Mad God (2021)

The first movie of this year's annual horror countdown is Phil Tippett's Mad God (2021), suggested to me by my friend Jason. I'm a huge sucker for practical effects and stop motion, so this was satisfying in that respect, but the very loose narrative structure and unrelenting ick factor made this feel very long. Would have made a better short film than full-length feature.

 

Bird Box (2018)

Finally got around to watching Bird Box (2018). This hit me right in the parent feels, so for me at least, this was more teary-anxiety-about-children-in-the-apocalypse than actual horror. It was pretty good though. I'm assuming everyone has already seen it, but sort of a Walking Dead meets A Quiet Place (2018). I did predict a major plot element from the beginning though, so that's no fun. And I will say, these folks neglected an obvious (though drastic) coping mechanism that I would have adopted.

House of a Thousand Corpses (2003)

As part of the 2022 Annual Horror Movie Countdown, I re-watched Rob Zombie's House of a Thousand Corpses (2003). I normally don't do rewatches because the whole point of this challenge is to experience new horror, but Mark had never seen it, and I only saw it once, when I was 18, so 15 years ago. At the time, I found it really powerful, shocking, and viscerally disturbing. It didn't have quite the same impact this time (for one thing, now that The Office has happened, it's hard to see Rainn Wilson without thinking of Dwight) -- but I still think it's an underrated movie. Yes, it's a little all-over-the-place, but this ghoulish family nails several horror archetypes, from yandere "Baby" to psycho Otis, and more. I still love it.

Men (2022)

Men (2022) was interesting. The cinematography was striking, and although I am basically anti-CGI, the (much-discussed) effects were surprisingly realistic. I dispute this being any kind of feminist film, however. Without giving too much away, a traumatized woman must survive a series of horrors -- but in my read of the (deliberately ambiguous) ending, it seems these may be merely the products of a mind worn out by abuse and misogyny. A tired trope. Criticisms aside, my favorite part of the movie was Rory Sinnear's performance as... damn near everybody. People keep talking about the Green Man motif, but the Sheela Na Gig is the real MVP.

Not near as good as Annihilation (2018).

Scream (2022)

Our second flick of this year's annual horror countdown was the new Scream (2022), which Mark and I watched with my bro Jesse. I generally find slashers boring, but I really love the original Scream (1996). The new iteration had some clever moments -- lots of meta humor, like moments you "know" will be jump scares, but then aren't -- but was a bust overall. For me, the original works because the pacing is perfect -- the stalking builds the suspense and makes the kills much more terrifying. In the new one, the willy-nilly killing destroys the sense of being uniquely preyed upon, being hunted, which triggers our primal terror.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who also did the much better. Ready or Not (2019).

X (2022)

X (2022) was crazy. A rare horror movie where I actually liked the characters, and rooted for them not to get killed. Set in the 1970s, some young hotties head to rural Texas to shoot a porno. Things are going well, except, their elderly hosts have some issues. Lots of humor, and stars Kid Cudi, as well as the younger sister from the new Scream (Jenna Ortega), among others. Some very, VERY, cringe content-- but a winner overall.

Not as good as House of the Devil (2009), but another success from Ti West.

Crimson Peak (2015)

 

I love Guillermo del Toro, and I was excited about Crimson Peak (2015), but it was quite awful. The dialogue was unbearably stilted and the CGI was appalling.  We turned it off halfway through, intending to pick it back up later, but honestly, life is too short.

Last Night in Soho (2021)

 Last Night in Soho (2021) was interesting. I wouldn't say I loved it (it didn't crack my Top 100 list, for example), in part because it wasn't really very scary... it was more a drama/thriller. Also, I wasn't blown away by the solution to the mystery, and finally, I'm tired of the misogynistic portrayal of sex work as inherently degrading. But I enjoyed the 60s dream sequences, and the identity crisis trope is always interesting. Others that do it better are Perfect Blue (1997), Fight Club (1999), Black Swan (2010), and Cam (2018). Thomasin McKenzie sure is a beauty though! And a good actress, I look forward to more from her. Also stars Anya Taylor-Joy, of The Witch (2015) and Split (2016).

Hatching (2022)

FINALLY, a movie worthy of the annual horror movie countdown! Hatching (2022) was brilliant. A strange tale of a young girl desperate to please her image-obsessed mother; Tinja takes pity on an orphaned egg, and hatches it, to disastrous effect. Body/transformation horror at its finest, without relying on CGI. A banger of a debut feature film from Finnish director Hanna Bergholm! Recommended for fans of Raw (2016), When Animals Dream (2014), and Ginger Snaps (2000).