Somebody posted this list on Facebook with "great" horror (or similar) films from the last decade, and there are a bunch I either haven't seen or even heard about. So which ones get a "yay", which ones get a "nay"?
Strong YAY
The Skin I Live In--to go along with our other current discussion, this one is not a horror to me. It's a thriller/drama. It's a Spanish film based on a French short novel (and it departs significantly from the novel, which I read many years ago). The acting is great, as is the direction. Highly recommended.
Upgrade--The film that Leigh Whannell made before
The Invisible Man. Again: horror? Eh. I'd consider it more of a bloody action/sci-fi film. It's about a man who agrees to get an "operating system" installed in his body to get revenge on the people who killed his wife.
Under the Skin--Again: horror? Okay. I consider this one a sci-fi/drama. Scarlett Johansson stars as an alien disguised as a woman whose job is to capture men for some ambiguous purpose. Visually stunning, great lead performance, and a sequence that I think is top tier visual storytelling (the "beach scene" for those of you who have seen it). The ending is slightly garbage, and in fact the movie kind of loses its way in the last 20 minutes or so. Still, highly recommended.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night--Stylish Iranian vampire film. I think that some of the political allusions went over my head, but that doesn't harm the film at all. Very compelling and *different* in a good way.
It Follows--A divisive film, probably just because it was so hyped which immediately turned into backlash. I really like it. Good performances and an original concept for a monster. I even think that it nails the landing at the end.
Strong NAY
Come to Daddy--I love Elijah Wood and Stephen McHattie. So I can't say it's the worst film I've seen this year. But it is awful. And you can tell that it thinks it's ~quirky~ and ~different~ ("Look--a penis!" was a visual joke so good they felt the need to use it twice), and it is SO PAINFUL. Bless the actors, who try their hardest.
MEH
[b]Crimson Peak[b] is a throwback Gothic horror that can't quite get things totally right. Solid performances, but it lacks some element of grit or something.
Under the Shadow--Strongly hyped Iranian film that left me a little cold ultimately. Not bad, just lacking something for me.
I Saw the Devil--MKS isn't here to defend this one, mwa ha ha!! Again: horror? This is a film about a man whose wife is murdered by a brutal serial killer. He manages to catch up to the killer, but decides that he wants the man to suffer and so initiates a game of cat and mouse. You know that quote about those who fight monsters must take care not to become one? That's the film in a nutshell, and yet after the point has well been made the movie just . . . keeps going. It's very well made, but it failed to engage me on an empathy level and at a certain point I was just sitting back bleakly waiting to see how much more carnage there would be before it was over.
The Wailing--A supernatural South Korean horror about a police detective trying to understand strange events in his town and, eventually, his own family. But other people would probably give this one a strong yay. I don't know why it didn't click with me.
The Void--Rated it a 7/10 on IMDb, but I don't remember much about it? Evil is afoot at an isolated hospital. Robed figures. Tentacles. Solid overall, but clearly not super memorable!
Neon Demon--Horror taking aim at the world of fashion/Hollywood. A handful of really memorable moments (including some creepy stuff from Keanu Reeves in a supporting role), and some fun, gross body horror stuff. I liked parts of it but didn't love it overall.
Heard Good Things about
:
Raw
One Cut of the Dead
Heard Mixed Things about
:
Color Out of Space