By: Monte Yazzie
Film is very subjective. What connects
with one person may not resonate with another. That’s what makes ranking an
entire year in film so difficult, what I like can be vastly different from what
someone else likes. I find this especially difficult when it comes to horror films.
Some are looking for the next big scare, some want the next great monster, some
want humor, some want gore; it’s a diverse mix of specific elements that will categorize
your favorite horror film.
Films like “Lights Out” and “The Witch”
found much success but are completely different and were received differently
from genre fans. I recall two discussions, one about “The Witch” not being a horror
film and another about “Lights Out” being the scariest film of all time, which
intrigued me in the best way possible. These discussions display how personal
film can be to the viewer. Needless to say there was a little something for
every genre taste in 2016, a particular banner year for the horror film.
10. Don’t Breathe
The concerns of the dreaded sophomore slump didn’t seem to
bother director Fede Alvarez who could have done anything he wanted at this
point, instead he chose to stay within the genre and write an original
screenplay. “Don’t Breathe” is an unexpected combination of a bunch of
different genre inspirations, a film that is as familiar as it is unique.
Taking the unsuspecting nature of a blind man who turns the tables on a group
of thieves allows Mr. Alvarez to play with genre characteristics. Moments of
terror and tension are peaked effectively through subtle combinations of sound
design and camera movements. The film makes an interesting change in direction,
which adds additional layers of dread to the structure. Mr. Alvarez is proving
one of the best up-and-coming directors of the genre.
9. Evolution
The images in Lucille Hadžihalilović’s film “Evolution” display a
world without much feeling, though the emotions levied on the viewer are
displayed with bold, insistent strokes. It’s within these images that the
horror is exposed on an island community filled with young boys being prepared, not nurtured,
by women for a future unknown. The film is mostly quiet but the exquisite,
bizarre imagery outlines a nightmare more than a cohesive story. It’s
challenging filmmaking because of this structure but is also so much more
effective; the images within “Evolution” speak horrific volumes, more than a
story could possibly explain.
8. Train to Busan
The zombie subgenre of horror is tired but with a recurring
show that still sits near the top of the ratings game on cable television, “The
Walking Dead”, zombies have steadily become pop culture icons. It’s hard to
surprise horror fans, so when the South Korean zombies-on-a-train horror film
“Train to Busan” came across my viewing path I wasn’t expecting much. I was so
wrong. Director Yeon Sang-ho fashioned a film with exceptional characters, a
narrative with sharp melodramatic social commentary, and zombies that aren’t so
much gory constructs as they are forces to motivate the characters into
interesting situations and places. It’s the best zombie film in recent memory.
7. Autopsy of Jane Doe
Within the first 40-minutes of André Øvredal's film “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” you will be
immersed in a horror film that does everything to near perfection; the scares
are a mix of subtle and deliberate shocks, the characters are interesting and
engaged in the mystery, and the visual viscera are very raw and in-your-face.
These elements combine and become a chilling experience, one that delves into
the dark depths of the process of death.
6. The Invitation
Karyn Kusama, the talented director behind 2009’s
“Jennifer’s Body”, crafts a moody and meticulously executed film about a group
of friends reuniting over dinner. “The Invitation” constructs a simple premise
into something dark and sinister, a film that plays with preconceived
assumptions familiar to horror fans, the struggle to separate oneself from
their past, and that uncomfortable and awkward feeling of sitting around a
table with people you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s a film that relies on
character to induce fear, that’s a special kind of fear because we have all met
someone sitting at the table in this film. “The Invitation” displays Karyn
Kusama’s undeniable talent as a filmmaker.
5. Demon
“Demon” doesn’t indulge in its horror conventions like most
films would, the film instead deals with the effects of horrific events on
people and how it changes and influences culture over time. The photography is
beautifully bleak; the Polish countryside is ominous with a sense of darkness
clouded by fog in the distance. The narrative combines both dark humor and
not-so-subtle metaphors to evoke a portrait of Polish history and a correlation
to real life horror. “Demon” is the kind of film that displays how a creative
artist, the tragic final film for director Marcin Wrona, can transform genre
into something that evokes different emotions while also having something
powerful to proclaim.
4. The Eyes of My Mother
The horror in Nicolas Pesce’s “The Eyes of My Mother” is as
grotesque as it beautiful. Shot in stark black and white photography, the film
displays the gradual and deranged development of young girl named Francisca
played delicately by actress Kika Magalhaes in one of the best performances in
a horror film this year. The film has all the skillful qualities one would
expect from an arthouse film, the design and photography are particularly
amazing, while also existing firmly in the realms of a house of horror. The film is a disturbing and compelling piece
of genre filmmaking.
3. The Wailing
Meticulous in its method and steady in its execution, “The
Wailing” is a horror film that manipulates expectations by pulling the viewer
deeper into the abyss of the mystery but also the characters that are placed in
such terrible settings. This combination of horror and character gives the film
an unexpected emotional undertone that makes the scary moments all the more
affecting.
2. Green Room
People have different definitions of horror; some may call
“Green Room” a thriller though I like to think of it as survival horror. Just like
zombies in “Dawn of the Dead” or vampires in “From Dusk till Dawn”, Jeremy
Saulnier’s film creates monsters out of a community of white supremacists. It’s a film that understands the rules but decides to play by its
own tune; a fast, aggressive, and stripped down horror tune that is a
masterclass of tension.
1. The Witch
It’s been a long time since a horror film has affected me
the way Robert Egger’s film “The Witch” has. A film that lives and breathes on
manipulating the atmosphere that it operates in, building dread and creating an
environment that saturates any glimmer of light with darkness. It’s hard to
call it just frightening or menacing, it’s something more, something darker and
more authentic than those terms can embody. It’s a nightmare that you can’t
wake up from, one that lures you into the blackened world and then forces you
to keep going when you want to turn back. “The Witch” is the best horror film
this year.
Mentions
The Greasy Strangler
Bonkers, absolute hilarious, not for the faint of heart;
it’s unlike any other film you’ll see in a long time.
Under the Shadow
This film has one of the best jump scares of the year; it’s
also a poignant tale of how the terror of culture can collide with the terror
of politics.
Love Witch
Director Anna Biller crafts a painstakingly detailed and
seducing genre film; it is a visual and technical feast for the senses.
Hush
Simple yet effective; director Mike Flanagan is one of the strongest
voices, not only in the genre, but also in filmmaking in general. “Hush” is
horror stripped down to its most basic form.
Quija: Origin of Evil
A prequel to a horror film can offer too many explanations,
ruining whatever brought you back to the theater to continue the journey in the
first place. However, it seldom does what “Quija: Origin of Evil” did, which
was make the original film completely obsolete.
Holidays
More than half of the stories in this anthology are
fantastic, that’s an achievement in itself for an anthology. “Father’s Day” and “St. Patrick’s Day” are
wonderful standouts here.
10 Cloverfield Lane
John Goodman gives one of the best performances in film this
year. It’s a fantastic continuation of the “Cloverfield” mythos.
They Look Like People
This psychological thriller takes two characters and
effectively mixes elements of paranoia, fear, and anxiety crafting a rather
suspenseful little indie film.
Shin Godzilla
Leave it the Toho Company to bring Godzilla back to its
purest form; a healthy dose of nostalgia that is updated with modern problems.
I Am Not A Serial
Killer
Max Records and Christopher Lloyd provide great performances
in this quiet character study that also has a very threatening mystery
lingering under the surface.
The Shallows
Easily one of the best shark films in some time.
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