In the waning days of 2015, we’ll be polling SHOCK’s stable of fantastic freelancers to see what horror flicks made them tick the loudest.
We’ll start with the charming and talented Alexandra West…
5. UNFRIENDED
Slashers are probably the most effective gateway drug for budding horror fans. They offer semi-relatable young characters in peril, with the monsters and killers offering a metaphor for the ills of the day. Its no surprise that contemporary directors have attempted to elevate the slasher by ripping off, excuse me, paying homage to slasher classics in films like IT FOLLOWS and THE FINAL GIRLS. While both of those films have their audiences, they failed (for this critic at least) to illuminate any of the concerns and fears that we face today; theyre to determined to look backwards without offering any insight or reflection on contemporary fears. I feel lucky that social media only started catching on when I was half-way through my university career because being held accountable for my teenage angst due to incessantly posting on social media would have been devastating to look back on. Whats even more terrifying is that social media has become yet another tool for bullies. Not only can they follow you when you leave the social setting of school but what gets posted on the internet can leave an indelible mark. News stories are filled with the dangers of social media with parents and teachers still baffled on how effectively intervene. Levan Gabriadzes UNFRIENDED is the most effective teen slasher made in the last decade. Told through a Skype chat between friends, an unknown user pops up in their chat and their social media threatening to reveal horrifying secrets and forcing them to do unthinkable things. Unfriended illustrates the darkness of social media and the internet amplifying the notion that what brings us together may be the thing that tears us apart.
4. THE VISIT
If you told me this time last year that I would be putting a film by M. Night Shyamalan in my top picks of the year I would have had you institutionalized. With THE VISIT Shyamalan goes back to basics while proving there is still life in the found footage genre. The titular visit centers on two kids going to meet their grandparents for the first time. While essentially an update of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale, Shyamalan imbues THE VISIT with pitch black humor which is buoyed by strong performances across the board. THE VISIT utilized the familiar horror tropes of the psycho-biddy and nature vs technology to increase the tension while challenging our own political correctness and privilege rendering the film a decidedly modern fairy tale for all ages.
3. CRIMSON PEAK
Guillermo del Toro is probably the most earnest filmmaker working today. He genuinely cares for the medium of film and in each of his films has sought to reinterpret and re-imagine the trends and techniques which got him into the business. The newest entry into his oeuvre is a flawed but enchanting feat of sumptuous filmmaking with terrifying effects and a tragic love story at its core. Hyped for year or so before its release as a return to form after del Toros sci-fi action blockbuster PACIFIC RIM, CRIMSON PEAK was billed as a personal film for del Toro, one inspired by his childhood love of the Gothic both in novel and film form. CRIMSON PEAK is a Gothic romance of del Toros own imagination. Following the feisty heroine Edith (Mia Wasikowska) who falls in love with the handsome but troubled Thomas (Tom Hiddleston) the couple moves from the bustling streets of New York to the decaying estate CRIMSON PEAK in which Thomas sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain) also occupies. Ghostly figures and intrigue permeate the walls of CRIMSON PEAK well, the ones that are still standing. CRIMSON PEAK divided audiences but the film remains one of the best filmic adaptation of Gothic that I have ever seen. The emphasis rightly belongs on the setting and scene-chewing characters, which can sometimes leave the plot a bit threadbare, but del Toro shines through with his design aesthetic and truly chilling moments throughout the film. Crimson Peak is a film that celebrates its own opulence and still maintains a beating heart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYx5R6kbJTQ
2. CREEP
Whats this? Another found footage movie?? For every critic and fan that decries the sub-genre, often with good reason *cough* THE GALLOWS *cough*, 2015 proved that the film style still has legs mainly because were still obsessed with ourselves. Actor Mark Duplass is probably best known for popularizing the Mumblecore film genre with his brother and fellow actor Jay Duplass. Hes also made memorable turns on television shows like The League and The Mindy Project as well as films like SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED and THE ONE I LOVE. In Creep, Duplass gives one of the most chilling performances in contemporary film. It is truly a tour-de-what-the-fuck. In CREEP, Duplass plays Josef who hires Aaron (Patrick Brice, who also directs the film) under the pretense of filming to memorialize Josefs life. Things very soon turn out to be not what they appear and a cat-and-mouse game ensues.CREEP on the surface, is quite simple; it is Duplass performance that elevates CREEP beyond standard fare. As a director, Brice smartly has Aaron catch on to the events going on around him quite quickly, escalating the events at a break-neck pace to a chilling and unforgettable conclusion.
1. GOODNIGHT MOMMY
Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz redefine the idea of a nightmare in their chilling film about the familial ties that bind which can turn into a stranglehold. The simple story which sees twin boys deal with the after effects of their mother coming home from cosmetic surgery consistently plays with the audiences allegiance. The boys believe their mother to be an imposter and set out to find out the truth. GOODNIGHT MOMMY spirals out from this mystery scenario and becomes a commentary on modernity, capitalism and Western values which pits autonomy against the family. While the film is a slow burn, the final half hour is still seared into my mind.
Honorable mention INSIDIOUS 3, for Lin Shayes ghostly fisticuffs.
