Entries from December 2008 ↓

From the director of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING and DARKNESS FALLS comes The Killing Room, which will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month in Park City, UT. This afternoon we got our hands on the official one sheet for the film that follow four individuals sign up for a psychological research study only to discover that they are now subjects of a brutal, classified government program. Click the title above for some stills.

The boys over at Twitch Film got their hands on two clips from the Norwegian horror film Dead Snow, which will have its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month. The clips feature a lil' sex and a taste of the Nazi-zombie uprising. In the film a group of teenagers had all they needed for a successful ski vacation; cabin, skis, snowmobile, toboggan, copious amounts of beer and a fertile mix of the sexes. Certainly, none of them anticipated not returning home alive! However, the Nazi-zombie battalion haunting the mountains had other plans. Click here for all of our Sundance news.

It's the end of the year and Tex massacre, Horror Guy Keenan, and David are going out with a blast joined by (E-Film critic) Will Goss, Mr. Disgusting, and Spooky Dan. Everyone drinks and takes a look back at this past year in horror. Visit our podcasts page to listen in right now or subscribe, and you can check out all of our podcasts in the iTunes music store for free... just search for "Bloody Disgusting".

As 2008 comes to a close we here at BD wanted to pay a special thanks to everyone who helps keep this site alive and kicking. It take a lot of work from a dedicated group of people to keep the horror coming day after day, and we couldn't do it without everyone who contributes to making BD your #1 source for horror. So in no particular order... thanks to Brian Collins, Tim Anderson, Ryan Daley, John Marrone, David Harley, Spooky Dan, Sean Clark, Elaine Lamkin, Kiel Cross, Tj Taraszka, Keenan McClelland, Count Dragula, Nosferatuscreams, Kumui_X, Tool Shed, and all of our readers. Here's to a bigger, better, bloodier 2009!

Was 2008 a good year for horror? Some people might argue that the deluge of PG-13 “bubblegum horror” (Prom Night remake, Twilight, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, etc.) damaged horror’s reputation, but the fact can’t be denied that there were also some mighty fine horror movies released this year that scared the pants off people.

Whether you think 2008 was a good or bad year for horror, we’ve compiled our best and worst lists for the horror films of 2008. We’ve got a bonanza of lists that seven of our staff writers have compiled for your reading pleasure and they are all right here!

(We’ve tried to be accurate with release dates, but with some films it’s a slippery slope when trying to pin down an exact release date (limited theatrical vs. DVD release, foreign releasing, etc.), so please give us some wiggle room…we are only trying to showcase the very best (and worst) films that caught our eye this year.)

So, without further ado, here are our best/worst lists for 2008:

Fatally Yours’ Picks

BEST:

10.) The Strangers (review) - One of the only movies that genuinely creeped me out this year! Its subtle horror gets under your skin and I love the creepy music that was used. The first appearance of one of the villains in the house (oh, so subtle) had me holding on to the arms of my chair for dear life! A tension-filled, expertly filmed horror movie. Only the ending disappoints.

9.) Brutal Massacre (review) - This is just a plain hilarious farce on horror filmmaking. The dead-pan, dry humor had me rolling on the floor, along with the situations the characters found themselves in. The actors were pitch-perfect, including Gunnar Hansen who stole the show as a creepy local.

8.) Re-Cycle (review) - A whimsical, visually-stimulating piece of fantasy-horror cinema from the Pang Brothers. Re-Cycle is absolutely stunning to look at, but it also features an engaging, mysterious and touching storyline. I also love how it skewers the typical Asian horror film in its opening scenes, but it quickly moves into its fantastic fantasy world filled with zombies, abortion babies, ghosts and crumbling, abandoned cities.

7.) Poultrygeist (review) - No movie this year has made me simultaneously laugh and gag as much as Poultrygeist. It’s ultra-low brow humor, musical numbers, copious gore, offensiveness and social commentary made it one of the most entertaining horror films of the year. I’m not even a big fan of Troma films and I think this is one of their best ever! This is a fowl, gross-out movie that super-sizes the fun and comes with an extra side of AWESOME!

6.) Cloverfield (review) - The most scary monster movie of the year, period. Cloverfield perfectly captures the immediacy, confusion and emotion of disaster and really gives us a taste of what have must have been like on 9/11 and other major, big-city catastrophes. This is the one film of 2008 that utilizes the hand-held, “shaky cam” technique the best and in a way that makes the most sense. The monster and its mysterious appearance also adds to the fear factor.

5.) The Orphanage (review) - Haunting, unsettling and heartbreaking best describe this beautifully scary film. If you haven’t seen it yet…do yourself a favor and see it now!

4.) The Signal (review) - An intelligent, gritty, comedic love story peppered with intense bouts of gore. It has three separate “transmissions” (each directed by a different director) that each focus on a different character and carry a slightly different tone.

3.) Red Velvet (review) - I saw this film at Fango in April and was blown away by its originality, horror-movie smarts and witty dialogue. It also boasts a killer creation of a horror movie killer…but is he/she real or just in the imagination of the storyteller? Hopefully more people will get to see it in 2009…I hear its already got a distribution deal!

2.) Let the Right One In (review) - This movie is like an otherworldly, transcendent experience. After watching it you are changed and look at the world in a wholly different way. Everything from the stark atmosphere to the touching relationship between the two main characters to the bouts of violence we see entrances us and pulls us into the film and story even farther.

1.) Midnight Movie (review) - Both an homage to old “midnight movies” (and horror movies in general) and an entirely original storyline about a killer in a film that can move beyond his celluloid prison and stalk and kill the patrons of an old movie theater. Instead of being a standard hack ‘n’ slash movie, there is a great supernatural twist to the proceedings that just adds so much! Everything from the production values to the acting and the gore is top notch and my eyes were glued to the screen for the film’s entirety. Not to mention that the film creates an iconic killer that could stand up there with Leatherface, Freddy, Jason or Michael!  Ever since I saw this movie it has been on my mind and I can’t wait until more people are able to view it when it hits DVD in January.

WORST:

10.) Automaton Transfusion (review) - With the exception of its gore, I felt that this indie film did everything wrong. Huge inconsistencies, big plot holes, unbelievable circumstances and overuse of the shaky cam irked me enough to include it in my worst of. Plus, the fact that it was so over-hyped but failed to deliver anything new, different or entertaining to the zombie genre really pissed me off.

9.) Diary of the Dead (review) - Heavy-handed social commentary and a lame-o storyline with detestible characters really killed this for me. Incredibly boring with social commentary about as fresh as the rotting corpses surrounding the characters.

8.)  Killer Pad (review) - Feel like torturing someone? Look no further than Robert Englund’s return to directing, Killer Pad. It tries for Dude, Where’s My Car humor, but fails miserably. It is an embarrassing film to watch knowing Mr. Englund was involved, especially with the bad 13-year-old-type dialogue that this turkey is stuffed with, not to mention the unlikable characters, plot holes and the sheer stupidity of the script. After this movie, I might be convinced that Englund should stick to acting…

7.) Pathology (review) - Ok, so I wasn’t expecting much from the writers of Crank, but c’mon! What ever happened to believability in a flick?! This film shows how a regular good guy can turn tail and become a murdering, adulterous druggie, throwing his whole life and future career away. Why, you ask? Because someone triple dog dared him, that’s why! Besides the ridiculously ludicrous plot, it has bad acting (does actor Milo Ventimiglia seriously only have one expression?), little gore and horrible logic. Plus, it lacks the killer autopsy scenes I was expecting to see…This one is definitely DOA.

6.) Asylum (review) - This movie was so forgettable that I’ve had to look at my review TWICE to remind myself what the hell it was about. Stupid characters (each with a deep dark secret…how convenient) find out their dorm used to be some old mental hospital with a craaaaazy doctor performing experiments….yada yada YAWN. Not even the silliness of the doctor’s character can pull this one out of the dregs. Totally unmemorable except for the fact that it’s so forgettable.

5.) Catacombs (review) - I love Shannyn Sossamon, but girl needs a new agent! She was in the awful One Missed Call remake (luckily I didn’t sit through that one) and this atrocious mess of a movie. This film had the coolest and creepiest setting ever (the cavernous catacombs of Paris, though it wasn’t even filmed there - strike one!), but quickly turned to merde with the most annoying characters ever created, a predictable plot, zero scares and a cop-out ending that makes everything you’ve just watched not count for anything. Shannyn, either stay outta the horror genre or land a gig for a film that’s actually good!

4.) Women’s Studies (review) - This indie film, about murders in an all-girls college, had me intrigued when I first heard about it. Like Teeth, it seemed to promise strong feminist values, but, again like Teeth, it failed to deliver. Instead, I was forced to suffer through stereotypical depictions of  “feminists.” According to this movie, feminists are all man-hating, hippie lesbians. Add a plodding, boring storyline, more stupid characters and horrendous dialogue and all that you’ll be studying while watching this film is the ceiling…because the ceiling is far more interesting than Women’s Studies.

3.) Teeth (review) - This movie makes me seething mad. I can’t believe how many people fell for its “feminist horror flick” shtick when it’s just the opposite. The storyline may be original, but the execution was all wrong and downright insulting, especially the end when marriage was presented as a “cure-all” for the main character’s “problem.” Teeth took what could have been a strong woman-centric message but instead decided to shove patriarchal values down our throats instead. Just pathetic. This movie can bite me.

2.) Lost Boys 2: The Tribe (review) - This movie felt like an episode of The O.C. with rich kids in a California beach town driving their expensive motorcycles/cars and throwing massive parties while two outsiders, a brother and sister (though they seem creepily incestuous), try to fit in. Little sister falls for the “most popular guy” and big brother tries to stop this romance…oh, and there are vampires in there somewhere. A complete and utter letdown…I don’t even think your 12-year-old sister would be caught dead watching this.

1.) Return to Sleepaway Camp (review) - I would rather gouge out my own eyes with rusty nails than see this insulting, unfunny and stupid sequel again! Fans of the original Sleepaway Camp films will be appalled at this Return, from the dialogue that sounds like it was written by a five-year-old that got dropped on its head to the horrible, unlikable characters and mediocre deaths. Even a last-minute (and last-ditch) appearance from Angela herself and cameos from actors from the original film couldn’t save me from the painful experience.

Fiend of Grue’s Picks

BEST:

10.) Backwoods Bloodbath (review) - This film tells the story of the Black Hodag that haunts the hills where some horny campers are off on some debaucherous adventure. Sound familiar? Well this isn’t the most original of premises, but even still, this movie was a BLAST that didn’t take itself too serious and I really had fun with it. As far as I know, this film doesn’t have a distribution deal yet but it certainly deserves one.

9.) It’s My Party And I’ll Die If I Want To (review) - Have you ever watched a film and thought “Why are you going back up the stairs??? Why didn’t you just go out the front door?” Well, with It’s My Party And I’ll Die If I Want To, you really CAN choose the path of the films characters through the use of the innovative feature where you make the decision that determines the films outcome! This film is fun, indulgent and just plain great! Seek it out!

8.) Jack Brooks Monster Slayer (review) - One of the better films to be a sort-of throw back to the good times of the eighties. Robert Englund has an actual role in this film instead of just a cameo and pulls out one of his best performances in years! This is a fun film, bottom line, and it is a shame that it didn’t get a bigger push. Definitely worth seeing!

7.) Gutterballs (review) - Ryan Nicholson made a name for himself with his torture porn outing Live Feed but with Gutterballs, he really has made his mark. Gutterballs is a giallo film told in an eighties style that is rude, crude, gory as fuck and as unapologetic as it can get. The film borders on X-rated territory and has some of the more creative kill scenes that you are likely to see all year.

6.) Dairy Of The Dead (review) - Say what you will, but I think that this is a worthy addition to Romero’s zombie mythology. I say it that way because I feel that this film was unrighteously crucified by the majority of the horror community. To me, this film had anything and everything that you could want from a zombie film: zombie action, great gore, and Romero’s signature social commentary that touched on the media. Not Romero’s best film, but worth a watch!

5.) The Psychomanteum (review) - This short film from Dave Holt really took me by surprise. Clocking in at around 25 minutes, this is one of the best “mindfuck” films you are likely to ever see. Shifting quickly - all in black and white - from one bizarre scene to another, The Psychomanteum isn’t a film that everyone is going to enjoy, but for those of you that like your films to be just a little left of center, it’s right up your alley.

4.) The Orphanage (review)- One of the greatest ghost stories ever told, period! This film really surprised me at its complexities and its equal subtleties. Superb acting and story telling, The Orphanage is a modern day horror marvel.

3.) Am I Evil (review)- This is movie that I got as a screener right here through Fatally-Yours and I was utterly floored at how great it was. I’m not afraid to say that this is probably one of the best independent films that I have seen, at least in recent memory. Following along the lines of classic serial killer tales such as Maniac, Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer and American Psycho, Am I Evil was shot on a very minimal budget and still the film succeeds on all levels. Mark Vazquez turns in a stellar performance as the killer and the effects are better than some big budget films. This is MUST see!

2.) The Signal (review) -  You want an original movie? Then definitely check out The Signal. Divided into three separate parts that are directed by three different directors, The Signal is a one of kind movie that really hasn’t been given a fair chance by the horror crowd. The film’s brilliance is in how it is laid out and expertly weaved together through the three segments. The film didn’t do well at the box office but this isn’t a film for mass appeal by any means, this is a movie that takes a few times seeing before you can truly digest its meanings. If you haven’t seen this, run out and BUY it!

1.) Inside (review) - This is the movie that every horror MUST see. The first thing that must be mentioned about this film is the extreme gore, but that is not all that Inside has to offer by any means. The suspense, quality camera work and acting in this film are rarely seen today. This film is destined to be a classically regarded horror film in the years to come!

The Wolf’s Picks

BEST:

10.) Insanitarium (review)- Jesse Metcalfe in a “Best Of…” list? You betcha! A direct-to-DVD feature (where the best horror was in 2008), Insanitarium was directed and written by Midnight Meat Train scribe, Jeff Buhler. The film had a great 80s-type feel to it, with its hospital setting, lack of modern technology, and interesting characters helped by great acting by Metcalfe, Peter Stormare, and Armin Shimerman. It’s also one of the many films on this list that had to do with a virus or zombies as the film was a mix of Prison Break and 28 Days Later. Plus it has Olivia Munn in it! Hottie alert! Sure, the story is a bit clichéd and has some plot holes, but Insanitarium is more great than bad and definitely deserves any horror fan’s attention.

9.) The Signal (review)- A very ambitious horror flick done in anthology-style with three “Transmissions” that focus on each one of the three main characters in the story. It’s a love story. It’s a horror film. It’s a comic showcase. It’s a social commentary. It hits the right spots most of the time. This indie feature shows that remakes and unnecessary sequels aren’t the key to bring back horror to the top. It’s a shame this got a limited release in theatres, but at least you can now appreciate this gem on DVD.

8.) Otis (review)- A satire on the very tired “torture porn” sub-genre of horror, Otis does a nice job bringing the dark comedy into the world of horror. With really wacky characters, great dialogue, and awesome 80s music, Otis is a refreshing “horror” flick that’ll probably make you laugh more than scare you. A smart, witty, and pretty funny satire of a sub-genre that should have ended years ago. Worth your time.

7.) Midnight Meat Train (review)- The film that proved what a lame duck Lionsgate Studios is. Originally given a wide release, Midnight Meat Train was only seen by a limited few (either in theatres or FearNet On Demand) and ruined any chance of this film’s box office success and a major comeback for Clive Barker. Despite the silly name and the sort of silly ending, Midnight Meat Train is a gritty, gory serial killer flick that brings the goods - a great story, a lot of blood and gore, and great acting especially by Bradley Cooper and Vinnie Jones. Most people won’t see this until it hits DVD in February 2009 and it’s a shame because Midnight Meat Train is what horror fans are looking for today. And it’s not a remake, so that’s a plus.

6.) The Ruins (review) - Based on a bestselling book by Scott Smith (book review), The Ruins took me by surprise by being a mainstream horror film that actually didn’t suck! Though the promotion of the film dealt with the killer plants on top of that Mayan ruin, the real horror comes from the interaction between the five victims on top of those ruins. Though we know little about them, just the way they deal with the situation and each other because of it shows how helpless we all are without cell phones, the internet, and other material things that could help us. With a very suspenseful story, great acting, and nice bits of gore (that amputation scene still gets to me), The Ruins was one of the highlights of 2008 when it came to films. Too bad it bombed at the box office while crap like that Prom Night remake made money. If only those plants had gotten that damn remake…

5.) Zombie Strippers (review) - Robert Englund and Jenna Jameson in a B-movie zombie flick. What more do I need to write here? Seriously, this film gives you what is actually advertised - zombies, strippers, and strippers who happen to be zombies! If you like nudity, gore, and a woman using her vagina to pop pool balls out of it to attack another zombie, this film is for you! Oh yeah there’s a story too, but who cares? Watch Zombie Strippers like, now!

4.) Cloverfield (review) - The first true horror film of 2008, Cloverfield did not disappoint at all. J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves attempted to create an American Godzilla monster that destroys New York City with a love story as its centerpiece. Sure the shaky-cam was dizzying and the monster’s CGI was a bit to be desired at times, but this was a film where it matched the hype surrounding it. Being a New Yorker and having been close to the events of 9-11, Cloverfield hit me harder than most and brought back some bad memories of that horrible day. But that’s why Cloverfield was successful - it just reinstated our fears of a terrorist attack in the form of this giant monster. Cloverfield proves that not every plot device is revealed on the internet (who really knew what the monster looked like until opening day?) and that horror films can still truly scare us in this day and age.

3.) Inside (review) - When it comes to modern horror, it seems the French is taking it to a whole new level. The best of the French horror films this year was the brutal Inside, about a struggle between two women over one woman’s unborn child. Gory and terrifying, Inside isn’t too far-fetched as things like this actually do occur in reality. Inside is highly suspenseful and full of tension, never giving the viewer a hint as to who will win the struggle until it’s abrupt conclusion. Directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury (who were once attacked to H2, the sequel to Rob Zombie’s Halloween until Zombie took over again) should be on everyone’s horror radar because they’re part of the new wave of horror.

2.) Repo! The Genetic Opera (review) - While the horrible distribution of Midnight Meat Train (review) puts a “tsk tsk tsk” in the direction of Lionsgate, the horrible distribution of Darren Lynn Bousman’s Repo! The Genetic Opera owes Lionsgate a big “Fuck You!” Original, ambitious, and an incredible accomplishment, Bousman has finally made the opera hip, dark, and gruesome. The acting is great here (yes even Paris Hilton!), the songs are very cool, and the gore is definitely nice. It’s a shame (again) that this got a limited released because this film deserved all the exposure it could have gotten. Now people will have to wait a few weeks for the DVD and experience this one in all of its uncut glory. I guess there’s a silver lining in every cloud after all…

1.) Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (review) - Troma has done it again by creating another B-movie masterpiece that throws away all political correctness to create the raunchiest and goriest zombie film of all time. With high levels of gore, sexual content [straight and gay], and language that your mom would use a whole bar a soap on, Poultrygeist is an entertaining and hilarious horror flick from beginning to end. Can’t fail to mention the very subtle commentary on the media, commercialism, racism, homosexuality, bestiality, and politics to make Poultrygeist a smart film as well. Troma brings everything a horror/zombie fan would want in a film, making Poultrygeist a perfect film in every way.

WORST:

5.) Return to Sleepaway Camp (review) - I waited 25 years for this crap? Really? Why? So I can suffer watching some fat ass named Alan get picked on because he’s such an asshole to everyone else and then hear him whine about it? This film has to be the biggest disappointment of the film for me in every way except for the death scenes, which are pretty cool here. But everything else, from the horrible story, to the even worse acting, to the annoying characters - I seriously will never go camping ever again. Poor Angela…she can never cut a break.

4.) April Fool’s Day (review) - I was never a fan of the original April Fool’s Day, as I found it ridiculously dull and with a cheap ending that just pisses me off. The remake isn’t gonna convert me either, as it was actually WORSE than the original. What a shocker! Though the remake did have a better ending, it also had worse acting and direction. Here was a remake that could have greatly improved upon the original but instead just wasted everyone’s time, money, and energy. Don’t fool yourself with this one.

3.) Prom Night (review) - Another remake…gee, I sense a trend here. With the exception of Brittany Snow and the pretty cool beginning, Prom Night just falls flat quickly after. Why? Because it’s a lazy piece of celluoid with a villain who is as boring as watching paint dry. A horror film without energy, suspense, tension, a classic villain, or any scares - what’s the point? And it’s PG-13 no less! Yeah, that’ll work in a slasher flick. Let this one go stag because this Prom Night is a bust. This remake will just remind you how cool the original Prom Night was, especially that disco sequence.

2.) Steel Trap (review)- Dimension Extreme has put out some quality stuff in his DVD library. Steel Trap wasn’t one of them. In fact, the only trap this film had was forcing me to watch it for 90 minutes. Steel Trap is nothing but a lame version of a splatter film by taking what was good about Saw and adding the most generic 80s slasher elements without even using them correctly. The story is horrible. The dialogue is so bad that it’s both funny and frustrating to hear. The direction is miserably lame. And the acting isn’t even close to being a highlight. The DVD cover and the end credits are the best part of this film. Sidestep this step and move along to a better flick.

1.) One Missed Call (review) - I should have hung up on this one when I had the chance. An Americanized remake of Chakushin Ari (review), One Missed Call is the reason why Asian horror should stay Asian! The story is ridiculous. I mean, how does a ghost go through one’s address book in a cell phone and call people to tell them how they’re gonna die? Why would a ghost do that in the first place? It’s just stupid. And the horrible CGI and the even worse acting doesn’t help matters either. One Missed Call is boring, clueless, and just plain silly - and not in a good way either. This film is the worse crank call one could ever receive. I’m screening my calls in 2009!

Jeffery Timbrell’s Picks

BEST:

10.) Cthulhu - One of the most common horror themes is the idea of the outsider. In most horror stories the outsider is the monster, he is an unknown and unknowable figure and his existence serves only to gather together the protagonists to destroy him. In more groundbreaking horror we see the world from the perspective of the outsider, set apart from the rest of us. This concept can be as diverse as Frankenstein, or Hitchcock’s Psycho or even the underwater and frighteningly alien perspective of Spielberg’s Jaws. Cthulhu is a clever cinematic adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s Shadow over Innsmouth in the tradition of films like the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers and the original Wicker Man. It transforms Lovecraft’s short story about a small town turning into monsters, into a parable about traditionalism, xenophobia and religion. Cthulhu features a gay man returning to his hometown to collect on the estate of his dead mother, only to find his father is at the center of a strange religious cult. It’s a beautifully shot, subtle and slowly building horror gem that is sure to gain cult movie status as its reputation grows.

9.) Rogue (review) - This movie is just chocolate-on-a-porn-star fantastic. From the director of Wolf Creek, Rogue is one of the slickest, most competent monster-on-the-loose films in a long time; and my favorite giant crocodile horror movie ever. Rogue is one of those rare films that intertwines the fun, over-the-top zeal of 1950s monster flicks with the realistic and character-driven scares of 1980s splatter horror. It shows a real love for genre cinema and a love for the material that goes beyond simplistic fan boyish homage. Rogue is the best of both worlds; a mix of enthusiastic (and excellent) creature effects and well-written suspenseful scares that combines to form a terrific example of what makes the horror genre so much fun.

8.) Doomsday (review)- The best John Carpenter film never made, mixed with the best Madmax film never made. From the creator of the British The Descent, comes Doomsday; a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, gory, romp through apocalyptic genre conventions with punk rock cannibals, medieval knights, tank flipping riot scenes, car chases, musical numbers and anti-establishment ball-busting. It’s like a remake of some of the best popcorn munchers ever put to celluloid, all blended together into one giant trail mix of violent, explosive absurdity that doesn’t even try to take itself seriously and gives the audience the freedom to laugh their ass off while soldiers are cooked and eaten alive over an open fire. My only complaint is that the most iconic villain in the film is dispatched way too early, leaving the movie without a really strong ‘heavy’ for the finale.

7.) Splinter - Not only the best monster movie of the year, but certainly one of the most original and dynamic monster movies in ages. Splinter takes a simple siege horror scenario and a nice cast of surprisingly rich characters and squeezes the concept for all it’s worth. Which is a lot. Splinter is the KISS method for horror movies: “Keep it Simple Stupid”. They jettison so much of the garbage that hinders modern movies and just work from the basic concept of scaring the crap out of their audience and what they pull off is one of the finer examples of creepy monster movies in years. Splinter is an amazing film paying homages to both Carpenter’s The Thing and the original Thing from Outer Space. Now that’s ambitious!

6.) REC (review)- If Splinter was an exercise in simplicity, REC is the KISS model in its purest form. Already remade into the American film Quarantine (which I have yet to see), REC was an immediate success that caught the eye of thousands of fans and studios alike. And with good reason, REC is one of the most fun and outstanding horror movie efforts in years. It delivers more on the promise of the hand-held horror movie genre than The Blair Witch, and follows more in the foot-steps of Night of the Living Dead than in the foot-steps of modern zombie horror which has diluted the genre with silly wire-work and Matrix-fight sequences. REC is a horror film that works so simplistically, one could easily adapt it into an interesting and engaging theatrical play. Now how many horror films can say that?!

5.) Repo! The Genetic Opera (review) - Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, Repo! The Genetic Opera, is an experimental, gore-soaked, over-the-top, industrial, punk rock-opera featuring a soundtrack from talents as diverse as Skinny Puppy, Sarah Brightman and Paris Hilton. Repo! is one of the wildest and most deranged cult movies in ages and takes movies back to the crazed era of indie filmmaking in the 1970s, where equally hilarious and disturbing movies at the drive-in were the norm, while at the same time Repo! is one of the few films of the year that is topical and up to date. Tackling the concept of the modern corporate age of corruption and the delusional, irresponsible hedonism of the rich elite in the face of bloody disaster. In a time when people are having their entire lives repossessed out from under them, Repo! is a catchy musical with a lot of bite.

4.) The Ruins (review) - Make no mistake, The Ruins is the single most brutal film of the year. Pound for pound, The Ruins is the meanest, nastiest horror film right now; the only problem is that it’s virtually impossible to promote a Killer Vine movie without people pointing and laughing at the sheer concept. And honestly, in most cases, those people would be one hundred percent right. In this case, they are one hundred percent wrong. The monster in The Ruins sits out in the broad daylight and waits, and grows. The more it grows the more dangerous it becomes; and the more dangerous it becomes the more it gets under your skin. Both metaphorically and literally. The Ruins reminds me of old school Romero with Day of the Dead and Lucio Fulci in his prime, where all bets were off and the kiddie gloves were left in the bloody dirt. The Ruins does not play nice, it is one hundred percent go for gusto, no holds barred, nihilistic slaughter, torture and horror. This movie is not like the other sweet, loveable horror films, it is a one hundred percent bad motherfucker. The Ruins is based on Scott Smith’s insanely popular novel and just like the novel, it takes the siege horror genre and grinds it into to the most intensely impossible, disturbing and horrific scenario imaginable. Where the heroes have to choose between either dying quickly or being eaten alive from the inside out.

3.) Retribution - Kiyoshi Kurosawa puts the final nail in the coffin of the Oiwa/Long-haired-spooky-girl movies in Asia (for awhile), with one of the most original and moody ghost stories to come out since Ringu. This is easily Kiyoshi’s best horror film since The Cure and one of the best and most disturbing character studies of the year. Retribution is what would have happened if the Coen Brothers had directed the remake of The Ring. It’s a movie that is about mood and character, where even the usually silent and faceless Japanese ghosts speak and scream and let out chilling howls in the face of their victims. Kiyoshi creates an instinctive fear through the use of body language and the performances of his stars, as they react to spirits who invade their personal space in such a subtle and unsettling way that it inspires an instinctual sense of dread and repulsion. Retribution is the story of a police detective at the center of a murder case, being haunted by the ghost of a dead woman who he may or may not have killed. The movie breaks the conventions of typical Asian ghost stories, embracing a seemingly more American narrative; but in the end it turns on itself to reveal a deeper analysis of guilt, loss, and abandonment. Kiyoshi Kurosawa has long been growing as a master of Asian Horror, but really, he’s a master of characterization and his slow crushing build-ups are as suffocating and engaging as any dramatic filmmaker on the planet.

2.) Hellboy 2: The Golden Army - I’ll always be a monster movie fanatic until the day I die and for that reason alone, Hellboy 2 is on this list. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army is a colossal improvement over the original in every single way. It really is the perfect sequel because it improves on not just the story of the original, but on the themes of the original. It brings more weight to the first Hellboy movie and makes it feel stronger, bigger; it makes the original Hellboy feel like it belongs to a larger universe. The original cast including Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Doug Jones (Abe Sapien, The Chamberlain and Angel of Death), Selma Blair (Liz) and Jeffrey Tambor (Tom Manning) all return and are all fantastic; Luke Goss (who stole the show in Del Toro’s Blade 2) gives a strong physical performance as the idealistic Prince Nuada, and Anna Walton is a scene stealer as his twin sister Nuala, while Seth McFarlane is brilliant as the voice of the Ecto-plasmic Johann Kraus. Being a monster movie fan, I came to see the creatures and I wasn’t disappointed. The monster effects were all outstanding, and most of them were incredible practical effects with people in suits, including the massive Mr. Wink (probably the best man in suit monster I’ve ever seen) and the iconic Angel of Death (my favorite Grim Reaper since Dellamorte Dellamore). And to top it all off, the film is a brilliant middle finger to the superhero genre where a group of drunken, irresponsible heroes working for the government attempt to stop a madman who is genuinely trying to save his world. In the end the heroes faced with the harsh realities of their actions have to own up, accept responsibility, grow up and get a life. Hellboy 2 is a great story wrapped in imagination crack for all us crazed monster movie junkies who have been deprived for far too long. We’ve been living on the scraps of overly verbose and pretentious serial killers and vampires that look more like Guess Jeans models than horror villains and Hellboy 2 is flavor country. YUM. I would like more of this, yes please.

1.) Let the Right One In (review) - Now this is the vampiric romance everybody should see. Abandoning the lame comic book theatrics of films like Twilight, Let the Right One In is a stark, realistic and beautiful horror movie about innocence lost; seduced in the face of darkness and the unknown. Let the Right One In is about the frightening realities of childhood, including isolation and bullying and how those realities become darker and more terrifying seen through the prism of our fantasies. Let The Right One In, much like Jodorowsky’s brilliant Santa Sangre, is about the fallacy of the concept of escapism; that in-fact there is no escape. There is no rest for the wicked, there is no reprieve for the tormented. Where the one child’s desire to see the bullies who pick on him get butchered and humiliated for their actions, is brought to life in a way that equally twists and savages his innocence, an action that leaves him even more of an outsider than he was before. Let the Right One is visually and emotionally unsettling, it tackles taboo subjects and commentary and produces a horror film that is completely divorced from the mainstream ideal. It’s one of the most daring and brilliant horror movies to come out of Europe since Suspiria and one of the best films of the year. It’s already been bought to be remade in 2010, so if you have a chance to check it out before hand, I’d recommend you do it now.

WORST:

10.) Twilight - Glitter Vampires? Sheesh. I liked this movie better when it was called The Covenant. Oh, who am I kidding? No I didn’t.

9.) The Eye - Jessica Alba can see dead people! All we get to see is another mediocre remake of a superior Asian horror flick.

8.) Pulse 2 - Ah yes. Nothing quite says “I got the source material wrong” like taking Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s warning film about the dangers of disconnection from other people through technology, and making an apocalyptic fantasy sequel/English remake to it.

7.) Lost Boys 2: The Tribe (review) - Wow. And you thought the people waiting for an Indiana Jones sequel got ripped off?

6.) April Fool’s Day (review) - You know you’ve run out of movies to remake when………….I mean really, where do we go from here? Rawhead Rex the remake? Skullduggery? My Bloody Valentine?! Oh crap. No way.

5.) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - Oh my god! There’s CGI everywhere! CGI Dragons! CGI yetis! CGI Jet Li! CGI ninja! CGI airplanes! CGI snow! Yeah, pity they spent so much money on effects that they couldn’t afford a script.

4.) Prom Night (review) - It’s a slasher with no gore, no nudity and no scares. What do you call a horror movie that isn’t a horror movie? Is this some kind of philosophical question? Like the tree that falls in the woods that nobody hears?

3.) One Missed Call (review) - Demographic research masquerading as a movie.

2.) The Happening (review)- Mark Wahlberg versus Trees. And crazy people who are over-protective about their lemon drinks. Eeeeyeah.

1.) Triloquist - Why do I have to rent the movies with the killer dolls? What compels me to do it? Triloquist is undeniable evidence of my own inner-masochist streak. I swear folks, this is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I feel bad even putting the other nine movies on the same list as it.

Noel’s Picks

BEST:

10.) Zombie Strippers (review) - Jenna Jameson reading Nietzsche. Isn’t THAT scary enough? ‘Nuff said.

9.) The Machine Girl (review) - So much blood you could get gallons of orange juice and cartons of cookies if you decided to donate it. Grrrrrl power never had it so arterial money shot red. And in a schoolgirl uniform to boot!

8.) Quarantine - A very good remake of the outstanding original [REC]. How often have you heard yourself saying that? Especially in the horror genre? Hardly. What’s more, it’s yet another (groan) POV movie. But as you saw last October, you and can be genuinely frightened and puke-worthy dizzy at the same time. But a steel-tipped kick to the junk to whoever marketed this and ruined all the good parts by showing them in the trailers.

7.) Midnight Meat Train (review) - For most of 2008, you heard more about this movie’s release date, or lack of one, rather than the movie itself. Finally getting to see it, I realize it was much too good a movie to be released, because Saw V obviously took priority. Sigh… This is not a perfect movie, but it begs to be seen and enjoyed eventually. And those final 10 minutes are a train wreck, so to speak, in a very good way.

6.) Funny Games (review) - This movie really isn’t for the faint of heart as it’s not “bail-out” horror. It’s horrible people doing horrible things, and you get to watch whether you like it or not. Hated and loved at the same time, it’s one of the few horror movies this year that cannot be dismissed. Go ahead, turn it off and watch something with Agnes Bruckner. Some say it’s “unnecessary.” Shitty movies are “unnecessary.” Most romantic comedies are “unnecessary.” PG-13 horror is unnecessary unless you have a curfew and a fucking allowance. This movie’s got balls (a dog and a kid offed!!!), and that alone makes it worthy of a top 10 spot.

5.) Splinter - It’s creepy some of the time, gory most of the time, and entertaining all of the time. So of COURSE Toby Wilkin’s debut gets the limited release to five theaters nowhere near you. I’m guessing it’s probably because it has better-than-competent actors and actually delivers scares (”It’s okay, we’re cutting off your arm”) that it got shafted like Midnight Meat Train. Maybe they’ll learn next time…and maybe I’ll be more careful when I go to a gas station. Some things ARE worse that $5 a gallon…

4.) Poultrygeist (review) - Topless lesbians, buckets o’ fake blood, and songs you can sing along to. And sometimes all three in the same shot. Does it matter that I don’t remember what this movie’s about? Not really. I’d watch Wendy, Arby, and Humus as they fight off a big ugly mutant chicken anytime…unless there was something better on. And I definitely wouldn’t go into that bathroom.

3.) Cloverfield (review) - How many movies released in January are even REMEMBERED much less make Top 10 Best lists? Yeah, I can’t think of any either, and don’t say One Missed Call. One can attribute this movie making the Top 10 due to the relatively weak ‘08, but I’m thinking it’s just scarier than the 356 other POV-movies released this year. From its too-mundane-to-be-anything-but-realistic opening minutes to the first unseen sounds of crashing at the party to the extermination of the bridge-and-tunnel-posse to the shot if You-Know-What to Rob and Beth’s doomed declarations of love, Cloverfield remained in our minds and hearts during the past 12 months because it’s based on a chilling true story of that monster that attacked New York.

2.) The Ruins (review) - Few films this decade have genuinely scared AND grossed me out as much as this one did. So why isn’t it number one? A cop-out, audience-tested ending almost undercuts everything preceding it. Even if you haven’t read the great novel, doesn’t the ending feel…off? Still, you’ll never look at your garden the same way again or book the economy casa when you take that vaca to Mexico. And X-tra points for Laura Ramsay’s oh-soooo gratuitous nudity.

1.) Inside (review) - Scissors. Blood. More Blood. Even more blood than that. The only movie I’ve seen this year that made me want to throw up is also a paean to one woman’s embracing of motherhood (think Juno with fewer smartass lines and a lot more Karo syrup). Best horror movie moment of ‘08: Sarah’s “greeting” to her mother- oops!! And isn’t that final shot just friggin’ adorable? To the French filmmakers that made Inside a Christmas Eve to remember (and not because there’s so much to clean up), I say muchas gracias, mon freres…

WORST:

-PG-13 Mall Horror - Shutter, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, Prom Night…strictly for the Hannah Montana set and those who enjoy the “realism” of the High School Musical movies. It’s like throwing a kegger with non-alcoholic beer. What the fuck is the point?

-The Happening (review) - As horrendous as this movie is, if taken a certain way it’s one of the funniest movies of the year. I laughed more at that “lion” scene than I did in any of the two Will Ferrell movies out this year (not that it was tough).

-Mother of Tears (review) - How do you say “Dario Argento has completely lost his 70’s touch and it is displayed no more abundantly than in this ludicrous mess of a movie. What’s more, you dragged your daughter down with you” in Italian? You know this movie’s just dreadful…but in a fun don’t-laugh-at-the-guy-with-his-pants-on-backwards kind of way.

-Saw V (review) - is it too early to put Saw VI on this list now?

-Diary of the Dead (review)- I would have liked this movie more had there been no sound and I wouldn’t have had to listen to Romero’s inane, repetitive dialogue. Someone tell him he’s retread this shit again and again, and in much better movies. Maybe there’s a “home” for tedious directors piss-staining their once immaculate reputation. Maybe he’ll see Argento there…

Jude Felton’s Picks

BEST:

10.) Gutterballs (review) - Old school slasher action that was just about as depraved as it needed to be. Maybe even more so.

9.) The Signal (review) - A clever and brave movie that impressed me throughout, even if some parts were better than others.

8.) Funny Games (review) - Who says remakes are all bad? Dark, disturbing and not without its moments of pitch black humour. I was gripped from start to finish.

7.) The Cottage - Ridiculously good fun. Took a simple premise, threw in some great characters and had a ball with it.

6.) The Ruins (review) - Better than the novel. This was a taut lean mainstream horror flick that delivered.

5.) Transsiberian (review) - A clever thriller that didn’t rely on flashy effects or over the top gore, just good acting and a tight script.

4.) The Machine Girl (review) - Over the top mayhem that sick and violent, yet oh so much fun!

3.) Philosophy of a Knife - Possibly the darkest movie release of the year. A thoroughly disturbing tour de force.

2.) [REC] (review) - This film showed that the handheld home video style flick could be effective again, and scary!

1.) Inside (A l’interieur) (review) - Another house invasion style movie, this time with the claret and gore thrown in to fantastic effect.

WORST:

8.) The X- Files: I Want To Believe - One of the great genre TV shows was finally killed off in this awfully poor movie.

7.) Borderland (review) - Nasty yet incredibly boring.

6.) Rest Stop 2 (review) - One of the few movies that I was tempted to turn off due to its sheer stupidity.

5.) Mirrors - It looked good, but failed to deliver anything resembling a good horror movie.

4.) Death on Demand - Just a bad movie.

3.) One Missed Call (review)- Truly uninspiring movie that really did need to be missed.

2.) The Strangers (review) - House invasion done badly.

1.) The Happening (review) - This movie just didn’t happen at all. A promising premise let down by the fact that nothing happened.

Willy Greer’s Picks

BEST:

10.) Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (review) - A fun throwback to the 1980s-the good old days of animatronic creature effects. So glad someone’s keeping the dream alive. Fuck CGI.

9.) Hellboy 2 - Even Del Toro’s “paycheck” movies are great. How does he do it? This one’s on the list for the Angel of Death, and for Hellboy and Abe’s drunken duet. Classic shit.

8.) Machine Girl (review) - An action-packed, gory, cartoony, fetishistic delight. Putting killer Japanese schoolgirls in your film is a very easy way to get on my top ten list.

7.) Zibakhanna (Hell’s Ground) (review) - Pakistan’s first official splatter film. Director Omar Ali Khan brings a fresh cultural perspective to age-old horror movie clichés. Exotic and familiar at the same time, made by someone who obviously has deep love for the genre. Too much fun.

6.) Cloverfield (review) - A giant monster movie in which the humans actually hold our interest! Even the love story works! Who knew such a thing was possible in one of these films?

5.) Hair Extensions - Sion Sono’s refreshing and very twisted twist on the J-horror movement, bringing a slightly Jodorowsky-like vibe to the proceedings. Disturbing and absurd. Chiaki Kuriyama is as hot as ever.

4.) 100 Feet - This modern gothic ghost story starring the delicious Famke Janssen and directed by Eric Red, is still looking for a distribution deal. It’s tight, clever, and scary as hell, dealing with domestic abuse in a tasteful way that never veers off into “Lifetime Movie Of The Week” territory. Here’s hoping it comes out soon.

3.) Let The Right One In (review) - It’s like a Bergman movie, only it’s not boring and artsy to a fault. Lyrical and haunting, with amazing performances from the two young leads. The best thing about this film is that you’re not sure how to feel about what you’ve seen, even days after you’ve seen it.

2.) Teeth (review) - Part coming-of-age horror tale, part Cronenbergian psychosexual fever dream, part superhero origin story. Teeth is, along with Ginger Snaps and the original Carrie, one of the only female teen horror films that matter.

1.) [REC] (review) - The Blair Witch Project meets 28 Days Later-and the good news is: [REC] is a distillation of the best elements of both those films. Fuck the shot-by-shot remake Quarantine-buy this pants-shitting thrill ride when it’s finally released domestically. You’ll thank me.

WORST:

10.) Oh, jeez, I saw so many piece-o-shit screeners this year I can’t decide which one merits a place on this list. Carver? The Sickhouse? The Vanguard? Buried Alive? What if I don’t want to talk about any of them at any more length? What if I just left off here without making a decision? Would you still respect me in the morning? It’s a chance I’m willing to take. I think I’ll go pop in my bootleg of [REC] one more time.

9.) Alive Or Dead - “Dude! My uncle says he’ll let us make a horror movie at his medieval-themed gift shop in the desert!”

8.) Inside - The good reviews I’ve read so far of this film talk at great length about how brutal, bloody and disturbing it is, but none of them talk about how good it is. Perhaps my opinion of this film will change over time, but right now I see it as simply gratuitous and depressing. It might be the best torture-porn movie yet made, but it’s still torture-porn. Sorry, guys; I gotta call bullshit on this one.

7.) Kinky Killers - It’s a rare film to feature naked girls tied up that doesn’t hold my attention. Blood Feast meets Lost Highway. I am not making this up. No, it’s not remotely as interesting as it sounds.

6.) Five Across The Eyes - “Last House On The Left with a soccer mom in the David Hess role.” How very high-concept. By the way, was this thing shot with a fucking VHS camcorder?

5.) The Devil’s Chair - The purpose of a twist ending is to make the viewer look at everything s/he’s just watched in a new way. This derivative turd has a twist ending that negates the entire movie that precedes it (which, honestly, wasn’t worth watching to begin with). Someone needs to take a screenwriting class.

4.) Trapped Ashes (review) - An uninspired, sad mess, made even sadder by the waste of the talent involved.

3.) Brutal Massacre (review) - Another faux doc! Another painfully unfunny comedy! Enough already!

2.) American Zombie: More interminably dull indie shite. A faux documentary with unlikable characters, a bland storyline, and uninteresting social subtext. A satire without jokes. If this whole “indie snobs cross over into horror” thing develops into its own subgenre I am going spoon out my own eyes.

1.) Baghead: The Duplass Brothers’ smug, precious, zoom-happy The Puffy Chair embodied everything I hate about indie filmmaking. Now they’ve brought their twee posturing to the horror genre with Baghead-sort of. Who the fuck invited these guys to the party, anyway?

Bikini Bloodbath is a ridiculous film that doesn't have much point other than dancing girls in bikinis, ambiguously gay football jocks playing Twister and Debbie Rochon stealing the show.

What a year, what a year. While everyone else includes DVDs in their best and worst lists, I solely focus on films that hit theaters. While compiling my lists, I couldn't believe how hard it was to pick ten films that I felt were worth even mentioning as "the best". While I barely succeeded, the worst list was much easier, which was pretty disappointing from my standpoint. That means this was a lousy year for horror and that the majority of horror films released were bad. Looking forward to 2009, I can't say I expect anything different next year, but one can only hope... beyond the break you can check out my list of the best horror films of 2008. Don't forget you can chime in with your own lists and thoughts below, or write your own reviews in our MoviePit.

What a year, what a year. While everyone else includes DVDs in their best and worst lists, I solely focus on films that hit theaters. While compiling my lists, I couldn't believe how hard it was to pick ten films that I felt were worth even mentioning as "the best". While I barely succeeded, the worst list was much easier, which was pretty disappointing from my standpoint. That means this was a lousy year for horror and that the majority of horror films released were bad. Looking forward to 2009, I can't say I expect anything different next year, but one can only hope... beyond the break you can check out my list of the worst horror films of 2008. Don't forget you can chime in with your own lists and thoughts below, or write your own reviews in our MoviePit.

Dismal takes all imaginings of a backwoods cannibalistic family and rips them to shreds via an incohesive story, silly effects and character transitions from civilized to psychotic that defy reason.

While THE UNBORN and FRIDAY THE 13TH are getting most of the attention, another Platinum Dunes film heading to theaters early next year is Jonas Akerlund's The Horsemen (trailer), which Lionsgate will release on March 13. This evening we found the international one sheet for the film in which Dennis Quaid will play a bitter detective grieving over his wife's recent death. While investigating a case, he discovers a shocking connection between himself and the suspects in a serial killing spree linked to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Don't forget to click here for loads of images.

The first feature from Eugene, Oregon based Faux Show Productions, the horror-comedy EARTH DAY tells the tale of a group of ex eco-crusaders who find themselves being systematically slaughtered as the one year anniversary of the tragic Earth Day death of their leader, Pixie (Koi O'Eltressiah), approaches. Detective Trent Torrance (Bruce Lundy) suspects only one man: Hassan (Adrian Salge), who grew up in the most extreme terrorist sect in all of Pakistan, only to be expelled for "going under the Burga" and embracing the forbidden art of Women's hair care. Together with Priscilla (Daphne Danger), Pixie's nihilistic twin sister, they strive to prove Hassan's innocence, while trying to avoid her insanely overprotective plastic surgeon father Dr. Percival Peever (Gaylord Walker), and his plastic surgery casualty of an assistant, Lenora (Elizabeth Myers). Coming April 22, 2009! Check out the trailer beyond the break.

North American Pictures has slated the indie horror pic GHOSTS OF GOLDFIELD for release on DVD May 5th. Directed by Ed Winfield, five college filmmakers on a mission to explore the haunted town of Goldfield, Nevada unleash a vengeful spirit that stalks them from the shadows. Before this night of terror is over, one of the ghost hunters will take their rightful place among the restless souls of the dead. Check out the art inside.

Now on DVD from Summit Entertainment is Trailer Park of Terror, which SpookyDan visited the set of early last year. Spooky just now sent in his report from the set, so if you're still interested in going behind-the-scenes of this popular direct-to-DVD horror flick, read beyond the break. Six troubled high school students and their chaperone are returning from a retreat when their bus crashes, stranding them in the middle of trailer park hell - literally. Without warning, hillbilly zombies looking for fun begin slaughtering the teens in gruesome fashion. With a rockin' Southern-fried soundtrack, top-notch special effects and a devilish sense of humor, Trailer Park of Terror (based on the Imperium comic book series) is nasty fun for the hardcore horror fan.

From the creators (Alex Turner and Simon Barrett) of the cult hit, DEAD BIRDS, comes the psychological, horror film Red Sands (trailer), which follows the story of a group of U.S. soldiers who face a deadly supernatural force after they destroy an ancient statue. Today we got our hands on several new stills from the film, which arrives on DVD February 24 from Sony Home Entertainment.

Arriving on DVD April 7 from Midnight Releasing is ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, which is a remake of the 1959, Roger Corman produced, public domain, sci-fi classic. The movie is directed by Brett Kelly, the Ottawa- born director of the indie hits "My Dead Girlfriend","The Bonesetter" and many more. Check out the trailer and DVD art inside.