12. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Sophie recently started dating Bee. They drive together to a party hosted by Sophie’s best friend, David. The David family estate, with its palatial main house, is surrounded by a large wooded area. Bee is nervous, but her friend promises her that everyone there will like her. Her and David’s friends are Emma, Jordan and Alice, who runs her own podcast and brought along her slightly older lover Greg, whom she met through Tinder. They are still having fun together at the pool, but when a storm hits, they are forced to go indoors. To see what happens next, you need to see the film.
It’s going between the slasher and whodunit and a satire on ultra-rich young people or just Generation Z. Yet it’s not a mess which is a bless. It’s more fun than its premise suggests. However, some might find the satirical elements little heavy-handed but the ending is so great that even if you had any problem with it, you’ll forgive it. The cast is particularly amazing, especially Rachel Sennott.
11. Lamb (2021)
Maria and Ingvar live a simple life together as farmers on a remote farm in Iceland, where they are very busy looking after a whole flock of sheep. They have a herding dog that helps them with their work. As Maria and Ingvar watch their sheep litter their lambs, they witness the birth of a strange lamb, which is a hybrid of a human body and a sheep’s head. At first, surprised by this phenomenon, the couple begins to take in and raise the lamb, whom they baptize with the name Ada, as if they were their own child… theme is so bizarre but it works incredibly well.
It’s more of a drama than a horror actually but since it’s billed as such in many publications, it fits well to put it here but don’t expect many scares. This a deeply imaginative, somewhat thought-provoking and honestly, it’s very impressive to get a convincing film out of such a ridiculous premise. The film is also the highest grossing motion picture in the history of Icelandic cinema, as of 2021, earning over million dollars on the first weekend alone.
10. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Father Steven (Colin Farrell), the surgeon, regularly meets with adolescent Martin (Barry Keoghan). He gives him a watch and invites him to a family dinner. The boy’s attachment is increasingly reminiscent of stalking. The motives for this remain unclear. An ancient parable paves the way: Whoever takes something from someone, like Agamemnon took from Artemis’ beloved stag, must give back something of value in order to restore balance… Lanthimos has directed a horror-thriller that does a great job of exploring the power of the inexplicable.
The camera is mostly in motion, but so elegantly guided that it enables a gliding through the progression of the story in touchingly beautiful images, which only makes the shifted world of the characters come to light all the more clearly. In the end, we get a film with stunning cinematography, minimalist but at the same time strong screenplay, thrilling narrative and a strong Barry Keoghan performance.
9. Saint Maud (2019)
The young nurse Maud used to work in the national health service, but now she was placed through a private agency with the terminally ill patient Amanda Kohl. The once celebrated avant-garde dancer and choreographer has retired to a small English seaside town due to her illness and boredly celebrates the last stages of her own mortality. She lets Maud pass the time between her lover’s visits, but her caregiver thinks that dealing with young Carol isn’t doing her any good. Maud keeps having painful visions that she believes are messages from God himself.
British film, distributed by StudioCanal in its native country, was brought to United States by A24. Rose Glass makes a great debut with this mix of body horror and psychological thriller. It’s ambiguous for every viewer to bring their own perspective to the story. Is she a mad person? Is she talking to a God? Lots of Cronenberg influence but still a very original work with a final shot that’ll stay with you for a while.
8. Green Room (2015)
Jeremy Saulnier was on a roll up until misguided and underwhelming “Hold the Dark”. This one came right after his very strong effort “Blue Ruin” and it’s equally excellent. The film is about a punk rock band whose gig is canceled and they failed to make money from a replacement gig at a Mexican restaurant. Then the group accepted an offer to play at a rock bar in the Oregon woods the following day. Although their audience there consists only of neo-Nazis, the job pays well. However, soon things turn into a hostage situation. Striking cinematography, excellent performances (especially Imogen Poots) and very tense tone make “Green Room” a great watch.
This is also a surprisingly brutal movie, it doesn’t shy away from showing the violence but it’s not full of it also. It comes at the very right moments. Saulnier has mentioned “Assault on Precinct 13” as an influence and it shows because he obviously well-studied the Carpenter classic and staged the whole thing in a similar manner with a style of its own. After the film, it’s impossible to not realize once again what a sad loss Anton Yelchin was. He had so much to give.
7. X (2022)
Ti West had been a cult name for most of his career. He was making arthouse-ish, small horror films before it was cool. “The House of the Devil” particularly made him an established name in the horror community but since his sensibilities are not outrageously commercial, he never got mainstream attention. His films are usually different than each other; he makes a film about cults, supernatural, a found-footage, he never stays the same but there’s a Ti West film formula which is establishing the characters and the atmosphere for the first hour and then the horror in the last act.
“X” is similar but also perhaps better than anything he has done; with his characters, black humor, very clearly sex-positive message (rare for horror), terrific acting (Mia Goth in dual roles) and it has something to say about aging as well, while also being a beautiful tribute to the 70s independent filmmakers who made horrors and sex films despite all the taboos. Some of the shots are striking (when that alligator appears!) and the film is one of the best slashers in a quite long time.
6. Midsommar (2019)
Ari Aster’s follow-up to “Hereditary” is almost as strong. Just like “Hereditary”, the script is so well-written that you keep coming back to it. When you finish the film, it needs a re-watch and when you watch it again, you realize you missed so many details. The same plot could end up being a lesser experience with the wrong directors but Aster’s cinematic vision is very strong. He’s not afraid of going to disturbing places as well as silly places, some of the humor here is very intentional and he has a pretty sick sense of humor, to say the least. Delightfully sick though.
This is a movie about relationships and depression, how different factors can ruin a relationship, and how once romantic partners can turn out to be enemies and the story is coming together through Ari’s love for folk horror. The setting, while not in Sweden as the script suggests, is wonderfully used. One of those rare horrors films that prefer to set in daylight all the time instead of dark, “Midsommar” is a film full of rich themes, great acting, a creepy atmosphere, and pretty brutal deaths.
5. Under the Skin (2013)
In “Under the Skin,” Scarlett Johansson plays an alien seductress who drives a white van through Glasgow in search of single men. What follows is not an act of love, but an act of death. What exactly happens to these men can only be guessed at in images. Only the title explains more precisely what “Under the Skin” is about: surfaces and the things they enclose. Jonathan Glazer is a unique director and it’s a strong work just like his “Birth”. Such a dark parable of desire and loneliness in elegiac, minimalistically concentrated sequences of images. Mesmerizing effects and the wonderful soundtrack by Mica Levi only adds to the strength of the film. Scarlett Johansson is an actress with a somewhat cold aura around her, so she fits the role perfectly.
This is another StudioCanal film that was brought to the United States through A24 and it received strong reviews, some called it the best film of its year. A deeply disturbing film with some Lynch and Roeg influences, “Under the Skin” is a terrific horror film that is scary, thought-provoking, challenging, freaky and erotic.
4. The Witch (2015)
When it comes to films like this, it’s hard to find a thing that has not been said. Robert Eggers’ debut instantly made him a name to follow. Brilliant on a technical level, the production design is truly breathtaking and almost 400 years old English, while sometimes hard to understand, works amazingly because it sets the mood perfectly well. Symbolisms and underlying messages make this a thought-provoking experience, something that doesn’t stay with you only because of how scary it was but also because of how well-written it is. From religion to women’s role in society to paranoia, the film keeps exploring different themes.
For a horror film, it’s always a plus when it gets under your skin without jumpscares. Everybody is a stand-out here as truly everybody gets a chance to shine but this is the film that made Anya Taylor-Joy an instant star, an actress whose distinctive look and talent. Usually films this ambitious can turn messy but this is due to Robert Eggers’ talent and skill, “The Witch” is a constantly watchable and memorable experience.
3. Pearl (2022)
Ti West keeps outdoing himself. While making “X”, he also secretly shot a prequel to the villain of the film called “Pearl”. He keeps exploring similar themes but from a different perspective. Now we have another person who wants to be a star, but in totally different time, with a different fate. Aesthetics are completely different, makes you feel like you’re watching horror version of “Wizard of Oz”, yet it’s not just a style over substance film. Instead, the character development is amazing. West’s direction is so strong, the split screen use is even better here than “X” and the movie, while reminding other films with similar themes like “Carrie”, is original on its own.
The biggest credit goes to Mia Goth who plays perfectly between film’s consistently but expertly switching tone. Her show-stopping monologue is incredible but there’s more than that, watching her arguing with her mother on the dinner table or the dance scene and of course, that amazing end credits just proves that she’s a generational talent. Similar to “X”, movie once again explores the relationship between human sexuality and religion as well as the effect of movies on the society. We all sure look forward to third part of the trilogy “MaXXXine” now.
2. The Lighthouse (2019)
“It’s not a horror”, said Willem Dafoe in one of his interviews. Maybe he’s right or maybe he’s one of those people who look at horror in a very conventional way. In the end, the horror films Dafoe chose to pick like “Shadow of the Vampire” and “Antichrist” are far from your typical horrors. He’s an artist who’s attracted to intelligent scripts and meaty parts. “The Lighthouse” is no different, it’s a gorgeously well-shot, hauntingly beautiful film with a creepy tone and once again, so many rich themes, from masculinity to isolation.
The film is also, essentially a surreal riff on various mythological symbols. This time there’s much more humor here than on “The Witch”, some of the dialogues are incredibly funny and despite the Old English, you get everything perfect. However, Eggers doesn’t laugh at the characters, he laughs with them and that’s probably one of the reasons why the film works so well. It tries to understand its characters and their nature, instead of mocking them or vilifying them. Just like “The Witch”, “The Lighthouse” is also a film that can be discussed a lot after viewing it. Magically, even if you don’t understand the themes well, it somehow still ends up as an entertaining watch.
1. Hereditary (2018)
Ari Aster’s directorial debut has certainly had influences from many films. “The Wicker Man”, “Don’t Look Now”, “Ordinary People”, “Rosemary’s Baby” and even “Carrie” but it also feels like a true original for some reason because of how he crafts the whole film. The film doesn’t give away its mysteries, you never get too sure that all these events are real or just mental issues going on in the family and when you realize it’s the former one, it gets even scary and just like Aster’s follow-up “Midsommar”, this movie deserves multiple viewings also and probably to read about the story behind King Paimon if you enjoy finding symbolisms, references to the original story. Not only for that of course, finding little details about everything else is fun too. That’s why “Hereditary” is a great experience.
It works as a horror and a drama because the story of this cursed family laden with grief already has a strong dramatic weight but they’re also trapped in a situation where there’s no way out. The only “way out” comes in the end, which feels like relief before we realize that what happened here is even more evil and sinister. This is a well-written, well-shot, and brilliantly acted movie, particularly by Toni Collette.