Hot damn, 2018 is shaping up to be a hell of a year for horror. By this time last year, Blumhouse had already delivered the one-two punch ofSplitandGet Out, and that was only the start ofa string of horror hitsthat culminated inITbecoming the highest-grossing horror movie of all time. So it’s safe to say this year sure has a lot to live up to, but with some of the most anticipated titled of the year still on the docket, it’s already easy to see that this is one of the most exciting and successful years in horror history.
The lineup has run the gamut from artsy and existential terrors to gory revenge thrillers and exploitation-bent horror comedy. We’ve debated “elevated horror,” did the quietest popcorn munching of all time inA Quiet Place, remembered how much we loveNicolas Cage, and dug deep into debates over challenging films likeAnnihilationandHereditary. It’s been a very healthy year for the genre, indeed.
We’re keeping this list confined to films that have been released in 2018 – be it theatrically, digitally or on a streaming service – so you won’t see any unreleased festival favorites on here, but we’ll be updating the list throughout the year. And with films likeHalloweenandSuspiriaon the docket, we’ve got a whole lot to look forward to,
A filmmaker who’s never content to play it safe,Steven Soderberghdecided to tackle big ideas with small means inUnsane, a new psychological horror movie shot entirely on an iPhone (though admittedly with some big-budget lenses and software). The format may seem like a hacky gimmick, but in Soderbergh’s hands, it works, bringing an unusual intimacy to the skewed story of gnawing paranoia and society’s absurd reluctance to believe women.Claire Foycontinues her rise to the top as Sawyer Valentini, a young businesswoman who relocates to a new city after a terrifying experience with a stalker. When she starts seeing him everywhere again, she begins to question her own reality, and after a too-honest therapy session, she accidentally commits herself to a mental hospital where she may or may not be trapped with the man she’s trying to escape. Soderbergh plays with your mind, and that’s half the fun, but it’s the way he pokes and prods at the experience of anxiety and entrapment that makesUnsanesuch an effective trip down the rabbit hole. It can be a bit blunt and schlocky at moments, but whenUnsanedigs at a nerve, it usually hits, making for an extremely unnerving experience.
Mom and Dad
For the wonky, wild horror comedyMom and DadNicolas Cagereunites withBrian Taylor,who co-directedGhost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and the famously OTT actor is clearly having the time of his life in the anarchic film.Mom and Dadfollows a suburbia gone to hell when a mysterious mass hysteria descends on the parents of the population, giving them an unquenchable desire to murder their own children. It’s a perfect perversion of the natural order, and everyone on board has a blast with the concept, hamming it up and leaning into the tastelessness with giddy glee. Taylor knows exactly what kind of movie he’s making, keeping the run time trim and delivering a number of camp-horror sequences that keep the audience grinning and squirming throughout, including a doozy of a cameo fromLance Henriksonand the best use ofSelma Blair‘s talents in a decade.Mom and Dadis a midnight movie to boot and it works so well because it never tries to be anything else.
After three[REC]films, directorPaco Plazais back behind the lens of another feature film, something that does share some similar qualities with the[REC]franchise (minus[REC] 3 Genesis), especially the style, but also how helpless Plaza can make a viewer feel within a particular narrative. However, there’s also one standout quality that makes the story deeply personal and boosts the intensity of the film overall - a very strong protagonist.Veronicawas inspired by an unsolved case involving a young woman who died shortly after using an Ouija board. In Plaza’s film, the title character played bySandra Escacenadoes just that and what follows is extremely unsettling, but it’s Veronica’s powerful relationship with her three younger siblings that ups the stakes tenfold. It’s a chilling, intimate and very atmospheric experience that adds yet another item to the never-ending list of reasons to steer clear of Ouija boards. – Perri Nemiroff
Right off the bat,Cargohas one of the best conceptual hooks of any horror movie this year – a man bitten by a zombie has a matter of hours to find a safe place for his infant daughter in the apocalypse before he turns. It’s simple, it’s strong, and you’re instantly intruiged – fortunately, it’s also backed by a pitch-perfect performance fromMartin Freemanand a beautifully shot look at rural Australia that gives the zombie genre a much-needed new backdrop. Freeman stars Andy, the father in question, directorsBen HowlingandYolanda Ramkeprovide the actor with the perfect role for his world-weary demeanor, giving him a lot to chew on in a muted, driven performance. Smart with beingtoosmart for its own good,Cargohinges on the audiences understanding of how zombie films work, without becoming a meta-commentary, which is a refreshing change of pace in a genre that’s just starting to break out of a decade of stagnancy.
The Ritual
It’s been a long wait forDavid Bruckner’s first feature film, but fortunately, it was worth it. The filmmaker behind standout segments inSignalandV/H/Smade his feature debut this year withThe Ritual, a Netflix original that digs into the well of shame and regret to mine piercing, distinctly adult terrors. Oh, and there’sa pretty great monstertoo.The Ritualfollows four friends into the woods, where they venture out mourn the death of a dear friend, but once they’re there, a spindly, scarcely seen creature haunts them every step of the way. Bruckner takes his time building the terror, offering brief glimpses at their monstrous stalker and using the natural camouflage of the forest to his advantage in staging his scares, and between the chilling looks at the creature, he takes his time fleshing out the trauma shared by these old friends and the conflicts that would threaten to tear them apart even if they weren’t being hunted by a supernatural force. The end result is a mature, understated horror movie that slowly settles in under your skin.
SawandInsidiousco-creatorLeigh Whannellbrings his gift for chilling concepts to the sci-fi genre withUpgrade, a propulsive blast of technophobic terror that combines action, horror, and science fiction to become one of the most entertaining films of the year. Set in a not-too-unfamiliar future where self-driving cars and bio-tech implants distort an otherwise relatable picture of the world,Upgradefollows Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) on a mission of vengeance after a group of criminals kill his wife and leave him paralyzed from the waist down. Everything changes when he’s introduced to STEM, a computer chip implant that allows Grey to move again, but much faster and better than he ever did before, and not always within his control. Hinging on an absolutely stunning physical and emotional performance from Marshall-Green,Upgradeis part tech horror, part body horror, and kick ass all the way through, demonstrating some smart direction from writer/actor/producer-turned-director Whannell and proving once again that this guy has got a knack for catchy genre ideas. If you missed it, make a point of seeking this one out at home, because it’s one of the leanest, meanest old-school sci-fi thrills of the last decade and in a just world, Marshall-Green’s performance would be the talk of the town.
French filmmakerCoralie Fargeatcrafts a candy-colored, sun-drenched nightmare of survival and vengeance in her searing directorial debutRevenge. Succintly titled and quick to evoke the oft-tasteless tradition of the rape-revenge subgenera,Revengeoffers a more visceral, refined, and stylish spin on the material that never shies from its exploitation roots. Flipping the male gaze on its head in an act of subversive perspective-shifting, Fargeat dares the audience to condemn her sexually uninhibited protagonist, Jen (Matilda Lutz), for her short skirts and Lolita-fashioned seduction. While on a romantic getaway with her married boyfriend, the bleach-blonde wannabe actress flirts and flaunts, sucking on a lollipop and grinding on her lover’s friends, but when the moment of violation arrives, it delivers a striking rebuke to victim shaming and “what was she wearing?” mentality, revealing the assault for what it truly is — the action of a few weak, entitled, and desperate men. From then on,Revengeis a carnival of carnage as Jen first seeks to escape, then survive, and ultimately overpower her assailants in a brutal, blood-spewing portrait of rebirth.
A brawling Giallo throwback by way of gender-bentTaxi Driver,Cold Hellis a kinetic, kickass crime thriller of the highest order with a thick sweaty sheen of underworld grime.Violetta Schurawlowdelivers a breakout performance as Özge, a bitter cabbie in Vienna, where she spends her nights picking up crass and cruel customers, fuelling her inner rage with each new pickup — rage she doles out daily in her Thai boxing club. When she comes home after another gruelling night at the wheel, she witnesses a gruesome murder, and when the murderer witnessess her too, he sets his sights on Özge as his next victim. Except, she is the last woman on earth you want to mess with. Rooted in racism, gender and religion,Cold Hellhas more to say than your average pulpy thriller, and directed by Oscar-winning filmmakerStephan Ruzowitzky(The Counterfeiters), it’s got style to spare, but the film never loses sight of the entertainment factor, delivering one propulsive, bone-breaking action set-piece after the next and spinning it all together in one lurid tale that feels pulled right from the pages of a dime store paperback.
The Endless
Filmmaking duoJustin BensonandAaron Moorheadmade a name for themselves with their pensive, emotional horror moviesResolutionandSpring, which took two very different approaches to character-driven indie horror with a healthy dose of Lovecraftian madness. WithThe Endless, Benson and Moorhead take their technical and creative accomplishments to the next level, crafting a complex but complete realm of mythology and cosmic horrors where two brothers are forced to confront and reconcile with both spiritual and intimate truths when they make a return visit to the cult they escaped as kids and discover there may be more to their beliefs than they once thought. Surprisingly funny with a creeping sense of dread, The Endless is a heartfelt, clever and unique trip through the otherworldly.
A Quiet Place
John Krasinskidoes his best Spielberg withA Quiet Place, and it turns out his best Spielberg is pretty damn good. The alien invasion horror thriller stars Krasinski alongsideEmily Bluntas a pair of parents trying to keep their family alive in a world where alien monsters hunt by sound. Don’t scream, don’t cry, don’t even whisper — or the armored beasts will obliterate everything in their path. The concept does a lot of heavy lifting on its own, but Krasinski directs the hell out of the material, staging a number of stellar set pieces strung together with piano wire tension, and wisely putting the spotlight on Blunt, who carries the film with a whopper of a performance.A Quiet Placeisn’t just a technical achievement — though the performances and sound design are award-worthy in their own right — but a thematically rich piece of storytelling that transforms the human desire to provide for and protect our family into a stomach-churning, nightmare-inducing rollercoaster of anxiety and emotion.
