabin, and seriously had some wacky crying thing happen yesterday after I watched the trailer for the Poltergeist remake. The original was a big part of my childhood movie experience. Yeah, I should do a blog post on that one.)
February 9, 2015 — 7:46 AM
Colin says:
Evil Aliens is a low budget, British gore fest based in Wales. It features 3 psycho welsh farmers who refuse to speak English, an interesting inter-species sex scene and aliens that are, well, cattle dismembering, leg tearing off evil. You will laugh and wish you’d written it.
February 9, 2015 — 7:50 AM
mattblackattack says:
Horror –
Oculus (2013) – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2388715/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Deliver Us From Evil (2014) – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2377322/
Insidious (2010) – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1591095/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Horror/Comedy –
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1465522/?ref_=nv_sr_4
John Dies at the End (2012) – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1783732/?ref_=nv_sr_1
February 9, 2015 — 7:51 AM
terribleminds says:
I keep hearing great things about OCULUS. Surprises me because the trailers didn’t seem that effective.
Also, I kinda hated Insidious. 🙂
Sorry! I did — it’s one of those films I’m talking about, where it starts off scary and then just gets super-silly. YMMV, obviously, as those films have done pretty well.
— c.
February 9, 2015 — 8:07 AM
mattblackattack says:
Now that you mention it, I remember thinking that the “explanation” for what was going on was really stupid. But that demon was creepy as all hell.
February 9, 2015 — 8:17 AM
mattblackattack says:
Also, Deliver Us From Evil is not necessarily great, but it has some serious good qualities. Oculus is definitely the best on the list.
February 9, 2015 — 8:19 AM
theycallmetater says:
I second Tucker and Dale vs Evil. Loved that movie. I recommend it all the time.
February 9, 2015 — 10:19 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
The number of horror films I’ve actually watched all the way through would probably fit on the fingers of one hand, so I’m no aficionado in that sense. However, the two that fit the aforementioned criteria (and genuinely creeped me out) would be one called ‘Don’t Go To Sleep’ from…. oooh, I must’ve seen it on tv around early-to-mid-nineties – don’t think it ever hit the cinemas in the UK, but you can find it on YouTube now. And second one was ‘Stir of Echoes’ with Kevin Bacon in – again, on the tv rather than in the cinema.
Oh – and there was this other, quite bonkers Australian one – but I can’t remember its name! I wonder if anyone else knows the one I’m on about… it started off with an Australian couple going off for a camping weekend to try and save their dying relationship – and on the way there they hit a kangaroo with their truck and kill it. Rather than show much remorse they just leave it there… which is their biiiig mistake, because the wildlife and the **swirly woo-ey music** supernatural forces decide to take their revenge..!
February 9, 2015 — 7:55 AM
mattblackattack says:
Oh that reminds me, Hollow Man (2000) – http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164052/
February 9, 2015 — 7:56 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
After much typing of random hprases, I just found it on Google! It’s called ‘Long Weekend.’
February 9, 2015 — 7:59 AM
Ashlee Jade says:
We rented that one (Long Weekend) out on a whim and for myself, I honestly thought large parts of it were crap. And the murderous manatee, seriously? I think I mostly didn’t like it because I found the characters so god damn irritating, particularly the woman. I get that characters aren’t always supposed to be likeable but I don’t think ‘cheering for their deaths so they finally just shut the fuck up’ is the route to good character development. My opinion only, your views may vary.
February 10, 2015 — 6:41 AM
Sam Wyse says:
Wer: nice little twist on the werewolf genre.
Trollhunter: look for English dubbed version.
The Wild Hunt: interesting take on Larping gone awry.
No One Lives: actually more of a slasher film, but really entertaining
Exists: Bigfoot on a rampage.
The Atticus Institute: Paranormal study done wrong.
Rare Exports: Scared of Santa now.
I went on a horror binge last week, these were all keepers. 🙂
February 9, 2015 — 8:20 AM
Deborah Smith says:
I’ll never recover from The Bad Seed, which I saw on late night TV as a kid. The overturned 1950’s world where a cute little girl could be a cold-blooded killer rocked my world. Same for a B-grade 1950s movie I saw on TV (back when Sunday afternoons were filled with old movies on local stations) in which aliens infiltrated our world and took over all the adults and the Kid was the only one who realized they were from Outer Space, but then (ha ha) he realized it was all a dream, but THEN at the very end, after Mom tucked him into bed, THE EXACT SAME ALIEN LANDING SCENE HAPPENED OUTSIDE HIS BEDROOM WINDOW FOR REAL.
Not called horror but . . . Looking for Mr. Goodbar freaked both me and the husband out in our gentle youth. Demon Seed (1977) was from a Dean Koontz story, starring Julie Christie, about a super computer that trapped its creator’s wife and wanted to make little computers with her . . .
February 9, 2015 — 8:36 AM
joshbarkey says:
PONTYPOOL (2008) is a pretty rad example of great things happening in small spaces. One of those movies that maybe shouldn’t be as compelling as it is, and creates its tension by what it DOESN’T show.
February 9, 2015 — 8:38 AM
dlhegger1 says:
“City of the Living Dead” AKA “The Gates of Hell”. This is a movie that gets me every time. With random violent scenes and disgusting moments of gore, this is sure to make you gaga at least once or twice throughout the movie! 🙂
Here is a link to IMDB which has a trailer for it:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081318/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
February 9, 2015 — 8:48 AM
mangacat201 says:
I’m not really a horror afficionado, but I’ll put in my two cents anyway. I watched ‘Mama’ and was creeped out to the nines, I just wish that I’d had the courage to switch off ten minutes before the end, because that movie would have been better without a resolution then the ending it actually has. I’ve been told by a friend that ‘The Woman in Black’ is a great psychological thriller/horror/noir type movie, but I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet.
February 9, 2015 — 8:49 AM
Wendy Christopher says:
I saw the stage version of ‘The Woman In Black’ – and that was a chainsaw to the nerves, for sure. If the film has as many jump scares in it (and from the trailers I’ve seen, there’s probably more) you might want to consider having a REALLY empty digestive system before you watch it 😉
February 9, 2015 — 12:08 PM
babybarracudess says:
‘The Divide’ found me awake one early morning. I don’t dwell on things, but my brain was spaghettified for days….Also ‘How We Live Now’….fairly new, but mentionable.
February 9, 2015 — 9:01 AM
jeffwroteit says:
Funny Games. The original available on NetFlix streaming is German with English subtitles. The remake was done by the original German director. Kind of Clockwork Orange-ish.
February 9, 2015 — 9:02 AM
Perrin says:
French film ‘Martyrs’….holy crap, disturbed me for weeks!
February 9, 2015 — 9:02 AM
Damien says:
“Audition”… It was a Japanese release somewhere around 1999. Suspenseful with some excellent violent scenes! 🙂
February 9, 2015 — 9:12 AM
angelomarcos says:
I thought Mamma Mia was horrific. Surely that counts…
😉
February 9, 2015 — 9:15 AM
blewnose says:
Misery
February 9, 2015 — 9:16 AM
JL Henry says:
The Town that Dreaded Sundown, All the boys love Mandy Lane, and Contracted are really good.
Scar, Maniac, Hatchet 2 and 3, and Mulberry Street are also worth watching.
And I’m fairly certain they are all still on Netflix streaming
February 9, 2015 — 9:26 AM
Bill Griggs says:
I just watched Contracted last night. It was very good.
February 9, 2015 — 12:42 PM
mikes75 says:
Ti West’s movies (House of the Devil, The Innkeepers) are solid, slow burn pieces, and if The Conjuring is on Netflix you should definitely watch that.
February 9, 2015 — 9:35 AM
Perrin says:
Oh, and Babadook…
February 9, 2015 — 9:36 AM
Aphotic Ink says:
You know, I never hear anyone talk about the first two Ginger Snaps movies anymore, so I will mention them.
Also, dammit, Trick’R’Treat. The 2007 one. Which is possibly more fantasy in the way you mean, but I’m not sure what you mean exactly, so I sing it out.
February 9, 2015 — 9:39 AM
Aphotic Ink says:
Oh! Also the BBC Ghostwatch. Technically a TV movie/fake news report. Jesus it’s kinda chilling.
February 9, 2015 — 9:42 AM
Aphotic Ink says:
Also! From the “movies I heard about thanks to Rue Morgue” category, I’ll recommend both “Splinter” (2008) and “Mr Brooks” (technically a psychological thriller, but damn well done).
February 9, 2015 — 9:44 AM
Bella Higgin says:
Good call. I love Ginger Snaps! 🙂
February 9, 2015 — 9:42 AM
Sara Smith says:
Love Trick’R’Treat! Watch it pretty much every Halloween.
February 9, 2015 — 9:51 AM
Aphotic Ink says:
Me too! (And sometimes around Christmas. I make no apologies.)
February 9, 2015 — 10:23 AM
RSAGARCIA says:
Oh, I just rewatched Ginger Snaps the other day! Great movie. I second that. So much better than the inferior take on the same subject matter by Diablo Cody called Jennifer’s Body.
February 9, 2015 — 10:46 AM
Remarko says:
Session 9, an indie film by Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Transsiberian), takes full advantage of the creepiness inherent in its location: the abandoned Danvers State Hospital (which may have been the inspiration for Lovecraft’s Arkham Sanitarium). It’s available on Netflix.
February 9, 2015 — 9:40 AM
barry napier says:
Someone above already mentioned Triangle. That’s a great one. V/H/S is an obvious one (but only the first one). And one that I have yet to see but is definitely on my list is Extraterrestrial.
I also finally watched Europa Report last week. It was not nearly as good as it had been hyped to be but I still enjoyed it. A nice little shot at the end almost made up for the entire thing.
February 9, 2015 — 9:46 AM
Rachel Rush says:
Seconding (thirding?) Triangle. It’s a sort-of slasher film — hard to describe without spoiling it, and definitely worth watching.
My recs: Arang (Korean horror) and Shutter (the original; don’t bother with the American remake). The Phone is good, as are the Whispering Corridor films.
February 9, 2015 — 10:07 AM
Sara Smith says:
I thought Don’t Blink was really quite good. I watched it on Netflix a few weeks ago, should still be there.
February 9, 2015 — 9:49 AM
Sara Crow says:
Okay, losing bonus points because no one has had the foresight to put this sucker on Netflix yet, but hunt down Dog Soldiers. It’s (ah, god!) almost 20 years old now, but indie flick made by some Irish blokes. Loads of fun (and a bonus Matrix reference, which was really edgy at the time since that film had just come out). HIGHLY recommend.
February 9, 2015 — 9:51 AM
Bella Higgin says:
That should definitely be on Netflix. It’s one of my favourite films 🙂
February 9, 2015 — 9:56 AM
Paul Baxter says:
Love Dog Soldiers. For whatever reason, I found the whole thing posted on YouTube.
Just checked. It’s still there: http://youtu.be/9fiy4A3sbd4
February 9, 2015 — 10:31 AM
jen says:
Don’t know if you’ve spotted it, but the next film from the guys who made You’re Next is out on DVD (The Guest), and it’s possibly more wonderfully demented (it also has another awesome female lead who does smart things).
The plot, such as it is – soldier dude rocks up at the front door of grieving family, claiming to be the army buddy of their recently deceased son… who promised aforementioned son he would try to help them out. Gets invited in, which said family live (or not) to regret. Violent death rate in small town suddenly mysteriously rockets a million percent. It is ridiculous. It is also awesome.
Someone described it as, ‘what if the Terminator moved in with Sarah Connor instead of trying to kill her’ . The Terminator homages are off the chart (whole chunks are shot like someone watched the Tech Noir scene too many times, the female lead is a waitress doing a Sarah Connor impression while looking like a young Gwen Stefani) and it’s got the best 80s style soundtrack (despite not actually being set in the 80s). The psycho is also played by the nice dude out of Downton Abbey… I can’t even. So much fun (and so very horrible without being sadistic).
The lead actress in The Guest, Maika Monroe, is also in another new indie horror about to come out called It Follows (this one has a lot of buzz, for very good reason) about a girl who sleeps with her new boyfriend and… regrets it? There’s a supremely unspectacular but incredibly disturbing monster. Ack, everything’s a spoiler for this one. it’s very, very creepy; authentically 70s set and riffs on John Carpenter films – the characters are brilliant and the concept is used so effectively. I’m off to see it again next week.
Another one that’s a lot more daft and exceedingly trashy (and reminded me a bit of You’re Next in terms of unexpected skill sets) is No One Lives. Mostly watchable for Luke Evans being… very watchable. And possibly naked at one point (it’s very hard to tell under that much blood) and some downright creative deaths.
February 9, 2015 — 9:54 AM
Amanda H says:
I enjoyed The Guest, too–all the more impressive because I didn’t know that much about it and was expecting psychological thriller rather than the hot-mess-in-a-good-way the film turned out to be.
And Dan Stevens (the Downton Abbey guy) did so well at creepy psychotic. So, so well.
February 9, 2015 — 9:59 AM
jen says:
I know! I can’t cheerlead that film enough, it was so much fun and he was so good in that role.
Had it been an actual serious psychological thriller, I don’t think it wouldn’t have been nearly as entertaining, oddly enough?
February 9, 2015 — 10:15 AM
jen says:
Also, if it’s still on Netflix – Grabbers is the best Irish monster comedy horror ever (ok it might also be the only one. Still brilliant.). The population of a small island get trapped by multi-tentacled aliens, and the only way to defeat them is a really, really high blood alcohol level… cue a lock-in and the entire cast trying to battle aliens while really drunk. The script is hilarious, the SFX are way above their paygrade and the whole concept is kind of as daft as you’d expect, but funnier (the main cast are all genre regulars from things like Being Human and Primeval as well).
The guys who made that one have also got a YA robot invasion flick coming up called Robot Overlords with Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson, which is surprisingly good (hey, it’s a lot more fun than Transformers 4, what can I say)
February 9, 2015 — 10:10 AM
RSAGARCIA says:
I have this sitting on my coffee table at home purely because I liked You’re Next’s heroine and wanted to see what else they could make. And thanks for the No One Lives recommend. Was wondering if to get it. Now I will. Didn’t know Luke Evans was in it. Love that guy. Make Dracula Untold watchable.
February 9, 2015 — 10:48 AM
Sam Wyse says:
Luke is absolutely wonderful in it. Even the way he talks (low and kind of raspy) is creepy, lol. No One Lives is seriously one of those movies you can watch again and again. When I saw it was a WWE movie at the beginning, I groaned, thinking it would suck. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.
February 9, 2015 — 10:58 AM
RSAGARCIA says:
I have found that the WWE movies started out really bad and formulaic, but very, very recently they’ve started to suck less. And they do have a way with an action scene.
February 9, 2015 — 11:19 AM
jen says:
Much as I enjoyed a lot of No One Lives (I have a soft spot for ridiculousness and unexpectedly cool female characters and, er, Luke Evans apparently) as a collection of cool stuff in one film, it never quite all worked enough for me to want a rewatch.
It definitely doesn’t suck, and it’s worth a watch for the aforementioned cool stuff, but The Guest is a much stronger ‘unexpected psycho’ film in terms of knowing what it’s doing and deliberately playing with it. No One Lives kind of throws everything at the screen and sees what sticks, then cuts to a shot of Luke Evans being cool to distract you when it doesn’t quite work 😉
February 9, 2015 — 11:40 AM
Matt Ruff says:
THE DEN, THE LAST EXORCISM, and THE TAKING OF LAURA LOGAN are all interesting takes on the “found footage” genre.
DARKNET is a Canadian TV series, currently on Netflix streaming, whose every episode features several apparently separate horror stories that end up being linked.
Also really good: SESSION 9 and A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (the Korean one, not the one based on Charlie Sheen’s poetry).
February 9, 2015 — 10:08 AM
Kay Camden says:
Do you mean The Taking of Deborah Logan?
If so, that movie…oh my. I forgot it was found footage. I just remember the woman, that poor woman, oh my gosh, what was done to her looked so real, like The Exorcist but better. Don’t make me relive it! Oh god.
February 9, 2015 — 11:20 AM
Matt Ruff says:
Yes, Deborah, not Laura!
February 9, 2015 — 3:25 PM
Sam Witt says:
Banshee Chapter. It has all the things: chthuloid government experiments, numbers stations, a Hunter S. Thompson analogue. Great little movie.
February 9, 2015 — 10:14 AM
jen says:
Ooh Banshee Chapter was very cool – it fell apart a little bit by the end but it was really different for the most part.
February 9, 2015 — 10:22 AM
Kay Camden says:
I loved Banshee Chapter. A horror movie with a great, realistic female lead! I’m not an easy scare, and Banshee Chapter does everything right. It was impossible to shake off.
February 9, 2015 — 10:34 AM
Andy W says:
Older and newer ones. Maybe you have seen all of these.
Under the Skin
2nd Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil
The Ring
Let the Right One In – Swedish Version only.
February 9, 2015 — 10:23 AM
Andy W says:
Oh and Trollhunter,
February 9, 2015 — 10:24 AM
sagarciax2 says:
There’s a 2nd Tucker & Dale Vs Evil? Oh, happy happy joy joy. Thanks for the news!
February 9, 2015 — 7:27 PM
Andy W says:
Sorry! I meant “I second” Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil. My bad!
February 10, 2015 — 11:07 AM
Aphotic Ink says:
Also, thirding SESSION 9. ❤ that
February 9, 2015 — 10:24 AM
RSAGARCIA says:
Ah, you are in my wheelhouse *rubs hands together*. I have been completely seduced by Australian cinema over the last few years so I have a few recommendations in that direction, although I have to admit they might be very dated. However, I liked ‘You’re Next’ so I think we might actually agree on a few of these.
If you haven’t seen Switchblade Romance (also known as High Tension), I highly recommend it. French film about two girls who go to visit one’s family and end up in the midst of a brutal attack. The final two mins almost but doesn’t quite live up to what comes before. However, what comes before is mind-blowingly tense and totally worth it.
The Square is a dark noir thriller from Australia that hardly anyone has seen, but that definitely deserves to be seen. A construction company owner tries to leave his wife and takes a left turn into the underworld. It’s not horror in the ‘bump-in-the-night’ sense. It’s horror in the ‘oh, the humanity’ sense. A fantastic look at the dark side of humanity.
‘Storm Warning’ is also from Australia and wins the prize for worst title for a good movie ever. A man and his wife get lost in the Australian swamp-lands and go looking for help. What they find is trouble. What I love about this–aside from the gory and sometimes humorous horror–is the way the husband/wife dynamic plays. The movie starts out being one thing, and turns into something else entirely. Great characterization here.
‘Restraint’ is another Australian horror/thriller starring a pre-True Blood Stephen Moyer and a post-Tarzan (pre-Vikings) Travis Fimmel. Two in-love and crazed young killers need a place to hide in the countryside. They find the perfect place in a out-of-the-way mansion…and a perfect hostage in a guy who is severely agoraphobic. Things proceed to not go as either party plans.
‘Carriers’ stars a pre-Star Trek Chris Pine and he is in nice form for this one. It’s about four friends trying to stay alive during a viral pandemic. More of the human dark side kind of stuff The Walking Dead trades in. Not sure if this one weathers well, since The Walking Dead came out after and may have taken it’s flash, but I remember liking it a lot more than I thought I would.
‘Splinter’ features some really nice special effects in a classic locked room setting. Several very different people are trapped in a gas station by an entity and must find a way to work together to survive. Nice character development and good effects make a limited budget completely unnoticeable.
Finally, if you haven’t seen ‘The Collection’ you might want to give it a glance. A guy breaks into a house to steal stuff–and interrupts a serial killer. Gory, tense and smarter than it looks at first glance, it did well enough to spawn a sequel ‘The Collector’ which I found to be decent, if a bit more predictable and saddled with an unfortunately silly ending.
Hope I didn’t go on too long, but I love talking about small and indie horror films. Hope you and your readers find something here you like.
February 9, 2015 — 10:34 AM
Grymmlock says:
Boy Eats Girl I watched this years ago and I was pleasantly surprised at this Irish zombie teen flick that I’d never heard of before.
http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0415679/
February 9, 2015 — 10:34 AM
Cindy says:
Session 9. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s one of the best uses of authentic setting I’ve seen in a horror film.
And for an edge case, I suggest Moon. It’s sci-fi, but it definitely has some horror DNA.
February 9, 2015 — 10:49 AM
RSAGARCIA says:
Ack, also forgot my love of South Korean film lately. Please, please, please watch Snowpiercer. Also, watch ‘The Host’ (2006). The only monster movie that’s totally about what it means to be a family. Great effects in that one too. ‘Byzantium’ uses a Caribbean mythology to spin a new take on a old monster. I’m from the Caribbean and really appreciated the modernization, although the myth we have is far weirder. Nice characterization and atmosphere. The female leads make this special. I heard ‘Mother’, from South Korea, is great, but I haven’t been able to find a copy yet.
February 9, 2015 — 10:58 AM
cuttydarke says:
I have to add my recommendations for Pontypool and Dog Soldiers. Both fantastic films. If you don’t mind subtitles I suggest R-Point – Korean horror set during the Vietnam war. Proper fuck you up stuff.
February 9, 2015 — 11:01 AM
Ethan says:
Torment is an interesting little home invasion film.
February 9, 2015 — 11:01 AM
Nicholas Kaufmann says:
Adding my voice to the list of people who would call SESSION 9 a must-see. I was pleasantly surprised by how good OCULUS is, although I understand why the trailer might have turned you off. You might also want to check out BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO, which isn’t exactly a horror movie but is about horror movies in its own way and has the tone and structure of one.
February 9, 2015 — 11:10 AM
RSAGARCIA says:
Never seen Session 9 but have heard how good it is over and over again. Oculus really went all the way. Loved it for that. Surprisingly good.
February 9, 2015 — 11:21 AM
Kay Camden says:
Alien Abduction was pretty good. Found footage is getting a bit overdone, but the acting was so good it made it one of the best found footage I’ve seen (and it feels like I’ve seen them all). Very authentic characters, super creepy. If I had a nightmare, this movie would be it.
February 9, 2015 — 11:11 AM
Terry Hickman says:
I don’t watch gore or slasher films, I much prefer suspenseful, creepy, sometimes supernatural movies. My all-time favorite (meaning it scared the bejeezus out of me) is Let’s Scare Jessica to Death – if you can watch it alone, late at night, and try to arrange for some tree limbs scratching at your windows. It’s available on amazon but damn I wish it was on Netflix. And turn the sound up – 50% of the high quality of the scares is in the sound track. Some people think it’s way too slow-moving but I loved it. Also, the original The Haunting movie from 1963 (I think). B & W scares galore – and not a drop of blood. It’s based closely on Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House.
February 9, 2015 — 11:27 AM
spinnersinclair says:
I definitely second Oculus and the Babadook.
Oculus is delightfully mind-twisty and really, really scary; I would say the second half doesn’t quite live up to the first half’s potential, but it’s worth a watch. The Babadook is VERY disturbing, with an amazingly well-done monster, atmosphere, and fantastic acting all around.
I know that people might have varying views on being warned about stuff, but I do this whenever I recommend these two movies – both of these movies have disturbing stuff based around parents and children, with Babadook being the worse of the two. Oculus contains creepy self-harming (intentional or involuntary) and it and Babadook contain kids in serious danger. I know people who are triggered by all those things, so yeah. You might be able to pick the warnings up just from watching a trailer, but I like to give a head’s-up just in case.
February 9, 2015 — 11:29 AM
dotti4 says:
I read that they’re making an actual pop-up book of The Babadook. Gah! That movie was so creepy. And a great lesson in characterization.
February 9, 2015 — 11:43 AM
Nellie says:
I enjoyed the remake of Fright Night. It has more of a horror edge than a campy horror like the original. I love David Tennent in this merely because I saw this after seeing his Doctor and it was a character switch. I haven’t watched the remake of Fright Night 2 but just reading the synopsis, it doesn’t follow the remade Fright Night continuity. So meh.
Hemlock Grove (Netflix series) – I enjoyed that very much though the season 2 ender is…different. I’ll leave it at that. There are some horror elements but nothing extreme.
The Rite with Sir Anthony Hopskins – He can always pull the menace. 🙂
I’m on the fence about the Poltergeist remake because the original still creeps me out. I’m not sure how they can really improve on what had been done originally.
I <3 Cabin in the Woods for all it's campy moments. I can watch that over and over and never get tired.
I'll have to check out You're Next.
February 9, 2015 — 11:47 AM
Eric Lingenbutts (@FelterSkelter) says:
A while back, I saw a nasty little piece of work called Cheap Thrills that I thoroughly enjoyed. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2389182/)
Pat Healy plays Craig, a guy who just lost his job at a garage and is about to be evicted, along with his wife and baby.
Ethan Embry plays Vince, Craig’s sketchy friend.
Sara Paxton plays Violet, a jaded weirdo looking for a couple of schmucks to entertain her on her birthday.
And David Koechner plays Violet’s husband Colin, a charming weirdo with $250,000 to burn.
Colin burns that $250,000 by paying Craig and Vince to entertain Violet with a series of escalating dares.
Put an “N” between the “E” and “T” in Violet, and you’ll get a sense of how things turn out.
It’s twisted, funny (in a very, very dark way, kind of like your Miriam Black books, Chuck), and while the places it goes aren’t exactly surprising, the anticipation of what’s coming next somehow makes the shocks hit harder. I think anyone who follows your work would get a kick out of it.
February 9, 2015 — 12:16 PM
Bill Griggs says:
I know this may seem odd, but one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen was “Event Horizon”. I don’t know why, but I have horribly intense nightmares every single time I watch it.
February 9, 2015 — 12:51 PM
Stephen Dunscombe (@cythraul) says:
Oh my God, I loved “You’re Next”.
“Teeth” (2007) is fantastic. It might play play differently for someone who *didn’t* grow up in a fundamentalist Christian milieu, but I highly recommend it nonetheless. I was expecting schlocky exploitation, and what I got was… a thoughtful meditation on teenage sexual awakening, American Purity Culture, and misogyny. Also, vagina dentata.
Also: People think I’m crazy, but I really loved “The Purge” and its sequel. Seriously. I want more movies in that series – both ones that advance the overarching plot, and stand-alone stories. I want tie-in novels. I want to run RPGs in the setting.
February 9, 2015 — 1:05 PM
Sam Witt says:
The Purge was a fun movie, but if you ever get a chance to take part in the Purge:Breakout event, do so. It’s an “escape the room” event that scared the living hell out of my whole family. So. Much. Fun.
February 10, 2015 — 6:19 PM