Horror.com's Hits & Pits
Disclaimer / Note / Explanation / Justification from Staci Layne Wilson: Due to the limitations of the genre covered here, I cannot choose some of the worst movies I have seen this year (Run Fatboy Run, The Hottie & The Nottie), nor some of the best (Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler) — but when it comes to fantastical faves and f-ups, here at horror.com I am allowed to play pretty fast and loose. (If there's a ghost in it, a serial killer, or a demon — the movie qualifies!) This year, I decided to skip documentaries, and television series.
Unfortunately I didn't have the time to see *everything* I wanted to, so this is bascially what I liked and didn't like — I include those only on the festival circuit, limited release, direct-to-disc, and U.S. premiere.
So without further ado, here's the best and the worst I saw in '08.
Hits
10. Teeth - Love bites in this sexy, funny, creepy chiller about a girl named Dawn and the strange thing she's got going on. Seen: once. Now on DVD.
9. Otis - Forget that glossy, bloodless remake starring The CW's finest. This is the *real* 2008 "prom night" to remember. Seen: twice. Now on DVD.
8. Mother of Tears - My tears of laughter may not have been the intent of the filmmakers, but I absolutely adore this bloody mess! Seen: four times. Now on DVD.
7. Parasomnia - One of the most hauntingly beautiful dark fairy tales to come along in awhile, this indie features some of the best breathtaking automatons and dread-filled dream sequences you will ever find on film. Seen: four times. Currently on the festival circuit. No DVD release date yet.
6. Inside - Parlevous pain in this taut grand guignol thriller which came out in France last year, but didn't make it stateside till 2008. You'll never look at scissors the same way again. Seen: once. Now on DVD.
5. Midnight Meat Train - All aboard Clive Barker's cars of carnage! It's the best adaptation of the grandmaster of grue's words since Hellraiser, and — while the CGI is a bit much at times — it's a ghastly, suspenseful story which aptly captures the essence of the author's original short story. Seen: once. On DVD on February 17, 2009.
4. Let The Right One In - Sourpuss Swedes suck blood in this "anti-Twilight" vampire tale, which I like to describe as something along the lines of Ingmar Bergman channeling Bram Stoker while reinterpreting My Bodyguard. Seen: once. On DVD March 10, 2009.
3. The Dark Knight - Probably the most accomplished, fully-realized and best-acted movie on this list, TDK can't quite crack the top two because it doesn't attain the originality, ingenuity and spooky-style fun of the dynamic duo listed below. Seen: three times. Now on DVD.
2. Trick 'R Treat - Out of all the horror-comedy movies I have seen (and we are talking thousands, here!) this is one of maybe ten I can name that actually works flawlessly on both counts. There are plenty of incredibly funny horror yuk-fests (Shaun of the Dead lumbers to mind), but it nearly impossible to find one that's also scary. Trick 'R Treat is that movie. It's also a smart, well thought-out celebration of one of the most popular, yet cinematically unrepresented, holidays. Seen: once. Currently on the festival circuit. No DVD release date yet.
1. Repo! The Genetic Opera - While never truly terrifying, this bona fide opera (drama-rama, sung from beginning to end), succeeds in the horror arena on sheer slashing alone. Add to the flood of blood this flick's unapologetic emotional resonance, its defiant creativity, and its audacious rebel-soul — well, you just can't go wrong with this slushy sing-along. Seen: four times. On DVD January 20, 2009.
Pits
10. The Strangers
7. Untraceable
6. The Eye
5. Saw V
2. Seed
1. Over Her Dead Body / Ghost Town - (P)it's a tie because this is basically the same dreadful, unfunny, awkward movie, only with different actors. These were both so embarrassingly bad for the actors and filmmakers, I couldn't even muster up the hate to write about them.
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