That's getting a little old...

Ferretchucker has been here for years. Believe me, no. *Devil smiley*

Can we get a devil emoji in here already?

They're talking about Unbroken

http://forums.civfanatics.com/images...amingdevil.gif

Yes! That's what I'm talking about. That's a devil. ::danger::

I've finally gotten through my 2014 watchlist, at least enough that I feel comfortable posting my favorites.

All-in-all, 2014 was a pretty good year for horror.

My #1, The Babadook, has instant classic potential. Under the Skin at #2, albeit not pure horror, is one that won't soon be forgotten. From there, deep into the rankings, the quality of the films remains high. It could easily be argued that films in the 50-60 range could swap places with films in the 10-20 range.

Horror is popular, as evidenced by all the current horror-themed TV shows. The competition is fierce for horror films. And yet, Hollywood isn't contributing most of the good stuff. Continuing from the success of independents in 2013, most of the best films in 2014 are indies.

Found footage, as much as we keep wondering when it will run its course, continues to thrive. A whopping 20% of this list is found footage/mockumentary -- and a number of them are pretty darn good.

Horror/comedy made a serious play this year, with four excellent contributions cracking the top 11, and nearly a dozen more scattered throughout the list.

Besides that, no single subgenre -- such as recent trends in zombies, vampire/romance, torture, and previously J-horror/vengeful ghosts -- is dominating the landscape. Zombies are slowing down, but still represented, and we saw a half dozen non-teenie-bopper vampire and/or werewolf films. All the subgenres are represented, from body horror to sci-fi (with multiple of the body snatcher variety), ghosts, possession, witches, slasher, madness, psychotic, crime/revenge, torture, splatter, giant monsters, killer animals, and even a giallo. And, one last thing: doppelgängers, four films strong.

2014 was good. Here's hoping 2015 will be even better.


So, here goes...

My Ranked List of 2014 Horror Movies

10/10

1. The Babadook (2014)
2. Under the Skin (2013)

9/10

3. Tusk (2014)
4. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
5. The Double (2014)
6. Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead (2014)
7. Borgman (2013)
8. Blue Ruin (2013)
9. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

8/10

10. Cheap Thrills (2014)
11. Housebound (2014)
12. Oculus (2014)
13. The Guest (2014)
14. Enemy (2013)
15. Starry Eyes (2014)
16. The Canal (2014)
17. Proxy (2014)
18. Killers (2014)
19. Moebius (2013)
20. Among the Living (2014)
21. Maps to the Stars (2014)
22. Nothing Bad Can Happen (2013)
23. Snowpiercer (2013)
24. The Den (2013)
25. The Possession of Michael King (2014)
26. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)
27. The Sacrament (2013)
28. Shock Value (2014)
29. Omnívoros (aka Omnivores) (2013)
30. Wolf Creek 2 (2013)

7/10

31. 13 Sins (2014)
32. Honeymoon (2014)
33. Exists (2014)
34. Late Phases (2014)
35. Horns (2014)
36. Witching & Bitching (2013)
37. Willow Creek (2014)
38. Found (2012)
39. Coherence (2013)
40. The Town that Dreaded Sundown (2014)
41. The Borderlands (2014)
42. The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
43. Devoured (2012)
44. Big Bad Wolves (2014)
45. Godzilla (2014)
46. Wer (2013)
47. Afflicted (2013)
48. All Cheerleaders Die (2013)
49. Banshee Chapter (2013)
50. Alien Abduction (2014)
51. How I Live Now (2013)
52. The Strange Color of Your Body`s Tears (2013)
53. The House at the End of Time (aka La casa del fin de los tiempos) (2013)
54. Come Back to Me (2014)
55. Annabelle (2014)
56. Stage Fright (2014)

6/10

57. Life After Beth (2014)
58. Kristy (2014)
59. Eat (2014)
60. Nurse 3-D (2014)
61. The Scribbler (2014)
62. Gun Woman (2014)
63. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)
64. Torment (2013)
65. Mr. Jones (2013)
66. The Returned (2014)
67. Zombeavers (2014)
68. The Last Showing (2014)
69. V/H/S: Viral (2014)
70. Odd Thomas (2013)
71. Deliver Us from Evil (2014)
72. Haunt (2013)

5/10

73. 24 Exposures (2014)
74. At the Devil`s Door (2014)
75. Rosemary`s Baby (2014)
76. Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014)


A few that I didn't rank:

We Are What We Are (2013) - 8/10 - According to IMDB it seemed to get a wide enough release in 2013, but it's a close call. I also seem to remember it on "Best of 2013" lists last year.

Nyphomaniac I & II (2013, 2013) - 7/10, 6/10 - I'd include twisted von Trier dramas Dogville, Breaking the Waves, and maybe Dancer in the Dark, but the Nympho films didn't cross over enough.


Here's a bit of info on how I constructed the list:

What constitutes "Horror?"

I tend to cast a wide net on horror, even though I know the common definition is more limited. But... since this is my very own list, I get to do what I want. ::smile::

* I'll include horror-themed comedies and dramas without question. For instance, What We Do in the Shadows (comedy) and Only Lovers Left Alive (drama).

* I'll include exploitation (e.g., Gun Woman), as long as it makes sense, usually due to gore.

* I'll include dark or violent thrillers and twisted dramas, but only if my gut says it belongs in the list. For instance, Nothing Bad Will Happen is clearly drama (if you haven't seen it, maybe use Dogville as a similar example), but it's also the stuff of nightmares. Killers is a crime thriller, but super violent, and directed by the 'Mo Brothers, who do horror.

* I tend to be a bit more lenient for directors who are known for horror. For instance, Maps to the Stars, Snowpiercer, The Guest.

What qualifies for "2014?"

Like roshiq, I'll include any film that got its wider release in 2014. I tried to research each non-2014 release, and if it was only shown at festivals prior to 2014, or received a limited release in small countries, it qualifies.

What's the rating scale? Do I hate the films at the bottom?

Here's how I define my scale:

------------------------------------
10: Loved it. Classic or potential favorite
9: Loved it
8: Really liked it
7: Liked it plenty
6: Liked it
5: Watchable, but disliked it as much as I liked it
4: Didn't like it
3: Really didn't like it
2: Hated it
1: Impossible because I wouldn't have been able to finish it
------------------------------------

Since all the films in the list are rated 5 or higher, there actually aren't any movies in the list that I solidly "didn't like."

And, since everything is better with pictures, here's the list with poster art (courtesy of Letterboxd.com).

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...69997120_o.jpg

You've made me want to watch a slew of movies now.

Giganticface, you show-off. Did you start on that post back in 2014? ::big grin::

One of the coolest posts I've ever seen. ::cool::

Cool. Based on your comments in various posts on films you watch, I think I tend to like a lot of the same films you do, and am pretty aligned with your insights. Hopefully not too many of the films I rated high don't disappoint.


Haha. Technically, yes I suppose, if you count the fact that I track and rate all the movies & TV series' I watch throughout the year. Exporting the list and fine-tuning the rankings isn't as big a task as it probably looks like. I also started thinking about my top list once all the "Best of 2014" lists started coming out late December, and realized there were a number I hadn't yet seen.

Very, very nice compliment. I appreciate it.